26. Hawaii

by James Mitchner
Rated ★★★★★

One of the best favors I have done for myself in a long while was to decide to go back and revisit some of the golden oldies (books, of course) from my past. I think it must have been Shogun that really was the decider for me. I discovered that my memory has apparently been completely erased as to the content of books I read thirty years ago and the only thing left is the vague sense that I somehow liked them.

This brings up a whole other thought about how one's brain archives stuff and have these books been permanently erased or is the information lurking in some remote and dusty corner of my mind? OK, I am digressing badly here.

I am currently reading Hawaii and am just loving it. There are odd bits about politics that are dry and somewhat boring but for the most part the story moves right along. Actually it is a series of stories that tells how each group of people came to Hawaii and how they managed to find their feet so to speak and eventually assimilate into who the Hawaiian people are today. Very, very good book.

I am looking at a copy of Tolstoy's War and Peace that I ordered from the library and trying to decide whether or not I want to attempt it. I already know I won't be reading this copy as it's a hard cover addition that's 1386 pages long. I think I am going to start it and if I decide it's a book I really want to read I will order a cheap paperback from half.com and tear it into thirds. My wrists will appreciate that.

But for what my next book is going to be, well I think it will be Judith Merkle Riles third book in the Margaret of Asbury series, The Water Devil and then perhaps I'll revisit Uris's book Trinity.