And for the curious minded, At Home

Bill Bryson is fast becoming one of my more favorite authors.  His A Short History of Nearly Everything, though perhaps not quite that comprehensive, did give a rather overwhelming history of us (homo sapiens) and how we got here.  His next book, At Home, has a terser focus that covers a far more manageable area (though perhaps 'terse' is not the right word to use where Bryson is concerned).  Though Bryson's tour of the home goes from room to room, he takes us on a journey from ancient Rome to the tea plantations of China, all in an effort to better understand how our homes became just that--home.  Bryson's genius is a child-like quest for explanation and an uncanny ability to explicate the answers he finds in an entertaining manner.  In the book, the reader will meet some incredible people and hear some even more incredible stories of both folly and triumph.  The world is an interesting place and Bryson once again proves that fact is stranger than fiction.  Highly recommended.

Bernhard for the hard to buy for

Thomas Bernhard is not the easiest writer to read, but he has written some of the more interesting works of the 20th century (e.g. Correction, Woodcutters).  A good way to get to know his work is through his shorter prose, so Prose should go on any challenging reader's list. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2799, then let them find their own way to the novels!

Vonnegut rules

If you are looking for a gift idea for the discerning reader on your list this holiday season, look no further than two titles concerning Kurt Vonnegut.  One is the Library of America's Novels and Stories, 1963-1973.  It contains Cat's Cradle, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, and Stories (including Welcome to the Monkey House).  In other words, this is Vonnegut at his very best.
Or if they own all Vonnegut's books, they can read about his life in Charles Shields' And So It Goes.   This is a fascinating life, well-told. Vonnegut died from a fall in 2007 and deserves to be remembered.  His best books dealt with important ideas.  Slaughterhouse-Five should be read by all.

Mervyn Peake's year

How many of you have heard of Mervyn Peake?  He was born 100 years ago this year and is the author of the highly quirky Gormenghast Trilogy.  Made up of the books Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone, they tell the story of the 77th Earl of Gormenghast, Titus Groan, and the changes he must contend with as he takes over as ruler of his crumbling kingdom.  A story of immense depth and fantastic color, readers can find out more at the website: http://www.mervynpeake.org/gormenghast/
Peake was also a talented artist and illustrator and a new edition of The Gormenghast Trilogy has just been published by Overlook Press that incorporates many of his idiosyncratic drawings.
For more information on the author, check out the blog: http://mervynpeake.blogspot.com/