36 posts tagged “books”

My blogging hasn't been up to par lately. I go through spurts where I am very gung-ho, then nada for a while. Hopefully I'm back on a writing spurt. Well, I need to be at least.

Chowing on books like they are candy. Here's the sweet update:

#25  The Ominvore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan -- Every American should read this eye-opening book. It will drastically change the way you think about the food you eat.

This weekend I really cranked up the volume on the books, finishing

#26  Walden by Thoreau -- Oddly I had never read this delightful book but the cranky old philosopher. Surprising considering I worked in Concord for the last four years. I think that made it all the more enjoyable. I knew the terrain and could identify with his ongoing sense of wonder. I love the last chapter, weirdly tacked on, about how he distrusts and hates the government!

I also read...

#27  Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Mosoch -- 19th c. SM erotica. Which means no skin and all innuendo. Interesting but not terribly titillating.

#28   Animal Farm by George Orwell -- I hadn't read this before either and WOW. Talk about apropos to much of the fear-mongering of our present day. Amazing book. History or should I say, circumstance, really does cycle and repeat.

#29  The History of Love by Nicole Krauss -- Easy read for me...about 3 hours. A really nicely woven tale about a book, the author, his son, the translator and her daughter.

#30  1984 by George Orwell  -- Re-read this book after I finished Animal Farm. Always an amazing book...this is the third or fourth time I've read it. At some point in their life, everyone should read this and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

I'm still reading Don Quixote which is a fun read. I tackle that a few chapters at a time, but it's just so damn big that I'll be lucky to get that done before the end of the year (same with War & Peace!). Also reading Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides which I expect to finish fairly soon.

I also managed to hit up the Lenox library sale over the weekend. Most of the books were donated, not originally library books. Scored all sorts of books including a first edition with a nearly pristine dust jacket of Zorba the Greek. Bought it for $1.50 but a cursory research shows it could be worth anywhere from $150-640. Pretty sweet IMHO.

Fruits & Veggies Delivered to Your Door

I've been reading Michael Pollan's Ominvore's Dilemma and aside from a general desire to eat more healthfully, I have become very motivated to try and eat mostly organic and as local as possible. I really want to cut out as much processed foods as possible and search out meat that is truly pasture fed, not just the "free range" marketing ploy of industrial organic farms.

For me the meat is the bigger deal. I want to try and cut out most meat unless it's organic, grain-fed and pasture-raised if at all possible. We're looking into meat lots from Caledonia Farm in Barre, MA but we missed the last deadline so we're on a waiting list.

The farm lots for many of the farms in the area are long since out for the summer so we decided we'd try out Boston Organics, which delivers a weekly box of organic fruits and veggies. They try to get their food locally when possible but may get some fruits from California, Florida or tropical fruits from organic farms in South Amica. I mean let's face it...hard to grow bananas in New England. We're getting the $29 box 1/2 fruit and 1/2 vegetables.

This week's box will include:

1.5 lbs Bananas
1 Grapefruit
0.5 lbs Kiwis
2 Nectarines
3 Paula Red Apples*
2 Valencia Oranges
2 Yellow Peaches
1 Avocados
1 Cucumbers*
1 Green Bell Peppers (PA)
1 bunch Red Kale*
1 head Romaine/Leaf Lettuce*
0.75 lbs Summer Squash (yellow/green)*
2 ears of Supersweet Corn*

One of the best things about Boston Organics is that you can choose if you really don't want something in your box. So out of this box I won't be getting the peppers (just can't eat them without consequences) and the kale (blech!). They'll substitute with other fruits and veggies instead (hopefully more corn!). The asterisks mean the produce is local.

Sooo not only will we be getting our fruits and veggies, but we'll be cutting out pesticides and chemical fertilizers from the mix. I do wish that overall the box was more local (peaches are being harvested in MA, for example, and what about local blueberries?), but it's a step in the right direction. We've found organic foods and grass fed meats to be more flavorful as well. I'll let you know how it goes!

If only I were better about doing this AS I'm reading vs. way after the fact. I think we're on number 18.

And so, here we go:

#18  The Tent by Margaret Atwood - Poetical little vignettes of fiction, similar to her book Good Bones & Simple Murders.  I really enjoyed this tiny book, filled with her own illustrations.

#19  Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I picked this up as an audiobook, narrated by Gerard Doyle, who creates voices for all the characters (some of which are terribly annoying).  As for the book, Paolini was young when Eragon was first published and everyone was fascinated by the fact that he managed to write and publish at 15 (it was first self-published by his family). There is a lot about the book that shows it was written by someone so youthful--the fantasy world was somewhat typical with dragons, elves, dragons and orc-like creatures. Some of the scenes make you roll your eyes with the melodrama. But what brings it home is the story--he's a master storyteller and you end up being sucked in even if the execution is weak in spots. I'm already on the next book, Eldest and I look forward to the third in the series, Brisinger. Paolini is 25 now and what's very exciting about reading a young author who is great at the story is that there is a very good chance his writing will improve over time. I really look forward to watching that progression.

#20 Groundswell by Josh Bernoff & Charlene Li -  Excellent business book on social media. Great case studies and examples.

#21 The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott - one of the best new books on social media. If you are a PR pro you need to pick this up.

#22 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser - Greg got me this for my birthday. Wow. What a shocking book this must have been when it came out. And how depressing is the end!!! Overall, very good read.

#23 Lavinia by Ursula K. Leguin -  I love this author so much. She writes beautiful, character rich stories that I can't ever get enough of. In this book she explores ancient ancient Roman history, writing about Lavinia, a woman who we only know as the wife of Aeneas because of a line in Virgil's poem. Aboslutely lovely.

Love love love my new toy!  I blogged about it over on my writing blog, so I'll send you there for the review. Oh oh I'm a very happy camper!

My New Kindle

Sooo I know I promised to read 50 books this year, and I AM well on my way but have been lax on updating. Here are my most recent reads:

#11   Livia by Anthony Barrett  -- a wonderful biography about Augustus Caesar's wife, Livia.

#12  Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges -- This book is on the favorite list of many literary-minded friends and I have to admit that I just don't see why it's so brilliant overall. Maybe I'm the one that's not so brilliant, sigh.

#13  The Game by A.S. Byatt -- It was just ok. Nothing of the brilliance that Possession had. Overall I felt like it was rather a let down. But I bought it second hand for about $2 so I suppose it evens out.

#14  Salem Falls -- Jodi Picoult -- Better by far than The Game but still, just OK. I picked it up at the airport in Oakland in a shop that had a terrible selection of books. She has done some work with Grub Street in the past so I tend to want to patronize authors connected with one of my favorite organizations. It's an easy read but the whole teen witchy thing felt cliched.

#15 The Witch of Portobello -- Paulo Cohelo  who, according to the book flap, is one of the most beloved writers of our time (he is?).  So I haven't read the Alchemist yet, don't sue me. At any rate, this book was also a fast-paced read but I did find that the ending rather fell flat for me as some great "literary" fiction has a tendency to do. Again, maybe I just don't have an overall affinity for the esoteric? What I liked about this book was the style--not a single bit of it was told from the POV of the main character but instead, through a series of interviews of everyone that knew her.

#16  The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay -- I really liked this book partially because it was about books and about a bookstore and because the characters are so strange and peculiar. Despite the oddness of the cast, the book is very accessible and reads quickly. Definitely recommend.

#17  The Collected Poems of Carl Sandburg  --  Ahhh just plain wonderfulness. I often read poetry to Joe before we go to sleep at night. When you read poetry aloud to someone who isn't much of a reader, you realize that accessiblilty is of the utmost importance. I was struck by how many of his poems, now 100 years old in many cases are still so very relevant, fluid and modern even today.

I'm also halfway through Aldous Huxley's The Island, partway through Margaret Atwood's The Tent and sigh of sighs, only about 400 pages into War and Peace. I like the Peace portion a lot but the War portions tend to drag on for me. And I can't figure out how late 18th Russia had so many damn princes and princesses...they seem to be everywhere you turn around!  

I'm not sure why I never have anything to say anymore, on either of my blogs. I'm usually spewing some drivel or another so you might think it would end up here, but well, I have to chalk it up to laziness.

At least with a list like this it proves you can find pretty much anything you want on the Net. And that Stumbleupon rules. Here are a few of my favorites to keep you busy for hours.

 And so, for your lazy link pleasure:

• Sunbeam Poem Projector
• LSD vs Alcohol vs Tree
• Stun your friends with these crazy Latin sayings!
• Mentos and Coke Record Explosion
  
  
  

  Mentos and Coke Record
• An Error
• Lots and lots of cat facts
• I am a Zombie Filled with Love
• The Ten Most Puzzling Ancient Artifacts
• Star Wars Urban Photography
  
  
  

  Don't Mess with Boba Fett
• 100 greatest dance songs of the 90s
• I'm a Creep
• Frank Melech's Dreamworld
• Book Autopsies
• Velociraptor season is here. Are you prepared?
• Don't Panic!
• To satisfy your morbid fascination
• 19.20.21
• Forbidden books
• World of Inspiration
• Sickeningly cute
• How to make roses from maple leaves (useful, I know!)
• CandyKitty will take care of your money (coveting)
• Cottonmonster
• May the force be with you
• 349 scandals in eight years with time for more!
• Face your childhood fears

Candy by Joshua Hoffine

That should keep you busy for now. :)

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  Jens Lekman at the Paradise
• Battlestar Galactica Season 4 (argh it starts the night of Jens Lekman! TG for TiVO!)
• Colin Meloy at the Somerville Theater
• Planning a little wine tasting party
• SPRING at the Mt. Auburn Cemetery
• Spring in general!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Ice cream season
• Cleaning up the back porch, potting flowers and getting ready for summer.
• Sitting on that same back porch and writing (although half the trees are gone and there is a massive house just feet away from ours now...maybe I'll have to scope out a park)
• Lavinia, by Ursula K. Leguin
• Going to the Langham Chocolate Bar for my birthday in June. I've been wanting to go since I moved here 11 years ago and this year is not going to pass without me going!
• Receiving this in the mail sometime this week!
• And this.

I haven't been posting as I go for the 50 in 365, but I have been reading. Sooo here is the backtrack for what I've read in the last two months.

#1-3

The Gormenghast Novels

The Gormenghast novels are really three books, Titus Groan, Gormenghast and Titus Alone. Incredible books, especially the first two, which chronicle the story of a very odd castle and its strange inhabitants, including the just born Titus Groan, the 77th Earl of Gormenghast. It's a well-written gothic fantasy of sorts, although it can hardly be called fantastic in that there is no magic, just an amazing cast of characters.

I highly highly recommend these books. The BBC and WGBH put out a mini-series a few years back that is based on the first two novels. I think that the mini-series would have been confusing to me if I hadn't read the books, but I thought that they did do justice to the story and they did a great job with casting. Netflix them AFTER you read the books.

Now You See Him: A Novel

I've read quite a few other books as well...

#4  After Gormenghast, I read Eli Gottleib's Now You See Him. It's not the type of book I would normally buy but I scored a free reviewers copy. It's a short, easy read. Interesting literary mystery novel if you like those sorts of things.

#5   I was looking for a book on my great reading list that I could take with me on a business trip I took in January. Joe convinced me to bring Great Expectations, which I, shockingly, have never read. In fact, I've never read any Dickens beyond certain passages handed out in writing classes in college. This is very strange to me, being such a literary freak and such a fan of British literature in general. Dickens' collected works are on my list to read, definitely. I really enjoyed the book but found it hard not to picture Ethan Hawke, Gwenyth Paltrow and DeNiro as characters. I hardly remember that movie but reading the book brought it back and it was difficult not to think of those actors as I was reading.

#6  I picked up Love in the Time of Cholera at the airport in Oakland, CA on my way back from that trip. I hadn't read it yet, nor have I seen the movie, but wow, what a beautiful story. I do want to rent the movie...can anyone tell me if the movie does the book justice?

#7 The Glass Castle was interofficed to me by a colleague who knows I like books. I don't typically read many memoirs but this one threw me for a loop. It's written by a now-successful journalist who was raised by parents who were rather fucked up but still loved their kids. The story chronicles the story of how they lived, in shacks, often without food or money or clean clothes. I was absolutely riveted.

Finite and Infinite Games

#8  Another book that I read, Finite & Infinite Games by James Carse, was a slim volume that I picked up as a result of some random blog post I read about cognition. Basically Carse presents a philosophy of looking at the world, either as a finite game or infinite game. Children play infinite games...neverending games without rules or boundaries. Adults define, place rules around and create finite games, which in turn create stress in our lives. I like the idea of figuring out how to let go a little, how to take life less seriously and how to shape the world into a game that I want to play rather than to play the finite games of others around me.

Incredible Good Fortune: New Poems

#9 If you love poetry, you must pick up Ursula K. LeGuin's Incredible Good Fortune. It's been a very long time since I have read a book of poetry that has pleased me so much. The poems are delightful, smart, charming and they are incredibly accessible.  I love the magic that weaves in and out of her words, as much here as in the many wonderful stories she has published throughout the years.

Lots and lots of books to read in the new year.

To start me out, I'm going to be tackling:

Trying to knock a few more off my massive lifelong booklist...I managed to check off about 50 this year, which is good considering that I only started it midyear. There are about 4k books on that list overall. I read about 21 or so books that are not on the main list, not counting all the many nonfiction Rome books I have been reading for research on my book. If I was only tackling books on my big list I probably would have plowed through a lot more. Goal this upcoming year is 100 books off the main booklist. Shouldn't be too hard...I read about 800 words a minute.

This week I read:

I also have been reading through You on a Diet which is pretty good, actually. Figured I could use some motivation in 2008. :)

I'll probably also snag a book on CD at the library, actually. I find that I really like listening on my drive to work. Right before Christmas I finished Pompeii, which I highly recommend.

Oh, and I zoomed through The Glass Castle right before Christmas. VERY VERY good--a book that will sit with me for years to come.


I think that's enough bookish things for now, don't you think?