BOOKS AND MOVIES

Posted By CarrieK on December 20, 2009

With the New Year comes a host of reading challenges, including The 2010 Essay Reading Challenge, the one that I’m hosting. I thought today’s Sunday Salon post would be a good opportunity to list some recommended essay collections.

Here are some collections I have read and enjoyed:

~ How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen
~ To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian by Stephen E. Ambrose
~ Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
~ Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community: Eight Essays by Wendell Berry
~ Writers on Writing, Volume II: More Collected Essays from The New York Times
~ Standing By Words: Essays by Wendell Berry
~ Essays of the Masters edited by Charles Neider

Here are some essay collections that were read by participants in last year’s challenge:

~ Abolishing Christianity: And Other Short Pieces by Jonathan Swift
~ At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays by Anne Fadiman
~ Calm Things: Essays by Shawna LeMay
~ Pathologies: A Life in Essays by Susan Olding
~ Understanding The Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism edited by Rose A. Zimbardo and Neil D. Isaacs

Here are some recommendations that Vasilly sent me – along with her thoughts about them:

~ Touch Magic by Jane Yolen – It’s about the power of fairy tales and how they help our society. Really good.
~ The Woman at the Washington Zoo: Writings on Politics, Family, and Fate by Marjorie Williams – Before losing her life to stomach cancer, Marjorie was a writer at the Washington Post, Slate, and Vanity Fair. Her essays include profiles of leaders in politics, getting married for the first time, and more. Included at the end is her memoir that she was working on about cancer.
~ Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands by Michael Chabon – I’ve only read one essay but Nymeth read the whole book and enjoyed it.
~ This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women edited by Jay Allison – The essays are based on the show that Allison runs on NPR. The essays are written by everyday Americans. Many are powerful and leaves you thinking about the one value you believe in.
~ This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women edited by Jay Allison
~ In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose by Alice Walker – I’ve read a few essays this collection but can’t really remember the subject matter. I do remember that I wanted to read more.
~ The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby – This is a collection of essays that Hornby wrote for The Believer magazine. Each essay is about Hornby’s life, what books he read, and those he bought. They’re really funny.
~ The Best American Spiritual Writing series edited by Philip Zaleski – It’s a collection of essays and poetry that about spirituality. Some of my favorite essays are in the earlier editions.
~ Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays by Zadie Smith – I just started reading this last week and I’m enjoying it. Eva also read it last week and did a review on it.

Whew – that list should definitely get you started! Don’t forget to click over to the challenge page and leave your link if you plan on joining us – the more the merrier! (And thanks, Vasilly, for all the great suggestions!)

Other bookish posts this week:

~ Book Review: Darkness Be My Friend by John Marsden
~ Book Review: The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
~ Book Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
~ Book Review: The Guinea Pig Dairies: My Life As an Experiment by A.J. Jacobs
~ Announcing Essay Reading Challenge 2010

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Categories: essays, reading challenges, sunday salon
Tags: essay reading challenge, essays, reading challenges, sunday salon