tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115507302024-03-13T21:31:03.202+09:00pixxiefish in the stacksOutside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marxjuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-91880029354667495442012-01-01T23:31:00.001+09:002012-02-25T23:35:15.216+09:002012 booklist<ol><li><i>A Clash of Kings</i> by Orson Scott Card</li>
<p>
<li><i>Ender's Game</i> by Orson Scott Card</li>
<p>
<li><i>The Sisters Brothers</i> by Patrick deWitt</li>
<p></ol>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-35434420259257311702011-01-01T11:45:00.000+09:002011-03-25T12:52:58.080+09:00National Geographic Traveller: Egypt<a href="http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Traveler-Egypt-2nd/dp/1426201435" target="new"><img src="http://www0.alibris-static.com/isbn/9781426201431.gif" width="80" height="120"></a><br />
<br />
<b>National Geographic Traveller: Egypt</b><br />
<i>2nd edition</i><br />
(National Geographic: 2007)<br />
<br />
<font size="-2">READ: December 2010 - January 2011</font><br />
<br />
I actually never read through the entire book, but dipped in and out, here and there, as one is wont to do with a travel guide. <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com" target="new">Lonely Planet</a>'s forte is getting you out and about, explaining the how and why to go places. I like them a lot. We didn't feel a need to purchase a Lonely Planet guide to Egypt, however, prior to our travels there this winter, as most of our trip was going to be spent with a tour group, and we had a fairly clear idea of what we were going to do while we were <i>not</i> on tour. We bought the National Geographic guide because it was so beautiful, and had such extensive entries on the various sites, both from an archaeological and a cultural viewpoint. It was absolutely fantastic for this purpose, and served us well on a number of occasions where we had to decide between visiting Optional Location A and Optional Location B. (The option to visit neither never even occurred to us; this is how we travel.) The guide was well-written, with a lot of detail but never too much, and, quite importantly, beautiful photos accompanying the text to illustrate exactly what was being discussed (some other guides do not have enough photos). My only regret was that I did not have time to read through the entire long section on visiting the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Museum" target="new">Cairo Museum</a> before we actually went there.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-63533700180042271542011-01-01T11:17:00.009+09:002011-03-25T13:01:09.522+09:002011 Booklist<ol><li><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2010/01/national-geographic-guide-to-egypt.html"><i>National Geographic Traveller: Egypt</i></a></li>
<p>
<li><i>This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America</i> by Ryan Grim</li>
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<li><i>Norwegian Wood</i> by Haruki Murakami</li>
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<li><i>From "Radical Extremism" to "Balanced Copyright": Canadian Copyright and the Digital Agenda</i> edited by Michael Geist <font size="-2"><i>(currently reading)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>Going Beyond Google: The Invisible Web in Learning and Teaching</i> by Jane Devine and Francine Egger-Sider <font size="-2"><i>(currently reading)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell</i> (audio book) by Mark Kurlansky <font size="-2"><i>(currently listening)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>The President's Choice Garden Guide Series: Containers</i></li>
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<li><i>Pocket Gardening: A Guide to Gardening in Impossible Places</i> by Marjorie Harris <font size="-2"><i>(currently reading)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>Dune</i> by Frank Herbert <font size="-2"><i>(currently reading)</i></font></li>
<p>
</ol>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-10824835177466987312010-02-02T12:38:00.002+09:002011-03-25T12:44:13.681+09:00The Road by Cormac McCarthy<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Road-movie-Tie-Edition-Cormac-Mccarthy/9780307476302-item.html" target="new"><img src="http://i43.tower.com/images/mm113557179/road-cormac-mccarthy-book-cover-art.jpg" width="80" height="120"></a><br />
<br />
<b>The Road</b><br />
<i>Cormac McCarthy</i><br />
<i>(Movie Tie-In Edition)</i><br />
(Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group: 2009)<br />
<br />
<font size="-2">READ: January - February 2009</font><br />
<br />
My first mistake was trying to read this whilst on vacation in Mexico. While it worked well as a book to read on the flight down (indeed, I picked it up in a bookstore only a day or two prior to our departure), the post-apocalyptic desolation of the book <i>did not</i> ring true while on a lush, sunny beach. However, post-vacation, I was able to return to this book.<br />
<br />
I had a few friends who had read it and sung its praises, one of the reasons I picked it up. They talked about the nightmarish quality of the book and of the engrossing nature of its writing. I thought the book was good and well-written; however, I wasn't sure why it was so lauded. One of the book's qualities, I think, was in how it keeps feeling like something is about to happen, yet nothing (almost ever) does. The post-apocalyptic world isn't full of monsters and excitement; it is full of day after day spent on the move, trying to find somewhere with enough food to sustain yourself. That was well-done by McCarthy. Maybe it is because I have watched <a href="http://mumblingsofanoldman.blogspot.com" target="new">Randal</a> play <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallout_3" target="new">Fallout 3</a> too much; maybe I have just spent too much time thinking, reading, or watching things about the apocalypse, but I didn't find McCarthy's vision of the post-apocalyptic world particularly frightening. Yeah, it's quiet, and scary, and hard to find food, and not everyone is out there to help you. It's the post-a<i>poc</i>alypse.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-29002623916793115982010-01-01T06:22:00.016+09:002011-03-25T13:00:02.214+09:002010 Booklist<ol><li><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/road-by-cormac-mccarthy.html"><i>The Road</i></a> by Cormac McCarthy</li>
<p>
<li><i>Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture</i> by Ellen Ruppel Shell</li>
<p>
<li><i>The Meaning of Everything</i> by Simon Winchester</li>
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<li><i>World History for Dummies</i> by Peter Haugen <font size="-2"><i>(unfinished)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia Of Crafts</i></li>
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<li><i>Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads</i> by Nancy Baggett</li>
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<li><i>Knitting for Babies: Blankets, Booties, Bibs & More</i></li>
<p>
<li><i>The Housekeeper and The Professor</i> by Yoko Ogawa</li>
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<li><i>The Theory and Practice of Online Learning</i>, 2nd ed., edited by Terry Anderson <font size="-2"><i>(unfinished)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>Complete Contemporary Craft: Textiles</i></li>
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<li><i>The Rapture</i> by Liz Jensen</li>
<p>
<li><i>The Music Room</i> by William Fiennes</li>
<p>
<li><i>Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia Of Sewing And Fabric Crafts</i></li>
<p>
<li><i>Law School 2.0: Legal Education for a Digital Age</i> by David I.C. Thomson</li>
<p>
<li><i>Life Inc.: How The World Became A Corporation And How To Take It Back</i> by Douglas Rushkoff</li>
<p>
<li><i>The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead</i> by Max Brooks</li>
<p>
<li><i>Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre</i> by H.P. Lovecraft</li>
<p>
<li><i>Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution</i> by Nick Lane <font size="-2"><i>(unfinished)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>In Defence of Food: An Eater's Manifesto</i> by Michael Pollan</li>
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<li><i>Salt: A World History</i> by Mark Kurlansky</li>
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<li><i>The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid</i> by Bill Bryson</li>
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<li><i>Ringworld</i> by Larry Niven</li>
<p>
<li><i>The Secret Life of War: Journeys Through Modern Conflict</i> by Peter Beaumont</li>
<p>
<li><i>One-Skein Wonders: 101 Yarn-shop Favorites From Coast To Coast</i> by Judith Durant</li>
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<li><i>Stitch & Bitch Nation</i> by Debbie Stoller</li>
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<li><i>The Golden Compass</i> (audiobook) by Philip Pullman</li>
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<li><i>I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay</i> by John Lanchester</li>
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<li><i>Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris</i> by Graham Robb <font size="-2"><i>(unfinished)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>Bags In Bloom</i> by Susan Cariello</li>
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<li><i>A Reading Diary: A Passionate Reader's Reflections On A Year Of Books</i> by Alberto Manguel</li>
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<li><i>Cairo: The City Victorious</i> by Max Rodenbeck</li>
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<li><i>A Short Course in Digital Photography</i> by Barbara London <font size="-2"><i>(unfinished)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>Under the Skin</i> by Michael Faber</li>
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<li><i>Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food</i> by Paul Greenberg <font size="-2"><i>(unfinished)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>Killing the Shamen</i> by Thomas Fiddler <font size="-2"><i>(unfinished)</i></font></li>
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<li><i>The Passage</i> by Justin Cronin</li>
</ol>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-12693436565188285032009-04-03T11:34:00.010+09:002009-04-26T06:45:14.001+09:00In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Europe-Travels-Through-Twentieth-Century-Geert-Mak/9780375424953-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527in+europe+mak%2527" target="new"><img src="http://www.randomhouse.com/images/dyn/cover/?source=9780375424953&height=300&maxwidth=170" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century</b><br /><i>Geert Mak</i><br /><i>Translated by Sam Garrett</i><br />(Pantheon Books, New York City: 2007)<br /><br /><font size="-2"><i>First published in the Netherlands as </i>In Europa<i> by Uitgeverij Atlas, Amsterdam, c. 2004 Geert Mak.</i></font><br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: April 2009</font><br /><br />Heather Mallick, one of my favourite <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/index.html" target="new">Viewpoint & Analysis</a> columnists on the CBC website, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/10/20/f-vp-mallick.html" target="new">reviewed</a> this book about 6 months ago, and I was immediately intrigued. The book instantly went on my must-read list, though in the form of a request on a long hold list at the <a href="http://www.biblioottawalibrary.ca/" target="new">public library</a>.<br /><br />Well, Christmas - as I like to call it when I get an email about a long-forgotten book now being held for me at the library - arrived at the beginning of April. I sunk into this book with very little hesitation, and found it quite hard to get out. <br /><br />Geert Mak, a journalist for a Dutch newspaper and an acclaimed Dutch author, spent the year 1999 travelling all across Europe in search of eyewitnesses and contemporary accounts of historical events from the past century. He takes us to so many places and introduces us to so many people. The 20th century was anything but dull for Europeans. But Mak's book is not a mere recitation of facts, dates, and events. He assumes his reader already knows the basic outlines of modern history, and so, while he does spend some time giving historical and political background, he mostly explores events through the <i>people</i> who experienced them.<br /><br />20th century Europe was not always a happy place to be, depending on where you ended up. There was so much bloodshed, so much violence, so much turmoil. Mak does a very good job at putting a human face on much of this. On the one hand, that makes things like the rise of Nazism and Hitler in 1930s socialist Germany easier to understand; on the other, it also makes things like "the Troubles" in Ireland that much more horrifying, gut-wrenching, and disturbing. Mak makes recent European history <i>personal</i>. <br /><br />Weighing in at just over 800 pages, this is a huge book! I had to read it far too quickly, and had to absorb a lot of information, drama, and emotion in each sitting. Sometimes it overwhelmed me for that reason. But mostly it just compelled me to keep reading (even if that compulsion was occasionally caused by a feeling of "if you keep reading, things <i>must</i> get better"). Mak's writing is lucid and clear, his eye for detail is keen, and he knows how to tell a story in such a way that the events become very personal.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-55409356251128487852009-04-02T11:32:00.004+09:002011-03-25T13:40:20.156+09:00Happiness(TM) by Will Ferguson<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Happiness-Will-Ferguson/9780143012719-item.html" target="new"><img src="http://dynamic.images.indigo.ca/ProductImage.aspx?lang=en&width=140&isbn=0143012711&cat=books&quality=85" width="80" height="120"></a><br />
<br />
<b>Happiness</b><br />
<i>Will Ferguson</i><br />
(Penguin Group Canada, Toronto: 2002)<br />
<br />
<font size="-2">READ: April 2009</font><br />
<br />
One of my all-time favourite books. I have read it at least three times since first picking it up in 2004 (because I found the giant daisy on the cover was, ironically, pleasing). I hadn't heard of Will Ferguson before, though he has since become <a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2007/05/beauty-tips-from-moose-jaw-travels-in.html">one of my favourite authors</a>. I have since bought the book again at least three times, since I kept giving away my own copy to others.<br />
<br />
It is a story about self-help books. One day, junior editor Edwin, desperate to show the boss that he is working on something, pulls - not out of his slush pile but literally out of the garbage - a giant, rambling manuscript someone had sent in, claiming it to be The Only Self-Help Book You'll Ever Need. The book and its claims are clearly ludicrous, but the boss gets Edwin to push through and get it published. The book is an instant success...except instead of reading it and moving along to the next trendy thing, people start taking its advice to heart. They quit their jobs, move to communes, start farming sustainably. They quit smoking and drinking, too. But even worse, they stop buying self-help books. Soon, the world's biggest problem is that everyone, <i>every</i>one is just too darn happy. Except for Edwin.<br />
<br />
The first time I read this book, I remember many laugh-out-loud moments. There were a number of chuckles this time around, too. Ferguson is witty and concise, his characters are likeable, and his insight into the human psyche is spot-on as well as amusing.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-85090796629291608762009-03-04T11:53:00.002+09:002011-03-25T12:26:58.041+09:00The Hike It, Bike It, Walk It, Drive It Guide to Ottawa, the Gatineau, Kingston and Beyond by Ann Campbell<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Hike-Bike-Walk-Drive-Guide-Ann-Campbell/9781550463378-item.html" target="new"><img src="http://ottawastart.com/pics/books-hike.jpg" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>The Hike It, Bike It, Walk It, Drive It Guide to Ottawa, the Gatineau, Kingston and Beyond</b><br /><i>Ann Campbell</i><br />(Boston Mills Press, Erin (Ont.): 2001)<br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: intermittent to March 2009</font><br /><br />A good book to help me discover some of these places literally next door. I have yet to undertake an entire one of Campbell's suggested excursions, but I have done some in part; for example, hiking up to the Mackenzie King estate in Gatineau Park. I keep this one nearby and often consult it when starting to wonder what to do on an upcoming Saturday. My one complaint: each described excursion would be well-served by an accompanying map. There isn't a single map in the whole book.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-29568948443215730732009-03-03T11:44:00.002+09:002011-03-25T12:16:07.758+09:00Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Watchmen-Alan-Moore-Dave-Gibbons/9781401219260-item.html" target="new"><img src="http://sanseverything.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/watchmen.jpg?w=500&h=768" width="100" height="150"></a><br /><br /><b>Watchmen</b><br /><i>Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons</i><br />(DC Comics, New York: 2008)<br /><br /><font size="-2"><i>Originally published in serialized form, 1986-87.</i></font><br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: March 2009</font><br /><br />Read the graphic novel in anticipation of going to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/" target="new">the movie</a>, and I was so glad I did. Seemingly the story of how a number of retired superhero crime-fighters are now, apparently, being slowly targeted and eliminated, it is also, and much more importantly, a larger story of the fight for world domination and the end of the world. I thought the movie did a decent job of conveying the story onto the screen. The action and movement that is packed into the novel, however, is amazing. I may have to read some more graphic novels, if anyone has any suggestions.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-89417468487514958902009-03-02T11:39:00.003+09:002011-03-25T12:07:42.834+09:00Frankenstein by Mary Shelley<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Frankenstein-Mary-Shelley/9780451527714-item.html" target="new"><img src="http://bibliophilica.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/mary-shelley.jpg?w=195&h=300" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>Frankenstein</b><br /><i>Mary Shelley</i><br /><i>Wordsworth Classics edition</i><br />(Dover Publications, New York: 1994)<br /><br /><font size="-2"><i>First published in 1816.</i></font><br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: February-March 2009</font><br /><br />I've had this book for many years now, and had tried once or twice to read it with no success. This time, I did! You really have to be in the mood for some Victorian literature - it's wordy, with lots of big words. (Hey, I have 2 graduate degrees - I know a big word when I see one.) Plus, it's written in the "confessional" style, which is probably my least favourite writing style. And not only is it confessional in tone, it's purportedly written by Dr. Frankenstein, who hears all this from the monster himself. The monster had initially fled after Dr. Frankenstein expressed horror at the being he had just created. Over the course of many, many years, he apparently taught himself English by living in the shed of an unsuspecting family in Switzerland, listening to their conversations and watching their interactions, night after night. His English is impeccable! And very Victorian. Then there is a whole string of misunderstood events that lead to a fairly high body count, and a multi-country pursuit.<br /><br />However, once I was able to suspend my disbelief and get past the fact that the monster spoke as if he'd fallen out of a novel, it was, in fact, a fairly enjoyable story. It is not a very long book, and the story has a good pace. By the end, you really do feel sorry for the monster.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-80835022867545829952009-03-01T11:33:00.004+09:002011-03-25T11:38:23.463+09:0020,000 lieues sous les mers by Jules Verne<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/lieues-sous-les-mers-Jules-Verne/9782013227780-item.html" target="new"><img src="http://www.decitre.fr/images/genere-miniature.aspx?ndispo=/gi/grande-image-non-disponible.jpg&img=/gi/80/9782013227780FS.gif&wmax=155&hmax=239&loupe=true" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>20,000 lieues sous les mers</b><br /><i>Jules Verne</i><br /><i>Édition jeunesse</i><br />(Hachette Jeunesse: 2009)<br /><br /><font size="-2"><i>Publié pour la première fois dans sa version intégrale en 1870.</i></font><br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: November 2008 - March 2009</font><br /><br />J'ai lu ce livre <a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2006/11/twenty-thousand-leagues-under-sea-by.html">en anglais</a> pour la première fois il y a quelques années à peine. Cette version fut la version jeunesse. C'est une histoire très intéressante (comme la première fois!), et je le recommande fortement, mais le français était d'un niveau assez compliqué... Voir le recensement <a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2006/11/twenty-thousand-leagues-under-sea-by.html">en anglais</a> pour plus d'information.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-44748096650038050922009-02-03T11:26:00.004+09:002010-04-27T12:33:41.768+09:00The Academic Library and the Net Gen Student : Making the Connections by Susan Gibbons<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Academic-Library-Net-Gen-Student/dp/0838909469/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239071380&sr=8-1" target="new"><img src="http://www.alastore.ala.org/images/AcadLibNetGen_fullsize.jpg" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>The Academic Library and the Net Gen Student : Making the Connections</b><br /><i>Susan Gibbons</i><br />(American Library Association, Chicago: 2007)<br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: February 2009</font><br /><br />Libraries like to think that they are at the cutting edge of technology, but more often than not, they really aren't. Many in librarianship (the younger ones, anyway) likely played with various technologies while in library school[1], but once out in a real library, you are suddenly faced with layer upon layer of bureaucracy anytime you want to try another or get anything done.[2]<br /><br />In this book, Susan Gibbons, the director of digital initiatives for the libraries at the University of Rochester, surveys the main Web 2.0 technologies being used by students today, and suggests ways in which libraries could use these in order to better meet the needs of students. The technologies she discusses include: social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, RSS feeds, online gaming and MMORPGs like Second Life, wikis, blogs, collaborative sites like LibraryThing, social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us, and, of course, instant messaging.[3] She also stresses the importance of reaching students by making library services and websites available for cellphones and other mobile devices.<br /><br />Some of these ideas work better than others. I see, for example, no need for my library to have a presence in something like Second Life (but maybe that's just because I don't really understand its purpose). I question the value of a Facebook page (though the idea of having "fans" <i>is</i> kinda neat). I've started playing around with RSS feeds (though I note the law library does not have one), though the jury is still out on whether it's saving me time or whether it's causing me to read more things than before (I lean slightly toward the latter; however, I <i>am</i> becoming more well-informed, at least where travel, book reviews, and alien abduction stories[4] are concerned). Library sites do need to become more accessible via cellphones, etc., and I certainly see applications like IM helping libraries gain more ground.<br /><br />The book was written in 2006, so it's not (yet) too hopelessly out-of-date. While I didn't find it too helpful in terms of suggesting suggestions of things we could actually do here at my library (though that might be at least partly due to bureaucracy that stands between my ideas and actual change), it was good for giving an overview of what is out there and what some other libraries are doing with some of these tools.<br /><br /><font size="-2">[1] I know I personally loved my classes in multimedia (for which I made an electronic version of the <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/A-Tolkien-Bestiary-David-Day/9780753704592-item.html" target="new">Tolkien bestiary</a>), electronic text design (wrote an e-paper on the (alleged) death of the book), and yes, even the dreaded systems analysis and design (my partner and I designed a database system for the law library - alas, never implemented - in which reference questions could be tracked and indexed for easy retrieval in the future).<br /><br />[2] Statement not meant to imply anything about reviewer's current workplace. If anything, I have recently started finding some loopholes to work around the bureaucracy, and implement ideas that don't affect the bureaucracy. The real problem really has become finding the <i>time</i> to do so.<br /><br />[3] I believe the book was written pre-Twitter, but that certainly has a role to play as well.<br /><br />[4] That last one is (mostly) a joke.</font>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-3845642489037071462009-02-02T11:20:00.003+09:002009-04-15T09:32:50.153+09:00The Next Gen Librarian's Survival Guide by Rachel Singer Gordon<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nextgen-Librarians-Survival-Guide/dp/1573872563" target="new"><img src="http://www.lisjobs.com/nextgen/nextgenmedium.jpg" width="80" height="120"></a> <br /><br /><b>The Next Gen Librarian's Survival Guide</b><br /><i>Rachel Singer Gordon</i><br />(Information Today, Medford (NJ): 2006) <br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: January-February 2009</font> <br /><br />I believe I stumbled across this book when getting some other books on librarianship that I had recently read reviews for. The author, Rachel Singer Gordon, is a name I already knew - she is the editor of the Info Career Trends Newsletter to which I subscribe, amonst other things. She is one of those people who, in the world of librarianship at least, always seems to have something interesting to say. Plus I figured I am a NextGen librarian (I guess?) and so might learn something useful or two.<br /><br />I probably had a larger need for this book a few years ago, but I still found it useful. Gordon provides advice and tips on many different issues in librarianship, from surviving library school*, to finding a first job, to perceptions of librarianship, to working with older colleagues who might perhaps be a bit more - <i>ahem</i> - traditional.<br /><br />Another important aspect to note is that Gordon is focusing on the American library job market, which, from what I know, is significantly different from the Canadian one. It is really hard for many graduates of American library schools to snag that first job. Canadian library school graduates - and my evidence is largely anecdotal on this account, I admit - have a much easier time. Gordon gives some good general advice on job-hunting; for example, no matter how broke you might feel upon graduation, don't necessarily just snap up the first job that comes your way.<br /><br />What I really found useful in this book is that Gordon also sent out surveys to both NextGen (under-40) and older librarians (over-40), in order to solicit feedback on the issues covered in her book. Some of the responses to these are very telling. Others are quick to point out that the under-40, over-40 divide is a bit of a false dichotomy, which Gordon (to her credit) acknowledges whenever possible. (You have to draw a line in the sand somewhere, right?)<br /><br />The final chapter in the book tackles the subject from a completely different angle. It is written for current administrators and managers, rather than the NextGen librarians working for those administrators and managers. This gives an interesting perspective from "the other side of the fence", so to speak.<br /><br />Well-written, and a quick, easy read, I would recommend this to people still in library school, or those recently graduated (within the last few years). Beyond that, you've probably figured out most of what's in the book - maybe the hard way! I would also recommend it to older librarians, administrators and managers, who might be having a hard time relating to or understanding their younger colleagues.<br /><br /><font size="-2">* Those of you who are not librarians will not necessarily know that while most librarians are very content and happy in their day-to-day jobs, library school itself is almost universally disliked.</font>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-39990347182248066682009-01-01T11:58:00.021+09:002011-03-25T12:27:54.021+09:002009 Booklist<ol><br /><li><i>Silent Spring</i> by Rachel Carson</li><br /><li><i>The Map that Changed the World</i> by Simon Winchester</li><br /><li><i>Payback</i> by Margaret Atwood</li><br /><li><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/next-gen-librarians-survival-guide-by.html"><i>The Next Gen Librarian's Survival Guide</i></a> by Rachel Singer Gordon</li><br /><li><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/academic-library-and-net-gen-student.html"><i>The Academic Library and the Net Gen Student : Making the Connections</i></a> by Susan Gibbons</li><br /><li><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/20000-lieues-sous-les-mers-by-jules.html"><i>20,000 lieues sous la mer</i></a> by Jules Verne</li><br /><li><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/frankenstein-by-mary-shelley.html"><i>Frankenstein</i></a> by Mary Shelley</li><br /><li><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/watchmen-by-alan-moore-and-dave-gibbons.html"><i>Watchmen</i></a> by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons</li><br /><li><i>Chartrand des Écorres</i> by Cosette Marcoux-Boivin <font size="-2"><i>(incomplete)</i></font></li><br /><li><i>Beijing Confidential: Tales of Comrades Lost and Found</i> by Jan Wong</li><br /><li><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/happinesstm-by-will-ferguson.html"><i>Happiness (TM)</i></a> by Will Ferguson</li><br /><li><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/hike-it-bike-it-walk-it-drive-it-guide.html"><i>The Hike It, Bike It, Walk It, Drive It Guide to Ottawa, the Gatineau, Kingston and Beyond</i></a> by Ann Campbell</li><br /><li><i><a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/in-europe-travels-through-twentieth.html">In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century</a></i> by Geert Mak</li><br /><li><i>The Rough Guide to Paris</i></li><br /><li><i>The Story of French</i> by Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow</li><br /><li><i>The Uses and Abuses of History</i> by Margaret McMillan</li><br /><li><i>The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts And The Challenges To American Power</i> by David E. Sanger</li><br /><li><i>Neither Here Nor There: Travels Through Europe</i> by Bill Bryson</li><br /><li><i>Canadian Courts: Law, Politics, and Process</i> by Lori Hausegger, Matthew Hennigar & Troy Riddell</li><br /><li><i>The Jade Peony</i> by Wayson Choi</li><br /><li><i>Chaos: Making a New Science</i> by James Gleick <font size="-2"><i>(incomplete)</i></font></li><br /><li><i>The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services</i> by Richard Susskind <font size="-2"><i>(incomplete)</i></font></li><br /><li><i>Nova Scotia Book of Everything</i> by John MacIntyre & Martha Walls</li><br /><li><i>The Nature of Economies</i> by Jane Jacobs <font size="-2"><i>(incomplete)</i></font></li><br /><li><i>The English Legal System: 2009-2010</i> by Gary Slapper & David Kelly</li><br /><li><i>Wilderness Pleasures: A Practical Guide to Camping Bliss</i> by Kevin Callan</li><br /><li><i>The Hobbit</i> by J.R.R. Tolkien</li><br /><li><i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i> by J.R.R. Tolkien</li><br /><li><i>The Two Towers</i> by J.R.R. Tolkien</li><br /><li><i>A Paddler's Guide to Weekend Wilderness Adventures in Southern Ontario</i> by Kevin Callan</li><br /><li><i>The Return of the King</i> by J.R.R. Tolkien</li><br /><li><i>Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast</i> by Bill Richardson</li><br /><li><i>The Human, The Orchid and The Octopus: Exploring and Conserving Our Natural World</i> by Jacques Cousteau and Susan Schiefelbein</li><br /></ol>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-80968109034181114892008-11-03T10:45:00.002+09:002011-03-25T11:58:44.110+09:00Guide: Van Gogh Museum from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam<a href="http://www.vangoghmuseumshop.com/en-GB/ProductDetail.htm?productId=2590" target="new"><i>image not available</i></a><br /><br /><b>Guide : Van Gogh Museum</b><br /><i>from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam</i><br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: November 2008</font><br /><br />Bought this when we went to the Museum in 2005. It's actually in French (they were out of English copies). <a href="http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=4500&collection=1294&lang=en" target="new">"The Sower"</a>, the painting I was writing a paper on for my <a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2008/11/discoveries-van-gogh-passionate-eye-by.html">art history course</a> is actually on display at the van Gogh Museum, so there was some good information specifically on that particular painting. I really like museum guides generally - they are a good reminder of what I saw at the museum - and this is certainly one of the better ones.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-66885259013533589802008-11-02T11:27:00.004+09:002011-03-25T11:54:58.641+09:00Van Gogh by Keith Wheldon<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Van-Gogh-Gallery-Keith-Wheldon/dp/0831791241" target="new"><img src="http://www.bookbase.co.za/products/cat1003.jpg" width="100" height="150"></a><br /><br /><b>Van Gogh</b><br /><i>Keith Wheldon</i><br />(Smithmark Publishers, New York: 1995)<br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: October-November 2008</font><br /><br />Again, I read this for <a href="http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2008/11/discoveries-van-gogh-passionate-eye-by.html">my art history course paper</a>. This is a giant coffee table book that a friend gave to me many years ago before moving overseas. Finally I had a reason to use it, rather than moving it from bookshelf to bookshelf in one apartment after another (bookshelves it never fit on, I might add). Wheldon looks at van Gogh's work in the larger context of contemporary art movements, and many of the works have a few pages dedicated just to critiquing (detailing) the techniques used in each one.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-64188787051815604322008-11-01T11:24:00.005+09:002011-03-25T11:47:52.847+09:00Discoveries: Van Gogh: The Passionate Eye by Pascal Bonafoux<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Discoveries-Van-Gogh-Pascal-Bonafoux/9780810928282-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527pascal+bonafoux%2527" target="new"><img src="http://dynamic.images.indigo.ca/ProductImage.aspx?lang=en&width=140&isbn=0810928280&cat=books&quality=85" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>Discoveries: Van Gogh: The Passionate Eye</b><br /><i>Pascal Bonafoux</i><br />(Harry N. Abrams, New York: 1992)<br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: October-November 2008</font><br /><br />I was writing an essay on van Gogh and, in particular, his painting <a href="http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=4500&collection=1294&lang=en" target="new">"The Sower"</a> for my art history course. I have had this book on my shelf forever. It is a detailed look at van Gogh's art and his life, including extracts from his numerous, lengthy letters to his brother, Theo, and others. While more factual than scholarly, it is a good examination of van Gogh and his particular style of Impressionism (expressionism?).juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-36982217088479731882008-07-02T01:13:00.006+09:002009-04-15T09:39:38.554+09:00The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Library-at-Night-Alberto-Manguel/9780300139143-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527library+at+night%2527" target="new"><img src="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/x2/x11178.jpg" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>The Library at Night</b><br /><i>Alberto Manguel</i><br />(Alfred A. Knopf Canada, Toronto: 2006)<br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: June - July 2008</font><br /><br />This is a delightful book and I was sad to finish it (though largely unable to stop from compulsively reading it) and sadder still to send it back to the library from whence it came.*<br /><br />Alberto Manguel is not a librarian, though he would make a marvelous one. He is a bibliophile, and knows his way around books and the written word so incredibly deeply and thoroughly. I can only hope to ever have a tiny fraction of the bookish worlds in his head. This book should be required reading for every first-year library school student. It is a wonderful tour of library history with stops at many interesting, quirky places along the way. <br /><br />Some slices of my favourite parts:<br /><br /><ul><li> Talking about how early Arab libraries often divided books by subject rather than alphabetically (as most early Western libraries tended to do), Manguel tells us about the doctor Abou Ali El-Hossein Ibn Sina ("Avicenna") who discovered a library at the home of one of his patients in what is today's Uzbekistan. While the doctor's account deals mostly with the expert classification of the books, I was struck in particular by the doctor's description of the resident librarian as "keeper of the live memory of the books". How apt.</li><br /><br /><li> His discussion of how the digitization of materials may, in fact, <i>not</i> be the saviour of our times is an interesting look at the other side of the coin. While slanted a little heavily toward the printed word - "As any reader knows, a printed page creates its own reading space, its own physical landscape in which the texture of the paper, the colour of the ink, the view of the whole ensemble acquire in the reader's hands specific meanings that lend tone and context to the words" - it is certainly enlightening in terms of helping us to question the attitude of complete and total reliance that we have taken toward electronic materials. As one good example, in 1986, the BBC undertook a massive project to digitize the Domesday Book, a census of England from the 11th century. As of March 2002, the digital copies could no longer be accessed on a computer (even on the original computers for which the discs had been made). The original paper copy, however, is still available and perfectly useable (though, granted, you have to go to Kew in Britain to see it). At the very least, these sorts of examples could be used to good effect in a library school debate on the subject.</li><br /><br /><li> Manguel's admittance that his library is larger than what he will perhaps be able to read in his lifetime made me laugh, for my library, while undoubtedly infinitely smaller and not as broad-based, is fast taking on the same unmanageable nature. "I know that my books have unlimited patience," he writes. "They will wait for me till the end of my days." I love that. In a similar vein, he then goes on to discuss the decidedly odd Samuel Johnson, the 18th-century compiler of the infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language" target="new">Dictionary of the English Language</a>, who "thought it 'strange advice' to urge someone to finish a book once started. 'You may as well resolve that whatever men you happen to get acquainted with, you are to keep to them for life.'" While I try in most cases to finish the books I have started, I am not as wedded to that ideal as I once was. With so many good books out there, why waste time reading something you don't enjoy? There are always other books waiting.</li></ul><br /><br />But don't get me wrong: You don't need to be a librarian to enjoy this book (though it will certainly help!). You do, however, need to love books. I for one will be keeping my eyes open and will pick up a copy of this as soon as I can find it at one of my favourite second-hand bookshops. Because, like a good friend, it would be nice to have around.<br /><br /><font size="-2">* Having written this review a few months ago and then having forgotten to upload it to this site, I am happy to add that I have since bought my own copy.</font>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-25587752516823445892008-07-01T01:12:00.004+09:002010-04-30T10:01:10.852+09:00The Dog Who Wouldn't Be by Farley Mowat<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Dog-Who-Wouldnt-Be-Farley-Mowat/9780770422653-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527dog+who+wouldn%2527t+be%2527" target="new"><img src="http://dynamic.images.indigo.ca/ProductImage.aspx?lang=en&width=140&isbn=0770422659&cat=books&quality=85" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>The Dog Who Wouldn't Be</b><br /><i>Farley Mowat</i><br /><i>ill.</i> Paul Galdone<br />(Bantam Books, New York: 1984)<br /><br /><font size="-2"><i>First published by Little, Brown in 1957. Two pieces in this book first appeared in magazines - one in the </i>Atlantic Monthly<i>, one in the </i>Saturday Evening Post<i>.</i></font><br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: June - July 2008</font><br /><br />Who doesn't know and love this book? I read it as a kid, of course, but recently re-read it during my daily commute (as are, indeed, the majority of my books consumed these days). Mowat has a very familiar, conversational, and almost intimate tone in this book, which made me, the reader, feel like he was telling me these stories directly, and I felt so pleased that he was sharing them with me. However, I find it an oddly suspicious coincidence that no sooner had I finished reading this book than Rion had his own <a href="http://pixxiefish.blogspot.com/2008/08/so-much-for-pleasantness-and.html" target="new">skunk encounter</a>. My telling of Rion's misadventure is neither as eloquent nor as entertaining as Mowat's rendition of Mutt and his numerous escapades (and, for that matter, numerous trysts with skunks). Perhaps I am biased toward dogs, but all in all, an enjoyable read.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-91062415596467527542008-06-04T00:10:00.004+09:002010-04-30T09:14:38.287+09:00Les Enquêtes de Vipérine Maltais : Mortels Noëls by Sylvie Brien<a href="http://www.amazon.fr/Enqu%C3%AAtes-Vip%C3%A9rine-Maltais-Mortels-No%C3%ABls/dp/2070569934" target="new"><img src="http://multimedia.fnac.com/multimedia/images_produits/grandes/9/3/9/9782070569939.gif" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>Les Enquêtes de Vipérine Maltais : Mortels Noëls</b><br /><i>Sylvie Brien</i><br />(Gallimard Jeunesse, Paris: 2004)<br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: June 2008</font><br /><br />Un livre d'enfant, évidemment. En 1920, à Montréal, Vipérine Maltais, jeune pensionnaire, est chargée de déterminer s'il fut vraiment un fantôme qui a fait peur la nuit à une des soeurs. Concept simple, mais toute une histoire se développe. Très intéressant, facile à lire, puis une bonne manière de pratiquer mon français (j'ai appris toutes sortes de nouveaux mots).<br /><br /><br />A children's book, obviously. In 1920, in Montreal, Vipérine Matais, a young girl who lives in the convent, has been assigned the task of determining whether it really was a ghost that scared one of the nuns one night. A simple premise, but a whole story develops out of this. Very interesting, easy to read, and a good way to practice my French (I learned a bunch of new words).juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-46900944916905502102008-06-03T11:34:00.003+09:002010-04-27T12:03:51.729+09:00First Democracy: The Challenge of an Ancient Idea by Paul Woodruff<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/First-Democracy-Challenge-Ancient-Idea-Paul-Woodruff/9780195177183-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527first+democracy+woodruff%2527" target="new"><img src="http://images.booksense.com/images/books/183/177/FC9780195177183.JPG" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>First Democracy: The Challenge of an Ancient Idea</b><br /><i>Paul Woodruff</i><br />(Oxford University Press, New York City: 2005)<br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: June 2008</font><br /><br />Jury's still out on this one. It was ... fine. But I didn't think it was very well-written (still trying to figure out why, however), and it frightened me how often I disagreed with or disputed some of his claims, leading me to wonder if I really believe in democracy at all!<br /><br />Highlights (?) include:<br /><br /><ul><li> The tale of the frog and the snake, one of Aesop's fables, used to illustrate how our laws are often absurd, yet somehow necessary in order to protect from tyranny (p. 211 <i>et seq.</i>). I found this argument unfounded, illogical, and, frankly, ridiculous. I also think the fable was a poor illustration of the point being made.</li><br /><li> The fallacies in the arguments of those who would oppose democracy: mainly, that citizen wisdom will always fail since the ordinary person has neither the time, the education nor the will to make decisions, so best to defer to those with the expertise to do it for them (see p. 159 <i>et seq.</i>). I agree with Woodruff to a point; yet, again, his arguments (remember he is <i>disagreeing</i> with these claims) are not carried out as fully as they should have been.</li><br /><li> In a discussion of whether the United States and other similar so-called "democracies" are ready for actual democracy (rule actually for and by the people), Woodruff has a throwaway paragraph about Canada in which he points to the actions of a citizen activist group in British Columbia as proof that Canada is, in fact, ready for actual democratic reform such as proportional representation (see 213 <i>et seq.</i>). Not likely, Mr. Woodruff. First of all, while proportional representation is a popular idea generally, the chances of it becoming the norm in Canada as a whole is highly unlikely, given the structure of our government. Second of all, a citizen group in B.C. is unfortunately not going to have the leverage to get this idea successfully promoted cross-Canada ... even if they could get the B.C. legislative assembly to agree. Their activism cannot be taken as representative of Canada's prevailing political will.</li></ul><br /><br />On the plus side, Woodruff knows a lot about the workings of Greek democracy, and that was fairly interesting. However, there are better books on the origins of democracy, and while this is a short read at just over 200 pages, I'm not sure it's worth the time.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-72793690477133015762008-06-02T08:05:00.004+09:002010-04-27T09:46:49.719+09:00The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Kite-Runner-Khaled-Hosseini/9780385660075-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527kite+runner%2527" target="new"><img src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/65/b4/65b44a8dc65d173593139305267434d414f4541.jpg" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>The Kite Runner</b><br /><i>Khaled Hosseini</i><br />(Doubleday Canada, Toronto: 2003)<br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: June 2008</font><br /><br />One of those remarkable books where you can't really put it down despite the fact you don't really like the narrator (he *does* grow on you somewhat) and despite the fact that the last quarter of the book (or so) feels like you're watching a train rushing to an impending collision in slow-mo. Hosseini's writing is vivid and his characters jump off the page. I haven't eaten up a novel like this in a while. Truly enjoyable.* <br /><br /><font size="-2">* There is also now a movie, which I have not seen and about which I have heard mixed reviews. I'm always torn on the book-to-movie transition - a really great book does not need a movie to make it more real. And really great books often translate into mediocre movies - you can only fit so much into 2 hours. Thoughts?</font>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-43446148349432621032008-06-01T15:56:00.007+09:002011-03-25T13:24:21.479+09:00Not on the Label: What Really Goes into the Food on Your Plate by Felicity Lawrence<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Not-On-The-Label-Felicity-Lawrence/9780141015668-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527felicity+lawrence%2527" target="new"><img src="http://www.new-ag.info/image/04/05/inp1542_3.jpg" width="80" height="120"></a><br />
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<b>Not on the Label: What Really Goes into the Food on Your Plate</b><br />
<i>Felicity Lawrence</i><br />
(Penguin Books, London: 2004)<br />
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<font size="-2">READ: May-June 2004</font><br />
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I stumbled across this book in my library's catalogue whilst searching for something else food-related for a client. Intrigued, I requested it be sent to me, and it was quite a fascinating read.<br />
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Felicity Lawrence is an investigative reporter for <i>The Guardian</i> in London, England, and she has been writing on food-related topics (and other things, too, undoubtedly) for over 20 years. This book focuses on the food industry in Britain*, but I have no reason to believe that things are substantially different or better in Canada and the U.S. I'm willing to bet that while things may differ in the details, the larger brushstrokes of our food distribution chains are similar.<br />
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From the back cover (because sometimes they just say it better):<br />
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<i>In a series of undercover investigations tracking some of the most popular foods we eat at home, Felicity Lawrence travels from farms and factories to packhouses and lorry depots around the world. She discovers why beef waste ends up in chicken, why a third of apples are thrown away, why bread is full of water and air. And she shows how obesity, the plight of migrant workers, motorways clogged with juggernauts, ravaged fields in Europe and starving farmers in Africa are all connected to a handful of retailers and food manufacturers who exert unprecedented control over what we eat and where we buy it.</i><br />
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This book is well-written and fascinating. Lawrence isn't preachy. She isn't trying to get us to switch to all-vegetarianism or all-organics or all-local. Rather, in a series of exposés (Chicken / Salad / Beans / Bread / Apples and Bananas / Coffee and Prawns / The Ready Meal), she is simply trying to make us more <i>aware</i>. She eats meat, and doesn't shun (all) processed food. She even sometimes buys bananas. However, she wants to make us more aware of where our food comes from, and what is done in the system to make food as cheap and abundant as it is today (at least in the Western world). Her general philosophy is: As much as possible, buy local, seasonal, and direct. Sounds like fine advice to me.<br />
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The book is an eye-opener. Sure, I've been hearing for years about the appalling conditions in which many animals destined for slaughter are raised (chickens in tiny cages where they can't even turn around, etc.). Lawrence mentions these things, but doesn't dwell on them. Rather, she walks us through the steps in production of some of the most basic things. Like salad: there are an unbelievable number of steps involved in getting today's ready-cut, pre-washed bags of salad to the grocery store. And if you want a mini-lesson on the effects of globalization, read her chapter on Coffee and Prawns. You'll suddenly have a much better understanding of why so many countries can't afford to feed their own people.<br />
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A rather timely read, as the headlines these days are full of dire predictions for the food supply in the not-so-far-off future, and we keep hearing about the rise of food prices despite any direct evidence of that here. This book helps me understand this rising debate, and I am looking forward to reading more on the subject.<br />
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<font size="-2">* Perhaps in some ways it would be more accurate to say "the food industry <i>not</i> in Britain".<br />
</font>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-18613047544621800972008-05-02T22:22:00.006+09:002010-04-27T08:56:21.769+09:00Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy by Noam Chomsky<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Failed-States-Abuse-Power-Assault-Noam-Chomsky/9780805082845-item.html?ref=Books%3a+Search+Top+Sellers" target="new"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0805079122.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" width="80" height="120"></a><br /><br /><b>Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy</b><br /><i>Noam Chomsky</i><br />(Owl Books (Henry Holt and Company), New York City: 2006)<br /><br /><font size="-2"><i>Part of the <a href="http://www.americanempireproject.com/" target="new">American Empire Project</a>.</i></font><br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: April-May 2008</font><br /><br />I studied Mass Communications in my undergrad, and I remember having to read a bit of Chomsky. I didn't like him. I had no idea what he was talking about. Only much later, when I rediscovered Chomsky, did it occur to me - I had only ever been exposed to Chomsky the linguist and never[1] Chomsky the media theorist or Chomsky the political junkie. <br /><br />There's a number of his books on our bookshelves, and I am looking forward to eventually making my way through them. Chomsky is just too right too much of the time. This was a very good read.<br /><br />In <i>Failed States</i>, Chomsky traces how the United States is increasingly fitting the profile of what are generally considered to be "failed states". Some salient points that stuck with me:[2]<br /><br /><ul><br /><li> US military expenditures approximate those of the rest of the world combined, and the alleged fears over other countries strengthening militarily are likely less of a threat than the fact that the US already controls so much (shipping, etc.);</li><br /><li> the derision and outright aggression directed toward those intelligence experts who have exercised caution or tried to understand the roots of terrorism (<i>i.e.</i>, anything beyond an "us versus them" mentality);</li><br /><li> Washington's long-standing habit of exempting itself from international law when appropriate;[3]</li><br /><li> negotiations surrounding the Non-Proliferation Treaties of the late '90s and early '00s;[4]</li><br /><li> the credibility of intelligence in various international conflicts;</li><br /><li> the promotion of democracy and institutionalization of state-corporate control;</li><br /><li> the incredible lack of health care;[5] and,</li><br /><li> the intricacies of country-to-country relations (e.g., NAFTA, Cuba-Venezuela, etc.).<br /></ul><br /><br />I'm a left-leaning small-l liberal who believes that corporate interests have taken over way more of our daily life than is healthy. So needless to say, I agree with Chomsky a lot. But even for those who might not agree so readily, he's pretty hard to argue against. His information is all painstakingly footnoted and documented. While no doubt there is a certain level of spin applied to what he is saying, you can't dismiss him as a crank. He is obviously knowledgeable and clearly interested in the future of the US. He also writes clearly (unlike his linguistics work which, having recently returned to one text out of simple curiosity, I still can't make heads or tails out of) and compellingly. Even for those who may not be hugely political persons, this book will surely interest and captivate.<br /><br /><font size="-2"><br />[1] Or, to be fair to my program, never as far as I can remember, some 15 years later.<br /><br />[2] Somewhat unfortunately, I am writing this book review almost two years after reading the book. I don't remember many details. However, somewhat fortunately, I did make liberal use of sticky tabs whilst reading this book.<br /><br />[3] The particular passage that I marked had a mention of Michael Ignatieff, now the leader of the Liberal Party, and his apparent support of some of the violations of the Geneva Convention (see p. 54). I really must learn more about this.<br /><br />[4] Including a quote from the recriminations from the head of Canada's delegations, Paul Martin (see p. 77). Yay for Canada references!<br /><br />[5] Keeping in mind I read this book two years ago, that was waaaay before Obama's health care reform was even a twinkle in the electorate's eye. And it was hugely overdue (and one of the better signs of real common sense that I've seen coming out of the US in a really long time).<br /></font>juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11550730.post-53862745900847617872008-05-01T02:54:00.005+09:002010-04-14T12:19:29.034+09:00You Grow, Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening by Gayla Trail<a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/You-Grow-Girl-Groundbreaking-Guide-Gayla-Trail/9780743270144-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527you+grow+girl%2527" target="new"><img src="http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/imageDB.cgi?isbn=9780743270144" width="100" height="100"></a><br /><br /><b>You Grow, Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening</b><br /><i>Gayla Trail</i><br />(Simon & Schuster, Toronto: 2005)<br /><br /><font size="-2">READ: April-May 2008</font><br /><br />This was another good recommendation from <a href="http://www.larocqueandroll.com" target="new">Rebecca</a>; apparently her sister swears by it. It's a perky guide to gardening with lots of great ideas (both very practical and very I-have-better-Martha-Stewart-things-to-do-with-my-time). Doesn't assume you know what you're doing from the get-go - if I <i>knew</i> how to garden, do you <i>think</i> I'd be buying a how-to-garden book??? Trail starts really from scratch and explains everything, from soil composition to reading a seed packet label to dealing with bugs, etc. Lots of handy illustrations, lots of fun projects, lots of encouragement. Most importantly, she recognizes that: (a) not everyone is a good gardener, so she shows how to scale projects appropriately; and (b) not everyone has a large garden space to make their own, so she includes projects such as container gardening and even guerilla gardening. I would have never bought this if Rebecca hadn't recommended it; at first glance, it seems kind of trendy and - *gasp!* - chick-litty, but it really does have some good, solid information in it.juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03907349540165018465noreply@blogger.com0