My part-time job has classified me as an essential employee so that I can work during the virus lockdown. Yay?
Not the first time I’ve been deemed an essential worker. Funny thing though, this classification never seems to feel like an honor and it certainly never comes with a pay raise.
But I still find the time to read each day, for during this time of quarantine and self-isolation books have become more important than ever to bibliophiles. Listed below are some of the books I am currently reading, have recently read or am re-reading.
Currently reading:
Travelers’ Tales of American Southwest by Joseph O’Reilly: an anthology of stories about the American Southwest from a wide variety of writers, including Tony Hillerman, Douglas Preston and Edward Abbey. The subjects covered are diverse, from discussions on the natural world, regional culture, tourist attractions and much more.
So far my favorite chapter is from Barbara Kingsolver, wherin she relates her futile battle in attempting to tame the desert on her Tucson property, and how she eventually came to a truce with the land. Her war with the peccaries (a pig-like animal) is a hoot.
A few of chapters are stinkers, with the worst being the one titled “News from Nowhere”. The author of the piece is so desperately trying to mimic the gonzo writing style of Hunter S. Thomas that the chapter is both cringe-worthy and unreadable. I gave up trying halfway through.
If you are, like me, an aficionado of the American Southwest, then I can (so far) recommend this book to you.
Recently read:
Land of Wolves by Craig Johnson. Sheriff Walt Longmire has returned home to Absaroka County, Wyoming in this latest Craig Johnson mystery. Walt is still recovering from the mental and physical damaged he incurred while dealing with kidnappers in Mexico (Depth of Winter).
In addition to dealing with his PTSD, Sheriff Longmire is called upon to find a missing child, solve the mystery of an apparent wolf attack on a Basque shepherd that may in fact have been a murder and calm the fears of the local residents regarding the unexpected appearance of said wolf in the area.
Land of Wolves is a much heralded return to the classic Longmire after the far-fetched and rather unbelievable Depth of Winter (which I dubbed Rambomire, because it’s more of an action/adventure novel than a mystery).
Land of Wolves is very enjoyable read.
Re-reading:
From the Ground Up by Amy Stewart. The author and her husband moved into a tiny house in Santa Cruz, Ca. after finishing graduate school. Having always wanted a garden, but not having much in the way of experience in gardening, From the Ground Up is a year-long chronicle of Amy Stewart’s growth as a gardener.
Like most novice gardeners (and experienced ones!), Amy’s gardening education was earned the hard way, by making a lot of mistakes and missteps. Lots and lots of mistakes and missteps. Funny and introspective, From the Ground Up is a book anybody who has ever attempted to learn a new skill or hobby can relate to.
The Rise and Fall of Alexandria by Justin Pollard. The city of Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great (hence the name). After Alexander’s death, one of his bodyguards (Ptolemy) founded the dynasty that would rule Egypt for the next 300 years. Under the Ptolemaic Dynasty the city of Alexandria would rise to be one of the greatest centers of knowledge and scientific inquiry in the ancient world.
Home of both the Great Library and the Great Lighthouse, the city of Alexandria was both a figurative and literal beacon of light on the Mediterranean Sea.
The Rise and Fall of Alexandria is definitely not a dry and dusty history tome. Justin Pollard breathes life into his account of the city and its denizens. Just one example: the Ptolemy kingdom was powerful enough to strong-arm other nations into “loaning” original writings and manuscripts to the Great Library so they could be copied. Once the copies were made, the originals were placed in the library and the copies were sent back to the original owners. In today’s parlance, that would be “a dickhead move, bro”.
Unfortunately, like all of mankind’s creations, the city of Alexandria and its historical wonders gradually fell into decline. The Great Library caught fire and many manuscripts were burned. What wasn’t burned would in later years be looted and destroyed. The city’s harbor silted up and the Great Lighthouse crumbled and fell into the sea.
An engrossing tale of an ancient wonder, one that I have greatly enjoyed re-reading.
What books are helping you through this time of quarantines and social isolation?
