Sarah Vowell
I've gotten back into reading a bit more lately. We would like to keep Sam away from the TV for a while, so that means more music and books for me for the time being.
One author I've really gotten into is Sarah Vowell. I've never been a huge This American Life fan (I'll probably give it a chance now), so my only exposure to her has been as a recurring guest on Conan O'Brien. You might know her as the voice of Violet in The Incredibles too. Yeah, her voice really is that high and squeaky.
I've heard before that it doesn't matter what you write about, what matters is how you write. Vowell is a perfect example of this. Because I've never been much of a history buff, I was suprised that Assassination Vacation put such a big hook into me. The book is a travelogue detailing her tour of historical sites related to our first 3 presidential assassinations. Doesn't sound like a likely bestseller subject, eh? But the book is teriffic. Before I finished it, I had already ordered her other 2 books, The Partly Cloudy Patriot and Take the Cannoli.
There are several reasons I like her:
1) Her prose is articulate, funny, sarcastic, and hopeful all at the same time. This is a tricky line to walk, but she pulls it off.
2) No pretension. She is clearly an urban sophisticate, but also not afraid to write that The O.C. is her favorite TV show.
3) A shared background. Vowell realizes that her stories are as much about her as the subject at hand, and the stories of her childhood feel very much like my own. Turns out we have a lot in common. She grew up in Billings, MT, went to a Penecostal church 3 times a week, and dedicated herself to music (specifically marching band). One of her essays relates a story of running across the middle of the football field to play a solo on the next song -- and getting heckled -- that brings back so many memories, I think she channeled my Senior year at Boise High School.
Since I've devoured Vowell's catalog in about 3 weeks, I'm trying to read everything else I can get my hands on by her. Turns out she used to be a columnist on Salon.com, so those archives come in handy. (And her cartoon looks like it was done by somebody named Eggers -- wouldn't Sarah Vowell and Dave Eggers have, like, the cutest, most depressingly optimistic run-on babies in the world?) I'll probably pick up some TAL CDs as well.
FWIW, I think her oldest book, Take the Cannoli is the strongest. If you haven't already (and I gather most of you have, I appear to be late to the game on this one), check Sarah Vowell's books out.