Men and words make for uneasy roommates.
We’re hard-wired to distrust language. If we could, we might boot it from the house altogether in favor of movement and action, the blood brothers who make ESPN and “The Sopranos” so gut-level satisfying. “Strong” and “silent” don’t go with “type” by accident; too much verbiage can can play as weakness for us.
So it often goes with reading. Hand us the sports page or a biography of Lyndon Johnson, and we’re happy.
But not necessarily fulfilled. Given the ever-shifting landscape for what a man is or can be, a variety of reading – from cooking to fashion, fiction to poetry – is vital to helping us know ourselves.
Appointing myself a literary savior, I turned to the Tattered Cover Book Store for a sample list of books that men should give a look.
Book buyers Cathy Langer and Margaret Maupin covered the humanities – fiction, memoir and history, for example – with the help of Langer’s husband, Steve, who lent an everyguy perspective. Books on gardening, grooming, psychology and such came from buyer Kathy Bollhoefer and colleague Kathleen Isberg.
Encountering titles you wouldn’t have thought of – something other than sports or politics, for instance – is largely the point. Pick one up, and see if you don’t find yourself in the pages.
FICTION
“An Unfinished Life,” by Mark Spragg. “This man writes exactly the way men think,” Langer says. The novel deals with male relationships and “a big grizzly bear.”
“Eventide,” by Kent Haruf. A beautiful, accessible read about “men growing” by the Colorado author.
“Any Human Heart,” by William Boyd. A novel whose span includes World War I to the present. It details how men make choices about subjects such as women and war.
“Saturday,” by Ian McEwan. Men love this “Ulysses”-style journey through one day in the life of a London doctor, Langer says. “It’s kind of the way men think.”
MEMOIR/AUTOBIOGRAPHY
“When Rivers Change Direction,” by Mark Spragg. About growing up in northern Wyoming.
“Growing Up True,” by Craig Barnes. An “introspective, not so dramatic” look at coming of age in 1950s Littleton, Langer says.
“Not Fade Away,” by Laurence Shames and Peter Barton. The account of philanthropist Barton’s life – he died of cancer in 2002 – is “inspirational, but not sappy.”
“Personal History,” by Katharine Graham. The autobiography of the famous Washington Post publisher offers insights on how women deal with power.
HISTORY AND *REPORTAGE
“No Ordinary Time,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. An account of Eleanor and Franklin Delano Roosevelt during World War II that Bill Clinton, visiting the Tattered Cover LoDo while president, called the most important history book he had ever read.
“The Big Year,” by Mark Obmascik. The former Denver Post reporter won critical praise for his entertaining and compelling account of birders.
POETRY
Though it can make people uncomfortable, “Everyone needs a little poetry in their life,” says Langer. Among modern or contemporary poets, former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, Pablo Neruda and Maya Angelou stand out.
Collins, whose books include “Nine Horses,” writes plainly and beautifully and “is not that much work”; “men just love Neruda … more on gut than fact”; and Angelou offers a female perspective.
Romantic poets men take to include Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats, Langer says.
COOKING
“Denver Men in the Kitchen,” by Candis Kloverstrom. “Delicious, hot and saucy dishes from some of Colorado’s most interesting men,” says the website.
“Rick & Lanie’s Excellent Kitchen Adventures,” by Rick and Lanie Bayless. The chef and his teenage daughter show how parents and kids can bond through sharing a meal.
“Cooking to Hook Up,” by Ann Marie Michaels and Drew Campbell. One way to a woman’s heart is through you know where.
PSYCHOLOGY AND SELF-HELP
“The Bastard on the Couch,” edited by Daniel Jones. The subtitle of this powerful essay collection is “27 Men Try Really Hard to Explain Their Feelings About Love, Loss, Fatherhood, and Freedom.”
“King, Warrior, Magician, Lover,” by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette. Archetypes offer a compelling and useful guide to the male psyche.
“The Seasons of a Man’s Life,” by Daniel J. Levinson. “This is a classic” about dealing with the different stages of life, Bollhoefer says.
“What Makes a Man,” edited by Rebecca Miller. In this essay collection, subtitled “22 Writers Imagine the Future,” manhood in the 21st century is explored.
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
“Real Men Do Yoga,” by John Capouya. Sports stars, including pitcher Al Leiter, golfer David Duval and running back Eddie George, offer testimonials and comments.
“Younger Next Year,” by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge. The subtitle to this humorous read is “A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond.”
“Facing the Fifties,” by Gordon Ehlers and Jeff Miller. The Colorado authors offer a reference guide for midlife.
“Colorado’s Sanctuaries, Retreats and Sacred Places,” by Jean Torkelson. The Rocky Mountain News religion writer lists places to find our center.
HOME AND GARDEN
“Xeriscape Colorado: The Complete Guide,” by Connie Lockhart Ellefson and David Winger. Water-wise gardening.
“Rocky Mountain Gardener’s Guide,” by John L. Cretti. The author is a Colorado native known as “Dr. Green Thumb.”
“Green Remodeling,” by David R. Johnston and Kim Master. A guide to ecologically sound architecture and home improvement.
“Feng Shui Your Work Spaces,” by Sharon Stasney. Enhance your peace of mind and efficiency at the office.
GROOMING AND FASHION
“Off the Cuff,” by Carson Kressley and Jason O’Malley. Kressley, a star of TV’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” offers style tips.
“The Metrosexual Guide to Style,” by Michael Flocker. A funny, edgy look at grooming, dating etiquette and why we shouldn’t wear pleated plants.
ARTS
“Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers,” by Leonard Koren. No, it’s not about sushi; it’s about finding “beauty and aesthetics in things that aren’t perfect,” Isberg says.
“Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration With Nature,” by Andy Goldsworthy. The artist, subject of the documentary “Rivers and Tides,” creates sublime temporal art from nature, including rock walls and stick structures.
Got any book suggestions for guys? Send them in, and I’ll print them.
Staff writer Vic Vogler can be reached at 303-820-1749 or vvogler@denverpost.com.
