I just finished The Highest Ceiling by David Rubinstein. It’s a book about the presidents and I found it really interesting. It covers about a dozen, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelt, and Eisenhower to present. I’m sure I forgot a couple. He interviews people who have written books about their subjects. I think it’s pretty unbiased. I changed my perspective on a few, particularly both of the Bushes.
What’s everyone else reading? Book club?
And most importantly, isn’t it time I earn a badge???
I just finished The Highest Ceiling by David Rubinstein. It’s a book about the presidents and I found it really interesting. It covers about a dozen, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelt, and Eisenhower to present. I’m sure I forgot a couple. He interviews people who have written books about their subjects. I think it’s pretty unbiased. I changed my perspective on a few, particularly both of the Bushes.
What’s everyone else reading? Book club?
And most importantly, isn’t it time I earn a badge???
Book club is on Lucifer’s Hammer. A dystopian story about a comet. Lots of characters will be interesting to see how they handle the new world order.
As a side Hustle, reading Trey Gowdy’s The Color of Death. So far pretty good read about a murder investigation, evidence, and trial ( haven’t gotten to trial yet, assuming) by one who knows the ropes.
Also, check out The Mote in God's Eye, also by Niven and Pournelle.I just finished The Highest Ceiling by David Rubinstein. It’s a book about the presidents and I found it really interesting. It covers about a dozen, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelt, and Eisenhower to present. I’m sure I forgot a couple. He interviews people who have written books about their subjects. I think it’s pretty unbiased. I changed my perspective on a few, particularly both of the Bushes.
What’s everyone else reading? Book club?
And most importantly, isn’t it time I earn a badge???Book club is on Lucifer’s Hammer. A dystopian story about a comet. Lots of characters will be interesting to see how they handle the new world order.
As a side Hustle, reading Trey Gowdy’s The Color of Death. So far pretty good read about a murder investigation, evidence, and trial ( haven’t gotten to trial yet, assuming) by one who knows the ropes.
I am currently reading The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.
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Just started "Mornings on Horseback" by McCollough. I really enjoyed 1776 and The Great Bridge, so I'm looking forward to this one.
Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for. - Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and likely Hoosier basketball fan.
POTFB
Now that the book club is finally on Ishiguro, just want to drop my reminder to all of you who haven't yet read Ishiguro, go read Ishiguro. The default suggestion is always The Remains of the Day, but I think Never Let Me Go is the superior novel.
As a pastor of course I have to choose the Bible. After that one of my favorite reading experiences was the George Burns autobiography
While I regarded God as a tyrant I thought my sin a trifle; But when I knew Him to be my Father, then I mourned that I could ever have kicked against Him. When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.” C. H. Spurgeon
Just read a really good book called The Spy and the Traitor by Ben McIntyre, about Russian KGB agent Oleg Gordievsky, who became a double agent for Britain's MI6 in the late 70s/80s. He was assigned to Copenhagen in the 70s and became disenchanted with the restrictions of Russian life and politics, compared to the freedoms he saw and enjoyed in the West. The handling of him by MI6 is super interesting (sort of like when they broke the Enigma machine, they couldn't immediately react to intel, for fear of letting the Germans know they'd broken it) because he would provide intel but they couldn't always immediately react for fear of outing him to the Russians. He was ultimately compromised by the CIA's double agent, Aldrich Ames. Takes you back to the international political scene of the 70s, 80s and 90s and includes lots of crazy spy tech shit, like signaling and trailing suspects, etc... Gordievsky just died last year after having to live as an alias in Britain. He met with and counciled, Reagan, Thatcher and a host of intelligence folks from around the globe.