I don't just sit around here at Monkey Muck HQ and make pithy comments on political skulduggery while crying all the time you know. Since I am the world's smartest baby, I also enjoy reading. So with that in mind I'd like to welcome you to a new recurring feature here at Monkey Muck, my book round up. Periodically I'll give you a brief over view of what I've been reading and my opinions about said books.
First up is the book I finished last night. It's called Around The Bloc and it was written by Stephanie Elizondo Griest. It's all about her time spent in former and currently Communist led countries. She is quite the intrepid traveller and her observations are quite keen and in some cases quite eye opening. It's a very refreshing book because it showcases people who some say are our enemies and it paints a nice picture of places most of us will never get to go to. Her writing style is a bit cutesy at times but all in all this book is well worth your time and I recommend it.
Next up is toast by Nigel Slater. Yeah I know I did not use a capital when I just wrote the title, it's because neither does Mr. Slater, so nah nah nah. Mr. Slater is a well known food writer and chef over in the UK. This book is about Slater's life growing up and his relationships with his parents, his sibling, his step mother, and his food. This book is poignant and bittersweet. Slater writes about his awakenings as he tries new foods, as he learns to cook, and as he grows and as his parents age and eventually die. I can not recommend this book highly enough, it is well worth your time. And don't be worried about his use of British vernacular, he provides a glossary in the back of the book.
Finally we come to Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Metha. This book is, oddly enough, about just what the title says, the city of Bombay, or as it is also known, Mumbai. Metha writes about this city like no one else can, he is a native of India after all. He mixes historical, sociological, personal, and religious information in this fine portrait of this complex city. In this book you will meet a wide variety of people, including slum dwellers, Hindu gangsters, Muslim killers, dancing girls, an incorruptible policemen, Metha's own family, some Jains, and much more. My only complaint is that he delves in to the lives of some of these people a little too deeply and one feels like one has learned too much about some of them. If you're reading this Mr. Metha, remember the old adage of less is more. Even with that niggling complaint I highly recommend this book, it's well worth your time.
First up is the book I finished last night. It's called Around The Bloc and it was written by Stephanie Elizondo Griest. It's all about her time spent in former and currently Communist led countries. She is quite the intrepid traveller and her observations are quite keen and in some cases quite eye opening. It's a very refreshing book because it showcases people who some say are our enemies and it paints a nice picture of places most of us will never get to go to. Her writing style is a bit cutesy at times but all in all this book is well worth your time and I recommend it.
Next up is toast by Nigel Slater. Yeah I know I did not use a capital when I just wrote the title, it's because neither does Mr. Slater, so nah nah nah. Mr. Slater is a well known food writer and chef over in the UK. This book is about Slater's life growing up and his relationships with his parents, his sibling, his step mother, and his food. This book is poignant and bittersweet. Slater writes about his awakenings as he tries new foods, as he learns to cook, and as he grows and as his parents age and eventually die. I can not recommend this book highly enough, it is well worth your time. And don't be worried about his use of British vernacular, he provides a glossary in the back of the book.
Finally we come to Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Metha. This book is, oddly enough, about just what the title says, the city of Bombay, or as it is also known, Mumbai. Metha writes about this city like no one else can, he is a native of India after all. He mixes historical, sociological, personal, and religious information in this fine portrait of this complex city. In this book you will meet a wide variety of people, including slum dwellers, Hindu gangsters, Muslim killers, dancing girls, an incorruptible policemen, Metha's own family, some Jains, and much more. My only complaint is that he delves in to the lives of some of these people a little too deeply and one feels like one has learned too much about some of them. If you're reading this Mr. Metha, remember the old adage of less is more. Even with that niggling complaint I highly recommend this book, it's well worth your time.
I have to go now, Dr. Monkerstein wants to run some more experiments on me. Until we meet again, here's hoping your brain stays full of knowledge and your diaper stays empty.
My diaper is so full I could cry. Oh poopy, I'm crying already.
2 comments:
Holy crap! I haven't read a book since Windows 3.1! (Except text books and manuals.) I used to read voraciously, though.
I'm getting ready to read Big Sur.
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