I always like reading in other people's journals about what they're reading, so I'm going to try to post more frequently about what I've been reading.

Recently finished

The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro. Daniel has been trying to get me to read this book for ages. He claimed that it was fascinating, which I had a hard time believing. What we have here is a mammoth 800+ page biography of Lyndon Johnson. Now, I dunno about you, but when I think of really fascinating American presidents, presidents that I might want to read a biography of, I tend to think of people like FDR, Lincoln, Adams, Washington, and so on. Johnson might make the list eventually, but he's not in the top 10. Add to this the fact that this giant tome is only the first part of a 3 or 4 volume biography of Johnson, and that this part covers Johnson's early life and political career just up to the beginning of World War II. In other words, it doesn't even get within spitting distance of Johnson's actual presidency. So, I was skeptical, but Daniel's recommendation counts for a lot, so I read it.

Boy, am I glad I did.

First, Johnson has got to be one of the most ruthlessly Machiavellian - and effective - political operators of all time. I had no idea. Basically, at whatever level of politics Johnson participated in, he annoyed most of his colleagues, was a lousy public speaker, and did his level best to avoid taking any kind of public stand that he could be pinned down to later -- and he always ended up being one of the most powerful guys around. Partly because he always figured out who the people with power were, and did his best to cultivate them, and partly because he wasn't at all afraid to lie, cheat, bribe or blackmail to get what he wanted.

Added to that, you get a fascinating picture of how politics - and particularly Texas politics - was practiced in the 20's and 30's. Yikes. It makes the current Whitehouse administration seem tame by comparison. (Actually, reading this book makes you see where the current administration got it all from. Remember Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR), the Halliburton-owned company that's created some controversy by winning lots of cushy war-related contracts from our current administration? Well, back when they were just little old Brown and Root, Lyndon Johnson made them a success by winning them cushy government contracts. And they made Lyndon Johnson a success by financing his campaigns - often illegally. Actually, one of the funniest parts of the book describes Johnson's unsuccesful run for a Texas senate seat. Johnson had bought the election by spending huge amounts of Brown and Root's money - in some counties literally buying votes - only to lose it when one of his opponents stole the election by rigging the vote count.)

Added to all of that, you get a pretty darn fascinating account of life in the Texas Hill Country during the Great Depression.

I definitely recommend the book. I'll probably go out and track down the other volumes, though I think, fascinating as he is, I've had enough Lyndon for now.

Currently reading

Auto Repair for Dummies by Deanna Sclar. I was pretty impressed with this author's Buying a Car for Dummies and I've always been a bit sorry that I didn't get to take auto shop in high school, so I picked this up. I'm just a few chapters in, and so far it seems thorough enough. I suppose the real test will be when I actually go out and get my hands dirty. I'm not sure how much maintenance and repair I'll actually try to do myself - the big motivator behind reading this book is so as not to feel like an idiot while talking to my mechanic. The book has convinced me, for example, that it would be quick, easy, and cheap to change my own oil. But it's almost as quick, easy, and cheap to go to the Jiffy Lube on Capitol Avenue, and they'll take care of disposing of used oil and filters for me.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Daniel picked this up at Borders the other day. And it starts with a murder in the Louvre. The victim rips a Caravaggio painting off the wall, so Brown got me where I live. He has given absolutely no indication whether the work in question was the Portrait of Alof de Wignacourt, The Death of the Virgin, or The Fortune Teller. Nor does he say whether the painting in question was seriously damaged during the commission of the crime. The suspense is killing me!

Er, all art-geekery aside, it's a nice fast-paced thriller. Good light reading. A good palate-cleanser after a giant political biography.

Up Next

Probably Kelly Eskridge's Solitaire.