It's summertime, and some people -- not Your Working Boy, alas -- have more free time for reading. Beach reading, whatever. I was thinking about whether or not there are any books I'm planning to read this summer, and the answer is: whatever crosses my desk that I need to read for my work. I do a lot of reading, but it's almost all to do with keeping up with current events. Which is actually pleasure reading for me, because I don't have a lot of interest in fiction. I'm hoping to read Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma," but at this point that's for pure pleasure.
How about you? What are you reading, and why? Are there any particular books that are especially good for summer reading? I keep trying to read Dostoevsky, but I can't bring myself even to consider him except in the winter.
What are you reading?
Tuesday June 13, 2006
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About Crunchy Con
Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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I strongly recommend "Angels in Iron" by Nicholas C. Prata. This a superb book on the Knights Hospitaler and the defense of Malta. Every Catholic male should read it. I suspect most will want to reread it. There is a reason why the capital of Malta is Valletta.
This is the best book read in many a year.>
I just finished The Omnivore's Dilemma. What an excellent book! Now, I have moved onto "Life in Community" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I have Pilgrim at Tinker Creek sitting on my table as well.>
A History of the Byzantine State and Society by Warren Treadgold. Probably the best one-volume history of Byzantium in print, it covers the religious controversies that plagued New Rome from the beginning a very deft and sympathetic touch.
Byzantium and the Crusades by Jonathan Phillips. It is a very interesting and (I think) convincing assessment of the basis for the clash between the West and Byzantium over the Crusades, culminating in the unholy Fourth Crusade.
I'm also reading other books about the Byzantine Empire, but I think I've sufficiently telegraphed my mental illness for the moment. :)
The Last Ship by William Brinkley. A post-nuclear war novel about the crew of an American guided missile destroyer and their quest for a safe haven. A little verbose about men (and women) versus the sea, but a good read.>
"Never Say 'NO COMMENT' - How Spin Doctors Answer Questions", by Ian Taylor and George Olds. Funny and filled with real advice on how to get your message across through a sometimes-hostile media.
Valuable skills for anyone who has or will be required to speak on behalf of a community, cause or corporation.>
I finished The Da Vinci Code in time to see the movie, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys puzzles and riddles, especially word games.
After seeing Mirror Mask, and on the continuing harass... recommendation of friends, I also recently finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman. The author has some fresh ideas about some very old archtypes.
I'm still sloggin through The Left Hand of God by Michael Lerner. His ideas are intriguing and thought provoking, but he tends to say things four and five times over. I don't promise it won't cause some yawning, but as a contribution to the interface between faith and politics it is important.
I have my eye on American Theocracy, I have a copy of The Truth by Al Franken I keep meaning to get to (my son has read it twice already!), and the Soapbox Cards division at Hallmark recently published a book of their best cards, including ones that never got printed. They were interviewed yesterday on NPR. Sounded very good.>
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