#56: Summer Reading
A smorgasbord of books
It’s been an awesome summer. Trips to the pool, the lake, summer camps for the kids, movies, and of course…BOOKS. When I tuck my boys in at night, they fall asleep listening to me read The Borrowers. If they fall asleep in the middle of a chapter, I’ll finish it on my own and get them caught up in the morning.
Here is the smattering of titles and quick, bite-size reviews of what I’ve been reading this summer.
Watchmen by Alan Moore
I’ve written about my relationship with comic books and graphic novels before, but reading Watchmen wasn’t like any other graphic novel experience I’ve had. While watching the HBO limited series did spoil the novel, it was still an enjoyable, slow burn with lots of characters, time jumps, and an odd “comic within a comic” subplot thing going on. While I did like it, I didn’t love it. I don’t think I’d put it in the “Must Read” category the way I’d put Hamilton in the “Must Read/Must See/Must Do All The Things” category.
Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Speaking of Hamilton, it’s an AMAZING book. I said in my post mortem that every American should read it, but I’ll go even further now to say that every human should read it. I don’t know how a person writes a book like this unless that person is a genius. Every sentence is a work of art.
I knew the founding fathers were human, but boy were they human! I think we should revel in that fact. It makes the Revolution and the Founding even more remarkable; these men who were at times self-interested, ambitious, vain, chauvinistic, prejudiced, hypocritical, and easily offended were still able to pull off something truly miraculous by any standard. Hamilton himself embodies this idea:
Like other founders and Enlightenment politicians, Hamilton could never quite admit the depth of his ambition, lest it cast doubts on his revolutionary purity. In the midst of such rarefied goals as freedom and independence, who could admit to baser motives or any thoughts of personal gain?
Hamilton was a genius, Chernow is a genius, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius. What a time to be alive.
Hondo by Louis L’Amour
I visited my in-laws in May and went through my FIL’s impressive book collection. Paperback westerns fill an entire shelf two rows deep. I grabbed Hondo based on an Art of Manliness article and read it in about 3 days. It was exciting and I’d highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for a wild west adventure. I’d spin up the story for my kids during a drive or at bedtime and they enjoyed it as well.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Andy Weir has done it again. While not the most elegant prose, the man knows how to turn great ideas into great stories. I loved it and had a blast reading this and discussing it with friends. It made for a perfect summer read. I can’t wait for the movie.
Thanks for being here, it means a lot!
Have you read any of these books? I’d love to hear what you thought.
Kyle