Books, books, books

Now that I've finished reading a biography of every American President in chronological order from Washington to Reagan, I've received two common questions:

1. Which was your favorite?
2. Why did you do this?

Choosing a favorite is impossible. And a lot of it comes down to the author not so much as the biography's subject. The early presidents all were great: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and Quincy Adams. I love these decades of our nation's history and it was interesting learning about the different people and personalities that shaped our early nation. I was thinking about why I happen to love the colonial period, and all I could think back to was my love for my American Girl doll. I had Felicity, who's story was set during the revolution, and read every one of her books multiple, multiple times. Maybe this is where my love for this period comes from?
After the first presidents, I really love Ulysses S. Grant. Everything about him. His wholesome beginnings, what a fearless, admired general he was, and the fact that he wasn't a true politician. I don't think he ever became a true politician, despite holding the highest title. It's unfortunate that corruption marred his later years in office, but I believe that came from his cabinet members working around him and some naivety from not being so personally immersed in political ways and means.
Teddy Roosevelt - obvious choice! His life is so incredibly fascinating. I have to admit, when I was nearly done with his 700+ page biography, I realized it was the first of a three-volume set. I did not make myself read the other two, but I certainly will at some point because they were very well-written, and as stated, he was such an incredible character.
The one that surprised me the most was Truman. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would, and I finished it admiring him far more than I ever thought I would, Honestly, I didn't know too much about him before reading, so learning so much was perhaps part of the pull, but he won me over. 
Why did I do this? I thought of the idea way back during the 2016 election and started in January 2017. With all the political turmoil and non-stop bipartisan spats, I wanted a good, true way to understand the American political system. Not just to understand what it means to be Republican and what means to be Democratic, but how the parties formed, what their beliefs are based in, how they have evolved and how they shape the US today. It also gave me a great understanding of our national history overall and why decisions that effected the world at large were made.

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 Now that I'm done with the Presidents, I can read whatever I want! Some great books have come out the past few years and I've been dying to dive back into some fiction. Here's a look at my stack, not including Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Where the Crawdads Sing was excellent, but not my favorite of all time, like so many have said. Kate Morton's (my favorite author's) most recent book absolutely gutted me! I had to wait a whole day before I could pick up another book, and I was still hesitant then because I knew nothing would compare! If you're a fan of historical fiction and hate not knowing answers and go crazy to want to find out what really happened, read Kate Morton. I love every one of her books so, so much. I read Anita Shreve's The Stars Are Fire today in one day, and am really sad I won't be reading anymore of her work since she unfortunately died of cancer a few years ago. I started back on fiction on April 12, so have read seven books in the past three weeks.

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I got to thinking what my favorite book of all time is. I know my favorite author, but do I have one favorite book? I stood in front of my bookshelf and tried to put together a top five. Couldn't do it. But I did decide on my top eight. So, here is a list of my top eight favorite fiction reads, not including series (sorry, Harry Potter!). In no particular order

1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
2. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (I still think about how this book affected me!)
4. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsoliver (This was an option in my AP Lit class that I did not choose but went back to read years later - so glad I did)
5. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (so hard to choose one out of hers, I love them all)
6. Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve (same, hard to choose just one, but this one always sticks out to me the most)
7. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
8. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 

If you're looking for a good read during this slow time at home, I highly recommend these eight!

"Darling, do you think God wrote it all down in the English of King James himself?"
"No, I guess not."
"Think of all the duties that were perfectly obvious to Paul or Matthew in that old Arabian desert that are pure nonsense to us now. All that foot washing, for example. Was it really for God's glory, or just to keep the sand out of the house?"
Leah sat narrow-eyed in her chair, for once stumped for the correct answer.
"Oh, and the camel. Was it a camel that could pass through the eye of a needle more easily than a rich man? Or a coarse piece of yarn? The Hebrew words are the same, but which one did they mean? If it's a camel, the rich man might as well not even try. But if it's the yarn, he might well succeed with a lot of effort, you see?" He leaned forward toward Leah with his hands no his knees. "Och, I shouldn't be messing about with your thinking this way, with your father out in the garden. But I'll tell your a secret. When I want to take God at his word exactly, I take a peep out the window at His Creation. Because that, darling, He makes fresh for us every day, without a lot of dubious middle managers."
- One of my favorite quotes ever, from The Poisonwood Bible