Harriet's Corner
The Bi-Monthly Newsletter of What to Read
Issue #11
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Wow! Another year has gone by....how quickly the time goes! I judge the years by time spent with my family, my travels and the books I have read.....by all counts, 2006 was stellar! I was thinking about how to introduce this letter.....you know, suggesting curling up by the fire with a great read....or recommending that perfect book to put under the Christmas tree or near the Chanukah lights for a relative or a dear friend... the falling snow, the eggnog, the hot chocolate....you get the picture. However, I need to be completely honest here and confess that I am writing this at the beach in Puerto Vallarta where eggnog and snow are pretty far from my mind! But the wonderful books are always with me.....and I am definitely getting in a lot of reading time at the beach.
I want to start by telling you about two wonderful novels.
The first is "The Inheritance of Loss" (paperback, $14.00) by Kiran Desai who won the Mann Booker Prize for 2006. Interesting that her mother, Anita Desai has been nominated three times for the prize yet her daughter wins it the first time nominated. Sometimes I wonder about the Booker and what the judges may have been drinking or smoking...but this time they were spot on. This is a beautifully written story of love, loneliness, alienation and loss. The setting is fairly near the top of the world where Bhutan, Sikkim, Tibet, Nepal and India meet. The town is Kalimpong in india which is the home of a retired judge whose household includes his orphaned granddaughter, Sai and his longtime servant. As the time leads up to the rebellion by the independence-seeking Nepalis, we learn about the judge's alienation as an Indian in England and then as an English-educated Indian. We are cheering Sai on as she falls in love and for the first time in her life and learns what it is like not to be lonely. We sympathize with the servant whose identity is tied to his beloved son who is off in America...supposedly making his fortune. But, we see the son, in America, living the sad and lonely life of the disillusioned immigrant...dreaming of returning home. We meet some delightful and charming characters along the way, who even though they provide some comic relief, all in one way or another suffer from loneliness and loss. This is a stunning novel of depth and emotion.
"The World to Come" (paperback, $13.95) by Dara Horn is unique, dreamy and other-worldly. It is a must read....on my top ten list for 2006. Horn starts with a real life art theft of a Chagall and through that traces the lives and stories of several characters....including Chagall himself. In addition to our protagonist, Benjamin Ziskind, who steals the Chagall in the first chapter, we also meet the "already-weres" and the "not-yets" who roam an eternal world that exists outside the boundaries of life on earth.......in fact, this book reads very much like a Chagall painting looks....people, goats, angels floating over rooftops and villages......generations intermingling on earth and in the hereafter....or in the not yet. It all gets very confusing in a most charming manner. The way the author juxtaposes the secular and the spiritual that makes this novel so appealing. And what is the world to come? It is the future...it is tomorrow...it is what we make of our own lives. I tend not to gravitate toward the warm and fuzzy book....and yet this stunning book takes you on a roller coaster ride that makes you feel great!
"Grayson" (hardcover, $16.95) by Lynne Cox In this suspenseful narrative, the author recalls her encounter with a baby whale who had been separated from his mother. The author, 17 at the time, was out for her morning workout in the 55 degree water at Seal Beach, California. Suddenly, the water started swirling and schools of small fish were everywhere. It seemed to her like a storm was blowing in, but when she looked up, the sky was calm and blue. She soon saw beneath her an 18 foot whale. The whale, who she named Grayson, at first frightened Cox. But quickly she became enchanted by the whale who was playful. She swam around with him but knew that if she went to shore and he followed, he would be in grave danger. Calling upon her extraordinary reserves and with the help of some fisherman, she lured Grayson further out to sea and away from shore. As both Cox and Grayson became fatigued and dehydrated, Cox became more and more determined to find the whale's mother. This is a suspenseful tale told in a tender and moving voice.....and a wonderful gift for any teen or adult on your holiday list.
"Piazza-Italy's Heart and Soul" (hardcover, $50.00) by Joe Bauwens and Marybeth Flower Local friends Joe and Marybeth have photographed a stunning book about the piazzas of Italy….the place where Italy comes alive. We see cafe life, weddings, First Communions, ancient festivals, athletic contests and more. Reading their text and savoring the photos makes one feel as if one is traveling with Joe and Marybeth to the very heart of Italy. The country is brought to life by the beauty, diversity and sweetness of their images. This is the perfect gift for any lover of Italy…..it definitely got me daydreaming…..time for a trip to Italy!
Thomas Pellechia, a wine merchant and wine writer for many years, has written a wonderful book"Wine: The 8,000 Year Old Story of the Wine Trade" (hardcover, $26.00) which traces wine from its origins in the area around present day Iran up through the end of the twentieth century with a final chapter on predictions for the wine trade in the future. This handsome volume is interspersed with great little boxed anecdotes and fantastic wine quotes from Greek and Roman times until today....par example... "At one point during the search to cure phylloxera, the French government offered nearly half a million francs to anyone who could eradicate the disease. Numerous schemes poured in, from the use of toad venom to exorcism to either burning or flooding vineyards. One scheme to import a population of an insect from the United States that was known to eat phylloxera aphids failed when, after arriving from America, the insects refused to eat."! Although this is a fairly simplified history of the noble grape, it is a well-told story. This beautiful books will make a wonderful present for anyone who enjoys wine.....hmmmm...who could that possibly be?
"The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop" (hardcover, $17.00) by Lewis Buzbee
“It's not as if I don't have anything to read; there's a tower of perfectly good unread books next to my bed, not to mention the shelves of books in the living room I've been meaning to reread.” As a bookseller, I have heard these words too many times to count. And yet, those who speak these words, just can’t help themselves. There is something about the anticipation of discovering that book that we didn’t even know we were looking for….. For you book addicts out there, don’t think that you are alone. Lewis Buzbee has written a book that is an irresistable memoir of an inveterate book lover. Mr. Buzbee takes us on a journey of the discovery of his passion for books. Books have been his life. In a touching passage, Mr. Buzbee describes the beginning of his lifelong passion. It was “The Grapes of Wrath”. The scene is his teen-age bedroom, a green bedspread on the bed, Beatles posters on the wall, Cream on the record player. The young reader was jolted by the written word and apparently has never recovered. It brought back memories of the dawning of my own love affair with books.
In addition to the anecdotal charm, this book is rich in content. Mr. Buzbee takes us on a whirlwind historical tour of the written word; from papyrus and parchment to the codex. We are also treated to the story of the rise of the bookseller and bookshop from the itinerant seller who sets up shop on a worn rug in the Greek agoura to the ‘big box’ stores of today. This is a delightful gem of a book and a must for all of you book lovers.
Ok...we have taken care of book lovers, Italophiles (not sure if that's a word, but it works for Francophiles and Anglophiles....) and wine lovers. What's next is quite literally out of this world....
Andreas Cellarius’ “Harmonia Macrocosmica of 1660” (hardcover, $125.00)
This collection of celestial atlases by Dutch-German mathematician and cosmographer Andreas Cellarius (c. 1596 – 1665) brings back to life a masterpiece from the Golden Age of celestial cartography. The maps reproduced here depict the world systems of Ptolemy and Copernicus. They are embellished with amazing borders of cherubs and astrological instruments. Although many of these images are seem on postcards, calendars , etc...they have rarely been reporduced in book form. As usual with Taschen publications, the colors are unbelieveably gorgeous and the text is in English, French and German. The introduction summarizes the history of celestial cartography and the index includes a list of the constellations and and descriptions of their origins and mythology. This is an oversized book that truly is a piece of art!
And to bring us back down to earth and conclude my recommendations for this holiday season is “Home Ground- Language for an American Landscape” (hardcover, $29.95) edited by none other than Barry Lopez. Lopez has brought together 45 writers who are known for their connection to various American places and has created a unique and uniquely American dictionary. Do you know what a 'muskeg' is? Or a 'cofferdam'? How about a 'nubble', 'hoodoo' or chickenhead'? These terms that describe unusual aspects of the American landscape are lovingly defined and described. Contributors include writers such as Barbara Kingsolver, Terry Tempest Williiams, Jon Krakauer, Gretel Ehrlich and Bill McKibben. This lovely book also contains interesting and amusing marginalia....Ralph Waldo Emerson from "Society and Solitude" writing that "Columbus discovered no isle or key so lonely as himself." This book is a great companion and a delightful way to understand the vastness of the land around us.
Call us or email us at Iconoclast and we can ship these or any books to people on your gift list!
So my friends...adieu for now...... Happy Holidays! Happy Reading! and a very Happy New Year to you all! |
