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June 5, 2011
21 Down, 31 To Go - "Matterhorn" (52 Books, 52 Weeks)
Book recommendations are everywhere these days. Facebook, Twitter, book blogs, literary websites, and old media are always making suggestions. I have found that for me, a handful of online resources (along with friends who know my reading tastes and well as authors whose work I respect) consistently point out books I will enjoy. The Bookrageous podcast has become one of my most trusted literary tastemakers. About once a month I listen to this trio of booksellers (whose blogs and Twitter posts I also religiously follow), and have always added at least a book or two to my "to read" list after hearing their reviews. One of the books they spurred me to read is Karl Marlantes' novel, Matterhorn.
Matterhorn is a stunning depiction of the war in Vietnam through the eyes of a Marine on the ground. There is a strong immediacy to Marlantes' prose, you know that he lived through these conditions both physical and mental, and that makes the book both compelling and uncomfortable in ways that war is uncomfortable for its combatants.
This may be the best novel about the Vietnam War I have ever read, an immersive experience of wartime through the eyes of a ground soldier.
My next book is Sugar in My Bowl: Real Women Write About Real Sex edited by Erica Jong.
also at Largehearted Boy:
other 52 Books, 52 Weeks reviews
Online "Best Books of 2010" lists
Book Notes (authors create playlists for their book)
musician/author interviews
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
