Robin M Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Good evening! Loving and laughing over the conversation on Zombies. Was following some of it this morning on my i-phone and ended up burning my toast. :lol: I'd say that in Justin Cronin's The Passage and The Twelve, the vampires were more zombiesh than vampirish. I seem to recall Zombies in Jeaniene Frost Night Huntress series and C.E. Murphy's Walking Dead was great. I can't remember any other books right now other than Laurel Hamilton's Anita Blake series which contained some zombies but her's are really r rated with sex and violence. I have Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters in my stacks but have yet to read it. Right now I'm still on my paranormal binge and knee deep in vampires in book # 4 in Elizabeth Hunter's Elemental Mysteries series - A Fall of Water. Her writing has improved with each book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 The Summer Book....loveliness. I went to do a search for this book on Amazon and typed in the word 'the' and the very first thing that came up was 'walking dead'! They're everywhere... :willy_nilly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 :hurray: Doing the happy dance - just checked my balance in Barnes and Noble and received a whopping $115.00 from the ebook settlement. So I guess I won' t complain about the measly .73 cents from Amazon. :coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 I'm reading The Smartest Kids in the World Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 For Krzhizhanovsky, the penetration of vision into the world becomes emblematic of fiction’s aim—as the novel’s narrator exults on the final page—to “break out of my orbit and step out of my ‘I’!†(111). Orbit here carries its ocular meaning as the eyesocket as well as its astronomical sense, and is thematically related to a larger debate over whether a work of art suffers by obscurity or finds its uncompromising perfection in isolation—whether a stage play needs an “outside pair of eyes†or whether a performer ought rather to “gouge them out†(18-19). His story “In the Pupil†is entirely motivated by the narrator observing his reflection in his lover’s eye as he bends down to kiss her: this diminutive image is lured down the optic nerve into the woman’s brain to join the homunculi of her other forgotten lovers, and after many adventures absconds back to the narrator with the leather-bound volume of the woman’s memory. An exchange of glances precipitates a fantastic exchange of consciousnesses. This paragraph from the Emery review of writer Sigimund Krzhizhanovsky has stayed with me, particularly the bolded and it's what was on my mind as I swam up to the surface of consciousness earlier this morning. It's a beautiful reframing of the 'tree falling in the forest, does it make a sound' question', but more complex, more layered and with deeper implications around the idea and question of the responsibility and active participation of the reader/viewer. I like to think I have a certain responsibility towards whatever piece of art I'm engaged with, that I'm not just a passive receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 http://flavorwire.com/387224/25-vintage-photos-of-librarians-being-awesome I saw this on pinterest this morning: 25 vintage photos of librarians. Some are quite fascinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welovetoread Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Happy week 13 BAW'ers. Life has been busy and my to read pile keeps growing, while my read pile is shrinking. I have way to many books on my kindle to read and in paper book form. Haha!! I am currently loving christian historical fiction. I have never gotten into this genre but have found a few that I love. Right now, I am reading The Sister Wife by Diane Noble. The next in that series, The Betrayal, is in my pile to read. I am also reading Arms of Love, by Kelly Long. This book is on my kindle and I found it when I was searching for another book on the library e book website. Its an Amish love story set in the 1700's. Not the typical amish novel and I am really enjoying it. As a family we are reading, Making Brothers and Sisters best friends, by the the Malley family. I have a growing pile to read...... Chandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 http://flavorwire.com/387224/25-vintage-photos-of-librarians-being-awesome I saw this on pinterest this morning: 25 vintage photos of librarians. Some are quite fascinating. Awesomeness indeed! Look at this one, the absorption, the bare feet, the clothes, and the little cutie in the too-big overalls with his hand in his mouth... ETA The librarian's saddle shoes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Orbit here carries its ocular meaning as the eyesocket as well as its astronomical sense, and is thematically related to a larger debate over whether a work of art suffers by obscurity or finds its uncompromising perfection in isolation This paragraph from the Emery review of writer Sigimund Krzhizhanovsky has stayed with me, particularly the bolded and it's what was on my mind as I swam up to the surface of consciousness earlier this morning. It's a beautiful reframing of the 'tree falling in the forest, does it make a sound' question', but more complex, more layered and with deeper implications around the idea and question of the responsibility and active participation of the reader/viewer. I like to think I have a certain responsibility towards whatever piece of art I'm engaged with, that I'm not just a passive receiver. Krzhizhanovsky writes much about the "I" and "the eye". One of his short stories in Corpse is about the little men who move into a woman's eye (literally)--and their fate once their mistress tires of them. All of the philosophical questions raised come with a wink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 http://flavorwire.com/387224/25-vintage-photos-of-librarians-being-awesome ...25 vintage photos of librarians. Some are quite fascinating. I particularly like the one labeled 'A librarian helps a young hooligan.' No judgement there! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 http://flavorwire.com/387224/25-vintage-photos-of-librarians-being-awesome I saw this on pinterest this morning: 25 vintage photos of librarians. Some are quite fascinating. LOL. Sexy Librarian was my favorite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 I particularly like the one labeled 'A librarian helps a young hooligan.' No judgement there! Regards, Kareni I found that one amusing also. And the hairdo in number five combined with her absorption...oh my! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 I liked the one with the girl standing on the bottom card catalog drawer to reach the top one. That would have been me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 I took a break from reading Kate Ellis mysteries to read a Kitty Norville werewolf paranormal on my kindle. I started reading them last winter at the suggestion of someone here and ran out of energy along the way but when I ran into them in th e library I checked the next one out. This one was quite good. The story kept moving and I read it really quickly. The previous one dragged a bit as I remember. This one was titled "kitty and the Dead Man's Hand" by Carrie Vaughn and didn't have a single zombie -- plenty of other things but no zombies. ;) The main plot of the series is Kitty is a DJ who hosts a late night call in radio show which evolves into a show about paranormal s where they can discuss their problems. Eventually she gets outed to the world at large and the series and her adventures take of. They all have pretty silly titles but are actually quite well written. I vote for the s*xyz librarian too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Last year, Robin mentioned artist Nina Katchadourian some of whose work has been published as Sorted Books. "Delighting in the look and feel of books, conceptual artist Nina Katchadourian's playful photographic series proves that books' covers—or more specifically, their spines—can speak volumes. Over the past two decades, Katchadourian has perused libraries across the globe, selecting, stacking, and photographing groupings of two, three, four, or five books so that their titles can be read as sentences, creating whimsical narratives from the text found there. Thought-provoking, clever, and at times laugh-out-loud funny (one cluster of titles from the Akron Museum of Art's research library consists of: Primitive Art/Just Imagine/Picasso/Raised by Wolves), Sorted Books is an enthralling collection of visual poems full of wry wit and bookish smarts." I read the book today in about half an hour; it was a quick but enjoyable read. A couple of my favorites from the book. Indian History for Young Folks Our Village Your National Parks and A Day at the Beach The Bathers Shark 1 Shark 2 Shark 3 Sudden Violence Silence Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 I'm heading out to help bolster the string section of a community orchestra tonight and trying to figure out what I want to listen to while driving about an hour each way. Do I want to be literary and listen to MIll on the Floss? Or silly and listen to a Terry Pratchett? Or dive into a chunkster fantasy world, Sanderson's Way of KIngs? What do I want??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'm heading out to help bolster the string section of a community orchestra tonight and trying to figure out what I want to listen to while driving about an hour each way. Do I want to be literary and listen to MIll on the Floss? Or silly and listen to a Terry Pratchett? Or dive into a chunkster fantasy world, Sanderson's Way of KIngs? What do I want??? Well, what will you be playing tonight? Something lyrical? Lively? Dramatic? Whimsical? That might be a way into figuring out what mood you want cultivate as you drive there. Too bad we can't come and hear you play. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 And for those who like a little classics with their zombie lit...Pride and Prejudice and Zombies :eek: Jane Austen fans shield yourselves from the travesty... My son adored Pride and Prejudice and Zombies when it came out in '09. But he fifteen or sixteen at the time--perfect adolescent kind of book. He also recommends another by the author Seth Grahame-Smith, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Of the books in the genre, he said that he thought I might actually like Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. I have no idea why. PPZ fulfilled whatever zombie quotient I had. I made my group of girls read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies a few years ago when leading older dd's Jane Austen Lit study. My dd couldn't finish it and neither could one of the other moms :lol: It was a bit...juicy (meant in the food sense LOL). Funny enough the younger brother who wanted nothing to do with Jane Austen chose to read PP&Z and join us for that discussion! He liked it. My dd got to the part about ripping hearts out and eating them and felt :ack2: and well, that was that. We could use some prayers today. Our dear friends are leaving for Africa for their 3rd missionary term this evening. Our kids are the same ages and are very close. Dd13 is going to be a wreck tonight as will I. Also, they leave their older dd here in the States at college. Last night we had all their friends here for a last sleepover. I still have 5 girls and 1 boy in the house till we go to the airport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Looking at Philosophy: I am at the part where George Moore and Bertrand Russell rebel. "With a sense of escaping from prison, we allowed ourselves to think that grass is green, that the sun and the stars would exist if noone was aware of them." (Yeah!) I know it won't last, but it is refreshing nonetheless. I am also reading A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. It is a lovely book, but I can't read more than a chapter at a time lest I be lulled to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Looking at Philosophy: I am at the part where George Moore and Bertrand Russell rebel. "With a sense of escaping from prison, we allowed ourselves to think that grass is green, that the sun and the stars would exist if noone was aware of them." (Yeah!) I know it won't last, but it is refreshing nonetheless. I am also reading A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. It is a lovely book, but I can't read more than a chapter at a time lest I be lulled to sleep. Re the bolded...no way can I read a chapter at a time. I think someone else, maybe Eliana, mentioned the same approach. I can't do it though, I'm good for several pages and then need to put it down, go back over what she wrote, digest it, see where it goes in my body, and then see if anything comes of it. It's going to be a slooooow but lyrical read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Re the bolded...no way can I read a chapter at a time. I think someone else, maybe Eliana, mentioned the same approach. I can't do it though, I'm good for several pages and then need to put it down, go back over what she wrote, digest it, see where it goes in my body, and then see if anything comes of it. It's going to be a slooooow but lyrical read. Notice that I said I can't read *more* than a chapter. (less is okay) ;) I usually just stop when I feel my head nod, or my thoughts wander down a rabbit trail that she started, or the book slips from my grasp. There is no sense of urgency, no sense of needing to accomplish something, no end to hurry toward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'm a bit behind in updating what I've been reading lately because we've been swamped with work and I haven't finished anything lately. Still reading: Stardust by Neil Gaiman The Last of the Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrew Edwards (loving this as a read aloud!) Finished by skim reading: Nurtureshock: New Thinking about Children by Po Bronson - *** - Maybe I'm too much of a skeptic about books like this that say that everything we learned from studies 30 years ago is wrong. Are we going to be saying the same thing about this book in 30 years?!?!? Despite my concerns with that there's still information that I found interesting and could implement in my parenting so it's worth a skim read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Well, just remember, Jane mentioned a book from this series... :lol: (Please excuse my 10yo humor this morning.) :smilielol5: Well, great minds thinking alike and all that because as I wrote that post out my mind went there too. What can I say, reading and writing is a visceral experience for me At any rate I'm glad to hear your 10 yo humorous self is fully engaged. I was coming here to post yet another dorky gif in the hopes that it would give you a laugh but the server isn't allowing me to post images unless I go through a lengthy process of captchas and a note to the site owners verifying my account :thumbdown: So just imagine a gorgeous red fox frolicking in the snow like a happy goof and you've got the happiness image I was thinking of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 At any rate I'm glad to hear your 10 yo humorous self is fully engaged. I was coming here to post yet another dorky gif in the hopes that it would give you a laugh but the server isn't allowing me to post images unless I go through a lengthy process of captchas and a note to the site owners verifying my account :thumbdown: So just imagine a gorgeous red fox frolicking in the snow like a happy goof and you've got the happiness image I was thinking of. :grouphug: Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'm a bit behind in updating what I've been reading lately because we've been swamped with work and I haven't finished anything lately. Still reading: Stardust by Neil Gaiman The Last of the Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrew Edwards (loving this as a read aloud!) Whangdoodles is one of ds's all time favorite books. And Stardust is on my tbr list for a 5/5/5 fairytale-myth-magic category. I've seen lots of references to it but have yet to dive into it. I did however buy 'An Evening with Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer' to listen to. Amanda Palmer is his wife, a youngish boundary-pushing singer/performer and they did an evening of poetry and music together. On the reading front for me...The Lemon Tree is holding my interest as I wend my way through lots of historical and cultural details which are interspersed with the story between these two families, Arab and Jewish. I hope to finish it up this weekend but reading has been slooow here all round. I did finally cave and buy Ami McKay's The Birth House which looks to be a good yarn with some stellar writing. I'm ahead of my 52-in-52 quota but am feeling the other books on my list, the more serious ones, pressing in at the sides of my consciousness like children leaning into their mama. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Well, just remember, Jane mentioned a book from this series... :lol: (Please excuse my 10yo humor this morning.) How come I can't see the jpeg? Did you put a curse on me, Stacia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 :grouphug: Thank you. You're welcome. Any time, my BaWer friend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 How come I can't see the jpeg? Did you put a curse on me, Stacia? Uh, I don't think I put a curse on you!?! :lol: Go here to see the cover: http://www.amazon.com/How-Poo-at-Work-Mats-ebook/dp/B00HU7ZIOO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396034028&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+poo+at+work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Uh, I don't think I put a curse on you!?! :lol: Go here to see the cover: http://www.amazon.com/How-Poo-at-Work-Mats-ebook/dp/B00HU7ZIOO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396034028&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+poo+at+work The Internet does not like me today. On another note...Those in need of a vicarious thrill (other than the sort Stacia is offering) might be interested in Bruce Weber's new book Life is a Wheel. Weber, whose real job is that of writing obituaries for the New York Times, took a needed sabbatical and rode his bicycle across the continent at age 57. Huzzah, I say. Weber was on the NPR program On Point. You can listen here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 ...Those in need of a vicarious thrill (other than the sort Stacia is offering) might be interested in Bruce Weber's new book Life is a Wheel. This does look interesting, so thanks for mentioning it, Jane. My husband bikes, so I'll be keeping this book in mind for him. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawneinfl Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 :hurray: Doing the happy dance - just checked my balance in Barnes and Noble and received a whopping $115.00 from the ebook settlement. So I guess I won' t complain about the measly .73 cents from Amazon. :coolgleamA: I got $9.99. Don't really know what happened but I'm happy that it's there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uff Da! Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Yes- I am still reading Gulliver's Travels after so many weeks! It's not that I don't like it, I just don't get through much at a time, which is not good since it is a read-aloud with ds. And I'm still only halfway through From This Holy Mountain by William Dalrymple and partway through The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith. I think I will focus on finishing already started books this week! Elaine I don't think I will finish Gulliver's Travels this week after all as I am distracted. LOL For the Children's Sake came into my possession and I've been hunting around for more Charlotte Mason stuff. I want to spread the love around and start a Charlotte Mason "Play and Sketch" nature journaling group this summer. Am I crazy? I'm also distracted because DD asked I advocate on her behalf and apparently I have a lot to learn about advocating. :svengo: I actually really liked Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer :blush: :blush: Apparently I can do emoticons on my new fire. Fun! :hurray: I prefer the old one but it won't let me post on WTM anymore although everything else works. Anyway after I got used to the vampire additions it was a good. I have thought about some of the others but have stayed away because of zombies. The concept is something that I would need to adjust to in mass. An occasional necromancer scene I can handle. ETA I see my slayer as opposed to hunter slip. :lol: I loved Buffy which explains it! I enjoyed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer too. I still haven't picked up Wuthering Bites. That has to be fun. I have never read anything quite like Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky's book of short stories, Autobiography of a Corpse. While they are stories, each feels like some sort of ontological exercise. If I were to say that a book is not a book for wimps, would you conclude that there is some sort of violent aspect to it? Well don't. Krzhizhanovsky is not for wimps and violence does not enter the picture. This author asks his readers deep and fundamental philosophical questions that left my head spinning. These short stories have moments of whimsy (a pianist's runaway fingers for example) but we come back repeatedly to wondering what it means to exist, what is this thing called "I", we analyze dialectics, we see simple acts reduced to metaphysical statements, we examine the nuance of language and then of course we have political philosophy... The author wrote about his work: “I am interested not in the arithmetic, but in the algebra.†We would probably be more familiar with Krzhizhanovsky's brilliance if Soviet censors had been more accommodating. He is now compared stylistically to Borges; influences on his writing include Poe, Hoffmann and Swift. I guess we call him Russian although Krzhizhanovsky's parents were Polish and he grew up in Ukraine where he attended Kiev University, studying law and classical philology. Later he became a lecturer on theater. I envision his deep pockets weighed down by Kant's Critique of Pure Reason or Hegel's Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences no matter where he went. See....now you've added another possible distraction from the WEM reading list. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawneinfl Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Of course the week we're deep in Zombie land I get a box of eyeballs in the mail for my science class to dissect. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 On another note...Those in need of a vicarious thrill (other than the sort Stacia is offering) might be interested in Bruce Weber's new book Life is a Wheel. Weber, whose real job is that of writing obituaries for the New York Times, took a needed sabbatical and rode his bicycle across the continent at age 57. Huzzah, I say. Weber was on the NPR program On Point. You can listen here. And if yet more vicarious thrills (?) are sought, Devra Murphy biked, solo, from Nairobi to Capetown, twice, once just before/during/after Mandela's first election. As I recall she was something like 65 at the time. Huzzah, indeed. It looks like it's out of print except for Kindle these days... we read it last year when we were in SA. Fascinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 ... and I've been hunting around for more Charlotte Mason stuff. I want to spread the love around and start a Charlotte Mason "Play and Sketch" nature journaling group this summer. Are you familiar with the book The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, 1906: A Facsimile Reproduction of a Naturalist's Diary by Edith Holden? It's an excellent example of a nature journal. (Incidentally, I have a couple of copies for sale on the Classifieds Board.) "In 1906, Edith Holden recorded in words and images the flora and fauna of the British countryside through the changing seasons. For 70 years, her enchanting journal lay undiscovered--until 1977, when it was first published with great success. ... All the charm and beauty of the original remains intact in this facsimile, with Holden's carefully handwritten entries: favorite poems, personal thoughts, observations of the wildlife she saw in her native Warwickshire; and remarks on her travels throughout England and Scotland. On every page, her exquisitely rendered paintings--executed with a naturalist's eye for detail and an artist's sensitivity and skill--capture birds perched on branches, their mouths open in song; a tiny shrew mouse, sniffing the air; delicate butterflies and slithering snakes; fluttering leaves; and an array of flowers, from pink foxgloves and trailing roses to yellow water lilies. And, each spellbinding picture reflects her deep love of nature." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 And if yet more vicarious thrills (?) are sought, Devra Murphy biked, solo, from Nairobi to Capetown, twice, once just before/during/after Mandela's first election. As I recall she was something like 65 at the time. Huzzah, indeed. It looks like it's out of print except for Kindle these days... we read it last year when we were in SA. Fascinating. I love her stuff! I went through a real Dervla Murphy kick at one point. Full Tilt, Eight Feet in the Andes and On a Shoestring to Coorg were among my favorites though I now see she's written a few more that look interesting. She's a bit of a warrior and her daughter, young at the time the books were written, comes off as no slouch either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I haven't read it, but I just heard the following book recommended. It might be of interest to those doing food 5/5/5 challenges. Cumin, Camels, and Caravans: A Spice Odyssey by Gary Paul Nabhan "Gary Paul Nabhan takes the reader on a vivid and far-ranging journey across time and space in this fascinating look at the relationship between the spice trade and culinary imperialism. Drawing on his own family’s history as spice traders, as well as travel narratives, historical accounts, and his expertise as an ethnobotanist, Nabhan describes the critical roles that Semitic peoples and desert floras had in setting the stage for globalized spice trade. Traveling along four prominent trade routes—the Silk Road, the Frankincense Trail, the Spice Route, and the Camino Real (for chiles and chocolate)—Nabhan follows the caravans of itinerant spice merchants from the frankincense-gathering grounds and ancient harbors of the Arabian Peninsula to the port of Zayton on the China Sea to Santa Fe in the southwest United States. His stories, recipes, and linguistic analyses of cultural diffusion routes reveal the extent to which aromatics such as cumin, cinnamon, saffron, and peppers became adopted worldwide as signature ingredients of diverse cuisines. Cumin, Camels, and Caravans demonstrates that two particular desert cultures often depicted in constant conflict—Arabs and Jews—have spent much of their history collaborating in the spice trade and suggests how a more virtuous multicultural globalized society may be achieved in the future." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Kareni, your links sent me on various rabbit trails--what are links for if not for running through the long green grass of possibility--to have me arrive at Freya Stark. Her books look fascinating and I seem to recall her somewhere in the depths of memory from various library visits but I don't think I've ever actually read anything of hers. The writing appears solid and it seems she was a fairly intrepid traveler, so a winning combo. Some are even available on kindle. Jane, this seems like your kind of thing. Have you read any of her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 And this, Travels with a Tangerine. Stacia, this might be one for you? It looks really interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Kareni, your links sent me on various rabbit trails--what are links for if not for running through the long green grass of possibility--to have me arrive at Freya Stark. Her books look fascinating and I seem to recall her somewhere in the depths of memory from various library visits but I don't think I've ever actually read anything of hers. The writing appears solid and it seems she was a fairly intrepid traveler, so a winning combo. Some are even available on kindle. Jane, this seems like your kind of thing. Have you read any of her? I haven't read her books but I did read a fascinating biography about her: Passionate Nomad by Jane Fletcher Geniesse.http://www.amazon.com/Passionate-Nomad-Modern-Library-Paperbacks-ebook/dp/B003V4BOZW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396074998&sr=1-1&keywords=Passionate+nomad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 And this, Travels with a Tangerine. Stacia, this might be one for you? It looks really interesting. Definitely will have to check it out. Thanks for the heads-up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I haven't read her books but I did read a fascinating biography about her: Passionate Nomad by Jane Fletcher Geniesse.http://www.amazon.com/Passionate-Nomad-Modern-Library-Paperbacks-ebook/dp/B003V4BOZW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396074998&sr=1-1&keywords=Passionate+nomad. Thanks. Library has that one in circulation, not that I need another book for the tbr list but I guess 'need' is fairly irrelevant at this point :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Thanks. Library has that one in circulation, not that I need another book for the tbr list but I guess 'need' is fairly irrelevant at this point :lol: Same can be said for me. Just requested the Tangerine book from my library (but at least staggered the date so I will get it a little later). Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 That was skillful on your part. I seem to lack such practical talent. But that's okay 'cause I have other talents like being able to sing 'How Much is that Doggy in the Window?' in pig latin :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uff Da! Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Are you familiar with the book The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, 1906: A Facsimile Reproduction of a Naturalist's Diary by Edith Holden? It's an excellent example of a nature journal. (Incidentally, I have a couple of copies for sale on the Classifieds Board.) "In 1906, Edith Holden recorded in words and images the flora and fauna of the British countryside through the changing seasons. For 70 years, her enchanting journal lay undiscovered--until 1977, when it was first published with great success. ... All the charm and beauty of the original remains intact in this facsimile, with Holden's carefully handwritten entries: favorite poems, personal thoughts, observations of the wildlife she saw in her native Warwickshire; and remarks on her travels throughout England and Scotland. On every page, her exquisitely rendered paintings--executed with a naturalist's eye for detail and an artist's sensitivity and skill--capture birds perched on branches, their mouths open in song; a tiny shrew mouse, sniffing the air; delicate butterflies and slithering snakes; fluttering leaves; and an array of flowers, from pink foxgloves and trailing roses to yellow water lilies. And, each spellbinding picture reflects her deep love of nature." Regards, Kareni See, now I have another distraction. Let me think about this one. :drool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I love her stuff! I went through a real Dervla Murphy kick at one point. Full Tilt, Eight Feet in the Andes and On a Shoestring to Coorg were among my favorites though I now see she's written a few more that look interesting. She's a bit of a warrior and her daughter, young at the time the books were written, comes off as no slouch either. A Moment by the Sea Encounters in Gaza looks really good. Kareni, your links sent me on various rabbit trails--what are links for if not for running through the long green grass of possibility--to have me arrive at Freya Stark. Her books look fascinating and I seem to recall her somewhere in the depths of memory from various library visits but I don't think I've ever actually read anything of hers. The writing appears solid and it seems she was a fairly intrepid traveler, so a winning combo. Some are even available on kindle. Jane, this seems like your kind of thing. Have you read any of her? The name rings a bell but no I have not read any of her works. My library website is down (grumble, grumble)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 See, now I have another distraction. Let me think about this one. :drool: It is a beautiful book. I own one myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 :smilielol5: :tongue_smilie:Normally, I don't really care for short stories, but I am still reading & loving Langston's Hughes' collection, The Ways Of White Folks. As I mentioned last week... ouch. And wow. The emoticons at the start of Stacia's quote refuse to go quietly, I keep deleting and the stay. :lol: I just wanted to comment on the amazing things I learn hanging out here , a week ago I had no clue who Langston Hughes was and now when his poetry was referenced in my current book I knew exactly who he was. I also know a lot more about zombies ;) I am reading "Boy, Snow,Bird" rather slowly and Langston Hughes was just mentioned. Enjoying the book. It seems to be one where I take a few sips and need to sit back and ponder. I also now know why some of us have a snake on the cover, I don't understand the fairy tale pertaining to the snake fully. Hoping clarity comes as I continue to wind my way through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I love her stuff! I went through a real Dervla Murphy kick at one point. Full Tilt, Eight Feet in the Andes and On a Shoestring to Coorg were among my favorites though I now see she's written a few more that look interesting. She's a bit of a warrior and her daughter, young at the time the books were written, comes off as no slouch either. I've never read anything else by her, just Limpopo, but oh.my.word. New definition of intrepid. Her daughter couldn't get a visa, but really wanted to be there for the election, and there's an account of them crossing over a mountain through guerrilla territory in Mozambique. Then you look at the picture on the back cover and she's the most unassuming looking Irish matron... :huh: My life is very, very tame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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