Book Recommendation 09001

Golly, it’s been awhile since I set up camp over here and regaled the three of you who might actually be reading this and I think, “Self, what tis this absence thing or dichotomous lapse?”

See, I don’t even make much sense.

Anyway, I realize in the past I have enthusiastically announced all sorts of inspired “regular” (as in ongoing) post ideas* and then abandoned same.   Um, like here and here and here.    or here.   And yet, with that same enthusiasm that I’m so famous for (I can count on the three of you to back me up with this, yes?) I once more announce to trumpets and much fanfare of streamers and confetti, that I have a post idea to keep up with on some sort of regular basis.   Hopefully.

(for the year 2009 and this being the first over here on my non-book blog so 001)

Population 485 by Michael Perry

So unexpected.    So worthy of being read.    So much more than just living and working in a small town…   very humbly thoughtful, intelligent, occasionally goofy in a charming way, honest and heart-warming.    and heart-breaking.   GOOD STUFF.

It’s a memoir by a guy who makes his living as a writer but stays grounded by working as a volunteer firefighter and Emergency Medical Responder in a very small town in Wisconsin.

“He crafts a lovely metaphor.”   (you’ll ‘get it’ if you read it.)

If you like memoirs about regular people who do inspiring things (fight fires!)  -or-   if you like reading about medicine without it being too over the head or maybe boring with terminology and just the right amount of gore and drama  -or-   if you aspire to crafting a life while you craft a career,

you might like this book.

If you like to ‘wax poetically’ – it has just a bit of philosophy, some wisdom, some nuttiness of home town living.    If you like witty or whacky supporting characters, this book has some of that.      If you long for connectedness to a time and to a place and a realization how often we forget and need the reminder of our own humanity – I think you’ll love this book.

Michael Perry has a few other books, too.   Check out his website for more!

*  Other almost serialized post ideas:  movie reviews, quotes, jobs, mosaics, pies…