In the last year, I made a promise to myself, that I would try to read as much as possible. Since I read legal papers for a living, I've been remiss in reading for myself. So, since 2005, I've been buying and reading as many books as much as possible. I've really been cramming on history lately. I've read all the leading biographies on the Revolution and the Founders, on Lincoln, on Events that have Shaped American History, on the Presidents, on our great military leaders, on politics, and occasionally some books on popular figures in our culture. I tend to read at least three books at a time. My latest immersion into American History has been an eye opening experience. It is fascinating how one can draw parallels between how the media and popular culture treated our great historical figures and how our current leaders are treated. It is interesting to get into the minds of those who wrote our Constitution and it is especially enlighting to see why the best President this Country ever had was George Washington and how his greatness has been unmatched by anyone in modern history. It's even a nice change of pace to read on modern cultural icons such as Dylan, the Beatles, and Bono. Those selections on my list will show you that these folks, especially Dylan and Bono are an exeception to the usual gang of idiots you find in the movie and music business. Bono is truly one who practices what he preaches and is one who deserves respect. So here's my list. I suggest all of you infidels pick up these books and read them.
My Reading List:
Currently Reading:
Revolutionary Characters : What Made the Founders Different
By: Gordon S. Wood
Waiting for Snow in Havana : Confessions of a Cuban Boy
By: Carlos Eire
Mere Christianity
By: C. S. Lewis
Read
History:
American Gospel : God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation
By: Jon Meacham
His Excellency: George Washington
By: Joseph J. Ellis
Alexander Hamilton
By: Ron Chernow
Team of Rivals : The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
John Adams
By: David McCullough
1776
By: David McCullough
Truman
By: David McCullough
10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America (History Channel Presents)
By: Steven M. Gillon
The Everglades: River of Grass
By: Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant
By: Humberto Fontova
Popular Culture
Chronicles, Vol. 1 By: Bob Dylan
I'm Just Getting Started: Baseball's Best Storyteller on Old School Baseball, Defying the Odds, and Good Cigars
By: Jack McKeon, Kevin Kernan
And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey
By: Studs Terkel
Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas
Here, There and Everywhere
By: Geoff Emerick
Rednecks and Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music
By: Chris Willman
Read Excerpts Only:
Lincoln: Speeches and Writings : Volume 2: 1859-1865 (Library of America)
By: Abraham Lincoln
Nor Is It over Yet: Florida in the Era of Reconstruction, 1863-1877 by Shofner
The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams
James Madison: Writings : Writings 1772-1836
By: James Madison
The Debate on the Constitution : Federalist and Antifederalist Speeches, Articles, and Letters During the Struggle over Ratification : Part One
By: Bernard Bailyn (Editor)
Not Yet Read:
History/Bio/Politics
Benjamin Franklin : An American Life, Walter Isaacson
The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
By: James R. Hansen
A General's Life
By: Omar N. Bradley
Theodore Rex
By: Edmund Morris
Strategery: How George W. Bush Is Defeating Terrorists, Outwitting Democrats, and Confounding the Mainstream Media
By: Bill Sammon
Take It Back : Our Party, Our Country, Our Future
By: James Carville, Paul Begala
Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship
By: Colin Duriez
Philosophy
Memory and Identity : Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium
By: Pope John Paul II
Novels:
The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
By: Umberto Eco, Geoffrey Brock (Translator)
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PS: My photo is of Cocoa Beach on a stormy early morning.
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