What I'm reading this week (6/20/16)

Last week I finished:

Last week I finished my June poetry read, Sharon Olds' Strike Sparks: Selected Poems 1980-2002. I liked the collection very much over all. Most of the poems were ones I was familiar with, but I hadn't read any of them for years. Olds writes a lot about sex, which became tiresome. She also doesn't shy away from difficult topics like rape and abuse. This makes the books sound just awful, but she's such a gifted poet, although she challenges the reader, you feel somehow safe with the poems.

I also finished the second mystery in Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag. It was as good as the first one, and you all know how much I loved that one. Flavia is such a well-written character, full of intelligence, logic, bravery, meddlesomeness, wit, and just enough childish insecurity to make her infinitely loveable. This is one series I plan to read all the way through--slowly so as to savor them.

This week I'll finish:

As soon as I finished with Flavia, I picked up First Women, Kate Andersen Brower's follow-up to The Residence. I'd anticipated reading the book for weeks, and I am not disappointed. It's a little more dishy than I remember her first book being, but you are dealing with a group of women, after all. :) Some of what's included isn't exactly new to someone like me who spends her time reading presidential memoirs and biographies, but there is enough new information to make it a great read. So far I've learned that Hillary Clinton and Jackie Kennedy were buds, as are Laura Bush and Michelle Obama (!). And the more I learn about Lady Bird Johnson and Betty Ford, the more I admire them. All-in-all, I'm really enjoying this read.

I'm on the last CD of These High, Green Hills, and in many ways this might be my favorite of the Mitford books so far. While there is a fair bit of drama for the small town of Mitford, it's somehow all believable drama because of how the characters deal with it. Small towns, I know from experience, often have the biggest stories.

This week I'm continuing with:

 

I've gotten through the dumplings chapter in Easy Chinese Recipes without losing my mind with hunger (the word "dumpling" is an instant hunger trigger with me--it all started with Amy Tan's The Kitchen God's Wife where the word "dumpling" appeared on every page). Now I'm into the beef and pork recipes. This is a cookbook I'd actually cook from, and I can't say that for all of them.

I continue slowly through The 50 States. I think I'm in the M's.

And I'm truly loving The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate. I don't remember liking the first Calpurnia book this much, though I know I was very impressed. The Galveston hurricane of 1900 has just hit displacing some of Calpurnia's relations. I love how the book brings historical events to life. I hope Jacqueline Kelly comes out with loads of other Calpurnia books, because I will just eat them up.

Next up:

 

I know that celebrity memoirs can be hit or miss, but I'm still excited to read Dyan Cannon's biography of her husband, Cary Grant, Dear Cary. Plus, it will be nice to close out the month with something a little fluffy, considering my next book with be nearly 1,000 pages long. Stay tuned.

What I've added to my TBR: Political Edition

I definitely chose the right reading goal when I decided to read 12 books about presidents, first ladies, the White House, politics, and American history this year. The publishing industry is capitalizing on the fact that this is an election year...and I'm reaping the benefits! My TBR is overflowing with new and old books that deal with presidents and politics, so many that I needed to give them their own post. So, here are 21 books about politics that I'm absolutely geeking out over.

The Kennedys

Jackie, Ethel, Joan came out back when I knew very little about the Kennedy family. Lately, I've been intrigued by the Kennedy women, especially wanting to know more about Ethel, the widow of Bobby Kennedy, pregnant with their eleventh child when he was assassinated. Author J. Randy Taraborrelli follows up Jackie, Ethel, Joan with After Camelot, which I'm very interested in. It covers the years 1968 to present in the Kennedy family.

And then there's The Kennedy Detail which I can't believe I didn't know about having fallen so deeply in love with Secret Service agent Clint Hill's work with Lisa McCubbin.  

 

I've been dithering over The Good Son about JFK's relationship with his mother Jackie, but I finally purchased a copy. Christopher Andersen has written so many books about the most famous of the famous, and I'm not sure if that makes me trust him more or less than most.

And then there's Ted Kennedy's memoir of his life in politics, True Compass. Now, I was not a fan of Kennedy politically, but I did respect the sincerity of his political views and his willingness to "cross the political aisle" to get things done, so I'm willing to give this tome a chance.

Other Presidents

 

Ever since reading Bill Bryson's One Summer (I'm pretty sure that's the book I'm thinking of...), I've been intrigued by President Herbert Hoover. There's a new biography coming out about the man in October, and if I can stomach 450 pages about any president by that point, I think I'll buy a copy.

Now, Candice Millard is one of my favorite history authors (more about her below), and her Destiny of the Republic about President Garfield's assassination is one of my favorite books of all time. Author Fred Rosen has a book coming out this September that asserts Garfield's doctor hastened Garfield's death not by the ignorance of antiseptic medicine, but because he wanted to him dead. I'm not sure how I feel about this book, and I'm not sure if I'll read it, but I am intrigued.

Secret Service

 

Ronald Kessler has written many books about the Secret Service, FBI, and CIA. I tend to have trust issues with journalists who investigate US investigators, but I'm willing to give one or both of these books a chance.

White House service memoirs

 

Kate Andersen Brower's The Residence and Oprah's production of The Butler has brought the lives of those who serve in the White House to the public imagination, and I've fallen hard for their stories. My 21 Years in the White House is an older book, originally published in 1960, and was re-released in February. And Upstairs at the White House, originally published in 1973, will be re-released later this month.

A couple more memoirs by White House workers: All the Presidents' Pastries and My First Ladies written by a White House pastry chef and florist, respectively.

Trivia!

 

 

If you know me at all, you know I absolutely lose my mind over trivia books, especially political trivia books. Ian Randal Strock is coming out with Ranking the First Ladies and Ranking the Vice Presidents this summer (July and August, respectively). I can't wait to check them out.

Also coming out in August is The President Is Dead! which I might forego since my allegiance belongs with Dead Presidents. And then there's White House Confidential, an updated version of a previous publication, I believe, due out in July. Now, I plan to vet all of these books thoroughly before committing, because I'm not interested in boring lists, shoddy research, gratuitous info, partisan bias, or same-old-same-old trivia put together to sell a few books. Just saying.

Non-U.S. history

Just when I think I couldn't love Candice Millard more, I learn that she's coming out with a book about Winston Churchill in September! I have wanted to read a biography of Winston Churchill for ages, but there are just too many options--and most of them seem overwhelming. What could be better than an author you respect coming out with a book about a subject you've been wanting to read about? Book heaven, I tell you, book heaven.  

Lastly, some tenuously political books

Love That Boy is a book I've been considering for some time. I'm not terribly interested in reading about health topics, but I'm interested in stories that even tangentially deal with political figures. This book straddles that line. Fournier is a journalist who covers the White House, and he and his autistic son meet presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush who help Fournier see fatherhood and his son differently. Could be great, could fall flat. I don't know.

I've never been a huge Anderson Cooper fan, but I've always had respect for the man's work. Because I have a hard time not being interested in most any best-selling memoir, I'm willing to read The Rainbow Comes and Goes written with his mother Gloria Vanderbilt. (Fun fact, I once owned a pair of bright yellow Gloria Vanderbilt pants because my cousins had good taste and outgrew them. And because it was the 80s)

And last but not least. In fact, far from least, I am looking forward to Megyn Kelly's Settle for More more than any other book on this list. I absolutely adore the sassy, funny, tough, and wickedly smart host of the The Kelly File. I've always wondered about her personal life, and this book is my chance to find out.

Whew, that's quite a list. 

Put your suggestions on other titles in the comments below. I'd love to see them!

Top Ten Tuesday (2016 2nd half releases)



There are more books coming out the rest of 2016 that I'm interested in than I've ever seen before. It seems that all my favorite authors are releasing a new book in the same six-month period. It was hard to narrow it down to just 10, but I'll do another post soon to highlight the rest of my looking-forward-to list.

Coming in July:

Coming in August:

Coming in September:

Coming in October:

Coming in November:

 

 

What's on your list of "can't wait for it"?

 

 

 

 

What I'm reading this week (6/13/16)

Last week I finished:

I really, really loved Clint Hill's Five Presidents. It was well-written, and even though it was a long book (about 450 pages), it read like a book half its length. I've mentioned before how much respect I have for this man and how painful I find the fact that he spent nearly 50 years of his life without discussing the details of the Kennedy assassination, feeling tremendous guilt the entire time. He has since come to terms with those feelings, I am happy to report. One thing that I love about this book is how Hill gave readers an honest look at the presidents he served and the historical events he witnessed, but he was never anything but respectful. It didn't come off as pandering or biased or fawning or detached, but you always knew how he felt (esp. about a president) without him saying anything degrading about the man or the office. This was remarkably well done.

One thing that sort of bothered me about this book is that it didn't get very personal, though there was ample room to do so. Secret Service agents like Hill were under tremendous stress, worked long schedules, and spent the great part of the year away from home. While Hill is very honest about how this affected him, he did not talk about how it affected his family, and I wish he would have. Maybe (hopefully) there's another book coming. 

Last week I began and abandoned:

I'd been looking forward to reading West with the Night for months now as part of my 2016 goal of reading books 30 years old or older. I made the mistake of reading the introduction (why do they always tell you what's going to happen in the intro? maddening), and it was discussed that the story is partially fictionalized. Now, I really don't like my nonfiction to touch my fiction on the reading plate of life, so I put the book down in a huff. I don't think I've abandoned it for good, but I do think I'd rather experience this one on audio.

Last week I began:

After abandoning West with the Night, I decided to pick up a treat--the second Flavia de Luce mystery, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag--a title I'll likely not remember by the end of the year. And of course, I'm loving it. Flavia is one of the best characters I've ever encountered in a book. I just adore her.

And I decided that having five books going at once was not enough, so I added a sixth to the juggle when I started The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate. Really the only thing that makes this children's literature is the main protagonist being a young girl. The writing is that good. I enjoyed the first book by the author as well (The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate) which won the Newberry Honor in 2010. Both are superb books (so far) and I highly recommend them.

I'm also reading:

 

I'm still enjoying Sharon Olds' Strike Sparks, though all the sex poems are getting a little old.

I've finally gotten into the recipes of Easy Chinese Recipes, and although the book is sloppily edited and sometimes oddly laid out with two sets of instructions per recipe, many of the recipes sound delicious and quite easy.  

The 50 States is not going to be a fast read due to the enormously difficult layout. I love the layout, until I have to read the book (but again, I'm really, really Type A). This would be a great summer read for a middle-grade reader, though.

My audiobook:

 

I was a little concerned that as I progressed in the Mitford series I'd find the books boring or repetitive, and I can't vouch for the whole series yet, but that's not true of the third one at least. If you're looking for a nice, comfortable, slow story that reads fast (and Christian themes don't bother you), try Karon's books. I'm very happy with them.

Next up:

Finally, finally.

What I'm reading this week (6/6/16)

Last week was a rough week. I've been dealing with anxiety/depression again, in the mornings and evenings, especially. Lots of bad dreams. Lots of feelings I don't know how to make peace with. Had to deal with some difficult step-mothering situations last week that still have me feeling tender and lonely. And this weekend, I dealt with the hardest of marriage conversations as well as revelations about myself as a wife. I'm feeling anxious and exposed to the world. The trouble with anxiety is that it's a voice pretending to be your own, so when you try to find what it is that is causing it, you're really just grasping at feathers in a windstorm. There is no cause. In fact, it is the cause of everything else feeling ugly. Have had to find the center of God to shelter me, have had to resist constantly trying to look out and seeing if it's okay now, now? how about now? I'm learning to trust like I've never trusted before.

So here's hoping this week will be easier on the head and heart.

This week I'll finish:

When I first heard about Clint Hill's new book, I was so excited; then when I found out it was 450 pages, I steeled myself. But now that I'm almost finished, I wish it was twice as long. I've loved every moment of it. It really is one of my favorite books of the year so far. If you're interested in presidents or mid-century politics, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Last week I began:

Easy Chinese Recipes has been on my bookshelf waiting for me for three full years. I love Chinese food, but of all the recipes I've ever tried (and I've tried a lot), I've only ever found one that was fool-proof and to my taste. This book appears to have normal, straightforward recipes for normal, straightforward Chinese dishes. I'm hoping to pick up some hints on technique that will save my Chinese stir-fries at home. Wish me luck.

This week I'll continue with:

I was really looking forward to indulging in some Sharon Olds poetry, and let me tell you, it's as good as I'd remembered. Last week I reached the poems from her collection, The Father, about her father's days, and they are as wonderful as I remember. My goodness. I've always thought we had similar writing styles, and I see again how much alike our poems are. I recommend Strike Sparks as a good intro to modern (ultra-modern) poetry. Some of the poems are difficult, and she writes quite a bit about sex so be forewarned, but for the most part, they are truly wonderful.

I'm chipping away at The 50 States, and I'm learning some interesting bits of trivia (or perhaps relearning things I learned in grade school). The organization of the pages, though, is enough to send this casually OCD gal into fits. There's so much information and so many pictures scattered about that it's hard to be systematic about reading it.

These High, Green Hills is just as good as the first two books in the Mitford series, but I'm not sure it was the right book for me right now. You would think this nice, soothing story where nothing much goes wrong would be the perfect thing to quiet the morning meanies in my head, but I haven't been able to relax into it. These books are very true to life, which is what I like about them, but maybe I need something more escapist at the present moment.

Next up (I think):

 

I've been reading an awful lot of books about presidents and the White House lately, so I hope I don't burn myself out by following two Clint Hill books by a book about first ladies, but I've been dying to crack open First Women for weeks. The reviews on Amazon have been kind of cranky, but most of this is due to the organization of the book. I admit, I thought The Residence was organized in a less-than-desirable way. I assume this one is organized the same way. But I can forgive that if it's well-written and properly researched.