Consider this the catch-up post. (There are more, but I'm not sure the others are even worth reviewing. Maybe someday.)

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

This was recommended to me by Charlotte. I think she knew it would appeal to both my love of books and the delight I find in details. The premise of the plot is that the protagonist is a book expert who is asked to restore a very old, sacred text. In the process, she discovers tiny clues within the pages (an insect wing, a wine stain, a hair) that help her piece together the incredible history of the book. As readers, we are zoomed into the timeframe of each artifact, meeting the people who have created and read and protected the book along the way.

It is a rich, dense tale. It took me a long time to read this one, mostly because there is much more story to it than its 368 pages suggest. And yet, I was so immersed in the lives on the page that I often forgot I was reading a book and not watching the scenes unfold before me. And to forget you're reading while reading a book about a book - well, that's saying something.

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

I took this on our trip to Alaska. I find that books comprised of humorous essays are great for travel since they are lighthearted and can be read in small excerpts. And, if the author is David Sedaris, there's also the guarantee of great writing, which is important to me.

I felt that some of these essays fell flat, but others had me guffawing and elbowing Rob while saying, "Just let me read you one more section." Much of this book focuses on the time Sedaris spent in France and Japan, and the cultural idiosyncrasies and misunderstandings in particular are priceless.

Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin

I came upon this book through a bit of happenstance. Laurie Colwin was mentioned as a favorite of a writer I respect. I wasn't familiar with her, so I researched her books only to realize that I own one. I had bought Home Cooking at a yardsale a long time ago. It must have caught my eye for some reason, but sadly it had ended up in a box in the basement, unread.

While Laurie Colwin is also known as an accomplished novelist, Home Cooking is a compilation of columns she wrote for Gourmet magazine. This book is beloved by her fans, but frankly I don't know that it would appeal to most of you. I found it charming, but then I have been going through an intensely domestic phase lately.

In general, her kind of cooking isn't my kind of cooking so, with a few exceptions, I didn't find the specific recipes very compelling. But her attitude towards cooking and entertaining is spot on, and the infusion of voice and humor on every page kept me reading.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Talk about funny. Anne Lamott is outright hilarious, although instead of causing a constant chuckle like Colwin, she slips a howl-worthy statement in there every so often. Even better, these comments are almost always self-deprecating. Maybe I enjoyed her style so much because I can relate to the paranoia and, in her words, "mental illnesses" that she describes. I can even believe, incredibly, that this woman may be more neurotic than I am.

The subtitle of this book is "Some Instructions on Writing and Life." As a successful writer and writing teacher, she shares her thoughts on how to write and the rewards and pitfalls that come with it. While perhaps much of what she says can relate to both writing and life, her advice leans quite heavily towards writing, and the writing life. Again, not sure how interesting this might be to most, although to anyone who considers herself a writer, or a wannabe writer, or who is even remotely interested in writing, this is a fascinating glimpse into the wonder, woe, and wherewithal of being a writer.