Here by Richard McGuire

Here, by Richard McGuire, smells really good.

Okay, let me rephrase that. You know when you find a book that has such high quality paper that it smells like every dream and aspiration you've ever had? I would probably live with my face inside of these books if could do it without people calling me crazy. I actually took this book to school and made everybody smell it. So if for no other reason, get this book so you can smell it. It's reason enough.

Fine. It doesn't just smell good. It's one of this books that is not just a read--it's an experience. Because Here is about humans. The things that humans do everyday. It's a graphic work of art set in one room over the course of our past--and our future. It shows snippets of the daily lives of people that could be you or me--things like picking up a book or admonishing an elderly father for needing so much help. Interaction: the only thing that lets someone point at and animal and a human and differentiate between the two.

This plotline could turn out to be extremely boring. However, McGuire has managed to do the opposite. What makes this book so beautiful is the fact that it gives you a picture if the longevity of humans and the patterns of our existence, but in the same image showas our complete and total brevity in the overall scheme of things.

Here is a "see it and believe it" (and then smell it) kind of book. Trying to explain a book like this is like showing people a recreation of the Mona Lisa--you can marvel at the imitation, but it's nothing compared to the real thing. The only way to experience Here is to read it. And then you can smell it! Everybody wins.