Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
This is a collection of essays about books. Never have I felt so bereft after finishing a work of nonfiction. Fadiman is funny and clever, her words go down easy (a lot like Noel Perrin's), and her obsession with books would only be uninteresting to folks who have never been bothered by a grocery store sign advertising a sale on "vinager." I enjoyed it so much, I was resolved to leave the final essay unread, saved for a rainy day like the last chocolate in a Valentine's box. But I could not help myself. I tucked myself into bed that night, tried to read some fiction whatnot, and finally leapt out from under the sheets and across the chilly house to whisk Ex Libris back under the covers with me.
(If you, also, love Ex Libris, proceed straight to At Large and At Small, more essays by Fadiman. And then don't miss her introduction to the Best American Essays 2003 collection.)
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Speaking of feeling bereft. I couldn't bear the morning after finishing this book. Where was Hazel? Where was Augustus? You're familiar with their story from the recent movie trailers. Teenagers at turns recovering from and dying of cancer, they pack all the humor, bad language, and bizarre circumstance possible into their short time together. Friendship is at the heart of the narrative, and that never fails to move me. Also, Green doesn't sidestep pain or death. I respect that.
"There's No Place Like Home" by Garrison Keillor
In this longform memoir essay, Keillor shows us how seventy-one years lived mostly in the same city can be anything but monotonous. His richness of detail leans more toward the poignant than the usual Lake Woebegone stories we're used to hearing from him, though there's humor, too. Additionally, he finds a way to mention three different drownings at three different points in the essay - speaking of not sidestepping death. Keillor on Death, as well as Home? I'm listening. This is a very worthwhile read. (It's also included in The Keillor Reader, just out in May.)
The Road Home by Eliza Thomas
House building, homemaking, Vermont. A dog. A friend who becomes more-than-a-friend. Eventually, a baby from China. Odd jobs and major life changes at middle age. Thomas finds herself in her early forties, owner of a small cabin in Vermont. The life she builds over the rest of the decade includes her beloved dog, her partner Julian who helps with the house additions, and eventually her adopted daughter. The chapters are short and sweet, mini essays that are sometimes moving, sometimes explanatory and descriptive, sometimes downright funny. I love Vermont, so I may be biased, but I think this is a very good book. I like it for the same reasons I so often enjoy Fadiman, Perrin, and Annie Dillard. I found it in the used book section of a local antique store (the "throw-away section" a friend of mine calls it). May you also be so lucky.
All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot
Is it because he's a number of years into knowing the Yorkshire farmers that I like this book (third in the series) even better than the others? There's more depth of feeling as difficulties and death occur. And there are tales of training for the WWII RAF. Perhaps the backdrop of WWII lends its own weight to the otherwise light and pleasant tales. This one stays on my "favorites" bookshelf.
"Yes" by Brian Doyle
Speaking of the 2003 collection of Best American Essays, here's one of the best from that volume. It isn't available online, so you'll have to hope your library has a copy, or bite the bullet and order one. This essay alone is worth it (well, and also the Fadiman intro). I've never considered time spent reading a Brian Doyle essay to be wasted, and this is my favorite yet. I sink into its language like a hammock and smile as the swells of language rock me back and forth: "to horror and fear and jangled joys I say yes, to rich cheerful chaos that leads me sooner to the grave and happier along that muddy grave road I say yes, to my absolute surprise and with unbidden tears I say yes yes O yes." Raw, interesting, rambling, and hopeful. Yes.
Painting the Arena Red
Since I've jumped on the fanfiction train - tentatively, at least - I have not yet regretted reading any of E. Laine Sparrow's stories. If you're weary of The Hunger Games, leave off. But if you're unabashedly in love with Peeta, this account of his time in the first arena gets his voice just right and makes an even more admirable character of him than before. I've got the inside scoop that this writer has plans for her own original fiction, and I'll make sure not to miss it.
Past Rabbit Hole Top Reads are here:
No comments:
Post a Comment