Net Galley Challenge
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
What a Librarian does?
Patricia Hubbell's earlier book is Teacher.
This book 'Check it Out': Reading, Finding, Helping' by Hubbell is about what a librarian does. Not only do we learn of different tasks by the librarian, we also learn about the kinds of books, how things work in libraries and how much fun libraries can be with activities other than reading.
I once met a librarian on a short plane ride. In our high School one of our language teachers was the librarian too. Another language teacher helped us maintain our own class library one year. This book brings out the exclusive librarian's love of reading.
If Mice can smell light
When I saw Jazz in the description, I was expecting a singer's bio, but this book has inspiration written all over it. Painter Romare was inspired by Jazz. Author Romare too was inspired by Museum tours of the painter's works.
The scale of the spread of the painting where Romare sees through the window of the train as a child is impressive. While J K Rowling's fields has cows in them on the train ride, it was cotton fields and pecking hens that met the painter's gaze.
Some of my childhood summers too are spent playing on unused tracks. This book took me to my childhood too.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Calm Around the world
In the stenciled human foot print, Hallux and the foot look like the mother while the rest of the toes - children. pg 76 Bill wood's illustration.
This book Calm: secrets to Serenity From the Cultures of the World does not only provide you a bag of tricks to calm yourself but also a little history and a little culture behind those methods. The activities cover physical activity, cooking and other tried methods.
Its a good mix of some known and some not so well known methods. What I liked the best was learning that some known methods had calm inducing origins.
I knew of Lomi Lomi Salmon recipe and made the salad, but learnt of the lomi lomi massaging effects on people too. Story of Tamales.
Stilt Fishing and Tight rope walking are not my idea of calming, but I can see how once you get there fearlessly, you can be in a state of bliss.
The pictures for each of the method too are varied in style as they are illustrated by many.
PS: Strangely after reading this book during an afternoon, the block wall seemed imperfect with the shadows illuminating it all.
This book Calm: secrets to Serenity From the Cultures of the World does not only provide you a bag of tricks to calm yourself but also a little history and a little culture behind those methods. The activities cover physical activity, cooking and other tried methods.
Its a good mix of some known and some not so well known methods. What I liked the best was learning that some known methods had calm inducing origins.
I knew of Lomi Lomi Salmon recipe and made the salad, but learnt of the lomi lomi massaging effects on people too. Story of Tamales.
Stilt Fishing and Tight rope walking are not my idea of calming, but I can see how once you get there fearlessly, you can be in a state of bliss.
The pictures for each of the method too are varied in style as they are illustrated by many.
PS: Strangely after reading this book during an afternoon, the block wall seemed imperfect with the shadows illuminating it all.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Flights of Fancy
To buy or not - A molecular gastronomy kit
If you have read some chef memoirs, then you know that there is a lot of toil and no social life. This Chef's story too is no different. But the food, each picture stops you in your tracks and makes you ask what is it on the page. Setting the description of the food on a black back ground has its magic of wanting to know even more about the food.
The book is all about what he learnt at each position in the restaurants he staged at.
Having not gone to a culinary school, Liebrandt talks of the book White Heat as an influence. He gives credit to whatever he learnt from each of his mentors. In the end, he has managed to make his book too a keeper like that.
The food in the pictures seems abstract and may be you will never make it or eat it. But still because it is so foreign, it will inspire you to make something different from the usual that you do and not just in cooking.
Savoury Meringues. who would have thought out of the sugar box.
I dont understand half the ingredients but I'm keeping this book as inspiration for creative endeavours.
Beautiful Illustrations
Audrey Bunny By Angie Smith
The story of Audrey Bunny reminded me of You are special by Max Lucado.
An imperfect toy is loved and accepted by a sweet girl Caroline.
The illustrations are captivating with light, easy on the eye colours. The pages of Caroline and Audrey Bunny playing are very cute.
Some pages seemed wordy, intended to start discussions. It doesnt seem very realistic that a toy with a defect would be picked by anybody, this is the weakest link of a strong, beautiful story. This worked well in Lucado's story as the acceptor is the maker/God. In this story, the bunny could be replaced with a person with some imperfection.
An imperfect toy is loved and accepted by a sweet girl Caroline.
The illustrations are captivating with light, easy on the eye colours. The pages of Caroline and Audrey Bunny playing are very cute.
Some pages seemed wordy, intended to start discussions. It doesnt seem very realistic that a toy with a defect would be picked by anybody, this is the weakest link of a strong, beautiful story. This worked well in Lucado's story as the acceptor is the maker/God. In this story, the bunny could be replaced with a person with some imperfection.
About Audrey. Audrey's story reminded me of Dempsey Burdick Memorial Foundation.
Sensors
I didnt know that Canary in a coal mine refers to the use of Canary as an Animal sentinel.
Small beer.
This is a great book with a mismatched title. I wasnt prepared for overwhelming statistics of the history of bird flu and how it spreads through chicken/pigs and to horses and men.
I hadnt read much on the SARS, so the concept of some chicken being used as sentinel to warn us of impending danger is interesting. The concept of 'citizen scientists' too is interesting. But somewhere in recruiting the citizen scientists through the book, the chasm between citizen and scientist has remained wide and gaping.
The book has the potential of being 'The Natural History of bird flu' if written with lay men in mind.
Small beer.
This is a great book with a mismatched title. I wasnt prepared for overwhelming statistics of the history of bird flu and how it spreads through chicken/pigs and to horses and men.
I hadnt read much on the SARS, so the concept of some chicken being used as sentinel to warn us of impending danger is interesting. The concept of 'citizen scientists' too is interesting. But somewhere in recruiting the citizen scientists through the book, the chasm between citizen and scientist has remained wide and gaping.
The book has the potential of being 'The Natural History of bird flu' if written with lay men in mind.
Finding the way back
In out of the Woods, author Lynn Darling refers to 41 subject profiles from the book Lost Person Behaviour by Robert Loester.
Recently I read an essay Aligning the internal compass by Jessica McCaughey. When I came across this book with similar theme of orienting oneself in unfamiliar surroundings, my interest in it spiked. I like walking and was almost lost half a day. So the act of finding your way resonated with me.
For a book to be effective, it is called to link the personal to the world. This book does that very gracefully with the author taking the route of saying everything in her mind and still the center of her book managed to be not her but her 'Wayfinding'. Sense of direction is such a universal thing. Most have stories about getting lost. The book has references to literature on surrounding themes in the form of epigrams, quotes and so on.
The book had the feel of 'Going back to Bisbee' by Richard Shelton, where its the just the author and the nature.
Recently I read an essay Aligning the internal compass by Jessica McCaughey. When I came across this book with similar theme of orienting oneself in unfamiliar surroundings, my interest in it spiked. I like walking and was almost lost half a day. So the act of finding your way resonated with me.
For a book to be effective, it is called to link the personal to the world. This book does that very gracefully with the author taking the route of saying everything in her mind and still the center of her book managed to be not her but her 'Wayfinding'. Sense of direction is such a universal thing. Most have stories about getting lost. The book has references to literature on surrounding themes in the form of epigrams, quotes and so on.
The book had the feel of 'Going back to Bisbee' by Richard Shelton, where its the just the author and the nature.
Nature is not just beautiful
How much richer the essay gets knowing about ravens. Peter Doherty too adds on Ravens.
Beautiful image of Gannets
Stramash
Beautiful image of Gannets
Stramash
When the first chapter happened to be on Aurora Borealis, I was not very excited to begin the reading. I dont like cold too much. But I warmed up to the beautiful writing of Kathleen Jamie in Sightlines. Even though the subtitle says Conversations, the author is predisposed to the natural world where the last polar bear has already been hunted and the 'Dont Touch' sign for whales in a museum is deemed a late move.
Consistently the author makes the reader look at his/her surroundings in a new light. We have all seen eclipses but making us relate to the earth's shadow like we are connected to our shadow - In each chapter, Jamie's writing has something to offer, more than keen observation of present state of nature. History of the land or object under study.
Pathologies chapter reminded me of Mary Roach's Stiff.
With varying environments like the icebergs, excavation field work, shore, the author takes up every opportunity to find where nature can be. The essay on St Kilda island reminded me of a travel essay - A Night with the Ghosts of Greece by Don George. It might not be far fetched to say that this book is load of travel writing too.
If you are not packing off to go watch icebergs or whale bones, reading this book is the closest you can get to them in your mind.
whale washing
Cleits
Consistently the author makes the reader look at his/her surroundings in a new light. We have all seen eclipses but making us relate to the earth's shadow like we are connected to our shadow - In each chapter, Jamie's writing has something to offer, more than keen observation of present state of nature. History of the land or object under study.
Pathologies chapter reminded me of Mary Roach's Stiff.
With varying environments like the icebergs, excavation field work, shore, the author takes up every opportunity to find where nature can be. The essay on St Kilda island reminded me of a travel essay - A Night with the Ghosts of Greece by Don George. It might not be far fetched to say that this book is load of travel writing too.
If you are not packing off to go watch icebergs or whale bones, reading this book is the closest you can get to them in your mind.
whale washing
Cleits
Friday, December 27, 2013
Antique Magazines
Telephone Magazine
Congressional Serial Set referred to paper sleeves for telephone splices along with erasers in their detailed statement of expenditures. That led me to this Telephone Magazine.
Euphony poem
Form to Use
A turtle's shell evokes guardedness. What better place to hide your keys?
Another unlikely place to hide your valuables. A salt box
Another unlikely place to hide your valuables. A salt box
Erasers
When I was a school kid, there were three main erasers, one pink , one green and a white one. And the ones at the end of a pencil.
Turtle erasers
Nature to Decor items
Somehow I started looking for a peacock bowl, I was amazed to find the varieties of adaptations of a peacock's shape, color to a utile bowl.
Wildflowers to Motif
The Environmental Education Center store had a Wildflowers of the Desert poster.
A look at American Cloak and Suit Review, will show you how the company logos were floral intensive.
A look at American Cloak and Suit Review, will show you how the company logos were floral intensive.
Flowers have been a source of inspiration for many motifs. See The Handbook of Decorative Motifs for how a thing of nature can be transformed into a captivating design on paper with picking the right motif.
Have you greeted any turtles lately?
Our usual haunt - a pond didnt turn up any turtles. A Turtle Splash deserted.
An Education center near by had some turtles on viewing. Once there, it was a tiny turtle in the warm tank. Beneath the display were garden turtles.
After playing with finger puppets, trying to view snakes as innocent creatures, the assistant broke the secret. The bigger tortoise is hibernating.
From the Turtles & Tortoises book I learnt that there's a reason why the small one didnt hibernate. It wasnt let to. Baby turtles are not allowed to hibernate for a year or two so they can grow well and then handle the winter on their own. Hmm. Now why didnt I ask this question at the center?
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