Rebecca Solnit is my author crush of the year. Wanderlust does not have the lyrical inventiveness of The Faraway Nearby. It's a straightforward nonfiction read by someone who has nerded out on research — more along the lines of Solnit's "A Paradise Built in Hell," but it's fascinating nonetheless.

While I was reading it I kept wondering, "Could there really be this much to say about walking?" but there was.

And then, "Am I really interested enough to read more?" but I was (fervently highlighting passages, pausing to read Henry David Thoreau's essay "Walking" and making notes for further reading as well).

Best of all, Solnit makes a case that walking is a creative, revolutionary act. It's empowering.

If you like to walk and read and create and change the world, this book is fuel.

I've been taking a lot of long walks and my joy in them is increased since reading this book. The way I move through space, through my community, with my love — it's amazing.

"I stride along with calm, with eyes, with shoes, / with fury, with forgetfulness" — Pablo Neruda

Quotes:
"Walking, ideally, is a state in which the mind, the body, and the world are aligned, as though they were three characters finally in the conversation together three notes suddenly making a chord."

"Exploring the world is one of the best ways of exploring the mind, and walking travels both terrains."

"So stories are travels and travels are stories."

"To write is to carve a new path through the terrain of the imagination, or to point out new features on a familiar route."

"Walking is an indicator species for various kinds of freedoms and pleasures: free time, free and alluring space, and unhindered bodies."

i had wanted this to be more philosophical in a poetic way. definitely way more historical than i had anticipated. kinda felt like reading a textbook at times. the beginning chapter on the evolution of bipedalism though was great, reminded me of my human evolution phase i had at 14 years old.

I've been trying to catch up on everything Rebecca Solnit-authored that I've missed (and it's quite a bit) and discovered this gem of an exploration of walking. That's right--walking. Solnit looks at history, landscape, walking tours, social class-- I enjoyed it all.

I keep thinking this is such a great topic, and I like the author's works, and there's so much potential... but I haven't been a fan of the book so far.

This will be the first book discussed for walking book club.

At some point this year, Rebecca Solnit's name and books came to my attention. I wish I could remember how or why this happened. All that really matters is that I gotten to read some fascinating books. This is my second, No Ordinary Land by Laura McPhee included an essay by Solnit.

Microhistories, detailed books about one subject have probably existed for a long time, but the genre has grown like crazy in the last decade. Who knew that a whole book on salt, pencils, turquoise or walking could be so interesting. Solnit has written an excellent example of narrative non-fiction.

Solnit did her research and seems to have covered walking as throughly as one could. This is not a dry book. Solnit covers walking from pilgrimages to hiking through the streets of cities to suburbia, and her thoughts and excellent writing makes the journey very enjoyable.

In an interview, Solnit is asked to define herself as a type of author. She is unwilling to define herself as a particular kind of writer. She says, "I realized there that the genres — first-person lyrical essay, reportage, critical analysis — couldn’t be separate, that I needed all the tools..." in this case when she was writing about the Nevada test site. I think this is why I like Solnit's writing. She uses what she needs to tell her story. I am grateful that Solnit does not have one field that she writes about, but applies her knowledge to what she encounters. I look forward to meandering with Solnit again soon.

I recommend this book to readers who like to learn, who find books as a way to travel to new places and encounter different viewpoints.

Generally I really like Rebecca Solnit’s writing. The first 70% or so of this book, however, was a real slog for me. But I did quite enjoy the last 4 chapters-on gendered issues, suburbia (and exercise and bodies and consumption), art, and, surprisingly, Las Vegas (and commercialism, facades, nature, and space).