Today’s TTT topic is Books on our Fall TBR. As always, let’s check in with the last quarter’s TBR to see how I did, and — oh. Oh, dear. I wish I hadn’t done that, as I only managed four of the ten items: Bad Blood, on the RFK/LBJ feud; Rupture, a friend’s new fantasy release; End of the Road, on the plight of American truckers; and Communion, JD Vance’s memoir of converting to Catholicism after a few years of being agnostic/nonreligious. But first, the Tuesday Tease!

“General Wayne, I am afraid you will get into a fight yourself and forget to give me the necessary field orders,” [William Henry Harrison] told Mad Anthony.
“Perhaps I may and if I do, remember the standing order for the day is, charge the damned rascals with the bayonets,” Wayne replied. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, Gail Collins

To those who knew him and followed him he was something beyond the mere demonic shouter and hater we recall from newsreels, something very different. The devil, after all, does not corrupt souls by being repulsive but rather through charm and by being oh-so-very reasonable. 1932, David Pietrusza

So this quarter’s list:

(1) GIRLS, for the third TBR TTT post in a row. (And Elvis said, “Girls! Girls! Girls!”) It’s a reflection by a Gen-Z woman on the commodification of girlhood — how growing up on social media made them turn themselves into brands. Her writing is really good.

(2) …But At Least They’re Human, Bill Kauffman. BILL HAS A NEW BOOK OUT! Well, sort of. Technically it’s a copy of his keynote speech (75 pages, good lord Bill) supplemented with hand-drawn illustrations and notes pages, prepared as a ‘pocket stack’ printed volume by School of the Unconformed, one of the many anti-Machine substacks I follow. I entered a giveaway for it, but if I don’t win I’ll buy my own copy if only to support School of the Unconformed and print culture.

(3) An FDR biography, either Jean Edward Smith’s FDR or HW Brands’ Traitor to his Class. While I have No Ordinary Time listed as an FDR book for my Hail to the Chief series, my review indicates it was less a biography and more a study of his wartime administration. At any rate, it’s been 20 years since I read it, so I need to touch base with Franklin again. They’re both beefy bois, alas.

(4) Some Arthur C. Clarke, maybe Rendezvous with Rama or Childhood’s End. Considering how much SF I’ve read over the years, the Golden Age master is conspicuous in his absence. This would be for SF Month in November.

(5) Monsters of Ohio, John Scalzi. This title will be released on November 3rd, just in time for SF Month!

(6) Delta-V, Daniel Suarez. Have been meaning to read this for years, and I really enjoyed my return to Suarez via Influx…um, three years ago. That tempus be fugiting.

(7) William Henry Harrison, Gail Collins. “You can’t TBR a book you’re already reading!” Just try and stop me.

(8) McKinley: Architect of the American Century, Robert Merry. Maybe. I know I need to give McKinley a more considered look than say, William Henry Harrison, but six hundred pages?

(9) The Outlier, Kai Bird. A biography of Jimmy Carter. I mentioned possibly reading this after my short AP bio of Carter, and then someone came into the library wanting to ILL it!

(10) Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America, Walter Borneman. I was a bit weary with the 1840s a year ago and moved on to the 1960s, but I need to circle back to ol’ Polk here. Few presidents can go into office, say “I’m after these four things”, do said four things, and then refuse to run again.

A bit homogeneous? Yes. But given the way this year has gone, I think by December I will be able to pat myself on the back for hitting at least .600.