I caught up with all my summer reading, and as we head into fall here in Missouri, I have four intriguing books lined up. Politics and fantasy rule my near-term to be read pile. Do you see anything that you like? Have you read any of these? Leave a comment to let me know what interests you.

How the Right Lost Its Mind

by Charles Sykes

Sykes is a former conservative talk radio show host disgusted at his party’s takeover by Donald Trump. In How the Right Lost Its Mind, Sykes traces the conservative journey from William F. Buckley Jr. to Goldwater to 90s talk radio to the current version of the Republican party. It’s fascinating to see how the party of Reagan has shed its principles to become the party of Trump. I’m halfway through and enjoying this much more than I expected.

The True History of the Strange Brigade

Edited by David Moore

This collection of stories is set in the world of the Strange Brigade video game. Many of the authors are on my watch list, and this collection is from Rebellion Publishing. Rebellion put out Redemption’s Blade and Salvation’s Fire both of which I really liked. Mix that with treasure hunting stories, and I’m in.

The Empty Throne

by Ivo H Daalder & James M Lindsay

Politics, always politics. I’m addicted to intelligent policy analysis, and, despite being a liberal, I do believe that the United States of America should be a global leader, though not necessarily a global police officer. During the Trump administration, our government and the Republican party that props it up has abdicated the US’s leadership role. In The Empty Throne, the authors deal with the consequences of this incompetent administration. I’m interested in their arguments and how they build the narrative. Has it been declining? Or is the loss of leadership an abrupt change? Finally, my hope is that the authors show how the U.S. can return to a leadership role around the world. Sadly, I think this administration has done multi-generational damage to the US’s position in the world and relationships with our allies.

The Fall

by Tracy Townsend

This sequel to last year’s The Nine has been on my anticipated reads list all year. I’m ready to return to this fantasy world full of creative monsters and God’s experimental notebook. I really enjoyed the first book. The Nine was unlike any other fantasy that I read last year, which made it standout. However, the writing, the story, and the characters surpassed my expectations, and the moment I finished the book, I was ready for The Fall.