FiberTribe: To Tide You Over...

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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April 02, 2006

To Tide You Over...

Here's some of the cast of characters out Utah way. First at the Silver Fork (taken by Marshall). From left to right: me, Neena, Margene, Laurie.

then at Jordan Pines (taken by me) up Little Cottonwood Canyon enroute to taking pictures of Margene and her lovely Seaweed. L to R, Margene, Laurie, Marshall & Neena.

Margene's mountains (aka the Wasatch) taken whilst heading from the airport to her house. Can you feature seeing this on your commute??? I mean, every road in Salt Lake has one of these looming up at the end of it. just about.

Or how about this? As Neena and I headed up to Park City?

Here's one of the views from Neena & Don's deck. You've seen an horizon pool? Well, they have an horizon house. heh. Those are the Cedar Mountains across the valley.

This is the road to Kolob Canyon from Cedar City with a lowering sky. That weekend there were intermittant white-out mini-blizzards interrupted by abject sunshine and total melt.
This reminded me of the winter sky over Amish country west of Philadelphia. Beautiful.

Neena posted better pics of Kolob but here is one with a bit of the vista beyond...

And here are two of the gi-mongous ravens they grow out there perched on the roofline of a house down the road from Neena & Don's house. My theory is that all the old, nasty, mormon patriarchs are condemned to come back this way... nah. The ravens are too smart for that.

Next time, Fetal Fotos, kick-ass mexican food, proper garb for baby polygs, Willie Wash, modest wedding gowns, lousy mixed drinks, good fast food (who knew?), 75 mph speed limits or Caroline's orientation to the theocracy. stay tuned. oh. and the matching ski hat seamed my Margene. (I may never wash it.) Back after a short intermission in ye merrye olde England...

Posted at 01:44 PM | Permalink

Comments

England!? Have fun...but it won't be Utah. It was Jordan pines where we stopped...not that it matters. You take great photos. Wish you were here as we headed back up to SF today and the sky is CLEAR BLUE!!

Posted by: margene | April 02, 2006 at 03:36 PM

Gorgeous pics! A Florida girl like you must have been freezing her heiney off! Those ravens look ginormous!!

Posted by: Debi | April 03, 2006 at 03:24 AM

Great pics! Love the ravens, we have some at my house down here too. I like to think of them as guardian angels. In black. ;) Fetal Fotos? Oh, you didn't. LOL Can't wait for your next entry.

Posted by: sleevelessinsu | April 03, 2006 at 10:42 AM

hey!

i read your post on Jaynes blog.

so tell me....BHUTAN??? is it a MUST STOP on our trip or what?

should we plan on that...even though it is so expensive? i hear that you really have to plan a trip there...can't just 'swing by'?

although...after Antarctica...we may not be able to splurge again...

would love to hear more about your travels in that area.

can't wait to visit asia!

Posted by: stella | April 04, 2006 at 10:38 AM

Hey Denise,

great pictures. Looks like you had some fun in the sun/snow. I just got started my blog. I have to figure out what to write. Did you get the mail with Susannes Mail-Adress ??

Posted by: nili | April 10, 2006 at 02:56 PM

Hey Denise,

great pictures. Looks like you had some fun in the sun/snow. I just got started my blog. I have to figure out what to write. Did you get the mail with Susannes Mail-Adress ??

Posted by: nili | April 10, 2006 at 02:57 PM