When I first began my quest to read I perused all 26 of the explanations for the books I was to read. I made several notations then about books that I might want to read that would fit the requirements. I came to "#12 A book with a lion, a witch, or a wardrobe" and simply assumed that it would be some kind of novel, either a fantasy or a science fiction and I skipped it at that time, figuring I would decide on what novel it would be at some point later.
A few weeks in I decided to do a more detailed look at the list to try to really map out where I was going in my reading and I decided to look at my wife's bookcase to see if there were any books that she had that would fit my list. It was from that perusing of the bookshelf that I landed on Confederates in the Attic, which I have already read and reviewed, and Notes From a Small Island which will be showing up somewhere down the line, and book 7, The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell.
The Partly Cloudy Patriot is not a novel at all, rather it is a collection of loosely connected essays. In addition it doesn't expressly contain a lion, a witch. or a wardrobe, but there is one essay in the book where Ms. Vowell focuses on the Salem Witch Trials, which while not actually about witchcraft at all is close enough for my needs, while the book list is something I came across it has most assuredly become my reading list and I will choose to bend the rules when I so choose. The end of the last sentence is what takes this from a potential task to a personal adventure.
As I stated a few sentences above The Partly Cloudy Patriot is a collection of essays on various topics, such as Tom Cruise's performance in Magnolia, an underground cafeteria at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, German Cinema, George W. Bush's first inauguration, being a twin, the Gettysburg Address, and the first Thanksgiving that Ms. Vowell had at her home in New York with her parents and sister and nephew. When I say that they are loosely connected I am using that is a very loose sense, they are all stories stemming from Ms. Vowell's experiences in America and her attachment to said country, its origins, its story, its entertainment, and its future.
My wife highly recommended this book to me, and if I am honest it took me a while to get into it, I prefer my books to be a lot less loosely connected, but when I did get into it I enjoyed the experiences that Ms. Vowell had. If I had to guess I would say that she writes like she talks, which I like a lot, mainly because I tend to think that I do the same thing. Ultimately I suppose the real question about any book that you read by an author that is new to you is would you read more books by him or her, and I would read more of Ms. Vowell's books.
Peace and Love,
Pastor K
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