Practical Magical Essays.

I read a collection of essays a little over a month ago. It was called "Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader," written by Anne Fadiman. I think most readers would enjoy the essays, but they're best one at a time so you can think about what they mention. I loved them, and stopped after each one so they could sink in. Two have stayed with me, the independent chapters titled "My Odd Shelf" and "You Are There."

"My Odd Shelf" points out that for most bibliophiles, we tend to have one shelf or area of our personal libraries that doesn't quite fit in with the rest. For the author, it was a fascination with the Arctic and Antarctic- she had all kinds of books about polar exploration. I have no books on that, and I'm ok with that loss.

But I do have an "odd shelf." In fact, my library probably feels disjointed to outsiders. I think the shelf that most sticks out, though, is the one containing the books I've collected on religion. Particularly on American religions. Even more particularly- on toleration, the Constitution, and the history of the "Church and State" idea since the inception of the New World. I did my undergraduate thesis on the idea and still read (and collect) books on American religious culture and its intersection with politics.

The second essay that stays with me was called "You Are There." It was a concept that had never occurred to me- some people GO to the places they are reading about and then read it THERE! The author, for example, read a memoir about rafting the Colorado River and went to the Grand Canyon and hiked down to the bank mentioned in the book and then read it again!

I am intrigued by this. Very few books lend themselves to this in my mind, because so many are set in inaccessible places. I think I'm going to try this soon, though! Because it just so happens that my best friend now lives three hours from the setting of the books I'm currently obsessed with- the Twilight series I posted about before. So, assuming she reads them before I visit...we are taking a road trip to see Port Angeles, Forks, and La Push in Washington State. And we will stalk fictional characters and it will be awesome. I am very pleased with this plan.

What other books do you think lend themselves to "you are there" reading? Any ideas?