Snail by Peter Williams (University of Chicago Press, $19.95 paper, 9781861895288/1861895283, October 15, 2009)
Opening lines of books we want to read:
So attached was the author Patricia Highsmith to snails that they became her constant travelling companions. Secreted in a large handbag or, in the case of travel abroad, carefully positioned under each breast, they provided her with comfort and companionship in what she perceived to be a hostile world.
Theirs was an unusual relationship: one normally reserved for a dog or a cat. For most human beings just the mention of the word snail brings out a negative response; certainly not warmth or affection or a desire to share living space . . . Try looking at the shelves of any bookshop for a volume on snails that is complimentary to them and you will be disappointed. The language is often heated and full of military metaphors.
--Selected by Marilyn Dahl
