State of the Union

I picked up Brad Thor's State of the Union in the bargain section of Barnes & Noble. I was intrigued by the cover of the book, which depicted a double headed eagle on some form of crest. It looked to somehow combine Masonic imagery with that of the American government. I did not read the description on the back, but as I enjoy political action/suspense novels, I purchased it without much other thought.

It took me a few months to get to it on my queue, but I finally found time to read the novel. Now that I am in my doctoral studies, I am aware that my time for pleasure reading will be significantly diminished. However, a colleague from Virginia Tech, who is a part-time doctoral student, advised me that finding time to occasionally read for pleasure is a gift to myself. As such, I thought that this would be a fun and accessible pleasure read.

I great enjoyed this story. I do not believe I have read any other novels by Brad Thor, and I was not aware that this was the third book in a series, but I found it easy to quickly become interested in the narrative. This story follows Agent Scot Harvath as he works to quickly stop a terrorist plot that threatens to severely cripple the United States as a player on the global scene. Harvath travels all over the globe in his efforts to do so. The book is full of action and adventure. I found it to be an enjoyable, and consequently quick, read.

State of the Union

Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers

I'm not sure where I first heard about Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers by Charlie Louvin with Benjamin Whitmer. It was likely while looking at other music (auto)biographies on Amazon. However, I know I had recently been listening to some Louvin Brothers on Pandora, so thought it would be a nice compliment to the music. And, as those who have previously read this blog will know, I am a fan of biographies about music or artists.

I found Satan is Real to be a rather interesting read. It is arranged mostly chronologically as Charlie Louvin recounts how the Louvin Brothers got their start. He recounts interesting stories of growing up on their parents' cotton farm, learning how to sing from his mother and at church, and sneaking out to see Roy Acuff. The narrative continues and provides detailed stories of the brothers' music careers. There are also interesting stories about Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Elvis, and Hank Williams. I found this to be one of the more fun and interesting autobiographies I have read lately.

Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers