If you’ve been following along, you know that among my latest obsessions is William Manchester’s 3-volume biography of Winston Churchill, The Last Lion. As of tonight, I am very close to finishing the second volume (the Second World War has just begin with Germany’s invasion of Poland).
In the prelude to war, Churchill, in addition to doing his best to get Great Britain into the game, was busy working on his mammoth A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. Descriptions of his research for the book, the subject matter (including the various kings of England) and quoted passages fascinated me, to the point where I found myself wishing I could read that book, too.
And so, I’ve added all 4 volumes of Churchill’s History of the English-Speaking Peoples and I’m looking forward to reading that. But maybe not immediately after finishing the Churchill biography. I think I deserve a little lighter fare. Possibilities include:
- John Scalzi’s Lock In.
- Steven Gould’s Exo.
- And Jack McDevitt’s Coming Home, the next Alex Benedict . This doesn’t come out until November, but Jack, wonderful guy that he is, has sent a proof my way. I really can’t wait to read this one, as the Alex/Chase novels are among my favorites.
Bottom line, I have plenty to read, but my obsession with Churchill continues.
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Now, that’s got me onto Churchill’s history as well. I’m through Peter Ackroyd’s history of England, vol. 1, which is a great read, so after I’ve read v. 2 of Ackroyd, I’ll start on Churchill.
Jaime, you may also enjoy Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast. He is currently going through a series called “Blueprint for Armageddon” which goes through World War I. It is an excellent podcast, can’t recommend it highly enough.
Larry
Thanks for the recommendation, Larry. I think Fred Kiesche also recommended that podcast. At some point, I will have to find the time.