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
Monday, February 2, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The attack
Raw, powerful, emotional, bare, hard-hitting...certainly the anti-thesis to "Austenland." The attack by Yasmina Khadra has been on my "to read" list for months but it took the right frame of mind to start the book. Once I started, I was drawn in right away, but it certainly wasn't a pretty world to be drawn into.
Dr. Amin Jaafari is an Arab-Israeli surgeon at a Tel Aviv hospital. Right away, that tells you that his priorities are for life and health and certainly not for continued racial/religious conflict. Jaafari spends his days putting people back together. He has friends and relatives on both sides of the conflict but, for the most part, they aren't active participants.
In chapter one, Jaafari and colleagues work long and hard to save those wounded in a nearby suicide bombing. By the end of chapter two, he finds out that his wife is among the dead. Three pages into chapter three, he's told that authorities suspect his wife was the bomber. What follows in the remaining 220 pages is Dr. Jaafari's struggle to make sense of the accusation.
Jaafari thought his wife was happy. He thought she, like him, was religiously lapsed. He thought she enjoyed their life together. He loved her more than life itself and thought she felt the same way about him...so how could this have happened? How could there be any truth in what they were saying? Could he be that ignorant of the inner struggles and desires of someone he had lived with for so long?
As I said at the outset, this novel is raw and hard-hitting but it's also illuminating, thought-provoking, compelling, personal, real, and strong. What does it take to make a suicide bomber? Who pays the toll? How do you break the cycle of conflict? Those are only a very few of the questions that flood this novel, and some of them get answers.
Not for the faint-of-heart, but very highly recommended for all others, if you like this one, you should also try "The cellist of Sarajevo" by Steven Galloway as well as Khadra's earlier book, "The swallows of Kabul."
The attack by Yasmina Khadra (translated from the French by John Cullen). Published in 2005 by Doubleday. ISBN: 978-0-385-51748-3.
Dr. Amin Jaafari is an Arab-Israeli surgeon at a Tel Aviv hospital. Right away, that tells you that his priorities are for life and health and certainly not for continued racial/religious conflict. Jaafari spends his days putting people back together. He has friends and relatives on both sides of the conflict but, for the most part, they aren't active participants.
In chapter one, Jaafari and colleagues work long and hard to save those wounded in a nearby suicide bombing. By the end of chapter two, he finds out that his wife is among the dead. Three pages into chapter three, he's told that authorities suspect his wife was the bomber. What follows in the remaining 220 pages is Dr. Jaafari's struggle to make sense of the accusation.
Jaafari thought his wife was happy. He thought she, like him, was religiously lapsed. He thought she enjoyed their life together. He loved her more than life itself and thought she felt the same way about him...so how could this have happened? How could there be any truth in what they were saying? Could he be that ignorant of the inner struggles and desires of someone he had lived with for so long?
As I said at the outset, this novel is raw and hard-hitting but it's also illuminating, thought-provoking, compelling, personal, real, and strong. What does it take to make a suicide bomber? Who pays the toll? How do you break the cycle of conflict? Those are only a very few of the questions that flood this novel, and some of them get answers.
Not for the faint-of-heart, but very highly recommended for all others, if you like this one, you should also try "The cellist of Sarajevo" by Steven Galloway as well as Khadra's earlier book, "The swallows of Kabul."
The attack by Yasmina Khadra (translated from the French by John Cullen). Published in 2005 by Doubleday. ISBN: 978-0-385-51748-3.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Austenland
Definitely a light read, Austenland by Shannon Hale is a perfect feel-good novel for the Jane Austen fans among us.
Fictional New Yorker Jane Hayes is obsessed with Mr. Darcy of "Pride and prejudice" fame and has a string of failed relationships to prove it. In an effort to help Jane kick the obsession, a distant relative sends her to the ultimate role playing game - three solid weeks (504 continuous hours) of constantly-in-character Regency re-enactment at an isolated estate in England. Against her better judgment, Jane goes.
While the characters in the re-enactment are based on Austen characters, the novels themselves are not played out exactly. It is up to the participants to interact with each other, always within the boundaries of Austen-style propriety, and establish their own story lines. Paid staff, however, do fill in the basic personalities, albeit with different names.
It doesn't take Jane long to realize the benefits of her own time period, but she makes the best of her three weeks.
This anti-escapist bit of escapism is light and fun. Author, Hale, has written previously for the young adult market including her New York Times bestseller "Princess academy" [worth reading]. Given the current popularity of all things Austen, and Hale's previous successes, this first novel for adults should do well also.
Austenland by Shannon Hale. Published in 2007 by Bloomsbury. ISBN: 978-1-59691-285-4
Fictional New Yorker Jane Hayes is obsessed with Mr. Darcy of "Pride and prejudice" fame and has a string of failed relationships to prove it. In an effort to help Jane kick the obsession, a distant relative sends her to the ultimate role playing game - three solid weeks (504 continuous hours) of constantly-in-character Regency re-enactment at an isolated estate in England. Against her better judgment, Jane goes.
While the characters in the re-enactment are based on Austen characters, the novels themselves are not played out exactly. It is up to the participants to interact with each other, always within the boundaries of Austen-style propriety, and establish their own story lines. Paid staff, however, do fill in the basic personalities, albeit with different names.
It doesn't take Jane long to realize the benefits of her own time period, but she makes the best of her three weeks.
This anti-escapist bit of escapism is light and fun. Author, Hale, has written previously for the young adult market including her New York Times bestseller "Princess academy" [worth reading]. Given the current popularity of all things Austen, and Hale's previous successes, this first novel for adults should do well also.
Austenland by Shannon Hale. Published in 2007 by Bloomsbury. ISBN: 978-1-59691-285-4
Friday, January 16, 2009
Peter Pan in scarlet
When I saw Peter Pan in scarlet touted as the "official sequel" I wondered what that presumption was based on. What makes any post-humous sequel official? J.M. Barrie clearly didn't select Geraldine McCaughrean to write this book. Just inside the book, all was made clear in a brief explanation.
In 1929, J.M. Barrie gave all rights to "Peter Pan" to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. Every royalty penny earned from every copy or production of "Peter Pan" went to the hospital. In 2004, the hospital decided it was time for a sequel to this well-loved classic so they launched a contest soliciting plot outlines and sample chapters from authors around the world. McCaughrean was the winner and Peter Pan in scarlet is the resulting book. That made it one I had to read.
Peter Pan in scarlet is a playful book and very visual in its descriptions. The descriptions are not long and drawn out so young readers are not likely to skip over them, but the language is clear and evocative. The plot is new with the return of many familiar characters and the introduction of new ones. (Be warned, some "new" characters turn out to be familiar ones in disguise.) There's a lovely mix of magic, imagination, and dreaming and the lines between them are blurred leaving you wondering what is truly real. There are references to the first book but they are not so dependent that I felt I should have re-read the first book just before reading this one.
Despite all those wonderful qualities, I found this a rather dark and foreboding book. Much of the drama is psychological rather than swashbuckling. Neverland has been poisoned and the effects pervade the land, its inhabitants, and people outside its borders. The weight of that destruction coupled with the personal struggles of several characters clashes with the light and friendly writing style. We see bullying, social ostracism, poor leadership, and harsh, irrational decision-making all coming from a childhood hero. The resolution at the end doesn't erase those memories and I found myself feeling betrayed even after the book was finished.
If you're looking for a launchpad to initiate some difficult discussions with a child, this would be an excellent place to start. If you're looking for a light-hearted sequel to a treasured favourite, I would look elsewhere.
Peter Pan in scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean. Published in 2006 by Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0-19-272620-9.
In 1929, J.M. Barrie gave all rights to "Peter Pan" to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. Every royalty penny earned from every copy or production of "Peter Pan" went to the hospital. In 2004, the hospital decided it was time for a sequel to this well-loved classic so they launched a contest soliciting plot outlines and sample chapters from authors around the world. McCaughrean was the winner and Peter Pan in scarlet is the resulting book. That made it one I had to read.
Peter Pan in scarlet is a playful book and very visual in its descriptions. The descriptions are not long and drawn out so young readers are not likely to skip over them, but the language is clear and evocative. The plot is new with the return of many familiar characters and the introduction of new ones. (Be warned, some "new" characters turn out to be familiar ones in disguise.) There's a lovely mix of magic, imagination, and dreaming and the lines between them are blurred leaving you wondering what is truly real. There are references to the first book but they are not so dependent that I felt I should have re-read the first book just before reading this one.
Despite all those wonderful qualities, I found this a rather dark and foreboding book. Much of the drama is psychological rather than swashbuckling. Neverland has been poisoned and the effects pervade the land, its inhabitants, and people outside its borders. The weight of that destruction coupled with the personal struggles of several characters clashes with the light and friendly writing style. We see bullying, social ostracism, poor leadership, and harsh, irrational decision-making all coming from a childhood hero. The resolution at the end doesn't erase those memories and I found myself feeling betrayed even after the book was finished.
If you're looking for a launchpad to initiate some difficult discussions with a child, this would be an excellent place to start. If you're looking for a light-hearted sequel to a treasured favourite, I would look elsewhere.
Peter Pan in scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean. Published in 2006 by Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0-19-272620-9.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The post-American world
Halfway through this audio-book, I decided that I was going to want to listen to it a second time before it went back to the library. The post-American world is a look at major world powers in the past, present, and future. Author, Fareed Zakaria, examines history, culture, religion, language, commerce, politics, economics, warfare, technology, and government in an effort to understand the past and predict the future of our world.
Although the presentation is not academic in tone, there is so much information packed in here, that I know I didn't get it all the first time through. As editor of Newsweek International, best-selling author, and international affairs columnist, one expects Zakaria to communicate well and he does. He is thorough and methodical with a good measure of anecdotes to balance out the theory.
Zakaria is well-positioned to provide analysis of non-Western culture and history. Born and raised in India, he moved to the United States for post-secondary studies and stayed put. He has experienced two vastly different cultures from both inside and out. I think that goes a long way toward explaining his facility for explaining the basics of widely differing foreign mindsets. Instead of just reporting what China did or how India voted, he explains how those actions were logical outcomes of the Chinese or Indian (or some other country's) way of thinking. Those patterns are then projected into the future for a look at where things will be if change does not occur.
There is no crystal ball here. The post-American world was written before the U.S. mortgage crisis hit and that collapse was not expected by Zakaria. He wasn't the only one to miss it though, and I don't think the value of this work is negated by that omission. That's because the primary benefit I gained from "reading" this book was a vastly improved understanding of other cultures and their histories.
The post-American world by Fareed Zakaria. Published in 2008 by Simon and Schuster. Audiobook ISBN: 978-0-7435-7685-7.
Although the presentation is not academic in tone, there is so much information packed in here, that I know I didn't get it all the first time through. As editor of Newsweek International, best-selling author, and international affairs columnist, one expects Zakaria to communicate well and he does. He is thorough and methodical with a good measure of anecdotes to balance out the theory.
Zakaria is well-positioned to provide analysis of non-Western culture and history. Born and raised in India, he moved to the United States for post-secondary studies and stayed put. He has experienced two vastly different cultures from both inside and out. I think that goes a long way toward explaining his facility for explaining the basics of widely differing foreign mindsets. Instead of just reporting what China did or how India voted, he explains how those actions were logical outcomes of the Chinese or Indian (or some other country's) way of thinking. Those patterns are then projected into the future for a look at where things will be if change does not occur.
There is no crystal ball here. The post-American world was written before the U.S. mortgage crisis hit and that collapse was not expected by Zakaria. He wasn't the only one to miss it though, and I don't think the value of this work is negated by that omission. That's because the primary benefit I gained from "reading" this book was a vastly improved understanding of other cultures and their histories.
The post-American world by Fareed Zakaria. Published in 2008 by Simon and Schuster. Audiobook ISBN: 978-0-7435-7685-7.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The subversive stitch
This is definitely not a general interest book. One must be a follower of needlework and/or women in history to make it through an academic book like this but it is a fascinating chronicle.
Author Rozsika Parker has studied European art history with an interest in women's art and feminism. In The subversive stitch : embroidery and the making of the feminine, Parker brings her art history knowledge, and research skills into an examination of work that has for a long time been regarded as feminine. Centuries ago, men were very involved in embroidery but that changed. Parker asks why and how that happened. She studies how embroidery and the "essence of femininity" shaped each other. She looks at how young girls and women quietly rebelled against the strictures of that feminine ideal by their selection of images and texts for their embroideries and how those selections were influenced by their social culture. As women grew stronger, their rebellion became more blatant. Parker also examines assumptions made by early embroidery historians and, in several cases, tries to set the record straight.
The book is generously illustrated and the photo captions explain why each photo was included. I do wish, however, that the photos were in colour and that some of them were larger. Colour is such an integral part of needlework that it's a real shame to leave it out completely in a book like this. That was likely a budget decision but I would dearly love to see some of those illustrations in blazing full colour. This book has already been reprinted twice so maybe that will happen in a later edition.
The subversive stitch : embroidery and the making of the feminine by Rozsika Parker. Originally published in 1984 by Routledge. ISBN: 0-415-90206-1
Author Rozsika Parker has studied European art history with an interest in women's art and feminism. In The subversive stitch : embroidery and the making of the feminine, Parker brings her art history knowledge, and research skills into an examination of work that has for a long time been regarded as feminine. Centuries ago, men were very involved in embroidery but that changed. Parker asks why and how that happened. She studies how embroidery and the "essence of femininity" shaped each other. She looks at how young girls and women quietly rebelled against the strictures of that feminine ideal by their selection of images and texts for their embroideries and how those selections were influenced by their social culture. As women grew stronger, their rebellion became more blatant. Parker also examines assumptions made by early embroidery historians and, in several cases, tries to set the record straight.
The book is generously illustrated and the photo captions explain why each photo was included. I do wish, however, that the photos were in colour and that some of them were larger. Colour is such an integral part of needlework that it's a real shame to leave it out completely in a book like this. That was likely a budget decision but I would dearly love to see some of those illustrations in blazing full colour. This book has already been reprinted twice so maybe that will happen in a later edition.
The subversive stitch : embroidery and the making of the feminine by Rozsika Parker. Originally published in 1984 by Routledge. ISBN: 0-415-90206-1
Friday, January 9, 2009
The tale of Despereaux
Kate DiCamillo, the author of "Because of Winn-Dixie" has another book soon to hit the silver screen and this one has a Newbery medal for children's fiction. "The tale of Despereaux" is told in an oral narrative style with the narrator speaking directly to the reader and adding her own commentary on events as they unfold. Although the phrase is over-used, "contemporary fairytale" certainly fits this book.
The title character is a free-thinking mouse who falls in love with a princess and ends up defending her against the schemes of a rat and an ambitious yet dim-witted servant girl. It's all set in a castle with the requisite dungeon full of moaning prisoners. The king is feeble-brained enough to ban soup throughout his land but he loves his daughter as only a doting father could.
Despite the stock characters and setting, DiCamillo comes up with a fresh light story with a lovely moral at the end. The charm is in the writing itself. The freshness comes from examining the internal battles that each of the major characters fights. We get a brief exploration of motivation and feelings behind the actions of good guys and bad guys. As a result, the line dividing the good guys from the bad guys gets blurred and we learn that mean actions don't necessarily indicate a wholeheartedly mean person. What a revelation!
Despite the moralizing, this book is primarily a story, not a sugar-coated lesson. It's definitely written for the younger set but it works as a bedtime story for adults as well. If you are a Roald Dahl fan, you should give this one a try.
"The tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamilla. Published in 2003 by Candlewick Press. ISBN: 978-0-7636-1722-6.
The title character is a free-thinking mouse who falls in love with a princess and ends up defending her against the schemes of a rat and an ambitious yet dim-witted servant girl. It's all set in a castle with the requisite dungeon full of moaning prisoners. The king is feeble-brained enough to ban soup throughout his land but he loves his daughter as only a doting father could.
Despite the stock characters and setting, DiCamillo comes up with a fresh light story with a lovely moral at the end. The charm is in the writing itself. The freshness comes from examining the internal battles that each of the major characters fights. We get a brief exploration of motivation and feelings behind the actions of good guys and bad guys. As a result, the line dividing the good guys from the bad guys gets blurred and we learn that mean actions don't necessarily indicate a wholeheartedly mean person. What a revelation!
Despite the moralizing, this book is primarily a story, not a sugar-coated lesson. It's definitely written for the younger set but it works as a bedtime story for adults as well. If you are a Roald Dahl fan, you should give this one a try.
"The tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamilla. Published in 2003 by Candlewick Press. ISBN: 978-0-7636-1722-6.
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