I’ll start with a little negging: This list is not of light reads. Traditionally, of course, people take those to the beach and poolside. One might think a magazine would be lighter reading for such occasions, but that’s usually when I try to catch up on the Claremont Review, also not a light read. For me, it’s light in its length, in providing articles instead of whole books.
I always have been a book monster, voracious for words, words, words, words. There may be fewer of us now, but I think we’re the true elite. Our ruling class that knows nothing is not truly elite; what’s elite is to have the attention span to sustain long and complicated turns of argument and plot, and to hold an idea in your mind without immediately accepting or rejecting it. That takes practice and effort.
I’ve also always felt that best friends give excellent book recommendations. So, in the spirit of bookish friendship, I pass on to you this list of books I’ve been reading lately and am toting to family travels this summer. We start with nonfiction and end with fiction.
The Smear, Sharyl Attkisson
I’m on a Sharyl Attkisson back-catalog kick, jumpstarted by finding this 2018 book on a shelf at a conservative event a month ago. As many readers will know, her books are excellent. They’re also highly useful media criticism and journalism history, especially useful to me professionally.
I’ve been mostly listening to The Smear via audiobook, although I
