September Reading Log

 

Another month, another stack of books. Here's what kept me occupied in the mornings this September!

A NICE LITTLE PLACE ON THE NORTH SIDE by George F. Will

In preparation for a short weekend in Chicago, including a trip to Wrigley Field (mine and Lindsey's second, but a first for the kids), I picked up this slim little volume by longtime political columnist (and lifelong baseball fan) George F. Will, his third book on the sport but the first with so narrow a focus. A Nice Little Place on the North Side tells the story of baseball's most beloved ballpark, which (at least at the time of publication, 2 years before the Cubbies' historic 2016 World Series victory) was best known for hosting a century's worth of loveable losers.

The book affectionately chronicles the history of Chicago, the Cubs, and Wrigley Field with brief snapshots, never neglecting the big moments (from Babe Ruth's Called Shot to Steve Bartman's ill-fated catch) while also spending some time profiling lesser-known characters and telling more unfamiliar stories. Will also gets into his own personal history with the team while mostly standing at a remove as the narrator.

The book was a great primer on Wrigley Field for someone about to visit the Friendly Confines (I read more than half the book on the plane ride to Chicago) and would be a delight for any baseball fan. Will largely dispenses with the tics that annoy general audiences—namely his politics and his love for 10-dollar words—in service of telling the ballpark's story, and the book is well-served for his self-restraint. If somewhat dated post-2016, this book nevertheless serves as a great time capsule, and makes for a great read.

THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET by Sandra Cisneros

A coming-of-age novel structured as a series of little stories (most chapters are 3-4 pages long), The House on Mango Street is the kind of book you could devour in one sitting or pore over for months. Barely 100 pages long and written in the voice of its 12-year-old narrator, it's a simple enough book to be required reading in many middle school classrooms. But the depth of feeling and issues addressed within make it the kind of novel that rewards a slow, careful reading, no matter your age.

The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza Cordero's adolescence, starting from the time her Mexican-American family buys a small home in a poor Chicago neighborhood (a neighborhood which their arrival proves is in decline, according to its longtime white residents.) The book veers between universal experiences—betrayals by friends, crushes on boys— and the kinds of stories more unfamiliar to certain readers, like when her charismatic neighbor is arrested for stealing a car or when she is sexually assaulted at a carnival. By the time the novel ends, the reader is left with the distinct impression that Esperanza simultaneously appreciates and resents her upbringing, recognizing its undeniable impact even as she longs for something better.

The best novels are ones that take you somewhere unfamiliar and make it feel like home, planting you in an environment that you recognize even if you don't know why. Sandra Cisneros does this masterfully in The House on Mango Street, allowing readers of all backgrounds to step into the shoes of an adolescent Hispanic girl growing up in a rough neighborhood. Without ever preaching, she addresses issue of race, gender, and class, always in service of the story instead of to make a point.

I could have read another 300 pages of this book, but Cisneros was wise to instead leave the reader wanting more. With brief, meaningful vignettes, she tells the story of one kind of life, a story too rarely told. This book is required reading for a reason.

WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL by Joe Posnanski

Baseball is my favorite sport—indeed, one of my favorite things, period. Joe Posnanski is my favorite sportswriter—in fact, one of my favorite writers, period. So a Joe Posnanski book entitled "Why We Love Baseball" was basically written just for me. I couldn't be happier with the result.

Loosely organized as a series of 50 moments in baseball history, the book is really a collage of reasons why the game resonates with its fans. Some chapters detail, as you would expect, the sport's most legendary moments, like Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record. Other chapters tell lesser known tales from baseball's past, like the year career minor leaguer Joe Bauman hit 72 home runs for the Roswell Rockets. And every now and then, Posnanski goes completely off script, like the chapter all about the climactic scene in "A League of Their Own"—did Dottie drop the ball on purpose???

It all adds up to pure delight for a baseball fan, the kind of book you want to read, reread, and then let a fellow fan borrow so the two of you can talk about it. When October winds down and the winter doldrums begin, this book will get you ready for spring training in no time.

MISERY by Stephen King

Trapped in a middle-of-nowhere cabin by a psychotic woman who insists she is his "biggest fan," author Paul Sheldon is forced by his captor to write a new novel just for her—all as he desperately looks for a way to escape from his plight.

This is the plot of Misery, one of Stephen King's most famous thrillers (thanks in large part to the movie adaptation that won Kathy Bates a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the maniacal Annie Wilkes.) Like all King novels, this one is a page-turner, the kind of book that I returned to with almost every spare minute of my free time until I finished it. Light on plot, the book is propelled by the inner monologue of its protagonist and the unpredictability of its villain, both of which refuse to let you get bored.

One of the more autobiographical of King's books—the main character, after all, is a drug-addicted writer with a mean streak who suffers a nearly fatal car accident, all of which described King at a certain point in his career—this is also one of his more impressive efforts in terms of the writing. Far more claustrophobic than the movie (there are no scene changes, with every page taking place at Annie Wilkes' cabin), the story manages to feel grounded despite the wild premise—there are no aliens or monsters; just a truly crazy lady and the fear of what she might do next.

I'd probably say this is my 2nd favorite Stephen King book thus far; it sees King lean into his greatest strengths as a writer while steering clear of some of his crutches. Even if you've already seen the movie, give the book a try too!

ESSENTIAL MARVEL TEAM-UP VOL. 1 by Gerry Conway, Len Wein, Gil Kane, Ross Andru, Sal Buscema, et al.

'What if Spider-Man had a guest star in his book every week?'

That question was the elevator pitch for Marvel Team-Up, a Bronze Age monthly comic that ran for 150 issues from 1972-1985, the first 24 issues of which are collected in Essential Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1. With few exceptions (once or twice the Human Torch, rather than Spidey, is the protagonist), each issue sees Spider-Man patrolling New York City only to be confronted with a conflict that results in him working side-by-side with another Marvel hero. Over time, the book would become a great place to try out new characters and see if they'd stick—there was no better way to get eyeballs on a newbie than by pairing him with Marvel's most popular character.

The issues in this volume are the epitome of comics' Bronze Age: creatively underwhelming, canonically inessential, disposable fun. If you're looking for the kind of sprawling, operatic sagas that shake the Marvel Universe to its core, look elsewhere. If you're looking for deep insights into key characters, this ain't the comic for you. But if you wanted 15 minutes of self-contained superhero entertainment—the stories almost always began and end in a single issue; there are no lengthy arcs in this book—you could do a lot worse than Marvel Team-Up.

The art and writing are serviceable, the villains rarely rise above B-level, and you'll find more complexity in the sound effects than the plots. But if you want the reading equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon, you'll have fun with this. And when reading a comic book, sometimes that's really all you need.