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Bush Is a Book Lover
WSJ ^ | Dec. 26, 2008 | Karl Rove

Posted on 01/11/2009 6:50:46 PM PST by nuconvert

By KARL ROVE

With only five days left, my lead is insurmountable. The competition can't catch up. And for the third year in a row, I'll triumph. In second place will be the president of the United States. Our contest is not about sports or politics. It's about books.

It all started on New Year's Eve in 2005. President Bush asked what my New Year's resolutions were. I told him that as a regular reader who'd gotten out of the habit, my goal was to read a book a week in 2006. Three days later, we were in the Oval Office when he fixed me in his sights and said, "I'm on my second. Where are you?" Mr. Bush had turned my resolution into a contest.

By coincidence, we were both reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals." The president jumped to a slim early lead and remained ahead until March, when I moved decisively in front. The competition soon spun out of control. We kept track not just of books read, but also the number of pages and later the combined size of each book's pages -- its "Total Lateral Area."

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: andrewbostom; books; bush; karlrove; reading
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1 posted on 01/11/2009 6:50:48 PM PST by nuconvert
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To: nuconvert

I also like to read books , but its an expensive habit.

New hard backs are 35 to 40 bucks, Paperbacks are 7.95 to 11.95 even used books arent cheap. Yes there are the libraries, but mine seldom has what I prefer to read.


2 posted on 01/11/2009 6:57:23 PM PST by Venturer
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To: Venturer

Amazon.


3 posted on 01/11/2009 6:58:10 PM PST by Revolting cat! (After all is said and done I'm goodier goodier than you!)
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To: Venturer

most libraries will order books if you request them. (not all the time, of course).


4 posted on 01/11/2009 6:59:59 PM PST by robomatik ((wine plug: renascentvineyards.com cabernet sauvignon, riesling, and merlot))
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To: Venturer

I am a history student. My wife and I have a library of 3-400 books. She reads Biographies.

Few years back I found Project Gutenberg. There currently are 27,000 books on the site, free downloads. Some are .txt files and others are .html (with pictures and live links).

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Use their search engine, you might just find something interesting to read.


5 posted on 01/11/2009 7:03:55 PM PST by Texas Fossil
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To: Venturer
"New hard backs are 35 to 40 bucks,..."

W.E.B. Griffin's new book "Black Ops" lists for $26.95. I got it for about 14 bucks at BJs the other day. I buy a lot of new books, and I cannot imagine paying 35 or 40 dollars for any new book.

6 posted on 01/11/2009 7:05:37 PM PST by Radix (There are 2 kinds of people in this world. Those with loaded guns & those who dig. You dig.)
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To: nuconvert

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a KNOWN plagarist.

Bush on the other hand, sadly, is a RINO like his father. Not as bad as McCain the RINO but pretty close. Karl Rove is another open-borders RINO.

We have not had a Republican President since Reagan.


7 posted on 01/11/2009 7:05:57 PM PST by Frantzie
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To: Venturer

Many libraries have an inter-library loan system they use. You ask them to find you a book, they find it at some other library and borrow it for you.
And though I don’t care for google much, it has a lot of great old books online.
If there are any classics you haven’t read, most of them are online somewhere.


8 posted on 01/11/2009 7:07:25 PM PST by 668 - Neighbor of the Beast (If you want Palin in 2012, better start closing those primaries now.)
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To: Venturer

www.bookfinder.com


9 posted on 01/11/2009 7:08:48 PM PST by meatloaf
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To: nuconvert

Those two (Bush and Rove) are hilarious! Thanks for the great article.


10 posted on 01/11/2009 7:09:24 PM PST by Vision Thing (brack wussybama)
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To: Radix

I buy books “used” on Amazon. If they say “like new” condition then they are new. Very good and good condition are more than acceptable.

I bought a business book recently in good or very good and it was like new.

Wait a week or month and best sellers come up “used” on Amazon. Many best sellers are crap. Rick Warren who loves marxist abortionists is an author not a real pastor. Someone gave me his book a year ago. :-( Rthe only thing worse is Joe Osteen who is like Creflo Dollar, Rev Ike and other con artists.


11 posted on 01/11/2009 7:10:24 PM PST by Frantzie
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To: Venturer

Try abebooks.com and alibris.com. Very good prices on used books.


12 posted on 01/11/2009 7:10:24 PM PST by hc87
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To: Frantzie

Why the nasty and irrelevant to the article comment?

President Bush has a mixed legacy. I would much rather have had him than Gore or Kerry in the office. He’s a good man, with some good ideas and some not so good ones - and he was commander in chief at the most difficult period of our history, at least since the Civil War. Think about all this man has been through. Think of all this country has been through. He has handled himself mostly admirably- though hasn’t always made the right decisions. Few could have done better.


13 posted on 01/11/2009 7:10:55 PM PST by Blogger
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To: nuconvert

Great article. Thanks for posting it.


14 posted on 01/11/2009 7:11:34 PM PST by Blogger
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To: Frantzie

You win the prize for the stupidest comment of the moment


15 posted on 01/11/2009 7:12:23 PM PST by woofie
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To: Venturer
I also like to read books , but its an expensive habit.

There are book sales of second hand books at libraries, etc. Many have been donated. For $2 or $3 you can buy books that sold originally for $15 - $20 at Barnes and Noble.

You have to be near the front of the line when they open, though.

16 posted on 01/11/2009 7:13:04 PM PST by The_Media_never_lie
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To: meatloaf

Thank you all for your links and advice , I will be certain to use them. To Radix, I really like WEB Griffins books and have most of them or have read them, but the serialization gets a bit hard to keep up with sometimes.


17 posted on 01/11/2009 7:14:25 PM PST by Venturer
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To: nuconvert
"I'm on my second. Where are you?" Mr. Bush had turned my resolution into a contest.

Pfffffffttttt!!!!!!! Everyone knows Bush couldn't read 1 book nonetheless 2. Obviously this is all part of the Rovian History Rewriting Machine. /bds

18 posted on 01/11/2009 7:14:38 PM PST by douginthearmy
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To: Frantzie

Great post. It’s about books, not RINOs.

The link kinda punked out, though.

I should read as much and as well. And I ain’t the leader of the Free World.


19 posted on 01/11/2009 7:14:41 PM PST by StAntKnee (I'm keeping track of failed bids, and Sarah Palin is considered exempt.)
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To: nuconvert
By coincidence, we were both reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals."

Well, Carlos, if you're gonna read Doris, why not you and Jorge read the original from which she plagiarized it, huh?!

20 posted on 01/11/2009 7:15:54 PM PST by Revolting cat! (After all is said and done I'm goodier goodier than you!)
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