Spring is finally here! Actually, it might be summer that has arrived. The grass greened up overnight, and the daffodils on campus are blooming. I finally got the bushes trimmed and flower beds cleaned out this weekend. Then we had a wonderful thunderstorm, and the whole yard breathed a sigh of relief.
Last week I finished:
The last time I was looking for a book to begin on Kindle, I surprised myself by choosing Inside Camp David. I generally like to read lighter things on my Kindle and leave my nonfiction for paper, but I settled on this book and was sucked in. It's something I'd had my eye on since before it was released, and when it went on sale for Kindle, I snapped it up for $2.99. That's three dollars well spent. You all know how much I love reading about presidents, first ladies, and the White House. And in all that reading, Camp David, the president's mountain retreat, has come up time and again, but never have I gotten much detail about the place, shrouded as it is quasi-secrecy for security reason. This book tells about as much as you can about the place without exposing anything that would challenge presidential security. A half hour north of Washington, D.C., by Marie One (helicopter), Camp David is sits on a mountaintop in Thurmont, Maryland. Over the past 75 years, it has served 13 presidents. It was established for FDR when wartime meant his yacht was no longer a reasonable getaway. His ship's staff were removed to the mountains to what FDR called "Shangri-La," and the camp improbably became a naval installation way up in the mountains. It has provided a place for presidential retreat and relaxation ever since. President Truman was the only president who didn't care for Camp David (Bess Truman called it "boring"). President Eisenhower renamed it for his grandson, David, and no president has renamed it since. President Johnson used it as just another place to get some work done. Betty Ford called it the "best thing about the White House." Jimmy Carter made history with his Camp David Accords, where he brought together leaders from Israel and Egypt and they sought peace. President Reagan used the Camp more than any other president (see Movie Nights with the Reagans for an idea of what he did there). President George H. W. Bush used it as a family retreat; played horseshoes there with Mikhail Gorbachev; and it was also the place where he decided to go to war in the Gulf. President Clinton didn't use the Camp much, but when he did, he always brought a party; he also joined the church choir at the Camp. President George W. Bush, having already grown to love Camp David through his time spent there when his father was president, made full use of the Camp as a retreat during war time; he convened his war cabinet there and also did some fierce mountain biking. President Obama was more of an, as Michelle Obama said, "urban guy," and didn't use the Camp much, but enjoyed his time there nonetheless. The book is full of facts and reminiscence of various Commanding Officers (COs), and was written by CO Michael Giorgione who served at Camp David for Presidents Clinton and Bush 43. Sailors and Marines are stationed there (though I missed just how many), and COs usually serve a two-year term with family in tow. The book is full of wonderful stories that give a feeling not only of Camp life, both with and without presidents in residence, but also of who the presidents were in their down time. I enjoyed it so much. The book, like the Camp, is necessarily non-political, and at no point does it make any president or presidential family member look bad. It was a breath of fresh air, and I loved it. I learned so much, and now I'll be buying a paper copy because the e-version is simply not enough. I will never again read the words "Camp David" in a presidential memoir without thinking of this wonderful book. Thank you, Michael Giorgione. My rating: 4 stars.
I first read Pride and Prejudice in 2009. I wasn't blogging yet, and at the time I wrote one-line reviews of books for my own reference. Here's what I wrote after reading the book nine years ago:
I can’t believe how
much I enjoyed this book. I have to read all of her work now! Can’t believe how
much better this is than current fiction. The characterizations, suspense,
humor. Couldn’t put it down. I ask you, how can any re-read live up to that? I have to say, I entered into this book these years later with trepidation. I was concerned that it wouldn't live up to my memory of the book. And to be honest, it kind of didn't. I was bored for about the first third, and I contemplated putting it aside. The mother and younger sisters were much sillier and more annoying; Mr. Darcy was much ruder and Wickham was more charming, which was disconcerting. Darcy had too much pride, and Elizabeth had too much prejudice. Blah, blah, blah. I wasn't nearly as interested. But as the novel went along, and I got used to the slow pacing of an Austen novel, I warmed to it. I didn't come away with nearly the love of the book I did all those years ago, but that's okay. That just reminds me to savor the first read of every book, because you only ever get to read a book for the first time once. Many women I know call Persuasion their favorite Austen novel, and I remember loving that book but being afraid to admit it because of my strong feelings for Pride and Prejudice. Now I can't wait to re-read it to compare the two. I guess I've learned something about pride and prejudice myself! My rating: 3.5 stars. 
I have enjoyed all of Jan Karon's Mitford series so far, but book five, A New Song, might be one of my favorites. In it, Father Tim Kavanaugh has retired from his calling at Lord's Chapel in Mitford, North Carolina, and he's taken an interim post in coastal Whitecap Island, NC. He loads up wife Cynthia, dog Barnabus, cat Violet, and heads for the wonders of ocean living. But of course, life gets in the way. There are hardships both at Whitecap and at home in Mitford, including Dooly, his stepson, being in the wrong place at the wrong time and being arrested; severe storm damage to his temporary home and church; ailing former parishioners; seasickness; homesickness; a lawsuit; and the theft of a beloved bronze angel. What I love about these books is their ease. They're light and fun and take me back to small-town life (I love books about small towns). But they're also full of real-life events both good and bad, minor set backs, and character flaws. Karon brings us into Father Tim's faith and relationship to God in a very real way, and even though I am not what you'd call a mainstream Christian, and don't believe some of the things Episcopalians do, and even though faith journeys vary, the books are a safe place to see how others (even fictional others) lead a life of faith in the modern world. The writing is a series of vignettes that weave together dozens of characters into the tapestry that is Father Tim's life. If you are unfamiliar with the series and are looking for good Christian literature, try them. I read the first one in paper and have listened to the next four on audio because the reader, John McDonough, is stunningly good, and even when I read the books in the future, I will assuredly hear Mr. McDonough's voice. My rating: 4 stars.
Last week I began:
I was looking for something light and funny for my next Kindle read, so I settled on one of Jen Lancaster's earlier books, Pretty in Plaid, which pairs up various outfits she's worn through the years with the stories that go with them. It's fun. And funny.
I also began The Read-Aloud Family. Yes, even though I don't have children at home. I just can't resist any book by and about voracious readers. It's very good.
I'm continuing with:
I'm continuing with Amy Bloom's White Houses, which I'm liking even more than I'd hoped to. And I'm really enjoying Mary Oliver's Devotions.
My next audiobook:
It appears that one of the audiobooks I'd hoped to listen to this month (The Alice Network) won't work out for me, so I picked up Code Girls the last time I was at the library to replace it. I promise you that if it's boring, I'm going to bail, but I thought it was worth a try.
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