Conservative Conversation and Community
A year ago I wrote an article called “Keeping Up” (published elsewhere) about my reading plan for 2019. I noted that since I have fewer reading years ahead of me than behind me, it would be a good use of my time to plan the coming year. It is part of my winter of discontent that I failed to keep that plan.
Not that my plan wasn’t good. To quote myself:
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“A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.” – Mark Twain
I may have some advantages. I have been a reader since first grade, nearly 60 years. Over that period I have been an engineer, a quality-assurance manager, a navigator, a technical writer, and an author. Reading has been the key to all of those careers. My ability to absorb information through the printed word has allowed me to succeed in each of those fields.
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The book-lovers at Goodreads asked their members to select their favorite books of 2019. After 4.7 million votes, here are the top five:
Didn’t read any of ’em. Over the past few years, I’ve focused on classics since I spent my school years on stuff like The Lord of the Rings and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I created a Goodreads account, which allows you to track and rate what you read, and set goals for how many books you want to knock out in the coming year.
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“I believe trees have souls and they all identify as women.” Glenn Beck (heard as an ad for his daily radio show on Fox) More
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I’m reading some vintage Peter Mayle this summer. I just finished Hotel Pastis. It’s a treasure – crime, romance, humor, wine, a new career, what’s not to like? It would be a great movie. It seems some famous married producer/director couple almost made it a movie, but didn’t – so there’s still an opportunity. I […]
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“A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.” – Mark Twain Yesterday someone asked me about the books I review, how I decide to pick them, and how I got into reviewing books. I read. Boy, do I read. I have always been a voracious reader – even in first […]
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City Journal editor Brian Anderson joins Vanessa Mendoza, executive vice president of the Manhattan Institute, to discuss Brian’s summer and vacation reading list. Summer is traditionally a time when Americans can catch up on books that they’ve been meaning to read (or reread). We asked Brian to talk about what books are on his list this year, how […]
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“Up in this air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart. In the highlands you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be.” ― Karen Blixen, Out of Africa (Qtd on Goodreads) Out of Africa, by Isak Denison (actually Karen Blixon), was for sale on Kindle a […]
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I just finished reading Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. I picked it up for 50 cents this past spring at our local library sale. The movie, touted a “chick flick,” is no comparison to this fascinating book.
Frances Mayes is an extraordinary writer because she writes what she thinks and sees – no filters. You can see, taste, and smell the Italian countryside, and many times cringe, with what it’s like to rescue a 300-year-old piece of abandoned foreign history, and rescue a life. Her love of cooking and great recipes make you want to run to the nearest farmer’s market for fresh peaches, crisp fragrant herbs like basil scattered across mozzarella and drizzled with oil from just pressed olives, and roasted hazelnuts.
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At the end of 2016, I joined GoodReads.com so I could keep track of what I read and what books I needed to get to. I tried to read a mix of classics and modern, serious and silly, fiction and non-fiction.
Here are the 19 books I read in 2017:
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In the late 1990s I was an adjunct instructor at a community college in East Texas. I taught Introductory Computer and Microsoft Office.
A community college is different than a four-year or upper-level school. It is a combination trade school and high school for super seniors (think grades 13 and 14). Students are a mix of high school graduates continuing (or not continuing) their education while living at home, adults trying to restart their education, and workers adding a skill.
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The Conservative Book Club periodically publishes lists of the best books for conservatives provided by prominent conservatives. Recently, the club published Ben Shapiro’s top 5 conservative books.
All are excellent choices. I must admit that I’ve not read Haidt’s book, but know enough about it (including owning a copy) to acknowledge that it’s a worthy addition to the conservative canon. There’s nothing more foundational to American conservatives than the Federalist Papers. Anything by Thomas Sowell could make the list (I doubt he’s ever written a sentence that is unworthy of our careful review). Hazlett’s short book on economics is brilliant. And there’s no greater defense of object truth than the Abolition of Man.
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Greetings, Ricochetti, friends, fans, and inquiring minds! You know who you are… I think I’ve come out of Lenten/Holy Week hermitage time into Easter-tide ready to put pixels to paper once more. In answer to questions you may never have thought to ask. Such as: “What brought Nanda out of the cocoon of small-town life […]
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That is the name of a page in the Reader’s Digest. It’s full name is “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power.” I’m such a word nerd, that I usually find only one or two words each issue that I don’t already know. *(Yes, I read everything, even old issues I find lying around under […]
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The slow-news time betwixt Christmas and New Year’s Day was created by media conglomerates to publish thousands of “Best Of” lists. I stink at creating them since I’ve always had a years-long backlog of music, movies, and books that I haven’t quite gotten around to. To remedy this, for books at least, a few of years ago I decided to read at least one book a month. Granted, that’s far below the number consumed by my bookworm friends, but gimme a break — my job consists of reading the internet non-stop and my old eyes get tired.
I’ve decided to share my booklist with you, the highly literate Ricochet member. Here’s what I read in 2016, in order:
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After soliciting suggested readings in philosophy from Ricochet members, I constructed a reading list. I’m happy to announce I’ve completed the first book in the list, Roger Scruton’s An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Philosophy. My (sparse and hasty) review can be found on Goodreads. Plato is next up, but I’m concluding more and more that […]
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After a long period of suffocating under an enormous pile of books in my must-read list, I find myself, surprisingly, with some discretion in what I read next. I regret having not paid much attention to original sources, and for neglecting philosophy. I’ve set the following goals for the next few books I add to […]
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A new USA Today poll shows Trump losing the under-35 vote to Clinton by 36 percent. On the one hand, this may demonstrate that young voters see Trump more clearly than others. It may also be a combination of naïve idealists “feeling the Bern,” a few who actually think a Hillary Clinton administration would be good for the country, and probably even more who — like me — are revolted by the Donald. Nonetheless, if it’s true that a first vote is a defining vote, this bodes ill for those of us who yearn for a real conservative alternative and who wish that our young people could learn to embrace conservative principles.
One of this year’s lessons is that older conservatives must become missionaries to the young on behalf of the cause of limited government, ordered liberty, economic and civil freedom, free markets, a shared moral code, and a strong role for America in the world (backed up by a strong military). All of which brings me to my topic: The books that young Americans should be reading to introduce them to conservative thought and principles, or, even better, to solidify the beliefs of those naturally inclined toward conservatism.
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My subscription to BookBub has been worthwhile, despite the fact that it means another daily update in my inbox. Often there are one or two short-term deals that are potentially enriching reads, and I’ll purchase them if I have some Amazon credit. Some of the free book offers have been good, or at least warrant a browse […]
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