There's not much reading involved in the Look-alikes books but you'll still spend hours with them. Creator Joan Steiner uses thousands of household objects to make models/collages of homes and community scenes. Pretzels become chair backs, dress shoes turn into top-down cars, dry lasagna noodles hang as ruffled curtains, a ghetto blaster morphs into a school bus with chocolate glazed doughnut wheels. Don't ignore the background - there are surprises there too.
Photographer Thomas Lindley has captured every detail in his beautifully clear photos. (Unless, of course, there are structural details we're not supposed to see.) Although your first impression is that the glove is a hill, you don't have to strain to see that the hill is, in fact, a glove.
These books are wonderful for stimulating creativity in young (and older) minds. They are fabulous for entertaining a broad range of ages all at the same time. They make you look differently at your surroundings. (They are also dangerous for anyone with even slight packrat tendencies because now everything can be saved "for a craft.") Teachers, children's group leaders, caregivers, and creative types can use these books as springboards for projects. Just imagine what you can do with a digital camera, a simple storyline, a bit of glue, some working space, and a whole lot of formerly useless stuff! (Best of all, once you have the pictures, you can ditch the model.)
Look-alikes books are by Joan Steiner. Published by Little, Brown and Co., starting in 1998. There are now at least 7 titles in the series, some, unfortunately, out of print.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Shakespeare : the world as stage
If anyone were to describe an author or speaker as capable of delivering 200 pages of text on virtually nothing, it would not generally be interpreted as a compliment. Bill Bryson, however, has managed to do just that and it is interesting and informative to boot.
There is very scant information about William Shakespeare in the historical record. Of course, the less information there is, the more room there is for speculation and the theories about Shakespeare's life and works go a long way toward filling out this volume.
Bryson begins with background information about the time, place, and society of Shakespeare's day. We learn about food (only the very poor ate vegetables; tea and coffee were unknown), schooling (early morning to late at night, six days a week), landmarks (London Bridge could qualify as a city on its own), health (or, more accurately, the lack of it), and, of course, entertainment (bear-baiting and other blood-sports were the recreation of choice).
Contrast today's behaviour at St Paul's cathedral with what was standard in the 1600s:
"...the cathedral was an infinitely noisier and more public place than we find today. Carpenters, bookbinders, scriveners, lawyers, haulers, and others all plied their trades within its echoing vastness, even during services. Drunks and vagrants used it...as a place of repose; some relieved themselves in corners. Little boys played ball games in the aisles until chased away. Other people made small fires to keep warm." (pg. 52)
Or compare their badges of affluence to ours: "Such was the popularity of sugar that people's teeth often turned black, and those who failed to attain the condition naturally sometimes blackened their teeth artificially to show that they had had their share of sugar, too." (pg. 55)
Although there is scant information to provide details on exactly where Shakespeare lived or which school he attended, we do have a detailed picture painted of what life was like in his day.
As that picture is revealed, Bryson summarizes the major theories of how Shakespeare might have fit in that world, and then evaluates those theories based on whatever information he has been able to assemble. We are regularly reminded that this is mostly conjecture, rather than knowledge, but we are told why the author endorses some theories and dismisses others.
On the whole, I found this an entertaining book. Although it is packed with information, it is not dry. Bryson has done an admirable job of pulling out memorable details about the culture. The vivid cultural picture not only provides a background for suppositions on Shakespeare's life, but also frames a context for his plays and other works.
Shakespeare : the world as stage by Bill Bryson. Published in 2007 by Atlas Books (HarperCollins imprint) as part of their "Eminent lives" series. ISBN: 978-0-06-074022-1
There is very scant information about William Shakespeare in the historical record. Of course, the less information there is, the more room there is for speculation and the theories about Shakespeare's life and works go a long way toward filling out this volume.
Bryson begins with background information about the time, place, and society of Shakespeare's day. We learn about food (only the very poor ate vegetables; tea and coffee were unknown), schooling (early morning to late at night, six days a week), landmarks (London Bridge could qualify as a city on its own), health (or, more accurately, the lack of it), and, of course, entertainment (bear-baiting and other blood-sports were the recreation of choice).
Contrast today's behaviour at St Paul's cathedral with what was standard in the 1600s:
"...the cathedral was an infinitely noisier and more public place than we find today. Carpenters, bookbinders, scriveners, lawyers, haulers, and others all plied their trades within its echoing vastness, even during services. Drunks and vagrants used it...as a place of repose; some relieved themselves in corners. Little boys played ball games in the aisles until chased away. Other people made small fires to keep warm." (pg. 52)
Or compare their badges of affluence to ours: "Such was the popularity of sugar that people's teeth often turned black, and those who failed to attain the condition naturally sometimes blackened their teeth artificially to show that they had had their share of sugar, too." (pg. 55)
Although there is scant information to provide details on exactly where Shakespeare lived or which school he attended, we do have a detailed picture painted of what life was like in his day.
As that picture is revealed, Bryson summarizes the major theories of how Shakespeare might have fit in that world, and then evaluates those theories based on whatever information he has been able to assemble. We are regularly reminded that this is mostly conjecture, rather than knowledge, but we are told why the author endorses some theories and dismisses others.
On the whole, I found this an entertaining book. Although it is packed with information, it is not dry. Bryson has done an admirable job of pulling out memorable details about the culture. The vivid cultural picture not only provides a background for suppositions on Shakespeare's life, but also frames a context for his plays and other works.
Shakespeare : the world as stage by Bill Bryson. Published in 2007 by Atlas Books (HarperCollins imprint) as part of their "Eminent lives" series. ISBN: 978-0-06-074022-1
Monday, February 23, 2009
The dead beat : lost souls, lucky stiffs, and the perverse pleasures of obituaries
Reading non-fiction is like a treasure hunt - books refer to other books which, when read, refer to even more titles to follow up on. In no time at all, you're in another subject area completely, and not entirely sure how you got there. I can't tell you how I ended up with The dead beat in my hands, but it has sent me in pursuit of two poetry books and a volume on newspaper history.
Author, Marilyn Johnson is an obituary reader. Let me clarify that. Johnson reads, collects, discusses, critiques, and writes about obituaries from newspapers published around the world, every day, for several hours each day. That's not a hobby - it's an obsession (which she freely admits). While traveling in London, Johnson was more interested in reading paper copies of her favourite British newspapers (usually read on-line), than she was in touring castles or seeing other sights. She attends an annual obituarists conference and participates in obituary newsgroups online. Marilyn Johnson is truly immersed in the world of obituaries.
In The dead beat, I expected a collection of strange tales from a rather morbid world but, while the strange tales are there in profusion, morbidity is not. Obituarists consistently describe their work as uplifting, refreshing, hopeful, regenerative, and purposeful. They see their jobs as avenues to help families through the grieving process, and build people up rather than tearing them down, which is what most of the rest of the newspaper world does. While the death of a person triggers the writing of an obituary, the focus in the writing is on the life, not on the death.
Librarians are often described as inveterate collectors of arcane knowledge but I now think obituarists could give them a run for their money. All kinds of people die and all kinds of information must be collected to write about them. The challenge then is to distill those facts into a brief portrait of a (formerly) living breathing person.
Generously interspersed with obituary excerpts, this book is an interesting look at a hobby I didn't even know existed and a career few aspire to. I'm not about to join them, but the book is a worthwhile and entertaining read.
The dead beat : lost souls, lucky stiffs, and the perverse pleasures of obituaries by Marilyn Johnson. Published in 2006 by HarperCollins. ISBN: 978-0-06-075875-2
Author, Marilyn Johnson is an obituary reader. Let me clarify that. Johnson reads, collects, discusses, critiques, and writes about obituaries from newspapers published around the world, every day, for several hours each day. That's not a hobby - it's an obsession (which she freely admits). While traveling in London, Johnson was more interested in reading paper copies of her favourite British newspapers (usually read on-line), than she was in touring castles or seeing other sights. She attends an annual obituarists conference and participates in obituary newsgroups online. Marilyn Johnson is truly immersed in the world of obituaries.
In The dead beat, I expected a collection of strange tales from a rather morbid world but, while the strange tales are there in profusion, morbidity is not. Obituarists consistently describe their work as uplifting, refreshing, hopeful, regenerative, and purposeful. They see their jobs as avenues to help families through the grieving process, and build people up rather than tearing them down, which is what most of the rest of the newspaper world does. While the death of a person triggers the writing of an obituary, the focus in the writing is on the life, not on the death.
Librarians are often described as inveterate collectors of arcane knowledge but I now think obituarists could give them a run for their money. All kinds of people die and all kinds of information must be collected to write about them. The challenge then is to distill those facts into a brief portrait of a (formerly) living breathing person.
Generously interspersed with obituary excerpts, this book is an interesting look at a hobby I didn't even know existed and a career few aspire to. I'm not about to join them, but the book is a worthwhile and entertaining read.
The dead beat : lost souls, lucky stiffs, and the perverse pleasures of obituaries by Marilyn Johnson. Published in 2006 by HarperCollins. ISBN: 978-0-06-075875-2
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The almost true story of Ryan Fisher
A novel that defies pigeon-holing - what a pleasant surprise, especially from the usually predictable "Inspirational" publishing industry! The almost true story of Ryan Fisher is a sarcastically funny look at churches as industry. It is not a story for Inspirational readers only. In fact, some Inspirational readers will find this book upsetting.
Ryan Fisher is a run-of-the-mill real estate salesman who desperately wants to boost his career. A scan through late-night TV offerings prompts him to try marketing to Christians who, in Ryan's eyes, appear wealthy, naive, and nice - any salesman's preferred customer group. While networking his new church contacts, Ryan decides that the real power position is that of pastor so he decides to start his own church. The fact that he has not gone to seminary or even read the Bible doesn't dissuade him. Ryan doesn't even believe in God, but he wants to lead a mega-church.
If you saw the movie "Catch me if you can," you probably remember Frank Abagnale Jr. watching TV to learn what he could about the professionals he was impersonating. That would be Ryan Fisher's strategy as he works to build his empire.
Author, Rob Stennett, raises many questions about church leadership and North American consumer-Christian culture. The cynics among us will welcome the story, saying, "I knew it - they're all frauds!" Traditionalists will see it as a warning against the dangers of confusing religion with entertainment and loosing theological underpinnings in the process. I found it made me think about what we do and why we do it, and in my books, any novel that makes me think is worth reading.
The almost true story of Ryan Fisher by Rob Stennett. Published in 2008 by Zondervan. ISBN: 978-0-310-27706-4.
Ryan Fisher is a run-of-the-mill real estate salesman who desperately wants to boost his career. A scan through late-night TV offerings prompts him to try marketing to Christians who, in Ryan's eyes, appear wealthy, naive, and nice - any salesman's preferred customer group. While networking his new church contacts, Ryan decides that the real power position is that of pastor so he decides to start his own church. The fact that he has not gone to seminary or even read the Bible doesn't dissuade him. Ryan doesn't even believe in God, but he wants to lead a mega-church.
If you saw the movie "Catch me if you can," you probably remember Frank Abagnale Jr. watching TV to learn what he could about the professionals he was impersonating. That would be Ryan Fisher's strategy as he works to build his empire.
Author, Rob Stennett, raises many questions about church leadership and North American consumer-Christian culture. The cynics among us will welcome the story, saying, "I knew it - they're all frauds!" Traditionalists will see it as a warning against the dangers of confusing religion with entertainment and loosing theological underpinnings in the process. I found it made me think about what we do and why we do it, and in my books, any novel that makes me think is worth reading.
The almost true story of Ryan Fisher by Rob Stennett. Published in 2008 by Zondervan. ISBN: 978-0-310-27706-4.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Old Herbaceous : a novel of the garden
It's the time of year for reading and dreaming about being out in the gardens that are currently inaccessible. When the sleet flies across my window instead of falling down, I have very little ambition to be outside. This is perfect weather for curling up with a gardening story.
Old Herbaceous is a delightful little story about an English manor gardener who rises through the ranks to become head gardener at the manor and a well-recognized figure in horticultural circles. The time spanned runs from the tail-end of the 19th century through to mid-20th century.
Although the gardener's life span matches that of the author rather closely, we are told that the novel is not autobiographical. Author, Reginald Arkell, grew up on an English farm, trained as a journalist, and worked for many years in the magazine industry. He was recognized for his light-hearted plays and his garden poetry long before he started writing books. Arkell was in his late 70s when Old Herbaceous was published.
Having lived through the late Victorian era, two world wars, and the huge changes before and after those wars, Arkell was well-suited to write an old man's reminiscences of the same time period. The story is written as reminiscences but is not sentimental or heavily introspective. It is a crusty country gardener we're reading about, after all.
Classic in style (but not in length or wordiness), the book has recently been re-issued as part of "The Modern Library gardening series" and I'm glad they did that or I would have missed out. Michael Pollan is the series editor. Penelope Hobhouse has written an introduction with information about the author and his work.
If you're looking for a "gentle read", especially one that does not drag on forever, you might want to give this one a try.
Old Herbaceous : a novel of the garden by Reginald Arkell. This edition published in 2003 by The Modern Library. ISBN: 978-0-8129-6738-0.
Old Herbaceous is a delightful little story about an English manor gardener who rises through the ranks to become head gardener at the manor and a well-recognized figure in horticultural circles. The time spanned runs from the tail-end of the 19th century through to mid-20th century.
Although the gardener's life span matches that of the author rather closely, we are told that the novel is not autobiographical. Author, Reginald Arkell, grew up on an English farm, trained as a journalist, and worked for many years in the magazine industry. He was recognized for his light-hearted plays and his garden poetry long before he started writing books. Arkell was in his late 70s when Old Herbaceous was published.
Having lived through the late Victorian era, two world wars, and the huge changes before and after those wars, Arkell was well-suited to write an old man's reminiscences of the same time period. The story is written as reminiscences but is not sentimental or heavily introspective. It is a crusty country gardener we're reading about, after all.
Classic in style (but not in length or wordiness), the book has recently been re-issued as part of "The Modern Library gardening series" and I'm glad they did that or I would have missed out. Michael Pollan is the series editor. Penelope Hobhouse has written an introduction with information about the author and his work.
If you're looking for a "gentle read", especially one that does not drag on forever, you might want to give this one a try.
Old Herbaceous : a novel of the garden by Reginald Arkell. This edition published in 2003 by The Modern Library. ISBN: 978-0-8129-6738-0.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Miss Manners' guide to domestic tranquility
It's not a farce, this is a genuine etiquette guide to life in the messy lane, but it's easily one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. That's not to say that Judith Martin (aka Miss Manners) is ridiculous, or that her advice is unnecessary - quite the contrary.
With the messy relationships and intertwined families prevalent in our society, it takes a lot of wisdom, humour, and backbone to maneuver through many social situations. Knowing that Miss Manners has deemed your actions "proper" certainly helps in the "backbone" department. The situations described are appropriately convoluted for our culture and the solutions proposed are both proper and satisfying. Allow me to summarize a favourite example:
An engaged couple wants to include a family member at the wedding but doesn't want anything to do with that person's boorish, offensive, and still-married-to-someone-else long-time companion. The question is, can that be accomplished without being rude?
"Certainly," replies Miss Manners. There are two rules at the bride's disposal: the first is that established couples are customarily invited together to formal events such as weddings; and the second is that whether or not one likes the spouse, it is considered obligatory to invite married couples together to weddings. Therefore, when inviting the family member in question, the bride should state that while she would like to invite the companion, she wouldn't dream of doing so without inviting his wife.
I can see a full season sit-com based on this book, and the advice is useful to have tucked in your back pocket.
Miss Manners' guide to domestic tranquility the authoritative manual for every civilized household, however harried by Judith Martin. Published in 1999 by Crown. ISBN: 978-0517701652
With the messy relationships and intertwined families prevalent in our society, it takes a lot of wisdom, humour, and backbone to maneuver through many social situations. Knowing that Miss Manners has deemed your actions "proper" certainly helps in the "backbone" department. The situations described are appropriately convoluted for our culture and the solutions proposed are both proper and satisfying. Allow me to summarize a favourite example:
An engaged couple wants to include a family member at the wedding but doesn't want anything to do with that person's boorish, offensive, and still-married-to-someone-else long-time companion. The question is, can that be accomplished without being rude?
"Certainly," replies Miss Manners. There are two rules at the bride's disposal: the first is that established couples are customarily invited together to formal events such as weddings; and the second is that whether or not one likes the spouse, it is considered obligatory to invite married couples together to weddings. Therefore, when inviting the family member in question, the bride should state that while she would like to invite the companion, she wouldn't dream of doing so without inviting his wife.
I can see a full season sit-com based on this book, and the advice is useful to have tucked in your back pocket.
Miss Manners' guide to domestic tranquility the authoritative manual for every civilized household, however harried by Judith Martin. Published in 1999 by Crown. ISBN: 978-0517701652
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Feeding the future
There's been a lot of interest over the last little while in food security - knowing we all have enough to eat and that what we do have is safe to eat. The slow food and local food movements are growing worldwide, and questions about altered food (genetically or chemically) are getting louder and more frequent.
For many of us, it's hard to know who to believe when we hear food safety and food supply discussions. Some of those discussions are quite heated and few of us have the training necessary to follow all the arguments. At times we're not even sure we know what all the questions are, let alone who's got the (believable/reliable/responsible/realistic) answers.
Feeding the future is a collection of expert opinions on a variety of food security issues including tainted beef, over-fishing, genetically modified foods, the obesity epidemic, and worldwide food distribution. Each author gets one chapter and the various authors don't necessarily agree with one another, but that makes the book more useful for the reader. Footnotes provide references to continue research on subjects that catch your interest or verify points you find hard to accept.
Editors Andrew Heintzman and Evan Solomon have done a good job of pulling such disparate voices together into a cohesive whole. They begin each chapter with a brief author/subject introduction that I found tremendously useful. They are also responsible for additional content added as sidebars to the main text.
Although the subtitle of this book (from fat to famine, how to solve the world's food crises) promises solutions, I would liken this book to a survey course. Solutions are certainly proposed but if resolving the issues were that simple, we would already be there. Instead, I would call this an excellent starting point for a self-directed study, or, at the very least, enough information to get you through a number of earnest conversations.
Feeding the future : from fat to famine, how to solve the world's food crises edited by Andrew Heintzman and Evan Solomon. Published in 2004 by Anansi. ISBN: 978-0-88784-744-8
For many of us, it's hard to know who to believe when we hear food safety and food supply discussions. Some of those discussions are quite heated and few of us have the training necessary to follow all the arguments. At times we're not even sure we know what all the questions are, let alone who's got the (believable/reliable/responsible/realistic) answers.
Feeding the future is a collection of expert opinions on a variety of food security issues including tainted beef, over-fishing, genetically modified foods, the obesity epidemic, and worldwide food distribution. Each author gets one chapter and the various authors don't necessarily agree with one another, but that makes the book more useful for the reader. Footnotes provide references to continue research on subjects that catch your interest or verify points you find hard to accept.
Editors Andrew Heintzman and Evan Solomon have done a good job of pulling such disparate voices together into a cohesive whole. They begin each chapter with a brief author/subject introduction that I found tremendously useful. They are also responsible for additional content added as sidebars to the main text.
Although the subtitle of this book (from fat to famine, how to solve the world's food crises) promises solutions, I would liken this book to a survey course. Solutions are certainly proposed but if resolving the issues were that simple, we would already be there. Instead, I would call this an excellent starting point for a self-directed study, or, at the very least, enough information to get you through a number of earnest conversations.
Feeding the future : from fat to famine, how to solve the world's food crises edited by Andrew Heintzman and Evan Solomon. Published in 2004 by Anansi. ISBN: 978-0-88784-744-8
Monday, February 2, 2009
Diary of a compost hotline operator
After 10 days of very run-of-the-mill books, I finally have something to write about. The sun is shining and the seed catalogues have been showing up in the mail so it's time to read books with a gardening theme.
Diary of a compost hotline operator is a quick introduction to the world of urban horticulture. Spring Gillard (not a pen name) wears several hats on the job at the Vancouver-based City Farmer's garden where their aim is world change through education. The demonstration garden teaches visitors about composting, companion planting, organic pest and disease control, water conservation, vermiculture, and a host of other small space garden practices. Visitors come from all over the world for a hands-on look (and feel).
The book is an easy to read combination of newspaper article excerpts, journal musings, humourous anecdotes, how-to notes, and lots of contact information - websites, organizations, more books to read, people to consult, etc. Gillard is not afraid to write about failures or near-failures along with successes. She's also not afraid to reveal that much of their knowledge comes from other experts. The philosophy at City Farmer appears to be "learn with me as we explore" rather than "learn from me as I show you how it must be done."
I've been composting as long as I can remember. I've been gardening almost as long, and I've read a lot of gardening books over the years. I expected to read this book for the stories and amusement factor but I ended up learning a few new tricks to try as well. Vancouver weather is very different from south-western Ontario weather so some of the problems are different and some of the solutions for common problems may not work in the cooler, dryer climate, but I do have some new ideas to play with and that's always fun.
Many of the contacts are local to Vancouver, or at least BC, but there's still a lot of valuable information packed into this small book, even for those of us who live far away from the Pacific coast.
If you have written off the possibility of gardening or composting because you live in the city, or, worse yet, live in an apartment, think again. There are still options to explore and Spring Gillard is happy to point you in the right direction. Even if, like me, you consider yourself a veteran, give this book a try. The stories are amusing, it will get your brain thinking "spring," and you might end up with a new technique to try.
Diary of a compost hotline operator : edible essays on city farming by Spring Gillard. Published in 2003 by New Society Publishers. ISBN: 978-0-86571-492-4
Diary of a compost hotline operator is a quick introduction to the world of urban horticulture. Spring Gillard (not a pen name) wears several hats on the job at the Vancouver-based City Farmer's garden where their aim is world change through education. The demonstration garden teaches visitors about composting, companion planting, organic pest and disease control, water conservation, vermiculture, and a host of other small space garden practices. Visitors come from all over the world for a hands-on look (and feel).
The book is an easy to read combination of newspaper article excerpts, journal musings, humourous anecdotes, how-to notes, and lots of contact information - websites, organizations, more books to read, people to consult, etc. Gillard is not afraid to write about failures or near-failures along with successes. She's also not afraid to reveal that much of their knowledge comes from other experts. The philosophy at City Farmer appears to be "learn with me as we explore" rather than "learn from me as I show you how it must be done."
I've been composting as long as I can remember. I've been gardening almost as long, and I've read a lot of gardening books over the years. I expected to read this book for the stories and amusement factor but I ended up learning a few new tricks to try as well. Vancouver weather is very different from south-western Ontario weather so some of the problems are different and some of the solutions for common problems may not work in the cooler, dryer climate, but I do have some new ideas to play with and that's always fun.
Many of the contacts are local to Vancouver, or at least BC, but there's still a lot of valuable information packed into this small book, even for those of us who live far away from the Pacific coast.
If you have written off the possibility of gardening or composting because you live in the city, or, worse yet, live in an apartment, think again. There are still options to explore and Spring Gillard is happy to point you in the right direction. Even if, like me, you consider yourself a veteran, give this book a try. The stories are amusing, it will get your brain thinking "spring," and you might end up with a new technique to try.
Diary of a compost hotline operator : edible essays on city farming by Spring Gillard. Published in 2003 by New Society Publishers. ISBN: 978-0-86571-492-4
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
