Books

I've been neglectful of my books lately. Today's blip is to remind of me all the fantastic books I've got to read.

I've read Theodore Rex and its Pulitzer prize winning sequel before, but this book is like a cleanser. It just beautifies my brain and makes me think critically about politics through the lens of the genius that was TR. Edmund Morris is a very superior writer. Believe it or not, I was exposed to him through an essay he wrote ... about Mozart.

The Marguerite Yourcenar I have not yet read, but I picked it up from a library book sale and it seems very exciting. I love fake memoirs and I also love Ancient Rome, so I'm sure it'll be a treat.

The Forever War is also a book I haven't read, though I've been meaning to read this for a while. It's a breathtaking chronicle about the "hearts and minds" war in Afghanistan and Iraq and the sheer failures of our mission there as told by a journalist who's really been there pre-and-post Taliban as well as pre-and-post Saddam. It's a real eye-opener, and not something I want to read too late at night lest I have nightmares.

Amitav Ghosh is on the bottom; he's my favorite writer in English of Indian origin. I think his quality of prose is fantastic and I've read basically every other book he's ever written besides this one, for some reason. The man lives in Brooklyn but my father purchased this book on his trip to India.

I should get through these four books by Thursday.