Recently my wonderful wife Karin and I were in Barnes &
Noble’s just browsing. For me, book
stores are wonderful places to spend time because I have found several books
that have really interested me, and that I have read cover to cover very
quickly. Now understand that I have
never been a very fast reader; in fact, I had taken a speed reading class while
at community college in 1966 before I enlisted.
It didn’t seem to help much.
But when I find a subject that gets my attention like
military history or a dog story or a presidential biography, I read cover to
cover very quickly. I’d like to tell you
about 3 books that have recently impacted my life.....
The Admirals by
Walter R. Borneman. This is the story of
Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy and King, the only men in US history to hold the
rank of five-star fleet admiral. These
four men were responsible for building the modern US Navy and winning World War
II on the seas. It’s an amazing story of
how these Annapolis graduates’ lives intertwined from the nineteenth into the
twentieth century.
Stay: Lessons My Dogs
Taught Me About Life, Loss and Grace by Dave Burchett. The title intrigued me and I was not
disappointed! The author is the
long-time director of Texas Rangers baseball broadcasts and is an excellent
story teller. He tells of how he
journaled his life while his golden Lab Hannah had been diagnosed with terminal
cancer...according to the vet she had only a few days, or at most weeks, to
live. He writes: “As I prepared for the
inevitable loss of Hannah, I learned an eye-opening truth: preparing for death is preparing for
life. God has revealed so much to me through
this unique canine friendship. God can
teach us in many ways; all he really needs is an attentive listener.” This is a thoughtful, quick, and often very
funny read!
A Big Heart Open To
God: An Interview with Pope Francis by Antonio Spadaro SJ. I have been fascinated
by the popes who have been the head of the Roman Catholic church during my
lifetime (I think there have been seven) but especially with the latest one,
Pope Francis. I am not sure why, except
that the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina seems so different
than the previous ones. I believe he is
genuinely interested in people and not exclusively the bureaucracy of the
organized church. I am not Catholic (I
have been a Presbyterian for most of my life) but I would recommend this little
book for a quick read. You will see the authentic
human side of a world leader that is seldom seen.
I hope you enjoy these, and feel free to let us know what
other books you would recommend; me email is darraghsplace@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment