Photo: J Muckle/Studio D

No Ordinary Time
By Doris Kearns Goodwin

"I'm in the tank for Doris," says Williams. "I'm maybe her greatest admirer. She's an approachable, noble historian." Goodwin has written four presidential histories, including this riveting biography of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II. "This book transports you to the upper floors of the White House," Williams says. "It conveys the sound of FDR's cocktail shaker. You can smell the cigarette smoke and hear his hearty laugh from the next room. It reminds you how optimistic and headstrong our country was and can still be." Best of all, you really get to know Roosevelt, who was "5 percent wheelchair and 95 percent optimism and brought us out of the darkest time."

Brian's next pick: The Promise