Sandy's 2021 Reading Odyssey #1

I finally made it here ~ how are you all? I've missed everyone so very much.
I saw everyone had a lot to say this month!

And calloo-calay, isn't this great?! January 20th, 2021: there were no riots, no one was shot, and diversity down south, in the hallowed halls of the US capital, was wonderful to see.

With 2020 left behind, I plan some very different objectives, because I have resolved not to let this happen, These are my strategies to manage feeling relaxed and happy in this Coronavirus Year #2 ~

❉ I'm going to post book reviews on this thread for the reading about which I want to chatter

❉ I'll lurk on the Talk threads, but I'll be sure to pipe up with questions and admit to the book bullets I collect

❉ I'm not to going to number books-read on Talk. I'll list the titles I've read by the month on my profile

❉ and, especially to stop my head exploding, I am unlikely to reply to every post. I trust that my visitors know you are welcome

I'm making time to play and enjoy the books we have in our house. I want to read more non-fiction and explore some of the vintage fiction on our shelves.

Speaking of playing ~

Isn't this fun? I hope you can read the titles. It won't be large enough on mobile phones, though.
My brother sent the image to me, so I can't credit the original. I'm thinking of imitating the idea however. The concept will spur my efforts to explore my husband's contributions to the family library.

For those inquiring minds who like to know about this thread's owner:
A childhood on Vancouver Island, then lived in many different places in Canada and abroad, now resident in Saskatchewan. Living in the Canadian prairies, our claim to fame is the wild climate:
The temperatures can be minus 40 degrees in the winter and plus 40 in the summer.

Here's the University Bridge over the South Saskatchewan river in January (several years ago),
The "steamy" look is the mist from the river water hitting the -40 air temperatures that afternoon.
(Photographed from the Health Sciences Building on the university campus).

I didn't mention tornadoes, torrential cloudbursts and severe lightning, because 'a picture is worth a thousand words' right?:

Night-time summer storms over the city ~
Th bridge-view, again and

A cyclist's predicament, ~
after an August cloudburst, two years ago.

Hammond Innes ~ Doomed Oasis

What a lark this story turned out to be. I started it a few days or so at the end of December but New Year's came and went... this is what I thought:

Quintessential Hammond Innes:
Adventure in the Bahrain area with forays into the desert and amongst the Bedu. The hero is a staid British lawyer, trying to manage an impossible assignment related to a youth in search of his father, an Englishman gone native.

The Middle Eastern culture was portrayed fairly well with some atmospheric passages of Rub' al Khali (the Empty Quarter, Saudia). The situation around oil explorations of the '60's era set an exciting suspense.
Although this is not a tale of espionage, the older style story will appeal if you like vintage tales by Nevil Shute, Eric Ambler and Desmond Bagley.

Lee Schnebly ~ Out Of Apples
Subtitle: Lighthearted Psychology

This is a slim book, some 100 or so pages and I re-read it every two three years. It is an encouraging book and always leaves me feeling much happier. Certainly a satisfying read when life feels rotten.

Here's my original review ~
Invaluable insights into self-esteem, why you behave the way you do, common errors in managing relationships and ways to correct them to promote healthy, less-anxious interactions. A final chapter: Myths that Complicate our Lives is outstanding for discovering what situations may be beliefs that engender disappointment, anxiety and sadness in your life.

Originally I rated this a five-star book. However, with this year's re-read, I've recently decided to drop a star. My 1984 edition is so reflective of a different world. Yes, there are really worthwhile strategies and insights, and basic principles have firm foundations and good philosophies.

But I've grown away from the culture that Schnebly uses for the situations which illustrate her points. I can see that many younger readers, born in the 1980's and -90's, will have "wtf" moments. I had a few *snort* and ::eyeroll:: moments with her dated references to housework, sewing skills, and flirting with men.

Those difficulties aside, today's life really faces so many of the same old, same old conflicts and difficulties. I recommend the book highly, but do try to find the much newer edition (Out Of Apples?: Understanding Personal Relationships). It will be worthwhile.

Mary Stewart ~ Thornyhold

Indulgent on my part:
A charming and gentle story of a young woman, Gilly, inheriting a property from her mother's cousin. The author devised this story with a delicate balance drawn between the suspicious village people, newcomer Gilly, and some darker machinations which develop later. A touch of mystery and enchantment built suspense for lovely afternoons of reading.

I savoured this book and deliberately spun out the reading. A welcome mode of escapism, if ever I saw! I've had this hardcover for some 30 years, a first edition gift from my dear mother-in-law, an Englishwoman of great gardening skill.

I solved my formatting difficulties. Perhaps I was away too long and forgot all the html coaching from various LT friends!

Do come and visit me. Although I might be off reading and take awhile to be back here...

Happy New Year, Sandy! Nice to see you around these parts. I like the managing strategies you set forth in >1 SandyAMcPherson:. I'm looking forward to following your reading this year.

Happy new thread and USA inauguration day!

Looks like you've taken advantage of some less wired time to read.

Happy new thread, Sandy, nd welcome back.

I am only able to read a couple of the titles in that image

Hey, Sandy, welcome!!

Happy 2021 thread!! And what an auspicious day to start it off. (Inauguration Day in the US -- couldn't come soon enough.) Wishing you no pressure, lots of fun and loads of books. : )

And keep up with my friends here, Sandy. Have a great 2021.

A bit of a sigh of relief there, Sandy. So pleased to see you back.

>3 SandyAMcPherson: "...vintage tales by Nevil Shute, Eric Ambler and Desmond Bagley"

Uh oh.

I got into reading Hammond Innes and Helen MacInnes books when I was posting reviews about my Alistair MacLean reads...

...more author bullets!

Happy new thread! Glad to see you around! I understand the need for efforts to keep one's head from exploding -- hope you are successful in finding a good balance.

Welcome back!

Happy reading in 2021, Sandy!

Happy to see you back, Sandy!

Ah. Here you are.

I'll be over here out of the way...still looking for some more books for the shelf....

I am delighted to see Hammond Innes mentioned at all in this day and time! His adventures were always good for a few hours' escape.

I am so so so glad you are here. Your resolutions are excellent! Never worry about posting on my thread -- only when you really feel that urge to respond.

I have to see if I can find Thornyhold as an E-book. Is it possible there could be a Stewart I have not read??????

Welcome back! Hope you have a great year of reading! I read Thornyhold years and years ago. I had it on a list of books read from sometime when I kept a written log so I entered it as something I didn't own.

Good to see that you made it onto the 2021 threads, Sandy. It was probably the best plan to wait until things settled down a bit to come on board.

Welcome back! May the year be filled with excellent reads.

Thanks for all the visits. I appreciate that you kept my thread "warm" and provided some nice welcomes (not to mention, comfy chairs).

The threads are just rolling out so fast, people into their 3rd and 4th threads! Oh my goodness. So far I have indeed gathered a couple of BBs and enjoyed seeing what the plans are for new books this year.

I have also been reading more than I thought I would. It is perishingly cold ~ duuuh, it IS January (seriously cold, -35 degrees C last night). I *didn't* go for a walk today. I wrote some book reviews, but they are mostly 3- and 3½-stars. With one DNF which I gave a single star as a warning to myself!

I think these books are not worth a Talk post. If you're curious, you can check out, the following:
Adrian McKinty ~ I Hear the Sirens in the Street
Margery Allingham ~ The White Cottage Mystery
David Burns ~ Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
Shaun Harris ~ The Hemingway Thief
Martin Cruz Smith ~ The Siberian Dilemma

These were all e-books →

*true confessions*, I skimmed parts in some of the books. It is so handy, with reading e-books from the library. Checking them out and finding they were not-as-expected, yet not entirely wanting to DNF the book.

I was glad to use the fast-forwarding option in Shaun Harris' book after the first third. I was disappointed that the Hemingway connection was so lame.

Also, David Burns desperately needs an editor! I concentrated on the interesting chapters and fast-paged the first couple chapters and most of the final material. I really didn't want to read about neurotransmitters or his pharmacopoeia. I think if one was looking for an overview of these medications, those sections would be invaluable.

>24 SandyAMcPherson: Mamie is a big fan of McKinty, Sandy and I am persuaded by her to seek him out. You are less enthusiastic?

Hi Sandy! I didn’t realize you had a thread, sorry to be so late in wishing you a Happy New Year and happy new thread.

>1 SandyAMcPherson: We definitely don’t want your head to explode. Good stress-reducing plans.

>2 SandyAMcPherson: Such extreme weather. I love the pics.

>24 SandyAMcPherson: Now that I’ve acquired the Sean Duffy series, I see his name and the books mentioned all over the place. Perhaps the first one’s next up for me after I finish the two fiction books I’m already reading. The second may not be worthy of a review in your opinion, but lots of folks rave so I'll at least try the first one.

>26 karenmarie: The second may not be worthy of a review in your opinion,
I did actually review it, just not on my thread...

I wrote this on Amber's thread:
I found that Adrian McKinty bludgeoned me with descriptions of Belfast in the misery of The Troubles and just-cannot-read-another in the series. I'm thinking that I want story and setting and, yes, evocative atmosphere... but I feel so mentally/emotionally hammered by some of McKinty's passages.

I also mentioned to Paul that the Sean Duffy novels are deserving of a chance. I'm looking forward to your comments!

>24 SandyAMcPherson:, >27 SandyAMcPherson: Have you read Milkman, Sandy? The Troubles writ smaller, more personal, and one of my favorite-ever Booker Prize winners.

*warming-up hugs*

>28 richardderus: Hiya. Nope, I haven't read Milkman. I think I should remedy that omission... *added to the WL*
Thanks! I warmed up making bread this morning. It is on its last proofing step. A great excuse to run the oven. This is when I miss have a wood stove as an adjunct to my electric oven.

>29 SandyAMcPherson: Making bread does warm up the house! Not just running the oven, but the smell of it when cooking, the actions of kneading and shaping... I love making bread. I don't do it often enough.

>9 jessibud2: Shelley, who is likely amongst a few others, couldn't read my post bookshelf "Story Title" meme at #1.

I enlarged the photo and wrote out the book titles from the books on the bookshelf.



While I expect this is readable on tablets and computers, I think the image may not show well on mobile phone screens.
Admittedly it is an obnoxious size to display on an LT Talk thread... I think it such Biblio-Fun, that I'll be forgiven.

Hi Sandy, lovely to find your thread! Oh, Mary Stewart! I have not read Thornyhold but I do enjoy her stories. Just the right amount of suspense.

>31 SandyAMcPherson: Aw I did that last year (evidence)!
It must have taken some heavy duty library look up skill as a number don't even have entries on LT.

>33 quondame: How did I miss that?! I got the photo from my brother recently and he didn't say where he found the image.
I didn't look up the titles, though.

>32 lkernagh: Hi back Lori. I am really slow with getting to all the threads ... part of my philosophy this year, to be as laid-back/chilled out as possible.

Hi Sandy. It's shocking to me that Deliverance, both film and book, are fifty years old this year. My 30th review (!) of the year is a memoir of "Drew" played by Ronny Cox...what a shock that he's still whinnying with us!

Have yourself a merry little Tuesday.

>35 richardderus: Thanks! I never cared to see the film (Deliverance), my-own-self.
I was more a fan of the utterly silly Three men and a Baby.

Hilary McKay ~

McKay is a new author for me. I was so pleased to discover her books reviewed and recommended by the Librarians I follow in the 75-group. This story was a BB from Foggidawn and I sure do agree that the writing is warm, full of quirky family dynamics, some friendship drama, and more than a hint of magical mystery.

In this particular narrative, McKay's writing style was pleasantly reminiscent of Zilpha Keatley Snyder's perspective on writing for the young end of the YA group. The family dynamics shift and change in the blended family as the kids face unexpected situations. Throughout the book, McKay's voice remains authentic in maintaining the realities that children and young teens face.

I'm looking forward to reading McKay's novels about the Casson family, but I have a sense that The Time of Green Magic will remain a favourite. For those who may be curious, I dropped one star because the ending felt a little too skimpy. I don't exactly know why, just that there was some feeling of an adulty 'wrapping up' and trying to tie a bow. But I really liked that Louis received a letter from Granny Grace.

Happy mid week to you!

>37 SandyAMcPherson: Hurray for a 4 star read!

>37 SandyAMcPherson: Glad you liked it! I agree, I got a little teary when Louis got his own letter.

Love the book meme, I hadn't seen it!

So glad to see you here!

>38 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita, it was indeed great to have a 4-star read. This will become "an old favourite".

>39Foggi, it was a heartwarming aspect in the story, wasn't it? I really liked the Louis character. He was a bit like Blair in the Stanley Family series, especially in Book 3, Blair's Nightmare.

>41 sibylline:, Hi Lucy. Thanks for delurking! I'm managing much better (so far) and not feeling stressed about racing around all the threads like the Mad Hatter down the rabbit hole! The BB's seem to catch me anyhow. 😄

Oh, the BB’s are forever! 😃

>37 SandyAMcPherson: Yay for a four-star read that holds zero appeal for me! What a relief. Bless you, Sandy. *smooch*

Hi Sandy!

I've already taken 12 BB wish list hits so far this year. That's separate from the 5 books I've actually bought because someone on LT mentioned them or the author.

>44 richardderus: 😄 😄 😄.... "holds zero appeal for me"
Yeah, I can see that middle-grade reading material is so not your thing. The Time of Green Magic was brain candy for me. Pretty easy escape, which is partly why I read it. But I do like the gentle tone that McKay imparted. I'm always on the lookout for these books now that our extended family is replete with kids in middle-grade school.

>45 karenmarie: My determination this year was to add only the books that I felt really compelled to read, not just a passing fancy or because "Gee this sure is getting a big play on the 75-er group".

>46 SandyAMcPherson: I have stopped actively adding to my LT catalogued wishlist until I get to November and I have to think about our Santa swap thing when I will add one or two. I do make a note of a few of them on a spreadsheet though.

Hi Sandy! Since so many of the group do monthly wrap-ups, I decided to do my own version. Turns out I'm way ahead of where I need to be to make my numerical goals.

HI Sandy, Nice to see you back! Happy reading and good idea to keep that head from exploding!

Hi Sandy. I found you, and will be back often!

>37 SandyAMcPherson: I'll add this one to my TBR pile. I haven't counted, but like you, I've added a lot of book bullets thus far this year.

Ha! I already took the book bullet for The time of green magic on foggi's thread so I'm immune now.

>48 richardderus: I posted on your thread today. Sure fills up fast! (Yours, I mean).

>49 mdoris: good idea to keep that head from exploding! That's for sure. I'm reading very haphazardly so far, not often on LT either or, more honestly, lurking instead of chattering.

>50 Whisper1: Linda, happy to see that you liked TofGM enough to make it a TBR candidate. >51 ronincats: Roni says she's immune. I laughed at that...

Just from past habits and maybe a teeny bit of tidying up mentality ~
Here's what I read in JANUARY, listed by star ratings:
Oddly, the whole gamut of the ratings!


Lee Schnebly ~ Out Of Apples
Mary Stewart ~ Thornyhold
Hilary McKay ~ The Time of Green Magic


Hammond Innes ~ Doomed Oasis
David D. Burns ~ Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
Martin Cruz Smith ~ The Siberian Dilemma
Bessel van der Kolk ~ The Body Keeps the Score
Gail Carriger ~ Etiquette & Espionage


Adrian McKinty ~ I Hear the Sirens in the Street
Margery Allingham ~ The White Cottage Mystery


Colleen Oakley ~ The Invisible Husband of Frick Island


Shaun Harris ~ The Hemingway Thief

I was unhappy with a couple of the books that were probably much better stories had we not been coping with these pandemic worries and trying to live safely. All the books have reviews posted, even the lowly .

Edited to see if I had messed up the touchstones but I guess they're not working right now. Also, I forgot that I had revised the 5-star rating for Lee Schnebly's book to 4*s. My edition is too dated and really, I need to cull this edition.

Has anybody here read Tess of the Road (Rachel Hartman)?
I was given a copy for my birthday awhile ago and have felt a bit intimidated to pick it up.

It's a big, fat, hard-to-read-in bed sucker, too. Also, I've one of those bad vibes I get when a girl is on a life journey to escape abuse at home, IIUC. I didn't want to spoil the story and read reviews... but I did read the dustjacket preview flap.

If someone in the group can suggest a mild insight, I'll know whether to shelve it until the Year(s) of Infection are over. You can tell from my DNFs and poor ratings I'm on a rocky road these days with 'adult' reading.

Hi Sandy!

>45 karenmarie: I keep track of BBs but don’t always buy them. I have 13 books on another LT account for wish list – just started that last December. Tags are the username of the person who I took the BB from and the month I took the BB. Separate from that, I’ve bought 7 books so far this year because of favorable comments here on LT. I may or may not ever buy them. I've abandoned the 300-book spreadsheet wish list that I tried to keep in synch with Bookmooch. I stopped using Bookmooch early in the Pandemic when I didn't go to the post office. Now I'm going to the post office but don't feel like listing books and having to mail them out.

I admire your determination. I just don’t have much, and when money’s not too tight, I tend to splurge. However, I do get quite a few books either free on Kindle or only $.99, and I use my Chase Amazon credit card points on Amazon for free books.

>54 SandyAMcPherson: Excellent reading for January, 12 books. Sorry a couple of them rated so low, though.

>55 SandyAMcPherson: I think your gut is probably right as far as Tess being a book to wait on. I found the first half hard to read even prior to Covid. Also depending on how you feel about series (this is loosely connected, imo, but still), you may want to read Seraphina first.

>56 karenmarie: Oh, if I want to record BB in LT I use the private comments section. I'm sure the public comments would do just as well as the number of LT users who examine that field in anyone else's collection is vanishingly small - at least I've never done. Don't know that I've tried to read someone else's review from their library rather than from the book wiki.

>54 SandyAMcPherson: I like your January recap, Sandy.

>56 karenmarie:, >58 quondame: Like Susan, I use the private comments for BBs, but I don't add a book to LT until I have it in my hands. So I also keep a list on Amazon, for books that I want to read someday. I try to note the LTer who recommended it but don't always remember to do so. More of a human problem than a tech problem.

>58 quondame: I also keep track of who recommended books to me, though I have it in the public comment box.

And I created a category "Recommended to me". I've actually used it while trying to recall a title that someone raved about.

Do you thank the person that recommended the book after you've read it? I try to do that as well.

>54 SandyAMcPherson: I enjoy your January summary!

>60 fuzzi: Rarely, though if my record keeping has been adequate I acknowledge them when I review the book here on LT. Alas, my record keeping sucks.

>54 SandyAMcPherson: Great summary presentation!

Here's to an even-better reading streak in February, minus the deadly dull duds like that Frick Island thing!

Have not read Tess -- doesn't sound like the right thing for the times.

I put things on my WL here and when I remember I credit whoever recommended it . . . so I know who to blame . . . evil grin.

>64 sibylline: Yup, I've reshelved Tess of the Road until I have read Seraphina, as suggested by Mary (bell7). I don't plan to read Seraphina for awhile either.

Someone whose reading preferences coincides very well with mine gave me the book, so I do plan to eventually give Rachel Hartman a try. I'm also a lot better these days at consigning books to my DNF-graveyard when they truly don't suit.

>56 karenmarie: >57 bell7: >58 quondame: >59 lauralkeet: >60 fuzzi: I've experimented with making notes to remember books, where I got the suggestion and when. My personal favourite method, now, is to have a BB-TBR list in 3-month intervals per year, saved in my LT folder on my computer. I use a simple *.txt application.

>61 Whisper1: >63 richardderus: Into the first week of February, and I have had two 5-star reads already! I'll do a round up at the end of the month. Reviews on the book pages though as I finish reading each title.

Good thing I have my TBR shelf all organised, including the virtual e-book TBRs.
Right now the currently reading list includes one historical mystery-adventure, Madam, Will You Talk, my continuing The Anxiety Toolkit perusal and a steampunk adventure, Curtsies & Conspiracies.

It is *definitely* a time to be reading under layers of cosy blankets type in our present weather pattern this week (I hope it is no more than a week).

I could certainly do without this polar vortex however.

Yes, your weather made our news, Sandy, and gave us some perspective as the cold weather sits on us here, too. Balmy, though, by comparison. Hunker down!

>66 SandyAMcPherson: The image of the woman slinging boiling water into the air and having it freeze was impressive. Too darn cold, obviously, but impressive!

>66 SandyAMcPherson: The CPAP makes it possible, if not easy, to read completely under the covers - provided I'm reading on the Kindle!. I do this sometimes when I want to read myself to sleep.

>66 SandyAMcPherson: brr. I've experienced -20F in my life, but not quite as cold as a polar vortex.

Hi Sandy!

Yikes. Those temps are incomprehensible to me. Stay safe.

>67 jessibud2: Hunkered away, indoors with long fleecy underthings. And a Taiga jacket liner as well as all the usual clothing. Wuss that I am, we *do* have good central heating and triple-glazed windows. These have a layer of ice inside at the bottom edge!

>66 SandyAMcPherson: a parlour trick, so I understand. You have to get the water fresh off a boil and fling it. Apparently the steam escaping causes the instant ice crystals. I could never get it to work...

>69 quondame: reading under the covers... takes me back to childhood, with a flashlight. Except my Dad always caught me and confiscated the flashlight AND the book.

>70 fuzzi: >71 karenmarie: After about -20, it all feels "too cold". Although -40 is a whole different realm comparatively.

Thanks for everyone's visits. I feel warm fuzzies from your dropping by to see if I've frozen in place. *smile*

OK - a "Cry for Help" (not temperature-related)

I'm at a loss for a granddaughter's birthday gift and need a kid's librarian advice, or knowledgeable parent of today's middle-graders and their lives. I am far away and out of touch with this "ban on non-essential travel".

I'm looking for an engaging adventure along the lines of Hilary McKay's books. We have The Time of Green Magic set aside at the local McNalley-R bookstore but we want to add another book (and the local shop doesn't have any other of McKay's novels available).

I don't know what to look for at all. The G-daughter will be 10 but she's reading at about a Grade 6 to 8 level.

Awhile ago, I received Me and Banksy. It was a great story (but maybe not suitable for a 10-yo who doesn't "seem" like she's interested in boys yet. However, I could be totally out to lunch on that aspect (but Grade 4!). If you know Kyi's work, what's the take on that book?

The G-daughter isn't drawn to graphic novels (so that let's out some ideas I had, according to her mother).
Her recent favourites were a series of Bobbsey Twins which we sent last summer, and she's read quite few of the Erin Hunter Warrior cat clan novels. I have no idea what age group those "Warrior" books aim for.

I am also open to any and everybody's opinions here... lots of LT members have keen readers amongst their family, so what is well-written, enduring and engaging?

>73 SandyAMcPherson: if she liked the Warrior books, why not Tailchaser's Song? Or Redwall?

>73 SandyAMcPherson: Books are great, but recalling myself, only if there are other gifts. It's a bit heretical here, but I was left unhappy when I only got books from someone. But then I was a miserable little brat anyway.

>74 fuzzi: Tad Williams' books are republished too. Great idea. Thanks.
>75 quondame: I get that ~ only books, if no toys (or if older, clothes), the birthday was a disappointment, right? I think I loved books as part of the swag, though.

The g-Daughter will have other things from family, so we're the bookish grandparents...
it's a great assignment of categories that suits us well.

Fo years when I was in the middle grades, I had an aunt and uncle who always gave me a book from whatever series I was heavily into. I loved that, so probably my parents had that as a fall back for them. And the telling thing was that I remember the book gifts but have a blank when it comes to other birthday gift items!

>76 SandyAMcPherson: Yes, even though the toys were mostly what mattered the books were more memorable. I went straight from toys to jewelry, no stopping at clothes nope! Well except for the full length duster that died getting caught in a bicycle chain.

>77 quondame: Ha! "from crayons to perfume" as they say... (to quote an old song from To Sir, with Love)

>76 SandyAMcPherson: some of my fondest memories were of receiving books from family and friends of the family. My mother's childhood friend remained close to her their entire lives. One year, I think I was 10, she sent me a book Christmas Horse by Glenn Balch. I'd never heard of him before, but loved it, and sought out his other works. I don't still have the original book I received, but I have collected the entire series and reread it upon occasion.

>79 fuzzi: What a nice story, fuzzi. I liked the part about your mother having a life-long friend like that, too.

I looked for Christmas Horse last year when you and I had overlapped reading some vintage children's books. Our local (secondhand) bookseller has a number of books stowed away of that era, but not that title.

>80 SandyAMcPherson: I have had a difficult time finding books by Glenn Balch locally, and have had to use internet sources to collect them. Right now both ebay and bookfinder.com have several copies of Christmas Horse available, good condition, for about $6.

I highly recommend Greenglass House for your granddaughter. Charlie *loved* it when we read it a few years ago, and so did I. And there are sequels that are just as good.

>82 scaifea: I love the sound of this one, Amber. Thanks so much!

>82 scaifea: Ooh, yes to Greenglass House!

I posted over on Micky's thread where you had asked the same question. I also just thought of Anne Ursu's books, particularly Breadcrumbs.

Today was a LibraryThing review catch up. I added to my list of books read (on my profile) and decided which of the books I've reviewed so far in February, this one is worthy of posting on 'Talk'. I hope you enjoy the choice (although I know it isn't a topic that tickles everyone)...

Paige Rien ~ ~

Love the House You're In: 40 Ways to Improve Your Home and Change Your Life

This was a somewhat tedious book to work through in its entirety, which is reflected in my rather harsh 3½-star rating. The tedious aspect very likely relates to this being a library book and I have such a limited time to devote to the mental aspects that one should finish before moving onto the meat of Rien's advice. In many regards, parts of the book are 5-star passages.

One of its biggest flaws was the font: fine typography and turquoise headings, were not easy to read, especially since some of the pages had squared backgrounds or the material on the following page shadowed the text via a thin paper. Even in the best of light, I had trouble easily reading the text. So font is a #fail.

Otherwise, depending on what you want to find out, there is wisdom and amusement within many sections. A laugh-out-loud bent attempted to lighten the psychological 'work': the author emphasizes readers must come to know themselves and what will make the house their true home. These sections were a bit boring and didn't elicit clarity in the way of other books. I found that Let It Go: by Peter Walsh and Andrew Mellen's Unstuff Your Life! resonated much more clearly in that regard.

Nevertheless in deciding what you don't love in the house needs the commonsense attitude that Rien suggests ~ "a lot of times we keep things because someone else picked it out or gave it to you or you've inherited pieces of furniture". She writes that people hold onto things because (i) your grown child will need it when s/he gets their own apartment, (ii) you'd never find another one, or, (iii) your grandmother comes back from the dead and asks what you did with her sewing table. (p. 71).

I loved the three categories the author uses with no nuances, no pressure to discard, no "I can't get rid of this because XX gave it to me and they'll be upset to see I don't have it anymore" (that would be category C) ~ just make a list: A. I love it. B. Placeholder. C. Pass It On.

The placeholder really fit my aesthetic because it is where you list what you don't love, but cannot at this time afford or decide what a suitable replacement is for the item. The list is a clarifying exercise and for me, made it obvious what I was so done with (but unacknowledged), was a bad choice, or is wrecked beyond repair.

The other outstanding advice is in Chapter 15. I've read many worthy books in the redesign, renovate, declutter genre. I've yet to encounter such a clear-headed, in-your-face and get-over-it section on creatively venting about what you hate about your home and how to prioritize what to fix. The Hate List is a useful talking point between household members and can reveal really different points of view. The author provides a very eloquent quiz at the end to score the problem you want to fix. (p. 86). The balance of the book was a skim for me, a look at the details of what you want to change. My greatest gains were finding the exact section which addressed current niggles about our house. Paige Rien's layout made it easy to focus on what was relevant.

>85 SandyAMcPherson: It does sound like a really helpful book. Too bad about the poor design choices (font, paper thickness, etc.).

Another really cold overnight (-37 oC), which is about -35 F, in case folks want to be shocked. I'm planning on tucking up on the sofa most of today, with a pile of throw blankets and my currently-reading books, a Ben Macintyre and maybe dip into Baroness Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel.

I visited our local secondhand bookshop yesterday and chanced across a very fine, 1969 copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I read it so long ago, I only recall that I enjoyed the adventure.

The visit to the bookshop was to look for Persuasion in good condition, to add to my TBR stack. I picked up the suggestion from Laura's thread. Having confessed that I'd never finished an Austen novel, Laura suggested this title, one of Austen's last, IIRC.

I pawed through the children's picture books, too. I'm keeping an eye out for Uri Shulevitz. I find his imaginative artwork so inspired.

>87 SandyAMcPherson: Well that's nice. I'm delighted to have inspired a bookshop visit! Your memory is correct. Persuasion was Austen's last completed work and published posthumously; the title was supplied by her brother Henry as there was no documentation of Jane's intended title. Were you successful in locating a copy?

>88 lauralkeet: There were 3 copies in thin paperbacks with quite browned paper on the "Austen-shelf". Since I'm likely to keep the book after reading it, I put in a request for a "fine" condition book. That would be nice, since the fragile paper will only continue to deteriorate.

If one doesn't turn up by the time I'm through my current library cascade, I'll borrow a copy. I like buying from this shop because I have trade-credit. And one can find a lot of the out-of-print, not in the library anymore titles.

Sounds like a marvelous bookshop, Sandy, and I agree it’s worth waiting for a nicer copy of the book.

>87 SandyAMcPherson: BRRRR. It never gets that cold here in NC. We've dodged a bullet, as the expression goes...it's barely above freezing (35F) and raining right now. A few miles north of us they're having an ice storm, where it is just 3-4 degrees colder.

>88 lauralkeet: I didn't know that fact about Persuasion, Laura.

Enjoy the Pimp, Sandy!

>92 PaulCranswick: Full disclosure: I didn't either, Paul -- I mean, the part about choosing the title. I went to Wikipedia to check my facts about posthumous publishing, and found that little tidbit.

>93 lauralkeet: Hahah but you did share the fact and that counts some too! xx

On our (balmy - 30F) degree walk today we were talking about how we used to have at least ONE spell of super cold here. -20 to -35 (and once or twice a bit colder). When you go outside you hear the trees cracking apart, painful. Here the worst this year has been about -8F, plenty cold. We've burned more wood than last year I think -- although that may be because the spousal unit has organized it differently. He loves his wood stacks. We're awaiting 10 inches of snow to pile on our 20.

Enjoy Persuasion. I love Jane Austen -- so so observant.

>95 sibylline: I have read about trees "exploding" due to extreme cold in books about the Yukon. Whew.

>85 SandyAMcPherson: Oh it's funny that you mention the place where she had you mark things Keep, Placeholder and Pass It On. That's about where I got to the point of knowing I needed to read faster and started skipping the "homework" - and then right about when she had you draw a layout of your house is when I stopped reading. As we talked about on my thread, I found it useful if only that it gave me the emotional boost that what I wanted to do in my house *is* the right way to decorate instead of wondering if I needed to make something appealing for the real estate market.

Hope you're enjoying The Scarlet Pimpernel. It's been awhile since I read it but I remember liking it. I think I read the sequel, but never got any further into the series.

>95 sibylline: Hi Lucy, I know Vermont is pretty close to the same as us for winters, except I believe you have a "real" spring. And autumn is gorgeous with all those areas with deciduous forests. Prairie climate is pretty challenging if a person grew up in balmy Victoria. Although they're under an Arctic outflow and have high winds this weekend.

OK. Nuff with the weather report. I'm rollicking along with the Baroness at the moment (The Scarlet Pimpernel). I had a really delicious read this afternoon under blankets on the sofa.

I've not been all that slothful, though. I went for a 30-minute walk in the most brilliant sunshine and 'diamonds' after lunch. It was very still (as you probably know is normal in the -30's). The air was full of diamond-brilliance from the airborne (floating on thermals?) ice crystals. And the fallen snow was really glistening. I have never successfully photographed this phenomenon and now I don't try. The temps are rather hard on the phone, and I wrecked a digital camera one year taking it out in the extreme cold.

Persuasion will be awhile coming to the top of my reading stack, once I get a copy. I'm in the middle of a library cascade.

>95 sibylline:, >96 fuzzi: I've heard trees snapping and popping. Apparently if we get a warmer, wet fall, the trees don't develop their thickened sap (I guess it's their form of antifreeze). So the ice crystals form in the trees sappy trunks and then create pressure. At least I think that's te reason. I admit I didn't look it up!

We've been waking up to the booming in the house as the rafters in the unheated roof area contract with the cold. When I first lived here, I was startled right out of a sound sleep. It sounded like a shotgun blast!

>97 bell7: Hi Mary. I also skipped about from chapter to chapter in reading Love the House You're In. It was kind of a shame because I may have lost Paige Rien's train of thought by ignoring swaths of the book.

I didn't feel inclined to do the exercises, much as she was suggesting these would help clarify 'who you are' and 'what matters'. But there were a number of very effective pieces of wisdom, here's one of my favourites:



The story of course is your life's experience and what that history brings to the possessions on display in your house.
I especially liked her comments about being aware of the differences in agenda: yours and all those sales/marketing influences.

>99 SandyAMcPherson: no cold related noises here, but we have a south-facing door that is painted black. On summer days there's often a sound like someone is tapping on the door, but it's just the metal expanding.

Happy Sunday night Sandy. I highly recommend Snow by Uri Shulevitz

>92 PaulCranswick: I expanded a bit more about The Scarlet Pimpernel on Richard's thread if you want to take a look...
I rarely say much about other author's books when I write for the book's review page. So this is a more candid commentary.

>14 fuzzi: Fuzzi, this going aways back in the thread, but which of the Eric Ambler and Helen MacInnes books are your favourites?
I'm feeling like finding some more vintage titles on my nighttime tucked-into-bed-reading. I need some amusing 'olden' narratives that are written creatively without being chillingly graphic. I like these authors for the adventure they always plot so well.

>102 Whisper1: I saw the book on your thread and feel in love with the charming illustrations. A peek online only gave me a glimpse of the story.

I hope this is not "Coals to Newcastle" ~ I thought I would post a review of my most recently finished book, even though I wrote a commentary elsewhere:

The Scarlet Pimpernel ~ ~ by the Baroness Orczy ~
The cover is not an especially informative design, so I added a spine image beside the front. This is a 1969 reprint by Heron Books, in an arrangement with Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., because apparently there was a copyright still governing the publication. Or so my extremely knowledgeable seller (of second books) informed me. Orczy published the novel in 1905, so that arcane information surprised me.

He also said the leatherette cover with gold tooling was likely made for the 'show off' trade. Huh??
The fascinating things I learn in this bookstore! The book trade caters to buyers who want to have bookshelves filled with fancy bindings, "to show off" beautiful tomes. Evidently the copy I bought had never even been opened ~ that special feel to the way the binding is so tight, you can't read the signature-edge without being carefully deliberate in opening the covers ~ utterly pristine.

Oh yes ~ a review ~
I continue to like this story, having read it some time back in the 1970's. Happily, this story is interesting and nothing as tedious as the Baroness' Tea House Detective novels (I only finished one in that series, Unravelled Knots). The Pimpernel character is well-drawn, with a character who provides many amusing stratagems and affectations to prevent discovery.

I reduced my original enthusiasm for the story as a whole (i.e. down from 4*'s) because the dialogue is too often ponderous, coming across rather awkwardly in many of the scenes. Even allowing for the conventions of conversation amongst the upper classes of the late 1700's, some gentling of the flowery periods and mendacious speech would not have ruined the historical setting.

As well, narratives need a variation in the pace of the action, angst and stress. The mood of an unremitting hell-bent-for-leather action and anguish is hard to sustain for long if it's to be an enjoyable read. Despite that caveat, Baroness Orczy's novel is a fine example of the early 1900's adventure format and recommended for those who love reading the romantic period of novels (meaning 'romantic' as in an emphasis on the imagination and emotions, such as arose in the 18th century).

An intriguing aspect about the setting for the Pimpernel ~ British aristos in Paris, French emigrés, swashbuckling heroes ~ the story theme resonates strongly in other writings by the authors of the day (such as Georgette Heyer). Comparatively, The Scarlet Pimpernel is written in a style that is a little too dated, although written not that much earlier than These Old Shades, one of Heyer's earliest Georgian/Regency novels, set close to a similar time period. So ~ in my mind, the execution compares poorly with Heyer's books. Nevertheless, Orczy's premise of a daring hero who cultivates a a meek, dandified manner to disguise his dangerous escapades has proved an enduring trope.

>104 SandyAMcPherson: I've not yet read anything by Eric Ambler, and have only read one Helen MacInnes, which I would recommend: The Snare of the Hunter.

I have read three Hammond Innes which I liked, a lot, especially Atlantic Fury, and I've read a slew of Alistair MacLean, which I also highly recommend.

>107 fuzzi: Oooh ~ Thanks fuzzi.
The Snare of the Hunter sounds especially good.

>108 SandyAMcPherson: and just in time for March's GenreCAT "Action and Adventure" challenge!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/329889#n7428184

>109 fuzzi: Thanks for the url. I may not do that challenge ~ for reasons I will outline below. But thank you for alerting me to the idea.

I returned 2 e-books today. It was pitiful because I'm sure they're enjoyable but I simply did not feel drawn into the stories at all.

The Assassin's Apprentice will stay on my BB list so that I can return to the *idea* of reading this adventure; it just doesn't suit me at this time, a fellow-feeling with Fuzzi (as she said, and so do I, "I have reluctantly set aside Royal Assassin, for the duration, or at least until I think I can handle it better").

I read further into Fangirl and I think I will avoid the book. While I enjoyed the geeky fun of Attachments, FG didn't engage me at all.

Hi Sandy!

Brrr. -35F. -37C.

>98 SandyAMcPherson: I went for a 30-minute walk in the most brilliant sunshine and 'diamonds' after lunch. It was very still (as you probably know is normal in the -30's). The air was full of diamond-brilliance from the airborne (floating on thermals?) ice crystals. And the fallen snow was really glistening. Beautiful description.

>99 SandyAMcPherson: I have never experienced exploding trees from the cold, but I have experienced trees exploding from lightning.

>106 SandyAMcPherson: I rated The Scarlet Pimpernel 3.0 when I read it in December of 2008. I remember not liking it very much at all, and your comparison with Heyer is a good one.

Back in 2019 (which feels like about a decade ago...), I posted some vintage book covers on my 75-Talk thread.
Yesterday's shelf-dusting chores revealed a weird and rather strange publication of a medical journal and African travel odyssey.

The only interesting aspect was the cover (imho, since the text was a somewhat egotistical rendering of a white man's life in South Africa):

Incwadi Yami (a dialect of Zulu meaning My Book) by J. W. Matthews, MD.

~ ~ figure detail ~ a beautiful embossed cover

Paging through the book in a dip and read manner, I was wondering why a copy of this book is in the Smithsonian, since the story is not especially insightful from a traveller's point of view. Perhaps the medical commentary is historically interesting. The Internet Archive of Books subtitles Matthews' book as Twenty years' personal experience in South Africa.

Title page, with date published, 1887 ~

This frontspiece may be of interest, having vignettes of the personages of the day mentioned.

I remember buying this book: in Louisville, KY (USA). I was at a conference in 1993 (or so) and we had a free afternoon, so I hopped on a city bus to the secondhand bookshops. I had trouble finding anything on the subject of African travel/exploration, so rather unwittingly succumbed to this volume. The best part was finding an excellent South East Asian restaurant. A group of us returned for dinner the next evening. Do I remember the part of town I was in? Not a chance!

>111 karenmarie: Hi Karen
It was great to see you visited. I was taking forever trying to format the vintage book glamour for the afficianadoes (who enjoy the old covers) and didn't see your post until I had refreshed the browser.

I have a nostalgic component in my The Scarlet Pimpernel rating: it marked the beginning of my foray into Dumas and his swashbuckling stories like The Three Musketeers. That was also the time I began the Georgian era novels which Heyer wrote. Unlike many Heyer fans, I started from the pre-Regency books because that was what I found on the family bookshelves: Simon the Coldheart, Beauvallet and The Spanish Bride.

Re lightning and trees, I hope you were far enough away when the lightning hit!
My mother was in the way of a lightning 'bounce' when she was a teenager: she went outside in a severe prairie thunderstorm to turn off the rain cistern spigot.

The trees on a nearby hilltop were hit by lightning and bounced around, one discharge actually connecting with the metal cistern when she there. Yikes! But lucky, not burnt, although apparently dazed and fell to the ground. Not until I moved to the prairies did I understand how severe lightning could be.

Well, not a bookish story but a piece of family lore...

>113 SandyAMcPherson: I first got into Dumas after seeing The Three Musketeers movie, released about 1974. Then there was a television movie for The Count of Monte Cristo, also starring Richard Chamberlain, so after watching it I read that book.

I saw the movie version of The Scarlet Pimpernel several times before I picked up the original book a few years ago...LOVED IT. I also appreciated the book Captain Blood, which is much more interesting than the fun Errol Fynn movie.

>114 fuzzi: and I remember watching a movie about The Scarlet Pimpernel -- the old one with Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon -- Howard leaping around in tights and curly hair and that stagey way they all talked! I loved seeing the old movies on Saturday afternoons. I see there was a newer one made in the 80's, never saw that, and never read the book either.

>115 sibylline: that's it, the Leslie Howard one. The book is better, but the movie is still fun.

>114 fuzzi: Hi fuzzi. Thanks for visiting. *grin*
I have never seen any of the swashbuckling-Dumas movies. Until it was mentioned on LT, I forgot there was even a Scarlet Pimpernel movie.

>115 sibylline: Hi Lucy. Nice to see you here. I confess I've lurked on your thread but haven't had anything thoughtful to be making remarks.

I am having a vague recollection of seeing an old Scarlet Pimpernel movie when I was quite young, because my mother was a great fan of the novel and took me to see the movies when she wanted to go (my father disliked most of her choices). We had a quaint old theatre that showed movies from the 1930's to the early 50's as matinees and the 'early' show in the evenings.

>117 SandyAMcPherson: was this the one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD0cE8B5Dj0

Loved Leslie Howard!

>118 fuzzi: Memory playing me tricks, because I'm fairly sure it was a newer Scarlet P movie I saw, not the Leslie Howard one. And possibly, on a televised version rather than at the theatre.

And now begs the rhetorical question, what was I watching with my Mom? I had a conversation with family (via FaceTime) and we reminisced about those days. My brother reminded me that what Mother loved to take us to see was Danny Kaye. We especially laughed over his antics in The Court Jester.

In other non-bookish commentary:
I mentioned on a couple threads that Canada was mishandling the vaccine rollout. The USA has administered at least 1 dose to 12% of population; Canada just 2.65% ~ lame!!!). This achievement reflects the efficacy at the state level, so some regions are better than others in terms of handling the vaccine distribution. Well, done you!

I love the Frank Wildhorn Broadway musical of The Scarlet Pimpernel, though I don't think it was a big theatrical success. It does *ahem* take some liberties with the original text. But the music is gorgeous!

>120 foggidawn: Hi Foggi. Did you see this on *actual* New York Broadway?
That in itself would be really exciting!

>121 SandyAMcPherson: I saw the Broadway tour when it went through Louisville. I've only ever seen two shows actually on Broadway: Cats in 1998, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2019. It is a cool experience, and I like visiting NYC occasionally, but I wouldn't want to live there!

>122 foggidawn: I was lucky to have reason to visit Manhattan in 2009. I adored the city (even though so many bookshops had closed the storefront and "moved to Jersey" as I was told). But also, I was glad I didn't live in the area. The Chelsea- and Soho-district restaurants were wonderful (and the museums, of course).

>121 SandyAMcPherson: The soundtrack in question should tell you why >120 foggidawn: remembers it so clearly.

Happy new week's reads, Sandy.

I've had a few adventures in Manhatten - my older brother lived there for a while (in T. Tower for a bit) and married there. I'd visited when my sister was at Albert Einstein medical school and ruined a lovely pair of Cole boots. I went with a group of friends specifically to see Broadway productions - all I remember was Cats and that the theaters were so very small. Los Angeles goes in for big theaters or less than 100. Later I went with a friend and probably saw The Fantastics then.
My sister dragged me about 3 miles on foot when we mistakenly let a taxi go too soon and I blame my plantar fasciitis woes on that trek - though it was great that she had a friend who let her and her family stay in the apartment that was hardly ever occupied. I do wish I could remember more of the plays I saw in NYC, but I think the city itself was such a good show that the theater couldn't compete.

Hi Sandy!

>113 SandyAMcPherson: Heyer’s pre-Regency books are excellent, too. I didn’t read them in any order, but I’ve read all of her ‘romances’, some of them multiple times.

Wow, your mother was lucky. I like the distant flashes and rolling thunder, not the blinding flash and crash of up-close thunder.

>125 quondame: That was a nifty memory. Bummer about the boots and plantar fascitis woes.
I really enjoyed wandering around the part of the city where we stayed.

It was very friendly and I was surprised at how uncrowded the streets were (at least where we walked around) ~ maybe because it was November. We went to the Cloisters, too. And the West African Market out in Haarlem. It was all so amazingly fun.

>126 karenmarie: Hi Karen.
Yup, Mom was lucky that she wasn't badly hurt, let alone killed by the Jolt.

We cross posted this morning! I've been visiting threads a little more often, instead of once a week. Not that the hectic pace has slowed in this group. So many times I just skim to feel in touch but haven't anything to post. My reading is non-existent or very slow these days. I will have to post about my latest addition to the catalogue, though. I think there's some interest in Gary Nabhan's book (I rambled on about it, on drneutron's thread).

Have to brew more coffee first... it's our 10 am espresso-slot!

>128 SandyAMcPherson: coffee!!!

I understand about the hectic pace of January that slooooooows down by mid February.

>127 SandyAMcPherson: On the play trip with friends we went to The Cloisters. That is some place.
On the trip with my husband for my older brother's 2nd wedding I picked out a cropped Levi jacket in Times Square that I was informed was too small for me - but really, it was just what I was looking for to complete an idea for a spoof Regency - I cropped it even shorter and it became a Spencer over a red calico dress as a Western/Regency hybrid. I'd found denim look silk twill and red silk calico which gave me the idea, but wasn't about to go that spendy on a joke costume - the $15 jacket and 3 yards of cotton calico was much more the thing.
On that trip, prepared for the after wedding breakfast at the Plaza Hotel (Eloise!) I'd brought the teal suede boots that matched my spiffy teal silk pants suit. The new bride insisted in a walk in Central Park and so a second pair of favorite boots died in NYC salted snow. She dumped my brother for her doctor, but it took about a decade.

>130 quondame: OMG, teal suede boots! Adore. Adore.
I would have had a hissy fit if someone expected me to walk in snow with those boots.

The comment "Plaza Hotel (Eloise!)" went over my head. I guess the Plaza is some ritzy place not suited to my wallet, so I hadn't known of it. I see it is managed by the Fairmont and Eloise is a famous 50's person who lived in the hotel.

We have Fairmonts in Canada that are my choice when I can snag a deal, but NYC prices are so huge. I do know one might get a deal through the priceline sort of bidding but I've never done that. It would be a remarkable lifetime experience to stay in one of NYC premier hotels though.

Your costume description sounds awesome, btw. One thing I did in my 2009 visit was explore the fashion-garment district. The most exquisite notions and trims were on show. I mostly looked, not having much idea what I might use these for.

>131 SandyAMcPherson: The Plaza is way beyond my budget, but not my brother's. The bride was Gale Hayman, beautiful, but not a good addition to our family.
Eloise was my heroine growing up, much to the distress of my parents when I had not relinquished her years after I was 6 - her age and mine when the book came out. She's still 6, and I'm getting there.
Part of the trek on the visit with my sister - she was getting an award from the group she had formed to get women included in medical studies and study gender variations in medicine - was to see the garment/fabric district. LA has/had a better one - or at least it's much more accessible, spilling onto the sidewalks year round and mostly at ground level with clear views into the shops. Who knows if much of it will survive Covid.

As a prelude to posting a recipe (I chattered back on drneutron's thread about the globalization of culinary recipes), I wanted to summarise a book I read in the days when all I did on LT was catalogue the books I actually owned.


Cumin, Camels, and Caravans: A Spice Odyssey
Gary Nabhan (2014)

I'm focussing on the dissemination of ethnic food recipes in this comment, as that was one of the main objectives of my reading this book. There were interesting nuggets here, especially reading of the relationship between the spice trade and culinary imperialism. The author's family lineage dates back to the time they were spice traders in the Arabian peninsula.

In the introduction, the author discusses how a colleague (Eugene Anderson, an ethnobotanist) was writing about the Yin-shan cheng-yao, compiled by Hu Szu-hui, a Chinese doctor, creating a recipe manual for treating the Imperial Emperor Tutemur's chronic ill health (a descendent of the famed Kublai Khan, he ruled 1328 - 1332 CE).

This imperial physician lived on and his legacy of a dietary manual contained precise recipes that turned up in a 1939 handwritten recipe book of Spanish-origin families living in the southwest of the USA: some halfway around the world from where Hui and the Mongolians had traded for the spices needed in these recipes.
The recipe that sparked Anderson's interest was for a lamb-garbanzo bean stew which was nearly identical to Hui's recipe from 7 centuries ago.

Nabhan's book often wanders from point to point and back again, occasionally devolving into arcane aspects of history that may not interest the casual reader. However, there was much to gain from reading the book and certainly new insights about how Asian and North American centres of origin for specific crops came to be so widely dispersed.

In the following post, I given you Nabhan's transcribed recipe with precise measures for the lamb-garbanzo bean stew that transcends the ages and travelled the globe.

Lamb-Garbanzo Bean Stew ~ a recipe from 7 centuries ago
(transcribed from Cumin, Camels and Caravans, by Gary Nabhan, pp.7-8).

INGREDIENTS
⅓ c dried garbanzos
1½ c water
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ c smen* (Moroccan fermented salted butter)
(Or substitute ¼ c olive oil. Smen is perhaps an acquired taste)
_______________________
1-pound boneless lamb from the shoulder (cut into 1-inch cubes)
1 large white onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp finely crushed mastic*
Salt and pepper
_______________________
½ c fresh cilantro leaves, snipped and de-stemmed
1 tsp ground cassia cinnamon (also known as ‘Saigon cinnamon’)
½ tsp peeled minced fresh ginger root
½ tsp peeled and minced fresh turmeric root*
½ tsp freshly ground cumin seeds
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of saffron threads*
_______________________
2 lemons cut in wedges
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COOKING DIRECTIONS
1. Soak garbanzos in the water and lemon juice for 24 hours, room temperature.
2. Drain, rinse and rub the beans to release the skins (the seed coats). Set the beans aside and discard the skins.
3. Brown the meat on all sides in a heavy pot with heated olive oil. Use a slotted spoon to drain the cubes and remove to a plate. Next add the onions and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook a couple minutes with occasional stirring to release the their juices.

4. Return lamb to the pot and add the garbanzo beans and mastic, season with salt and pepper, stir well. Add water to 2 to 3 inches deep, raise the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are nearly tender, about 45 minutes. Add water as needed to cook the beans properly and to maintain a good stew consistency.

5. Add the cilantro, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, and saffron, stir well and simmer until the beans are tender, about 20 minutes longer.

6. Ladle stew into deep bowls (not rim soup style) and pass lemon wedges for guests to squeeze into their stew as desired (serves 4).

7. Serve with Lebanese flat bread or Jordanian za'atar bread, and a small salad of romaine hearts lettuce tossed with dried mint, lemon juice and olive oil. (Watercress and purslane leaves are the traditional salad leaves, but rather bitter to unaccustomed palates).

*Tips:
Look in shops specialising in Greek, Turkish or Middle Eastern ingredients for:
smen (if wanted)
saffron threads
fresh turmeric
mastic (sometimes labelled gum mastic)

Saigon (cassia) cinnamon is common in Chinese grocery shops.

Halal butchers and Irani shops may also carry required ingredients.

Lamb in the Middle East is often older and has a ‘mutton’ flavour. Decide what suits your taste and how authentic you want the cuisine. Mutton is an acquired taste for most North American palates.

Apologies to those who dislike foodism posts instead of book discussion, but the conversation about the globalization of food and related trade items is so interesting.

From what I've read in Nabhan's book, as well as the classes I took in Agriculture during Grad-school, centres of origin for crops, even in the pre-Christian era were becoming blurred. The somewhat more recent (in historical terms) arrival of the potato in Asia changed recipes from India, through Laos and Malaysia because it was so suitable for those ethnic dishes.

As my profs said, just as language evolves and is not constant, so does food and trade in plant products change historical nutrition and customs. Sadly, in the last few hundred years, we have lost our dietary plant diversity and this has curtailed the prevalence of a balanced intake: the reliance on grains (wheat, maize, rice and barley) rather than a wider use of the more complex edible pulses (and wild-type plants with large, nut-like seeds) has resulted in diets often too rich in simple sugars. This development has affected the diversity of native plant communities across the world.

(PS. edited below at #141, to clarify the sugars comment here)

>133 SandyAMcPherson: I gave that book to my YGC and knew it was a success because he curled up next to me and ignored me completely for hours. I love when that happens!

>134 SandyAMcPherson: In the US, the only cinnamon available for sale is cassia bark. Real cinnamon was made illegal early in the food industry's rise to dominance over our tables.

>135 SandyAMcPherson: Industrial agriculture's day is drawing to a close. AI and ever-more-flexible robotics are its doom. Yay, I suppose...though I'm very suspicious of the fungibility of AI's "conscience."

Interesting stuff, Sandy. I enjoyed those food-ish posts.

>136 richardderus: Re the True cinnamon (not Cassia), you can indeed buy the real cinnamon, should you wish ~ but the Cassia type was specified in the recipe, since it is more pungent.

I was happy for you that the book was well-received by your YGC.

>137 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. I had the impression a few people were interested in ethnic recipes and thought I'd adopt fuzzi's philosophy of posting whatever is of interest at the time.

I'm dithering over my next book review post, but I'll wait for the end of the month 'roundup'! Thanks for dropping by 😊

>133 SandyAMcPherson: That just came up on my holds list, so it's now on my Kindle. So are about 20 other books, so we'll see if I get to it.

>135 SandyAMcPherson: I think that civilization being mainly grain based was an even bigger shift in diet than our current sugar based diet. From bones, the people before civilization had a better richer diet, but there were fewer of them and they couldn't get drunk as often. Men will give up practically anything for beer.

>141 quondame: Laughing my head off (Men will give up practically anything for beer.).

Also, to be clear, when I wrote (at #135) that dietary switch to grains (cereals) changed people's eating habits to an excessive simple sugar intake, I was speaking biochemically: the cereal crops are rich in simple sugars, rather than the complex sugars (polysaccharides) which are digested much more slowly.

In case the above is still unclear ~
Based on the food science and nutritional research of the past 30 years or more, much of the Western World's obesity (and diabetes) problem can be laid at the altar of over-eating "sugar-rich diets" as blamed on the fats (lipids).

I oversimplified here and will now take off my food chemistry hat.

>142 SandyAMcPherson: Nope I think I missed the scale on your original post - though I thought the big change for farm and city people as opposed to hunter gatherers was 4000+ years ago rather than a few hundred. And in the last 50-60 it's been sugar and corn syrup that, yes, are a health disaster.

Chiming in to say that I'm enjoying your food posts, too, but also that I'm a firm believer in Your Thread Your Rules - post what you want to post!

Hi Sandy!

>133 SandyAMcPherson: A BB! Just ordered it. I didn’t realize this author was so prolific. All of his books sound fascinating.

>134 SandyAMcPherson: Unfortunately, my husband can’t take too much spice in his food, but this sounds absolutely delicious to me.

>142 SandyAMcPherson: You can leave your food chemistry hat on as long as you like.

>144 scaifea: I agree with this 100% - Your Thread Your Rules.

Recipe promptly stolen, book promptly wish listed... 😀

>134 SandyAMcPherson: Great recipe! I can't wait to try it. I always enjoy seeing foodie posts here :)

Have a great weekend.

That recipe does sound wonderful (don't mind recipes, me, just pix of food!). Think of the convoluted journey that brought those recipes to the Southwest US!

My best theater story is that my father took me to Broadway to see Camelot when the big shots were all still in it, 1964: Roles and original cast:

King Arthur — Richard Burton.
Queen Guenevere — Julie Andrews.
Sir Lancelot — Robert Goulet.
Merlin — David Hurst.
Pellinore — Robert Coote.
Mordred — Roddy McDowall.
Sir Dinadan — John Cullum.
Morgan le Fay — M'el Dowd

I was blown away, entranced, enthralled. Ten years old. Tough to have one of yr peak life experiences when you are only ten.

>144 scaifea: Hi Amber, thanks for stopping by and reminding me of the 'post what you want' philosophy. Glad the food literature and research is enjoyable. 😊

>145 karenmarie: Hey, Karen, I didn't realize so many folks were going to pay attention to my remarks about Nabhan's book and subsequently start requesting or buying it.
Scary: it may not have occurred to people to note that I was mostly enthralled with his Introduction and the Frankincense stories... and of course the origins of culturally-distinct cooking repertoire.

Perhaps I should have reviewed Food, Genes, and Culture: Eating Right for Your Origins as well, but that's another book I read, pre-2017. When I joined LT, I was only listing books on my own shelves. I didn't think of including the loaners until I realized how handy it was saving some history of the titles and what I thought.

To be candid, I didn't agree with Nabhan's premise in Food, Genes, and Culture. To be fair, I have a very different academic background to the author, so we might easily agree "to meet in the middle", shall we say.

>146 drneutron: That's great, Jim! I hope Mrs. drneutron enjoys your cooking.

>147 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. I hope you'll give us a review and tell us if you find fresh turmeric root in your part of the world. I've had no luck here in YXE.

>148 sibylline: Lucy, good that the idea of the well-travelled recipe appealed. I mostly confine my images here to the top of my thread, with occasional jokey seasonal or political pictures.
And always book covers, of course.

Serious standard to beat: seeing Camelot with those big name actors! Wow.
I have to laugh at the idea of Robert Goulet in a play of that era, though. Was he originally an actor in the Shakespearean line / era of drama? I had no idea and have trouble imagining him as Sir Lancelot.

I wonder if I should think of a March thread? It appeals to me, leaving behind winter, at least metaphysically...
I'm not reading as much as in the past two years. And I'm only reviewing some of the reading, when the book seems to warrant a compelling shout out.

And ~ O frabjous day ~ Callooh Callay!!
A notice just came into my inbox that The Debatable Land: the lost world between Scotland and England is on hold for me now.
Good timing, I believe, for the peace of my mind.

>139 SandyAMcPherson: I'm not much for food posts, but do carry on! 😁

>148 sibylline: wow. My mom had the original Broadway cast album. I can sing great stretches of it from memory.