Summer Reading
It’s summer. It’s hot. It’s as hot as Hell! Good time to stay indoors with the AC on or just find a nice breeze and get in the shade and read. So I have and so I will. Here’s a list of those books with very brief commentaries that I’ve spent time with these past many weeks.
REST EASY by Marie Rutkoski: A stripper gets caught up in a crime investigation. Do I recommend? No.
HIS MAJESTY’S AIRSHIP by S.C. Gwynne: Seven years before The Hindenburg disaster, this train wreck of hubris and negligence happened. Pretty good.
THE ORDER OF THE DAY by Eric Vuillard: A short and powerful, elegant book recounts how German financiers and industrialists funded Hitler and got that awful ball rolling. Chilling, Excellent.
HYMNS OF THE REPUBLIC by S.C. Gwynne: The story of the final year of The Civil War. A ‘Masterwork of History’. Captivating. Highly recommend.
SOUTH TO AMERICA by Imani Perry: A journey below the Mason-Dixon Line, state by state…Observations and history through the eyes of an African American…very interesting.
THE THIN GREEN LINE by Paul Sullivan…Demarcates the difference between ‘Rich’ and ‘Wealthy’. Penetrating. Will read again. Get for yourself, children, good friends.
THE GUEST by Emma Cline: A stupid, shallow girl stumbles and staggers down the social ladder she wants so badly to climb. Nice twists on the foolishness of immaturity. Good read.
THE RESCUE by T. Jefferson Parker: A Southern California Lois Lane type recues a dog, gets caught up in a cartel drug war, conundrums, drama and solutions evolve. Bored me.
SOUTH OF BROAD by Pat Conroy: The Master digs into Charleston. Always entertaining and often brilliant. A fine walk down our eternal memory lane. Love his stuff. Miss him.
WINTERING by Katherine May: A look at rest and retreat when things go bad. A nice concept, often helpful but the author comes off as self-centered and selfish. Irritating. Pass.
EMPRESS OF THE NILE by Lynne Olson: Her books are Always Good. A female French archaeologist, a real daredevil, saves Egypt’s ancient temples from destruction. Eye Opening. Well worth the buy.
THE PERFECT PASS by S.C. Gwynne: the evolution of football from the running game to the passing game. Some interesting anecdotes and history but got very technical. Drags to the finish. No.
THE HALF MOON by Mary Beth Keane: A guy buys a bar, it fails, his marriage seems to as well. An emotional story told in fine detail. This is a good summer read.
THE WAGER by David Grann: A Big Deal N.Y.Times Best Seller. True story. Twins MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY but not near as good. Interesting story but to me, overrated and too long.
I just finished this one last night:
OVERREACH by Owen Mathews: The first year of the Ukraine War. Putin and his cronies. The growth of Zelensky. Tight, cogent and fascinating narrative as to how this disaster happened and where it is now. An excellent, current and timely history. Going back to read the last chapters again today. A very fine book.
Currently working on these:
A QUIVER FULL OF ARROWS by Jeffery Archer: A batch of good short stories. Wonderful plots.
THE RED HOTEL by Alan Phillips: Very interesting. Moscow, 1941. How Stalin tried to (and often succeeded) manipulate the western press housed in the famed Metropol Hotel. Propaganda wars.
And will start on this one this evening-
NORTHERN ARMAGEDDON by D. Peter MacLeod: The Battle of the Plains Of Abraham and the Makings of the American Revolution
I’m going in a week to Saratoga for the races and then up to Old Quebec-have never been-am excited. Great history there and I want to tune my due diligence up.
It is often said that if the French had won the battle instead of the British, we would all be speaking French today. A very pivotal moment indeed!
So, That’s it for now. Stay safe and keep reading. All my best,
Vernon