This was a very enjoyable project. In approaching the question, my
mind raced through little summaries of the thousands of books I've
read in recent years (and a few books that are so memorable that I
still remember them vividly even though the reading was not recent.)
How to choose?
I have selected five books that I believe you will find both soothing
and stimulating, in different ways. All of them have a certain
"surreal beauty," and anything technical found in them will not
resemble the computer-besotted world from which your soul may need to
flee. I've included snippets from reviews so that you can get a feel
for each book.
======================================================================
"Pilgrim at Tinker Creek," by Annie Dillard.
"This book is a pilgrimage, a journey, a quest. Like a modern version
of Thoreau's Walden, PATC is a reflection upon a time spent in
solitude around a body of water. Thoreau chose a pond, Dillard a
Creek. The two bodies of water seem to spark the same philosophical
charges and divine inspirations. However, Dillard's insightful journey
is much more captivating to modern day readers. This book is a
beautiful tapestry woven of figurative language, dynamic diction,
beautiful imagery. Dillard has a flare for description. While reading,
one can really see what she sees. In one chapter she describes night
as 'an eyeless mask' covering her face. This 'tapestry' is a mosaic of
many colors. On one page Dillard's sensory images will have you on the
verge of tears. The next page might have you dashing to the toilet
with grousome scientic details. But of course, then she will make you
laugh with her charming humor. On a more serious note, this book is
also a religous journey. While she writes of giant water bugs, floods
and flowers, it is evident that there is spiritual depth to her
natural adventure."
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060953020/qid=1061851135/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-1508488-9233726?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
I find this Pulitzer Prize winner worth rereading every now and then,
since I tend to forget the lessons I've learned from it. Mysticism and
simplicity are woven together in this remarkable book.
I've seen several reviews which referred to Annie Dillard as "the
female Thoreau." Piffle. As far as I'm concerned, Thoreau is "the male
Dillard."
======================================================================
"The Immense Journey," by Loren Eiseley.
"I first encountered Loren Eiseley's The Immense Journey by accident
in a university's library stacks. I took it down from the shelf and,
after glancing at the table of contents, started to read one of the
essays. Three hours later I realized that I was still standing in the
same place and had read through almost half the book. I had never
encountered writing like this before. Eiseley writes about nature with
the eyes of a haunted poet who sees the natural world slipping away
even as we view it. It is hard to convey to one who hasn't read any of
this just what makes his writing so special. He is a master of
language. His 'take' on what he observes in nature is original and
fresh. The structure of his essays, like arguments in the form of
stories, progressing from some general observation to an unexpected
conclusion - please and surprise the reader.
Each of his essays is, at one and the same time, a lesson, a sermon, a
lyrical poem, a travelogue through time and space, a prayer and a
great imaginative leap beyond human skin, culture, time and place."
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0394701577/qid=1061851645/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-1508488-9233726?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
======================================================================
"A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There: With Other Essays
on Conservation from Round River," by Aldo Leopold.
"Aldo Leopold wrote these famous words: "There are those of us who can
live without wild things and those of us who cannot." For those of you
who cannot, this is your book. Aldo Leopold was a great man like a
great old tree, with roots anchored down to earth and an intellect
branching out towards new ways of thinking and looking at the world.
The combination results in keen observations highlighted by elegant
prose. I usually can't read too far into this book without getting a
lump in my throat."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195007778/qid=1061852868/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/102-1508488-9233726?v=glance&s=books
======================================================================
"Blue Highways," by William Least Heat-Moon.
"Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon is a wonderfully written
recollection of a cross-country adventure taken by the author. Armed
only with his van (ghost dancing), his "desperate sense of isolation"
and longing to leave his present situation, he sets out across the
country traveling only on rural state and county roads, which are
marked in blue on his old atlas... He meets people of various
backgrounds and culture, learning something from each, and describes
the passing landscape painting a picture as clear as if the reader was
sitting in the passengers seat. His journey begins and ends in his
home state of Missouri, taking him in a circular path around the
country. This circular journey "represents the direction of natural
forces", according to the Plains Indians. With each new route, and
each new town Heat-Moon is able to capture the essence of the America
not yet commercialized."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316353299/qid=1061853927/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-1508488-9233726?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
======================================================================
Finally, I'd like to veer off into comedy for a moment. I can't
recommend this book highly enough, and when I try, most folks wrinkle
their noses and say "sounds cute." Auugh. Just because a book has, as
its lead character, a bear, that DOES NOT MAKE IT CUTE. This is a
somewhat surreal and wholly delightful book that I'd like to share
with the world...
"The Bear Went Over the Mountain," by William Kotzwinkle.
"This is a wickedly funny satire of publishing and life, wherein a
nice bear stumbles upon a manuscript in the woods and decides to
become an author. As authors are notoriously eccentric, his
strangeness is discounted by all (he is the next Hemingway, they say,
so raw and back to nature). At the same time, the fellow who actually
wrote the book is finding that his anger and depression is leading him
into the woods where he is becoming more gruff than ever.
There are sections here where I was literally snorting with laughter,
usually in response to the literal-mindedness of the bear's reaction
to humans--their mating rituals, the hoarding of food, those things
important in life. Like the best fable, Kotzwinkle shows us through
his bear character that all of these things we accept so easily are so
much more, and also shows us through the human author that the city
life is only part of the story."
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805054383/qid=1039742774/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-5813950-2789556?v=glance&s=books&n=507846#product-details
A plot summary does not capture the immense, quirky charm of this
book. The story is about a bear (a real, in-the-woods type bear) who
publishes a book, and who has interesting encounters with various
kinds of human beings while on his way to fame and fortune.
This is not a kiddie tale; although it is filled with good humor, it
is also filled with inducements to deeper thought. Imagine
"BeingThere" starring Smokey Bear instead of Peter Sellers. ;-)
======================================================================
Thank you so very much for allowing me to discuss a few of my favorite
things. A wonderful old bookstore owner named Lewis Meyer (a former
employer of mine) used to say, "The more books you read, the taller
you grow." I hope you will be able to add some stately mansions to
your soul with some of the books mentioned above.
Best,
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