rebecca's pocket

» The Forgotten Arts and Crafts, John Seymour.
Enjoyable, but light.... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 01.15.06 ] 

» Be Our Guest, The Disney Institute.
A good approach and a good overview. Watch out for the folksy Disney-ese for every concept. But it gave me lots of ideas.  [ 01.19.06 ] 

» The Rule of Benedict, St. Benedict.
I decided to re-read this as an antidote to Munich.... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 01.26.06 ] 

» 1491, Charles C. Mann. Highly recommended.
This is the best book I've read in years.... [ more ] / 2 Comments /  [ 02.11.06 ] 

» The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Muriel Spark. Highly recommended.
Delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed both the style of the book and the humor. An impressive piece of writing. / 0 Comments /  [ 02.13.06 ] 

» Olive Trees and Honey, Gil Marks
This is a remarkable book. It's aim is to create a comprehensive resource of Jewish cooking, which means European, Middle Eastern, African, and Indian cooking.... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 02.18.06 ] 

» The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown.
The popularity of this book is based on the public's undying love for a conspiracy theory, its insatiable thirst for glimpses into secret societies, and its inexplicable conviction that if someone feeds them a lot of semi-obscure facts, they are reading something "smart".... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 02.21.06 ] 

» V for Vendetta, Alan Moore, David Lloyd
This is the first comic book I've ever read, so I'm sure my dissatisfaction with it is all me.... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 03.11.06 ] 

» The Productivity Handbook : New ways of leveraging your time, information, and communications, Donald Wetmore. Not recommended.
Example advice: If you tend to run late, set your watch 20 minutes fast. Every day, make a list of tasks to accomplish, then rate them A-D according to their urgency. Next, rate the tasks by importance within each letter group, 1-10. Do them in order, A-1 to D-10. / 0 Comments /  [ 04.02.06 ] 

» Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Jared Diamond. Highly recommended.
Clear, readable, and unbelievably interesting.... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 04.05.06 ] 

» Plainsong, Kent Haruf. Highly recommended.
Earnest, beautiful, stylized, gorgeous, life-affirming, unforgettable. / 2 Comments /  [ 04.10.06 ] 

» The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Quick, pleasant parable about following your dream.... [ more ] / 1 Comments /  [ 04.29.06 ] 

» Pattern Recognition, William Gibson. Recommended.
What a fun read. I had forgotten how much I enjoy Mr. Gibson's particular attention to detail. It also did not strike me, until now, that Gibson's basic genre is "noir". I liked the beginning better than the ending.  / 1 Comments /  [ 05.04.06 ] 

» The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Michael Pollan Highly recommended.
This is a great book: thoughtful, thought provoking, and well written. ... [ more ] / 1 Comments /  [ 05.17.06 ] 

» The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
Rich, imaginative, inventive. I think a comic fan would adore this book—I liked it, though I felt the ending was a bit too pat. / 0 Comments /  [ 06.02.06 ] 

» Slow Road Home ~ a Blue Ridge Book of Days, Fred First
I read this book in Oslo, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Aalborg.... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 06.14.06 ] 

» The Middle Mind, Curtis White (review copy) Not recommended.
Disappointing. I got halfway through before I just gave up.  / 0 Comments /  [ 06.14.06 ] 

» Interface Culture, Steven Johnson
While I think this book is interesting, in part, as an artifact of its time.... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 06.23.06 ] 

» Everything Bad is Good for You, Steven Johnson
Short, entertainingly written, an easy read.... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 06.30.06 ] 

» Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, JK Rowling
These books keep getting progressively darker, but I think they are better written. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. / 0 Comments /  [ 07.06.06 ] 

» Radio: An Illustrated Guide, Jessica Abel, Ira Glass Highly recommended
This book does exactly what it says: tell you how to plan, execute and broadcast a radio show. The technology is out of date, but I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in radio documentary or podcasting. / 0 Comments /  [ 07.12.06 ] 

» The Long Tail, Chris Anderson
Smart, well written, mostly right. A little thin in places, as so many of these "high concept" books are, but well worth your time. / 0 Comments /  [ 08.21.06 ] 

» Don't Think of an Elephant, George Lakoff Highly recommended.
This book really does make sense of the current political climate. I now better understand the right and the left.  [ 09.09.06 ] 

» To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee Highly recommended.
Somehow, I never got around to reading this book before now. It is perfect. I'll read it again. I can't imagine a more compassionate depiction of childhood, small town life, the South, race in the United States, or humanity in general. Oh, and it's beautifully written. My nomination for the Great American Novel. / 1 Comments /  [ 09.16.06 ] 

» 47, Walter Mosely
Starts as a compelling treatise on slavery and black pride, but for me it quickly lost steam. / 0 Comments /  [ 09.17.06 ] 

» Convergence Culture, Henry Jenkins. Highly recommended
Smart, interesting, and right on the money. A little academic for most people's taste, but I agree with almost everything Dr. Jenkins has to say. A compelling and non-hyped vision of the future of our culture.  [ 09.17.06 ] 

» the American Woman's Home, Catherine E. Beecher & Harriet Beecher Stowe
Frankly, a bit of a snooze. More on ventilation and house design and less on actual housekeeping than I expected. / 0 Comments /  [ 10.07.06 ] 

» Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Media Consumers in a Digital Age, Henry Jenkins. Highly recommended.
Just fantastic. Although it's much more academic, I enjoyed this book even more than Convergence Culture because it took me inside the world of fan communities, a world I've only barely glimpsed before now.... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 10.11.06 ] 

» The Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking, Gaku Homma
Wow did I like this book. Lots of background on the traditional life in the Japanese countryside. I haven't tried the recipes yet, but I will.  [ 10.29.06 ] 

» Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert
Extremely interesting, entertainingly written, with a completely unsatisfying ending. ... [ more ]  [ 11.02.06 ] 

» The Opinionated Knitter, Elizabeth Zimmermann
Not much new for those with EZ's other books, but delightful nevertheless for those who love her writing.  [ 11.28.06 ] 

» The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Abandoned. I wasn't not interested in it, I just wasn't interested enough to want to keep on reading. / 1 Comments /  [ 11.28.06 ] 

» The Sidetracked Home Executive, Pam Young, Peggy Jones. Highly recommended
This classic system, first published in 1977, relies on a tickler file to keep track of household tasks, much like David Allen's famed GTD system. I'm going to modify it a bit to keep track of cyclical tasks, something GTD isn't so good at.  [ 11.29.06 ] 

» Knitting in the Old Way: Designs and Techniques from Ethnic Sweaters, Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts Recommended.
A terrific book, inspiration and information-filled.... [ more ]  [ 12.07.06 ] 

» Personal Finance for Dummies, Eric Tyson, Highly recommended.
I will confess that I had to return this book to the library before I finished it, but it is surprisingly detailed and deep for a Dummies book. Good, sound advice. Highly recommended.  [ 12.25.06 ] 

» The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes & Gauges, Ann Budd
Fantastic book, loaded with information (and great information design). ... [ more ] / 0 Comments /  [ 12.26.06 ] 

» Knitting on the Edge: Ribs, Ruffles, Lace, Fringes, Floral, Points & Picots: The Essential Collection of 350 Decorative Borders, Nicky Epstein
Just beautiful. Tons of inspiration and a few patterns. / 0 Comments /  [ 12.27.06 ]