I'm always looking for a way to get more stuff done and this system comes recommended by everyone from the owner of the Samovar Tea Houses to Unclutte...moreI'm always looking for a way to get more stuff done and this system comes recommended by everyone from the owner of the Samovar Tea Houses to Unclutterer. After reading the book, I'm not sure I've bought into the cult, but it did underline some of the things I already do: keep a master to-do list, review it every week, keep a daily list of priorities.
I'm not sure I hold with the whole two-minutes rule, where you do all the things that you can finish in two minutes. That strikes me as a way to put off the things that need more time and attention -- and I don't need any more distractions from those. It's better for me to save the two-minute projects til last, so I can end the day feeling good about all I've accomplished, instead of stressed about the larger things I'm not getting to.
I found the book itself repetitious and stretched, which may be a product of having the system applied to its own writing. Rather than bringing up a topic and thinking it all the way through, topics recur. Detail is added each time that would have served me better if it had been covered completely the first time. It felt like padding to make an hour-long presentation book-length.
There's value to this system, but every reader is going to have to work hard to find out how to take out what she needs and how to adapt it to her own work. Unfortunately, this book is not a magic wand.(less)
The book jacket proclaims, Dalrymple "revisits its seven 'dead' cities and the eighth city -- today's Dehli -- where multiple ages commingle in a mela...moreThe book jacket proclaims, Dalrymple "revisits its seven 'dead' cities and the eighth city -- today's Dehli -- where multiple ages commingle in a melange of bygone and current cultures. Underlying his quest is the legend of the djinns, fire-formed spirits that are said to assure Delhi's regeneration..."
I'd still like to read *that* book. This book is much too concerned with the present (being 1993, when it was originally published), making it both out-of-date and not exploring the history I'm curious about.
The premise of the book sounded like fun. Nobody can sleep because evil wizards from the land on the other side of sleep are stealing energies from th...moreThe premise of the book sounded like fun. Nobody can sleep because evil wizards from the land on the other side of sleep are stealing energies from their dreams. Except that other than Grandma reading a newspaper and Zac having a nightmare, there isn't any evidence of this in the text. I was pretty much disappointed from the start. Besides, if you wanted to steal energies from nightmares, wouldn't you want people to sleep?
In addition to that, Zac himself disappears from the story for pages at a time. He's thrown into an adventure in the land of Nocturne, where he has so little to do that he ceases to be a viewpoint character. Elderly people with silly names spout gibberish and don't even expect him or the reader to understand.
I wanted this book to be like the backstage tour of the California Academy of Sciences. I wanted an understanding how how a natural history museum wor...moreI wanted this book to be like the backstage tour of the California Academy of Sciences. I wanted an understanding how how a natural history museum works, how exhibits are curated, how specimens are preserved and stored and used. That must be another book.
This is a memoir by the "trilobite" man at the Natural History Museum in London. I haven't yet visited that museum, but the book hasn't inspired me to go out of my way, unfortunately.(less)
I read really slowly, so for me to have finished a novel in under a month is remarkable. It's been a long time since I found myself carrying a book ar...moreI read really slowly, so for me to have finished a novel in under a month is remarkable. It's been a long time since I found myself carrying a book around, reading it on the bus and at the movie theater, even staying in bed late in the morning to read.
So why not give it 5 stars? It's a lovely book, full of imagination and lushly described. The characters, however... Celia's dad doesn't know she exists until she shows up in his dressing room, where he proceeds to torture her and turn her into a weapon against Alexander, who then picks up an orphan boy to be his own surrogate in a duel that will take place in a circus over the course of decades.
It's meant to be a love story between the dueling "magicians", but the strongest emotion in the book for me was the dislike the adults have for their "children." I expected that to be addressed at some point, especially after all the talk of binding Merlin in a tree and after the "parents" are bound to the circus in the end. Unfortunately, nothing comes of that.
An additional problem, for me, was too much focus on the younger characters. I never saw the appeal of the circus-besotted farm boy whose point of view spans the book. He has no imagination of his own and ends up responsible for overseeing the artistry and imagination of others.
I really wanted to love this book, but too much seemed to be missing. I look forward to her next, though.(less)
I love the Culbertson and Randall "Permanent" series books because they don't strive to be comprehensive. Other cemetery guides become tedious lists o...moreI love the Culbertson and Randall "Permanent" series books because they don't strive to be comprehensive. Other cemetery guides become tedious lists of all the famous people jammed into a cemetery, but these books go for depth instead, collecting up biographies of a few choice permanent residents. It's arguable you take more away from this series than the others, where either you recognize the famous names or you don't.
While Permanent Londoners spends a fair amount of time on the Magnificent Seven cemeteries (Brompton, Highgate, Kensal Green, etc.), it really shines for poking around inside landmarks that make up in history what they lack in acreage. Four chapters explore Westminster Abbey; one covers the Poets' Corner alone. Other chapters look into the Tower of London and St. Paul's crypt. That's worth the price of the book right there, as far as I'm concerned.
I also like that the book wanders as far as Windsor Castle, discussing the monarchs who chose to be buried at home, rather than in town.
My copy was published in 1996, but I see a more recent version came out in 2000. I hope someone allows them to update it for the current decade.(less)
I couldn't get through it. It reminded me of Tony Perrottet's travels in the same part of the world, but those books are much more enjoyable. This was...moreI couldn't get through it. It reminded me of Tony Perrottet's travels in the same part of the world, but those books are much more enjoyable. This was a jumble. It begins 12 stops into Huler's retracing of the Odyssey, with him glad that the two pretty stewardesses he meets aren't interested in having sex with him because his second wife is home alone, eight months pregnant, and anticipating his return. Ick. I'm more interested in the Odyssey -- and Mediterranean travel than this guy's midlife issues. The more he compares himself to Odysseus, the more he loses in comparison.
It did make me want to reread the Odyssey myself, though. And go back to Greece.(less)
I bought it for Marsden's luminous infrared photos, but the text is thoroughly enjoyable in itself. He traveled alone around France, seeking out haunt...moreI bought it for Marsden's luminous infrared photos, but the text is thoroughly enjoyable in itself. He traveled alone around France, seeking out haunted castles, woods, and graveyards, where he hoped to have spooky encounters in several places he got so creeped out that he had to pack up and leave without fully exploring. I loved those bits.
I felt like he could have gone into the travel memoir side of the book even more. I wanted to hear about his adventures and the people he met along the way, some of whom seemed to have been great storytellers. I wish he'd included more of his references, too, so that I could find more depth to some of the ghost stories he relates.
He's inspired me to want to visit Carcasonne and learn more about the Albigensian crusade, though.(less)
I read this aloud to my 9-year-old in advance of the movie. It was her second time through it this year, after her father read it to her earlier. I wo...moreI read this aloud to my 9-year-old in advance of the movie. It was her second time through it this year, after her father read it to her earlier. I wondered if it would be scary (Gollum or the spiders) or sad (the deaths of characters you like), but she has already figured out that the main character can't be seriously harmed or the story can't continue, so she was never really frightened for Bilbo.
The language, though, was absolutely perfect for her. She identified completely with Bilbo's love of home and growing sense of adventure.
I won't give it 5 stars for the flaw in Tolkien's storytelling. SPOILER ALERT: A character comes out of nowhere to solve the problem we have spent the entire book reaching. While that's entirely realistic, it's just not done that way in fiction. Completely unsatisfying. I wonder how Peter Jackson will get around that.
We did take our daughter to the movie, which she thought was the best movie she'd ever seen and I thought was needlessly long and more violent than I expected for PG-13, even though it wasn't gory. The battle scenes in the novel go into much less detail while being more exciting for their brevity.(less)
We listened to this during a long road trip, which was absolutely perfect. My 9-year-old was eager to get into the car after every stop, just so we co...moreWe listened to this during a long road trip, which was absolutely perfect. My 9-year-old was eager to get into the car after every stop, just so we could listen to more of the story. Sometimes we even sat in the car longer than necessary, just to finish a chapter.
Gaiman's performance of the story is wonderful. He makes the voices absolutely distinct and completely draws you in.
I worried that parts of it -- the beginning, the adventure with the ghouls -- might be too frightening, but my daughter absolutely loved it.
Best of all, since I was familiar with the story, I didn't have to listen to the final chapter, which I absolutely disagree with. In my mind, Bod is left with all his friends and abilities.
Very recommended, if you're just dipping into stories on CD. (less)
Giving this 3 stars makes me look like a Scrooge, but really the lack of 5 stars is for the other stories included in the book, not the one you're fam...moreGiving this 3 stars makes me look like a Scrooge, but really the lack of 5 stars is for the other stories included in the book, not the one you're familiar with. A Christmas Carol really does hold up on re-reading, even if you can quote parts of it aloud. I'd forgotten that Scrooge sees the housekeeper, the landlady, and the undertaker sell his stuff to the pawnbroker. One of them actually took his best shirt off his corpse in order to sell it. That's seriously harsh.
The book is filled out with other Christmas stories Dickens wrote after the success of A Christmas Carol. My favorite of those was "A Christmas Tree," which is a strange meditation on the ornaments Dickens loved (I think). He goes on at length about the strange toys he played with as a child before spinning into ghost stories. Was the Christmas ghost story a Victorian tradition? The ones he relates here are really fun.
I'm glad to have read more of Dickens' work, but I'm not sure I will reread these additional tales year after year. I'm looking forward, though, to reading A Christmas Carol aloud to my daughter next December, though. (less)
This is the best guide to the cemeteries of Los Angeles yet. Jammed with Douglas Keister's beautiful color photographs -- all exquisitely printed -- t...moreThis is the best guide to the cemeteries of Los Angeles yet. Jammed with Douglas Keister's beautiful color photographs -- all exquisitely printed -- the book weighs more than the other guides, which might make it prohibitive to drag around a graveyard with you, if you're juggling a camera and notebook, too. If you're just sightseeing, this is the book for you. All the color headstone photos make it easy to know exactly what you're looking for.
However, the book is short on history of the graveyards. Permanent Californians is better for that, as well as more fully developed biographies of the biggest stars. Forever L.A. also focuses on fewer celebrities; if you want a more comprehensive list, Laid to Rest in California is the book you want.
In addition, Forever L.A. suffers from puzzling organization. You can read the section on Westwood Village Memorial Park, but the text directs you elsewhere in the book to the listing for Don Knotts and somewhere else again to read about Marilyn Monroe. In fact, Marilyn's biography snuggles up against one for Joe DiMaggio, who isn't buried in L.A. at all. I guess this just proves my contention that any collection of gravestones is necessarily going to be idiosyncratic and reflect the predilections of the person compiling it.
I see what Keister was doing when he collected together all the stars of The Wizard of Oz or Bonanza or It's a Mad, Mad (etc.) World, but I found it frustrating not to have all the cemetery information gathered into the appropriate chapter when I was standing in the graveyard. Is this book meant for armchair travelers or people in the field?
And why is the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland included at all? While the photos are lovely, the section takes up valuable book real estate that could have been used by Angelus Rosedale, where Hattie McDaniel is buried and Buffy the Vampire Slayer was filmed.
Still, if you are traveling to L.A. and want to visit graveyards, I suggest you start with this book. It's the most recent and has by far the prettiest pictures. You just might want to dip into the other books for more depth after you get home.(less)
The book jacket describes this as the "first and only" guide to the cemeteries of New England. I'm curious to know if that's true. I know there were g...moreThe book jacket describes this as the "first and only" guide to the cemeteries of New England. I'm curious to know if that's true. I know there were guides to Mt. Auburn and the other garden cemeteries published in the 19th century (unfortunately, I don't have any of them in my collection), but I don't know if there was an overall guide to the region -- or if this is just a publisher's hype.
Either way, this is a really fun book. If you're making a road trip, as I've been lucky enough to do, throughout New England and wonder what lovely graveyards you might find along the way, this is the ideal guidebook. Andrew Kull seems to have actually visited these cemeteries and has opinionated, entertaining observations about them. I like that he directs H. P. Lovecraft "cultists" to ask directions to the author's grave when they visit Swan Point Cemetery in Providence. I like also his assertion: "Burial Hill in Plymouth enjoys, without question, the most magnificent site of any cemetery in New England." Doesn't that just make you want to see for yourself?
The primary flaw is a dearth of photographs, although there are a few. In addition, New England Cemeteries jams 260 cemeteries, graveyards, and burial grounds into a mere 240-some pages (plus index and an essay on how to make grave rubbings), so you're not getting in-depth information. In fact, you're not even getting cemetery addresses, though the book does include opening hours, which were current in 1975. Still, for company on a road trip, Kull's book is a useful and entertaining companion.(less)
There seem to be very few books about the graveyards of New Mexico. This one, which collects lovely black-and-white photographs taken in the early 194...moreThere seem to be very few books about the graveyards of New Mexico. This one, which collects lovely black-and-white photographs taken in the early 1940s, documents the camposantos that the photographer recognized would be going away. The wooden crosses and picket fences couldn't stand forever, even in the desert air. I wonder if these images could be recreated now, or if she was right, and all that's contained in this book has passed away.
The historical essay which opens the book raises an interesting point: During New Mexico's colonial period, "hostile Indians" desecrated graves, which led to burials inside churches. (I would have liked to see some images illustrating those burials.) By the 1880s, when things were more settled, every village had a camposanto surrounding its adobe church. Unlike the stark images in this book, some grave monuments were brightly painted, while others were white-washed. Crowns of thorns or roses were common decorations, but like the colors, these had vanished by the time these photos were taken.
The grave markers recorded here range from hand-lettered cement to rough wooden crosses to ornately shaped or pierced wooden planks. Offerings range from real cacti planted at the marker's foot to silk flowers or pine branches. Many of the monuments have lost their names, yet some still stand bolt upright against the dramatic sky.
Despite or because of the melancholy black-and-white photos, it's a really beautiful book. It makes me want to go back to New Mexico and seek some of these places out for myself. I wonder how much has survived. (less)
Updated Hollywood Babylon without the pictures. I found Petrucelli's snarky tone really off-putting, especially as he mocks people he just interviewed...moreUpdated Hollywood Babylon without the pictures. I found Petrucelli's snarky tone really off-putting, especially as he mocks people he just interviewed and got to know right before their deaths. His author's voice made me sad. I think it's possible to cover this same material in a respectful way, but basically I'm just not that interested in the deaths of celebrities. Give me a graveyard over a pop-cult obituary any day.(less)
I picked this up in a travel bookstore in NYC (remember travel bookstores?) because I read the chapter in which the author follows an exorcist around...moreI picked this up in a travel bookstore in NYC (remember travel bookstores?) because I read the chapter in which the author follows an exorcist around Clerkenwell. It made me remember how much I loved the Mike Carey novels with much the same protagonist -- except that this story is true. It's by far the most interesting story in this book and worth the price I paid for it.
The other pieces are of varying depths and therefore of varying appeal. The text is written in London slang, some of which I got from context and some of which I had to let pass. Even after reading the chapter on mini-cab drivers, I'm still not sure how they differ from black cab drivers. The chapters that shine are the ones where the author spends time with his subjects long enough to individualize them, like the barger on the Thames and the urban fox-hunter.
There are snide comments made repeatedly about the ravers and other partiers of the London night, but apparently our author couldn't find any to hang out with, because they remain shadowy shallow caricatures. There is also a serious lack of women in the book, for whatever reason. One would expect there are many working through the London night, even in legitimate jobs.
I don't know if this book is available electronically, but that might be a better way to read it, so that you don't have it taking up shelf-space afterward.(less)
I've been curious how many of the old Spanish missions still have their original graveyards. This book provided some guidance through its photographs...moreI've been curious how many of the old Spanish missions still have their original graveyards. This book provided some guidance through its photographs (because, let's face it, old graves are picturesque), but for the most part, the graveyards didn't rate much mention in the text. My search will have to continue.
That said, the photographs in this book are really lovely. They capture the interiors of the old churches and the details of their decorations. Sunlight paints the rooms. Outside, the skies are always the luminous Californian blue. Flowers nod and trees drowse and things seem very peaceful. Where appropriate, the museums or recreated cells of the padres are staged as carefully as a photo shoot. This book, whether a spur to exploring California's Spanish -- and Mexican -- history or as a souvenir after such a trip, is beautiful to page through.
It falls down in the text, unfortunately, The same details are repeated over and over: the fathers select the mission site. The natives help build a church. It floods. There's an earthquake or a fire. The soldiers molest the natives. There's an uprising. Spain hands the missions over to Mexico, who doesn't want the bother. The missions are sold, then mistreated, then almost destroyed. Rinse, repeat. There's really little point in reading the whole book cover to cover, as I did, because the story is the same every time.
I would have liked to know more about the native tribes and what they lost. I would have liked to know more about daily life in the missions. I would have liked to know more about those mission churchyards and who is buried there. Who marked their graves and why? How many forgotten Native Americans lie there and what's been done to perpetuate their memory?
I'm not sure why this book is so expensive. Yes, it's full of black and white photographs, but really, $75? It's not worth that.
Assembled from the Lib...moreI'm not sure why this book is so expensive. Yes, it's full of black and white photographs, but really, $75? It's not worth that.
Assembled from the Library of Congress's photo archives, Cemeteries is a "visual sourcebook" of images of American graveyards taken by families, news photographers, stereograms, advertisers, and government agencies. Sections focus on gates, grave markers, mausoleums, and other details of graveyards -- which is what I bought the book for and it's most useful attribute.
Unfortunately, the author assembling the photos got lazy. Rather than show a variety of African Americans working in cemeteries across the country, he includes a series of photos of the same people in the same cemetery. I would've found comparison and contrast more interesting than depth, especially since the depth is at odds from the way the rest of the book is put together. The same cemeteries and photographers do keep coming up over and over more than is truly necessary in other sections, but "Comings and Goings in the Silent City" is the most repetitive. It's disappointing.
If you are a cemetery fanatic, you might need to have this book (if you can get it discounted on Amazon). The historical overview in the first section is particularly useful. The photos throughout lean toward documentary rather than art, but if you bring a fair amount of knowledge to the book, it will reward you, even as it frustrates you. It could have been really spectacular. Instead, it seems rushed.(less)
While the title doesn't offer a clue, this is a book about the "famous" dead buried in the United Kingdom. The famous include Lord Tweedmore, Dame Cla...moreWhile the title doesn't offer a clue, this is a book about the "famous" dead buried in the United Kingdom. The famous include Lord Tweedmore, Dame Clara Butt, Sir Anthony Eden, among many more, whose names were unfamiliar even after I read about them.
Even when the names are familiar, the book offers very little information about them. Roald Dahl is summed up as "the unrivaled master of the grotesque and ghoulish in children's fiction," without identifying him as the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It continues to confide that he's buried in the churchyard of St. Peter and Paul in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, but without any description of the grave or where it lies or how it's marked, I'm not sure what good the listing does you.
The book is organized into sections for England, London, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, then subdivided by county. The counties are broken into towns, then further minced into specific churches or graveyards. I might like this book more if I had more familiarity with the nooks and crannies of the United Kingdom. As it is, I don't know my Avon from my Yorkshire West and there's no map in these pages to help me. There's an index of people mentioned in the book, but not of the cemeteries covered.
The descriptions are too brief. The book reports that, "In the choir (Loren's note: not quire, as Salisbury Cathedral calls it) lies Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke" who died in 1621. She was an author and translator, as the book notes, but more importantly, she was the first English woman recognized as a poet in her own right. Her name numbers among those floated to be the true author of Shakespeare’s plays. Who Lies Where quotes a biographer who claims she “was very salacious” and liked to watch her stallions mount her mares, then sport with the stallions herself. Talk about TMI.
The book ignores everyone else buried in the cathedral, including a crusader who was half-brother to Richard the Lionhearted and the man responsible for distributing copies of the Magna Carta around England. It condenses Highgate Cemetery in fewer than 4 pages. The listing for Kensal Green spans 4-1/2 pages and ends with the cremation of Freddie Mercury, whose ashes were scattered at Lake Geneva, although you wouldn't know that from reading this book.
I was hoping to find a graveyard book that would guide me beyond London's reasonably well-documented cemeteries. This one is no help at all.(less)
Hugh Meller was the Historic Buildings Representative for the National Trust, so he grasps the intersection of architecture and British history. The b...moreHugh Meller was the Historic Buildings Representative for the National Trust, so he grasps the intersection of architecture and British history. The book does descend into jargon from time to time, but it is the most comprehensive and complete guide to the graveyards of London I've read yet. I have a pretty good collection on the topic.
Opening with a lovely hand-drawn map, my edition of the book is the third. (I see a fifth edition was published in 2011, which expands the list of cemeteries covered from 103 to 126.) In addition to the Victorian-era Magnificent Seven cemeteries (Highgate, Kensal Green, Brompton, Abney Park, Nunhead, Norwood, and Tower Hamlets), Meller pokes around the Jewish cemeteries, the Dissenters' cemeteries, and pretty much any cemetery that still exists and is not affiliated with a single parish or church.
Which begs the question: has someone written a "Graveyard Shift: A Family Historian's Guide to New York City Cemeteries"-style book about London, tracing all the early burial grounds and plague pits, now gone? There would be a lot of history to explore!
Back to the matter at hand: Meller begins with a history of burial reform in England. London lagged not only behind Pere Lachaise, but also behind Glasgow and Liverpool in closing down the noxious churchyards and switching instead to "garden" or "rural" cemeteries where nature and beauty were celebrated in the face of grim death. Meller describes fashions in grave monuments and architecture, illustrated beautifully with crisp black-and-white photography. He includes a quick glossary of tombstone symbols, again fully illustrated with photographs. Some brief thoughts on epitaphs are followed by a chapter on the flora and fauna of the cemeteries, and then we're off to visit the graveyards themselves.
Each listing has a summary of the cemetery's history, its decline and redemption (if appropriate), photos, architectural and monument descriptions, and a smattering of familiar or historically important personnages in the graveyard under discussion. These names total more than 1000. They are helpfully indexed at the back of the book.
While the book is scholarly, it isn't dry. I would recommend it both to the novice visiting London's cemeteries for the first time and to the repeat visitor looking for more depth to her explorations.(less)
This little book is jam-packed with photographs, often three to a page. I like being able to see the grave monument in its surroundings, then close-up...moreThis little book is jam-packed with photographs, often three to a page. I like being able to see the grave monument in its surroundings, then close-ups of its details, although the layout doesn't vary and sometimes two of the photos are so similar as to be redundant. That said, the photographer records remarkable and beautiful things that I've seen nowhere else, so I'm glad to add this book to my collection.
I particularly like the snippets of information she adds about the monuments. The Bianchi angel that serves an an opera singer's effigy is just lovely. The child statue with a face drawn from a death mask is disturbing. Tingley's mirrored bird in Monteparnasse (misspelled in the book) is so spectacular that it makes me want to go back to that cemetery myself to see it. Also, I like that the monuments are shown in summer and covered with snow, which hints at the depth of the photographer's relationship with the things she photographs.
Unfortunately, the typo is one of several that troubled me. The author inconsistently uses a lowercase C when naming the cemeteries: Greyfriars cemetery, Kensal Green cemetery, East Sheen cemetery. It makes me wonder if the word cemetery is part of the graveyard's name or if it's really a kirkyard or memorial park or burying ground. The grammar geek in me wants proper names to be capitalized.
Also, I wished for an essay or some kind of text longer than a paragraph to put the cemeteries in context. They're mostly British, with inclusions from Paris and Barcelona. Are the monuments contemporary? Why was she drawn to them? Is it the story that draws her or the image?
In the end, I wish the book was longer. Since it's published by lulu.com, it's expensive: nearly a dollar per page, once you add in postage. That's a shame, because I think many people would fall in love with these photos, as I have, if it were more affordable.(less)
When this was written, Xavier Cronin was editor of American Funeral Director and American Cemetery magazines. He was in a privileged position to make...moreWhen this was written, Xavier Cronin was editor of American Funeral Director and American Cemetery magazines. He was in a privileged position to make predictions about the way cemeteries would change and the new options people would require for final disposition of their loved ones.
For instance, he predicted that by 2010, one American in 3 would choose to be cremated. In 2010, the Cremation Association of North America put the actual figure closer to 40%, but that varies wildly across the US. In some of the Western States, the figure approaches 70% - two people of 3.
Even so, the book is full of fascinating tidbits of information: Great Britain "ran out" of burial space after WWII, which accounts for their high percentage of cremation (73% in 2010). In addition to that, British law says that a used grave can be reused for a new burial after 75 years, as long as the descendants of the original occupant don't object or can't be found. The first occupant can't be disturbed in any way. Apparently "double-depth burial" was being used in American cemeteries in 1996. Cronin predicted the practice would spread.
Cronin also reported that no one knew the number of burial grounds "scattered" across America, but that the common estimate was 100,000. Of those, one-fourth were known. The other 75,000 were family plots, abandoned village graveyards, forgotten war dead. There's no national consensus on who should care for these graves -- even in cities which built over historic burial grounds that simply disappeared from their maps.
Cronin doesn't draw a connection between the modern dead who have their ashes scattered and vanish without leaving a monument behind and these forgotten souls from the past. Instead he writes at length about mausolea, where the dead can be warehoused and cemeteries can find easy income. Clearly, that's not the way most Americans are choosing to go.
The book gave me plenty of food for thought, despite its age.(less)
This was the second of Culbertson and Randall's "Permanent" series, exploring the permanent residents of Paris, California, Italy, and London. This on...moreThis was the second of Culbertson and Randall's "Permanent" series, exploring the permanent residents of Paris, California, Italy, and London. This one feels like it covers a vast amount of territory, from offering multiple tours of Green-Wood and Woodlawn to capsule suggestions of quick trips to the Hartsdale Canine Cemetery, Belmont Racetrack, and the Quaker Cemetery of Brooklyn.
Some of the choices are strange. There's a scant paragraph about the New York Marble Cemetery, which holds the remnants of 40 cemeteries that were destroyed to make room for the City's growth. It makes me wonder if the authors found the cemetery closed when they visited, as I did in June. Strawberry Fields in Central Park rates more description, even though the authors admit that John Lennon's ashes aren't buried there. The Hart's Island Potter's Field is included for the sake of completeness, I suppose, even though I'd be surprised if most tourists could or would want to try to visit it.
Which may be the split between the authors' intention for this book and the way I want to use it. It's not a guidebook, in that it doesn't include cemetery addresses, opening hours, or suggestions for how to visit the cemeteries listed inside. It doesn't include enough photographs of the graves or graveyards and spends page after page on biographies of people like Judy Garland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Malcolm X. Maybe it's meant to be an armchair travel book.
My quest for the perfect New York City cemetery guide continues -- but this was an excellent reference to read in the hotel room between cemetery explorations. (less)
I picked this one up in a gift shop in Rome after visiting the Catacombs of St. Sebastian on the Appian Way. Now, after reading it, I want to go back...moreI picked this one up in a gift shop in Rome after visiting the Catacombs of St. Sebastian on the Appian Way. Now, after reading it, I want to go back to Rome and explore other underground cemeteries. Apparently, St. Sebastian's was one of the earlier ones and others have beautiful mosaics or other decorations still in place. One even still has a saint's bones in their original location. Sebastian's catacombs have been thoroughly emptied over the years. Its namesake saint's bones now lie in the basilica upstairs.
Rather than the tourist-friendly text I was hoping for, The Christian Catacombs of Rome is a scholarly work, full of terms like cubicula and arcosolia and phrases like "richly decorated with wall revetment in opus sectile." (None of which my spell-check is liking.) Rather than the extensive bibliography of works in Italian, I would have prefered a glossary and a timeline. The book does include a removable map of 121 Early Christian Monuments in Rome and its Suburbs. Who knew there were so many?
I'm glad for the book's extensive photo illustrations, capturing the murals, mosaics, and architectural details of the many Christian catacombs. The full-color pictures are much crisper than any tourist could capture. I wish, however, that the book was divided up so that it examined each of the more than 60 catacombs in order. I would like to be able to compare one to the next and know which are still open to visit.(less)
From the spectacular cover picture to the maps inside the graveyards that lead you to points of interest, this is one of the best Images of America ce...moreFrom the spectacular cover picture to the maps inside the graveyards that lead you to points of interest, this is one of the best Images of America cemetery books I've read. The only thing that keeps it from getting 5 stars is that it devolves into photos of families of historic people gathered for 50th anniversary parties or birthdays: intimate family moments that detract from the scale of events commemorated by these grave monuments. It felt like author was padding the book out or pandering to the families included.
With this book in hand, I just had the pleasure of exploring the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. I wish she had included some information about the mission from which the cemetery takes its name. In fact, I had to go on the internet to find out it no longer exists. I also discovered that each of the earlier sites of the Santa Clara Mission had been surrounded by a graveyard, but I've yet to find information about whether or where those graves were moved.
Still, Lichtenstein does a great job of pointing out interesting or significant monuments and including photos of the people buried beneath them. I look forward to taking her book along when I explore the Mission City Memorial Park, just down the road from the Mission Cemetery.(less)
I bought this in the gift shop at the African Burial Ground in Manhattan. I was hoping for a book that explained in some depth the archaeological stud...moreI bought this in the gift shop at the African Burial Ground in Manhattan. I was hoping for a book that explained in some depth the archaeological study done on the 410 bodies recovered from the forgotten burial ground. Instead, the author talks in circles about the reburial -- which while extremely important and interesting -- should have come at the end of the book instead of in the middle. The lack of coherent historical narrative is the most frustrating part of this booklet. You would think in 33 pages it could have told a linear story.
This is the first book of Arcadia Publishing's Postcard History Series that I've read, but I love the idea. It combines two of my fascinations: local...moreThis is the first book of Arcadia Publishing's Postcard History Series that I've read, but I love the idea. It combines two of my fascinations: local history and antique postcards. The things that people chose to photograph and collect on vintage postcards -- churches, cabins at the lake, train depots, main streets, blacksmith shops, etc. -- amaze and awe me in this age of postcards of the same handful of tourist destinations over and over again.
I grew up in Genesee County, Michigan, so I was completely absorbed by these glimpses into the past. Some things haven't changed: the solid county courthouses, the soaring church steeples, the farming communities. Other things, like the collapse of the auto industry, the system of summer camps, and the local train systems, are barely a memory any more.
The only thing that prevents this book from achieving a five-star rating is the way the postcards are organized. I like that things are divided into rough categories (Working for a Living, Serving the Community, Leisure Time), but I wish the photos of my hometown were all grouped together within the sections, so that it would be easier for me to visit the same sites now and see what's still standing. Failing that, I may have to write my own index inside the front cover. (less)
With over a thousand years of history behind it, Westminster Abbey is the repository of memory in the heart of London. Anyone who is anyone in the Uni...moreWith over a thousand years of history behind it, Westminster Abbey is the repository of memory in the heart of London. Anyone who is anyone in the United Kingdom tried to get themselves buried in the Abbey for hundreds of years. Those who were buried elsewhere were often honored with a monument as grand as a life-sized sculpture or as simple as a plaque on the wall. One could spend hours wandering amongst the statuary inside the church and still miss many gems.
The abbey’s website says, “Taken as a whole, the tombs and memorials comprise the most significant single collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the United Kingdom.” Unfortunately, photography inside the Abbey is prohibited. Some photographs of the monuments are available in the Abbey's gift shop or in one of the souvenir guidebooks for sale. What is needed, though, is a serious photographic study of the wonders jammed cheek by jowl against the Abbey's walls.
This book attempts to document some of the mortuary sculpture. Of necessity, the shades of gray in the photos blunt the whiteness of the marble and brighten the darkness of the shadows, so they don't completely do justice to the Abbey's treasures. Still, Blundell has a fascination with detail and uses tight focus to good effect, giving a sense of the way your eye bounces around the room, struggling to take it all in.
I like that the book includes capsule biographies of the people commemorated by the statuary. I wish the biographies were attached to their pictures, rather than arranged by number at the back of the book. The arrangement makes sense if you're at the Abbey, working your way around the room and matching the photographs to the artwork. As a reader who might be interested in finding, say, Isaac Newton's grave, the lack of alphabetization or an index means that I have to read through the biographies until I find him, then cross-reference back to the photo.
Still, until I can make my own collection of photographs from Westminster Abbey, I'm glad to have this book. It's lovely, if frustrating.(less)
Everywhere you go, there's a cemetery. Case in point: tucked into Yosemite Valley is a tiny graveyard where pioneers, Native Americans, and summer vis...moreEverywhere you go, there's a cemetery. Case in point: tucked into Yosemite Valley is a tiny graveyard where pioneers, Native Americans, and summer visitors rest in peace. The graveyard is a pretty, peaceful place, despite the 3 million visitors to Yosemite National Park each year.
A visit to the Yosemite Pioneer Cemetery is much enhanced by bringing along this little guidebook, which is available from the Visitor Center gift shop. It provides biographies of the Valley's permanent residents, along with photographs and history lessons. The stories it tells are the best part.
The book also provides a map, so you can stand at the grave as you read about the person beneath your feet.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the perfect souvenir for a trip to Yosemite. My only quibble is that I wish it began with more history of the valley, so that the people who stay there now were put into a wider perspective. (less)
I don’t especially like zombies. I’ve seen a couple of zombie movies, the big ones that everyone’s seen. I’ve read a couple of zombie books. Some of t...moreI don’t especially like zombies. I’ve seen a couple of zombie movies, the big ones that everyone’s seen. I’ve read a couple of zombie books. Some of them have even been good. I watched the first season of the zombie series that’s on TV, but I didn't go back for season two. Overall, though, I can take or leave zombies, since the slavering hungry masses often seem an excuse for authors (usually male) or filmmakers (always male) to objectify women in the most graphic way possible and prove just how much we need a big strong man to take care of us.
And then I read Dana Fredsti’s Plague Town.
Dana’s heroine Ashley doesn’t need taking care of. She nurses herself through a hardcore flu epidemic, then fends off the first zombie that attacks her in a hilarious scene that turns all those “coeds who have sex have to die” tropes on their heads and paddles their behinds. Ashley has seen a lot of zombie movies, so while she’s freaked out by what’s going on around her, she also knows what needs to be done. She’s not afraid to step up and get her hands dirty. She never frets about breaking a nail or losing a heel. She’s not butch, but she is tough. She speaks her mind. She cares about people. She’s the most realistic, rounded character I’ve read in a zombie novel yet.
I can’t call myself a zombie fan. But when I finished Plague Town, I groaned, knowing that Dana is still hard at work on the sequel. It’s gonna be hard for me to wait to see what Ashley will get herself into – and out of – next.
And what’s up with the hunky paramilitary former vegan who’s now subsisting on raw steaks? Love – or sexual attraction – can overlook a lot of flaws, but inquiring minds are dying to know (less)
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