10 Books Worth Reading

'I cannot live without books' - Thos Jefferson
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Among the millions of books, these 10 are what I've enjoyed during the past several weeks:

1. Who Stole the American Dream? - Hedrick Smith (analysis of the origins of current fiscal woes)

2. Einstein - Walter Isaacson (incorporates new information from family papers)

3. The Quest - Daniel Yergin (analysis of current energy use, plus related security & environmental issues)

4. The Racketeer - John Grisham (typical story of crime made right, happy ending for the hero)

5. Drift - Rachel Maddow (documentation of trend toward repeated undeclared wars & CIA actions)

6. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel (Henry VIII's creation of Anglican Church to enable divorce from Queen Catherine and marriage to Anne Boleyn, seen through the eyes & wit of Thomas Cromwell, advisor)

7. Bring Up The Dead - Hilary Mantel (sequel to Wolf Hall wherein Anne Boleyn, et al are executed to enable Henry VIII's marriage to Jane Seymour, again through eyes & wit of Thomas Cromwell)
Note: another sequel to follow, completing a trilogy.

8. Thomas Jefferson; The Art of Power - Jon Meacham (an examination of Jefferson's method of asserting power through learning, persuasion, enlistment of allies and personal leadership)

9. The Yellow Birds - Kevin Powers (a novel depicting the trauma of war and its often disturbing effect on combat participants)

10. Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher - Timothy Egan (documentary of the work of Edward Curtis, photographer who captured historic native American culture on film)

Additionally, I'm reading King Lear - William Shakespeare, in preparation for seeing the play in Ashland, OR
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These 10 books are varied in subject matter, but most of them deal with current or recurring human themes and issues.
All are interesting reads.