book of good news

Today, someone sat next to me on the bus and started talking. I didn't think that was going to turn out well - by his clothes, he seemed homeless, and I could smell alcohol on him. But he wanted to know what the book I was reading was about. He recited a sonnet that he wrote, and told me about a book he's writing. For some reason, it just made me smile. Someone being friendly, desiring and offering kind human interaction, not asking for anything else. He also respected my boundaries - let me go back to my book when I wanted to, didn't try to touch me.

What's the best thing that happened to you today?

the year's first five-star book

Over the course of some months, I read A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder by Michael Pollan. It didn't take a long time because I found it boring. It took a long time to read because I wanted to really think about all the ideas in the book. Also, the book frequently made me want to read other books, which I would stop and do. (Examples include The Not-So-Big-House, which I also gave five stars, and Tiny Houses, which I found fascinating.) I strongly recommend this book for anyone who's ever thought they'd like to build their own house, or who feels they don't really understand central concepts of architecture. I started the book not really knowing anything about architecture, and wound up feeling as though I knew enough to talk about it at parties, which is neat.

I am a big fan of nonfiction books that teach you something without being really hard to get through, and this book definitely falls into that category. The style is very engaging, and Pollan draws on plenty of literature and architectural history to back up his ideas. Neat, neat, neat.

I'm planning to read Second Nature, Pollan's book about learning to garden, once I've had some time to catch up on other nonfiction reading. The Body Image Workbook and Benjamin Franklin: A Life are next on my list.