What I'm reading

A semi-regular update on my book consumption.

As the weather — in Washington, DC at least— turns colder, my desire to sit by a fire (or, really, my Solo Stove) and read a good book soars.

In that vein, I wanted to share with you all what I’ve been reading lately. I would LOVE recommendations on what I should read next too. If you’ve got recs, throw them in the comments section!

• “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The book on which the biopic “Oppenheimer” is based is loooong. (It’s 721 pages!) And it took me two months to read. But, it’s an absolutely engrossing treatment of a man who I didn’t, honestly, know that much about. Like, the extent to which Oppenheimer’s later life was ruined by allegations of his communist ties was fascinating — and depressing. A great read.

• “Bury Your Dead”/ “A Trick of the Light” by Louise Penny. These are books 6 and 7 of Penny’s multi-volume (I think there are 18) series detailing the life and cases of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the Canadian town of Three Pines. Penny’s writing is so evocative and appealing that I would move to Three Pines tomorrow (if it actually existed).

• “From Strength to Strength” by Arthur C. Brooks. This book was recommended to me by a friend who I sought out for some career advice. In it, Brooks explains the difference between “fluid intelligence” (that we have until we are 40 or so) and “crystallized intelligence” (that we have the rest of our lives). For someone like me — 47 years old and pondering what to do with my career — this book was filled with wisdom. I found myself underlining passages on almost every page.

• “The Times” by Adam Nagourney. This is a modern history of the most important newspaper in the world: The New York Times. Nagourney, who I know professionally (and a little bit personally), works for the paper but I found the book honest and transparent about the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. At times, the book reads like a soap opera plot. (Who said the media isn’t dramatic!) I loved this one.

• “Collision of Power” by Marty Baron. I will confess that I bought this the day it came out but haven’t done more than read the first few pages. It’s next on my list though! Having worked under Marty during the time he writes about in the book, I am selfishly interested to see whether his assessment of things gibes with mine.