More than ever, books make the best gifts during this season
that celebrates sharing. I won’t provide a Top Ten list, only a couple of
books. Of course, the books published by the BAP community make wonderful
choices. Additionally, here are two books you can both read and give with
pleasure:
The Brass Verdict
by Michael Connelly. Connelly is to my mind in serious competition for the best
mystery writer around (with Robert Crais, among others), and this book is a
double pleasure because it includes the “Lincoln Lawyer” Mickey Haller and
Connelly’s great creation, the LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. The book provides
extraordinary insights into the legal mind at work. If it’s somewhat
overplotted, it still is brilliantly executed. For those of us who love the
Bosch novels, this book allows us to see him from the outside.
2. Cultural Amnesia
by Clive James. The paperback version of this, my favorite book of 2007, was
recently released. It is, to say the least, unusual. James offers 110 brief
biographical essays, including profiles of many familiar people and some much
less so. In particular, the author’s yearning for an intellectual society
comparable to that found in the cafes of pre-War Vienna
explains his discussions of many martyrs to a variety of totalitarian regimes.
James’ intellect, his savage wit, his aphoristic prose, his biases, and his
embrace of the life of the mind made this book unforgettable to me. Of course,
there were people I wish he had included; the paucity of women in the book is all
too obvious. And there are others whose inclusion befuddled me. But agree or
disagree with him, James makes for exciting reading.