The Churchill Literary Society

Clementine Churchill, 1908. Since last spring, when I was first becoming interested in Winston Churchill and the history surrounding him and his family, I have almost always been reading a book on him, and I generally have a stack of Churchill books in my room about two feet tall (err... no, I'm not obsessed at all...). Here are the Churchill books that I have been reading recently. The Churchill Factor by Boris Johnson. This book is not a formal biography but rather a lighthearted celebration of Churchill's life. In The Churchill Factor, PM Boris Johnson picks all his favorite aspects of Churchill's life (his oratory, Clemmie Churchill, Churchill's hobbies, his books, etc.,) and devotes a chapter to each one. It's one of those books that, although they are non-fiction, are hard to put down. Johnson also incorporates plenty of amusing Churchill stories and witty quips that are sure to keep readers chuckling throughout the book. Winston and Clementine by Mary Soames....

Many readers may not have known that Winston Churchill came to visit Franklin Roosevelt just two weeks after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. On the day when Roosevelt delivered his famous "day of infamy" speech, December 8th, 1941, Churchill offered to make a special trip to the White House. “We could review the whole war plan in light of reality and new facts,” he eagerly wrote. FDR was concerned about the German U-boats, but after Churchill convinced him that he would somehow stay perfectly safe, and the President replied that he would be “delighted to have you here at the White House." Two weeks later, Churchill arrived in Washington for a three-week stay at the White House. He celebrated Christmas 1941 with FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, who despite being an extremely accommodating hostess, was slightly annoyed at the English Prime Minister. Roosevelt had forgotten to tell his wife that Churchill would be staying so long, and she had been under the impression that he w...

As much as we know about Sir Winston Churchill, little appears in most biographies on what he liked to eat. He didn't prefer tea, that much is for certain. Of course, this shocked many people, because someone who was so characteristically British (actually, this mother was American) would be expected to guzzle tea by the gallons. Churchill, however, preferred to leave this quintessential British beverage to be enjoyed by Clemmie and her friends. In hindsight, this makes sense: Churchill was assertive and to the point; tea probably seemed too wishy-washy for him! Churchill didn't comply with the then-current trend of a skimpy breakfast either. He enjoyed large breakfast of cold meats, a poached egg, a grapefruit, jam and toast, coffee, and orange juice. thebusinessinsider.com notes that "After eating, he would wash his hands and smoke a morning cigar." When he had the time to do so, Winston Churchill also enjoyed taking picnics for lunch whenever possible. It would ...

When he was around forty years old, Winston Churchill discovered a hobby that he would enjoy for the rest of his life: painting. Churchill had always had a knack for art (he drew detailed pen drawings of scenes from his time in Cuba), and around the beginning of the First World War, he enjoyed relaxing outside while he painting - especially in France. Churchill completed over five hundred paintings in his life, and w hile he was never considered a master, nearly all critics of his work admitted that he had a talent for art.  Churchill wrote Painting as a Pastime in 1921. It was published as a two-part work that appeared in issues of the Strand magazine. It explains why painting is such a wonderful hobby and is meant to inspire others to start painting themselves. Who knows? Maybe you will enjoy taking a "joyride through the paintbox" just as Churchill did.  You can buy Painting as a Pastime on amazon  here . Note: this version does not contain any copies of ...

Never Give In! By Winston S. Churchill (Sir Winston Churchill's grandson) is a wonderful collection of Churchill's most interesting or notable speeches. This is a perfect resource because it does not include all of Winston Churchill's speeches, which fill many thick volumes, but does use the most famous as well as some of the lesser-known ones. They are arranged chronologically, the book includes some fascinating pictures of Churchill giving the speeches, and it contains a helpful index and table of contents. The author gives a helpful paragraph of context before each speech to help the reader understand what the speech is about. BBC also published this book as a delightful audiobook which uses the original recordings of Churchill giving the speech.  B uy it on amazon.com here