Sketch!

Sketch! is one of those books that celebrates the process of making art, when things might not need to be said, if only to motivate the reader to get to work (is that why there’s an exclamation point in the title?). The author relates why drawing is still relevant, and this is indeed a friendly jump-starter for non-artists. Links to relevant websites are provided throughout, for further ideas.

The Slanted Door

What is it like to read a book of recipes as any other kind of book? In this case, it’s fun to try! I deviated from this approach, however, reading the first few essays, then the ingredients, then the other essays, and only skimming the numbered instructions. The succinct descriptions at the top of each page provide very helpful tips, and give a good sense of the amount of effort required. The author tells bits of Vietnamese and San Franciscan histories that reveal some of the personal and culinary heritage in both places. The book tracks the development of the restaurant as a whole, through its three locations since 1995.

Prayers for the Stolen

I don’t like to use direct quotes in my reviews, but it will be hard to resist in this case. (By the way, no quotations marks are used to set apart the dialogue.) As I was reading, I highlighted so many phrases that express so much about a country, a culture, a people, in a single thought. Maybe one that best sums up the mountains near Acapulco is: “In this land one can go out for a walk and find a huge iguana, a papaya tree covered with dozens of large fruits, an enormous anthill, marijuana plants, poppies, or a corpse.” The voice of Ladydi (you have to read to learn why she has that name) is direct and somehow simple – the tone of a child who has grown up seeing things a child shouldn’t see. Her perspective after all is of a very young (sixteen-year-old) person, not knowing what will happen in the future.

Butterflies in November

I’ll admit, part of me was just curious to read something by an Icelandic author (I want to diversify my reading). I have no idea of the grammatical structure of Icelandic, my only guesses stemmed from a few clauses and gender assignments or usages. Anyway: I loved this book! It is a touching, sweet, and funny work that reminded me a little of the “About a Boy” story. The narrator – what is her name? – seems both motherly and not motherly, and these pages are full of real empathy.

Fun images

From my instagram page, a picture of the physical books I have received:

Scientific Autobiography

Sorry, Max, this just wasn’t that interesting to me. The title is fitting, though, as this is not really a personal history, more the history of some scientific advances and different peoples’ disputing theories. These pieces might sound better at a seminar – indeed, they originally were lectures. The reading might be better in print, too, which made me wonder what Max Planck would have thought of ebooks.

November post

This being the last day of the month, and I haven't posted any reviews, I will just give an update on what I've been reading. I read the other "Yosemite Meditations" book; my first Stephen King book (borrowed from a friend), "Under the Dome"; and a book on a topic I've always found interesting, biomimicry, called "The Shark's Paintbrush".

Dataclysm

This is a really interesting book. We’re hearing a lot about big data, but here is a different look at some of it. Everything here is fresh. This is not another attempt to explain statistical methods either. Rather, the data speaks for itself (selves? “data” is plural, if you want to be technical). There is so much of it out there that we can now see very revealing trends. These are often in line with cultural assumptions, but there are some new insights, too. And, it’s all backed up by numbers. The volume alone is outstanding, and the author repeats a fact that I still find shocking: there are more tweeted words in two years than printed words for as long as there have been printed words.

Nest

As with my last review, I want to leave out specific events from this book’s plot. Instead I will attempt to explain how the book is unique, and why it is worth reading. (That’s the point of a review, isn’t it?) This book is sad, and, in parallel, really quite charming – that descriptor just seems to fit.

The Magician's Land

Note: I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.

As this is the third book in a trilogy, I had to read the first two first, so I will treat the three as a whole for purposes of this review. Each book could stand on its own, but they’re even better together, as a series. Once again, it’s hard for me to review fiction without giving away too much. The plot, each book by itself, and the larger story in one, is compelling; your interest and attention are held with an iron grip.