August 02, 2006

The reading rarely stops...

So, I just spent five weeks in Southeast Asia... what did I do when we weren't with orphans or college students or teachers in a Christian school... most times we collapsed in a pile... but at those times when all I had to was sit, guess what, I read... and on planes, late at night, etc... I got through three books, and just finished another one that I got in Los Angeles... here they are...

The Great Republic by Winston Churchill is a good read for any American, but a great read for a history buff. The first half of the book is a collection of writings that Churchill did on the beginnings of America as part of his History of the English Speaking Peoples, which won a Pulitzer prize for literature. His grandson (also named Winston Churchill) has gone through the original four volume work and gleaned out everything about "The Great Republic", the name his grandfather gave to America. The second half of the book is a collection of speeches that he made during the course of his lifetime that had America has either a main topic, or as an influential part of his oratory. Some of you may be interested to know a bit of minutiae about Churchill... his mother was an American, and it was a common joke for him with American politicians that if his father had been American instead of his mother, he may have made his speeches to the American Congress as an elected member instead of as an honored guest.

Agatha Christie again played a prominent part in my reading this summer... the first book was Peril at End House. I won't give it away for those who desire to read it, but there is a certain genius about this novel that I found intriguing, even though, thanks to the David Suchet presentation, I knew the end from the beginning... sorry for the bad joke. As I read it (knowing the outcome) I was again amazed at Christie's ability to create a new way to conceive of an elaborate murder plot.

I also read her ultimate work, The Murder on the Orient Express. Again, due to the movie, I already knew how it would end, but the genius that she creates in developing yet another new way to approach the murder mystery is why she is the best selling mystery writer of all time. She is the author that all of the contemporary Grisham-types must learn from over and over again... excellent.

This morning, thanks to a case of jet lag, I just finished The Lincoln Lawyer, by my favorite contemporary writer, Michael Connelly. On the cover there is a quote from USA Today that says it might be Connelly's best book yet... I thought, "whatever", and started reading... only it is true. There is no fluff in this book. It is direct, well crafted, without any of the constant tie-ins from other books that I sometimes think is a little too much... the main character is believable and is easy to follow... I really liked this book, and even though Harry Bosch will always be my favorite character from Connelly, Michael Haller, is an easy second. Connelly gives great explanations of the legal-eze that is encountered, and the story comes across strongly and with a sense that you can really believe it is all possible... I love picking good books.

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