What I've added to my TBR lately

I think the last of these posts I did was in November. Wow! That would explain why my folder of new book images is so large. So, here are the books I'm most excited about digging into these days.

First up, some books about America, because she's been through the wringer lately:

I recently chose All the Gallant Men as a memorial book for my father for my university library. He was in the U.S. Navy during peacetime, but the thought of him on a ship protecting a grand battleship always brings to mind those brave men of Pearl Harbor. This is the first account of a USS Arizona survivor, only five of which are still alive.

Renowned historian David McCullough has put together a book of his speeches on America and the American spirit, called The American Spirit, that I'm excited to read. (Out in April.)

I've long wondered about the U.S. territories, what their status is, if their rights and governance is any different from the 50 states, and why they aren't states. There's finally a book to answer my questions: The Not-Quite States of America. So excited for this.

Presidents and First Ladies

 

I've long been interested in President Wilson, so I've bought a copy of A. Scott Berg's (he wrote a bio about Lindbergh years back) biography, Wilson.

I've been looking for a copy of Margaret Truman's biography of her mother for years. Bess W. Truman is long out of print, but I snapped up a copy at a used bookstore a couple of weeks ago. Margaret Truman has written many books about first ladies, the White House, and Washington.

And I finally (why did this take so long?) bought Jon Meacham's biography of President George H. W. Bush, Destiny and Power. Bush fascinates me, and his long career and short presidency was full of adventure and varied national service.

While I was at it, I bought Meacham's Franklin and Winston, because one just can't read enough books about FDR, can one?

I've been dithering over Louisa, the biography of first lady Louisa Adams since it came out. I finally took the plunge and bought a copy.

And another FDR book, The Gatekeeper, is the story of Missy LeHand, President Roosevelt's "de facto chief of staff." If you've ever read an FDR bio, you know her name.

Nonfiction

 

Atlas Obscura is an interesting encyclopedia-like book about weird places and things in the world. I'm all in.

Hoping to re-capture my feelings for Five Days at Memorial, I've bought a copy of David Oshinsky's Bellevue, a biography of the famed hospital.

And for some reason, I've added Bruce Springsteen's memoir, Born to Run, to my TBR. Well-written celebrity memoirs are few and far between, and I've heard nothing but good about this one. I'm not particularly a Springsteen fan, but I love a good story.

I can't wait to read The Book of Joy, reflections on joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu.

If you know me, you know I hoard books about food and have a hard time getting around to reading them. I think Eight Flavors is one of those, but books, unlike most foods, keep.

In 2015, I read Tom Ryan's Following Atticus and was blown away. Ryan is back with another dog memoir, Will's Red Coat, and I can't wait. (Out in April.)

John Hildebrand was one of my college professors, though I regret that I never got into his extremely popular nonfiction writing course back in the day. He writes quiet, contemplative nonfiction that evokes a strong sense of place. The Heart of Things: A Midwestern Almanac is a collection of seasonal essays that came out in 2014.

Christianity

I've been looking for some more good Christian reading ever since finishing Jen Hatmaker's For the Love last summer. Her husband, Brandon Hatmaker, has a book out called A Mile Wide that I think I might try.

Also, I became familiar with Samuel Rodriguez after his inaugural prayer (and subsequent interviews), and his newest book, Be Light, is now out in paperback. I plan to pick up a copy soon.

Fiction

 

The minute I finished A Gentleman in Moscow, I bought Amor Towles' earlier book, Rules of Civility.

I'm challenging myself to read a few books that are way outside of my wheelhouse, so I've added Lincoln in the Bardo to my TBR. It's definitely not my usual fiction reading.

And I picked up a copy of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, not just for the cover, but that was part of it.

 

You know that I love historical fiction (everything in this section is historical), but I get nervous about historical fiction based on fact. The Last Days of Night mixes the two, so I plan to read it and see if I can get over my black or white dilemma.

And because I now own a Kindle (thanks to my husband), I bought a copy of Alan Bradley's Kindle short, The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse (a Flavia de Luce story).

 

 

Children's/YA

Sara Pennypacker will be back with another Waylon! book, Waylon! Even More Awesome, due out in October.

After enjoying Eleanor & Park, I added Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl to my TBR.

And if I read the Ramona books when I was little, I don't remember (though I think I did...), so I've added Beezus and Ramona to my reading list.

And lastly, a book my grandson recommended. Actually, he recommended the whole The Books of Elsewhere series (five books), but I'll start with the first, The Shadows, and see how it goes.

Have you read any of these? Are you looking forward to any? Let me know in the comments!