The American Spectator

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John Gizzi br> Team of Rivals , by Doris Kearns Goodwin, is the masterful account of how Abraham Lincoln selected nearly all of his political rivals for his Cabinet and saved the union. I am reading it this year and find it an invaluable political primer on making friends with one's enemies from the last battle. br> The Last Playboy , by Shawn Levy, is a lively page-turner on the life of Porfirio Rubirosa, the Dominican diplomat and international playboy, played out against the turbulent political scene and appealing social scene of the 1940s and '50s. Rubirosa was an unforgettable figure who lived several careers and lives until they were cut short too soon. /p>

If I Found a Wistful Unicorn, by Ann Ashford, a timeless book of moving verse and illustrations that, more than anything I have read, summarize both friendship and love beautifully. I do not mind admitting that, without fail, every reading of the Unicorn book has tearfully moved me and made me reflect on my feelings toward others.

Adventures of Morris the Moose, by Bernard Wiseman, the classic trilogy of children's stories about a slightly madcap moose who learns about new things (he can't read or write so he goes to grammar school with children) and how to accept and learn from mistakes -- or "Moose-stakes," as Morris says. Not only do I regularly give Morris to the children of friends, but I have cited and quoted from the moose in articles and letters as an example of learning from error and going on.

Advise and Consent, Allen Drury's epic novel about a controversial nomination before the U.S. Senate and the intrigues in official Washington, packs as powerful a wallop today as it did when it was first published in 1959. Drury's insights on the Washington press corps in this and the five successor novels in the A&C series were critical to my own pursuit of a career in reporting and as a White House correspondent.

John Gizzi is political editor of Human Events.

p> Quin Hillyer br> I am confident I will not be the only one recommending what surely is the conservative book of the year,

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