This weekend I started reading His Excellency: George Washington by George Ellis. It was an intentional choice to coincide with Presidents’ Day. One of my personal, long-term reading goals is to read a book about each president. So far, I have read books about seven presidents. So I have quite a bit of reading to do.
So, on this Presidents’ Day, I want to share my evolving parameters on selecting books so that I have a reasonable expectation of achieving my goal and enjoying them along the way. Life is too short and there are too many excellent (non-president) books to make this goal feel like a school assignment.
First, I’ll share a link to my list. For each book I’ve read, I post a picture of the book and a few notes. Not a summary or review (I keep those on Goodreads), rather information that might help me select other books. Was the book too long? Did it have too mundane details? Did I like the author’s style? That type of information.
Overall, I have decided: 1) Avoid books over 400 pages, 2) Select books written like a novel versus a scholarly treatise, 3) Stick with authors I know and like, and 4) Revisit these parameters as a I go.
Long, scholarly books like Ron Chernow’s Grant take a lot of time to read. Obviously because it is 900 pages but also, it is a tedious read. Chernow spent at least 10 pages describing Grant’s cabinet – the selection process, their political ambitions, etc. It was too much information for me. It is an exhaustive examination of his life and career. I had to put it down for long periods of time. So, I’ve decided that this intensive study isn’t necessary.
Some of David McCullough’s books are long (John Adams is 750 pages, Truman is over 1000) but they read like a novel. I’ve read a few of his other books, 1776 and The Great Bridge, and they are easy to read, non-fiction books. So long doesn’t necessarily mean tedious, it does depend on the writer.
One of my favorite books so far was Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard. Millard writes about the intersection of James Garfield and Alexander Graham Bell. After Garfield was shot, Bell worked tirelessly to invent a device to find the bullet lodged in Garfield. I’m guessing I couldn’t find a better book about James Garfield.
So, I challenge you to think about what you are interested in – presidents, travel, history. And challenge yourself to make a reading goal that spans a period of time.
Happy Reading!
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