When I first started this blog back in September, I originally envisioned a blog about food, healthy lifestyles, farming, and good books. I think I’ve covered most of those topics, except where are the books? 2009 was marked by lots of action– crop-destroying freezes, new olive tree plantings, the swine flu epidemic. With so much to write about, who has time for books?
The answer is: we all do. Books are long slow drinks in a gulping internet-fed information age. When I feel barraged by all the short-clip information blasted at me by my web browser and iPhone, I stop and remember why I always return to the bound volume. In this frenetic and crazed world, books offer developed thought. Tell me how you get that in a 140-character Tweet?
So what long-form, anachronistic printed item am I reading? Don’t laugh. I’ve gone rogue and am reading Sarah Palin’s new book. There’s much to laugh about Going Rogue, from the glammy cover portrait of a smiling Sarah looking upwards and off into a shining maverick future, to the down-home plain-spoken writing style, which somewhere, somehow must have had a ghost writer’s imprint. Yet, I cannot deny, the book is somehow very interesting to me. It’s a monstrous spin on a very conservative woman’s actions and viewpoints. I find myself putting the book down, searching the internet for another tell-all about Sarah to balance this portrayal. There isn’t one that I’ve found– I wonder where all those New York Times reporters have been?
Now, I didn’t buy this book, so I have no guilt about padding Sarah’s pockets as I read it. But I have to admit, I’m glad I’m reading it. There’s no point having a viewpoint if you can’t face exposing yourself to someone else’s. It’s the only way to understand others, and Sarah Palin, much as some of us don’t like it, represents a huge segment of the American population.
That being said, if you want to be like me and dabble in the opposition without shelling out a cent for the view, you can always get a copy at the library– or you can borrow mine.
Secured by 
OMG… Rachel’s gone Rogue. Next thing you know she will be throwing around “you betchas” and enrolling her kids in hockey camp!
I will be reading a summary of Going Rogue on Twitter.
Try the “Big Burn” by Tim Egan. Great book. Hot, Flat and Crowded (or anything else by Friedman) is also great. The Other One… a new book by David Guterson is fantastic.
As you can see we still read the old fashioned way.
A few other good ones are both by Erik Larson, Thunderstruck and Devil in the White City. I am reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, but not far enough in yet to have an opinion.
After reading your blog, watch out Dave, Moni might be Going Rogue too…I have to admit she is intriguing despite her views. I watched her on Oprah and even though I would never vote for her, she is pretty likable and appeals to so many people. Hmmmm……
Your comments about Palin’s book made me think of the point made in the NY Times article of Jan. 3, that our brains need to keep considering many different points of view to keep active and lively. See “Adult Learning, How to Train the Aging Brain”–one of the most e-mailed NYT articles this week.
Monique, if you should go to Chicago, take the “Devil in the White City Tour” offered by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. I, like so many of our friends, really enjoyed this book.
Hi Rachel,
Lynn
Nice to see your new blog post… you have such great way with words…
Was watching the movie “Julie & Julia” last night and thought about you…
I just may go to the library and get her book… thanks for the insight…
I really need to start reading this year… am right now focused on adding exercize into my daily routine, b/c it has been lacking for a while now… but maybe I can read WHILE I am on the treadmill!
One of my all-time favorites is Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, based on a true story of a mining engineer’s wife’s life in the West.
I love anything by Jhumpa Lahiri. Right now I am finishing her newest book Unaccustomed Earth, which is a collection of short stories about Bengali families living in the U.S. or England.
Nice to have some recommendations for books!
I just picked up (from our coffee ship, which has a bookshelf for contributions and exchanges) “The Consant Gardener by LeCarre. The title makes it sound like it would fit right in to this subject matter, but I suspect not.
However, Ed’s veggie gardens, here in the backyard and up at the community garden are are thriving with all kinds of greens! One of the benefits of living in the Bay Area during winter.