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unaccustomed earth
jhumpa lahiri
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| Another glorious set of stories from Lahiri, depicting lives of Indians living in the United States. What I love about her stories is that they're so quiet and unassuming but so full of life. Also, I just love reading about Indian customs and food – she could probably just write out a restaurant menu and I would read it. A few of the stories are chronological and follow a boy and a girl from two families as they grow and make their way through American life. A handful have appeared in the New Yorker - "Hell-Heaven" and "Once in a Lifetime" are two you can – and should - read online. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
June 2008 [link] |
recommend
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uncle silas
joseph sheridan le fanu
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| A creepy Victorian suspense/thriller. It is a bit difficult to read in parts--the first 200 pages were occasionally difficult to slog through--but the language is so elaborate and fascinating that it conjures up a spooky atmosphere almost instantly. The ending is a fantastic surprise ...I really don't want to spoil it, but it certainly shocked me. First written around 1864, it has truly stood the test of time. |
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reviewed by: victoria |
June 2005 [link] |
recommend
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under the banner of heaven: a story of violent faith
jon krakauer
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| Krakauer once agains writes a riveting tale this time tackling Momonism, polygamy and the extremes that people go to for their religious beliefs. The story starts with the case of three brothers who murder their sister-in-law because "God told them to", and essentially, because she was starting to have too much of an opinion about Mormonism. From there Krakauer explores the relatively new religion of Mormonism (it's only about 200 years old), the roots of polygamy and interviews people about their devotion to the Latter Day Saints or in some cases, their escape from this seemingly bizarre and convoluted religion. And I thought Catholicism had some nutty traditions... |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
June 2004 [link] |
recommend
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untangling my chopsticks
victoria riccardi
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| This delicious book was written while Riccardi lived in Kyoto, Japan in order to study tea kaiseki, which is the small, tapas-like dishes that are served at formal tea ceremonies. Riccardi lives with a Japanese couple and teaches English while getting cooking lessons and offers a quaint and mount-watering look at Japanese culture and food. Recipes for food she eats or prepares appear at the end of each chapter but I think I've decided that only a trip to Kyoto will satisfy my culinary curiousity. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
August 2005 [link] |
recommend
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used and rare: travels in the book world
laurence and nancy goldstone
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| i literally wanted to eat this book it was so excellent. the authors write about their forays into book collecting and intermingle the prose with stories of book histories and eccentrics in the book collecting world. the most they spend on a book is $700 (and it's a special first edition) but they search for many used hardbacks to complete their personal library and most of them cost no more than $25. after reading this i decided to make a list of all my favorites that i wanted in hardback and will start scouring used bookstores TODAY! |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
March 2003 [link] |
recommend
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