Oh bother...

I haven't written a book review since the merry month of June.

For some reason I really thought I'd been plugging along, writing about all of the amazing stuff I read all summer. I have read fifteen novels since my last book post. That's not bragging, that's an indication of how far out in space I am. Floating around, all dehydrated ice cream and no helmet.

If I tried to review fifteen books here, not only would it take me all day, but anyone in their right mind would stop reading and go do anything better. It's almost fall: the season of reasonable weather, ridiculously flavored lattes, sweaters but not gloves, and otherwise-grotesque costumes made adorable by virtue of being worn by both children and pets.

So first things first: this Kindle Business. I bought one. Here it is in its fluffy hand-made sweater. I railed and raged against the whole idea of Kindles and e-readers as a whole for a long time (not that long--I know--because they haven't been around forever) and their cold, evil, electronic ways. But the fact of the matter is, I have to print out hundreds of pages of pdfs each semester and carry those suckers around. This little device will hold them all for me, and save me the cost of paper, ink, and binders. The Kindle also has 24/7 access to a dictionary, wikipedia and YES the internet (albeit, it's a little clunky and black and white), anywhere in the world--for free.

The pros: everything mentioned above, plus the e-ink screen is like nothing I've ever seen before and I could, in theory, download most books whenever and wherever I wanted. And there are literally hundreds of thousands of free classics available.

The Cons: It's not a friggin' book. Period. It doesn't smell like one, or look like one, or get pleasant little tea stains on the pages when you set it down. It has no personality or soul. You'd never lend your copy to a friend (not that I do that anyway, but you see my point). You can make notes in it, yes, but not in your own hand writing. When you read, the top of the page doesn't say the title of the book or the name of the chapter (yes, those things are printed in books for a reason, and have been for hundreds of years.) There are no page numbers. You can't spend a moment lingering on the look of the cover before diving in. The whole experience is just sort of... unsatisfying. Amazon wants you to think it's all very romantic, but it's. just. not.

It's a machine. So I'm glad I bought it because it's a practical tool. But I'll never be in love with it, or curl up with it before I fall asleep. It's an acquaintance, not a lover, no matter how many sweaters it wears.

So. Here is something I love very much.

The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition)
By John Steinbeck

Ahhhhh. This book just feels wonderful in your hands. The Steinbeck Centennial Edition collection from Penguin is just a well-printed set of books. They have a smooth cover, and nice, heavy, deckle-edge pages. When I was in middle school, I used to pick books almost solely based on how they felt; I really liked hard back library books wrapped in clear plastic to protect the original dust jackets. If I work really hard I could probably make this have something to do with The Grapes of Wrath, but it's not really worth it. The next time you're in the book store, just go see if they have this edition, pick it up, and see for yourself if the feel of it alone doesn't make you want to read the thing.

I know that says nothing at all about the content of the book itself, but it's no secret that I love John Steinbeck and I wasn't expecting anything else but to love The Grapes of Wrath with all my heart. And I did. The things that happen in this book are still happening to migrant workers in this country every day. But there's nothing else on earth like Steinbeck's voice to tell it.

I would recommend this book to: people who throw the word "socialism" around too loosely. Oh. No seriously. It's a classic. Just read it.

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
By Jon Krakauer

Two of my major weaknesses are at loggerheads in this book. 1. I love and must read anything by Jon Krakauer, because it's like brain candy. 2. I can't sit through anything remotely having to do with war and politics because I feel antsy, angry and helpless.

I wondered, then, what would happen when I picked up this book, knowing that it was about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the massive cover up of Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire. Ordinarily, this is the type of book I would use for a door stop.

What I found instead was a portrait of an incredible human being who was nothing like any of the portrayals I had seen or expected, and an in-depth examination of the situation in Afghanistan in terms that I wish someone had used to explain it to me 9 years ago. Krakauer relies heavily on Tillman's own journals to understand his character, and the result is deeply poignant, more so considering the actions of those in his chain of command following his death. This book was revelatory in so many ways, but it was also gripping to the very last period on the very last page.

I would recommend this book to: anyone who secretly doesn't understand The Wars or feels like it's been a long time since they've seen a true example of heroism.

The Stand
By Stephen King

In 1990, Stephen King reincarnated his already-hefty master-work and expanded it to a sizable 1152 pages. I picked it up because I heard somewhere that it was influential to the writers of LOST. Is that a good enough reason to read something that's 1152 pages long? As it turns out, yes.

My guess is that this novel is immensely popular in part for one of the same reasons that LOST is: it revolves around one of those scenarios you can't help but imagining yourself in. With LOST you think, "well crap, if I was on the island I would have killed Shannon immediately." With The Stand, 99.4% of the world's population is wiped out by a super-flu created by the United States government. The book revolves around the post-apocalypse survivors and their new world. Nevermind that the real answer to "what would you do in that situation?" is probably: "die."

Perhaps I liked the book so much because much of it takes place in Boulder, Colorado and other nifty places where I grew up (even Grand Junction!). The characters make the same trek over the Rocky Mountains that I have to make every year. Only, in a very Stephen King sort of way (PUFFY BLOATED CORPSES EVERYWHERE!). And hence forth, I will never complain about it again.

N.B. The edition I linked to is not the edition I read. Mine had illustrations, which were a little odd and had a tendency to spoil the plot if the book flopped open.

I would recommend this book to: Jessica R. and anyone who thought they might die when LOST ended, but not for the same reasons.

A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America
By Tony Horowitz

1492: Columbus Sails the Ocean Blue. Sometime after that, Pilgrim have dinner with Indians. Then there is a tea party (ugh), a Revolutionary War, et VOILÁ! AMERICA!!

The premise of Tony Horowitz's book is essentially: Wait? What? Horowitz explores the hundreds of years of American history that get overlooked in favor of the dominant narrative. We Americans are so fond of the simple history points we've memorized in our origin-story, we tend to overlook the many groups and people who explored this continent long before the Mayflower landed.

Horowitz doesn't want to revise or disparage cherished American mythology. He's not out to upset anyone. He simply brings colorful characters like Cabeza de Vaca back into the picture. A book like this could easily get boring, despite the hilarious antics of sweaty Spaniards slogging through Floridas marshes in 100 pounds of armor, except that Horowitz has his style down to an art. He is a meticulous researcher, but he also follows the paths of the people he's writing about today, and talks to common Americans to learn what they think about the past. It's fun to read about conquistadors, but it's more fun to read about conquistador reenactment festivals being dramatically upstaged by American Indians, about towns where every business is named after De Soto, or the crazy old lady who "discovered" Ponce de León's fountain of youth.

I would recommend this book to: my dad, Tim, and Tim's mom. And anyone who thinks history is interesting, but doesn't feel like they should be punished for trying to read about it.

Bastard Out of Carolina
By Dorothy Allison

I almost don't know what to say about this book. I joined my "Class Fictions" class because this was on the syllabus, and then my professor took it off because she has to miss one week of class and figured that this book was the most well-known and therefor was the most easily-sacrificed. I'd never read it, but I'd already bought it, so I decided to read it before my course work got too heavy.

My god. This book is amazing. It's the story of a young girl's life in Greenville, South Carolina and the writing is just. . . perfect. The story itself--of poverty, abuse, family, self-worth and anger--is so. . . "heartbreaking" seems like too trite a word, particularly when you learn that the story is semi-autobiographical. If there is even a little part of you that feels like taking on a book that will get under your skin, this is the one.

I would recommend this book to: Kacie. I don't know why, I just kept thinking "Kacie would think this book was amazing." And my grandmother, who would have a lot to say.