I had a blissful experience in graduate school reading Anna Karenina. So why has it taken me so long to get to Tolstoy’s other big book? A new translation came out last fall, and for last Christmas I received not one but two copies of War and Peace. But I also got a new puppy …
Regardless of whether or not the reader has an interest in birds, The Life of the Skies is a read for all. Part science and part philosophy, this novel is a travelogue and testament to Rosen’s and others’ love for birding. Rosen outlines a history of this activity, musing over our interest in birds and …
I am currently reading a book by historian Gordon Wood titled “Revolutionary Characters”. In it, Wood attempts to uncover what made the Founders great and argues that this “self-consciously self-made” group of men’s greatness lay in their character. This book has, for the most part, been very enjoying to read. Wood has a gifted ability …
As I was born in the middle of the 20th century (!) when gourmet food meant toasted breadcrumbs on top of macaroni and cheese, garlic was completely edgy, and zucchini was an exotic vegetable, I was intrigued by this humorous and fascinating look at the culinary evolution/revolution of the past sixty years. Celebrity chefs, artisanal …
David Anthony tells the story of the origin of Proto-Indo-European language—the “mother tongue” of English, Spanish, Greek, Sanskrit, and Slavic languages spoken by billions of people today. Drawing on his own archaeological field work in the Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan, Anthony argues that horses were domesticated as early as 4800 BC, not for transportation but …
For those who have spent any time in India (or even in Indian restaurants!), the popularity and ubiquity of lushly-illustrated images, especially of gods and goddesses, is impossible to ignore. I picked up Kajri Jain’s Gods in the Bazaar: The Economies of Indian Calendar Art (Duke, 2007), in the hopes of finding a history and …
Gender Trouble, by Judith Butler, seems to be the book that started it all. Since my Freshman year at Bowdoin, the name Judith Butler and the concept of performativity have appeared with a surprising frequency in academic discussions–it seems as if her work can be factored into anything from music theory to communication and media …
In January of 1978, Rob Taylor and his climbing partner, Harley, attempt the unclimbed Icicle Route on Kilimanjaro’s Breach Wall. The Breach Wall has been compared to the North Wall of the Eiger. The story takes you to the mountain, the accident, the rescue, and the healing, which is more then just physical. I really …
Heading for study abroad in Beijing in the fall, I thought it might be wise to read up a little on the culture that I’m about to immerse myself in. The fact that “Waiting” by Ha Jin is one of the most banned books in China made it just that much more intriguing. As I …
I really like this book because I like to take long walks On The Road. In fact, lets go for a walk now. No, wait, lets have a snack, then go for a walk, then chase some squirrels. Then have another snack, and a nap, then go stare out the front window until somebody goes …