The Inner Circle

I heard Brad Meltzer being interviewed on NPR about his latest book The Inner Circle (#61).  He mentioned that he had gotten the idea for this novel from a conversation he had had with George H. W. Bush about his time in the presidency. 

At the National Archives in Washington a young member of the archivist staff accidentally finds something he is not supposed to see. In trying to figure out just what it is, Beecher White learns about a spy ring of loyal civilians that George Washington founded to prevent the British from intercepting his communications during the Revolutionary War.  But what if this spy ring has never gone away?  I won't spoil the story for you, but it's a really good story. 

I can tell you that there is a back story to The Inner Circle being on my reading list.  Not only did I think it sounded like something I'd be interested in when I heard Brad Meltzer talk about it, but combine that with the fact that when my sister-in-law was staying with us at Christmas this year, she asked my husband at dinner one night if he remembered one of her co-workers from her MIT librarian days.  He is now the Archivist of the United States.  I knew I had to read this book.  The perfect opportunity came up when those of us who actually come to our Literary Circle meetings faithfully staged our own rebellion.  Our reading list this past year has consisted solely of the classics, which could be easily obtained from the public library.  It's not we have any objections to any of the books we've read, but others in the Literary Circle insisted that we schedule out our entire year's worth of reading in advance.  We did as others requested to accommodate everyone in the group and planned out our list in advance.  The biggest problem was that none of those who had laid down these rules for the Literary Circle bothered to show up at any of the meetings.  By the time we finished our World's Great Books list, we were tired.  The previous two years we had chosen books spontaneously, based on things we had read in the paper, recommended to the group from something we had read ourselves, or that were on the Best Seller list, or that sprang from the lively discussions we used to have.  Since the group wasn't fun anymore, we decided to take it back and make it fun again.  I suggested that we read The Inner Circle since my husband and I had bought a copy with our Borders gift certificate.  Even though we don't meet to discuss it until tomorrow night, I already know that this has been a successful change in strategy.  My husband and I stopped in at the church office one day last week, and our parish administrator (who belongs to the Literary Circle) pointed a finger at me and yelled "It's your fault!"  She claims that I made her stay up until 3:00 a.m. reading The Inner Circle because she couldn't put it down.  Oh, and George Washington's civilian spy ring?  That was real.

Here's to reading more books this exciting!