Books Read in 2010

1. Byzantium: the Bridge from Antiquity to the Middle Ages by Michael Angold
2. Whose Muse?: Art Museums and the Public Trust edited by James Cuno
3. Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell
4. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
5. John Adams by David McCullough
6. Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin
7. A Remarkable Mother by Jimmy Carter
8. Appetite for Life: the Biography of Julia Child by Noel Riley Fitch
9. Love Stories in this Town by Amanda Ward
10. First Ladies Quotations Book edited by William Foss
11. Warren G. Harding by John W. Dean
12. Who Moved my Blackberry? by Lucy Kellaway
13. Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box by Madeleine Albright
14. Emma Goldman: American Individualist by John Chalberg
15. The Devil Wears Prada by Laura Weisberger
16. Che: A Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón
17. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
18. Post Grad by Emily Cassel
19. Feisty First Ladies and other Unforgettable White House Women by Autumn Stephens
20. The Motorcycle Diaries: notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto Che Guevara
21. Hot Dog: a Global History by Bruce Kraig
22. Soda Pop! From Miracle Medicine to Pop Culture by Gyvel Witzel and Michael Witzel
23. Smart Girls Like Me by Diane Vadino
24. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
25. Collecting Political Buttons by Marc Sigoloff
26. The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food by Jeffrey Masson

The Lincoln/Kennedy List: Rutherford B. Hayes and Jimmy Carter edition

The idea of a Hayes/Carter comparison originated when I viewed a PBS series called the American Presidents, during the episode titled “An Independent Cast of Mind.” In this episode the presidents were mentioned along with John Taylor and John Adams as those who “put the national interest above the concerns of their parties.” PBS goes on to say they were all one term presidents and wasn’t that a coincidence. PBS did not think highly of these four and out of respect for John Adams, I told the DVD narrator, “HEY WAIT A MINUTE.”

(I’ve been watching a lot of the West Wing lately and fun fact, my favorite president is John Adams and Martin Sheen’s favorite president is Jimmy Carter. I’m just saying, that would be a great icebreaker for when I meet Bradley Whitford.)

A biography of Hayes by Ari Hoogenboom points out the Hayes/Carter similarity, saying that the two were both more popular post presidency while doing humanitarian work. But Hayes and Carter have similarities beyond their humanity work and whether or not they were terrible presidents. The didn't share the same pre-presidency career or the same political party, but they did have a whole bunch of similarities that would have been really spooky had they both been assassinated. Or mentioned in the same PBS series.

• OOOooooOOOooooOOO. Rutherford B. Hayes and Jimmy E. Carter each have five syllables in their names. Carter was the 39th president. Hayes was the 19th president. Carter’s term in office: 1977 – 1981. Hayes’s term in office: 1877 – 1881.
• They were both governors who became one term presidents.
• Each focused on humanitarian careers post presidency and in the spirit of Lincoln/Kennedy list vagueness, they both had something to do with helping the poor (Habitat, whatever Hayes did).
• Economic/civil rights/prison reform/Ohio reform. Hayes did a lot of good post presidency.
• Both had vice presidents whose first names began with W.
• Both of their successors were shot in '81 by crazy guys obsessed with Jodie Foster or the 19th century equivalent, an ambassadorship to France.
• Both were born in October. They were both Virgos. Or Libras. I’m getting mixed signals from what seems like an unnecessary amount of zodiac lists from Wikipedia.
• Military service. They both fought for the Union.
• A mutual love of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Actually, only Hayes had this quality according to biographer Ari Hoogenboom. But I’m sure Carter loves it too.
• Both were preceded by Presidents whose monosyllabic names were both nouns and verbs (Grant/Ford). <- HOW ABOUT THAT ONE, HUH?
• Goody two shoes. While Lemonade Lucy Hayes gets the credit for making the Hayes administration a dry White House, Rutherford probably helped push the idea along. Their house also banned smoking and profanity. Carter’s White House was technically dry, but the Carter’s did occasionally drink. And while I haven't personally lived in that decade, I’ve read about the seventies, and I can’t say I blame them. It really sounded like just an awful, awful time.

Follow up questions:

1. What were the Seventies like? Anything like the 1870s?
2. Do you love the Northwest Ordinance of 1787? Circle Yes/No

2009 book wrap up

Best Nonfiction: Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art out of Desperate Times by Susan Quinn. A book about my two favorite things: federal arts funding and the depression.

Worst Nonfiction: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style by Tim Gunn with Kate Maloney. It turns out Tim Gunn is not that interesting in book form. He didn't even say make it work, and that takes like, one second to type.

Best Fiction: Hunger by Knut Hansum

Worst Fiction: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Maybe it's because I read it a decade after I should have, but it was pretty forgettable. This does not bode well for The Grapes of Wrath.

Best Memoir: A Time to Heal: The Autobiography of Gerald Ford by Gerald Ford. Or as I liked to call as least half of it, "Hey, Let Me Tell You What Else I Don't Like About Ronald Reagan by Gerald Ford."

Worst Memoir: Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business by Dolly Parton. It just kind of rambled on to nowhere.

Even the Author thought Chester A. Arthur was boring: Chester A. Arthur by Zachary Karabell

Sarah Vowelliest: Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

Best of the Genre I’m Ashamed I Occasionally Read: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. I kind of liked the movie.

Worst Chick Lit: Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella. You would think by now they would see that this woman has a problem.

Best Year of Doing Something: The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs. Take that, book about a year of cooking recipes from the Bible.

I wonder if that would work?

Best Terrible Conspiracy Driven Online Publication I Regret Reading: Kissinger: the Secret Side of the Secretary of State by Gary Allen

Best Title: The Art of Tying the Cravat: Demonstrated in Sixteen Lessons, Including Thirty-Two Different Styles; Forming A Pocket Manual; and Exemplifying the advantages arising from an elegant arrangement of this important part of the Costume; Preceded by A History of the Cravat, From its Origin to the Present Time; and Remarks on its influence on Society in general by H. LeBlanc Esq.

Worst Title: Thirteen Days: a Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Robert Kennedy. So boring. He could have jazzed it up a bit. Every Pig has its Bay 2: Kennedy's Revenge. Tagline: They've got almost two weeks to save the world.

Worst Book about Food: House of Plenty: The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Luby's Cafeterias by Carol Dawson and Carol Johnston. Throughout the book the authors alluded to a terrible crisis in the restaurant's history, calling it the "worm in the apple" with all the drama short of adding a Dun-Dun-Dunnn at the end of each chapter. In the final chapter we discover this crisis is the lawsuit over family money and that one side of the lawsuit actually wrote the book. It seems odd that this is presented as the worst part of Luby's history, as the chain's past includes multiple deaths, all of which, from a CEO's suicide to a mass murder in Killeen are described in gruesome detail. Describing Luby's as the pinnacle of the American Dream, this book's highlights include randomly placed family photos of Luby’s founders and descendants posing together or square dancing and little of the actual restaurant. If you want to recreate Luby's dishes, you're in luck, they did print recipe cards with 1/3 of the ingredients and all the instructions missing. All in all, it really captures the spirit of dining at Luby's.

Best Book about Food Save the Deli: In Search of the Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen by David Sax

Best Collection of Martha Mitchell Quotes: On With The Wind: Martha Mitchell Speaks (additional dialogue by John Mitchell)

Reread Book I'll Read Again: Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

25 more facts about US Presidents

In February I posted 25 facts about US Presidents in place of the 25 facts about me Facebook meme before it became 25 facts about swine flu or something. Now I have 25 facts about US Presidents (not mentioning Taft's weight, Coolidge's silence or Harding's awfulness) and one about me.

1. John Tyler named his home Sherwood Forest and considered himself an outlaw from his political party. Maybe the law too, I don't know. Different times, the 1840s.
2. James K. Polk's political career was declared to be over after winning one electoral vote in 1840 and losing his gubernatorial bid in 1841 and again in 1843.
3. Zachary Taylor was a poor dresser. He was eulogized by a fan of his, Abraham Lincoln.
4. Millard Fillmore was the first president to discuss bird guano importation in his annual message and was surprisingly not the last.
5. Franklin Pierce was not a foodie and was a mediocre president.
6. James Buchanan was a foodie and also a mediocre president. So.
7. Andrew Johnson's wife Eliza taught him how to read and write.
8. Rutherford B. Hayes's name is an anagram for "Huh, red ferryboats."
9. James A. Garfield could write in Greek and Latin AT THE SAME TIME. He was the first left handed president THAT WE KNOW OF.
10. Chester A. Arthur was America's safety school of presidents.
11. Benjamin Harrison pretty much disliked everyone and everything. He was also the last president to make any public mention of guano.
12. William McKinley was 5'7''.
13. William Howard Taft was a seventh cousin of Richard Nixon, an equestrian and the last president to milk a cow in the White House.
14. Warren G. Harding was an advocate of eliminating the 12 hour workday. John Dean wrote a biography about Harding.
15. Grover Cleveland put two criminals to death during his term as sheriff to spare his inferiors from doing the job. This remains my second* favorite fact about G.C.
16. Calvin Coolidge's voice was recorded on film in 1920 accepting the VP nomination on his birthday, July 4th.
17. Herbert Hoover was almost declared dead at the age of two. He lived to be the first president to have a phone at his desk. Before that, they just yelled loudly.
18. Harry S. Truman, like John Adams, had a biography written by David McCullough. I'm still waiting for the HBO series and what will no doubt be the most thrilling depiction of a haberdasher ever committed to film. (Would it be? I haven't watched a lot of movies.)
19. Lyndon Johnson paid $2.50 for Lady Bird Johnson's engagement ring.
20. Richard Nixon signed several bills preserving presidential birthplaces and homes as national historic sites. His own birthplace was registered as a national historic site during his presidency, because that sounds like something he would do.
21. Grover Cleveland loved corned beef and cabbage. *This is my favorite.
22. Gerald Ford was a good athlete and a pretty terrific human being. He was also in Glee Club in high school, which really changes the way I watch the show Glee, in that it makes it enjoyable.
23. George H. W. Bush is friends with Teri Hatcher.
24. George H. W. Bush. His museum has the best tour guides of any presidential site.
25. Me I'm the same height as William McKinley.
26. Barack Obama was the first president born in Hawaii. OR WAS HE? Yes, yes he was.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for:

1. The music of 1776 and the availability of the film on Netflix's Instant Queue.
2. My four awesome nephews.
3. Pie (nephews are technically tied with pie)
4. Essays about John Winthrop
5. Books about Lyndon Johnson
6. Raps about Alexander Hamilton
7. The local library/local art museum
8. Art museum docenting
9. Great art like the Mona Lisa or the music of Squeeze
10. The not low number of similarities between Rutherford B. Hayes and Jimmy Carter
11. The page of The Grapes of Wrath I've read this week.
12. William Seward
13. Literacy and a huge ego
14. Bookshelves
15. Books about John Adams
16. Everything and television

Favorite books read in 2009, part 1

Nancy: A Portrait of My Years with Nancy Reagan by Michael Deaver. Nancy is the kind of absolutely glowing portrait one might expect Mike Deaver to write. Deaver is perplexed that Hollywood doesn't praise Reagan more, and this situation can only be corrected by awarding RR 6-7 posthumous Oscars. When Deaver isn't Goin' Rogue on Ronald's enemies, he writes a sweet little 90 page hagiography to Ol' Nancy Pants that will please any Nancy Davis Reagan completionist.

Blind Ambition by John Dean. I highly recommend this one, as it is a great book about Watergate and Dean’s drinking problem. I read my sister’s copy while in California last summer and was about to purchase the 1 cent copy available on Amazon, when I heard on G. Gordon Liddy’s radio show that Dean was coming out with a new edition in the fall. On the air GeGo blamed Dean for Watergate, and told a caller that naturally he would do Watergate all over again, only not include Dean, actually doing it. GeGo’s rant, combined with the fact that he sucks at Twitter, of all things, makes me want to buy the new edition. Because I will do anything to upset the guy who wrote The Monkey Handlers.

Alternate Kennedys edited by Mike Resnik. If you are a fan of the Kennedys, science fiction and alternate history, you will enjoy this book. I did not, but I only like one thing* on that list. Personally, I fail to see how something can be called alternate history if in almost every story, Kennedy is still assassinated. And preposterously enough, by Joe Kennedy Jr.

*"What if the Germans had won the war, Lemon?"

“Mo”: A Woman’s View of Watergate by Maureen Dean. It's a real nice ladies Watergate book for ladies. She's no Martha Mitchell.

The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope by Jonathan Alter. This book has received lavish and well deserved praise.

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham.This book has also been praised, and I would recommend it, except for the chapter where it floats over the Cherokee nation’s forced expulsion. You don’t understand, the book pleads, Jackson had to do it for AMERICA or Georgia or something. The last chapter is all about how much every president after him, including Lincoln (Book: Yeah, that *wink* Lincoln) loves Andrew Jackson. It’s a well written book, which accomplishes the task of making you both frustrated and fascinated with Jackson, but I wouldn’t read it if you are, say, Sarah Vowell.

1960 LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidents by David Pietrusza. I read this at the beginning of the year and it’s still my favorite book so far. It’s engaging and rich with fascinating details, which makes for a great reread. I especially loved the discussion of the Nixon/Kennedy debates. Instead of the usual “Nixon was better on the radio, but Kennedy was better on TV,” the book describes a pre debate Kennedy being injected with a mixture of vitamins and animal placentas. So, that's really why Kennedy won with TV viewers.

Obama/Reagan: The No Drama Gipperama

Part 3 in a series of 21-22.

Obama and some anti-American hooligan without a flag pin.

I wanted to compare Obama with some president, because everyone is (or was 8-12 months ago) doing the same. First, I asked myself several questions. Which president should I pick? Is Obama Kennedy? Is Obama FDR? Is Obama Ford? Is Obama Hayes? The short answer to all of these questions: Reagan, Kind of, Hmmm, No, and Who isn't.

It's almost impossible that all of the men who have been president wouldn't have a few large, and a lot of imaginary or superficial, things in common. After all there were a lot of lawyers, businessmen and career politicians in the bunch. If each of them took the same online personality quiz at least half would say, "Hey, the quiz says I'm Jim from The Office." Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Schrute.

The Kennedy-Lincoln comparison is popular, but faulty where most of the similarities are stretching the truth or made up, almost as if I had made the list. Although I would have included that both hid the truth about illnesses they had while in office and both (probably) contracted malaria. DUN.DUN.DUNNN. I chose to compare Reagan and Obama because it would be the most annoying to anyone who really likes Reagan or really likes Obama. Plus, it was super easy.

Obama himself made the comparison in January 2008, saying

"I don't want to present myself as some sort of singular figure. I think part of what is different is the times. I do think that, for example, the 1980 election was different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not…I think he tapped into what people were already feeling. Which is we want clarity, we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing."

And boy, were John Edwards and a lot of Republicans not pleased with this, according to titles I glanced over in a short Google search.

Warming up: Reagan was born in Illinois, although the fact that I've yet to see his birth certificate makes me suspicious he was ever born at all. Obama was a senator from the state of Illinois.

• Reagan and Obama are the messiahs of the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively, with John McCain occasionally saying nice things about both of them. Maverick!
• Reagan used television as effectively as Obama used the Internet.
  
• Both ran against male presidential candidates with female vice presidential candidates.
  
• Both had Vice Presidents with the same letter in their last name.
• Biden and Bush Sr. each walk the line between being a competent politician and perpetually silly.
  

Vast Right Wing Conspiracy: Obama and Reagan were both born left handed and remained left handed through adulthood.

Mixed feelings, middle names: Obama’s middle name Hussein is the surname of good guy King Hussein and bad guy Saddam. Reagan’s middle name Wilson is the surname of Rainn Wilson, who’s likable because he’s Dwight, and mean ol Joe Wilson.

Mixed feelings, general: We could argue all day about which president hung out with which terrorists and who funded whatever contras and such. I'm not going to post pictures of Reagan hanging out with the Taliban or Obama and Chavez (stupid Chavez). But the one thing we can agree on is that both Reagan and Obama have both ordered controversial invasions on the island of Grenada. But then again, what president hasn't? And even if Obama hasn't technically done it, Ollie North isn't dead yet.

I like both of them: I like both of them. Obama and Reagan are some of the handful of presidents I will read three or more autobiographies or biographies (unlike two book limit presidents Taylor and Washington). Just last week I watch a tribute to Ronald Reagan's best greatest speeches. I loved it and kept referring to it as a "Tribute to Ronald Reagan's Greatness" because I thought that was the title. Obama has my vote locked up in 2012, unless the GOP decides to pick the folksy powerhouse that would be a Palin-Jindal ticket. Or if Al Franken runs.

Hollywood loved Reagan and Hollywood loves Obama: Unless they're not a member of that person's party. Chuck Norris for instance, loved Reagan (I imagine) and hates Obama. Chuck Norris is a terrible human being. Not for his opinion of Obama, as most Obama critics are nice people, but just in general.

Chester A. Arthur Fashion Plate Award : First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Michelle Obama, Fashion Icons. Although it wasn't that hard to win best dressed in the 1980s.

Really reaching: Reagan had four children, Obama had two, but both had two with the woman who would be First Lady during their term(s) as president. Both have six syllables in their names if you pronounce Obama "Obb-ma."

Also: Both gave speeches using the words hope and change in front of a crowd of cheering Germans, which means Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan are also both literally Hitler.

Also: Doodling. Doodling.

Also: Both Secret Service code names for them and their families started with R.