I finished this book long ago - well before Christmas. I just have not written. And I find I don't miss it when I'm not writing, but as soon as I start to write, I realize that I did, in fact, somehow miss it, and that there is something liberating about writing.
The Bedside Book of Famous French Stories was well worth the read, cover to cover. You've already heard about it once, but I have a bit more to add now that I've gotten through the whole book.
The first thing that went throughout the text, through the various time periods that flowed through each of the stories (which could have gone on for another 400 or so pages, if I'd had my way!), was that the short stories in this book were full of political commentary. They touched on topics including government, war, the prison system, morality, art. Political fiction is not normally an appealing genre to me, but each of these stories was enjoyable in its own way.
One story, The Torture of Hope by Villiers do L'Isle-Adam, was particularly poignant in this regard, but the title completely spoiled it for me. It falls into the modern category of "Spoiler Alert!" - the title betrays what is coming, and the denouement of the story was shattered because the progression was clear before I even started. It was my only disappointment within the book, and that's difficult to write, because, without the title, it was a fabulous story. If I gave it to you with no title on it, you'd be on the edge of your seat. But my seat fell through on me. The original Spoiler!
I've been through two more books since I finished this book, I'll add them here at some point in the near, or not so near, future!
Title: The Bedside Book of Famous French Stories
Editors: Belle Becker and Robert N. Linscott
Published: 1945
Pages: 427
Total books blogged: 13
Total pages: 4572
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Currently Reading: The Bedside Book of Famous French Stories
"If many old women of eighty were occasionally to tell you the history of their loves, you would perhaps find that the feminine soul contains sources of good and evil of which you have no idea." ~George Sand
The French certainly have a way with words - Honore de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant. They are all names that were familiar, but that I had not read before. I've also never much read short stories, and so I've stepped twice outside of my known reading. And boy has it been worth it so far!
The stories are so beautifully crafted - part of the art of these short stories is in their rich language and description, which brought me to the reflection that - I wonder how much is lost or changed in translation? I've read literature in French before, and I wonder how much the language changes when it is translated. It's so beautiful translated into English - it almost makes me want to brush up my French and try to read these stories in their native tongue. Almost - not sure if I'm ready for language studies yet!
I picked the quote above because it made me think of a quote that shows up on the screens in the print office at the university where I work - it says something along the lines of "Spend some time every day with someone over the age of 70 and under the age of 7". I do not get the opportunity to do that each day, but I do love to spend time with my grandparents and inlaws (only some of whom have hit 70!), and my beautiful children and nieces. It's often amazing to think of all of the experiences that our elders have gone through. You may see a senior with their shopping bag and their plastic hair-wrap to keep off the rain. But that elderly lady was once a young woman. Maybe she modelled. Maybe she ran away with her military beau in her teens. Maybe she broke stereotypes and worked on cars, or went to university, or drove truck. You just never know to look at someone.
The quote above reminded me that inside every old person was once a young person - perhaps a bold one, perhaps a mischievous one, perhaps a helpful one, perhaps a heartbroken one. I wish I could sit down more often and talk to someone about their life. Maybe I need to volunteer at an old folks' home.
The French certainly have a way with words - Honore de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant. They are all names that were familiar, but that I had not read before. I've also never much read short stories, and so I've stepped twice outside of my known reading. And boy has it been worth it so far!
The stories are so beautifully crafted - part of the art of these short stories is in their rich language and description, which brought me to the reflection that - I wonder how much is lost or changed in translation? I've read literature in French before, and I wonder how much the language changes when it is translated. It's so beautiful translated into English - it almost makes me want to brush up my French and try to read these stories in their native tongue. Almost - not sure if I'm ready for language studies yet!
I picked the quote above because it made me think of a quote that shows up on the screens in the print office at the university where I work - it says something along the lines of "Spend some time every day with someone over the age of 70 and under the age of 7". I do not get the opportunity to do that each day, but I do love to spend time with my grandparents and inlaws (only some of whom have hit 70!), and my beautiful children and nieces. It's often amazing to think of all of the experiences that our elders have gone through. You may see a senior with their shopping bag and their plastic hair-wrap to keep off the rain. But that elderly lady was once a young woman. Maybe she modelled. Maybe she ran away with her military beau in her teens. Maybe she broke stereotypes and worked on cars, or went to university, or drove truck. You just never know to look at someone.
The quote above reminded me that inside every old person was once a young person - perhaps a bold one, perhaps a mischievous one, perhaps a helpful one, perhaps a heartbroken one. I wish I could sit down more often and talk to someone about their life. Maybe I need to volunteer at an old folks' home.
Monday, 12 August 2013
Word of the ?Week: Imagist
At work, I have been unsuccessfully attempting to read The Poetical Works of Longfellow during my lunches. I haven't gotten very far - but I have been avidly enjoying it.
In the introduction, I came across the word Imagists, and although it has been months since I've done a Word of the Week, I've decided to look up Imagism, as it is something I had never heard of.
First, a bit of background:
As you know, I love to read. I loved English in high school. I had a succession of English teachers, some brilliant (Mr. Jones), some less so (Mrs. Wichellow comes to mind) in terms of inspiring a love of my native tongue and its many interpretations on paper. What I discovered part-way through high school, though, was that I did not particularly enjoy, nor did I have a particular talent for, dissecting and analyzing literature. The purpose of this blog is reflection, and an enjoyment of the memories and thoughts that the books I read bring up in me. However, if I had to continue to write "what theme did you follow throughout the book and what did it all MEAN?" papers about the books I read, I would likely cease reading.
For this reason, I actively chose not to take English courses in university - I thought they would focus too much on the analysis, and not enough on the enjoyment I found in casual reading.
I think, in choosing not to take English, even as an elective, that I may have missed out on some of the periods of literary history and understanding how writing and poetry evolved through the decades of the last few hundreds of years.
Now, on to Imagism, something I might have heard of if I had chosen to take poetry in university:
Imagism is, according to Wikipedia, was a movement in early 20th-century Anglo-American poetry notable for its precise imagery and sharp, clear language. Notable examples of Imagist poets are Ezra Pound and D.H. Lawrence.
I was surprised to see D.H. Lawrence ranked as a key Imagist poet, as I did not know that he wrote poetry. Of course I am familiar with his prose, though I have not read any. I think everyone has heard of Sons and Lovers, or of Lady Chatterley's Lover. And although Pound's name is familiar to me, I'm not sure why - I certainly haven't read any of his work.
And so - with this word of the week, I've decided to create a Parking Lot. It's a term I picked up at work: A Parking Lot is where you put ideas that are good ones, but take you off your current focus, and so you 'park' them until the time is right. I already have so many books to read that I already own, that I need a place to put things that I'd like to read sometime - sometime down the line once I'm caught up on my own books! So Pound and Lawrence's poetry will be the first additions to my Parking Lot. I fear there will be a monster list there by the time I get there! But - as I reasoned in a post awhile back, this is a pasttime that will never end, as I will never run out of interesting things to read. Best to keep a list of the things that interest me, even if I don't get to them until well down the road!
In the introduction, I came across the word Imagists, and although it has been months since I've done a Word of the Week, I've decided to look up Imagism, as it is something I had never heard of.
First, a bit of background:
As you know, I love to read. I loved English in high school. I had a succession of English teachers, some brilliant (Mr. Jones), some less so (Mrs. Wichellow comes to mind) in terms of inspiring a love of my native tongue and its many interpretations on paper. What I discovered part-way through high school, though, was that I did not particularly enjoy, nor did I have a particular talent for, dissecting and analyzing literature. The purpose of this blog is reflection, and an enjoyment of the memories and thoughts that the books I read bring up in me. However, if I had to continue to write "what theme did you follow throughout the book and what did it all MEAN?" papers about the books I read, I would likely cease reading.
For this reason, I actively chose not to take English courses in university - I thought they would focus too much on the analysis, and not enough on the enjoyment I found in casual reading.
I think, in choosing not to take English, even as an elective, that I may have missed out on some of the periods of literary history and understanding how writing and poetry evolved through the decades of the last few hundreds of years.
Now, on to Imagism, something I might have heard of if I had chosen to take poetry in university:
Imagism is, according to Wikipedia, was a movement in early 20th-century Anglo-American poetry notable for its precise imagery and sharp, clear language. Notable examples of Imagist poets are Ezra Pound and D.H. Lawrence.
I was surprised to see D.H. Lawrence ranked as a key Imagist poet, as I did not know that he wrote poetry. Of course I am familiar with his prose, though I have not read any. I think everyone has heard of Sons and Lovers, or of Lady Chatterley's Lover. And although Pound's name is familiar to me, I'm not sure why - I certainly haven't read any of his work.
And so - with this word of the week, I've decided to create a Parking Lot. It's a term I picked up at work: A Parking Lot is where you put ideas that are good ones, but take you off your current focus, and so you 'park' them until the time is right. I already have so many books to read that I already own, that I need a place to put things that I'd like to read sometime - sometime down the line once I'm caught up on my own books! So Pound and Lawrence's poetry will be the first additions to my Parking Lot. I fear there will be a monster list there by the time I get there! But - as I reasoned in a post awhile back, this is a pasttime that will never end, as I will never run out of interesting things to read. Best to keep a list of the things that interest me, even if I don't get to them until well down the road!
Sunday, 4 August 2013
Completed, though not entirely: Food
Of course, one's quest to find amazing recipes and eat good food is never at an end. But I'm happy to say that I'm done with the books I intended to read (though we had to return Starved for Science, so I didn't get to that one).
It has taken me some time to get here. I got married three weeks ago! There was much work leading up to it, and lots of time with family and friends, and so I have not spent nearly as much time reading as I might ordinarily. However, we're settling back down into normal life, and also into some brand-new living room furniture - a wedding wish that has come true. Now I have a true reading nook! Not as lovely as some of the fancy library getups that some people on the internet seem to have, but it's mine and I'm thrilled: a lovely leather armchair and ottoman to sink into and read a book. They have replaced a dilapidated Ikea Poang and associated dilapidated ottoman.
I've made recipes from Simple Suppers and the Vegetarian Collection, and they turned out delicious. I returned the Whole Foods Market cookbook to the library because it is coming as a gift from my new sister-in-law.
Seeds of Deception was exactly what I thought it would be - drivel. Poorly researched, out of date, poorly sourced, and, frankly, mostly irrelevant to Canadians. A lot of the pages are devoted to GM tomatoes (no longer on the market), GM potatoes (also no longer on the market), and issues related to American governmental interference with scientific efforts and GM research (no surprises there). If anything, the book reinforces that the Canadian government has stood up, kept BGH milk and dairy out of Canada, and held government to account when it tried to muzzle research on BGH milk. Admittedly, Canada is currently failing miserably at scientific backing and freedom, but in terms of GM produce I don't think we're doing too bad. The book totally cherry-picks and sensationalizes what it writes, with a heaping spoonful of sarcasm and disdain. It was terrible, but I read it cover to cover in order to be able to say that with authority. I hope to never read as poor a quality of book ever again.
Just Food was interesting. It also had a bit too much haughty confidence on the part of the author, but I did find his writing to be much more, well, fair, and realistic in terms of how humanity can balance our population and our food needs along with the environment. His main ideas were:
Title: Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of GE Foods
Author: Jeffrey M. Smith
Published: 2003
Pages: 254
Title: Just Food: Where Locavores get it Wrong and How we can Eat Responsibly
Author: James E. McWilliams
Published: 2009
Pages: 222
Total Books Blogged: 12
Total Pages: 4145
It has taken me some time to get here. I got married three weeks ago! There was much work leading up to it, and lots of time with family and friends, and so I have not spent nearly as much time reading as I might ordinarily. However, we're settling back down into normal life, and also into some brand-new living room furniture - a wedding wish that has come true. Now I have a true reading nook! Not as lovely as some of the fancy library getups that some people on the internet seem to have, but it's mine and I'm thrilled: a lovely leather armchair and ottoman to sink into and read a book. They have replaced a dilapidated Ikea Poang and associated dilapidated ottoman.
My new reading nook
I've made recipes from Simple Suppers and the Vegetarian Collection, and they turned out delicious. I returned the Whole Foods Market cookbook to the library because it is coming as a gift from my new sister-in-law.
Seeds of Deception was exactly what I thought it would be - drivel. Poorly researched, out of date, poorly sourced, and, frankly, mostly irrelevant to Canadians. A lot of the pages are devoted to GM tomatoes (no longer on the market), GM potatoes (also no longer on the market), and issues related to American governmental interference with scientific efforts and GM research (no surprises there). If anything, the book reinforces that the Canadian government has stood up, kept BGH milk and dairy out of Canada, and held government to account when it tried to muzzle research on BGH milk. Admittedly, Canada is currently failing miserably at scientific backing and freedom, but in terms of GM produce I don't think we're doing too bad. The book totally cherry-picks and sensationalizes what it writes, with a heaping spoonful of sarcasm and disdain. It was terrible, but I read it cover to cover in order to be able to say that with authority. I hope to never read as poor a quality of book ever again.
Just Food was interesting. It also had a bit too much haughty confidence on the part of the author, but I did find his writing to be much more, well, fair, and realistic in terms of how humanity can balance our population and our food needs along with the environment. His main ideas were:
- Local food is a bit too overrated - don't focus so much on food miles but on the carbon cycle of the thing you're eating overall
- We need to drastically reduce our meat consumption, and instead replace land-based meat with ethically- and environmentally-sound aquaculture systems (more fish!)
- Integrate livestock and food production on mid-size farms, growing things that thrive in the environment you're in without heavily modifying it
- Judicious use of biotech and chemicals, being mindful that some organic chemicals are very environmentally harmful
I would definitely recommend the book. My main issue throughout, which was validated in the final chapter, was that a lot of the food decisions he recommends are currently impossible to make, with our labelling and farming systems as they currently appear. This was a disappointing ending to a book that brought me much hope. But it certainly gave good ideas for what to keep an eye out for as I shop and eat.
So, with a bigger focus on finding vegetarian meals for all four of us to enjoy, and finding ethically raised meat (pork and beef has been found, chicken pending) to eat in moderation (less than we have in the past), and eating more fish, I'm going to go sit in my new chair and move on to my next book, started before the food kick: The Bedtime Book of Famous French Stories. So far it is fabulous! I'm kinda done with reading non-fiction for a bit, and am looking forward to engulfing myself in French prose.
Title: Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of GE Foods
Author: Jeffrey M. Smith
Published: 2003
Pages: 254
Title: Just Food: Where Locavores get it Wrong and How we can Eat Responsibly
Author: James E. McWilliams
Published: 2009
Pages: 222
Total Books Blogged: 12
Total Pages: 4145
Monday, 10 June 2013
Interruption: Food
As a step-mother, or as a part of a situation where children have two homes, it's not easy sometimes when there is a fundamental difference of opinion between the homes. Hence, I have interrupted my barely-gotten-started bookcase quest in order to learn more about food.
We have been accused of poisoning the children, of ignorance, and of stupidity. I know none of these are true. However, in order to meet one opinion with a dissenting one, I began a quest to read up on food so that I can either alter or justify the food we eat (or both).
It started awhile ago, long before the accusations started flying, with a quest to eat more whole foods, remove more processed foods from our diet, and eat more vegetarian foods, more beans, and more whole grains. It started with finding the 100 Days of Real Food Blog (http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/), and deciding to eat closer to their kind of diet. I started making things like applesauce from scratch, and I want to start making bread. I get very frustrated when a recipe doesn't turn out, and I feel this may happen many times when I start making bread! But I'll do it nonetheless.
Between what was 'recommended' to us by the boys' other household, what we found on our own, and some awesome cookbooks, here's what's been taking up my time:
Then back to the shelves. I've been reading a bit of a book of French short stories, and some Longfellow. More to come, more to come! But the wedding is next month... so I apologize in advance if I don't update this much until after mid-July!
We have been accused of poisoning the children, of ignorance, and of stupidity. I know none of these are true. However, in order to meet one opinion with a dissenting one, I began a quest to read up on food so that I can either alter or justify the food we eat (or both).
It started awhile ago, long before the accusations started flying, with a quest to eat more whole foods, remove more processed foods from our diet, and eat more vegetarian foods, more beans, and more whole grains. It started with finding the 100 Days of Real Food Blog (http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/), and deciding to eat closer to their kind of diet. I started making things like applesauce from scratch, and I want to start making bread. I get very frustrated when a recipe doesn't turn out, and I feel this may happen many times when I start making bread! But I'll do it nonetheless.
Between what was 'recommended' to us by the boys' other household, what we found on our own, and some awesome cookbooks, here's what's been taking up my time:
Titles as follows:
The Whole Foods Market Cookbook - Steve Petusevsky
Starved for Science: How Biotechnology is Being Kept Out of Africa - Robert Paarlberg
Just Food: Where Locavores Get it Wrong and how we can Eat Responsibly - James E. McWilliams
Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers - The Moosewood Collective
Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the GE Foods you're eating - Jeffrey M. Smith
The Canadian Living Vegetarian Collection - Alison Kent
Three of these are cookbooks - two are vegetarian, and all look delicious! My parents had Moosewood cookbooks as I grew up - my Mom has been vegetarian for years, my older sister has been since she was 12 or so, and for many years my little sister was as well. I think the more vegetarian meals the kids enjoy, the better. Especially given what I've been reading in Just Food - meat, especially beef, is particularly hard on the environment. So eating more vegetarian meals is a current goal of mine.
I've also started reading Seeds of Deception. This is the book that we were ignorant for not having read. From the first pages, the reviews, and the praise, even the cover, I'm enormously skeptical. It's all pseudo-celebrity plugs, and it advertises that it reads "like adventure stories" on the back cover - science doesn't read like that. Sensationalism reads like that. The bibliography is full of newspaper articles, blogs and other non-peer-reviewed sources. I've spent nine years educating myself in an academic environment, and if someone can find no scientific basis for their beliefs, I think their beliefs are likely unfounded, or at least exaggerated. However, I will read every page of the book, because I need to have it under my belt in order to be able to defend myself against assumptions and accusations based on this book.
After Seeds of Deception and Just Food, I'll read Starved for Science. And, as a scientist, I recognize three books do not a whole knowledge make. However, it's a good start, and three very different perspectives on the GM/'mainstream'/organic debate. And I'll cook some delicious vegetarian foods, too!
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Completed: Shorter Poems by Alexander
I finished this some days ago. The remaining fifty pages or so did not disappoint, just like the previous 450. I could tell, throughout, which poems had been assigned to this book's once-owner in school, with pencil scribbles in the margins, mostly illegible to me. Original price: 40 cents.
I only tabbed one poem in the last 50 pages - the book overall has about a dozen neon orange post-its sticking out in various locations. This doesn't indicate that I didn't enjoy the final pages, just that there wasn't anything I wanted to immediately come back to apart from this quote. It is from a poem called "Out Of The Night" by W. E. Henley, who I have not heard of before. It is a poem of conquering adversity and of the indomitable soul, and the final stanza is:
'It matters not how strait [sic] the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.'
It is a perfect poem to read on a day when you are feeling defeated because of the circumstances surrounding you.
Since I was a teenager, I have collected poems, quotes, and inspirational tidbits in a beautiful leather-covered notebook. I once had another notebook, but lost it to a former friend when I was 17. The current incarnation was started upon arrival at university, and I have been steadily filling it ever since. Many of the poetical works I read in this book will find their way into my 'Quotes Book' (no, it doesn't have a better name than that). But for the time being, I have blogged it, and might I say thoroughly enjoyed it. I shall read it again, I'm sure, at some point. But I have years to read before I repeat, and years to read before I repeat...
Title: Shorter Poems
Editor: W. J. Alexander
Published: 1924
Pages: 489
Total books blogged: 10
Total pages: 3,669
I only tabbed one poem in the last 50 pages - the book overall has about a dozen neon orange post-its sticking out in various locations. This doesn't indicate that I didn't enjoy the final pages, just that there wasn't anything I wanted to immediately come back to apart from this quote. It is from a poem called "Out Of The Night" by W. E. Henley, who I have not heard of before. It is a poem of conquering adversity and of the indomitable soul, and the final stanza is:
'It matters not how strait [sic] the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.'
It is a perfect poem to read on a day when you are feeling defeated because of the circumstances surrounding you.
Since I was a teenager, I have collected poems, quotes, and inspirational tidbits in a beautiful leather-covered notebook. I once had another notebook, but lost it to a former friend when I was 17. The current incarnation was started upon arrival at university, and I have been steadily filling it ever since. Many of the poetical works I read in this book will find their way into my 'Quotes Book' (no, it doesn't have a better name than that). But for the time being, I have blogged it, and might I say thoroughly enjoyed it. I shall read it again, I'm sure, at some point. But I have years to read before I repeat, and years to read before I repeat...
Title: Shorter Poems
Editor: W. J. Alexander
Published: 1924
Pages: 489
Total books blogged: 10
Total pages: 3,669
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Currently Reading: Shorter Poems
Silly Molly - when I first saw this book on my bookshelf, I thought it was full of shorter poems by someone named Alexander. No, no... it is an edited volume, edited by W. J. Alexander, professor of English literature at "University College, Toronto", which of course eventually became one of the colleges within the greater University of Toronto, which I attended several years ago.
I read the preface, and this is where I discovered my silliness, above. The preface also gave me some insight into school some 90 years ago. Back in 1924, it was "proper" to read some 3,000 lines of poetry per year in high school. Now, I did read some poetry in middle and high school, but I can guarantee that I did not read 3,000 lines a year. I really didn't grow into an appreciation of poetry until university. I think my difficulty was that I enjoyed reading poetry, but despised analyzing it. I just wanted to read it and experience it without criticizing it. Alexander put it perfectly in the preface: "The chief means of arriving at the enjoyment of good music is to listen to it; of painting, to see it; of literature, to read it."
This book has been a good and gentle reintroduction into the world of poetry. It is mostly filled with short (as per its title), rhyming, relatively 'simple' poems, and it browses through all of the classic poets. Byron and Keats are my favorites.
This book, because it presents many of the 'classic' poems by some of these poets, has allowed me to discover out who wrote some of my favorite lines. "She walks in beauty like the night" - Byron. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" - Keats. The poem of the Lady of Shalott - Tennyson. "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" - Keats. "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary" - The Raven - Poe. "'Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all" - Tennyson. It has been a magical read, and I'm thankful that it is all 12,000 of those proper high-school lines, rather than shorter. I have about fifty pages left.
I read the preface, and this is where I discovered my silliness, above. The preface also gave me some insight into school some 90 years ago. Back in 1924, it was "proper" to read some 3,000 lines of poetry per year in high school. Now, I did read some poetry in middle and high school, but I can guarantee that I did not read 3,000 lines a year. I really didn't grow into an appreciation of poetry until university. I think my difficulty was that I enjoyed reading poetry, but despised analyzing it. I just wanted to read it and experience it without criticizing it. Alexander put it perfectly in the preface: "The chief means of arriving at the enjoyment of good music is to listen to it; of painting, to see it; of literature, to read it."
This book has been a good and gentle reintroduction into the world of poetry. It is mostly filled with short (as per its title), rhyming, relatively 'simple' poems, and it browses through all of the classic poets. Byron and Keats are my favorites.
This book, because it presents many of the 'classic' poems by some of these poets, has allowed me to discover out who wrote some of my favorite lines. "She walks in beauty like the night" - Byron. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" - Keats. The poem of the Lady of Shalott - Tennyson. "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" - Keats. "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary" - The Raven - Poe. "'Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all" - Tennyson. It has been a magical read, and I'm thankful that it is all 12,000 of those proper high-school lines, rather than shorter. I have about fifty pages left.
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