You know what could be fun? Starting an Archery Wire book club. We could meet once a year at the ATA Show, at some hotel bar, and not actually talk about the book. You know, like what a regular book club does.
Aside from that, we could share a few gems with one another right here. If you have a book you think Wire readers should take the time to read, please drop me a line with the details and why you feel it is a good book.
You know what? I’ll kick it off.
What I Just Finished:
“Alexander Hamilton’s Guide to Life,” by Jeff Wilser. This book popped up on my radar thanks to Ryan Holiday’s Reading List. I have no idea how I found his reading list, but if you sign up for his newsletter, he’ll send you a list of books he’s reading monthly– and they are all over the board. He devours something like a book a week, I swear. This particular book struck me as Hamilton has seen a surge in popularity and frankly, I wanted to see what made him so special, minus seeing the Broadway play. I learned quite a bit about our forefathers, how our country began and all about Hamilton’s role in creating so many systems we still use today.
“Tangled Vines,” by Frances Dinkelspiel. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love wine. I also thoroughly enjoy reading about wine, how certain regions started, the families behind it – and more recently – certain mysteries that surround it. This book is based on actual events surrounding a fire that broke out in a wine warehouse in California in 2005. Millions of bottles were destroyed costing a whopping $250 million in damages. (Although I argue it was probably more than that.) Lives were forever changed – extremely valuable wine never to be seen again – and it was all done by one skilled con artist. Perhaps reading it is a good lesson not to store all your eggs in one basket. Or if you do have a truly valuable wine you are holding onto for “that special day,” just drink it. It could be a Tuesday and you could be serving burgers. That’s how I roll anyway.
“Shadows in the Vineyard: True Story of the Plot to Poison the World’s Greatest Wine,” by Maximillian Potter. Another true story – this time we are in Burgundy and learning how Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was inches from being destroyed. Imagine. The author also shares the history of the land, how the Conti’s ‘acquired’ the land, who Prince Conti was and more. I have yet to drink a bottle of DRC, but I know I will someday, so reading about it is as close as I can get.
What I am Reading Now:
“Washington’s Crossing,” by David Hackett Fischer. Another Ryan Holiday reading list suggestion. I just started into this book about George Washington taking his tired, reduced-in-numbers, troops across the Delaware Valley to defeat the British – a pivotal moment in American history. So far, I am learning way more than I ever did in History class.
“Archery from A to Z: An Introductory Guide to a Sport Everyone Can Enjoy,” by Christian Berg. Truly a soup-to-nuts guide on how to get involved in archery – and bowhunting – by the editor of Petersen’s Bowhunting magazine and podcast. If you have a young one who is starting out – get this book. Full of photos and it is not overly wordy or confusing.
No affiliate links here, so I hope you can get to the library or find a book at your local bookstore, whatever that may be. And don’t forget to share with me your summer reads.
-- Michelle Scheuermann, editor, Archery Wire