Monday, November 10, 2008

Monday Round Up

Are you finding time to read? I finally finished Three Cups of Tea and needed a week off work to do it. Like all the reviews that inspired me, the book is a good one and timely given all the activity on the Pakistan and Afghanistan border where this book primarily takes place. If one person can embody the slogan of our President Elect, yes we can, the hero of this true story can. We need as many of these narratives in our collective consciousness as we can get. At least I do.

What are you reading or reviewing? Let's us know. I'm optimistic with the rainy days ahead there will be more time for reading.

And don't forget to sign up for the book giveaway of Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser. He's a personal hero of mine and if you'd like to see him in action watch this clip. The guy is hot.

11 comments:

BerryBird said...

I am struggling to find time to read (or blog) lately, but am making slow progress through David Sedaris's When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Sedaris is always a great read: each short essay is packed with humor and irreverence.

Anonymous said...

I read about half of Ursula LeGuin's Always Comming Home, skipping around to what interested me -- sort of ecological, I guess, in the sense of a distant future society that lives close to the ground. And I read the instruction manual for my new dehydrator. But otherwise not much reading this week.
I'd like to pick a couple of heartening books to read "for" Thanksgiving. I'm thinking, Three Cups of Tea.

Green Bean said...

I loved Three Cups of Tea. Couldn't think of a more inspiring book.

I'm still reading Green Collar Economy - about half way done. I'm liking what he says. So far there is not a lot of substance but the idea is brilliant and perhaps doesn't need substance.

BethBot said...

I tagged you! Check it out at http://ecospheric.blogspot.com...join the game!

Going Crunchy said...

Argh, I'm slooowww. I'm reading mostly professional journals, and am on hold for Green Beans latest hottie titles.

Well, a couple of raw food and veggie cookbooks just for good measure. Shan

Kale for Sale said...

berrybird - It's good to hear from you! I was just talking with a friend about this book. I haven't read anything by DS because I'm so used to his voice from the radio I want to hear whatever he has to say spoken. My husband starts laughing just hearing his name.

susan b - The instruction manual. You get points for that. Those are hard to get through no matter how worthy the machine. Cups of Tea will be much more entertaining although LeGuin's sounds mind bending.

green bean - What I wonder is does Van Jones spirit, the way he can hold a room in the palm of his hand, come through on the page? He may be another one that I don't want to read but want to hear.

bethbot - I'll check it out.

going grunchy - Cookbooks are always good reading or picture browsing. I've been under the weather with a lingering cough and the cute guy brought me home a new cook book I've been drooling over, a platter of figs. The photography alone is mouthwatering. Just a different kind of food, don't you think?

Anonymous said...

We went up to our cabin this weekend and I carted up a bag filled with mostly Christmas books from the library. Between bouts of sledding I skimmed several. My favorite was "A Foxfire Christmas" (1989), a book of recollections of Christmas past.

I'm also reading Angelo Pellegrini's, "The Unprejudiced Palate" (1948). It's a great snapshot of America and Italy from an immigrant's perspective. Here he talks about the immigrant-....he will garden his plot of ground because he knows the vital difference between cold storage and tinned peas and those plucked from the vine an hour before they are eaten. Further challenging the soil for its produce is in his bones; the pleasure of eating what he raises is inseperably fused with the pleasure of raising what he eats. I'm planning to read his other books as well.

diana

Anonymous said...

I've just started Green Collar Economy, to ready myself for Van Jones' lecture here on Thursday!! I had to go all over town to find it in a local bookstore - it was sold out everywhere. I passed several Barnes & Nobles, and finally found it at a local bookstore downtown.

I've given you all an award. ; ) It's here.

Kale for Sale said...

diana - I'm not sure if the books you read are so textured or if it's just the way you write about them but you make me want to loose myself in them too. Thanks for the introduction to titles at least I'm not familiar with.

melinda - I can't wait to hear what you think of Van Jones and I'm glad you found his book at a local bookstore.

And thank you for the award!!! It's our first.

Anonymous said...

I just finished reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn....interesting. You should check it out. And I just started Bitter Harvest by Ann cooper

Green Bean said...

Nataleerae: Bitter Harvest? I've seen that title bandied about but never read much about it. If you'd like to do a review on it when you are done, give me a shout. greenbeandreams(at)gmail(dot)com Love getting reviews in of different books and from different guest reviewers. :)