Winter Reading

A few of my librarian friends sent their "Seasons Readings" lists out last week, with great lists of books they have read in 2009. Since I don't keep year-long lists, I'll just give a shout to those books read and listened to over my Holiday holiday this year.

Books on CD that burned up the miles between Bigfork, Flesher Pass, Helena, Bozeman and Livingston included David Sedaris's When You are Engulfed in Flames (laugh out loud funny!) and Kaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns (heart wrenching). The novels I read included Dangerous Angels: the Weetzie Bat books (delightful!); Rennie Airth's The Dead of Winter (mystery set in WWII England); and Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played with Fire (nicely reviewed by Joan Smith here).

But the book that had the most profound effect on me these last two weeks was Jon Krakauer's Where Men Win Glory: the odyssey of Pat Tillman. Krakauer is an incredibly compelling writer, especially when the subject is difficult at best. Reading his account of the life and untimely death of Pat Tillman, I learned a lot about the causes of the wars in which we are currently engaged, and even more about the tribulations our soldiers face every day. It was interesting to listen to A Thousand Splendid Suns in conjuction with Where Men Win Glory; both portraits of Afghanistan and its people from wildly different perspectives.

I hope you were able to get some reading and listening in over the holidays. If not, pick up one of these; you won't be disappointed!

Three days of Peace and Music

Forty years ago today, early in the morning, Jimi Hendrix was headlining Woodstock. 400,000 muddy concert-goers celebrated one of the defining moments of a generation and one of the most important events in music history.

To celebrate this anniversary, there is a new crop of Woodstock books showing up on the shelves at FCLS. Check out these new ones:

Elliot Tibor had no idea what he was in for when he convinced his parents and neighbors in the quiet town of Woodstock, NY that they could drum up some business for the community by hosting a weekend-long music festival. Taking Woodstock is his account of what happened. A movie version of this tale, directed by Ang Lee, is hitting the big screen at the end of the month.

The Road to Woodstock, by Michael Lang, with Holly George-Warren. Woodstock coproducer and copromoter Lang gives a behind-the-scenes look at what went in to making the festival happen - everything from port-a-potties to Pete Townshend.

Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock, by author and DJ Pete Fornatale, includes original interviews with Roger Daltry, David Crosby, and dozens of headliners, organizers, and fans.

Also at FCLS, on DVD: Woodstock - 3 days of peace and music. The classic concert film has been re-released for the 4oth anniversary with extra songs and new footage. Or check out a music CD by Jimi Hendrix, The Who, CSNY, Grateful Dead, or many of the other Woodstock rockers.

Men on the Moon

The artwork on Google's homepage today just reminded me that it is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. I am sure it is no coincidence that a couple of new books on the topic have been published this summer.

Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon, by Craig Nelson, is the tale of events leading up to the Apollo landing. Nelson introduces the astronauts, the turmoil the mission caused for the their families, and how it would change their lives forever. The book tells of the greater politics surrounding the mission (this was dead in the midst of the American-Soviet space race, remember), and also the harrowing details surrounding how, with only minutes of fuel left, the astronauts frantically rushed to find a place on the moon to land.

The other side of the journey is told in Buzz Aldrin's Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon. A more intimate account than than Rocket Men, this memoir is an account of Aldrin's life upon return to earth. Suddenly a celebrity and unable to maintain a regular career, Aldrin struggled with depression and alcoholism. This is the story of his journey towards finding love, direction for his life and satisfaction in becoming the space advocate he is today.

If you are a fan of these topics and want more to read, head to the nonfiction shelves in your library and browse from 520-524 (astronomy) and 629.4 (space travel).