renaissance girl

Books read so far this year

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:30:02 -0700

I fell off the wagon in writing about the books I'm reading, but I have continued to read and want to keep track in some form. My original goal was to read a lot more books this year and that hasn't really happened. I'm going to work on that. That being said, here is my list so far:

Non-Fiction by month:

January: The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
February: Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
March: The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
April: The Legend of Pope Joan by Peter Sanford
May: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
June: Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel
July: Food Politics by Marion Nestle
August: Three Cups of Tea by G. Mortensen and D. Relin
September: Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers by Martie Whittekin
October:

Books read:

You'll Never Nanny in this Town Again by Suzanne Hansen
The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
Babycakes by Armistead Maupin
Early from the Dance by David Payne
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
Apparition Alley by Katherine V. Forrest
The Legend of Pope Joan by Peter Sanford
Through the Grinder by Cleo Coyle
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
The Ghost at the Table by Suzanne Berne
Significant Others by Armistead Maupin
Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel
Sure of You by Armistead Maupin
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
Food Politics by Marion Nestle
The Sleeping Bones by Katherine V. Forrest
Three Cups of Tea by G. Mortensen and D. Relin
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers by Martie Whittekin
The Temple Dancer by John Speed

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April Non-Fiction: The Legend of Pope Joan

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:27:41 -0700

The Legend of Pope Joan: In Search of the Truth

Peter Stanford

For this month's non-fiction selection, I chose to delve into a standing mystery in Catholic culture. While quite meaty and intensely well researched, this book also stretches slightly into the memoir category as Peter Sanford intersperses his actual adventures (and misadventures) in uncovering more clues surrounding this elusive figure.

Legend has it that centuries ago (Sanford pinpoints it around the 9th century), a woman achieved the unachievable by disguising herself as a man and winning over clerics and Catholic thinkers. She became Pope John VIII. Her secret was only revealed once she gave birth to a child on a procession in a narrow steep alley in Rome.

Sanford takes us from his accidental discovery of the legend during a lazy vacation overlooking Joan's alley, the "Vicus Papissa", through a fascinating investigation in various Church libraries, cities across Europe and various historic sites.

He explores the historical, philosophical and even psychological aspects of Pope Joan, thoughtfully turning each angle to the light, making her both credible historically and relevant to modern readers. I must say that his research is extensive which at times feels like a laundry list of source snippets, but Sanford weaves these in with his own personal journey, creating a tale that is both educational and amusing. This journey is, in itself, as interesting as the potential truth he searches for along the way.

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The Omnivore's Hundred

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:14:52 -0700

Copied over from Very Good Taste and Wannabe Wino:

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
~~25. Brawn, or head cheese~~
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
~~42. Whole insects~~
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
~~57. Dirty gin martini~~
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

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Willing by Scott Spencer

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:21:14 -0700

Willing

Scott Spencer

Scott Spencer does, as The Wall Street Journal put it, have a way with language. His writing style is a unique take on the stream of consciousness ramblings of a conflicted young man trying to find himself in a modern world where everything has become a commodity. At times, the way he writes conversation is distracting and annoying, while at other times, it creates a much clearer picture of the way his characters are really interacting. At times, his lead character, Avery, is an interesting observant and introspective young man and at others, he is a whiny spineless depressive who really doesn't have much by way of redeeming qualities. In fact, his chief redeeming quality, as he vindictively pushes his cheating girlfriend away and runs off on an exorbitantly-priced sex tour in Northern Europe, is the way he watches others, acutely aware of energy and emotion in a room, while basically wallowing in his own inability to process and progress through his own energies and emotions.

Beyond the surface of a quarter-to-mid-life crisis (is there a third-life crisis?) coming-to-terms tale, there is enough in this novel to warrant a revisiting, or at the very least, a good analysis. Spencer uses Avery's attention to detail to highlight sounds and colors and tensions that surely have more significance than being simply repetitive and ambient. He tends to overdescribe his scenes and occasionally Avery narrates us for pages on small details or seemingly irrelevant memories. In fact, in one conversation with another man on the tour, Spencer gives a flash of awareness as he cuts his own rambling short by briefly summarizing the drone of Avery's companion. Spencer's novel is thoughtful, and his choices meaningful. Though it has its flaws, the story pulls you through and though a bit monotonous (to force his reader to relate to Avery's general sense of ennui?), in the end, the heavy-handed philosophy about life is a positive development, leaving an overall enjoyable reading experience and some good food-for-thought about relationships, commodities, morals, and, as trite as it may be, the meaning of an individual life in the big world.

Many judgments are made about the sex tour's participants - mainly the men and women, and rarely the owners, operators or even the shadowy "contacts" which turn out to be little more than pimps with higher paid prostitutes than the American hookers that are left behind by the men on the Fleming tour. Spencer appears to carefully leave any final decisions up to the reader, even as his protagonist seems to come to his own conclusion. This ambiguity gives the reader a wonderful experience of the equivocation, even if one's own opinions are pre-determined, that dances through both Avery and many of his compadres. Some men are sure of their right to purchase attention, affection and physical interaction. Some men feel the price they have paid gives them a right to something better than even they are being given. The women seem to be of a more similar mind - there is a resounding notion across the board that each woman is a salesperson, that sex and feigned affection is a business, even if some women are more carefree about the business than others.

It is this dichotomy, however - female nonchalance versus male ambivalence - that is either (again, the ambiguity) thought provoking, or a bit juvenile. Only one female character, one whom I dare not mention lest I spoil the plot, expresses any truly apposite stance on the entire tour. I want to believe that Spencer wanted to be thought provoking. I'm not sure that it is fully carried off, but perhaps a shadow of intent is there. Everything wraps up too neatly at the end with a nod towards the bigger picture for it to really achieve a serious level. With that dash, then, of juvenility, Spencer allies himself with his protagonist, as a man with a lot to think about, still a bit to learn, and a keen sense of observation to pull him through to his ultimate destination.

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Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:47:46 -0700

Certain Girls: A Novel

It wasn't terrible. It just wasn't my kind of book. I don't like chick lit. I don't like self-conscious books about imperfect women with insecurity issues. Not that the heroine has to have an incredible sense of self worth and self esteem, but I am so sick of reading books about women feeling sorry for themselves and being weak and never really getting anywhere. I thought that at the end of Good in Bed, Cannie Shapiro had maybe grown or learned something or found some modicum of happiness. But she is just as insecure and still is devoid of any self-awareness focused anywhere but her thighs. It did make me tear up at its emotional climax. I did get involved with the characters and after I forced my way through 75 self-pitying pages, I did stop wanting to put it down forever. So, as I said, not terrible. But I do think that readers, even us beach blanket readers, deserve better.

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The Seamstress by Frances de Pontes Peebles

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:43:49 -0700

The Seamstress: A Novel

Frances De Pontes Peebles

The Seamstress is, at its core, a tale of two sisters from a small country town in inland Brazil in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Each sister escapes the small town to follow her own path, and the story follows each over the course of a troubled, monumental time in Brazil's history. In general, this novel is beautifully written, incredibly detailed and extremely interesting. It, however, is chiefly concerned with the political and social complexities of the time, rather than the interactions between its characters. The intricacies of Recife society and the backland bandits, the cangacieros, are well drawn. As the sisters create their new lives, they each struggle with their positions, as defined by their gender, class, and social status. Each must realize who can be trusted, what rules can be broken, and the power gained and lost in breaking those rules.

The parallels in each sister's struggle are found naturally and do not feel forced. The details about the time and places are engaging without being overwhelming. De Pontes Peebles draws the stories along, bubbling for a crescendo that, despite the well-crafted story lines, never quite comes along. There is much drama and action, but the book does not seem to reach a traditional climax. The ending is satisfying and does give the reader some insight into the future of the characters, but it happens all of a sudden, as if the author realized that the book was well over 600 pages and just couldn't go on for another 600. All this considered, this book is an enjoyable read with much to reveal about a fascinating point in history.

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The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:03:36 -0700

The Abstinence Teacher

Tom Perrotta

Like his previous novel, Little Children, a novel not really about actual children at all, Tom Perrotta's The Abstinence Teacher turns out to not really be about an actual teacher of abstinence. Ruth Ramsey, one of the two chief protagonists, does, in fact, teach sex education. We find her in the year after a scandal which the school remedies by implementing an abstinence program in place of Ruth's sex education curriculum. Tim Mason, the other lonely soul wandering through this novel, is a born-again Christian, part of a new church which is largely responsible for the changes at Ruth's school.

Though the children are being taught to abstain, and Ruth laments finding herself in the position of an abstinence teacther, the real abstinence in question is being practiced by Ruth and Tim. Ruth, as we are reminded ad nauseam, is a forty-plus divorcee who hasn't had sex in two years. Tim is a recovering addict who found his way out of a serious drug and alcohol addiction through Jesus. These are the defining aspects of these characters, driving all of their decisions and interactions, and it is their abstinence, or the examination of their life in abstention, that teaches Ruth and Tim their most important lessons.

The Abstinence Teacher initially sets up a potential conflict between Ruth's sex education class and her belief system against the born-again church values and Tim's imposition of his religion on the youth soccer team he coaches (Ruth's daughter, Maggie, is one of his best players). This, however, is shadow play, yet again. The soccer team and the religious conflict bring these two characters together and loosely carry the story along, but there is no real conflict in this novel. Instead, Perrotta presents an interesting and heartfelt character study, a study of abstinence in a multitude of meanings, and through that examination, we also find indulgence to be as complex.

The lack of a true driving conflict gives this novel the feeling of a meandering journey through the lives of two suburban parents, each sorting through a different set of baggage. Once a reader stops looking for a more classic beefed up plot, The Abstinence Teacher is a pleasant, thought provoking read which keeps you largely in suspense as to its predictable foregone conclusion. This novel is not brilliant, but only because it is not heavy handed and the shadows are light and approachable. It is engaging and accessible, and though Ruth and Tim have very specific challenges to face and process, they too are light and approachable, which makes sharing their journey worthwhile.

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Eating my values

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:49:02 -0700

Last night, I had an eating epiphany. I was trying to use up the fresh vegetables and pork medallions in the fridge because I'll be out of town for a few days. I threw together a healthy (relatively...), tasty meal and found that because of my conscientious shopping habits over the past week or two. Here's what we ate:

Berkshire pork medallions smothered in garden fresh (my terrace garden!) sage and rosemary as well as locally grown green garlic cooked in organic extra virgin olive oil and a bit of white wine, salt and pepper
Locally grown asparagus dotted with butter and balsamic vinegar, roasted and then sprinkled with fresh Parmesan
Mache and radish salad, both ingredients locally grown with homemade vinaigrette

The staples that I have at home are not all organic or local, so the white wine, salt, pepper, butter, vinegar and Parmesan were not completely in line with my focus on eating fresh, local and/or organic whenever possible. This will change as I make sure to stock only pantry items that fit in (as much as I can find them).

It was such an aha! moment when dinner was wrapping up and I'd realized that by making the right choices about shopping, I could very quickly and easily make the right choices about eating. Now about those M&Ms that I had for dessert....

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I could fall in love with Jersey at sunset...

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:49:32 -0700

...but I won't.

Well, that's not how the song goes, but I've been taking the pup for evening walks every so often instead of my usual morning duty, and you really can fall in love with a skyline at twilight. It really doesn't matter if it's New Jersey or Manhattan or Dubai or Des Moines. I am remembering what a peaceful time dusk is and it really makes me appreciate these longer days and the warmer weather. That, today, is what I am thankful for.

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Curing The Kitchen with TheKitchn

nobody@vox.com(halfginger) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:43:09 -0700

Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure

This month, TheKitchn.com, one of my favorite blogs, is doing The Kitchen Cure, an 8 week kitchen makeover-of-sorts, based off of Apartment Therapy's Eight Step Home Cure. I really need to do a full cure, which is going on over at apartmenttherapy.com, but my kitchen is my current disaster area and it really is where I spend most of time and disorder there is one of the main sources of my household anxiety.

The first step was to go through the pantry and purge old, unhealthy, undesirable food items. I actually purged quite a bit which made me quite pleased. I had thought that I was pretty on top of things, but my pantry cupboards are narrow and deep, hiding all sorts of surprises.

Now that I've cleared out the old stuff, I plan on making a list of what I have in there so that I know what is on hand for quick meals and have a better idea of how to re-stock. I'm not 100% sure on how I want to do that. Paper lists seem to make clutter and become messy. Electronic lists aren't always convenient. I may default to google docs to keep a pantry list since at least it can be accessible by any computer. After that, I'll need a real organization solution for the cupboards. But, my friends, baby steps!

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