It occurs to me that it has been a while since I wrote a
column in which I recommended books to read. Since many people are presumably
stuck at home, now is probably a good time.
However, unlike many such lists, I will highlight books that
may not be particularly current. Why? Well, mainly, because I am also stuck at
home staring at my bookcase, and it’s full of books I read years ago.
Some of those that I mention may be hard to find, but heck,
that’s what Amazon is for, right? So, here goes, in no particular order:
FICTION
Footfall by Larry
Niven and Jerry Pournelle. This massive 1985 tome is probably my favorite
science-fiction novel. The plot is believable. An alien race consisting of a
species (whose members look a lot like pachyderms) attacks and then invades
Earth. What makes this story so compelling is that the invaders have their own
moral code (we see things from their perspective), and their weapons are not
all that superior to ours. I won’t give away the ending, but I will tell you
that the battle is touch-and-go, and the human race produces some very unlikely
heroes.
The Complete Father Brown Stories by G. K. Chesterton. I have been watching past seasons of
the BBC’s excellent Father Brown series, in which the inquisitive
umbrella-carrying Catholic parish priest solves cases the local (and
exceedingly dim) British constabulary bungle. So, I decided to spring for some
of the original short stories written by Chesterton in the 1920s and 30s. (The
BBC series has been updated to the 1950s.) The Wordsworth Classics paperback
contains more than 50 of the stories and with preface and introduction clocks
in at almost 800 pages.) Not to worry! It is available on Amazon for $4.99!
That’s not a typo or the 1950 price. Snap it up.
The Cape Cod Lighter,
by John O’Hara. Another collection of short stories, by the great Philadelphia
Main Line writer. O’Hara stripped the pretenses from well-to-do Americans
better than just about anyone. And he did it in the 1960s, before a lot of the people
he skewered even knew they were pretentious.
The Drowning Pool
by Ross Macdonald. Macdonald’s real name was Kenneth Millar and he wrote this
thriller, which many critics consider high art. Some readers may remember the
movie “The Drowning Pool” that starred Paul Newman as private eye Lew Harper.
In the book, he was named Lew Archer. I don’t know why they changed the name.
But, then, I don’t know why Millar changed his. In any event, both book and
movie, which deal with corporate greed and family hatred in California, are
terrific. Get hooked on Millar/Macdonald. He wrote 24 other great thrillers.
NON-FICTION
Oh, Florida
by Craig Pittman. Readers of my Facebook rants know that I think the state of
Florida, where I live, is full of people nuttier than I am – and that’s saying
a lot! I offer this book as proof. If I had put it the FICTION section, nobody
would have noticed. Pittman details some of Florida’s most-outrageous crooks,
shysters, charlatans, scams, schemes and politicians in a fun, rollicking and
well-researched compendium of corruption. And, yet, you can’t help but realize
that he still loves the state. As do I. How nuts is that!
Iwo Jima, Legacy of Valor
by Bill D. Ross. Lest folks think that I am a political malcontent, I offer
this sobering book about unbelievable heroism and self-sacrifice. William
Manchester said it best: “Moving and dramatic; a tribute to those who
sacrificed their futures that we might have ours.” At a time when I often think
that the “Ungrateful Generation” is betraying all the things the “Greatest
Generation” won for it, Iwo Jima, Legacy of Valor, is a stark reminder
of how great Americans can be.
Comments
Post a Comment