Monday, October 27, 2008

#35 - Lens of the World

I used to work near a dollar store which had an unusual book rack. It would be filled with random garbage romance novels and odd celebrity books about Britney Spears or Tom Cruise and then there would always be one or two out of the ordinary ones like a huge copy of Battlefield Earth or, in this case, Lens of the World. It was #1 of a trilogy and from reading the back it seemed like a strange take on a fantasy novel. For a buck I would always pluck out these oddballs and occasionally they were worth it. This one was without a doubt. A wandering optician is not the usual fantasy hero, but after reading as many cliche fantasy novels as I have it is a welcome change. But unlike silly for silly sake novels Lens of the World is richly detailed and complex with just an undercurrent of humor and lightheartedness. R.A. MacAvoy is a superbly talented writer and I was scouring used book stores for the final two in the series before even finishing the first. It appears this series recently was reprinted so it should make it even easier to find. Highly Recommended.

#34 - Back To Eden

Back to Eden was another great gift book from my mother. She owns a well loved and used copy that has served her through all of my lifetime and I'm sure before. It is the real, original text for what has now become trendy and hip in the form of organic produce and healthy/green living and whatever else companies have branded it to profit. Basically it is long held knowledge which has served humanity long before 24 hour drug stores, Wal-Mart, or Whole Foods. If you have a malady the natural cure or at least some mitigating relief can be found in Back to Eden. Some great theories and thoughts on living right and healthfully as well as a wealth of knowledge on tons of subjects can be found within. I could see how anyone from a veteran physician to modern day vegan would find this book completely useful and eye-opening. I have read all of the written text but not the entire body of ailment/remedy as that part is meant to be more of a reference and would be like reading a dictionary. I do however consult it all the time and have never been let down even if used in conjunction with prescription medicine or therapy. Highly Recommended.

#33 - The Massage Book

The Massage Book (25th Anniversary Ed.) by George Downing is an extra special book to me. My mother has always given the best massages. When we were growing up she would put us to blissful sleep by getting us to relax completely as pools of jelly, or when I would be having terrible growing pains in my knees, or just about any time. It was always the most giving and unselfish outpouring of love and her skill could rival any Swedish masseuse. She always had this cool "hippie" massage book well worn and loved. She also always gave this book as a wedding gift to any new couple. Having recently been married one of the most special gifts we opened was the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Massage Book. I knew instantly and it brought a tear to my eye for sure. It does contain nude images but all tasteful and excellently illustrative if a bit hairy :). While I can learn the techniques and skills I don't think I could ever reach the pure essence of love my mother achieved, but that is certainly not a shortcoming of the book. Highly Recommended.

#32 - Off The Beaten Path Hawaii

You know you read too much when you realize that you forgot about entire books you've read. I was looking at my bookshelf for a new title and came across a few books I hadn't listed. Off The Beaten Path Hawaii, 8th ed. was one of the guide books I bought before honeymooning in Kauai, HI and was one of the better books we had with us while on the island. I'm no good at being a tourist, if there is a line or tickets or tour guides or any such "feature" I'm generally already miles away. I like to truly experience the places I travel, eat where the locals do, do the cool non-toursity stuff, and be my own tour guide. Off The Beaten Path Hawaii is a great guide book for those who have a similar outlook on adventure. The beach guides, restaurants, directions, and history are all top notch. There could be a better map included and one recommended restaurant (Kintaro Japanese Restaurant) was just bad. The upside though was Hamura's Saimin Stand (amazing ramen-style noodle soup in a true local setting) and Spam Musubi at the Pono Market which we would never have found in a million years on our own. Easily Recommended to any traveller to paradise. Aloha!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

#31 - Essential SNMP, Second Edition

O'Reilly makes some pretty solid technical books and for a number of years they have been my choice for learning a new skill or simply brushing up on an old one. Lately I've been working on a SNMP project so I broke this one out. Sadly this may be one of the least useful O'Reilly books I own. While Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) uses the word "Simple" in the acronym, it can be extremely archaic and confusing and unfortunately Essential SNMP doesn't make much of an effort to simplify it any further. This book does give a nice overview and history as well as a detailed MIB listing but ultimately fails at relating any of it to an actual implementation with much success. It is worthy of being in your tech library but I'd still find another more practical SNMP book to round out the edges. Recommended.

#30 - The Tao of Watercolor

The Tao of Watercolor is a book I have picked up and flipped through more times than I can count but never bought. I finally gave in and just bought it. I've never been big on watercolor painting, preferring oils or Sumi-e due to my inability to think in the quasi-reverse method necessary for watercolors. The one area that does grab me are washes and the ethereal and abstract looks that can be achieved and that is precisely what The Tao of Watercolor showcases. It isn't a howto book though and in fact it is mostly gibberish trying to relate to Taoism filled with the author's, Jeanne Carbonetti, works and some broken down into steps. If you come to it with a solid understanding of watercolors and want to crib a few new techniques and compositions then it is easily worth picking up which was my reasoning, but if you are a beginner or looking for a nice understandable guidebook keep looking. Recommended.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

#29 - Living Buddha, Living Christ

How does one even begin to "review" a work by Thich Nhat Hanh? I don't think I will even try. Living Buddha, Living Christ is an attempt to bridge Buddhism and Christianity and highlight the many common aspects. It is almost an inner dialogue from Thay on his experiences and encounters in both realms. The strongest points in the book are his lessons on "mindfulness" while I think the rest may be more aimed at warming the hearts of those on both sides to one another by showing the similarities. I have never been one to be closed minded on religions/beliefs or subscribe to any one "truth" so I personally do not have this trouble and as a result I think there was less in this book for me. Even still it is recommended reading.

Friday, October 3, 2008

#28 - Korean Cooking

Korean Cooking is a mass produced book which is basically canned content made to be re-branded by retailers such as Borders or Barnes & Noble. They're the super cheap hardback cookbooks always found in bargain bins. This one stood out because it starts with a very long and great intro to Korea, the people, and the food which is a book in itself and well worth the $4-5 but then follows with some really great recipes and photography. I also have a strong draw to Korea because in a way it was my doorway into Asian culture. My father was stationed on the DMZ and I grew up with tales of this distant land, kimchi, and also my mother had some great Korean family friends who would make us some truly amazing authentic food.

Even though it is a fairly basic overview I actually learned a lot of new tidbits and really enjoyed the photography. I promptly made some kimchi which turned out phenomenally and looking forward to trying the stir-fried kimchi recipe next. Another winner, but possibly too subtly flavored, was a recipe for fish ball soup which I had to slightly alter to increase the flavor of the broth which initially consisted of simply 2L water, 2 tsp of light soy, 2 tsp fish sauce, and a few sheets of nori (dried seaweed). There are many more recipes I'm eagerly awaiting though and for a value cookbook it is Highly Recommended.