Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Reviews in the News

As most of us missed the Edinburgh Book Festival this year, I thought I would direct you to this brief summary of the highlights (positive and negative). I will admit it was the article's subheading "Best Use of Inner Demons" which caught my eye.

For "The Wire" fans among us, you might check out "The Cut" recently reviewed in NYT.

Good luck tackling those lingering summer reads before the holiday creeps in to give us the indication that temps might soon stay below anything that begins with a 9. Happy reading.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

M-brace Sunday

Little did I expect the useful machete tips from Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams. This book has made me both much more interested in making the trek and more apprehensive that I am a little too far removed from my backpacking days to try it.

A Sunday is a good day for Machu Picchu, movies, mimosas, making music, and meditating. Make the most of your weekend.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Ice Ice Baby

Four hours from Seward, Alaska September 2004

Sometimes life gives us clues that things may not go as planned: a first mate with a dark coat, hat pulled over his eyes smoking a Camel; a captain with hooks instead of hands; a boat that is significantly smaller than the others; and a trip paid for by a frugal customer. This was our story.

On the up side, before the three hour Gilligan's tour where life rocked before my eyes like a Stephen King see-saw, I saw my first glacier. The picture above is a digital scan of an old school photo; everything did look this blue.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Pondering

"To be awake is to be alive."
- Henry David Thoreau from Walden

As I did my laps around the pond this morning (and fought the gnats), I thought of autumn days passed in quiet places, of lakes and benches, and of falling leaves. I thought of living deliberately and of Walden.

"Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star." - HDT

Monday, August 22, 2011

Font-ain of Youth

I may have to change the timing of when I'm reading Turn Right at Machu Picchu. The last few nights my dreams have been of walking, shoe adjustments and other exercise. The good news is that I have avoided the "puma wakachi" (the bug that makes the puma cry) in my subconscious state.

For the editors, logophiles, people (like me) who find themselves debating the use of "Arial", or if you own one of these shirts, you may wish to add Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield to your reading lists. It might Pico your interest.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Existential Potential

I spent most of the day talking. In a brief day trip, I got to catch up with some of my favorite people. My lessons:

Over shampoo: Life goes on. Kids are happy. Sometimes it takes a haircut to find yourself.

Over coffee #1: Life is beautiful. Everything is cyclical.

Over brats: Geo-thermal units are pricey. Take a break from work sometimes. When things get really messy, use a fork.
[Side note: when a proprietor remembers your name and order though you haven't been a customer in over six months, you feel awesome.]

Over coffee #2: It's important to warm up. There is a woman who will always have had a worse first date than you.

Over reading water: 3-Iron was a great movie. Being spontaneous has its rewards.

Over the road: It's easier to remember birthdays if they are prime numbers. If you are a good listener, it will be several minutes before the caller realizes the call was dropped.

Hope a great weekend full of delight.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Wilde Thing

GBC P@1ge reports a successful August meeting and that the club did discuss the book. I would have enjoyed listening to the conversation about the dull middle of The Picture of Dorian Gray and how the book progressed to a fairly snappy ending. The meal's base was a risotto bar - extremely clever, Marcia. Each could sample a little of what pleased them (much like our main character).

For those reading along, the end of year reads include:

September - The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
October - The Room by Emma Donoghue
November - Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
December - Poetry of your choice

With temperatures that finally dipped below 90, it is beginning to feel like autumn reading is here.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Potato, Potahto

There are moments in a single person's life that one learns too late that an item has been improperly stored. In that moment of realization, the organic principles that you did not pick up during your undergraduate degree somehow manage to come to the forefront of your mind, and the most avid of recyclers will toss containers without a moment's thought in order to bring their abode back to a more normal olfactory state.

In this vein, I offer Annie Nichols' potatoes as a way to avoid a counter of offending tubers. Her small book is full of tasty nuggets such as potato gratin made in a springform cake pan and whose accompanying photo makes this dish look like a collection of delicate layers just waiting for a fork. Roti, curry, stew, hasselbacks and a chile potato tart are a few of the other recipes which round out the book and give me reasons to use those obscure pans I have amassed over the last ten years of baking.

Mr. Potato, I've got my eyes on you.

[A link to the book can be found here, however there appears to be numerous variations on the 2003 printing. My copy has delicious crispy fries on the cover which I cannot seem to find for you.]

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Born to Be Wilde

With a few days remaining, you still have time to finish this month's GBC selection The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I finished this read on a train from Florence to Rome a few months ago, however while trying to recount the book this weekend to GBC P@1ge, I realized just how much I had forgotten. (I lay blame for overlooked details to the exceedingly early hour of the journey, the previous night's reading water, and the distractions of the country-side.)

There are so many quips about beauty: skin deep, eye of the beholder, a welcome guest. How do you value beauty, and for what, if anything, would you barter to keep it? Dorian Gray is worth at least one thousand words; the discussion should be quite interesting.

Friday, August 12, 2011

The Beach Boys...make that Girls

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
- William Blake taken from
Auguries of Innocence


As a nod to the recent travel reads and the winding down of summer, today's photo is a beach holiday. I took this snapshot on 10-10-10 in Aruba. [The sunset was so beautiful that evening that I think nearly every guest snapped a near-same image.]

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Child of the Sun

If anyone describes one of my works to be a "600-page doorstop classic" that allegedly even offspring would not read for $10 (early 1900s dollar), please stage an intervention, and give said books to faulty door owners in the surrounding area.

I am really enjoying Mark Adams' Turn Right at Machu Picchu that I began a few days ago. I like his style, his choice of wording (example above), and selection of quotes such as "His facts are extremely interesting; his presentation of them is clumsy and tedious," describing Bingham's writing. (Hiram Bingham III is one of our hero explorers on the journey through Peru.) Chapters are short and titles are clever which makes the book extremely suitable to read after a long day.

Plane ticket purchase pending.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Boa to Tears

"Your boa has constricted itself." - Sarah

Her comment was directed to our author recapping an obvious issue when his feather boa became tangled into his bike's derailleur. As I moved through the last essay in Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do it by Geoff Dyer, I thought the expression an apt description for the book. Perhaps I should taken my own advice and read an essay here or there rather than moving through the second half of the book in one sitting (with copious amounts of coffee).

The experiences became a bit of a blur and I am now hard-pressed to remember which girl went with which city and whether or not there were drugs involved. Perhaps this is the author's intent. The second half of the book beginning near "Decline and Fall" moves through several essays which contain a mousy hotel, a dead body, a breakup, lonely travel, and crying over breakfast. (Not exactly the thing to read during a rain storm if you are looking for a pick me up.)

On a positive note, "Leptis Magna" introduced me this site in Libya, and "The Zone" gave me insights into Burning Man. As I closed the last few pages, I could not help feeling as though I missed the something that I was supposed to take away.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Babble Babel

When I first opened the box to reveal a trio of books, my first thought was, "Oh, I have made a mistake when writing." After discovering the gift note from one of my dear friends and GBC members, I quickly moved to "Presents!" I later learned this NPR review for grammarians was at the heart of inspiration for this package.

A Dictionary of Modern English Usage by H.W. Fowler has four columns devoted to prepositions at the end of a sentence. Even via social media with 140 character constraints, I try to avoid the ending preposition. The tweets where I fail haunt me like the memory of my fourth grade teacher with pencils in her hair. With my morning coffee, I have reviewed onomatopeia and ottava rima.

John McWhorter's Introduction to The Power of Babel compares language to cloud formations. I like clouds so I immediately started skimming to see whether the book included Finnish. (Hyvä.)

The Lexicographer's Dilemma by Jack Lynch is yet untouched save a check of the dedication. He gives nods to three great teachers; I wonder if any had pencils in their hair.

Thanks GBC P@1ge.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

In-Titled

The Long List for the Man Booker prize was announced last week. There were a few familiar authors but most of the other thirteen would be new reads for me. The short list will be announced in just over a month, and it is from this list I usually pull a new read. (Last year it was Room.)

Perhaps just as entertaining is the complete list of titles submitted for the "create your own Man Booker prize worthy title" which includes 10 references to "Tiger", "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead," and "Life of 22/7." On that (constant) note, have a great end of week.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Third Parallel

I have known those who read multiple books concurrently. I have heard various explanations: scholarly approach, boredom, inability to commit, or the right to brag at parties (which as I type the list, seems to resemble dating).

I tend to stand by my book but last night was forced into a plan C. Like many of you, I enjoy reading just before falling asleep. As I settled in for another chapter or two of Yoga for People Who Can't be Bothered to Do It, I saw this message:


[Don't worry if you can't read the text; just think of it as seeing through my glasses.] I was foiled by technology. Time to initiate a backup plan.

My Faraway One? Remember this book is heavy and I did not want the sensation of burning biceps as I nodded off. So it was that last night I began Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams. Chapter One reaffirmed my desire to visit and secured the novel's place as my next read. Judging from the sheer volume of reviews I scrolled through to find Mr. Adams link, I am not the only fan.