>> book of visit capitol hill to ask members of congress what they're reading this summer. >> i highly and strongly encourage people to read. whether they be young, be old, it opens thump up vistas and inspires you, so you don't have to necessarily, for instance, go on a long trip to feel like you've been there. if you read about the place in the book and look at the forecasts. was going talk about a couple books. these are some i've collected. winston churchill and the first autobiographyy i read was a book by winston churchill called "my earl life" and i love his way of writing, uses a lot of transitive verbs, very expressive. and i tried to emulate him without much success because he is a great writer. abraham lincoln's autograph. a. lincoln, member of congress. a copy of a fountain i got from the library of congress that's the copy on the only photograph of lincoln when he was in office. and i love lincoln and i have read just about every biography. i read one by thomas that won the pulitzer prize so might be a recommendation there on the bomb is an autograph. james mad -- madison, to remind me what we're doing here. and he is not as well known others other president but one of this did indicated -- dedicated individuals who started our country and is a great president. now to get to the answer to your question, what have i read recently, yesterday morning i finished a book about the chiefs of staffs of presidents and it is this book right here, by chris whipple. i hope he won't take this personally, think he might have benefited a little bit by having his own chief of staff. this is a very good book. think it could have been maybe slightly better if he had had a chief of staff himself who said maybe better not put the these half dozen paragraphs. still a great book. i'm just saying that maybe there were half a dozen paragraphs he might have thought about taking out, and -- but it was still worth reading. i'm doing booknotes on this. that brings up another subject. my staff is nice enough to type up, whenever i read a book, i type up everything i have unlined and i underline every book i have and this is an example of beknotteds from a into called "the agenda mover," a bike read before "the gaitkeeper and" skis -- and this is wonderful. the subtitle "when your good idea is not enough." it's not enough to just come up with a good idea. you have to build coalitions and put into it practice or put intt into a text or enacted. if nip wants book notes i'll share. another book is one on climate, one on leadership, and this is a book, unusual -- says "rural leadership" and there's a little bit of the spiritual dimension to this, and about increasing trust and joy and engagement in the people you lead. wasn't a hard-boiled find of leadership. leadership that was more emotional, more intuitive and more of uplifting than some other books on lead book, this is a man called "the climate fix." it's not a climate denier nor am i but is -- this is a down the middle of the road on climbed change, making the point that better than government mandates and high taxes, why don't we let technology. so our problem. why don't we let innovations reduce our carbon emissions. that's been the way it has been with the united states and with america throughout our history. technology has solved our communication problems, solved our health care human being problems and transportation problems. why shouldn't it solve our energy issues as well. that's why as chairman of the science commit are right to put moyer money into r & d. this is the next book i hope to richmond called "do i make myself clear," despite what some people are saying in the office this was not begin to me by my wife. but it's about how to write better, and i try to improve my writing. unfortunately i never stop editing to the consternation and frustration of my staff, but as long as they give it back to me'll keep editing, whether an op-ed piece or statement or markup of legislation. just a wealth of wonderful books and i'm frustrated because i can't reading their everything i wicklow to read. try to read a book every week or two. i didn't love to read until college but it helps to inspire you and be a better person. having said that, my caveat would be that i think you can read too much, and i think i'm getting to that point where i'm not just reading to read but i'm -- i'm loving what i read and i pick subject is want to read about, mostly they're nonfiction, sometimes they're on leadership and whatnot, but i think it's important and just as important to stop and think as it is to read. you can think about what you have read. you can think about life and how to do your job better and how to help more people. so, i'd say it's important not just to try to read but important to read for a purpose, and i think it's important, after you read to take time to think about what you just read or, as i say, life in general, and maybe that will change your reading habits, maybe you'll think about reading on a different subject as a result of just thinking, but i'd say i'm a proponent today for reading but also reading and thinking. that combination is a good one. >> how does taking notes while you read display that -- really show how you think and read? >> well, i like to underline points that are important in a book that i'm reading for a couple of reasons, one one, if i underline them i remember them bet because i read them once or twice because i read them ones popcorn go back and underline a passage i like. that is helpful to me, and then who knows the poor staffer in the office who types up my booknotes, hope they're learning something. they say they are and the feel like they've read the book, and i give those beknotted to my family members, senior staff on the committee. i'm not convinced they read all of my booknotes but i think they read some of them and found them helpful. that's what i do. i underline or write in the margin passage is think are important. >> booktv wants to know what you're reading, send it your summer reading list. , it's number 7 on the list >> one of the thing wes like to do on booktv is preview some of the upcoming backs, and joining us now is the editor of "live right." what is that. >> guest: one of the oldest publishing companies in america, started in 1917. we are celebrating our hundred anniversary. they published the first hemingway, has a long line of great writers and we're thrilled to perpetuate a lot of that great publishing. >> you're part of the norton family. was there a mr. liveright. there was. he sadly died at 49. led a wild life. he collected amazing writers but lived too wildly and died at 49. week we're celebrating our 100th anniversary. >> give us a snapshot of your hit and the publishing world. >> this is my 39th year in american publishing. i had to count. i was at st. martins prep for many years, great house. i have been at norton for 19 years, which makes me a new copper and i've done the -- >> what some books coming out. >> a great lineup. danielle allen, professor at harvard who is doing a memoir called "cuz" about her cousin who died who was destroyed by the prison system in los angeles. she is this brilliant academic who tells this person story, could change our understanding of american incarceration. >> did you do her first book as well. >> i did,ment she is one of several dozen university professors at harvard, and this book is so surprising for her because it comes -- it's personal, it's wrenching, it comes as a due -- dubois lecture. >> another one -- >> a book on the origins of creativity. which few people have examined. he examines how the humanities and scientist must come together in the future. he discusses how humid are human through their language and through their creativity. people always said creativity developed 10 years ago. he said it's over 100,000 years ago. the paleolightic age and he traces the history with really stunning results and observations, that music and speech and art and humanness. >> founding father. >> guest: i love this book. john quincy adams has finally come into his own. he was our most hyperintellectual president. he was pummeled in at the lex of 1828. andrew jackson slaughtered him. mobs came to the white house and the man, the author, william cooper, a should be considered a founding father. he came back to congress and led the fight against slavery. they passed a gag rule to try to muffle his voice. they weren't successful. he died on the floor of congress, railing against the mexican-american war in 1848. the last time that the southern and the northern loggers got together. his funeral was the second largest of the 19th century after lincoln. it will move people to tears. bill cooper brings this guy to life and it's so topical. it's like what happens to a fail politician in a very troubled, stormy time. >> do they only do nonfiction. >> guest: no, do superb fiction. several best-sellers in fission. larry mcmeasure triwas a huge himself we're doing his first three books which are combining his first three novels set in texas in a new introduction which demonstrates here to be the great american writer he is. >> american in the title. monica hess' american flier. >> guest: american flier is a "washington post" reporter who became fascinate by this rural county in virginia which had something like 65 parts of the -- the area was burning up. it was a married couple who were torching houses. once they were arrested, they turned on each other,and it's this greek-like tragedy. compelling reading. a really -- the same kind of people that killed hillbilly elogy but it's a very unusual story which will get huge amount of press. beautifully re- >> american eclipse. david baron. >> guest: a very unusual book. david baron, science reporter, done a book before. he chases the eclipse. on august 21st, believe, america will have its first total solar eclipse, coast to coast, in 99 years. david, of course, aware of this, wanted to do an eric larson thriller book on a previous historical eclipse. he found the eclipse of 1878, which went from the northwest down to texas, and all these scientists and people converged in wyoming and he does this thriller of thomas edison, wanting to prove certain experiments worked, this woman, mariah mitchell from vassar, who excluded because she is a woman, and this very pompous professor from the university of michigan, james watson, who wants to prove that -- and he creates drama out of these three, all covering this great eclipse. >> one more book to talk about. >> guest: jonathan bass is a an alabama historian. he says that we really don't know the -- we always cover the familiar stories. we cover the march on washington, we cover letter from jail, we cover the -- and he said that, as the reviewer said our civil rights came in through a traveler in alabama, scott cook, who told me bob, you have to look at it. all this trial work about this man, caleb washington, who was arrested in alabama for a crime he never committed, for killing a prime minister, which -- policeman, which he didn't do. he didn't live in the death penalty. when he was freed up to, and. i was moved to tears when "the new york times" book review put the review on the front page, and i said, i can't believe that people are recognizing this story. timothy tyson of duke wrote the review. the book is a thriller but shows us how wide the civil rights movement is, how little we still know. >> okay, we just went through a lot of titles coming out. what is your role? >> guest: in the books or in liveright? >> the books you just listed. does it vary. >> guest: it varies. i'm kind of old school. i'm have crazy. when i'm not at the office working al the -- all the time on e-mails and meetings, i love to line jet edit. i love to -- i'm commuting with wonderful manuscripts, and it's just the most exciting thing in the world to edit. i think it's craft which needs more attention. i'm very proud to be doing it. it's time consuming but a love affair, and most of the book eyes worked long hours in shaping them over various drafts to be the best possible books, adding one of these authors said your verbs are muscular. was excited by that. i great writers love to be edited. we have such a great time, and francis ford coppola's book, "live cinema" in october, came to us because he loves being added. that's a great thrill and joy of the job, and i know i've trained a whole generation which are all over the business, and that gives me about the greatest pride that people are continuing to craft actual editing. >> bob weil, runs the liveright division of norton. it's 100 years old. these are the books coming out in the fall. >> thank you. [inaudible discussion] >> good evening, everybody. want to take a moment to find your seats. thank you for joining us on this incredibly beautiful, warm evening. my name is mark, the executive editor the new press. these are our offices. we are very happy to be here tonight.