What books are you reading for pleasure these days?

I'm reading (OK listening to) a biography of James A Baker III, which I never in a million years thought I'd ever find myself reading/listening to, but his life is super fascinating. His family was instrumental in building Houston, knew George Bush I personally from a long time back, lost his beloved wife to breast cancer. I'm up to the part where Baker collects enough pledged delegates for Ford to beat Reagan in a close primary in 1976. Yet Baker didn't even get into politics until age 45. Just a fascinating listen so far. The Man who Ran Washington.

Also reading on Kindle 1947: Where Now Begins. So much of the late 20th century (and a bit bleeding into the early 21st century) seems to have been defined/shaped in this pivotal year.
 
I'm thoroughly enjoying Tony Horwitz's "A Voyage Long and Strange : Rediscovering the New World", a fine example of investigative journalism, travelogue and humane prose rolled into one :
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Publisher's blurb :

On a chance visit to Plymouth Rock, Tony Horwitz realizes he's mislaid more than a century of American history, from Columbus's sail in 1492 to Jamestown's founding in 16-oh-something. Did nothing happen in between? Determined to find out, he embarks on a journey of rediscovery, following in the footsteps of the many Europeans who preceded the Pilgrims to America.

An irresistible blend of history, myth, and misadventure, A Voyage Long and Strange captures the wonder and drama of first contact. Vikings, conquistadors, French voyageurs—these and many others roamed an unknown continent in quest of grapes, gold, converts, even a cure for syphilis. Though most failed, their remarkable exploits left an enduring mark on the land and people encountered by late-arriving English settlers.

Tracing this legacy with his own epic trek—from Florida's Fountain of Youth to Plymouth's sacred Rock, from desert pueblos to subarctic sweat lodges—Tony Horwitz explores the revealing gap between what we enshrine and what we forget. Displaying his trademark talent for humor, narrative, and historical insight, A Voyage Long and Strange allows us to rediscover the New World for ourselves.
 
I've always been fascinated with the New World in the times of the Voyageurs and the early explorers. I think I read a couple of historical fiction books as a kid (can't remember which ones, sadly) and was instantly drawn in to that world - I even tried to write some stories about voyageur-types, I recall. The visuals of movies like Last of the Mohicans and, more recently, The Revenant just reinforce my fascination.
 
I just finished Max Hastings, "Retribution: the Battle for Japan" about the closing year and half of WWII in the Pacific. It's not the kind of thing I usually read, but it is well written and interesting. Then I rewatched the Japanese movie, "Emperor in August" about the last days of the war inside the Japanese government , high command, and with the Emperor Hirohito finally resolving the differences in favor of a conditional acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. About Laos, which I cannot now visit, and where I have adopted family I love, I'm reading a book,"Spirits of the Place", on Lao Buddhism, and finally, trying to stay sane in a topsy-turvy world, I'm reading La Fontaine, who never fails to delight me and provide a sense of well-being. The Fables are invariably delightful and the risqué tales are hilarious.
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I like to read social farce - it sheds a light on reality though eminently distorted.
Probably this will keep me alive at this time of corona.
My present read is "Decline and Fall" by Evelyn Waugh, it is hilarious and sad
Waugh can be uniquely funny, even if he was a rather difficult human being.
 
The Road to Ruin by Nikki Savva. It won't be of much interest outside Australia but factually chroicles the downfall of an ex prime minister through the over reliance on one person to the detriment of pretty much everyone else. Interesting to read if only to remind oneself of the extent of how politicians of the same beliefs and on the same side still absolutely despise one another.
 
I read this book a few years ago and I agree, excellent book.



I'm thoroughly enjoying Tony Horwitz's "A Voyage Long and Strange : Rediscovering the New World", a fine example of investigative journalism, travelogue and humane prose rolled into one :
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Publisher's blurb :

On a chance visit to Plymouth Rock, Tony Horwitz realizes he's mislaid more than a century of American history, from Columbus's sail in 1492 to Jamestown's founding in 16-oh-something. Did nothing happen in between? Determined to find out, he embarks on a journey of rediscovery, following in the footsteps of the many Europeans who preceded the Pilgrims to America.

An irresistible blend of history, myth, and misadventure, A Voyage Long and Strange captures the wonder and drama of first contact. Vikings, conquistadors, French voyageurs—these and many others roamed an unknown continent in quest of grapes, gold, converts, even a cure for syphilis. Though most failed, their remarkable exploits left an enduring mark on the land and people encountered by late-arriving English settlers.

Tracing this legacy with his own epic trek—from Florida's Fountain of Youth to Plymouth's sacred Rock, from desert pueblos to subarctic sweat lodges—Tony Horwitz explores the revealing gap between what we enshrine and what we forget. Displaying his trademark talent for humor, narrative, and historical insight, A Voyage Long and Strange allows us to rediscover the New World for ourselves.
 
I just finished my third reading (heh) of this:

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For those of you that don't know it, this is the 17th and most recent book in The Dresden Files, the story of the Wizard of Chicago, Harry Dresden and his fight to keep his town and people safe from the things that go "bump" in the night.

“My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I'm a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I'm the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under "Wizards." Believe it or not, I'm the only one there. My ad looks like this:

HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations.
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other Entertainment

You'd be surprised how many people call just to ask me if I'm serious.”
I'll get Peace Talks and Battle Ground when they come out in paperback. It's been so long since Jim Butcher has put out any books in this series that I can wait until the lower priced books come out. I have a couple of dozen books from various authors on the shelf to read in the meantime.
 
Now that I've finished the final Shannara book, I'm going back and reading all 32 books in the sequence, beginning with the "Word and Void" precursor trilogy. With 43 years worth of novels to read, I should be done by Christmas . . . of 2021.

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I didn't realize the Word and Void trilogy was part of the same universe! I read the first one early this year, and bought the second a couple months ago.
 
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