I've been reading Sarah Vowell's books backwards. I'm running out though, as she's only written four so far. I just finished Take the Canolli, which, like her other works, is a collection of essays. It's an eclectic mix- the history of the USA via a particular intersection in Chicago, following her anscestors on the Trail of Tears, and coming to terms with her father's gun collecting.

Ms. Vowell has a distinctive voice, shaped by the radio, where most of these essays were first performed. The breezy conversational style works very well; reading this book is like listening to some of my old college friends holding forth on a favorite subject. Her nerdy obsessiveness and trivia-collecting seems quite familiar to me, somehow.

Yet she got better as she went along. Take the Cannoli is good, but The Partly Cloudy Patriot is much better, and Assassination Vacation is also superior.

So, I recommend checking this one out of the library, and buying TPCP and AV.

Posted by: Boviate at 10:20 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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