Twelve Black Code Monkeys

Despite this recent flurry of activity, I wanted to forward readers that I may be out of commission for a couple of weeks or a bit longer. I leave today for St. Michael’s, Maryland, where I’ll be getting married on Sunday! I’ll be bringing the laptop there and on the honeymoon (Key West), so theoretically if I feel really compelled to write something I can, but chances are that I will have other things to do, hahah! I’m currently listening to an audiobook that I will probably be finishing on the way there this afternoon, so who knows; maybe I’ll try to review it. There’s also the chance I may decide to post some pix of St. Michaels or Key West, but we’ll see. — Levi

Sarah Vowell is a unique voice, in more ways than one. In A Partly Cloudy Patriot, her third book, she mixes astute observations with historical facts and throws in a lot of wry humor and biographical musings that will have you laughing out loud at points. Idiologues will probably be impatient with the contradictions. Although she is unabashedly liberal, she is also unabashedly patriotic and fervent about the documents of the founding fathers. Not that these two are contradictory, but the way things play out liberals are often seen as unpatriotic because they are not flag wavers shouting “America first no matter what.”

If you’ve heard Sarah on This American Life, you know she has a very distinct-sounding voice, which I can only describe as being a little like Lisa Simpson. If you like This American Life, I would highly recommend getting The Partly Cloudy Patriot in the unabridged audiocassette or CD (I listened to it on Audible.com) as it’s a lot like listening to 5 hours of This American Life, although it’s just Sarah with a few cameos (from the likes of Conan Obrian, Paul Begala, and Norman Lear) thrown in narrating quotes from presidents and friends. Of course if you’re a They Might Be Giants fan like myself, you will also get to enjoy their little ditties they apparently created for the audiobook at the start and end of each chapter. Most of these are instrumental but there are a couple of typically helarious ones with lyrics.

“Travel narratives” as they are called, are one of my favorite genres of book. They are a kind of autobiographical story or diary that tell the story of visiting a new place. Unlike your standard travel guide, they do not simply contain lists of standard attractions, accommodations, and the like. They are instead, a personal perspective on one person’s experience visiting or even living in a new and foreign (to them) place.

Probably one of the better known ones to come out in the last 15 years is Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence. Mayle and his wife, both English, bought a house and moved to Provence in the late ‘80’s and describes the process of renovating the house, getting to know the local culture, and that of France as a whole. Mayle has a wonderful, wry wit and describes the absurdities of everyday life in Provence with great humor. Mayle is also self-deprecating and although he describes many local eccentrics, they eccentricities as described are just as endearing as they are baffling. Food, as it does throughout France, plays a supporting role in the book. Food is such a central piece of French culture and life that listening to A Year in Provence, I often feel as though living in the United States has deprived me of a key facet of “quality of life.” If the stereotypes are true, one can only imagine how much more a brit might feel comparing his native cuisine to that of France!

The beauty, the wonderful food, and the fascinating people of Provence shine through this wonderful travelogue of Mayle’s and I heartily recommend it for those who like this type of book. I listened to an abridged version through Audible.com, and would have loved to listen to even more via a fully unabridged version, but so it goes. Sometimes you must take what you can get and hope that eventually more will be offered in the future.

The late veteran newsman came out with his Charles Kuralt’s America a while back about his “perfect year” where he visited twelve of his favorite locations for one month each. They are all in America, and vary wildly in terrain, climate, population, and culture. Kuralt jubilantly describes the unique beauty of each and every one of them. This is kind of a condensed travelogue. Well, I should note that I listened to it as an abridgement. Nevertheless, you still see very clearly through his eyes as if you were there yourself.

Kuralt visits New Orleans, Key West, Charleston, Main, Vermont, Montana, and Alaska, amongst many other places. You don’t get the typical tourist views either, but much more of a native’s view, since Kuralt over the years has built friendships with people in these places and they show him a lot of stuff that is off the beaten path. His commentary is always self-deprecating, charming, and informative. We hear about little historical anecdotes, legends, and obvious tall tales, but Kuralt manages to couch even the tall tales as imaginative creations as opposed to demeaning them as ignorant ruralisms.

My only complaint about this book is that it was too short! As I mentioned, I listened to an abridged version through Audible.com, but if you can read the book or find an unabridged audio version, all the better!