Free Republic

Karl Rove's recent revelation of President George W. Bush's passion for books wasn't a surprise to me. In a Wall Street Journal column last week, Rove explained that for the last three years, he and the president have had a friendly rivalry to see who could finish more books during the year. Rove won each year -- but the president was no piker. In the three years of the competition, the president read 186 books to Rove's 250. Much of the intelligentsia no doubt will be shocked to learn George W. Bush is an avid reader of serious books, but...

In a WSJ column, Karl Rove reports that President Bush has read an astounding 186 books in the last three years. That translates to well over one book per week. I don't read nearly as much, and just in case you didn't know, I am not President. Rove's column concludes with the following: In the 35 years I've known George W. Bush, he's always had a book nearby. He plays up being a good ol' boy from Midland, Texas, but he was a history major at Yale and graduated from Harvard Business School. You don't make it through either unless...

After a review of the Free Home page, I noticed the various links to allied groups, media groups and other interests. Perhaps I didn't look as completely as I should have but conspicuous by it's absence was a Free Republic library or reading list. Long time Conservatives and libertarians may be familiar with the classic works of authors and film-makers but those newer to the movement, may not be. Even those died-in-the-wool may be looking for additional background or may be missing a volume or two from their own personal library.

Recommended lists of ‘essential’ reading are the most pernicious ‘to do’ lists of all. Lists of physical achievements or magical holiday destinations or wonderful restaurants or fabulous hotels make you feel like your life has been wasted; a list of great books you should have read makes you feel like your brain has been wasted. Most people embarking on a journey into a new book will feel they have to hack through a hundred pages of dense undergrowth before their conscience will allow them to give it up as a lost cause. But how many people feel secure enough in...

Autumn is coming on and it feels like Halloween in southwest Missouri. My wife and I were thinking of some seasonal reading. So what do YOU recommend? Scare me!

WASHINGTON -- It is vacation time, and this summer millions of Americans are going to take breaks from their daily toils. Many will seek out quiet spots to relax with family members. They will head to the beach or to campsites, and some will defy gas prices and head for the open road. The summer vacation is a perfect time to read a book, possibly two books. There are all kinds of books available: personal improvement books, how-to books, bad books, very bad books. For some reason, the books I have been reading this summer have been mostly history books....

(My first thread, hope I'm doing this right!)

FReeps have such great taste! So, I thought I would put this out there. One of my favorite things to do during the summer months is read to my children before they go to sleep. Actually, I do this year round, but particularly enjoy reading to them during the summer months. At times we get carried away with some of the great children’s lit available ~ with Mom finally coming up tho the bedrooms at 10:30 to shut down the evening's activities. At which point we may have to get real quiet and me straining my eyes. It’s great to...

My niece has been assigned a list of books for her summer reading. If you are wondering, she attends a private school. Because I haven't read any of the books on the list I need the help and insight from freepers. The list is below and I'd greatly appreciate any and all commentary. Thanks again. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly And Then There Were Non by Agatha Christie Bread and Roses Too by Katherine Paterson Leonardo's Shadow by Christopher Grey      

Now that it's June, it's officially summer reading time. Those who have the luxury curl up by the beach engrossed in the latest faddish novel. This summer, publisher W.W. Norton is pushing "The Garden of Last Days," by Andre Dubus III, an Oprah Book Club fave. The book sympathizes with the 9/11 terrorists. As I've written before, Dubus' "House of Sand and Fog"--an Oprah selection--was a hideously anti-American tale, where the Americans are losers and evil-doers, and Iranian Muslim immigrants are the good, hard-working people, done wrong and caused to lose everything including their lives, thanks to these loser and...

Some parents who are concerned about their children receiving a steady diet of liberal-left indoctrination in schools and colleges regard the summer vacation as a time to show these young people a different way of looking at things, with readings presenting viewpoints that are unlikely to be heard in classrooms that have become indoctrination centers. Fortunately, there is a growing body of literature— both books and articles— presenting a very different viewpoint in readable language. The academic year often ends with commencement speakers who have been in government, academia, foundations or various crusading movements, who tell the graduates how much...

I was wondering if anyone else might be interested in discussing books. FR could have a separate forum section where people could post the name of a book they've been reading and their thoughts on it, then others could respond if they would like to. I think this could be very interesting. Does anybody agree with me? (I posted this as an open vanity, so don't hurt me.)

OK everyone, it's time for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now" post. I like to get a feel for what Freepers are reading these days. It can be anything...a best seller, a literary classic, a trashy pulp novel, a scientific journal, etc. Do not demean this thread with posts like "I'm reading this Thread right now". It became un-funny a long time ago. I'll start. I've just started "One Square Mile Of Hell: The Battle For Tarawa" by John Wukovitz. Rather than a minute by minute account of the battle, it takes a more personalized view of the battle...

Sorry for the vanity - but I can't think of a better resource than FR regarding this topic. I don't trust Amazonian recommendations. Please, if you can, recommend the best book/s detailing the American Revolution. Not just the battles, but the politics leading up to the war, the writing of the Declaration of Ind., who the signers were ...etc. I'd appreciate any input. Thanks for your time.

Looking for FR book recommendations.

What was your favorite book in 2007. It didn't have to be published in 2007, as long as that's when you read it. Was there anything that you were looking forward to that turned out to be disappointing? My apologies for not pinging the list in a long time. I've been waiting to get my computer back from being fixed and I've been waiting ... anyway ...

Merry Christmas, all! I already have in my possession gift cards to bookstores given to me by students of mine. After tomorrow, others will no doubt have bookstore giftcards burning holes in their pockets, as well. I thought this might be a good time and reason to solicit advice as to what good books you have read this year. Please post books you would recommend. Thanks!

December 12, 2007 Books are good gifts to receive and even better gifts to give because you can get books without half the hassles involved in buying many other kinds of gifts. You can easily buy books from the Internet and avoid the mob scenes at the shopping malls. This has been a good year for books that shoot down false and nonsensical notions on major issues of our time. "The Immigration Solution" is an excellent new book that discusses illegal immigration without the political rhetoric, spin, demagoguery, and unsubstantiated claims that have become all too common in the media...

It's time again for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now?" thread! It can be anything...a NY Times bestseller, a technical journal, a trashy pulp novel...in short, anything! DO NOT answer by saying "I'm Reading This Thread". It stopped being funny a long time ago. Here's what I'm reading. I'm just about finished with "Street Without Joy" by Bernard Fall. It's about France's war in Vietnam from 1946-1954. Very interesting and tragic. So, tell me. What are you reading now?

Ladies and Gentelmen, I'm writing in hopes that some of you could make a recommendation on books that deal with courage and adventure. Nonfiction books only please. I'm stationed out in the middle of nowhere and reading is my only real R&R. I'm especially interested in nautical adventures or adventures relating to the exploration of Africa or the Middle East. I've searched amazon for hours trying to find that sort of a book, but I have yet to find something worthwhile. By the way, I recently read In the Heart of the Sea, the story about the whaleship Essex, and...