Culture
What We’re Reading in 2018
To help pass the time during the remaining winter months, we have gathered some of our favorite books to share with you. Curling up with a good book is one of the best ways to wait out the dreary hibernation period!
Juhani Pallasmaa (1996). The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses, Indianapolis: Wiley. Image courtesy of Amazon.
The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses first published in 1996 continues to be at the top of our list. Pallasmaa explores the question why sight has become the most important and relied upon sense in architecture, culture, and design, and challenges why the other four senses are suppressed.
Neil deGrasse Tyson (2017). Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. New York: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc. Image courtesy of Goodreads.
The title of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s book says it all — Each chapter of covers complex topics and offers interesting tidbits that summarize and make memorable the difficult concepts. Tyson cleverly examines topics with wit and clarity that allows this book to read and enjoyed by all!
Noah Feldman (2017). The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President. New York: Random House. Image courtesy of Amazon.
Although we are more familiar with the Founding Fathers, James Madison changed the United States three times: First he designed the Constitution and championed its need for adoption and ratification. Next Madison drafted the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. Finally, after co-founding the original Republican party, he became the first wartime president [Amazon].
Antonin Scalia (2017). Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived. Crown Forum. Image courtesy of Amazon.
With a thoughtful foreword written by longtime friend Justice Ruth Bader Ginsgurg and a touching introduction by his youngest son, this collection includes many of Justice Scalia’s finest speeches. These speeches, some of them personal and never before published, offer readers an opportunity to better understand Antonin Scalia and his insights on faith and life [Amazon].
David McCullough (2017). The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For. New York: Simon & Schuster. Image courtesy of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For by David McCoullough is a collection of speeches focused on history delivered between 1989 and 2016. The winner of two Pulitzer Prices and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, McCollough’s intelligence, dedication, and optimism are evident on every page [NPR].
Ron Chernow (2011). Washington: A Life. London: Penguin Books. Image courtesy of The Washington Times.
Chernow’s biography on George Washington is stands apart from others due to Chernow’s well-honed ability to paint vivid details without slowing the pace. In Washington Chernow examines George Washington’s personal life and attributes that molded that historical figure who helped build our great nation [The New York Times].
Alison Weir (1999). The Life of Elizabeth I. New York: Ballantine Books. Image courtesy of Amazon.
Imprisoned and nearly executed by her half sister, Queen Mary, young Elizabeth ascended to the throne of England at 25 years of age. Alison Weir expertly details how Queen Elizabeth I resisted the popular expectation of marriage and uses dress, correspondence, and contemporary accounts to create a portrait of the imperious Queen Elizabeth I [Publishers Weekly].
Norman Mailer (1991). Harlot’s Ghost. New York: Random House. Image courtesy of Amazon.
In Mailer’s espionage page-turner, we’re given a view into the CIA and geo-political events during the Cold War. The main character, Harry Hubbard, is the son and godson of CIA personalities. In his quest to understand his past, Hubbard is entangled by people and events that plagued his godfather, President Kennedy. Just when you expect the end, Mailer leaves you turning the page for more!
Amor Towles (2016). A Gentleman in Moscow. New York: Viking Press. Image courtesy of BBC.
Set in Stalinist Russia Count Alexander Rostov has been confined to house arrest in Moscow’s Metropol hotel. Rostov once enjoyed a life of luxury but is now confined to the interiors of the fine hotel and its revolving cast of characters. Written with the same flair as Rules of Civility, A Gentleman in Moscow is charming novel with delightful characters [NPR].
Mark Sullivan (2017). Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel. Seattle: Lake Union Publishing. Image courtesy of Goodreads.
This fictionalized true story of a young Italian boy’s experiences during WWII are written with great detail by Sullivan. Throughout Pino Lella’s variety of heroic acts we learn more about the role Italy played in WWII. An incredible story told for the first time, Lella never discussed his past until later in adulthood. This incredibly detailed and emotional novel will soon be turned into a major motion picture.
Sally Bedell Smith (2012). Elizabeth The Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch. New York: Random House. Image courtesy of Random House.
After meeting Queen Elizabeth II at the British Ambassador’s residence in Washington D.C., Smith began researching the Queen for her biography. Smith recalled her first animated encounter and began working under the cooperation of Buckingham Palace. This biography is so intriguing because of the insights received from the Queen’s inner circle of friends and advisers. This inner circle describes the Queen’s kind and humorous disposition while Smith details her own personal interactions with the Queen.
M. L. Stedman (2012). The Light Between Oceans: A Novel. Scribner. Image courtesy of Simon & Schuster.
Stedman’s novel enjoyed a long stay on The New York Time’s bestseller list and has been made into a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. Set in Australia Tom Sherbourne and his young wife, Isabel, grapple with the joys and sorrows of marriage. Tom is a light house keeper and finds a baby washed up onshore in a battered boat. Isabel convinces Tom they should keep the baby and name her Lucy. Two years later, Tom and Isabel’s choice to keep and raise Lucy confronts the family and keeps the readers turning the pages for more!
We hope you have enjoyed our selection books keeping us warm until sunnier weather. We look forward to sharing our next reading list with you!
