Nonfiction read for February

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Planets by Dava Sobel

Review:

“Starred Review. Sobel’s purpose in this lovely and personal volume is to show us the planets as she sees them. Writing in quite a different mode than in her best-selling Longitude and Galileo’s Daughter, Sobel offers intimate essays inspired by the planets in our solar system, which she describes as “an assortment of magic beans or precious gems in a little private cabinet of wonder—portable, evocative, and swirled in beauty.” She frames each essay in a different light, using a particular planet as a stepping stone toward a discussion of larger issues. Her “Jupiter” essay becomes a meditation on astrology, while her essay on the Sun, which relates the actual birth of the universe seemingly ex nihilo, evokes the Genesis account of creation in both its themes and the cadence of its language. Put simply, Sobel’s conceits work (even, remarkably, the essay on Mars written from the perspective of a Martian rock) because each beautifully frames its planet. An essay that begins with the story of Sobel’s grandmother coming to the United States as an immigrant, for example, sets up the author’s musings on the odd nature of Pluto as somewhere in between “planet” and “other.” This resonant and eclectic collection—informative, entertaining and poetic—is a joy to read. “

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Our first read – The Lost City of Z

 

Hello, and welcome!

I’m excited to start our new Nonfiction Book Group, and look forward to many good discussions to come.

I’ve chosen the first book, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann.

Here’s a review to hopefully whet your appetite:

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In 1925, renowned British explorer Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett embarked on a much publicized search to find the city of Z, site of an ancient Amazonian civilization that may or may not have existed. Fawcett, along with his grown son Jack, never returned, but that didn’t stop countless others, including actors, college professors and well-funded explorers from venturing into the jungle to find Fawcett or the city. Among the wannabe explorers is Grann, a staff writer for the New Yorker, who has bad eyes and a worse sense of direction. He became interested in Fawcett while researching another story, eventually venturing into the Amazon to satisfy his all-consuming curiosity about the explorer and his fatal mission. Largely about Fawcett, the book examines the stranglehold of passion as Grann’s vigorous research mirrors Fawcett’s obsession with uncovering the mysteries of the jungle. By interweaving the great story of Fawcett with his own investigative escapades in South America and Britain, Grann provides an in-depth, captivating character study that has the relentless energy of a classic adventure tale. (Feb.)

 

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

 

I’ll choose February’s read, also, and post separately about that.

At our first meeting, on Wednesday, January 27, from 7:00 – 8:30 in the meeting room at the main library on Harnish Drive, we can chat a little about what major nonfiction genres everyone’s interested in. That will help me choose books of interest to most of the group.

I hope you’ll use this blog to post comments about the books we read.  Any thoughts on the book, continuing discussions, etc., will always be welcome. The only rule is “be civil,” but I doubt that will be a problem. I just had to include that disclaimer.

If you stop by the blog, after reading the plug for the group in the November/December newsletter, feel free to send me a comment. You may also contact me at:

lguidarini@aapld.org

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Lisa