Cork Dork was fabulous! Reporter Bianca Bosker takes the reader along on her quixotic quest to become a certified sommelier, a journey you will enjoy Cork Dork was fabulous! Reporter Bianca Bosker takes the reader along on her quixotic quest to become a certified sommelier, a journey you will enjoy even if you aren't particularly interested in wine. Along the way you'll meet the sort of obsessive types who are always interesting/amusing regardless of what they're obsessing over, go to suspense-filled sommelier competitions and bacchanalian, wine-soaked feasts, tag along with restaurant employees (something I always find fascinating), and learn all about the science of taste. But what really makes this book come alive is Bosker's writing, lively and funny and blessedly masterful—something by no means guaranteed in a young tech reporter, and such a welcome relief. If you liked Sweetbitter, consider reading Cork Dork, its nerdier nonfiction counterpart.
I used to be SUPER INTO wine, even though I couldn't afford super nice bottles, but these days I'm more mildly interested than wholly enthused. As much as I liked Cork Dork, it didn't necessarily make me want to drink more wine. But that's OK, because Bosker doesn't really have a goal of making the reader drink more wine. What she really wants is for all of us to notice the things we're experiencing, be they tastes or smells, sights or sounds. She strives in this book to become a certified sommelier, but ultimately, her message is that we don't need to be certified in anything to have a full and fascinating life. All we really need to do is learn to pay attention to the world happening around us. I'll raise a glass to that.
I won this book in an Instagram giveaway. Thank you to the author and to Penguin Random House. ...more
This tiny Feminism 101 book can be read in a couple of hours, just like Adichie's previous tiny Feminism 101 book. Next her publisher will probably coThis tiny Feminism 101 book can be read in a couple of hours, just like Adichie's previous tiny Feminism 101 book. Next her publisher will probably combine the two into one edition with a new title, or possibly create fancy matching editions for a boxed set. Indeed, I was a little annoyed when I began reading—why did we need two overpriced tiny feminist books that say essentially the same things? But as I kept going, I softened toward this. The fact is that it's never a terrible idea to go over this ground again, particularly considering how much ridiculous sexism still exists in every corner of the world. This gets 4 stars instead of 5 because it's kind of a rehash of We Should All Be Feminists, but it's actually a better book than that one, so if you're only going to read one of Adichie's tiny feminist books, it should be Dear Ijeawele.
I won this book in an Instagram giveaway. Thank you to the publisher....more
When I heard that you'd recently passed away, I was saddened, and sorry that I had never managed to find the time to review this colleDear Thomas Lux,
When I heard that you'd recently passed away, I was saddened, and sorry that I had never managed to find the time to review this collection while you were still with us. I wasn't familiar with your work when I won To the Left of Time in an Instagram giveaway, and the truth is I wasn't too sure about it at first: Very early on, one of your narrators shoots and kills a bird on purpose. I don't usually read poetry where animals die and nobody is that upset about it. But I persevered, and soon I was quite taken with your whimsical, humorous, and ultimately sweet voice, like an edgier Billy Collins. That poem about the gum on the sidewalk? I still think about that one all the time and smile. Yes, we had a shaky introduction, but I ended up being very glad we met. Thank you to the publisher for this free copy. And thank you, Thomas Lux, for this great reading experience. I hope you left this world knowing you made a lot of people smile. Rest in peace....more
The title of Ramshackle Ode and that confetti-like riot of color on the cover pretty much telegraph that the reader is in for a life-affirming experieThe title of Ramshackle Ode and that confetti-like riot of color on the cover pretty much telegraph that the reader is in for a life-affirming experience, and the very first poem, "Keel," sets the tone:
...I was walking your dog, Love, thinking how I, too, have been boot-thudded by love, I was my own storm once, so young and eager to raise the sail of my wanting, and I just wanted to tell you I love this old boat, this settled-in thing.
Right away you can tell: Here is someone who's able to appreciate the moment he's in. He's not here to weigh us down with a lot of angst; he's here to celebrate, to write odes to the life he's living. Admittedly, this sounds a bit insufferable, but it's actually quite charming. In a few instances, he dedicates poems to his friends and actually addresses those friends in the verse, as in "Ode to Alternatives":
Hey Kevin, I know I'm always talking, but look at those two little boys who don't know any better-- they're using a king as a pawn, a pawn as a knight, a queen as a bishop--and isn't not knowing the rules just beautiful?
Or in "Ode to the Odes":
Hey Steve, do you ever think to write a letter to the board of selectmen elected to the blue city our language makes?
And if that bit seems a little esoteric to you, a little further on in the poem he rhapsodizes:
...I don't know if I'm making much sense here, but this morning my honey bunny kissed me on the lips all skunk breath and beautiful. And Steve, does it ever come to you like a vanilla-scented wind-- this happiness?
Aw, that's sweet, right? Maybe a little too sweet? How about this, from "A Brief History of Patience"?
Nights, I would wait for the first fish to swallow the hook. The trick, I learned, was not to force it, was to let the fish feel the pain that comes from blindness and mistake.
Whoa, dude! I was not expecting that! A little harsh, don't you think? But not really. It's true. It's life. And in fact, there's darkness woven throughout this collection, as there is in life, but it never overwhelms the buoyant spirit that makes this collection so much fun, and such a joy to read.
I won Ramshackle Ode, Keith Leonard's first collection, via a giveaway on Instagram. There was no expectation of any sort of review. Thank you to the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for introducing me to this poet. I'm grateful to have made his acquaintance....more
