Tag Archives: Books

Revisiting A Chappaquiddick Lullaby …

I think one of the nicest children’s books about MV is “Chappaquiddick Lullaby – a song of Martha’s Vineyard” by Stacy Elizabeth Hall and illustrated by Judith Pfeiffer.

The book also includes a CD by Kate Taylor and Taylor Brown.

I came across our copy of this book and CD recently and enjoyed reacquainting myself with them. The book is basically about the activities and daydreams that children have during the summer. The illustrations are abundant with Island landmarks and places… you need to read the book several times before you’ve picked out everything included in this rich and lovely book.

One of the things that drew us to this book is that we have our own Chappaquiddick in the family and when we found out that there was a Chappy song, sung no less by Kate who we have had the pleasure of meeting… well, we had to have the book.

Stacy’s first book “The Legend of Katama” is a beautifully told story of Katama, a brave young Wampanoag woman and how she changed her world.

Interestingly this our first dog who was named….. Katama (Katy)… do you see a pattern here :)


A Review Of “The Vineyard We Knew” …

If you’re looking for a summer read about the adventures of a summer kid growing up on the Vineyard in Oak Bluffs  in the 50′s and 60′s…. this book is for you.

Even if you’re not on the Vineyard and just want to read a really, really charming,  and interesting book, this book is for you.

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My creation

I just finished reading this book “The Vineyard We Knew: by Kevin Parham . I enjoyed it immensely because like Kevin, I too was a summer kid on the Vineyard in Oak Bluffs during the 50′s and early 60′s. Our paths never crossed, and even though I’m quite a bit older than Kevin, we did do some of the same things and go to the same places. Flying Horses, Darling’s popcorn, Oak Bluffs beach (now known as the Inkwell) but I only knew it as … the beach … lol. If you enjoy stepping back into time little bit and reading about Martha’s Vineyard the way it used to be then treat yourself to Kevin’s book.
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** (photographs used by permission of Kevin Parham)

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Here’s a little of Kevin’s introduction which pretty much says the way I feel about the Vineyard too :

“The Island of Martha’s Vineyard is a magical place filled with enchantment and wonder.  For more than half a century I have been under its whimsical spell – one that continues to lure me back year after year.

Just as  a migrating bird is compelled to return to a specific geographic region each spring, I gravitate back to the Vineyard.  I do this not only to reconnect to a time gone by, but also to reenergize my soul so I am inspired to reach the full potential of my life’s purpose.

Those who visit Martha’s Vineyard for the first time often develop an irresistible urge to come back, an urge most people don’t readily recognize, perhaps because it resides at the subconscious – or even deeper molecular – level.   Just as is true when one is addicted to a powerful drug, once you are hooked you reach a point at which you can no longer do without it.

I have long since crossed that line of demarcation in my relationship with Martha’s Vineyard. “

**  (excerpt used with permission of Kevin Parham).


So many books…

For much of the last few months, I've been in a reading slump. I wish I could say why, but there's really no good reason - do slumps ever really have a true cause? Anyway, I'm slowly digging my way...

What We’re Reading Now

Great Books

I have spent a large part of this winter hiding from the cold and devouring books. So many amazing books! The following are some of my current favorites*.

 

Small Gatherings: Seasonal Menus for Cozy Dinners This book is as charming as the title suggests. Lovely photography, great menus and “Menu Manager” that helps you figure out the timing for each menu is a really great idea. Can’t to try out some of these recipes!

One Pan, Two Plates

One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete Weeknight Meals for Two True confession: I bought this book strictly based on the cover photo. Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Summer Squash Hash. This one is going to be a summertime staple, but I am equally excited about the One Pan Roasted Deviled Chicken, the Golden Corn Cakes and the weeknight Pad Thai.

Mike and I are exploring all kinds of methods of creating fabric and this book is one of the best we’ve read so far. Printing on Fabric: Techniques with Screens, Stencils, Inks, and Dyes is super-informative and easy to understand without being basic-basic.

I adored Print Workshop: Hand-Printing Techniques and Truly Original Projects by Christine Schmidt when it came out back in 2010 and it’s follow-up– Yellow Owl’s Little Prints: Stamp, Stencil, and Print Projects to Make for Kids does not disappoint. If you have kids (or even just a few hours to spend with someone else’s) this book has is filled with really charming ideas.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Escapes: Over 100 Recipes from the Great Food Regions of the World. I own every JO cookbook, I think, and this one is really, really lovely. I are the Spaghetti Vongole recipe from the book this week and it was spectacular! There are lot so of free recipes on Jamie’s website if you want to dip your toe in before making the plunge.

Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans I have been flirting with the idea of Paleo for a while now and I have to say that this book makes it look easy. The layout and photography are innovative and the recipes are easy and yummy. Highly recommended!

Wild Rosemary and Lemon Cake

It’s probably way too early to be talking about the best cookbook of 2014 but– so help me!– I think Wild Rosemary and Lemon Cake: A Collection of Italian Recipes from the Amalfi Coast might be the best cookbook of 2014. The recipes, the photography, the graphic design, even the paper are all first rate. I can’t overstate how much I love this book.

Sweet heavenly days! The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes from the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop is so chock-a-block full of recipes that I want to make. Lavender Honey Custard Pie. Pistachio Coconut Cream Pie. Black Current Lemon Chiffon Pie. Cinnamon Apricot Pie with Vanilla Pouring Cream. Sweet Corn Custard Pie. Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie. Lemon Chess Pie. Maple Lime Custard Pie. Cranberry Sage Pie.  You get the picture. If you bake, order this already.

The Wes Anderson Collection

I am a huge fan of the films of Wes Anderson. I own every single movie on DVD and I’ve watched them all again and again and again. What I love about Wes Anderson is the way he creates fully realized little worlds that his characters inhabit. The details give his stories a depth that most movies can’t even come close to.  The Wes Anderson Collection explores Anderson’s motivations and the careful preparation that goes into creating those world. This book, like a Wes Anderson film, is a perfect little gem.

As always, if you are considering ordering any of these books (or anything else for that matter) and you use or links to get to Amazon, JMF will earn few pennies that we pass along to Heifer International. In 2013, those pennies added up to Two Flocks of GeeseTwo Flocks of DucksTwo Hives of Honey BeesTwo LlamasTwo SheepTwo Pigs and Two Goats. Not too shabby, eh?

Plot Holes …

While out browsing with Deb we saw these books…

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 we were curious so we of course took pictures of them… and opened them… Deb said ‘plot holes’ would make a great blog title… so I’m using it …

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I don’t know how I feel about carving books into letters… you obviously can’t read them so what would you do with them?  Conversation starters.  Paperweights. Book ends, which sounds like I mean the end for the books but I meant book ends !!!! I think.

What do you think about them ?


Sometimes the Mailman Brings Joy

For reasons that I can’t really get into right now, I’ve been away from home for about the last three months. Which isn’t to say that I’m homeless exactly. In fact, I have the opposite problem– I am currently living in three places (or four depending on how you count). My stuff is spread out all over creation and I am currently receiving mail at four addresses in two states.

If you know me at all, you know that living like this is probably the perfect recipe for driving me crazy. I like for everything in my life to be ordered and orderly, and, when it’s not, I quickly descend into chaos. The good news is that I am learning to live within the (controlled) chaos and have realized that if I haven’t had something in my possession for a month or more, it’s probably not that important. Also, I totally think I could survive in the witness protection program now.

All of that is just a preamble to today’s blog post though. It’s also a long, drawn out apology for my  incredible rudeness in not acknowledging a lovely gift much, much sooner.

A few weeks ago, I swung by one of my numerous abodes, picked up a bunch of mail, tossed it in the back seat of my car and headed to my next appointment. It wasn’t until today that I unearthed that pile of mail (while looking for something completely different) and discovered a package containing one of the loveliest gifts I’ve ever received.

Woolbur

I’ve blogged here before about my love for the children’s book Woolbur. It’s a book that every child should own because it’s all about being yourself and accepting others for who they are. It’s also fun and the illustrations make me so, so happy.

Woolbur

So imagine my joy and delight at opening an unexpected (and long dormant) package and finding a copy of Woolbur autographed TO ME by illustrator Lee Harper. Of course, I got all kitten-headed and teary eyed. And then I remembered that my friend Melissa mentioned that Lee Harper is her uncle. Once I connected the dots I got even more emotionally overwhelmed and wrecky, and it was a good half an hour before I could even write this post. Sometimes, I can’t believe how lucky I am to have such amazing friends.

Melissa and Uncle Lee Harper, I honestly do not have words profound enough to thank you for a gift this precious, so I will just say thank you and hope that you know how much I will treasure this book.

Book brief: The Lacuna

LacunaLike all the women in post-war America, I fell in love with Mexamerican author Harrison Shepherd, to whom Barbara Kingsolver gives some mighty writing chops in this 2009 novel. Frida & Diego, Trotsky, and stenographer Violet Brown have their own lovely orbits around Shepherd. Rich and immersive, effectively interweaving true historical events with these fictional characters, the novel presents real and fabricated newspaper accounts to enhance the central character's many personal journals. (Not entirely unlike what Marisha Pessl did with new media in her latest, the last read I blogged.) I learned more than I remember having previously known about American history, especially the HUAC action of the Cold War era. And as a native Tar Heel, I love that Harrison landed in Asheville when he returned stateside. With its surprises and subtleties, in hindsight I wish I had read this saga straight through rather than putting it down when I reached a section break to take my own break with one or two other novels. I feel disloyal to Harrison and Mrs. Brown! 
 

Superlatives: Character I'd most like to hang with: Arthur Gold. Character I'd most like to hear more from: Violet Brown. Most honest character: Harrison Shepherd. Most caricatured character: Tom Cuddy. Most throwaway character: none. 

From the publisher:

With deeply compelling characters, a vivid sense of place, and a clear grasp of how history and public opinion can shape a life, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist – and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time.

Book brief: The Lacuna

LacunaLike all the women in post-war America, I fell in love with Mexamerican author Harrison Shepherd, to whom Barbara Kingsolver gives some mighty writing chops in this 2009 novel. Frida & Diego, Trotsky, and stenographer Violet Brown have their own lovely orbits around Shepherd. Rich and immersive, effectively interweaving true historical events with these fictional characters, the novel presents real and fabricated newspaper accounts to enhance the central character's many personal journals. (Not entirely unlike what Marisha Pessl did with new media in her latest, the last read I blogged.) I learned more than I remember having previously known about American history, especially the HUAC action of the Cold War era. And as a native Tar Heel, I love that Harrison landed in Asheville when he returned stateside. With its surprises and subtleties, in hindsight I wish I had read this saga straight through rather than putting it down when I reached a section break to take my own break with one or two other novels. I feel disloyal to Harrison and Mrs. Brown! 
 

Superlatives: Character I'd most like to hang with: Arthur Gold. Character I'd most like to hear more from: Violet Brown. Most honest character: Harrison Shepherd. Most caricatured character: Tom Cuddy. Most throwaway character: none. 

From the publisher:

With deeply compelling characters, a vivid sense of place, and a clear grasp of how history and public opinion can shape a life, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist – and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time.

Book brief: The Lacuna

LacunaLike all the women in post-war America, I fell in love with Mexamerican author Harrison Shepherd, to whom Barbara Kingsolver gives some mighty writing chops in this 2009 novel. Frida & Diego, Trotsky, and stenographer Violet Brown have their own lovely orbits around Shepherd. Rich and immersive, effectively interweaving true historical events with these fictional characters, the novel presents real and fabricated newspaper accounts to enhance the central character's many personal journals. (Not entirely unlike what Marisha Pessl did with new media in her latest, the last read I blogged.) I learned more than I remember having previously known about American history, especially the HUAC action of the Cold War era. And as a native Tar Heel, I love that Harrison landed in Asheville when he returned stateside. With its surprises and subtleties, in hindsight I wish I had read this saga straight through rather than putting it down when I reached a section break to take my own break with one or two other novels. I feel disloyal to Harrison and Mrs. Brown! 
 

Superlatives: Character I'd most like to hang with: Arthur Gold. Character I'd most like to hear more from: Violet Brown. Most honest character: Harrison Shepherd. Most caricatured character: Tom Cuddy. Most throwaway character: none. 

From the publisher:

With deeply compelling characters, a vivid sense of place, and a clear grasp of how history and public opinion can shape a life, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist – and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time.

What I (wish I was) Reading Now

I haven’t had much time to read in the past few weeks but I have a stack of new books on my bedside table and in my Kindle that I can’t wait to get to.

It's All Good

It’s All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great *

Okay, don’t hate. I am not a huge Gwynnie fan by any definition. Yes, she is pretentious. But I’m trying to eat mostly whole foods these days and this book has some kick ass recipes. The Salmon with Sriracha Sauce and Lime is a great recipe from the book that you can try for free, but there are many others I want to try.

Superfood Kitchen Superfood SmoothiesIn the same vein, I am pretty excited about these two books, Superfood Kitchen and  Superfood Smoothies. Author Julie Morris’s recipes are packed with nutrient dense “super foods” that are busting with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. You probably don’t have acai berry powder or cacao nibs in your pantry, but all of the super foods are available online, most of them from Amazon.

Extra Virginity

Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

Before we get away from food entirely, Extra Virginity is probably my favorite book I’ve read this year. My friend Suzy Q told me about this book a couple years ago but I have only just started it. I know a non-fiction book about Olive Oil probably doesn’t sound un-put-down-able but this one totally is. It will completely change the way you think about this pantry staple.

Raven Black b Ann Cleeves

Raven Black: Book One of the Shetland Island Quartet (Shetland Island Thrillers)

I haven’t started the Shetland Island Quartet yet but I cannot wait! Mystery! Sheep! Scottish Islands! What’s not to like? Also, there are three more books in the series!

Pilgrim's Wildreness

Okay, this one is a little weird, (and there may be some triggers for some people). I don’t even know how to begin to describe this non-fiction book so I am going to cheat and quote from the Booklist review by Dane Carr:

“This strong work of reportage starts in 2002, when Papa Pilgrim, his wife, and 14 kids buy a 420-acre mining claim embedded in Alaska’s Wrangell–St. Elias National Park. Papa bulldozes a 13-mile road through the park to tiny McCarthy, and land-rights groups stick with the Pilgrims even when it is revealed that Papa is Robert Hale, born and raised in upper-class Fort Worth. Hale was the only witness when his pregnant high-school girlfriend, daughter of future governor John Connally, shot herself in the back of the head with a fingerprint-free shotgun. Hale’s life brimmed with bizarre murkiness—named in an FBI file on JFK; his mother helping Lee Harvey Oswald get work; squatting for 20 years on Jack Nicholson’s New Mexico ranch; and hints of a dinner with Charles Manson. In Alaska, it turns out that for decades Hale has used physical, mental, and sexual abuse to brainwash his whole family. His intriguing past crumbles in comparison to his excruciating cruelty and to the inspiring grace and strength of his children.”

What are you reading now?

*All the links to Amazon on this blog are affiliate links. When you make your purchase via a JMF affiliate link, we earn money which is donated to Heifer International each year in December in the name of our blog readers. So you may think you’re only buying a book, but really, you’re buying a water buffalo or maybe a flock of sheep and a llama.