A while ago my cousin Martine recommended Amity Schlaes "The Forgotten Man". It went on the list. In February I ordered it from Amazon.
But we know that Jack Reacher has been interfering with everything.....he's my current obsession. He is delicious. I loved the movie, but after reading a few of the books, Reacher is less Tom Cruise and more My Marine.
I finally sit down with "The Forgotten Man" - right about now My Marine is hollering somewhere north of here "What about the list I gave you???" Yeah, I'm getting there, I promise.
I'm probably 30 pages in when I realize how little I know about Herbert Hoover. From what I am reading so far in this book, he is far more interesting than I ever thought.
So, I stop and I pick up a Hoover bio from the library on the fly. When I get back to the house I realize that it's part one in a series by George Nash and covers only up to 1914. 1914 is the beginning of the time frame referenced in the beginning of "The Forgotten Man". Of course! It's not like I stopped and checked before I left the library. LOL! So what the hell, I start reading. And indeed, Hoover's life reads like a novel of "The Great American Success Story". Bonus, Nash writes well. I am currently on page 398 out of 576. It's been great, but I am dying to get to WWI.
Now I am concerned. Nash has explained in the preface or forward...whatever, that he intends to attack Hoover's life in stages. But what if for some reason he doesn't continue? This has happened to me before; I start what I think is the beginning of a series and find out that for one reason or another, the author(s) doesn't continue. I mean Nash wrote this in 1983 when he was 38. What if there is no part deux? Mon Dieu!
So I just checked Amazon and, whew! Nash wrote part two in 1988. As a matter of fact, there is a part three and a part four if I am so inclined. So, Schlaes (and My Marine's list) just got pushed back a little further.
As long as Jack Reacher behaves and stays on the shelf.
Oh, look...... a squirrel!!
Who was it that said that there is a special place in hell reserved for authors who fail to complete multi-volume series??
ReplyDeleteI don't remember.....but that person was very wise!
ReplyDeleteYou may think that I am so flattered by being compared to Jack Reacher that I missed the fact that you have IGNORED my reading list. I assure you I did NOT!!!
ReplyDeleteJust for that, you can add "The Sleepwalkers". It will even fit with your Great War theme. Get to it!
Dear Anonymous, comments are moderated and few are not published.....but congratulations you crossed a line. See if you can figure out where the line is and you can try again.
ReplyDeleteHere's a hint: it wasn't the fact that you were partisan. Here's another: it's not the fact that you don't like Amity Schlaes (that's the author's name, not Schales).
My Darling Marine, have you any idea how many books are titled "Sleepwalkers"? I had a hiccup, but the correct one is on it's way. The hiccup doesn't look so bad....bonus!
ReplyDelete