It came with an envelope printing “Keep your gift a SURPRISE / unwrap your present before opening this envelope” (If I say “it is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”, that may give away of what book it may be.)
Now I am facing the dilemma of shall I get a surprise of who is the gift giver, as Amazon suggests, or get a surprise of what book it may be, in that case I need to open the envelope before unwrapping the present. To open the envelope or to unwrap the present? Life is never easy.
The surprised gift is Richard Toye’s “The Roar of the Lion”, just published by Oxford University Press. The title of the book comes from what Churchill said in 1954, “I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar.”
One of the four books that we (I and Janice) ordered on Cyber Monday was “The Last Lion: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965” The authors are listed as William Manchester and Paul Reid. The Volume 1 and 2 by Manchester were published decades ago and I have them for so many years. I thought I will never read the Volume 3 when Manchester passed away in 2004. It turns out that Paul Reid began to work with Manchester when he was stricken by stroke and Reid finished the job using Manchester’s material.
I read about one third of the Volume 3 (library book) when it came out last year and decided it is a MUST HAVE book. It is essentially the same style as that of Manchester’s Volume 1 and 2.
The Roar of the Lion is the story behind Churchill’s WWII speeches; the kind of book I wouldn’t miss.
For the first 10-15 years after coming to the States, all the books I read were about medicine and science, which are still my “First Love”. Reading Churchill and Lincoln led me to discover the beauty of English language, and that was the beginning of my reading literature and humanity books.
I am not going to tell who is the gift giver, that will be a surprise for you; it must be someone who knows me well.
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