Current Favorite Books!

There has been a flurry of interesting titles recently. Too many to read, which is a grand situation! Some notables:

The Cloudspotter's Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds by Gavin Pretor-Pinney. Perigee, June 2006. A lovely field guide/historical background to clouds that is not to be missed. The layout is reminiscent of 'The Boy's Handy Book' with black and white illustrations (even a lava lamp!), charts, photographs and a rich blend of fact, mythology and history. Mr. Pretor-Pinney formed The Cloud Appreciation Society in England in 2004. It is worth your while to view the member's posted photographs on their site!!! A useful and fascinating book that allows readers to look up with new appreciation.

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, Random House, 2006. As perfect a novel as I can imagine; David Mitchell has increased his range since his earlier book, The Cloud Atlas. Black Swan Green is a year long coming of age sage of an English boy, Jason Taylor, and is filled with the chaos of identity and the shifting slang of adolescence. A remarkable joy of language, "A cow of an awkward pause mooed.", makes the writing seem effortless and brings the reader continuing surprises. Do not miss this book!