You gotta keep those neurons in shape & firing, you know. Hence the reading. Reading is good for your brains, so maybe you should...read more?
27 books of brilliance, to keep your neurons firing and expand your mental horizon and capacity. Your global understanding.
Well, this book will change all of that. It's going to hook you as a whole new world opens up for you. It'll take you from "the earth is flat" and make you see every star in the universe, the solar system, the galaxy. You will become a believer in the truth that "less is more" as long as you buy good quality, and good quality is worth investing in because a good, beautiful, sharp knife is your best friend and it will do half the job for you, on it's own.
If you like I, have a near-perverse fascination with sharp knives, or you just want to know "what the hell you are doing", this one is a must have. It will tell you absolutely everything you need to know about knives, and it's a fascinating read. This is the "bible" for any knife lover.
Currently working on this 470+ pages monster by Farly Mowat, my all-time favourite Canadian author. Nobody better, more prolific or more "been there, done that" than Farley Mowatt. Nobody better to trace the voyages of the Vikings, nobody more qualified, than "my man, Farley". But with 470+ pages and limited time, it'll take me a while, so I'll return in due time.
I wasn't looking for entertainment. I wasn't looking for Hollywood. I was looking for something real, something for your brains, because I wanted to learn. I have this need to understand. I see it as my moral duty to educate myself about the dammage "I" have done...and I figured this one would fit right in.
My teenage daughter has read this one twice and absolutely loved it, so I thought I should see what it was all about, since she kept talking about it.
I absolutely loved it. I've always felt this deep attraction to the ocean. It probably stems from my time in the navy. I think it's a primal feeling and once you have "lived on the ocean" for any period of time, it's bound to get to you and never let go.
This is the story of a seagull given "human qualities". It's as if you actually become the seagull and live your life through it, as it soars the endless ocean and you see it all from the eyes of the gull up there in the sky and the winds and the waves become an integral part of your life. Beautiful, beautiful story and a fairly quick read. A literary classic.
Post mortem: I could fill a thousand pages with my thoughts of awe on this book, but let me put it this way, since we got limited space: If you are looking to "go deep" - really deep, on the Vikings, this one is going to blow your mind. It'll take your brains, your understanding and your appreciation to places they (and you) have never been before. I strongly encourage you to take the author's advice to start with the appendices, as it will vastly increase your understanding of the entire volume.
It's your Viking bible. It's heavy duty "scientific" reading and the amount of research that would have gone into this one, is mind-blowing. But those of us familiar with Farley Mowatt, are not surprised. We know what he's about. Anything "North" is Farley's domain, Farley's kingdom, and this one he nails to perfection. Intense and gripping.
Vancouver is blessed with a plethora of outstanding writers, out of whom Madeleine Thien is my favourite. Madeleine burst onto the scene as a newcomer, the way a soccer player is subbed in and on her first three touches she scores a hat-trick. Everyhting she touches turn into gold. She is to the Vancouver literary scene what Pele was to Brazilian soccer, What the Beatles and the Roling Stones (combined) was to early British rock, and even those are pale comparisons. Madeleine Thien is...well, just Madeleine Thien. There's nobody like her because nobody can write as beautifully, as descriptive and as engaging as her, and still capture the essense of everyting simply by adding an extra comma to a sentence. I'm wildly in love with her writing and will feverously devour anything and everything she writes.
By learning from the mistakes (genocide) of the past, I can at least make sure that I, personally, will never get on the murderous path of those before me.
I just started this one, so I am still working my way through it, but I will be back with my thoughts, once done with it.
...and I'm done, now:
For all of us white people who are too dumb/ignorant to comprehend "cause and effect", this is the book for you. "Reconcilliation? Impossible! There was never any concilliation in the first place" really had a profound impact on me. It really stood out to me. You can't reconcile unless you first concile. Goes without saying. You can't redo your balcony if you never had one before. You have to build one first, before you can redo it . The level of government violence and discrimination has been toned down, but the process is still ongoing. A real eye opener to read. Especially profound and powerful was "Confessions of a born again pagan". It taught me in 30 minutes the truth I've been seeking for 30 years. But Mitch miyagawa takes the price for the most absolutely gorgeously written piece on the value - or not - of apologies. I will definitely seek out more if his writing.
I've done a lot of serious and very heavy reading, material wise, lately, so I needed something light and funny to counter-balance it all, and this one is absolutely perfect for that.
It's like a super-boost of energy when you need it most, from one of the funniest Canadians we have. Little stories from real life as only Arthur can dish them out, most of them two or three pages long, so you can use them like a vitamin pill: Take one every night before you go to sleep and another one when you wake up, and you will walk around all day with a grin on your face.
"What are you laughing at" your colleagues, classmates and people around you will ask and I'll bet you $ 99.75 right now, that you will want to share your favourite story with them.At times I laughed so hard that tears were running down my cheeks. Other times I just felt a total and gratifying extreme sense of vindiction over some of life's stupidities. But all the time, I just felt hillariously entertained.
So there I was reading this book for "young readers"; pre-teens and teens, and lo and behold, was it ever a wonderful read. Touching, emotional and bang on, when it comes to 'connecting' with the reader. Even when the reader is 60. Both heart warming and gut wrenching.
I won't give away the story line, but as the cover reveals, it's about second chances and maybe we shouldn't be so quick to judge each other and let all our prejudist dogs out.
An absolutely gorgeous read that any pre-teen/teen should read. And if you are 60; an absolutely gorgeous read you should read too...and then buy another copy you should gift any teen in the family with. And get a box of cleenex, too, 'cause you're going to need it, when you read it.
When human beings become animals. The animals they have always been...
Absolutely gorgeous book from "my own childhood backyard", written with a wonderful sense of humor, about issues that we all have to deal with in our lives, such as belonging, impossible friendships, loneliness, attachment, rejection and a slew of other big ticket items:
Small village in German occupied France during WW2. Everybody waiting for the allied to come: "They will never come". But when they come...they Come, with capitol "C".
We all know it. Most of us are just too lazy to do anything about it: If quality means anything to you, you want to stay far, far away from industrial foods, or IES (industrial edible substances) as rightfully referred to, the word "food" replaced more appropriately with "edible substance". You might as well eat poison and guess what, not only do you eat crap, but doing your own food saves you lots of money too, on top of eating a lot healthier.
Captured by the Taliban and held prisoner in, literally, a rat hole dug in the dessert, CBC's Melissa Fung recounts her harrowing time of uncertainly; am I going to die or will I survive, as a "guest" of the Taliban forces, an organisation of many fragmented groups? A true, beautiful and powerful testament to the power of psychology, heavily and willfully applied while the "We're working on the case" (the phrase you always hear from the government but never quite understand or believe) people are pulling strings to secure her release. I absolutely loved this one.
If you have ever watched the CBC news, you know what a kick-ass foreign reporter she is. Well, now she is also a kick-ass author, putting her life and her extensive experience (and travel) in anything Middle Eastern and Arab into print and for a news junkie like me, this is absolutely wonderful.
Supposedly, you either love or hate Ujjal, the former Premier of BC. If you are a Sikh terrorist or had ties to the Air India bombing of flight 182, you hate him. For me, personally, I love Ujjal. One of many reasons is because he is not afraid to speak his mind pertaining to the truth and his convictions and he has always stood up for every citizen of this province. I can only imagine his reaction the Ripudaman Singh Malik was finally gunned down at close range, in Surrey; sad it had to end this way, but he got what he deserved.
Unfortunately, it's hard to touch on the subject and deeds of the Dalai Lama (the only and true one, not the CCP appointed one) without getting splattered with the dirty sauce of the Chinese dictatorship.
You can not say Canada, without saying Farley. It's impossible. A tremendous amount of wonderful writers in Canada, but Farley is King. Nobody has explored Canada more than Farley and nobody has written more books.
The ultimate classic.If you have never heard of this one, go see your doctor. Immediately! You are either dead or have been living in an obscure vacuum your entire life, with your mind and brain completely severed from the real world in general and the literary world in particular.
Spending pretty much my entire life in the food industry, here is another one I could write about for days, but won't.
I you like porn, this one is for you. XXX, graphic, explicit, outright orgasmic. This is food porn at the highest level. My daughter found this one for me and it didn't take me a nano-second to buy it, simply for its photography.
A trilogy of the ancient Asian classics.
I'm not sure, here. I'm still shaken to the core. Up above, on the book about religion and the "blessings" of whatever so-called "God" you chose - or hopefully not - to believe in, I mentioned that the this world is fucked. Well! Here is yet another proof of that.
Ok, this one is a hard read. Real hard. It's not brutal or anything and despite the title, it's neither about nudity nor food. It's a hard read because it is...other than being a literary classic...or maybe exactly because of that...written, supposedly, in a state of permanent intoxication. In a "purple haze", so to speak. It's like a permanent trip on psychedelic drugs, illusions, paranoia, schizophrenia, but in literary form. If you think you're "just gonna try"...one "lane", tonight...read this one first. You will never go there, guaranteed. If you are a parent and you want to know the shit your kids are going through, you too should read this one.
Ok, something a little more harmonious and agreeable. Something that doesn't upset your stomach or mind but makes you feel good. In my case, because I know every place they go in this book, I know the life, the mindset, the feeling. In short, this was "a trip home" for me, courtesy of one of Norways best writers. This was a feel-good book that brought me comfort. This was "a cup of hot chocolate" before you go to bed. Beautiful.
This is quite likely the best book I have ever read. I can identify with absolutely everything in this book and every location is "right in my neighbourhood".
A fascinating story about war and how we deal with it, how it affects us, on various levels. Beautifully written but disturbing and very recoginzable for anyone with a little bit of life experience.
It starts out digestible enough but ends up in the gore and blood bath that war is, in this case the battle of Stalingrad (1942) and you have to be very thick skinned for it not to get to you.
Beautifully written, as mentioned, historically quite accurate and astute and it will take you through some emotions that you probably didn't even knew you had. That's if you are old enough to know anything about war. On the other hand, if you are young and think war is "ok/cool" and justifiable, I would certainly reccommend this one for you to read.
"People disgust me" and so this family father takes his tent and goes "off-grid" in the mountains above Oslo, Norway, leaving wife and kids "down in the valley".
But that scenario is not without it's challenges. Especially not when the orphaned moose calf who's mother you just killed, attaches itself to you and you become its surrogate mother.
It read almost as a "how-to" book for wannabe hermits and anyone else tired of society and the rat race, but is also a reminder that not everything is as easy and it seems and you really have to think twice. But still, the humour prevails and many good laughs are awaiting you. One of my all-time favourite reads...and I've read it twice now. It's that good.
Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining book with lots of intrigue and all the right characters; The blond bimbo who thinks the key to her salvation (and survival) is her beauty and her big breasts, The town hall traitor, the weirdo that everybody takes for a fool, the restaurateur who understands more than just "bon jour", the fisherman who nets more than just fish and the list goes on. Everybody is out for survival. And of course, a whole bunch of nasty guys in uniform. And then...the village baker who seems to be in on everything and is waiting for her conscripted lover to come back, together with "la resistance".
But one spilled secret and you know it could - and likely would - be your last day of Calvados and baguettes. Just like it was for the butcher and veterinarian/doctor. And sandwiched in between two German occupied buildings on the cliffs overlooking the sea, only avoiding occupation themselves because their house had no electricity, is the young artist-type couple. One could say they have Germans in each ear. Oh, ya; and if you are a dog lover, there is a surprise for you, courtesy of the village veterinarian.Totally entertaining and intriguing read that I will truly recommend.
Get back to your roots, the essentials, to healthy living, to money in your pocket and rediscover the joy of doing it yourself, in your own way. Share the joy with friends and family and don't forget those in bigger need than yourself. Spread the joy. Food is one of the best way to bring people together and build a better community.
But beware - once you start doing your own and prioritizing quality and savings, health and common sense...you might get hooked.
540 pages (2 kg) of gorgeous food porn that actually works. Don't forget, food is an aphrodisiac.
She's "been there, done that and seen it all" and now she has the grace and kindness to let us - the viewers and readers - see it from her own perspective, the way it really was on the inside. CBC has long had a reputation for trusted, non-partisan quality news and Nahlah is a big piece in that puzzle. An absolutely gorgeous book but not an easy read in the sense that it's painful to read how we people treat each other.
From the Chinese invasion, the escape, the exile, we hear it all, straight from the only authentic source.
It's a book of beauty, of power, of hope, and despite the atrocities of humanity and the Chinese dictatorship, you close this book feeling that maybe, just maybe, there is still a glimmer of hope. I shall not burst your bubble, 'cause if you ain't go hope, you ain't got nuttin'.
From his WW 2 time to this time in the high arctic and far north. From soldier to pacifist, from animal and nature lover to pure fictitionist (does such word exist), Farley has has put his name all across the Canadian landscape with a big, fat, black marker that will never be erased. There is a Farley for anyone and everybody. From pre-teens to us "Dinosaurs". Farley blessed my life in so many ways. Farley, by friend, may you rest in peace and thank you for everything you did for me, without even knowing it.
Unfortunately, this book is still as relevant today, as when it was written, I believe it was int he 50s at some point. Especially (but not only) in places like China, North Korea, Russia, Syria, this book has been carbon copied into daily life of it's citizens, but even in certain countries in what we refer to as "The Western World" there are things that are creepily identical to certain elements of this book.
This is "the Bible" of any commercial kitchen and Bourdain (R.I. P) has written several other books so there is plenty of material to dig into.
This is real life and it ain't always pretty...but verbally colourful and extremely entertaining and informative. If you know anyone who "wants to become a cook"...or a baker...or just be anywhere in the food industry, make sure, absolutely sure, they read this one before they make their final decision.
It's extremely, extremely artfully done. I can guarantee you, you have never seen food (chocolate) presented like this. Like landscapes: Mountains, rivers, freshly plowed fields, you name it. It's not just XXX. It's AAA (art, art, art), too.
If you are a chocolate lover...well, I don't really need to say anything else, here, do I?
I grew up on 'anything Japan', watching Kurosawa with my Dad and so this one I enjoyed tremendously. It's mind-blowing how many similarities there are between the Japanese Samurai and the Western Knights. We think we are so dam special. Well, guess what? We're not. There's more that unites on than separates us.
Written by one of Japans greats, with ties to Vancouver. Nitobe gardens, out by UBC, carries his name
Humanity is fucked, people don't give a shit about each other and the UN is completely dysfunctional, paralyzed. And what started this hell that Romeo Dellaire had to walk into, live with and is now suffering from? Religion, of course.
An estimated 800.000 people slaughtered, most of them Tutsies. If you ever meet Brian in real life, please...do not come and preach to me about religion and how wonderful it is. The outcome is not going to be to your liking.
Peddling back and forth between Oslo, Norway and Fredrikshavn, Denmark, on those boats, with all their conveniences, this is a story of a guy, his family and two countries in the Scandinavian brotherhood.
Snobby kitchen hires cook: "We want something...different. We want to stand out". "I'll give you different. I'll make you...stand out". Well, as you may or may not know, there are plenty of raccoons in Stanley park (where his Dad squats), down by Lost Lagoon. Obviously "nobody knows". At least not in the beginning. Enter the blood hounds.
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