“The Outermost House: A Year of Life On The Great Beach of Cape Cod” (Henry Beston)
Perhaps the most lyrically written nature book I have ever read. What made it even more interesting an resonant is that I knew many of the places mentioned. My wife’s family summered there when she was younger and I was lucky enough to visit a couple of years. The nearest village to the author’s house was the place we stayed, so much of it was familiar.
But the beauty of the prose, no matter the subjects — Beston makes a dogfish an object of wonder — make this a great read.
“Gemma Bovery” (Posy Simmonds)
This was a little something I read quickly while my kids were picking out books at the library today. A riff on Madame Bovary but as a graphic novel. Nicely done, transcending the use of panels, the artist uses the whole page and has no problem using text where it works.
“Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist” (Dan Barker)
This is not what I expected. The author doesn’t spend a lot of time detailing his fall from grace, but instead musters a number of arguments and fact-filled refutations of blind belief, some of which have appeared in other places.
His rejection of faith is dealt with early on, as a matter-of-fact awakening to a need to know, rather than a need to believe. Barker is a powerful writer, well-versed in his material: one would expect that as a former evangelist, but he knows the works better now that he sees them as simple narrative than when he relied on them as holy writ. Recommended for freethinkers and even the faithful, if they think they can handle it.
And of course, a few Terry Pratchett books (Thief of Time, Jingo, Last Continent) to keep me amused.