I mostly listen to books on tape and mostly non-fiction, but I happened on George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris in London (or maybe it was Out and Down in London and Paris).  It was so good that I replayed it immediately after finishing it.  Also love Wodehouse and hope to open a Drones bar one way.  Don't forget Dickens.

Concur with the Atkinson recommendation, particularly as he devotes a substantial portions of the first two volumes on the North African and Italian campaigns of which I knew very little. My father's best friend in high school won the Congressional Medal of Honor in Italy and I was inspired to find out more.  He is great at details - e.g., "Kilroy was here" first appeared in North Africa and the origins and great variety in the FUBAR options (maybe not for a youngster).  Also the details on Audie Murphy are great.

On the the hand, he could read any of the many Stephen Ambrose books for the gritty details.  Literally any and I think they are all the same book.

the best I have read is Limburgh by A. Scott Berg.  His early life (as son of Midwest progressivecongressman that led him into isolationist problems), the flight, the kidnapping and so on are each fascinating on their own particularly how the kidnappers were caught and  his secret role in helping aviators in the Pacific theater.

I am currently reading jean smith's fdr bio which I've held back from for several years but dove into based on  George will's blurb.  While early life and career were interesting, the new deal parts are overly adoring. Interestingly enough, I thought Caros Master of the Senate gave a good account  of how fdr was positive in tackling the depressioas due to the impotence of Congress's (as well as a superb overview of the senate in the early chapter).   I haven't read the latest volume as it seemed he was going to pin jfk's death on lbj based on portrayal during senate years.

I enjoyed the teachout book on Armstrong but thought it bit long.  Berg's memoir on Kate Hepburn was also very good and made me sympathetic to someone I alsosomething's pill.

In a whisper, "Just so you know, you didn't build that"

Without regard to whether a revived Crossfire is necessary (and I think fox is pretty good at mixed panel discussions), I wonder if any others were consumers of the original show in DC. I think it started as a late night tv 30 or 60 minute show that also produced Agronsky but buchanan and Braden also had a one hour radio show about 1980 on at 3 or 4 on I think wtop. Braden was typically confused but pat was the driving force and always entertaining and gracious. The tv show taped in upper nw and at least on one occasion I saw the boys at a local watering hole afterward. After the BB radio show, there was also local hour of mort sahl who was very good. In particular, he had no love for Carter in that election year and had begrudging respect for Reagan. Other than some late night NY radio show, this was probably the first talk radio.

For what it's worth, here are my suggestionsObamacare. Tax or penalty. I would do a Chinatown - tax penalty tax penalty ... The tax is a penalty as are all the raised taxes Obama got and wantsConvention. Rather than Wasting time with the losers and has-Beens that nobody cares about, I would focus evenings on critical issues because the situation is so critical. Bring a team out for each - Ryan, Pauls, others on budget, rice, Bolton, king on foreign policy etc. project commitment to solutions over politics. And have Romney as part of economic one .. Screw tradition. Times are too tough. Energy. I would have romney or surrogate get in a tanker truck at the point of entry for keystone pipeline and stop in each state or community which lost the jobs and have a post-Romney job fair. At the endpoint and thru out , identify the cost of trucking vs pipeline

It is rare that I had much to add but post reagans election in 1980 (which shocked me) I headed off to so Texas from the comfy confines of the dc suburbs where I had been raised. I ended up working in the oil field to my great delight however incongruous. In reference to the issue at hand. My first impression still holds - government is designed to satisfy the people. While Maybe trivial I was struck by a simple traffic condition. Back east if you miss a turn you are stuck. In Texas you are always given an option on an inside u turn not limited to govt. authorized vehicles. Wow I was as important as the govt.Another thing to consider is that the state legislature meets infrequently in order to limit their damage. When I was there the dems dominated and I thought that Texas was a one party state and that was one too many. There is often corruption and incompetence but don't mess w Texas independence.

 The main problem with the Tea Party is that while it promotes very sound principles (e.g., lower spending), it necessarily has to advocate "anti-government" policies that can be characterized negatively.  Within the conservative movement, this allows some to embrace the principles while condemning the policies, mostly by suggesting that those policies are naive and don't reflect the necessary realism of DC life.

I believe the wedge issue that would separate the tea from the bags is term limits which would fundamentally change the culture of DC and destroy the careerist impulse that will always push spending upward.  The traditional argument against term limits (most famously promoted by that old DC insider George Will circa 1994-95 but no doubt shared by the Kraut-Dog) is that federal governance is too complicated  and can't be left to the commoners who will be out-maneuvered by the bureaucrats (who evidently don't live in Will's neighborhood).  Baloney - make it less complicated.  Until something of this sort becomes a bedrock issue for the Tea Party, I suspect they will be squeezed left and right.

 The two trilogies by Daniel Boorstin on American and World History (from perspective of exploration, art and philosophy) are chock full of great nuggets all woven into clear themes of human development.

Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy is the best comprehensive overview, is beautifully written and lives off the great characters that populate the story.  It also gives full coverage to the Western theatre.  If a Southerner, I recommend reading the three volumes backwards as I did.

The best biography I've ever read was Lindburgh by A. Scott Berg.  His life story combines being the first media star, a gripping account of the baby kidnapping and a measured view of his political views and his WWII activities.  And he flew over the Atlantic.

Finally, I would include any and all of the travel books by Paul Theroux.