tiny pink books

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
Scribner, 2005

I Heart This Book!
The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeanette Walls, is one of the best books I’ve read in years. Telling the story of her childhood, Walls shares her story of growing up with two ultimately loving, but dangerously eccentric parents leading the family down an extremely unconventional path. Walls’s knack for detail and character make the stories and characters so vivid and lifelike that The Glass Castle is impossible to put down. Despite the neglect and suffering that Walls and her siblings are put through, she tells the story without judgment and, ultimately, with a heartbreaking undertone of love

Who Will Like This?
Tear jerking at times, inspiring, hilariously offbeat and absolutely fascinating to read, this is a book that just about anyone will enjoy. Although it isn’t a book specifically published for YA, I’ve found that young adults, especially girls, love this book as much as I do. I know this title has been around for a while, but I just can’t stop recommending it to friends and family.

(I listened to the audio version and recommend it!)

Boy:  Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl

I can’t remember whether or not I had ever read this book as a child, but I am certainly pleased that I picked it up for a little quick lunchtime reading in my grownup life.  Boy is the autobiography of children’s literature legend Roald Dahl.  A simple and classic account of boyhood, Boy recounts Dahl’s early childhood in Wales, his family summer holidays in Norway, and his experiences in English boarding schools. 

I think Boy is a great biography for children.  Dahl keeps things interesting by choosing nothing but the funniest, the most interesting, and the most horrific stories to share with his readers.  Although the memories recounted in Boy are vividly reconstructed with meticulous details, there is an odd sense of emotional detachment that keeps these stories simple and accessible to the young reader. 

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Harper Collins, 1998

Another perfectly accounted Bill Bryson adventure, this time along the Appalachian Trail, is presented in A Walk in the Woods.  Despite his limited wilderness survival and backpacking experience, Bryson becomes intrigued with the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail, a more than 2000 mile trail stretching from Georgia to Maine.  His old friend Stephen Katz tags along too, providing just the right dose of humor and drama to round out this travel account into the kind of perfect balance of sarcastic wit, historical fact, ecological science, and emotional drama that makes Bryson’s books so readable.

Bryson presents a good background and history of the trail, and of American wilderness in general, deliverying factual information without every sounding like a textbook.  His humble treatment, particularly his fear of all wild animals, especially bears, makes him a funny and likable narrator.  His attention to the little details, sometimes absurdly so, makes you feel like your traveling with him, from small Southern towns in Georgia to the deepest, darkest woods of Maine.

I think the appeal is also very wide when it comes to A Walk in the Woods.  Backpackers and hikers, of course,  will enjoy it, not just for its scrupulous attnetion to life on the trail, but also for its humorous take on the hardships of backpacking.  I also think that anyone looking for a humorous personal account of travel or a nonfiction book about one of America’s largest, yet possibly least well known landmarks, will also be satisfied with this one.

In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Random House, 2001

Everyone likes to learn about Australia!  Okay, maybe not everyone, but as I am planning a visit there soon, I was truly excited to get my hands on this book (I “read” the audio version, a highly coveted, long hold queue item at my public library).  I have read some Bryson before and enjoy the way that he makes travel narratives fun and educational, including just the right amounts of humorous anecdote with thought-provoking fact.  One thing that is clear from In a Sunburned Country is that Bryson has a passion for Australia.  The personal attachment he has for the country interjects itself into every chapter, making the book feel personal in a way that many travel narratives cannot.  In addition to being amusing, In a Sunburned Country is also very educational if you don’t know much about Australia.  A perfect light read for someone craving some non-fiction.  Even more perfect for someone planning (or just dreaming) a visit to Australia someday…

The audiobook is a rare “read by the author” piece that actually isn’t painful! Bryson’s reading tone is simple and proper, delivering this narrative with even more personal flair.