Books

Reading is something else, an engagement of the imagination with life experience. It’s fad-resistant, precisely because human beings are hard-wired for story, and intrinsically curious. Reading is not about product...Yes, the act of reading takes some effort, unlike the passive act of using the products Jobs has created, which involves little more than directing eyeballs to a flat patch or putting a plug into the ear. -excerpted from "Book Lust" in Wednesday's NYT.

An interesting counterpoint to my last post, and in response to Steve Jobs' comment lamenting the death of reading as an American activity. The author presents much more positive statistics about the frequency and impact of the American reader.

Particularly intriguing for me as I debate the merits of purchasing a Kindle. Less time spent in the back corners of independent bookstores? Fewer bookshelves groaning under the weight of my collection? Lighter bag without 1-2 books inside at all times? the ability to take a vacation and not run out of reading material half-way through? all good things...

contrasted to the pure joy of cracking open a new book, smelling the pages, touching the paper, and sitting with a cup of tea on a weekend morning?

I'm not sold yet....

Navigating by Bookstore

I had a life-altering experience this past weekend. Okay, I exaggerate, but even so, it was amazing. Beau and I were in Oregon for a friend's wedding, and on our way back home on Sunday, we made a stop at Powell's City of Books, in downtown Portland.

I'd heard of Powell's before, and actually subscribe to some of their review newsletters, but somehow I had not connected that it's the biggest bookstore in the world. It's just overwhelming! first off, it's an entire city block, with multiple floors. You walk in and collect a map, which guides you to the many color-coded sections that feature, say, cooking, home, and business; military, political, philosophical and social sciences; travel, religion; and so on and so forth.

Another really nice thing about Powell's is that they intermix the used and new books on the shelf. It gives you the option to purchase whichever type of book you want, in the condition you desire, at a price more or less of your choice.

Those of you who know me well will be impressed when I say I made it out only purchasing six new books (two of which were actually used). If you're interested:

• The Dark River (Fourth Realm Trilogy, Book 2) by John Twelve Hawks - follow up to The Traveler, a few years back


• Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy by Lindsay Moran


• The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien


• Whose Freedom?: The Battle over America's Most Important Idea by George Lakoff


• Monkey Dancing: A Father, Two Kids, and a Journey to the Ends of the Earth by Daniel Glick


• The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design by Richard Dawkins

So with Powell's freshly in mind, I thought I'd publish for my friends and readers a list of my favorite bookstores across the country. If you happen to find yourself in one of these cities, run, do not walk, to the noted destination :-)

Seattle: Elliott Bay Book Company

Denver: The Tattered Cover

Boston (Cambridge): Globe Corner (travel books) and Schoenhof's (foreign language books)

Washington DC: Kramerbooks & Afterwords

and of course..
Portland: Powell's


I'll update as my travels take me elsewhere...

Seeking Suggestions



I'm currently reading an excellent book, The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay. It's really very good. It draws me in and makes me very sad when my ferry ride is over and I have to put it aside until the evening.

The interesting thing about this book is that, without the recommendation from a good friend, I would probably have overlooked it. The title sounds a bit too "personal-inspiration" story to make me pick it out of a crowd; the description (on the edition that I purchased) displays boxing gloves - I'm not a huge reader of sports stories - and in fact, despite the recommendation, I passed it by several times on trips to Borders.

Which just goes to show, sometimes my "book-sniffer" fails.

So with that in mind, any elusive readers of my blog, I'd love to get your suggestions. What are two or three of your favorite books? perhaps something outside of my usual silos of historical fiction, current affairs, and YA fiction/fantasy. Although I'd welcome any suggestions, of course. I won't ask for your ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK because I know how much I personally hate that question. But just to open it up - what should be next on my TBR list? (to be read)

Thanks in advance for any responses :-)

Ha!

These book titles, taken together, just made me laugh:

Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show by Geoffrey Nunberg

Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party) by Rod Dreher