The 2007 Massey Lectures were given by Alberto Manguel and, oh, were they wonderful. As if Manguel wasn’t exciting enough, this year’s lectures are being delivered by Margaret Atwood. I nearly hyperventilated with excitement when my Bookman sent me the link. The lectures are being broadcast in November and I am hoping and praying that they have podcasts available for free download like they did last year.
The topic of the lectures is debt. How appropriate given the current world financial market situation. The lectures aren’t about money though, they are “an investigation into the idea of debt as an ancient and central motif in religion, literature and the structure of human societies.” Sure to be fascinating coming from the mind of Atwood. Oh, I am getting a little dizzy. Must remember to breathe slowly.
Okay, on to the blogiversary week o’ celebration. I loved all your answers to what book you would want to be in. I think I’d want to be in Shadow of the Wind in hopes that I could be an assistant at the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Barring that Discworld would be fun if I could manage to get in to Unseen University and make friends with the Librarian. Ook. Or maybe Rex Libris where I could be a take-no-prisoners kick-ass librarian in training. Hmm, there seems to be a theme emerging.
The winner of the drawing for The Book of Lost Things is…Becca! She would like to be in The Squire’s Tale by Gerald Morris.
This next giveaway is another advanced reading copy that got lost amongst the book piles. Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber. Categorized as biography, the book is about Antoinette and how she used fashion as an expression of independence, power and also as a weapon.
I do love a good nonfiction book, so if you would like a chance at Queen of Fashion, make a nonfiction book recommendation in the comments. Drawing is tomorrow evening.
THE LAST CAMPAIGN: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America (Henry Holt, 2008) by Thurston Clarke
One of my favorite memoirs is Madame Secretary by Madeleine Albright. I love that she achieved so much in her professional life after raising her kids.
First Canadian Library Month, and now the Massey Lectures. Are you sure you’re not Canadian?
Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman. In fact, everything Diane Ackerman ever wrote, from her poetry to her essays about baby penguins, is just amazing!
Oh, I dearly love Margaret Atwood. Must remember to look that up!
Let’s see. A good non-fiction book that I really enjoyed was Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer. Another one, along the adventure lines (and truly incredible) is The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition. Both are pretty amazing stories.
What to choose? What to choose? Should I be shamefully opportunistic and promote a great book from my own company? Nah! Let’s go with _I See By My Outfit_ by Peter Beagle.
How about Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington. That’s well worth reading.
The 08 Massey lectures being goven by Margaret Atwoos is great news- can’t wait!
My reccomendation: Joe Cinque’s Consolation by Helen Garner.
Sylvia, LOL! I’m trying to make myself ingratiating in case Obama doesn’t win the election next month. I’ve heard Toronto (and Vancouver) is a lovely city and I am already used to cold winters.
My all time favorite biography is Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera.
May I propose: Science Fictions: A Scientific Mystery, a Massive Cover-up and the Dark Legacy of Robert Gallo by John Crewdson
One of my favorite nonfiction books was Ross King’s Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling.
Heh. You and the Bookman would be very welcome up here, but the way things look now emigration won’t be necessary.
A terrific non-fiction read is Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond which is a survey of a tens of thousands of years of history, asking two questions: why did Europeans invade so many other parts of the world successfully? and why were they not invaded in the same way? Fascinating take on a broad sweep of history from a non-historian.
I’d love to win the book as I’m doing a PhD on the court of Louis XVI. But I don’t live in the States so I’m not going to ask you to pay the enormous postage, Stefanie!
On Tuesday Canada is going to the polls. Margaret Atwood has been quite a political activist. She has maligned Conservative Stephen Harper for initiating cuts in arts funding. She should be great at the Massey Lectures.
Stefanie, I know I am too late for any sort of a “drawing” but I just wanted to mention my favorite non-fiction book of all time.
It’s called Nicholas and Alexandra, by Robert K. Massie.
The story of the last Czar and Czarina of Russia.
Amazing book.
Great list of nonfiction books in the comments! I’d add Nicholson Baker’s book U&I, about Baker’s obsession with John Updike. It’s wonderful!