Wednesday, July 30, 2008

the golden fish summer reading list (pt. 6)

well, as i said at the end of the last summer reading list “, chances are that this list won’t actually get completed - there’ll be other books arriving . . . .” ahhhh i know myself so well! yep, more books have arrived and more are going to be ordered so here’s the latest installment of the golden fish summer reading list.

26. first up is "interworld". this one is hot enough that it gets its own wikipedia entry so rather than being all clever i’ll trust that you’ll use that link and learn more about the book than i can provide you.

27. next in the "in" pile is "the push and pull". i’m thinking that i might start with this book because i have a mega bike trip planned this summer - from peterborough to kingston - and i might feel like it’s more achievable reading this guy’s book. essentially a novel about sex, death and bicycling - three subjects that at the about-to-be-becoming age of fifty one i am intrigued, informed, and influenced by in varying degrees depending on the time of day, the weather and most especially, my mood. the push and pull uses a journey through eastern canada as a metaphor and a means for approaching issues of substance to the author. paramount in his many realizations is the idea that “any desire is a weight”.

28. i'm very, very excited to read this next one simply entitled, "flight". readers with an eye for detail might recall that i mentioned wanting this book when i purchased amulet: book one~the stonekeeper. well here ‘tis. a quick skim through reveals much the same eye-candy as i discovered in the amulet.

29. i came across this title while cruising through the pages of a graphic design company that won an award for the cover of this book. the book is provocatively entitled "worldchanging".
when i read several reviews of this title that referred to it as “the whole earth catalog retooled for the ipod generation” i had to have a look and i liked what i saw. a hefty 593 pages that unpacks the world as it is and in turn posits a better world through a combination of technological advance, socially conscious entrepeneurship, worthy grassroots projects and simple care. authored by a bevy of familar names including cory doctorow, kevin kelly and introduced by bruce sterling, it’s an almost complete compendium of information for how to stop being dragged along by the wave and actually ride it.

30. the last book on this installemnt is a year in provence. i’m probably the last person in the western hemisphere to read this but i saw it lying around here and picked it up and thought i’d give it a go. here’s what the amazon review says of it: "in prose that skips along lightly, mayle records the highlights of each month, from the aberration of snow in february and the algae-filled swimming pool of march through the tourist invasions and unpredictable renovations of the summer months to a quiet christmas alone. throughout the book, he paints colorful portraits of his neighbors, the provençaux grocers and butchers and farmers who amuse, confuse, and befuddle him at every turn.” i’m always intrigued by befuddled brits abroad so i’ll be giving it a chance! actually, i can't tell a lie . . . i couldn't wait to read it before i posted this and it was hilarious, well-written and i want the sequel!!! should you decide to read it then nip out to the shops and line yourself up a loaf of french-bread, some unsalted butter, olives, prosciutto, some chevre, and a nice bottle of bordeaux. a day's reading well-spent.

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