Time to throw caution to the wind and read.
A. This isn’t available as a printed book (hence ‘A’ instead of a number) and you’ll have to go to this article to download it to your phone or computer, but this is an interesting and delightful read. From the article- A diary recording the experiences of a York woman during the Napoleonic Wars has been published, nearly 30 years after it was ‘accidentally’ discovered.
The Diary of Jane Ewbank charts her interests in science, theater, concerts, and the natural world during the period, and was discovered accidentally in the National Library of Scotland by Dr. Jane Rendall, a former member of the Department of History at the University of York, now associated with the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies.
This is like spying but in a good way!
Number ONE! Into The Heart Of Borneo
Redmond, a gentle scholar and ornithologist, and his pal, the poet James Fenton, head into central Borneo looking for a bird everyone believes to be extinct. This real-life adventure of two pudgy Englishmen is heartwarming, fascinating, and crazy. You’ll love it. All the Vintage Departure books with this style of cover graphic are great. The imprint sadly went downhill but you can use the covers to identify the titles from its golden age.
2. The Woman Lit By Fireflies by Jim Harrison
The late Jim Harrison is one of my favorite writers of all time, but there is always something else to read by him if you take it slow. I do. I came across The Woman Lit By Fireflies in a little bookstore in Bangkok and I picked it up. This is a working vacation and I have pressing things to do but I put everything aside after the first page of Brow Dog, the first novella in this collection of three. It made me feel… American. Brown Dog is a story that would resonate deeply with most of the US, but that demographic simply doesn’t read for pleasure unless they’re in jail. It’s that real. I personally hail from a long line of Missouri dirtheads, the low farm scabs who cheat when they pump your gas, who will always grossly misbehave around your wife, who would reliably steal your dog. Those are my ancestors. Probably yours too, dear reader, unless you’re New England finger sniffer stock. In that case, fuck you. Brown Dog will go right over your head.
#3 Painting as a Pastime by Winston S. Churchill
This small book is beautiful and oddly inspiring. Be sure to get the Unicorn Publishing Group edition. Old books like this are being reprinted sans aesthetic using Amazon print-on-demand and a bummer copy is a bummer copy. Enjoy Winston rhapsodizing about the joy of art and kick back.
#4 In Search of Small Gods by Jim Harrison
There are now TWO JH publications on my list! His food writing is gold, his novellas are masterful, and his last two books featuring Detective Sunderson are great reads anytime. In Search of Small Gods is, well, there are small gods inside this book. He found them. There is also poetry in this book, be warned, but it isn’t the bad kind. Harrison speaks clearly in these pages. There are birds here, short mountains, tall winds… Everything you need.
#5 A The Last Coin by James P. Blaylock
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I must have read The Last Coin a dozen times over the years, and for many years I generally gave away a copy or two over the holidays. You feel good after reading this. I’m not a Christian, so it isn’t that. Literary treasure, pick up a copy and enjoy!
#6 The Solarians by Norman Spinrad
You read Bug Jack Baron. Now it’s time to read… The Solarians! A contemporary of my old pal Robert Sheckley and just as strange, as visionary, as timeless. Check it out!
#7 Zodiac- The Eco Thriller by Neal Stephenson
Snow Crash. The Cyrptonomicon. Those are the early Stephenson books you might recognize. Termination Shock, a newer work, is fantastic. But go back, if you will, to young, electric Neal. This was his second book and this is where the genius begins to show. This is a timely read as well. You’ll see…
#8 The Ministry For The Future
This fine novel has been one of my seasonal picks for nearly a year. I’m leaving it up again because it deserves to be read by everyone. The Science In The Capital Books cemented my great admiration for this visionary futurist. After you read those books you’ll have new and valuable insights into the politics of climate change, the utility of science, the interconnected nature of ecosystems and so much more. The Ministry For The Future is the most carefully researched, hopeful, and even beautiful work by this master of the craft.
"If I could get policymakers, and citizens, everywhere to read just one book this year, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future." —Ezra Klein
#9 Gone Bamboo by the great Anthony Bourdain
You know the late Anthony Bourdain from TV or Kitchen Confidential (a great read) but here is an early effort of his at a crime novel and it’s FUCKING GREAT! This guy could write. Check it out and see some of this magnificent man’s passion in a different context.
#10 The Entanglement by Alva Noë
Here is a book that every artist should read, and I don’t just mean visual artists. There’s something here for everyone who makes anything.
#11 Nana’s Creole Italian Table
This food is close to my heart and I LOVE this book. Part memoir, all kitchen, this is my favorite style of food writing. These days, I spend a great deal of time cooking in the hallways of this culinary temple. Elizabeth Williams, we salute you. Check it out!
#12 Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Station Eleven! What a fine novel. This work has real flavor to it. Hugely human in the best way. I’m pleased to say that the HBO adaptation of this material is incredibly entertaining as well. Everything about this world, both the literary and it’s HBO offspring, is worth looking into.