Jack’s Books: Post Election Edition
We all knew we would be relieved just to get this election over with.
And, depending on what you were hoping for, you’re feeling more than relief.
Consciously or not, I think the political season flavored my reading choices (and some stress-eating):
“Post Captain” by Patrick o’Brian (1971) Second in O’Brian’s legendary series about Napoleonic-era British naval officers (and buddies) Aubrey and Maturin. In this installment, the two are navigating love more than war, which is still dangerous.
“Duel of Eagles” by Peter Townsend (1971) Group Captain Townsend of the RAF led one of the most stories lives of the 20th century, from being a WW2 ace to serving two British monarchs as royal equerry to writing several books, most notably this excellent, page-ripping account of the Battle of Britain. He combines a historian’s diligence with a personal perspective on the events described, and the aircraft themselves are characters in this memorable read.
“33 1/3: Aja” by Don Breithaupt (2007) This book came as a birthday gift from a friend who knows this Steely Dan LP is a favorite of mine (the album cover is framed in my living room). Think of Breithaupt’s short essay as some extra, and fascinating, liner notes.
“No Place to Hide: Snowden, the NSA and the US Surveillance State” by Glenn Greenwald (2014) The book (and the journalism) that made Greenwald world-famous. You won’t have to agree with everything Snowden did, but you will think long and hard about some serious stuff.
“Melancholy Baby” by Robert Parker (2004) PI Sunny Randall gets a sullen, spoiled client who wants to know if she was adopted by her unhappy parents, and why is everyone lying to each other? Buried secrets and a weird celeb connection come pouring forth.
“The Detachment” by Barry Eisler (2011) Blog readers know how much I love the Eisler series with professional assassin John Rain. This one is as good as any of them but also unique in some of the contemporary issues Rain, Dox and the others deal with here. Eisler is highly polished and Rain is an unbeatable combo of realistic spycraft and strong ethos. This particular plot is relevant: who would stage events inside the US in order to suspend the Constitution and would they get away with it? A great examination of our current day.
“The Corpse in the Snowman” by Nicholas Blake (1941) OK, after the end of life as we know it, I needed the entertainment of a classic British murder mystery, and Blake, like so many of his countrymen and women, spins a yarn and then some.
“Kennedy’s Wars: Berlin, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam” by Lawrence Freedman (2000) It says a lot about this book that several JFK aides say this is the best account of the 35th President’s foreign affairs management. Kennedy’s brief tenure saw him dealing with, although not resolving, several of the postwar era’s thorniest patches. Packed with specific research and full of the men who shaped what the Cold War would become, and how it stayed “cold”.