Friday, August 10, 2012

Weekly reading, 8/10/12

I've got some vacation coming up next week, so there's a good chance I'll be able to reach my initial goal of 75 books read this year by Friday.

67) Guest of Honor, by Deborah Davis. An extremely readable work of nonfiction history about Theodore Roosevelt, Booker T Washington, and the scandal they inadvertently created when Roosevelt asked Washington to a spur-of-the-moment White House dinner and Washington accepted. (No African-American had ever dined at the White House as the President's guest before.) It's a fascinating look at a point in history I haven't much studied, though I was a bit depressed by how familiar the racism of the time seemed. We haven't changed as much in 100+ years as we should've.

68) I'm Not Her, by Janet Gurtler. A gritty, raw YA about a girl who finds herself the only strong one in her dysfunctional family when her beautiful, popular older sister is diagnosed with cancer. Not an easy read, but impossible to put down.

69) The Custom of the Army, by Diana Gabaldon. A short novella featuring Lord John Grey at the Battle of Quebec. That's mostly its reason for being, and to set up The Scottish Prisoner, but I enjoy Lord John and Gabaldon's writing in general, so that's good enough for me.

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