FiberTribe: Baaaad Blogger...

Feed My Head 2010

Andrea Camilleri: The Wings of the Sphinx (Inspector Montalbano Mysteries)
The wonderful, irascible Inspector Montalbano of Vigata, Sicily is at it again. Did I mention he's wonderful? And there are 10 earlier ones in the series.
Ariana Franklin: The Serpent's Tale
The very wonderful Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar (prepare to die!) continues her work. Who knew that the wretched pit that is present day Salerno once housed an amazing and Europe-reknowned medical school? Where even women were allowed to become doctors...
Ariana Franklin: Mistress of the Art of Death
Wonderful. And amazing as a first novel. There are some inevitably cringe-worthy scenes (if you're going to be true to the middle ages) but Franklin's ability to bring those times to life is spot-on. And she is amazing with the first of the Plantagenets. Makes me want to jump his unsavory little bones.
Nicholas Blake: The Worm of Death
Vintage 1960 British murder mystery. Good if you'd like to learn quayside shipping vocabulary for the docks at Greenwich...
Kent Haruf: Where You Once Belonged
Well written but depressing. Very depressing. His others are better.
Kent Haruf: Eventide
the sequel, sort of, to the wonderful Plainsong. I know that he's the father someone related to a knitblogger I read regularly. She mentioned him one time and the prior book Plainsong. Who? dunno. I'm not sure I would have appreciated Haruf as much had I not moved to a small, rural town. Go find him. He's quietly wonderful.
Ray Kurzweil Ph.D.: Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever
Another state-of-the-research book from Kurzweil and the longevity physician, Terry Grossman. I liked Fantastic Voyage better, but for sheer quality of information relevant to our health today, it's hard to beat. You can get a free (but for the shipping cost) copy at Ray and Terry's, their website that sells the supplements key to the program. As they say, they don't care if you get the supplements from them or not, just get them, take them and make the lifestyle changes. Then we'll be around to benefit from the next geometric progression of the health research paradigm.
Mehmet Oz M.D.: Healing from the Heart: A Leading Heart Surgeon Explores the Power of Complementary Medicine
so far so good. the ego required to succeed in the star-system world of cardio-thoracic surgery is only minimally present at the half way point in this book. In his world this is no doubt radical, radical stuff. Interesting to see the highest towers of traditional western medicine allow alternative therapies in.
Diane Ackerman: The Zookeeper's Wife
Love Diane Ackerman. Just started this, I'll get back to you...
Dana Stabenow: Whisper to the Blood: A Kate Shugak Novel (Kate Shugak Novels)
Another keeper. All is not well in The Park. The Aunties have taken matters into their own hands. Be afraid. another bit of wonderfulness from Dana Stabenow. Once again I'll be tapping my fingers for another year till the next Kate Shugak mystery shows up. Sigh.
Byron Katie: A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are
Loving What Is continued on...tough Work but is there really a choice about it? heh.
Greg Mortenson: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
Alrighty, I'm late to this game but if you haven't read this, go forth and read it NOW. It's a wonderful tale and it's not over yet. As we ramp up the war in Afghanistan why not join the Dept. of Defense and do your required reading? As Rep. Mary Bono (yes, that one) says, you'll learn more about the region from this book than you will from months of Pentagon briefings. Go Dr. Greg!
Andrea Camilleri: August Heat
Camilleri's latest Inspector Montalbano mystery set in Sicilia. Just wonderful. Now I have to wait a year for the next one. Crap.
Janwillem van de Wetering: The Japanese Corpse (Soho crime)
Two Dutch cops sent to Kyoto to solve a murder in Amsterdam involving the Yakusa. Van de Wetering is a 'voice' like no other. He spent several years in a Zen monastery in Kyoto himself. The entire series has been re-issued by Soho Crime and is totally wonderful. And the cover design by Cheryl Cipriani is awesome. Yes, I'm a cover art ho.
Anthony Bourdain: Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)
Alice Hoffman: Practical Magic
The hardback has an illustration taken from Dante Gabriel Rossetti's Proserpine. Much nicer. Hoffman's a great storyteller. And I always want her characters to go forward to the next book. But they never do. Go read this one anyway. You're welcome.
Tony Hillerman: The Mysterious West
This is a REALLY wonderful short story collection edited by Hillerman. Lord, I'm going to miss that man. All of the stories are set in the west or midwest, small towns and large. They're quirky and somewhat unexpected, especially relative to the usual work of the authors like J.A. Jance, Dana Stabenow (a bit darker), Lia Matera (chilling), etc. The true find for me is Wendy Hornsby. One of the best written stories, independent of genre, I've ever read. I've never read a more skillfully built exposition of the backstory built into the actual story. wow. I'm off to see what else of hers I can find.
Charles de Lint: The Wild Wood
Re-reading this bit of loveliness from de Lint. Among other things, it's about an artist who's lost her mojo. It's apropos given that I've re-started The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.
Elizabeth A. Lynn: Chronicles of Tornor 3: The Northern Girl (Chronicles of Tornor)
Found this as I was repacking ancient boxes of books. It was written in the late 70s and is flat out wonderful. It's the third book of a trilogy (the 2nd one is Dancers of Arun) I highly recommend all of them. It's Fantasy with an incredibly drawn world worth of an Ursula LeGuin, deep and quirky characters, and stay-up-all-night story telling. go. find them.
Julia Cameron: The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition]
A birthday gift from the Gomez. Starting this once again after years of hiatus. Wonderful.

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September 14, 2005

Baaaad Blogger...

Eh. So sue me. Got the blog blahs or maybe the life blahs, not too sure. Haven't been knitting either, though I have been ogling my stash and flipping through pattern books. I want to finish something already but lack to ooomph to do so, evidently.

Tonight I will take many UFO pictures and post them here. How many? you'll have to wait and see. This from a person who seriously has UFOs going back 20 years... But we'll limit ourselves to the past year or so. Maybe in the process some wonderfully seductive yarn or colorway will reach out and grab me.

So what have I been doing if I haven't been knitting? Besides raging at the assbeagles (thank you, Rabbitch) we have as a government, you mean? I have been going to the gym and firming up the large, white, dimpled part I'm so fond of telling people to bite. And downloading wonderful patterns like Knit n Tonic's Not So Shrunken Marilyn Cardi and Jenna's Hopeful, and Marnie's notes on Hopeful, and all the wonderful new Knitty patterns, and Kepler that didn't make it into Knitty on account of similarity to another pattern. You get the idea.

And peeps? Best of all, this morning dawned sunny and COOL with a lovely cool breeze in the mid-70s. Can you say Fall? Of course I have NOTHING newly knitted and ready to wear to Finland in exactly one month's time. Nor to NYC in 2 weeks or so. Btw, will anyone be around NYC on Sunday, October 2nd? If so, would you like to meet at a cafe or at one of the LYSs of your choice? Let me know, 'K?

Posted at 10:16 AM | Permalink

Comments

Welcome back! Sorry to hear about your blahs but I totally understand. Everytime I feel overwhelmed by my UFOs (they're out there!) I knit an itty bitty sweater, i.e. one that is about three inches from top to bottom. I know it is completely irrational but it gives me a strange sense of accomplishment.

Posted by: Ellen | September 14, 2005 at 06:58 PM

Hmm... there was a 'Flash your Stash', why not 'Flash your UFO's ;) ?

Posted by: Siow Chin | September 14, 2005 at 09:04 PM

I tried to knit a one-skein wonder to ease my blahs, and it ended up being a one-and-a-half-skein got-gauge-but-you-wouldn't-know-it-by-this-torture device-on-my-shoulders that will hereby be living in my child's closet, not mine.
Sigh.

Welcome back :-)

Posted by: Lee Ann | September 14, 2005 at 09:19 PM

oooh Finland. Desperately jealous! Nice yarn! I can't meet up in NY...that is right before my trip to Paris. :(

Posted by: Kathleen | September 15, 2005 at 08:49 AM

Hi Florida neighbor!! I thought I'd say hi since Margene is making a special trip to visit us :)

I'm in Lauderdale!

Posted by: Debi | September 18, 2005 at 05:01 AM

Caroline, i'm sorry to bug you but i'm glad i found your blog.. i noticed you mentioned Unfurnished in Brooklyn about Rachel.. i have not been able to get on either her yarnagogo blog or myglasshouse.typepad
could you write to me and let me know if she's ok?! thanks
Karola looking forward to reading your blog in detail! :-) k

Posted by: Karola | September 20, 2005 at 03:36 PM