Books: The Eleventh Man by Ivan Doig

I read a lot.
I probably have 1,000 books in my library, which I go through and purge occasionally when I run out of shelf space. I have six book cases. Currently they are stuffed to the gills. I will probably go through them sometime soon and get rid of the stuff I no longer want. The decision gate is "Will I ever read this again?"
My reading material covers the spectrum. Except for trashy romance novels. They just don't do anything for me. Fantasy, science fiction, history, westerns, murder mysteries, even some humor. Include Shakespeare and the Bible.
If I didn't have a book I would be reduced to reading cereal boxes and soup can labels.
I just finished a new book by one of my favorite authors, Ivan Doig. I'm not sure how to describe his books. I think they fall into "Modern Literature". He has some serious Cred. Most of his stories are set in Montana on the eastern slope of the Rockies, and evoke such a sense of time and place that they could almost be history if they weren't novels.
I love the way Doig makes the words get up and dance around on the page. He doesn't just tell a story, although that is his primary task. They way he puts his words together is such a joy to observe. Even without a plot, it would be worthwhile just to get into the ebb and flow of a master craftsman at the peak of his craft.
"The Eleventh Man" is a display of wordsmanship at it's best. It was a book that I intentionally read slowly, like sipping a fine wine so I could enjoy the individual each glassful of words, roll them over on the tongue of my mind before going to the next mouthful of words.
I didn't want the book to end. I will go back and reread it many times in the future, which is the true test for me.
It is not a book for everyone, but if you have an appreciation of the English Language and craftsmanship with words, it is beautiful example of the writers art.
On another note, I am reading "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini. It is a fun and entertaining fantasy by a relatively young writer of fantasy. Not the deepest nor best, but entertaining, and well enough crafted that it all fits together and flows nicely. If you like Fantasy and dragons, it is a fun and entertaining read. I should warn you though, that it is the third book in a series, so you really should read the earlier two first "Eragon" and "Eldest". They will keep you entertained for a long good while when the weather turns cold and the rain is coming sideways.
So For those Fall/Winter evenings when you want to snuggle up to a book with a fire in the fireplace and maybe a glass of wine, you now have a couple of suggestions for reading material.