Reading

Zach gave me a Kindle for Christmas. I love it now. I did not at first. At first, I was confused.  Upon opening the box, my reaction was something like, OH! oh. Ohh? Hm. So many mixed emotions. Did this mean the death of books? Was I crossing over to the dark side? Zach explained that it would be awesome for traveling because it is small, lightweight, and I'd always have something to read. That makes sense, but I was still wary of this little machine, this little destroyer of the publishing world.

Turns out, I love it and not in the fake, I love this sweater set you got me for Christmas because you're watching my reaction sort of way. I have come to love it. I wouldn't say that I am an ebook convert because I have not abandoned books, but now have another reading option. I love the dictionary function and not having to take out my phone while reading to look up a word (can you imagine lugging an actual dictionary around?). You just tap the word and it tells you. Genius. I love that you can have a new book within seconds.

I hate that you can so easily spend money (la di da, just pushing some buttons on my kindle, forgetting that this is hooked to my bank account, do de do). I have to figure out the whole lending part of it.

I love the kindle when I have an awesome book on it. I don't love it when I have an okay book on it or a boring newspaper article on it. Makes sense right? I suppose that is exactly how one feels about whatever reading material is in one's hands.

Recent books I've enjoyed:
*Molokai by Alan Brennert (heart wrenching)
*A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (hilarious)
*All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (gripping)

Recent books I have not enjoyed:
*Walden by Thoreau (too preachy, sorry T)
*The Fallback Plan by Leigh Stein (couldn't stomach the narrator)

Reading To Do list:
*The World According to Garp
*A Visit From the Goon Squad

I'm also looking for a good biography and adventure/travel writing (in the vein of Bryson or Krakauer, but not actually either one of them). Any suggestions?

Eating

I'm currently reading Omnivore's Dilemma, a book about the nature of our eating habits, how food is produced on a large scale (the industrial food complex) and a small scale (sustainable farming), and how we (USA) have developed such a twisted notion of what food is. It is awesome. I can't put it down. I like reading a book that causes a reaction in me. Some of the reactions that have come up while reading are curiosity (wait, what do you mean free range doesn't really mean that chickens run around in grassy yards?), resentment (how effing rediculous is the pharma/agribusiness/policy makers relationship that is once again screwing the people) and inspiration (to support sustainable, local farmers who grow real food.) I highly recommend it and would lend it to you, except that Clare has dibs on it next.

What it is not is a ranting, stomach churning description of a filthy, inhumane Tyson's chicken factory. It is also not a soapbox for going vegetarian or vegan. Skinny Bitch covered that. The Omnivore's Dilemma raises questions and provides informed answers, but is not a doctrine for how to eat.

Inspired by the Omnivore's Dilemma, Food Inc., and people who work hard to make good food, Zach and I have joined our local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). You pay upfront for a share of veggies, which provides the farmer with some security for the season (and keep your fingers crossed that it will be a good season.) Writing a check in February sucks, but it all pays off when you receive a box of veggies each week from June through October, based on what the farmer chooses. We participated in a CSA when we lived in the Bronx and loved the element of surprise (like when a kohlrabi showed up for the first time). It is also a challenge to figure out what to do with some of the veggies (WTF do you do with 16 jalapeno peppers? Make poppers, obviously!) The farm is different than the one that we worked with in the Bronx and I'm looking forward to seeing what shows up. Marthastewart.com will definitely be of help.

While also on the topic of food, I am SUPER EXCITED for the Brooklyn Flea and Hester Street Fair to open. Both awesome street fairs that show off hand crafted, high quality jewelry, clothing, wares and antiques and creative, delicious food. Brooklyn Flea opened this weekend and Hester Street opens May 7. I'm sure the Flea was a mob scene, considering it was beautiful out and everyone is happy to be strolling the streets. I'm going to give it a few weeks and hit it up when my friend Maureen comes to visit in mid April.

Book Pile

After the shelves are full and before another bookshelf is purchased/constructed/jerry-rigged, a thing called the book pile emerges. One of my favorite book piles was (is?) the one that lives on my friend Jamie's floor. She sent me the list of titles from her pile, which I saved in my inbox and still refer to when I'm looking for a new book to read. My book pile is currently all to read and none have read. It is quite exciting and a source of motivation. 

I have yet to make much of a dent in my book pile because I am in the process of reading Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. Both Zach and Jamie (the most enthusiastic of my reading friends) say it is the best book they have ever read. The thing is a beast. Big words. Long sentences. Mega descriptive. I downloaded a dictionary app on my phone because I come across words routinely that I don't know. After taking a month off, I am about a third of the way through it and the multiple plots have become increasingly interesting and often really good, but have yet to show any signs of coming together. It is a bizarre experience reading, enjoying, sometimes not following, spending days in the footnotes, not yet being blown away, but knowing that it will be satisfying to see through. I say bizarre experience because I don't usually continue reading a book that I find even a little bit boring or frustrating. I am in new territory.

I've also been keeping a list of words that I don't know and have had to look up while reading this past week. I'm going to share them. Don't judge. I should know redolent. 


assiduous- Constant in application or attention
sedulously- Persevering and constant in effort or application; assiduous
verdant- green
redolent- Strongly reminiscent or suggestive of (something
prescient- Having or showing knowledge of events before they take place
tumid- Swollen (body part), pompous (ego)
aegis- protection
preternatural- Surpassing the normal or usual; extraordinary
strabismic- A visual defect in which one eye cannot focus with the other on an object because of imbalance of the eye muscles. Also called squint.
dirigible- able to be steered or directed
paucity- scarcity; dearth
junket- A trip or tour, especially one taken by an official at public expense


On that note, I'm going to go read.