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Over the years I have enjoyed reading a fair number of books by James Michener. His historical novels are a nice combination of storyline and historical info, merged into sweeping picturewords that never failed to bore me. Some fictional faves included.....
Poland - My family is a nice mixture of Polish, Lithuanian, Russian, and German. Poland was a fun read.
Texas - Talk about big country sprawling! What a great way to learn some of the history of The Lone Star State.
Chesapeake - After reading Chesapeake I longed to jump in a car and motor east, to see the big bay first hand. (I reside in NW Ohio.)
Alaska - My favorite Michener book......read it a couple times. Good stuff.
The only Michener non-fiction I read was Kent State: What Happened & Why. Excellent and (IMO) objective treatment of an event that divided our nation, back in 1970.
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As the winter winds prepare to descend on my part of the world, it is time to stock-up on some under-a-blanket reading.....and Michener just may be my first look-see.
Any other James Michener fans out there? What say you?
I have two favorite Michener books. Centennial is about the settling of Colorado.
The Source is the other one. It's about a dig in Israel and as more is uncovered the story of the various periods unfolds. It's very good.
Well, I have to list a third book: The Covenant. This one is the history of South Africa. It is excellent and very informative.
I've read all of his books except the Kent State story. I enjoy reading his books because he defines his characters so well and blends them into the history of each subject.
I never read a Michener book I didn't like.I may have missed a couple, the Kent State book being one of them. CENTENNIAL is my favorite though because I grew up in the area.
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Oh yes SOUTH PACIFIC the musical. I had the album cover with Mitzi Gaynor in the bikini hanging on my dorm wall. I would kill the S.O.B that stole it even today if I found out who it was.
I do have the original soundtrack from the movie on CD and I listen to it quite often. I enjoyed Glenn Close in the recent remake but I still prefer Mitzi.
Over the years I have enjoyed reading a fair number of books by James Michener. His historical novels are a nice combination of storyline and historical info, merged into sweeping picturewords that never failed to bore me.
I totally agree with you...he's one of my favorite authors. If you haven't read them yet, check out "The Source" and "Centennial".
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Oh yes SOUTH PACIFIC the musical. I had the album cover with Mitzi Gaynor in the bikini hanging on my dorm wall. I would kill the S.O.B that stole it even today if I found out who it was.
I do have the original soundtrack from the movie on CD and I listen to it quite often. I enjoyed Glenn Close in the recent remake but I still prefer Mitzi.
GL2
Mitzi is still a cutie. She was perfect in the role because she always projected an innate innocence. I was so in love with Lt. Cable in that movie because I thought the actor was so good looking.
I've never read Tales of the South Pacific. I wonder why? I have no idea. Although, I seem to remember a TV series in the 60s that was taken from the book. I think I'll check on that. I really should read the book. It was one of my father's favorites.
Centennial was a must because I too grew up in the area (although I was not an anointed native.)
I read Hawaii about 7 years ago when we visited there. It was very informative and I loved the characters.
If I am feeling nostalgic, my favorite Michener might be Drifters. When I was backpacking Europe in the 70's, this paperback book was being passed around from person to person on the trains.
If I read it now, it might seem dated and even stereotypical, but the sense of travel and adventure never gets stale.
Centennial was a must because I too grew up in the area (although I was not an anointed native.)
I read Hawaii about 7 years ago when we visited there. It was very informative and I loved the characters.
If I am feeling nostalgic, my favorite Michener might be Drifters. When I was backpacking Europe in the 70's, this paperback book was being passed around from person to person on the trains.
If I read it now, it might seem dated and even stereotypical, but the sense of travel and adventure never gets stale.
Thank you for your post. It reminded me that I really liked his book "Caravans." The movie was not very good but the book is great. It's a peek into the culture of Afghanistan back in the 60s when it was a haven for hippies. I have an Austrian friend who did the whole trip (both kinds) in a VW bus in Afghanistan and as a result developed into a photo journalist. His pics are wonderful to view.
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