Sunday, December 30, 2007
A+E
Gold-star books
A reader remembers the year’s outstanding reading
Cover of “Mr. Wrong”
By Rachel Mason
During the last year, I spent most of my free time reading. I cracked the covers on all kinds of books, ranging from novels and memoirs to kids’ books and chick lit. I read so much, it’s hard for me to remember every title. But in the past year, several of them stood out.
I’ll remember 2007 as the year I became fascinated with the food industry. Two books on this topic were especially illuminating.
In “Plenty: One Man, One Woman and A Raucous Year of Eating Locally” by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon ($24, Harmony), the two authors, who live together in Vancouver, British Columbia, vow to eat only food that comes from within 100 miles of their home. Their unforgettable memoir chronicles the ups and downs of their 12-month commitment.
One low point is a lack of wheat. For a while, they make do without any kind of bread at all, before finally getting some wheat from a farmer, who has been storing it in his barn. However, they have to separate the wheat from the chaff, which in this case, is small souvenirs from the rodents who had been feasting on the grain at the farm. It’s the entirely honest stories like this one that make the book so good.
Another great read was “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver ($26.95, Harper Collins). In this memoir, the author makes the hard work of gardening seem appealing as she talks about the pledge her family makes to eat locally. The book also includes plenty of factual information about the food industry and farming.
In 2008, I hope to read more about where our food comes from—and possibly even consult some books for advice on growing a garden—as I try to embrace a more healthy diet.
Though I spend a good deal of time in an office, for some reason, I still manage to enjoy reading about people’s work lives. “Bank” by David Bledin ($13.99, Back Bay Books) made me especially thankful that I don’t work for a huge investment bank. Still, reading about the characters’ miserable jobs in this first-person novel was really fun. Though the narrator, who’s called Mumbles by his work buddies, often sleeps at his office instead of at home, he still seems to like his job at least a little. Perhaps it’s the daily coffee runs, the cheap lunches or his insanely large paycheck.
While “Bank” is not exactly “Office Space,” it certainly falls into the same category. And I, for one, have yet to grow tired of stories inspired by all the ridiculous aspects of corporate America.
I also can’t deny that I enjoy reading about people’s love lives, both fictional and real. One of the best relationship books I picked up in 2007 was “Mr. Wrong: Real-Life Stories About the Men We Used to Love,” edited by Harriet Brown ($24.95, Ballantine Books). In this essay collection, women remember the beaus that most of them would rather forget. Contributing authors include Jane Smiley (“A Thousand Acres”), Susan Jane Gilman (“Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress”) and Audrey Niffenegger (“The Time Traveler’s Wife”). SP
The insightful pieces range from entertaining to bittersweet. I particularly liked “The Ten Most Wanted,” in which Marion Wink (“Above Us Only Sky”) lists 10 guys from her past. This funny essay includes “The Guy With the Convertible I Bailed Out of Jail” and “Tim at the Fiddler’s Convention.”
Though not everything I read made my list of best books, I’m in awe of all the authors working hard to produce books that seem intended solely for my reading pleasure. In 2008, I’m looking forward to reading even more of them.