This book about time travel by Jack Finney is a delight. The detail he has put into 19th century Manhattan by combining actual historical information,This book about time travel by Jack Finney is a delight. The detail he has put into 19th century Manhattan by combining actual historical information, photos, and sketches and then wrapping in the science fiction aspect. This book is a lot of fun to read if you are a historical buff. ...more
I hate when I open a cookbook and every recipe is unfamiliar and looks complicated--this is not that cookbook. On almost every page I've foundI hate when I open a cookbook and every recipe is unfamiliar and looks complicated--this is not that cookbook. On almost every page I've found something I want to make. First up were beignets for breakfast, a little taste of New Orleans, with more recipes flagged for future use. This book will make this device even more useful....more
I knew bare bones about the Japanese Internment camps. This graphic novel makes it real and heart-wrenching from beginning to end. This happened. InI knew bare bones about the Japanese Internment camps. This graphic novel makes it real and heart-wrenching from beginning to end. This happened. In our country. It is happening again. ...more
When I was younger I was foolish to think I didn't really like fantasy all that much. Wizards? Hobbits? Spells? Dragons? Bah, give me good scienceWhen I was younger I was foolish to think I didn't really like fantasy all that much. Wizards? Hobbits? Spells? Dragons? Bah, give me good science fiction. As a result, I missed a lot of good stuff like Ursula K. Le Guin and the Earthsea Trilogy. I'm on my way to fixing the errors of my youth, and especially after watching a PBS show about Le Guin.
I picked this one up at Munroe's Books on a trip to Victoria. This was a marvelous book originally published in 1968. Intended for older children--sort of a proto young adult novel. The book follows the origin story of Ged/Sparrowhawk who is destined to be a great wizard. It follows him through his first lessons, his first grave error, his wizard school and the quests he undertakes to fix it. The book is spare--it is less than 250 pages long but the prose and the action descriptive.
Here is the wonderful first line, "The Island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts, its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards."
The publisher included an afterword from Le Guin about the writing and publication of the book which is a well-worth read for an aspiring author or book history buff. And--she talks about the characters of the book being of color and how she slipped that and a few "subversive" themes into a book of that publication time.
And what is it about the Pacific Northwest that produces such wonderful fantasy writers? Ursula Le Guin, Patricia McKillip, and Robin Hobb, three of my favorites are all from Oregon and Washington. If like me, you've missed out on fantasy, I'd start with these three. ...more
“It’s like showing up at the nursing home at daybreak to find your elderly uncle running pantsless across the courtyard and cursing loudly about the“It’s like showing up at the nursing home at daybreak to find your elderly uncle running pantsless across the courtyard and cursing loudly about the cafeteria food, as worried attendants are trying to catch him.” A Warning by Anonymous...more
What if the Ottoman Empire sacked Vienna in 1683 which changed the course of European and world history? A bit Man in the High Castle and a bit theWhat if the Ottoman Empire sacked Vienna in 1683 which changed the course of European and world history? A bit Man in the High Castle and a bit the Years of Rice and Salt-this is a good time-traveling thriller and what ifs with questions for us about privacy and surveillance in our culture today. ...more
This was the textbook for my sketching class. While sketching street scenes and perspectives are kicking my butt, this is a great little book (andThis was the textbook for my sketching class. While sketching street scenes and perspectives are kicking my butt, this is a great little book (and series) to keep on hand. It does a great job of explaining the types of perspective and the 4/c samples provided are inspiring. ...more
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