Yes, I did say in my last post that I was only listing "some" of the books I most enjoyed reading last year, but when I looked over my reading list again, I felt guilty about not mentioning a few more favorites:The Places in Between is a book I likely wouldn't have read had it not been a selection of my book club. It turned out to be one of my favorites of the year. Rory Stewart, the author, is a Scot and a former British diplomat who was posted to the Middle East. The book is a recounting of his walk across Afghanistan. Some of the members of my book club thought the book too slow and some thought it a failing that Stewart didn't tell us "what to think" about what we were reading. I thought the book's pace and style fit the content precisely, and Stewart's even-handed way of describing what he encountered on his trip actually said a great deal.
I read T.R. Pearson's first book, A Short History of a Small Place, years ago. It was a wonderful discovery for me, and I've been reading Pearson every since. A Short History had a voice I'd never heard before (you'll either like this or you won't), and was very, very funny. Cry Me a River is a very different type of book. What Pearson's fictions shares, 'though, is his ear for language and his eye for character.
This year I read more "how-to" art-related books than usual. One I recommend highly is Steve Meltzer's Photographing Arts, Crafts and Collectibles. In addition to learning about photographing the subject matter, the book answered a lot of questions for me about photography in general.
I feel better now that I've told you about these... Happy reading!
Artist Credit: Reading Woman (c. 1670), by Pieter Janssen Elinga
3 comments:
I am SO glad to learn about that photography book! Thanks! I just added it to my amazon wishlist.
My reading list for January may be too much for me to handle. I had ordered some of these books months ago through the public library system.
Ellen Dissanayake: Art and Intimacy: How the Arts Began, and Homo Aestheticus: Where Art Comes From and Why [both intertesting and well written]
The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida
The Warhol Economy: How Fashion Art & Music Dive New York City (by Elizabeth Currid) [The author has a PhD in urban planning & discusses the economics of art & culture. She seems to be well-linked to the contemporary art world.]
Art and Fashion: The Impact of Art on Fashion and Fashion on Art by Dr. Alice MacKrell
MadSilence
http://madsilence.wordpress.com
Madsilence, your selections sound intriguing. I may have to look into at least one or two of those. And, yes, I think your list is ve....ry ambitious for January!
Frivolitea, I found the book at my local library and liked it so much that I bought it.
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