Reader's Diary: Introducing George and Jane

Today I'm starting both a new book and a new project. The book: Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington by Richard Brookhiser. The project: U.S. Presidents. The U.S. Presidents Reading Project, to be exact.

I confess to knowing very little about American history. As a kid, I was more fascinated with "other worlds," which, to me, consisted of anything overseas. There was a fascination with medieval literature and the Renaissance.

It was either that or the Civil War, which I subsequently got stuck in during my first two years of high school. (Being a homeschooler has its advantages: you can learn about whatever you want!)

But because of that, I never paid all that much attention to the the American Revolution, or anything after the Reconstruction. And that includes who was running the U.S. at the time.

So, it being January 1st and all, I have a new reading goal in mind (other than this one). No rules, no time constraints, no pressure. In fact, it might take me several years to get to know the presidents. But that's fine with me: means I can take my time.

Having said that, I may already be setting myself up for failure. I snatched not one, but three biographies of George Washington this week. Each has a unique spin on his life though: Founding Fathers is short, only 199 pages (excluding the notes). It focuses more on the basics of his life by breaking it into three parts: "Career"; "Character"; and "Founding Father." I thought this would be the perfect book to get an introduction to the man.

The second is Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner. A fuller biography, this one is an adaptation by Flexner of his five-volume work on Washington. My library had all five volumes...but I opted for the short route. It's still quite detailed, but not too overpowering for a non-biography-reading reader such as myself.

And the last is actually the one I'm wanting to read the most: Affectionately Yours, George Washington: A Self-Portrait in Letters, edited by Thomas J. Fleming. Apparently this is a rather rare book, as it's difficult to even find on the Internet. But I think it's worth the hunt; any time you want to understand a person, read their letters and diaries. It will obviously be biased, but at least it helps you to form your own opinion, without a biographer's own ideas impressed on you. (Fleming, just in case you're interested, also wrote a biography on Washington himself, First in Their Hearts.)

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My other read this week is the first title in my A-Z Reading Challenge (hosted by Becky here). My "A" author is the great Jane Austen. (And before any skeptics or new readers start booing, I'm not a hopeless romantic, so don't worry. I'm completely unbiased. Well...mostly.)

In all seriousness, I've actually never fully read any of Austen's books. (Sad, I know.) I've seen most of the movies, and read most of Pride and Prejudice, but never the entire thing. I certainly enjoy the movies, and I find Austen's narrative style terrific (for the most part; have trouble with Sense and Sensibility), but I've just never been into romance novels. Ever.

But I also consider myself an eclectic sort of person, and I've wanted to correct my lack of Austen-fanship, so this is as a good a place to start as any. First Austen novel to be completed by yours truly? Persuasion. Hah! - how appropriate.

So far, it's awesome. I see so much of myself in Anne, and Captain Wentworth is the epitome of a gentleman. (And I'm not being girlish there; it's just the truth.)

I'm set to finish Persuasion by the end of this week, hopefully. I'm currently in Chapter 10 out of 24, so almost halfway. This will test both my speed-reading abilities (hah!), and Austen's ability to capture my wayward heart. Here's to it.