The Reading Room--Temp Returns To Montreal

Time for some escapist fiction.

Just because it's been a blue moon (defined as a calendar month in which two full moons appear, like August, 2012) since we've entered The Reading Room here doesn't mean I haven't been reading.

In fact, just the opposite is true.  I've been reading (whenever I become annoyed by TV coverage of the campaign, an increasingly frequent happening, on both the Lame Stream media and equally as lame Fox, I reach for a book) so much that I haven't had time to conjure up reviews here.

After the death of Gore Vidal this summer, I decided to get into his historical fiction, but compulsive person that I am, I didn't stop at just one book.  I made it through the even seven part series on American history, beginning with Burr and going on through The Golden Age.  Each book was about 500 pages, so it took a while, but I found Gore more readable than I had remembered.  His history is better than his fiction.  That's why Burr and Lincoln are the two best in the series.  There's also 1876, Hollywood (about the Wilson years; he's kinder to the racist Woodrow than I would have been), Washington DC (the first he wrote; one of my least favorite since it features the most fiction, about the FDR years), and one about the McKinley imperialist age with William Randolf Hearst as a major character--I believe it was called Empire.

It took a while but I also got through the lengthy biography of Walter Cronkite (ironically the author's name is Brinkley, Douglas Brinkley).  It's quite good, and as you learn what Walter was doing at a given time, you might think back on what your life was like at the time.  An easier shorter and more fun-filled biography of another CBS legend, Mike Wallace by Peter Rader, was probably the easiest and best read of the summer.

Finally I fulfilled a promise to read a Daniel Webster biography, and I went with the 800 page one by Remini, not an easy read at all since it features much of Webster's speeches (they may well have been great 170 years ago, but they don't read well today) and his legal battles.  Similarly, Gore's Lincoln fiction led me to a biography of his Secretary of Treasury Salmon Chase (also Supreme Court Chief Justice), like Webster, born in New Hampshire (Cornish) and like Dirty Dan not a good man, but certainly a great man...if you know what I mean.  This 500 pager is by John Niven and is a very tough read.

That brings me to the purpose of this entry.  As a reward, I've picked up the latest piece of fiction by Kathy Reichs, the bone doctor who's responsible for the TV show bones.  She returned to Montreal for the latest one, Bones Are Forever.  It's apparently about babied born and disposed of in dumpsters, but I've yet to start it.  Looks like a quick read.

Reichs is very authentic, at least when it comes to Montreal geography.  A few years ago, I spent an hour tracking down the Montreal location where he fictional character claims to work out of.  Sure enough, it exists, in the Jacques Cartier section of the city.

In the future, I promise to read a bit less and write about books a bit more.

I didn't get into the three dozen baseball books I devoured at all...Bill Lee's bio was a real hoot.

 Probably the best non-fiction work (and quickest read) out there now.



Great bio of the CBS legend, but very long!

 Probably the best non-fiction work (and quickest read) out there now.



Great bio of the CBS legend, but very long!