A third of the way through All the King's Men

For those one of you that have to know what I'm reading right now, it's All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. I'm about a third of the way through this tale of a redneck farmer/lawyer who rises to the governorship of his state and then to the U.S. Senate (obviously the tale is based on Huey Long, the Kingfish of Louisiana). So far, I'm impressed. The story is good, but the great thing about Penn Warren is his power of description. He uses just enough adjectives to paint a pretty picture, but never goes over the edge (Dashiell Hammett, the same can't be said of you). Plus, the guy can really turn a phrase. One of my favorites thus far is his description of a drink a character had poured for himself (likely a whiskey and water)...going from memory here..."it was the color of winter sunlight, and probably just as weak." Damn that's good stuff. It seems like there are phrases like that on every page.

In other news, I'm trying to make a decision between reading Henry IV (1&2) or Henry V. I'm wondering if they can be read alone or need to go together. I'm leaning strongly toward Henry V because it has the "once more unto the breach" and "band of brothers" quotes. However, I've heard great things about the characterization of Prince Hal (who becomes Henry V) in the earlier plays. Advice?

Finally, I'm going to probably take a quick break from the list after I finish All the King's Men. I just got Tales from Q School, the new book by John Feinstein through the library. Feinstein isn't just one of the best sports writers out there right now, I think he's one of the best writers out there. I'll probably rip through his book in no time, so don't fear.