Hi everyone!
We had a short but lovely walk Saturday morning along the Aquarius Trail before heading over to a very special breakfast at the Huckleberry in Louisville. We were delighted to have Terri's friend, Hopeton, join Christie, Barb, Mary, Jan, Andrea and me. I was the "guest of honor" at this particular breakfast celebrating the Grillo Center Labyrinth. You "knocked my socks off" with a gift of a lovingly created collage displaying memorabilia featuring the Grillo Health Information Center, the Labyrinth and most of all our friendship. I wish you all could have been there to celebrate with us.
Book Report:
Terri is reading Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point. I read this several years ago and just found it so fascinating.
From Publishers Weekly
The premise of this facile piece of pop sociology has built-in appeal: little changes can have big effects; when small numbers of people start behaving differently, that behavior can ripple outward until a critical mass or "tipping point" is reached, changing the world. Gladwell's thesis that ideas, products, messages and behaviors "spread just like viruses do" remains a metaphor as he follows the growth of "word-of-mouth epidemics" triggered with the help of three pivotal types. These are Connectors, sociable personalities who bring people together; Mavens, who like to pass along knowledge; and Salesmen, adept at persuading the unenlightened. (Paul Revere, for example, was a Maven and a Connector). Gladwell's applications of his "tipping point" concept to current phenomena--such as the drop in violent crime in New York, the rebirth of Hush Puppies suede shoes as a suburban mall favorite, teenage suicide patterns and the efficiency of small work units--may arouse controversy. For example, many parents may be alarmed at his advice on drugs: since teenagers' experimentation with drugs, including cocaine, seldom leads to hardcore use, he contends, "We have to stop fighting this kind of experimentation. We have to accept it and even embrace it." While it offers a smorgasbord of intriguing snippets summarizing research on topics such as conversational patterns, infants' crib talk, judging other people's character, cheating habits in schoolchildren, memory sharing among families or couples, and the dehumanizing effects of prisons, this volume betrays its roots as a series of articles for the New Yorker, where Gladwell is a staff writer: his trendy material feels bloated and insubstantial in book form.
Andrea read Ann Patchett's new novel, Run. Patchett wrote one of my favorite novels, Bel Canto and a wonderful memoir, Truth and Beauty. I can't wait to read this one!
From Publishers Weekly
SignatureReviewed by Andrew O'HaganNovelists can no longer take it as an insult when people say their novels are like good television, because the finest American television is better written than most novels. Ann Patchett's new one has the texture, the pace and the fairy tale elegance of a half dozen novels she might have read and loved growing up, but the magic and the finesse of Run is really much closer to that of Six Feet Under or ER or The Sopranos, and that is good news for everybody, not least her readers.Bernadette and Bernard Doyle were a Boston couple who wanted to have a big lively family. They had one boy, Sullivan, and then adopted two black kids, Teddy and Tip. Mr. Doyle is a former mayor of Boston and he continues his interest in politics, hoping his boys will shape up one day for elected office, though none of them seems especially keen. Bernadette dies when the adopted kids are just four, and much of the book offers a placid requiem to her memory in particular and to the force of motherhood in lives generally. An old statue from Bernadette's side of the family seems to convey miracles, and there will be more than one before this gracious book is done. One night, during a heavy snowfall, Teddy and Tip accompany their father to a lecture given by Jessie Jackson at the Kennedy Centre. Tip is preoccupied with studying fish, so he feels more than a little coerced by his father. After the lecture they get into an argument and Tip walks backwards in the road. A car appears out of nowhere and so does a woman called Tennessee, who pushes Tip out of the car's path and is herself struck. Thus, a woman is taken to hospital and her daughter, Kenya, is left in the company of the Doyles. Relationships begin both to emerge and unravel, disclosing secrets, hopes, fears. Run is a novel with timeless concerns at its heart—class and belonging, parenthood and love—and if it wears that heart on its sleeve, then it does so with confidence. And so it should: the book is lovely to read and is satisfyingly bold in its attempt to say something patient and true about family. Patchett knows how to wear big human concerns very lightly, and that is a continuing bonus for those who found a great deal to admire in her previous work, especially the ultra-lauded Bel Canto. Yet one should not mistake that lightness for anything cosmetic: Run is a book that sets out inventively to contend with the temper of our times, and by the end we feel we really know the Doyle family in all its intensity and with all its surprises
I read, for the first time, the classic Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. I suspect many of you read this years ago in school. It is definitely worth a re-read. Although this book was written in the 1940's in South Africa, it is certainly relevant today. It really is a moving story about love of country and family.
Book Description
Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or valley. For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much."
The most famous and important novel in South Africa's history, and an immediate worldwide bestseller when it was published in 1948, Alan Paton's impassioned novel about a black man's country under white man's law is a work of searing beauty. The eminent literary critic Lewis Gannett wrote, "We have had many novels from statesmen and reformers, almost all bad; many novels from poets, almost all thin. In Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country the statesman, the poet and the novelist meet in a unique harmony."
Cry, the Beloved Country is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people riven by racial injustice. Remarkable for its lyricism, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man
Website of the Week: http://www.spreadthesharing.com/StoriesofSharing/ - share your stories around food and support a worthy cause
Podcast of the Week: http://www.twit.tv/mc - a fun podcast and site all about junk food!
Vocabulary Word of the Week - Maven
From Wikipedia: A maven (also mavin or mayvin) is a trusted expert in a particular field, who seeks to pass his or her knowledge on to others.
History
The word comes from the Yiddish meyvn and Hebrew mevin (מבֿין), with the same meaning, which in turn derives from the Hebrew binah, meaning understanding. It was first recorded in English around 1952, and popularized in the 1960s by a series of commercials for [Vita Herring] created by Martin Solow, featuring "The Beloved Herring Maven." The “Beloved Herring Maven “ ran in radio ads from 1964-1968, and was then brought back in 1983 with Allan Swift, the original voice of the Maven, is preparing for his dramatic return [1]. Many sites credit Vita with popularizing the word Maven. An example of print advertisement including the Maven: 1965 Hadassah News Let. Apr. 30 (advt.) Get Vita at your favorite supermarket, grocery or delicatessen. Tell them the beloved Maven sent you. It won’t save you any money: but you’ll get the best herring.
Since the 1980s it has become more common since William Safire adapted it to describe himself ("the language maven"). The word is mainly confined to American English, but had not yet appeared with the publication of the 1976 edition of Webster's Third New International Dictionary.
In network theory and sociology, a maven is someone who has a disproportionate influence on other members of the network. The role of mavens in propagating knowledge and preferences has been established in various domains, from politics to social trends.
Usage
Malcolm Gladwell used it in his book The Tipping Point (Little Brown, 2000) to describe those who are intense gatherers of information and impressions, and so are often the first to pick up on new or nascent trends. The popularity of the work of Safire and Gladwell has made the word particularly widely used in their particular contexts. Gladwell also suggests that mavens may act most effectively when in collaboration with connectors - i.e.: those people who have wide network of casual acquaintances by whom they are trusted, often a network that crosses many social boundaries and groups. Connectors can thus easily and widely distribute the advice or insight of a maven.
In The Tipping Point, Gladwell described a "maven trap" as a method of obtaining information from mavens. In the book he gave the example of the toll-free telephone number on the back of a bar of Ivory soap, which one could call with questions or comments about the product. Gladwell's opinion is that only those who are passionate or knowledgeable about soap would bother to call and that this is a method by which the company could inexpensively glean valuable information about their market.
In The Human Fabric (Aviri, 2004), Bijoy Goswami uses the term to describe one of three core energies in people, organizations and society.
Some have identified the maven not just as a Jewish word, but as a Jewish concept. One site on Jewish language states, "A maven is an expert, and it's something that every Jew thinks he is on every subject that exists." [1] [unreliable source?] Jewish radio talk show host Barry Farber would often say, "I am the world's foremost expert on my own opinion". This highlights the fact that a maven being self-appointed, following his advice is an act of faith.
In the computerized version of the game Scrabble, the computer player is named Maven.
The term is used heavily in stock market related spam emails.[citation needed]
Cooking and Dining Report:
Not much cooking going on here until today - I made Giada de Laurentiis' Braciole - a stuffed and rolled flank steak - which I've posted before but just in case you missed it...... http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_25307,00.html.
I do have a fun Halloween treat which I found in the Daily Camera this week and plan to make with Lauren and Evan, the little girls I take care of in Longmont.
Spider Cookies - makes 6 treats
(12) 3" chocolate cookies
(12) cherry or strawberry licorice twists
1 can chocolate frosting
12 red hot candies
Frost the tops of 6 of the cookies
Split the licorice twists lengthwise and then cut in half, so that you end up with 48 legs. Place 4 legs on each side of each cookie so that they are sticking out when you cover with the remaining cookies.
Frost the top of each cookie sandwich.
Place 2 red hot candies for eyes poking out one end.
A great new specialty food shop has opened in Boulder - it is called Oliv You & Me. It opened just a couple of weeks ago at 2043 Broadway between Pearl and Spruce, next door to Design Within Reach. It is locally owned by two sisters and is getting ready to launch a website called www.olivym.com. The shop is lovely and welcoming, with a few tables to sit down and enjoy a cup of espresso and a sweet treat. There are olive oils, vinegars, and other wonderful delicacies to try and bring home. The owners are Jody Spence and Patti Scott and along with their families have a created a wonderful addition to Boulder's shopping scene. Do check it out soon. As soon as their website is launched, even those of you from out-of-town will be able to enjoy these treats.
That's all for now - we'll be heading to New York in just a few days for Libby and David's wedding. We're so looking forward to finally meeting Cora and David Potter, David's parents. We get to have a nice quiet dinner with them on Thursday. My post will probably be late next week but should be chocked full of buzz about New York and the wedding..
Have a great week,
Love,
Susan
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday Morning Walkers - October 21, 2007
Hi everyone!
Well it was quite a big weekend here! Rae and Lynn flew in on Friday night to help me celebrate the dedication of the Grillo Center Labyrinth. Rae joined us on our walk Saturday morning out at Walden Ponds - it was a perfect morning and the walk was just delightful. We hooked up with Lynn after breakfast and checked out the labyrinth while the sun was shining and then headed over to the Farmers Market. We had a wonderful day together on Saturday - did a bit of shopping, had a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory and then fixed a wonderful dinner at home that I'll tell you about later. Also, don't miss the Words of Wisdom and poem at the end of this post.
As predicted (for once, the weather forecasters were correct), Sunday was cold and wet! After a morning of indecision, we unhappily did cancel the public dedication. However, once that decision was made, we invited several of our friends and supporters over to our house for a more intimate celebration. We certainly had plenty of food and drinks and it turned out to be a wonderful event. It was a perfect way to celebrate the labyrinth and acknowledge our designers, George and Melanie, and our friends and supporters. For those of you who weren't able to be there, you certainly were in my heart and I thank you all for your enduring love and support.
Book Report:
Barb just finished Cormac McCarthy's new novel, The Road. She does recommend it and found it quite thought provoking.
Amazon.com
Best known for his Border Trilogy, hailed in the San Francisco Chronicle as "an American classic to stand with the finest literary achievements of the century," Cormac McCarthy has written ten rich and often brutal novels, including the bestselling No Country for Old Men, and The Road. Profoundly dark, told in spare, searing prose, The Road is a post-apocalyptic masterpiece, one of the best books we've read this year, but in case you need a second (and expert) opinion, we asked Dennis Lehane, author of equally rich, occasionally bleak and brutal novels, to read it and give us his take. Read his glowing review below. --Daphne Durham
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guest Reviewer: Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane, master of the hard-boiled thriller, generated a cult following with his series about private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, wowed readers with the intense and gut-wrenching Mystic River, blew fans all away with the mind-bending Shutter Island, and switches gears with Coronado, his new collection of gritty short stories (and one play).
Cormac McCarthy sets his new novel, The Road, in a post-apocalyptic blight of gray skies that drizzle ash, a world in which all matter of wildlife is extinct, starvation is not only prevalent but nearly all-encompassing, and marauding bands of cannibals roam the environment with pieces of human flesh stuck between their teeth. If this sounds oppressive and dispiriting, it is. McCarthy may have just set to paper the definitive vision of the world after nuclear war, and in this recent age of relentless saber-rattling by the global powers, it's not much of a leap to feel his vision could be not far off the mark nor, sadly, right around the corner. Stealing across this horrific (and that's the only word for it) landscape are an unnamed man and his emaciated son, a boy probably around the age of ten. It is the love the father feels for his son, a love as deep and acute as his grief, that could surprise readers of McCarthy's previous work. McCarthy's Gnostic impressions of mankind have left very little place for love. In fact that greatest love affair in any of his novels, I would argue, occurs between the Billy Parham and the wolf in The Crossing. But here the love of a desperate father for his sickly son transcends all else. McCarthy has always written about the battle between light and darkness; the darkness usually comprises 99.9% of the world, while any illumination is the weak shaft thrown by a penlight running low on batteries. In The Road, those batteries are almost out--the entire world is, quite literally, dying--so the final affirmation of hope in the novel's closing pages is all the more shocking and maybe all the more enduring as the boy takes all of his father's (and McCarthy's) rage at the hopeless folly of man and lays it down, lifting up, in its place, the oddest of all things: faith. --Dennis Lehane
Lynn was reading (and I think finished) Ann Packer's new novel, Songs Without Words. It looks like a winner and another triumph for Packer after her first novel, The Dive From Clausen's Pier.
From Publishers Weekly
Packer follows her well-received first novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, with a richly nuanced meditation on the place of friendship in women's lives. Liz and Sarabeth's childhood friendship deepened following Sarabeth's mother's suicide when the girls were 16; now the two women are in their 40s and living in the Bay Area. Responsible mother-of-two Liz has come to see eccentric, bohemian Sarabeth, with her tendency to enter into inappropriate relationships with men, as more like another child than as a sister or mutually supportive friend. When Liz's teenage daughter, Lauren, perpetuates a crisis, Liz doubts her parenting abilities; Sarabeth is plunged into uncomfortable memories; and the hidden fragilities of what seemed a steadfast relationship come to the fore. Packer adroitly navigates Lauren's teen despair, Sarabeth's lonely longings and Liz's feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Although Liz's husband, Brody, and other men in the book are less than compelling, Packer gets deep into the perspectives of Liz, Sarabeth and Lauren, and follows out their conflicts with an unsentimental sympathy
Rae and I picked up two books at Costco yesterday - Rae started Ursula Hegi's new novel, The Worse Thing I've Done and I bought Gail Tsukiyama's new novel, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms. We have both read Ursula Hegi before and I just love Gail Tsukiyama's novels. We'll report on those soon.
Website of the Week - http://www.crazysexycancer.com/ - you may have seen Kris Carr on Oprah today (Monday) - she is living with 4th stage cancer and has produced a documentary film on her experience as a cancer patient - very inspiring and somewhat irreverant!
Podcast of the Week - http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/10/17.php#17686 - Diane Rehm's interview with Andrea Barrett, the novelist who has written The Air We Breathe. It sounds like a fascinating book that deals with the tuberculosis epidemic just before WWI and life in the sanitoriums located in NY's Adirondack Mountains.
Vocabulary Word of the Week - labyrinth
From Wikipedia: for a full description, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth
Cultural meanings
Prehistoric labyrinths are believed to have served as traps for malevolent spirits or as defined paths for ritual dances. In medieval times, the labyrinth symbolized a hard path to God with a clearly defined center (God) and one entrance (birth).
Labyrinths can be thought of as symbolic forms of pilgrimage; people can walk the path, ascending toward salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands, so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel. Later the religious significance of labyrinths faded, and they served primarily for entertainment, though recently their spiritual aspect has seen a resurgence.
Many newly-made labyrinths exist today, in churches and parks. Labyrinths are used by modern mystics to help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets his mind. The result is a relaxed mental attitude, free of internal dialog. This is a form of meditation. Many people believe that meditation has health benefits as well as spiritual benefits. The Labyrinth Society provides a locator for modern labyrinths in North America.
Cooking and Dining Report: Two recipes to share this week:
Lunch on Sunday was Camden Yard Crabcakes - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_11929,00.html - an old favorite from Baltimore
Dinner on Saturday was Short Ribs with Tagliatelle from Giada De Laurentiis - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_34775,00.html - gets even better as a leftover! Oh, and I couldn't find Tagliatelle, a wide pasta noodle so I substituted papardelle. Any wide noodle would be great! Rae made sauteed spinach with pine nuts and raisins to go with this - delicious and a great accompaniment.
Words of Wisdom - this week we have some personal contributions - when Rae, Lynn and I were driving around Boulder over the weekend, we had a conversation about the GPS system in the car. Jack and I have named the voice of the GPS, Ophelia, and I was pointing out how much I enjoy having Ophelia in the car with me - she is not judgemental, I can curse at her if I don't agree with her directions and best of all, she doesn't get upset if you make a wrong turn. She simply points out that she is "recalculating". Rae declared that we should adopt the term "recalculating" as a mantra that helps us get through the twists, turns and ups and downs of our lives. How many times a day are asked to "recalculate" where we are headed? Certainly, I clearly had that lesson on Sunday when plans for a public labryinth dedication were forced to be changed at the very last minute. We later amended the mantra to be "recalculating with grace". We invite you all to adopt this mantra.
Lynn shared a story about her brother and sister-in-law that is wonderful to share. Her brother was concerned about his appearance, was reassured by Lynn that he looked fine and then his wife declared that he should "proceed with confidence". We should all take those words to heart and proceed though our lives with confidence.
A poem to share with permission from Shirley A. Serviss - I found this poem on the intenet and shared it yesterday at our celebration:
Step by Step
by Shirley A. Serviss*
We enter the labyrinth--this sacred space--
not knowing our way, not knowing how the day
will unfold, what the outcome may be.
In the labyrinth we have nothing to fear;
the path will become clear as we take one step
after the other. All we need do is keep on going.
All we need ever do is continue to take
the next step to see where it takes us.
We are each on our own journey,
can take our own time, move at our own pace.
The only race we´re in is the human one.
We are kin to all who walk this way,
searching for guidance in place of uncertainty,
hope in place of despair. Namaste-
our spirits greet each other as we meet on the path.
In the labyrinth, we move in circles, but are not lost.
We find our way through what appears to be a maze,
learning patience as it twists and turns, seemingly
taking too long, taking us further from our goal,
before it doubles back around, finally bringing us
to a place where all becomes clear.
Now we prepare to re-enter: our work, our world,
our lives. We make progress, only to regress--
no straight road to follow. We take comfort in the walking:
the meditative meandering of the labyrinth,
the guidance of the lines, the reassurance
we will find our way through the challenges we face
as we continue to place one foot in front of the other.
Have a terrific week ahead!
Love,
Susan
Well it was quite a big weekend here! Rae and Lynn flew in on Friday night to help me celebrate the dedication of the Grillo Center Labyrinth. Rae joined us on our walk Saturday morning out at Walden Ponds - it was a perfect morning and the walk was just delightful. We hooked up with Lynn after breakfast and checked out the labyrinth while the sun was shining and then headed over to the Farmers Market. We had a wonderful day together on Saturday - did a bit of shopping, had a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory and then fixed a wonderful dinner at home that I'll tell you about later. Also, don't miss the Words of Wisdom and poem at the end of this post.
As predicted (for once, the weather forecasters were correct), Sunday was cold and wet! After a morning of indecision, we unhappily did cancel the public dedication. However, once that decision was made, we invited several of our friends and supporters over to our house for a more intimate celebration. We certainly had plenty of food and drinks and it turned out to be a wonderful event. It was a perfect way to celebrate the labyrinth and acknowledge our designers, George and Melanie, and our friends and supporters. For those of you who weren't able to be there, you certainly were in my heart and I thank you all for your enduring love and support.
Book Report:
Barb just finished Cormac McCarthy's new novel, The Road. She does recommend it and found it quite thought provoking.
Amazon.com
Best known for his Border Trilogy, hailed in the San Francisco Chronicle as "an American classic to stand with the finest literary achievements of the century," Cormac McCarthy has written ten rich and often brutal novels, including the bestselling No Country for Old Men, and The Road. Profoundly dark, told in spare, searing prose, The Road is a post-apocalyptic masterpiece, one of the best books we've read this year, but in case you need a second (and expert) opinion, we asked Dennis Lehane, author of equally rich, occasionally bleak and brutal novels, to read it and give us his take. Read his glowing review below. --Daphne Durham
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guest Reviewer: Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane, master of the hard-boiled thriller, generated a cult following with his series about private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, wowed readers with the intense and gut-wrenching Mystic River, blew fans all away with the mind-bending Shutter Island, and switches gears with Coronado, his new collection of gritty short stories (and one play).
Cormac McCarthy sets his new novel, The Road, in a post-apocalyptic blight of gray skies that drizzle ash, a world in which all matter of wildlife is extinct, starvation is not only prevalent but nearly all-encompassing, and marauding bands of cannibals roam the environment with pieces of human flesh stuck between their teeth. If this sounds oppressive and dispiriting, it is. McCarthy may have just set to paper the definitive vision of the world after nuclear war, and in this recent age of relentless saber-rattling by the global powers, it's not much of a leap to feel his vision could be not far off the mark nor, sadly, right around the corner. Stealing across this horrific (and that's the only word for it) landscape are an unnamed man and his emaciated son, a boy probably around the age of ten. It is the love the father feels for his son, a love as deep and acute as his grief, that could surprise readers of McCarthy's previous work. McCarthy's Gnostic impressions of mankind have left very little place for love. In fact that greatest love affair in any of his novels, I would argue, occurs between the Billy Parham and the wolf in The Crossing. But here the love of a desperate father for his sickly son transcends all else. McCarthy has always written about the battle between light and darkness; the darkness usually comprises 99.9% of the world, while any illumination is the weak shaft thrown by a penlight running low on batteries. In The Road, those batteries are almost out--the entire world is, quite literally, dying--so the final affirmation of hope in the novel's closing pages is all the more shocking and maybe all the more enduring as the boy takes all of his father's (and McCarthy's) rage at the hopeless folly of man and lays it down, lifting up, in its place, the oddest of all things: faith. --Dennis Lehane
Lynn was reading (and I think finished) Ann Packer's new novel, Songs Without Words. It looks like a winner and another triumph for Packer after her first novel, The Dive From Clausen's Pier.
From Publishers Weekly
Packer follows her well-received first novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, with a richly nuanced meditation on the place of friendship in women's lives. Liz and Sarabeth's childhood friendship deepened following Sarabeth's mother's suicide when the girls were 16; now the two women are in their 40s and living in the Bay Area. Responsible mother-of-two Liz has come to see eccentric, bohemian Sarabeth, with her tendency to enter into inappropriate relationships with men, as more like another child than as a sister or mutually supportive friend. When Liz's teenage daughter, Lauren, perpetuates a crisis, Liz doubts her parenting abilities; Sarabeth is plunged into uncomfortable memories; and the hidden fragilities of what seemed a steadfast relationship come to the fore. Packer adroitly navigates Lauren's teen despair, Sarabeth's lonely longings and Liz's feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Although Liz's husband, Brody, and other men in the book are less than compelling, Packer gets deep into the perspectives of Liz, Sarabeth and Lauren, and follows out their conflicts with an unsentimental sympathy
Rae and I picked up two books at Costco yesterday - Rae started Ursula Hegi's new novel, The Worse Thing I've Done and I bought Gail Tsukiyama's new novel, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms. We have both read Ursula Hegi before and I just love Gail Tsukiyama's novels. We'll report on those soon.
Website of the Week - http://www.crazysexycancer.com/ - you may have seen Kris Carr on Oprah today (Monday) - she is living with 4th stage cancer and has produced a documentary film on her experience as a cancer patient - very inspiring and somewhat irreverant!
Podcast of the Week - http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/10/17.php#17686 - Diane Rehm's interview with Andrea Barrett, the novelist who has written The Air We Breathe. It sounds like a fascinating book that deals with the tuberculosis epidemic just before WWI and life in the sanitoriums located in NY's Adirondack Mountains.
Vocabulary Word of the Week - labyrinth
From Wikipedia: for a full description, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth
Cultural meanings
Prehistoric labyrinths are believed to have served as traps for malevolent spirits or as defined paths for ritual dances. In medieval times, the labyrinth symbolized a hard path to God with a clearly defined center (God) and one entrance (birth).
Labyrinths can be thought of as symbolic forms of pilgrimage; people can walk the path, ascending toward salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands, so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel. Later the religious significance of labyrinths faded, and they served primarily for entertainment, though recently their spiritual aspect has seen a resurgence.
Many newly-made labyrinths exist today, in churches and parks. Labyrinths are used by modern mystics to help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets his mind. The result is a relaxed mental attitude, free of internal dialog. This is a form of meditation. Many people believe that meditation has health benefits as well as spiritual benefits. The Labyrinth Society provides a locator for modern labyrinths in North America.
Cooking and Dining Report: Two recipes to share this week:
Lunch on Sunday was Camden Yard Crabcakes - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_11929,00.html - an old favorite from Baltimore
Dinner on Saturday was Short Ribs with Tagliatelle from Giada De Laurentiis - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_34775,00.html - gets even better as a leftover! Oh, and I couldn't find Tagliatelle, a wide pasta noodle so I substituted papardelle. Any wide noodle would be great! Rae made sauteed spinach with pine nuts and raisins to go with this - delicious and a great accompaniment.
Words of Wisdom - this week we have some personal contributions - when Rae, Lynn and I were driving around Boulder over the weekend, we had a conversation about the GPS system in the car. Jack and I have named the voice of the GPS, Ophelia, and I was pointing out how much I enjoy having Ophelia in the car with me - she is not judgemental, I can curse at her if I don't agree with her directions and best of all, she doesn't get upset if you make a wrong turn. She simply points out that she is "recalculating". Rae declared that we should adopt the term "recalculating" as a mantra that helps us get through the twists, turns and ups and downs of our lives. How many times a day are asked to "recalculate" where we are headed? Certainly, I clearly had that lesson on Sunday when plans for a public labryinth dedication were forced to be changed at the very last minute. We later amended the mantra to be "recalculating with grace". We invite you all to adopt this mantra.
Lynn shared a story about her brother and sister-in-law that is wonderful to share. Her brother was concerned about his appearance, was reassured by Lynn that he looked fine and then his wife declared that he should "proceed with confidence". We should all take those words to heart and proceed though our lives with confidence.
A poem to share with permission from Shirley A. Serviss - I found this poem on the intenet and shared it yesterday at our celebration:
Step by Step
by Shirley A. Serviss*
We enter the labyrinth--this sacred space--
not knowing our way, not knowing how the day
will unfold, what the outcome may be.
In the labyrinth we have nothing to fear;
the path will become clear as we take one step
after the other. All we need do is keep on going.
All we need ever do is continue to take
the next step to see where it takes us.
We are each on our own journey,
can take our own time, move at our own pace.
The only race we´re in is the human one.
We are kin to all who walk this way,
searching for guidance in place of uncertainty,
hope in place of despair. Namaste-
our spirits greet each other as we meet on the path.
In the labyrinth, we move in circles, but are not lost.
We find our way through what appears to be a maze,
learning patience as it twists and turns, seemingly
taking too long, taking us further from our goal,
before it doubles back around, finally bringing us
to a place where all becomes clear.
Now we prepare to re-enter: our work, our world,
our lives. We make progress, only to regress--
no straight road to follow. We take comfort in the walking:
the meditative meandering of the labyrinth,
the guidance of the lines, the reassurance
we will find our way through the challenges we face
as we continue to place one foot in front of the other.
Have a terrific week ahead!
Love,
Susan
Saturday Morning Walkers - October 14, 2007
Hi everyone!
We had a great walk yesterday, starting at the Grillo Center Labyrinth and heading east on the Boulder Creek Path. After heading back for coffee at Vic's, we did our tour of the Farmers Market. I'm getting pretty excited about our upcoming dedication for the labyrinth on Sunday, October 21 from 4 - 6 PM. I hope that many of you are able to join us for the celebration. I'm happy to report that Randy is recovering well from his shoulder surgery.
Book Report:
Christie is reading 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn. I read this and may have reported on it a while ago but it is worth mentioning again. It is a fascinating account of 9/11 at the World Trade Center by two journalists who really conducted a thorough investigation of that horrific event.
From Publishers Weekly
Drawn from thousands of radio transcripts, phone messages, e-mails and interviews with eyewitnesses, this 9/11 account comes from the perspective of those inside the World Trade Center from the moment the first plane hit at 8:46 a.m. to the collapse of the north tower at 10:28 a.m. The stories are intensely intimate, and they often stir gut-wrenching emotions. A law firm receptionist quietly eats yogurt at her desk seconds before impact. Injured survivors, sidestepping debris and bodies, struggle down a stairwell. A man trapped on the 88th floor leaves a phone message for his fiancée: "Kris, there's been an explosion.... I want you to know my life has been so much better and richer because you were in it." Dwyer and Flynn, New York Times writers, take rescue agencies to task for rampant communications glitches and argue that the towers' faulty design helped doom those above the affected floors ("Their fate had been sealed nearly four decades earlier, when... fire stairs were eliminated as a wasteful use of valuable space"). In doing so, the authors frequently draw parallels to similar safety oversights aboard the ill-fated Titanic nearly 90 years before. Their reporting skills are exceptional; readers experience the chaos and confusion that unfolded inside, in grim, painstaking detail. B&w photos.
Terri recently read Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. I can't actually report that she recommends it - she was pretty turned off by this amazing dysfunctional family.
From Publishers Weekly
"Bookman gave me attention. We would go for long walks and talk about all sorts of things. Like how awful the nuns were in his Catholic school when he was a kid and how you have to roll your lips over your teeth when you give a blowjob," writes Burroughs (Sellevision) about his affair, at age 13, with the 33-year-old son of his mother's psychiatrist. That his mother sent him to live with her shrink (who felt that the affair was good therapy for Burroughs) shows that this is not just another 1980s coming-of-age story. The son of a poet with a "wild mental imbalance" and a professor with a "pitch-black dark side," Burroughs is sent to live with Dr. Finch when his parents separate and his mother comes out as a lesbian. While life in the Finch household is often overwhelming (the doctor talks about masturbating to photos of Golda Meir while his wife rages about his adulterous behavior), Burroughs learns "your life [is] your own and no adult should be allowed to shape it for you." There are wonderful moments of paradoxical humor Burroughs, who accepts his homosexuality as a teen, rejects the squeaky-clean pop icon Anita Bryant because she was "tacky and classless" as well as some horrifying moments, as when one of Finch's daughters has a semi-breakdown and thinks that her cat has come back from the dead. Beautifully written with a finely tuned sense of style and wit the occasional clich‚ ("Life would be fabric-softener, tuna-salad-on-white, PTA-meeting normal") stands out anomalously this memoir of a nightmarish youth is both compulsively entertaining and tremendously provocative.
Website of the Week - www.paperbackswap.com - Chris discovered this stie which enables you to swap books with other members, paying only postage for the books you send out. With each book that you send out, you receive a credit towards a book that you may request.. A great way to pass along books that the used book stores reject!
Podcast of the Week - http://agatha.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=261985 - Agatha Christie Radio Murder Mysteries
Vocabulary Word of the Week - sojourn:
sojourn \SOH-juhrn; so-JURN\, intransitive verb:
1. To stay as a temporary resident; to dwell for a time.
noun:
1. A temporary stay.
Though he has sojourned in Southwold, wandered in Walberswick, dabbled in Dunwich, ambled through Aldeburgh and blundered through Blythburgh, Smallweed has never set foot in Orford.
-- Smallweed, "The trouble with hope", The Guardian, April 14, 2001
Yet he is now an accomplished student and speaker of English, a literary editor and television producer, someone who has sojourned in Paris and attended the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
-- William H. Gass, "Family and Fable in Galilee", New York Times, April 17, 1988
As chance would have it, Degas's five-month sojourn in New Orleans coincided with an extraordinarily contentious period in the stormy political history of the city.
-- Christopher Benfey, Degas in New Orleans
During that long sojourn in Sligo, from 1870 to 1874, he had lessons from a much loved nursemaid, Ellie Connolly; later he received coaching in spelling and dictation from Esther Merrick, a neighbour who lived in the Sexton's house by St John's, and who read him quantities of verse.
-- R. F. Foster, W.B. Yeats: A Life, Vol. 1
Sojourn comes from Old French sojorner, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin subdiurnare, from Latin sub-, "under, a little over" + Late Latin diurnus, "lasting for a day," from Latin dies, "day."
Cooking and Dining Report:
Jack and I had a great dinner last night with Mae at an Italian restaurant in Littleton - Michael's Italian Bistro and Brewery - they had a great menu and we all enjoyed our dinners. Mae and Jack had Chicken Marsala and I had a wonderful steak. Mae had spumoni and Jack and I shared chocolate espresso cake for dessert. Check out this review on the Gabby Gourmet's website - http://www.gabbygourmet.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=restaurantGuide
We had a discussion yesterday about gnocchi and Jack pointed out to me that there are two places in town that serve wonderful gnocchi recipes:
Radda makes Gnocchi Bolognese which is a favorite of Jack's and Bacaro makes Gnocchi di ricotta with choice of Colorado lamb ragu, tomato and basil or porcini mushroom creme.
Some recipes to share this week:
Roasted Fennel with Parmesan - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_30476,00.html
Seared Diver Scallops with Bacon and Whole Grain Mustard Rub - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_20959,00.html
Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons & Parsley Brown Butter from Eating Well Magazine - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/gnocchi_zucchini_butter.html
That's all for now - have a great week ahead. Once again, I hope to see you at the Grillo Center Labyrinth Dedication on Sunday, October 21 from 4 - 6 PM - there will be light refreshments and music to enjoy. I'm not sure if I'll get this weekly email out next Sunday but I'll get it out as soon as I can.
Love,
Susan
We had a great walk yesterday, starting at the Grillo Center Labyrinth and heading east on the Boulder Creek Path. After heading back for coffee at Vic's, we did our tour of the Farmers Market. I'm getting pretty excited about our upcoming dedication for the labyrinth on Sunday, October 21 from 4 - 6 PM. I hope that many of you are able to join us for the celebration. I'm happy to report that Randy is recovering well from his shoulder surgery.
Book Report:
Christie is reading 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn. I read this and may have reported on it a while ago but it is worth mentioning again. It is a fascinating account of 9/11 at the World Trade Center by two journalists who really conducted a thorough investigation of that horrific event.
From Publishers Weekly
Drawn from thousands of radio transcripts, phone messages, e-mails and interviews with eyewitnesses, this 9/11 account comes from the perspective of those inside the World Trade Center from the moment the first plane hit at 8:46 a.m. to the collapse of the north tower at 10:28 a.m. The stories are intensely intimate, and they often stir gut-wrenching emotions. A law firm receptionist quietly eats yogurt at her desk seconds before impact. Injured survivors, sidestepping debris and bodies, struggle down a stairwell. A man trapped on the 88th floor leaves a phone message for his fiancée: "Kris, there's been an explosion.... I want you to know my life has been so much better and richer because you were in it." Dwyer and Flynn, New York Times writers, take rescue agencies to task for rampant communications glitches and argue that the towers' faulty design helped doom those above the affected floors ("Their fate had been sealed nearly four decades earlier, when... fire stairs were eliminated as a wasteful use of valuable space"). In doing so, the authors frequently draw parallels to similar safety oversights aboard the ill-fated Titanic nearly 90 years before. Their reporting skills are exceptional; readers experience the chaos and confusion that unfolded inside, in grim, painstaking detail. B&w photos.
Terri recently read Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. I can't actually report that she recommends it - she was pretty turned off by this amazing dysfunctional family.
From Publishers Weekly
"Bookman gave me attention. We would go for long walks and talk about all sorts of things. Like how awful the nuns were in his Catholic school when he was a kid and how you have to roll your lips over your teeth when you give a blowjob," writes Burroughs (Sellevision) about his affair, at age 13, with the 33-year-old son of his mother's psychiatrist. That his mother sent him to live with her shrink (who felt that the affair was good therapy for Burroughs) shows that this is not just another 1980s coming-of-age story. The son of a poet with a "wild mental imbalance" and a professor with a "pitch-black dark side," Burroughs is sent to live with Dr. Finch when his parents separate and his mother comes out as a lesbian. While life in the Finch household is often overwhelming (the doctor talks about masturbating to photos of Golda Meir while his wife rages about his adulterous behavior), Burroughs learns "your life [is] your own and no adult should be allowed to shape it for you." There are wonderful moments of paradoxical humor Burroughs, who accepts his homosexuality as a teen, rejects the squeaky-clean pop icon Anita Bryant because she was "tacky and classless" as well as some horrifying moments, as when one of Finch's daughters has a semi-breakdown and thinks that her cat has come back from the dead. Beautifully written with a finely tuned sense of style and wit the occasional clich‚ ("Life would be fabric-softener, tuna-salad-on-white, PTA-meeting normal") stands out anomalously this memoir of a nightmarish youth is both compulsively entertaining and tremendously provocative.
Website of the Week - www.paperbackswap.com - Chris discovered this stie which enables you to swap books with other members, paying only postage for the books you send out. With each book that you send out, you receive a credit towards a book that you may request.. A great way to pass along books that the used book stores reject!
Podcast of the Week - http://agatha.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=261985 - Agatha Christie Radio Murder Mysteries
Vocabulary Word of the Week - sojourn:
sojourn \SOH-juhrn; so-JURN\, intransitive verb:
1. To stay as a temporary resident; to dwell for a time.
noun:
1. A temporary stay.
Though he has sojourned in Southwold, wandered in Walberswick, dabbled in Dunwich, ambled through Aldeburgh and blundered through Blythburgh, Smallweed has never set foot in Orford.
-- Smallweed, "The trouble with hope", The Guardian, April 14, 2001
Yet he is now an accomplished student and speaker of English, a literary editor and television producer, someone who has sojourned in Paris and attended the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
-- William H. Gass, "Family and Fable in Galilee", New York Times, April 17, 1988
As chance would have it, Degas's five-month sojourn in New Orleans coincided with an extraordinarily contentious period in the stormy political history of the city.
-- Christopher Benfey, Degas in New Orleans
During that long sojourn in Sligo, from 1870 to 1874, he had lessons from a much loved nursemaid, Ellie Connolly; later he received coaching in spelling and dictation from Esther Merrick, a neighbour who lived in the Sexton's house by St John's, and who read him quantities of verse.
-- R. F. Foster, W.B. Yeats: A Life, Vol. 1
Sojourn comes from Old French sojorner, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin subdiurnare, from Latin sub-, "under, a little over" + Late Latin diurnus, "lasting for a day," from Latin dies, "day."
Cooking and Dining Report:
Jack and I had a great dinner last night with Mae at an Italian restaurant in Littleton - Michael's Italian Bistro and Brewery - they had a great menu and we all enjoyed our dinners. Mae and Jack had Chicken Marsala and I had a wonderful steak. Mae had spumoni and Jack and I shared chocolate espresso cake for dessert. Check out this review on the Gabby Gourmet's website - http://www.gabbygourmet.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=restaurantGuide
We had a discussion yesterday about gnocchi and Jack pointed out to me that there are two places in town that serve wonderful gnocchi recipes:
Radda makes Gnocchi Bolognese which is a favorite of Jack's and Bacaro makes Gnocchi di ricotta with choice of Colorado lamb ragu, tomato and basil or porcini mushroom creme.
Some recipes to share this week:
Roasted Fennel with Parmesan - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_30476,00.html
Seared Diver Scallops with Bacon and Whole Grain Mustard Rub - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_20959,00.html
Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons & Parsley Brown Butter from Eating Well Magazine - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/gnocchi_zucchini_butter.html
That's all for now - have a great week ahead. Once again, I hope to see you at the Grillo Center Labyrinth Dedication on Sunday, October 21 from 4 - 6 PM - there will be light refreshments and music to enjoy. I'm not sure if I'll get this weekly email out next Sunday but I'll get it out as soon as I can.
Love,
Susan
Saturday Morning Walkers - October 7, 2007
Hi everyone!
We're back from the Literary Sojourn in Steamboat Springs. Barb was there with members of her book group and I was there with my book group. The event was fantastic - each of the participating writers was outstanding. We were disappointed that Chris wasn't able to come at the last minute but she and Randy really needed to have the weekend to prepare for his upcoming shoulder surgery on Tuesday. Lots of love to both of you and strong healing wishes to Randy. Susan d', Rita, Judy, Janet, and I want to thank Kelly so much for being such a gracious and generous hostess at her family's home just outside of Steamboat. Of course, we also missed our pals Cynthia and Terrie who weren't able to join us.
Book Report:
If you'd like to check out the authors and books we heard about this weekend go to http://www.literarysojourn.org/readinglist.html
In addition to these, I'd like to share some of these writers' book recommendations:
Larry Doyle's I Love You, Beth Cooper http://www.amazon.com/I-Love-You-Beth-Cooper/dp/0061236179/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801365&sr=8-1
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton http://www.amazon.com/Cry-Beloved-Country-Alan-Paton/dp/074326195X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801485&sr=1-1
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright http://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Qaeda-Road-Vintage/dp/1400030846/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801586&sr=1-1
The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fog-Michelle-Richmond/dp/0385340117/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801682&sr=1-1
The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Guest-Justin-Cronin/dp/0385335822/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801728&sr=1-1
Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda-Ngozi-Adichie http://www.amazon.com/Half-Yellow-Chimamanda-Ngozi-Adichie/dp/1400095204/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801778&sr=1-1
Power by Linda Hogan http://www.amazon.com/Power-Novel-Linda-Hogan/dp/0393319687/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801847&sr=1-1
Jack's mom, Mae recently read Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer - here are some of her comments: "I was completely wrapped up in the story about a young man, Chris Macandless, 24 yrs. old from a wealthy family; He he had ideas of climbing, especially to reach MT. Mc KINLEY in ALASKA. He was not a person to take any kind of orders or suggestions from either parent; there were problems. He had a very good relationship with his sister. Not being prepared, he took off on his own with not enough equipment or food, only a 25 lb. bag of rice. You get caught up into his story; a determined (Boy) (MAN) who had a dream; very well educated, a graduate of Yale, good grades, well liked, well spoken and friendly. His journal was profound, he wrote everyday. You may think that this is a man's book; but being a mother, you can relate. The movie is scheduled to open this October."
Website of the Week: http://www.pla.org/ala/pla/plaissues/smartestcardcampaign/toolkit/topten.cfm - 10 Reasons to Support Public Libraries
Podcast of the Week: http://www.notmuch.com/ - Michael Feldman's Whadya Know radio show from Public Radio International
Vocabulary Word of the Week: lexicographerLexicographer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A lexicographer is a person devoted to the study of lexicography, especially an author of a dictionary.
Samuel Johnson, himself a lexicographer, defined a lexicographer as "a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words". However Jonathon Green, in Chasing the Sun: Dictionary-Makers and the Dictionaries They Made (1996) suggests that this was a piece of eighteenth century politeness, and that a clearer indication of Johnson's view is given a little later in the same text where he says "Though a linguist should pride himself to have all the tongues that Babel cleft the world into, yet if he had not . . . studied the lexicons, yet he were nothing so much to be esteemed a learned man as any yeoman competently wise in his mother dialect only".
Words of Wisdom from Luis Alberto Urrea - "Libraries and librarians take you to places you cannot physically get to."
Cooking and Dining Report:
A few tidbits from our weekend:
Judy's Whopper Cookies from Foster's Market in North Carolina (we've posted this before but this definitely deserves another mention - the best cookie ever! http://www.fostersmarket.com/recipes.php?recipe_id=35
Susan d' Autremont's Scrambled Eggs prepared by Janet - very simple but yummy - scramble eggs, when ready top with fresh basil and grated Asiago cheese. You could use any fresh herbs you have on hand.
Dinner on Saturday night was at Cafe Diva in Steamboat Springs - a lovely, intimate space and outstanding food. We all shared an amazing spring roll appetizer. Kelly, Judy and Susan enjoyed the Crab and Tomato Bisque and the Autumn Salad. Rita had the sea bass and Janet and I both had the Bouillabaise - very rich and delicious! www.cafediva.com
For any of you driving up from Boulder/Denver to Steamboat, a great place to stop for lunch and a break is the Sunshine Cafe in Silverthorne - 250 Summit Place Shopping Center 970-468-6663. It is just about halfway between Boulder and Steamboat.
That's it for this week - don't forget to check out past posts on my blogsite http://cookinandbookin.blogspot.com/ - a growing collection of book recommendations, recipes, restaurant reviews and so much more. I also welcome any contributions you might have to offer.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Love,
Susan
We're back from the Literary Sojourn in Steamboat Springs. Barb was there with members of her book group and I was there with my book group. The event was fantastic - each of the participating writers was outstanding. We were disappointed that Chris wasn't able to come at the last minute but she and Randy really needed to have the weekend to prepare for his upcoming shoulder surgery on Tuesday. Lots of love to both of you and strong healing wishes to Randy. Susan d', Rita, Judy, Janet, and I want to thank Kelly so much for being such a gracious and generous hostess at her family's home just outside of Steamboat. Of course, we also missed our pals Cynthia and Terrie who weren't able to join us.
Book Report:
If you'd like to check out the authors and books we heard about this weekend go to http://www.literarysojourn.org/readinglist.html
In addition to these, I'd like to share some of these writers' book recommendations:
Larry Doyle's I Love You, Beth Cooper http://www.amazon.com/I-Love-You-Beth-Cooper/dp/0061236179/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801365&sr=8-1
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton http://www.amazon.com/Cry-Beloved-Country-Alan-Paton/dp/074326195X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801485&sr=1-1
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright http://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Qaeda-Road-Vintage/dp/1400030846/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801586&sr=1-1
The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fog-Michelle-Richmond/dp/0385340117/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801682&sr=1-1
The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Guest-Justin-Cronin/dp/0385335822/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801728&sr=1-1
Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda-Ngozi-Adichie http://www.amazon.com/Half-Yellow-Chimamanda-Ngozi-Adichie/dp/1400095204/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801778&sr=1-1
Power by Linda Hogan http://www.amazon.com/Power-Novel-Linda-Hogan/dp/0393319687/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8129311-3470032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191801847&sr=1-1
Jack's mom, Mae recently read Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer - here are some of her comments: "I was completely wrapped up in the story about a young man, Chris Macandless, 24 yrs. old from a wealthy family; He he had ideas of climbing, especially to reach MT. Mc KINLEY in ALASKA. He was not a person to take any kind of orders or suggestions from either parent; there were problems. He had a very good relationship with his sister. Not being prepared, he took off on his own with not enough equipment or food, only a 25 lb. bag of rice. You get caught up into his story; a determined (Boy) (MAN) who had a dream; very well educated, a graduate of Yale, good grades, well liked, well spoken and friendly. His journal was profound, he wrote everyday. You may think that this is a man's book; but being a mother, you can relate. The movie is scheduled to open this October."
Website of the Week: http://www.pla.org/ala/pla/plaissues/smartestcardcampaign/toolkit/topten.cfm - 10 Reasons to Support Public Libraries
Podcast of the Week: http://www.notmuch.com/ - Michael Feldman's Whadya Know radio show from Public Radio International
Vocabulary Word of the Week: lexicographerLexicographer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A lexicographer is a person devoted to the study of lexicography, especially an author of a dictionary.
Samuel Johnson, himself a lexicographer, defined a lexicographer as "a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words". However Jonathon Green, in Chasing the Sun: Dictionary-Makers and the Dictionaries They Made (1996) suggests that this was a piece of eighteenth century politeness, and that a clearer indication of Johnson's view is given a little later in the same text where he says "Though a linguist should pride himself to have all the tongues that Babel cleft the world into, yet if he had not . . . studied the lexicons, yet he were nothing so much to be esteemed a learned man as any yeoman competently wise in his mother dialect only".
Words of Wisdom from Luis Alberto Urrea - "Libraries and librarians take you to places you cannot physically get to."
Cooking and Dining Report:
A few tidbits from our weekend:
Judy's Whopper Cookies from Foster's Market in North Carolina (we've posted this before but this definitely deserves another mention - the best cookie ever! http://www.fostersmarket.com/recipes.php?recipe_id=35
Susan d' Autremont's Scrambled Eggs prepared by Janet - very simple but yummy - scramble eggs, when ready top with fresh basil and grated Asiago cheese. You could use any fresh herbs you have on hand.
Dinner on Saturday night was at Cafe Diva in Steamboat Springs - a lovely, intimate space and outstanding food. We all shared an amazing spring roll appetizer. Kelly, Judy and Susan enjoyed the Crab and Tomato Bisque and the Autumn Salad. Rita had the sea bass and Janet and I both had the Bouillabaise - very rich and delicious! www.cafediva.com
For any of you driving up from Boulder/Denver to Steamboat, a great place to stop for lunch and a break is the Sunshine Cafe in Silverthorne - 250 Summit Place Shopping Center 970-468-6663. It is just about halfway between Boulder and Steamboat.
That's it for this week - don't forget to check out past posts on my blogsite http://cookinandbookin.blogspot.com/ - a growing collection of book recommendations, recipes, restaurant reviews and so much more. I also welcome any contributions you might have to offer.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Love,
Susan
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