Nonsuch Book

sunday salon: food porn

Busy laughing my way through Cooking with Fernet Branca and cooking a little myself this weekend, my thoughts have turned to foodie books I may want to have and give for the holidays. And then I thought again of the Chronicle Books Happy Haul-idays fun where bloggers construct lists of $500 worth of Chronicle Books they would like to have and post about them and win a chance to have them all. People that comment on that post get a chance to win them all too. As does a designated charity. Details here.

Now I always associate Chronicle with my addiction to food porn so $500 was easy. Soooo easy. Their catalog is full of the big and beautiful images and content that foodies crave. My first and foremost wish? The beauty you see above. Plenty by Yotam Ottolengh with photographs by Jonathan Lovekin. Mediterranean inspired vegetarian recipes.

The Salpicon! Cookbook by Priscila Satkoff, with Vincent Satkoff and foreword by Charlie Trotter, featuring contemporary Mexican cuisine from the famed Chicago restaurant.

Two that point to how American agriculture/food sources may be redefined - Farm Together Now by Amy Franceschini and Daniel Tucker, photographs by Anne Hamersky, foreword by Mark Bittman and Fields of Plenty text and photography by Michael Ableman.

• Menus for Chez Panisse: The Art and Lettrpress of Patricia Curtan
• Dean & DeLuca
• Saveur The New Comfort Food: Home Cooking From Around the World
• Tartine
• Tartine Bread
• Domaine Chandon Cookbook
• The Tra Vigne Cookbook: Seasons in the California Wine Country
• Ruhlman's Twenty
• and one new Moleskine notebook for foodie reflections

And one not yet published - The James Beard Foundation's Best of the Best.

My choice of charity is Books for America based here in DC who do an amazing job placing books in the hands of our neediest neighbors. Comment here for a chance to win all these titles yourself. I'm off to get some Sunday morning baking out of the oven, and return to my current hilarious read.

sunday salon: barely here

The (geeky) excitement I feel about going to visit Thomas and Lucy tonight to play The Great Penguin Bookchase is not only about the game and the great company. It is also about taking a moment to do something bookish in a schedule that has just been brutish lately. So unforgiving that I have failed to even pick up the Wolfish selection for October or The Blithedale Romance that I was to read along with Julia for this past Friday. I have been reading RFPs and grant proposals instead and not altogether happily.

But tonight... Thomas is so deliciously and openly competitive, and Teresa moves so decisively and successfully through a board game that her calm is a bit unnerving, and there is a new friend to meet too. Deadlines past and bibliophile fun on the horizon, I feel excited about these things too:

Verity and Claire are helping spread Persephone love again this holiday season, but you only have until tomorrow to sign up for this gift exchange. The details are here.

The Planetarium by Nathalie Sarraute was chosen by Emily for our November Wolves read. I have bought it. Am excited about it. And am actually going to read for this month. Really.

And Richard is hosting a group read of The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano in January that is providing me with the impetus I have needed to pick up a book I have long wanted to read.

And right now as you can see in my left sidebar, I am reading A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan for my book club at work this Wednesday. Some of you are laughing. My interest in this one has been a little... uh, absent. So I am more than a little surprised to find myself enjoying it. In most parts. But more on that later. Off to recapture my bookish sense of fun.

sunday salon: cleaning the shelves (again)

Update: Here are the winners:

• You Lost Me There - Brooks
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Michelle Frost
• The Dodecahedron - Heather
• Dancer - Melissa (The Avid Reader's Musings)
• Take One Candle Light a Room - Florinda
• The God of Small Things - Miriam

Please email me your addresses so I can ship this week?

Fall exerts the same cleaning pull upon me that spring does. If I purge in every direction, simplify, streamline then all will fall beautifully into place. I steadfastly believe this. And my print junkie habits really create the most clutter in my life. The only type of clutter with which I am (unfortunately) comfortable. But new fall book releases are choice this year so some things must go. I gave to friends, co-workers, libraries but also saved six to give away here.

If you would like a chance to claim one of these titles, please leave a comment here by close of day tomorrow (Monday). If you are the only one interested in that book, it is yours. If more than one person is interested in a title, my children will hold a raffle to determine the winner. They love doing this so please do not be polite, and defer to the first person that mentions the book you really want. Sorry but just US residents this time around. No time for customs forms these days unfortunately.

Books available include:

• You Lost Me There by Rosecrans Baldwin (HB but still hunting for DJ)
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
• The Dodecahedron or A Frame for Frames by Paul Glennon
• Dancer by Colum McCann
• Take One Candle Light a Room by Susan Straight (HB)
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

sunday salon: readers imbibing peril

Nothing says fall to the bookish blogging community quite like the RIP Challenge hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings. People show up (virtually) in droves for the event, inspire one another with their reading selections, and have the pleasure of posting (in my opinion) the most visually satisfying banners/buttons in the challenge arena. From the first of September until Halloween. The event cannot be described better than Carl does here:

Regardless of what my thermometer tells me, my heart tells me that autumn is here and that it is once again time to revel in things ghostly and ghastly, in stories of things that go bump in the night. It is time to trail our favorite detectives as they relentlessly chase down their prey, to go down that dark path into the woods, to follow flights of fantasy and fairy tale that have a darker heart than their spring time brethren. To confront gothic, creepy, horror stories in all their chilling delight.

All books, short stories, and movies classified as mystery, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy, gothic, horror, and supernatural are fair game. Don't forget to sign up here.

Now to decide what to read. A perfect opportunity to clear my own shelves. I just read this:

And I want to read this:

This one has been crying tears of neglect for years:

Ditto for this one:

Would also like to re-read some Poe, delve into a few Angela Carter offerings I have and re-watch and post on the first three Masterpiece Sherlocks. Loved them. Just some rough ideas. Will decide as I go along. Easily influenced by the reading choices of others here so it is senseless to make a firm plan when reading distractions will abound.

What do you have on deck for the event?

sunday salon: the f word, ender's game and fun home

With little spare time at my disposal this week, I was happy to see the new issue of Granta, the much talked about F Word issue, arrive in the mail. Short pieces for short snatches of time to read.  Like so many hyped up releases though, this one left me mildly disappointed if for no other reason than it seemed rather timid. A.S. Byatt, Lydia Davis, Eudora Welty, Francine Prose and on and on - the writers in this issue all appeal but as they delve into the current state of feminism in various approaches, nothing new or novel really struck me. Some really interesting reads but my currently crusty self kept thinking rehash.

One high point for me though was Helen Simpson's "Night Thoughts." In this clever and very funny inversion of the "natural order," a husband wakes at 3:29 in the morning, unable to fall back to sleep as his wife snores away undisturbed beside him. He worries why his wife fails to recognize how anxious he is about trying to juggle child care, running the house and looking after her. He wants to go part-time at work to spend more time with the children but does not know if they can afford it. He ponders the "unfair fact of nature" that women often grow more appealing with age while men have to see their sexual allure fade. He feels inadequate because of his wife's online porn habit. He worries that his son may be suffering from anorexia. And so on and so on. You get the idea. Just the right note is struck in this short piece to render it humorous and playful at the same time it has a satisfying bite.

Have not finished reading all but hope to today. This issue is entertaining. Just lacking the impact I wanted. 

The rest of my reading day will be taken up with the recommendations from the work friends. Will finish Ender's Game first which I have enjoyed infinitely more than I expected. Was warned that the ending is somewhat unexpected so have been deliberately putting it off until I could imagine as many possibilities for myself first. Like it was a dare or something. But today is the day. And then the graphic novel Fun Home was suggested for both story and vocabulary of all things. The kids at school frequently accuse me of using too may big words. Maybe that is where that comes from? No matter, it has chapter titles like "In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower." Everyone is reading something or comparing the dive into a sexual experience to Odysseus jumping into the fray. Good enough for me.

What are you reading this Sunday?

sunday salon: the penelopiad, your face tomorrow and a ridiculous plan for august

Well, the arrival of those Cannongate myth volumes in my home has proven to be serendipitous. The lovely Bellezza and the equally lovely Col will be hosting a group read of Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad at the end of this month - reading May 23-28 and reviews and discussion on Monday, May 30. Less than 200 pages of a small volume with large type, even the busiest amongst us should be able to make a little room for Penelope and the possibility of hidden depths to the customarily boringly faithful wife of the goddess seducing Odysseus. Read more here and let Bellezza know of your interest?

Richard is hosting a summer group read of all three volumes of Your Face Tomorrow by Javier Marias - June through August with schedule and edifying remarks found here. Now this is not a slight read coming in at over 1,000 pages for the set, but it is commonly held to be one of the most important works in Spanish literature in recent memory. Espionage and love and loss - you can spin this into the stuff of prime summer reading material. Currently, I am the only female signed up for the event. Kind of sweet in the often estrogen infused world of book blogging.

And as for my other reading plans for August besides the third volume of Your Face Tomorrow? Well, I have found myself in a conversation about something vaguely ridiculous and so infinitely appealing to me that I am a little giddy with excitement about the challenge. The details are not set yet, but I hope to share them with you soon. And convince a few of you to be ridiculous with me.

Today, I am reading both China Mieville's excellent romp, Kraken, and Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. My first Mieville read is a blast and more than I hoped for when I picked the book up on a whim. And my re-read of Ripley for book group at work is equally satisfying as I deviate from the more overt comparisons to The Ambassadors by Henry James that occupied me on a previous read, and turn my attention to the Gatsby-esque qualities mentioned by a friend who shares my Gatsby love. Am becoming a bit obsessive now about the connections to the Fitzgerald work, and fear that I might be a real bore at book group. Stifling may once again be in order.

What are you reading this Sunday?

sunday salon: staring down the double dog dare

The reading life I currently have is not the reading life I really want. I have read only 16 books this year to date although 4 of them have been 600+ pages. All 4 of them completely worth the effort. But when time is short and reading comes in snatches, it becomes a series of snapshots that at some juncture need to be joined in order to really feel fulfilled by a read. When synthesis eludes me because of other demands, I don't write. And I get cranky. Whine, whine, whine. Wishing for more time in the day.

So that is what is wrong but what is right is successfully completing the TBR Dare, and removing those 16 from the piles of the not yet engaged. And recognizing that I could easily read from the books I have in my own house for years. Yes, years. And admitting that my attachment to my paper friends is not about soothing some acquisitive beast within me or hoarding for the day they will only be available in electronic form, but a purely emotional indulgence in which I approach them all as potential friends. I have simply invited them over for a little get together, and am excited to see how they mingle with my other guests. They each know something different about me.

So many thanks to our double dog dare host, and congratulations to all who made it through.

Today I am hopefully finishing Swamplandia! for my book club meeting at work on Wednesday, and I have to at least entertain the idea of finishing my days late post for the Classics Circuit (and hope for Rebecca's forgiveness). What are you reading in the Sunday Salon?

sunday salon: tob quarterfinals contest and cathedral

The last two weeks have supplied quite a bit of Tournament of Books fun for me, and allowed me a blogging breather without actually having to disappear from my bookish home here. I still have a huge amount of obligation, both personal and professional, to wade through but the start of spring break on April 15 is not that far away, and will mark the close of some time-intensive endeavors. And a return to my regular level of reading and writing.

Amy Rea took top honors in our opening round pool for the ToB, and scored a Powell's gift certificate. Now the quarterfinals start tomorrow, and I would like to offer another contest in which all those game will pick the four winners of this round. All prior picks/records scratched. A time to begin anew. Best record wins. In the event of a tie, my son will conduct some random draw amongst the best picks. The winner may choose any book from this year's tournament as a prize. Sorry for the late notice. You only have until about 9 tomorrow morning to leave your picks here in the comments. The choices?

• March 21 - Freedom v. Room - (Freedom wins)
• March 22 - The Finkler Question v. A Visit From the Goon Squad (Goon wins)
• March 23 - Nox v. Next (Nox wins)
• March 24 - Model Home v. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Model Home wins)

My picks are included here in parentheses. I will post only one update this week when the quarterfinals are over as we have all had a chance to voice our initial opinions about the books in the contest now.

Conversation in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa, the March pick for our Wolves book club, is thrilling me beyond my expectations. The multilayered viewpoints and conversations are jarring my mind in a most pleasant way. As if awakening it from a nap it wasn't aware it was taking. If that makes any sense. We will be discussing next weekend so you have nearly a week to get ready to join us if you like?

What are you reading in the Sunday Salon today?

sunday salon: the rooster, the lost, and the reset

The time is upon us so don't forget to stop by The Morning News this week as the first round of the annual Tournament of Books kicks off. And if you want to have a little fun picking the winners of round one and possibly win a prize, refer back to this post and enter by Monday, March 7 at midnight. 

Coming soon on The Classics Circuit, The Lost Generation will hold our attention through the end of March into April. Check out the details here. Did you already sign up? Which title are you up for? I will be dwelling among The Beautiful and Damned on March 28, the Fitzgerald novel that I always think of as his transition between the popular voice that catapulted him to fame from This Side of Paradise and the voice that would live forever from The Great Gatsby. I have not read this one in years and years, and am really looking forward to it. It also serves as a wonderful excuse to pick up one of the shiny, pretty new Fitzgerald editions I received for Christmas.

And the reset? Well life has been so chaotic lately that I have given myself a bye on all past and unmet bookish commitments in the hope that it will breathe a little energy into my reading life. So I will finish a few post drafts this week, keep reading Skippy Dies, and see if I can fend off the temptation of the new Flavia de Luce as I continue successfully staring down the TBR Dare.

What are you reading in the Sunday Salon today?

sunday salon: persephone decisions and foodie book lust

Persephone Reading Weekend is just a few days ahead, and I have picked my reads for the event. Originally intended to read three, two during the week and one over the weekend, but then served up a little dose of reality to myself. There is little spare time in my life right now so two titles it will be - Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple and Mariana by Monica Dickens.

Will you be participating this time around? And if so, what will you be reading? 

If you do not already pop by daily design discoveries, you might want to peep in. They are constantly engaging me with the lovelies they find, and this week's peek into the upcoming Penguin UK Great Food releases by Coralie Bickford-Smith was especially exciting to me. The cover backgrounds are all inspired by ceramics of the time frame of the individual title. And as detailed at Creative Review, "the covers feature embossed lettering and spot varnishes to pick out the details of the illustrations. Note also the special version of the Penguin logo, cutlery at the ready." Delicious.

Today I am alternately chuckling and musing my way through geek smackdown Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer. What are you reading on this long weekend edition of the Sunday Salon?