Presidential Politics

George W. Bush's new secret book project is a very personal affair: And you thought he was just a painter?

While his paintings made international headlines earlier this year, former president George W. Bush has been secretly working on another project: A highly personal biography of his father George H.W. Bush.

Only Bush's close friends and family — including his 90-year-old father, of course — knew about the hush-hush book project, says Politico.

Crown Publishing — which published Bush's best-selling memoir, Decision Points, in 2010— has revealed that the currently untitled new book will be released Nov. 11.

"I loved writing the story of his life, and I hope others enjoy reading it."

According to Crown's, "the book covers the entire scope of the elder President Bush's life and career, including his service in the Pacific during World War II, his pioneering work in the Texas oil business, and his political rise as a Congressman, U.S. Representative to China and the United Nations, CIA Director, Vice President, and President."

Although countless biographies have been written about the men who served as the President of the United States, this is the first time a president has told the story of his father — another president — in his own words.

"In this heartfelt, intimate, and illuminating portrait of his father, George W. Bush brings to vivid life his unique perspective of the personal qualities and principles that have animated George H. W. Bush's extraordinary life of service to country and family," Maya Mavjee, president of The Crown Publishing Group, said in a statement.

The book marks an important step for the younger Bush. After returning to Texas in 2009, the 43rd President of the United States has kept a relatively low profile (when he's not surprising Derek Jeter at a Rangers game), choosing to focus on his presidential library and paintings instead.

Insiders say one of the primary motivations for writing the book is to illustrate that the 68-year-old former president deeply loves and admires his father in spite of prior reports of a contentious relationship, says Politico.

"George H.W. Bush is a great servant, statesman, and father," George W. Bush said in a statement.

"I loved writing the story of his life, and I hope others enjoy reading it."

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H-Town rising

Houston leaps back into top 50 'World's Best Cities' list for 2025

Photo by Adrian Newell on Unsplash

Houston made a big leap back into the top 50, ranking No. 40, after previously plummeting into No. 72 last year.

Lively Houston has regained its rightful place among the top 50 best cities in the world, according to a prestigious new report by Resonance Consultancy.

The Canada-based real estate and tourism marketing advisors ranked Houston the 40th best city worldwide for 2025 in its annual "World's Best Cities" list.

The report quantifies the relative qualities of livability, "lovability," and prosperity for the world's top 100 cities with metropolitan populations of 1 million or more. New to the 10th anniversary edition, Resonance partnered with global market researchers Ipsos to include perception-based data into the rankings, surveying over 22,000 people in 30 countries worldwide to determine "the most desirable places to visit, live or work."

Houston made a major rebound after plummeting to No. 73 in last year's report. In 2022, Houston ranked No. 42.

Resonance refers to its previous "World's Best Cities" reports and its 2024 "America's Best Cities" list – which ranked Houston in the top 10 – when explaining the Bayou City's successes. The report praised Houston's vast cultural diversity and placed a great focus on its economic prosperity, even going so far as to suggest Houston residents make more money "and can sock more away."

"...[W]here America’s fourth-largest city truly takes off is in its economic heft and wealth, ranking No. 9 globally for GDP per Capita and No. 14 for Fortune 500 companies in town," the report said. "All that rolls up into an overall Prosperity index ranking of No. 36, which is even more impressive given the No. 14-ranked Price-to Income Ratio [of the city]."

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin and Dallas also earned spots on the World's Best Cities list for 2025, but only one made a similar rebound from the previous year's rankings. Dallas moved up from No. 66 in last year's report to its current rank as No. 55. Meanwhile, Austin took its first tumble out of the 43rd spot (which it had occupied for two years straight) and now ranks No. 53.

London held onto its crown as the No. 1 best city in the world for 2025, followed by New York (No. 2), Paris (No. 3), Tokyo (No. 4), and Singapore (No. 5).