Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Ice Man - Wynn Morgan
I would probably have added it to the bookshelf, except I think it is still in the hotel.
On another note, the amazon.com description of this book is incorrectly linked to a non-fiction book with the same title by Anthony Bruno.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
California Uncovered: Stories For The 21st Century - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Editor)
I did find a couple of quotes -
"At some point in your story grief presents itself.
Now, for the first time, your room is empty, not merely unoccupied."
- D.J. Waldie, from Holy Land
"There bodies don't work, their minds have wandered off to meet old friends and new horizons, and their own families treat them like they are idiots."
- Laila Halaby, The American Dream
"Money, though, is an illusion with green faces. I think this is so money has a personality - like the way our dieties end up with traits like the rest of us. People create money then they let money create them."
- Luis J. Rodriguez , "My Ride, My Revolution" from The Republic of East L.A.
If nothing else, I think I found a couple new authors. I am curious to read the rest of the story.
The Lemon Tree - Sandy Tolan
The concept of the book was great - telling the story of the Israel / Palestine conflict through two families who lived in the same house; the Palestinian one who built it and the Israeli one who later moved into it. I thought I wanted to know the history of Israel - to understand why the conflict never seems to get better. Faced with the mess the British started and that the rest of the world allowed to happen, I can't believe that it hasn't been worse. What country would allow immigration to cause a 50% population increase in a matter of a few years?
Reading the history (I only made it to the early '70s) was extremely depressing. I can't believe how many stupid moves both sides have made. The Israelis couldn't have done much more to breed hatred and the Palestinians couldn't have done more to focus on what they lost, not on what they still had. Maybe if I had read the entire book, I wouldn't have such a pessimistic view of the situation, but based on my reading, I have no faith this conflict will end.
The book has been returned to the library. Maybe, some day, I'll try it again.
Omnivore's Delimma– Michael Pollan
Another hard cover book for book club - this year's "One Book" for UC Davis. Since it is the UC Davis Alumni book club, they feel obligated to read the "One book" each year. If only the UC Davis folks would pick something cheaper. Yes, I know, I really need to start getting these books from the library.
I really enjoyed the beginning of the book; learning about the evil of corn. Cheap corn has become the cornerstone of the
From there it progressed to how the definition of organic was decided and how that definition now allows for organic farms that deplete the soil almost as much as the big business farms. From there it moves to a sustainable farm. Unfortunately, there are no solutions, just more questions. The sustainable farm was enlightening, but even Pollan states it isn't feasible to feed the entire country this way. Who would want to go from being a corn farmer, working only a portion of the year with the aid of tractors, and convert to one where you work day and night - moving chickens and cows while planting a variety of crops to rotate?
The book was great when it was discussing factory farming, the rise of big business "organic", the ideal of a sustainable farm, but falls when it reaches the hunting and gathering section. Pollan seems to have a lost his message when he learns to hunt and works on identifying edible mushrooms - there were still interesting facts, but it was hard to get through the psycho-babble.
It has changed my eating habits, I am trying to do a better job buying organic - thinking about what I am eating and where it came from.
I've already passed the book on to a friend, and I think several friends are sick of me talking about the evil of corn.
His Dark Materials Series - Philip Pullman
I quickly fell into the story – suspending disbelief at the thought of a young girl and her daemon traveling the worlds, rescuing friends, and changing the course of history. I enjoyed the theological commentary, the literary references (maybe it was my recent reading of The Dante Club?), and the themes of friendship, self-reliance, and the power of intuition combined with thinking. Some of the thoughts were obvious, but I found enough hiding under the surface to enjoy them.
This series will join the others on the shelf. I think I'll enjoy reading them with my son when he is older.