53
thePeorian.com
The Present
24
“
The President’s Club: Inside the
World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity”
Nancy Gibbs
This is an excellent book detailing the
unlikely friendships and partnership
between sitting presidents and their
predecessors over the years.
656
pg. (TP)
25
“
Free Will”
Sam Harris
I was going to write a review but
something in me knew I really wasn’t
going to, thus proving Mr. Harris’s
point!
96
pg.
26
“
Down and Out in Paris and
London”
George Orwell
My favorite Orwell books (and I
love them all) are the lesser known
novels, in particular this one.
213
pg. (R)
27
“
Restaurant Man”
Joe Bastianich
Sure, he’s Gordon Ramsey’s side
kick on TV but he has built a culinary
empire in his own right and this book
charts his victories (and defeats)
over the years.
288
pg. (TP)
28
“
Everyday Drinking: The Distilled
Kingsley Amis”
Kingsley Amis
This is perfect for anyone who loves
dry martinis and dry wit, and Amis
was one of the all-time authorities
on both.
302
pg. (TP)
29
“
Beard on Food: The Best
Recipes and Kitchen Wisdom from
the Dean of American Cooking”
James Beard
The rather long subtitle pretty much
covers all the bases.
352
pg.
30
“
A Farewell to Arms”
Ernest Hemingway
This was my first time through this
Hemingway classic and I like how he
deftly balances the love affair with
the war going on around it.
352
pg.
31
“
Dr. Sax”
Jack Kerouac
This perhaps is Kerouac at his
impressionistic best, weaving in and
out of reality and fantasy.
245
pg. (R)
32
“
Fear and Loathing on the
Campaign Trail ‘72”
Hunter S. Thompson
A must-read for anyone with a
serious interest in the history of
political campaigns, Hunter S.
approaches his subject with the mind
of a gambler and proves to be mostly
correct.
496
pg. (R) (TP)
33
“
A Labyrinth of Kingdoms: 10,000
Miles through Islamic Africa”
Steve Kemper
This tells the amazing story of
German explorer Heinrich Barth,
who survived a five-and-a-half year
journey in Africa in the 1850s.
416
pg. (TP)
CONTINUED ON PAGE 54
#23
“
The Years of Lyndon
Johnson: The Passage of Power”
Robert Caro
An excellent book covering Johnson’s life from
the years of the vice presidency, when he was
dubbed Rufus Cornpone by the Kennedy coterie,
to his sudden ascension after the assassination.
736
pg. (TP)
#34
“
No Easy Day:
The Autobiography of a Navy Seal:
The Firsthand Account of the Mission
that Killed Osama bin Laden”
Mark Owen/Kevin Maurer
And here we have another example of the
exceedingly long and overly descriptive subtitle.
316
pg. (TP)
