The Most Swanson of Books

Lars Mytting, “Norwegian Wood” (Abrams, 2015)

It’s just a book about wood.  Cutting wood. Stacking wood. Burning wood.

There’s a simplicity to the writing that matches the subject matter.  It’s clear and direct.  

The thing is, it becomes almost meditative.  There’s definitely a story buried here, about people from a region & how their forests have allowed them to survive in conditions that this Southern boy probably couldn’t cope with.  But ultimately it’s about the ax, the wood, and the stove.  It’s about keeping warm on cold days.

This absolutely appealed to the part of me that appreciates craftsmanship and heritage.  There are similar books waiting to be written about many things from our grandparents’ time.  Starting with the hearth fire isn’t a bad way to start.

The South is Everlasting

Rick Bragg, “My Southern Journey” (Time Inc Books, 2015)

Rick Bragg is known for semi-autobiographical writing about the South.  And that’s what we have here.  It’s a collection of pieces he’s written for a variety of magazines – Southern Living, Garden & Gun, & the like.  Short but rich pieces that are of a people and a place.  It’s writing to be savored, not rushed through.

I really don’t know how this collection will translate to people from other places.  I found lots of resonance, but then my people are Southern and country.  I don’t have a cluster of aunts like Bragg, but there are some, and it’s all close enough to home.

I enjoyed the hell out of this collection, & feel like I’ll have to read a few more of his books.  But first I’ll need me a glass of tea & maybe a nice ham biscuit.