Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Chérie's Fall Reading List

'Tis the season (no, not that one) for books. As the light and fair weather have faded off into the 6 P.M. sunset, I've barely noticed. It's hard to see over my stacks of books.

In mid-September, I started off with politics, just to get it over with, but actually enjoyed (and learned a lot from) Blue Man in a Red State, Greg Lemon's biography of Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer.

Then I prepared for reading nirvana. I made a huge pot of veggie soup, a pan of blueberry muffins, and a gynormous container of green salad so I could graze for several days while I devoured:

Horses That Buck (Margot Kahn)
Freeman Walker (David Allan Cates)
A Country Called Home (Kim Barnes)
Hundred in the Hands (Joseph M. Marshall III)
Her Last Death (Susanna Sonnenberg)
Jackalope Dreams (Mary Clearman Blew)

Next, two marvelous books of poetry launched my mind into a serious contemplation of my mind's contemplations:
the true keeps calm biding its story (Rusty Morrison)
Thistle (Melissa Kwasny)

I've had to pause for grocery runs and to spend some time at the radio station, but the stacks of fascinating books on my kitchen table (and bedroom table and living room table) flirt with me every time I walk through the room. So to hell with dog hair and spotty windows...

Next on the list:
Another Man's Moccasins (Craig Johnson)
Forget Me Not (Jennifer Lowe-Anker)
Trash Fish (Greg Keeler)
The Enders Hotel (Brandon R. Schrand)

There's nothing like reading to re-arrange reality. If you're dreading cold wind and snow, I recommend a bookstore or book festival outing. Stack up some books and read your way into oblivion.

And don't forget to listen to The Write Question on Montana Public Radio, or from our Web site, every Sunday at (approximately) 11:10. David Allan Cates is my guest this week.

- Chérie Newman

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