Breathless by David Quammen

This is subtitled: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus, and it is the story of COVID from 2019 up through Omicron. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to people who are not well versed in science and who want to better understand the recent pandemic. This is scientifically sound while being extremely readable and understandable. Covid-19 is the first pandemic in which molecular genomics has been applied at scale. Thanks to this science, researchers were able to publish the genome of the novel coronavirus, Sars-CoV-2, in record time and keep pace with the emergence of new variants. And thanks to the allied science of molecular phylogenetics, a method for reading the deep evolutionary history of viruses, we have been able to trace its divergence from other known coronaviruses, including other Sars-like coronaviruses harbored by bats and whose genetic codes are stored in labs in China and other parts of the world. He takes on the the origins of Sars-CoV-2, which have been the subject of feverish debate: was it the result of a natural spillover from animals or was the virus engineered in a lab and unleashed upon the world, either by accident or design? He walks us through viruses, the tricky jump from animal to human, and then in the case of COVID, the very clear data that it hops back from human to animal. All told, he brings the reader up to date on what we know and when we knew it up until the time he published it.

Firecracker Shrimp

I picked this out because it seemed like a good week night dinner option, and could be paired with a chicken or tofu or vegetable stir fry and rice and made into something a bit more. I liked it, but would consider less honey next time and maybe a side of steamed broccoli, in the style of General Tso's chicken--the hot, the sweet, and the crunchy were all there, and a steamed veggie with a squeeze of lemon to set it off. 3 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce 1 teaspoon grated ginger root 1 dash fish sauce 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 1/2 pounds shrimp 1/2 cup potato starch Sesame seeds, for garnish Scallions, sliced on a bias, for garnish Heat the oil to 350. Toss the shrimp with tapioca starch (or potato or corn) seasoned with some salt and pepper. Combine the honey, sriracha, ginger, fish sauce, and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside. Fry the shrimp in batches--will take only a couple of minutes until they are done. Toss with the sauce, and garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, and if you want, sliced peppers.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Syd Montgomery introduced me to the concept that octopus have a lot going on intellectually when she shared her memories of those that she met as a volunteer at an aquarium. I have trouble ordering it any more even though I love it because, as my spouse has said, the ocean gets a little bit dumber when an octopus leaves it. This book opens with the observations of a captive octopus who ties together the stories that run through this slightly corny, very heartwarming book about the nature of grief. It opens with Tova, a 70-year-old woman, a life-long resident of Sowell Bay, Washington, and a night-shift aquarium employee. Tova loves the solitude and peace she finds in lovingly cleaning every nook and cranny of the aquarium after hours, saying a quiet hello to each animal on display as she cleans the glass of their enclosures and wipes the floor. Tova does not actually have to work for a living — she’s a widow with enough funds to living comfortably in her house and not worry about her financial situation. However, she’s also a deeply sad and lonely person. She and the octopus she has come to love are both preparing for their upcoming deaths, in markedly different ways, but with an eyes wide open approach to what they are facing. That said, that several characters are dying and loss is at the center, it is not a sad book. It is whimsical and wise, and therefore makes thinking about the unbearable bearable.

South Island, New Zealand

I recently returned to the South Island, for the first time in almost 40 years. New Zealand has grown from a country of one million people to one with 5-6 million, so there has been an accompanying increase in building and expansion of cities. But while the population has quintupled, the thing that I remember most about the South Island is it's natural beauty.

Our cab driver in Queenstown said it best, "You can't drain the lakes and you can't shift the mountains." We spent a day driving from Queenstown to Christchurch, and while we did very little, we stopped often, and really enjoyed the views. I could spend a month here. The thing that I worried most about planning the trip is driving on the left, which has been varying degrees of difficult in the past, but it was okay.

This is just a smattering of what you can see without getting off the road. I do not remember these rock formations from my first trip, but in addition to the lakes there are many mountains (they were mostly encased in fog when I was there), some with glaciers.

Liberation Day by George Saunders

One reviewer characterized this as a collection of absurdly funny short stories populated by characters who are trapped by hyper-capitalism and their own foolishness, where the author investigates the prisons that we insist on making for ourselves. I could not have come close to saying it better or more succinctly myself. The characters are happy in their difficulty, at least at first. These joke prisons in order to remind the reader of the various prisons – economic, psychological and spiritual – which we build for ourselves. The first and last is the prison of the self: the take home message seems to be that you are trapped within yourself, which is the ultimate prison from which there is no escape. And even more sadly, there lurks underneath the irony a nostalgia for American optimism, and this includes a nostalgia for half-decent capitalism, something I am not sure ever existed, but exists less so now. It is a strange mix of patriotism and pessimism, with the tongue in cheek humor to top it off. Much like his last book, Lincoln In The Bardo, I am not sure how much of it I get and how much I miss, but my guess is a lot of the later.

Braised White Beans and Greens

I have a new year's goal to use more beans, and I should be able to do an amazing job because the only thing I truly hoarded during the pandemic was dried beans, so I have a surplus. My goal was modest--one bean dish a week; while I am not there--more like one every other week--the year isn't over and I could build up to it, and then follow through next year. This was a winner--I used yellow eyed beans rather than canneloni, and they worked beautifully. I had it on toast and other had it as a side dish. ¼cup olive oil 1small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and small-diced 1small yellow onion, small-diced 2teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or thyme 5garlic cloves, minced ¼teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste 1large or 2 small bunches escarole, kale or Swiss chard, stems removed (10 to 12 ounces) 2(15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed 2cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth Kosher salt and black pepper 1tablespoon lemon juice ½cup shredded mozzarella (optional) 3tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, plus more for serving Toasted country bread, for serving In a 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the fennel, onion and rosemary, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Begin adding handfuls of the greens, cooking and stirring until leaves wilt. Add the white beans, broth and ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer, mashing some of the beans with a wooden spoon, until the liquid has reduced and thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, then the mozzarella, if using, and Pecorino Romano. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Divide among shallow bowls and top with more Pecorino Romano. Serve with toasted bread and a dish of red-pepper flakes on the side.

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

I have been trying to read a little more YA literature--my granddaughters will be in the target age range before I know it, and I have enjoyed this genre, so want to beef up my portfolio. I have been gradually working my way through Reese Witherspoon's YA recommendations, and this one is a winner for me. The story is Izumi, a senior in high school who grew up in a small town in Northern California never knowing who her father was. As one of the very few Asians in her town, she often feels like she doesn't really belong there-but also knows little of her Japanese heritage either. One day while snooping in her mother's room she finds a love poem written to her mother and dated the year she was born. The signature leads to an online search that reveals her father is none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. She reaches out to her father through an old friend of his, and the next thing she knows, Izumi is whisked off to Tokyo to spend a few weeks at the Imperial Palace getting to know her father and the rest of her Imperial family. This is a fun, lively story with enough heart and humor to overcome the well-used fairy-tale, rags-to-riches storyline. Narrator Izumi's voice is genuine and funny, making her easy for teens to relate to. Romantic comedy fans will enjoy the unique settings and colorful, well-developed characters, as well as some perspective on Japan and being Asian in the US.

Tatsumi, Queenstown, New Zealand

This restaurant is a mostly Japanese style place, where we had a fixed price menu that probably would have knocked our socks off if we hadn't eaten at an even better (and somewhat more affordable) restaurant the night before. This sushi plate is an example of how good it could be--this tasted just as good as it looked! The setting is elegant, and the wait staff are dressed traditionally, adding to the atmosphere.

We had several dusion dishes, which married local ingredients, Japanese preparations, with European influences. This was my favorite dish of the night, with a piece of salmon, a grilled scallop (perfectly cooked, both of them, and flavorful to boot), with a mushroom ravioli and taro root puree, with crisped noodles on the side. Not everything worked perfectly together about this course (I would have preferred the dishes to be separate, and a bit more of the ravioli and the scallop, but that was not an option), but each component was delicious and overall the dinner was a success, and I would recommend it to others.

Avalon by Nell Zink

I see that both critics and readers alike are split on this one, but I loved it. One reviewer described the plot as both shapeless and oddly propulsive--I would 100% agree, but while that was framed as a negative, that is what I really liked about this, which is a modern day rags to not exactly riches, but to a way out of poverty--mostly. Bran, the narrator of Nell Zink’s latest novel, is abandoned by her parents as a child, and grows up in southern California with the criminal family of her mother’s ex-boyfriend. From early childhood she is used by them as unpaid labor in the plant nursery they run as a front operation. It’s a world of gang-affiliated bikers and exploited immigrant laborers, where Bran sleeps in an unheated lean-to and lives on canned food warmed with propane. But, in the way of fictional characters, Bran is meant for better things, and the book describes her haphazard rise into the ranks of the middle-class artistic precariat. So her benchmark for comfort is low, and it serves her well as she slowly moves towards getting a life for herself.

Fondant Potatoes

I had never heard of these before my spouse made them, and I was surprised by how much I liked them compared to what I thought they would be like! 4 medium russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds total) 3 cloves garlic 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons canola oil 4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish 3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth Peel 4 russet potatoes. Trim the ends, then cut each potato in half crosswise. You should now have 8 flat potato rounds. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature to remove excess potato starch. Meanwhile, heat the oven and prepare the garlic and butter. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly smash and peel 3 garlic cloves. Cut 4 tablespoons unsalted butter into 8 pieces. Drain the potatoes, rinse with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Season the potatoes with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the potatoes cut-side down in a single layer and cook until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Flip the potatoes using tongs and add the garlic, butter, and 4 sprigs thyme. (If the potatoes are sticking to the pan, let them cook 2 to 3 minutes more until they easily release before flipping.) Cook until the butter is foaming and starts to brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add 3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth. Bake until the potatoes are fork tender and lightly browned on the sides, 30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with more whole thyme sprigs before serving, drizzled with the pan juices.

Childe Harold's Pilgrimage Poem by Lord Byron

A poem in Spenserian stanzas by Lord Byron and is written during a period of war across Europe. This is set and written in the time of all things Napoleon. Childe Harold was originally to be called ‘Childe Burun’, an archaic form of the Byron family name. The poem tells of a disillusioned young man, a melancholy, solitary, cynical ‘Byronic hero’, who tires of his sinful, pleasure-seeking lifestyle and decides to travel. The poet drew on his own experiences as he did a grand tour that swept around Europe but evading was torn areas to find truth and beauty on the path less travelled. The poem takes us through Portugal, Spain, Malta, Albania, Greece, and Turkey, whose Ottoman Empire extended over Greece, and Byron would die championing the cause of Greek independence, the loss of which he laments in Childe Harold. In the poem, what he sees everywhere he goes is emptiness and loss. In Greece the loss is that of the glorious past and the great writers who belong to that past; in Albania it is the sublime emptiness of the wilderness. Everywhere it is the indifference of time and fate and nature to human ambition, and it really helps to read it out loud and to have a solid sense of both art and history. Byron is well educated and he wants it to show here. In the end, the poem is about the meaning of freedom in all its forms—personal, political, poetic, and reflects some of the tragedy that is Byron's in his short but exuberantly lived life.

The Good Part, That Shall Not Be Taken Away by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Longfellow wrote a body of work that the proceeds of went to the Anti-Slavery movement, and this is one of those poems. She dwells by Great Kenhawa's side, In valleys green and cool; And all her hope and all her pride Are in the village school. Her soul, like the transparent air That robes the hills above, Though not of earth, encircles there All things with arms of love. And thus she walks among her girls With praise and mild rebukes; Subduing e'en rude village churls By her angelic looks. She reads to them at eventide Of One who came to save; To cast the captive's chains aside And liberate the slave. And oft the blessed time foretells When all men shall be free; And musical, as silver bells, Their falling chains shall be. And following her beloved Lord, In decent poverty, She makes her life one sweet record And deed of charity. For she was rich, and gave up all To break the iron bands Of those who waited in her hall, And labored in her lands. Long since beyond the Southern Sea Their outbound sails have sped, While she, in meek humility, Now earns her daily bread. It is their prayers, which never cease, That clothe her with such grace; Their blessing is the light of peace That shines upon her face.

Have You Eaten Yet by Cheuk Kwan

The title is the universal greeting in China, supplanting "how are you" with a focus on food, which is central to the culture. This is a memoir about eating and experiencing Chinese food in restaurants run by ethnically Chinese people with a multitude of backgrounds and reasons to be where they are and what they serve. There are quite a few subtexts within, but the text is what is authentic Chinese food, what is the essence of home and culture, and what happens when you take it on the road. Across more than a dozen countries, Kwan searches for flavors that remind him of home as he samples the best Chinese food that Havana, Darjeeling, Mombasa and other locales have to offer. Home, too, is not so simple for him, as he claims links to six places: his family’s ancestral village in China; Hong Kong, where he was born; Singapore, where he grew up; Tokyo, where he spent his adolescence; Berkeley, Calif., where he learned about identity politics; and his current home, Toronto. The nomadic nature of the book brought me back to an experience my spouse and I had early in our relationship of eating at a very familiar feeling Chinese restaurant in a rural Bolivian town that was nothing like what was familiar to us.

Spoiler Alert (2023)

This is the real life story about Michael Ausiello's love affair that ended badly. The book upon which this is based has the spoiler alert in the title: The Hero Dies At The End. Michael is a shy pop-culture junkie who doesn't drink or do drugs and is emotionally guarded because of his traumatic childhood, in which he grows up fat and mocked, then loses both of his parents--we do not get much of a glimpse at what happens after his mother dies, but probably nothing great. Michael is grossed out by Grindr and timid about sex, which means he's a poor fit for the musky dance floors of the Manhattan gay-bar circuit. But it's on one of those dance floors, on a rare night out with a colleague from TV Guide, that Michael meets Kit Cowan, the man who ends up being the love of his life. Kit has everything that Michael wishes he had: Confidence, cool friends, and a muscular physique. And yet, Kit is willing to wait for Michael to let down his emotional walls. Besides, Michael's not the only one with neuroses—Kit has baggage he has to work through if he and Michael are going to live the monogamously partnered life that Michael, in particular, seems to want. The story of their struggles and progress in their long term relationship takes an emotional turn when Kit is diagnosed with a rare and terminal illness, and so is a relationship story from beginning to the sad and inevitable end.

Dinner With The President by Alex Prud'homme

This book is best enjoyed if you are some for whom food is important rather than for whom politics or history are more important. The subtitle is: Food, Politics, and Breaking Bread at the White House, which pretty much summs up what the book is about. I read about it in a section of The Week devoted to recent books that revolve around food, and I very much enjoyed this. I did not realize it, but the author is the grand nephew of Julia Childs, with his grandfather and her husbands father having been twins. The book portrays 26 American presidents White House kitchens and entertaining styles. In a literal sense, these meals reflect the preferences of presidential palates. For example, George H.W. Bush despised broccoli; Barack Obama had a “global palate”; Richard Nixon didn’t care what he ate and yet he opened up China by eating and entertaining there; Abraham Lincoln loved his cornbread; and Lyndon B. Johnson doted on Texas barbecue. In a broader sense, whatever food is served in the White House influences the nation’s economic, social, cultural and political climate. Food even has the power to bring together disparate parties for productive political debate. There are quite a few good stories in here, not everyone comes off well, and while there are some inaccuracies , it is a very enjoyable read.

New Zealand Pies

Traveling has a significant relationship to food in my house. We get to know cities, spend time admiring art in museums, and log a significant number of steps per day when we are vacationing, to be sure, but if the food is not good, the scenery better be spectacular. We travel to get to know the culture of a place, and while the food isn't the sum of that, it is at least a part of it. That is how on our very first morning in New Zealand, when we were up before the sun rose, we went in search of the famous New Zealnad pies. These are hand pies, stuffed with meat and vegetables and sealed into a flaky crust, and are a self contained meal. The first day I turned down the sausage roll, based on the lower pastry to filling ration, but on day two I reconsidered, and it ended up being my favorite. More importantly, it is something that we might be able to do at home. My husband likes to make dough and I am not terrible at shaping it into something, and I think we could do a great filling with some practice. My goal would be to achieve the flakiness of these, but have a more flavorful filling and a smaller size so that they could be on the brunch buffet one day, or better yet, take them on a picnic, or have them in the car in anticipation of a long day's drive without much hope of a decent meal en route, where they would really hit the spot. Best of all, I think it is an achievable goal--unlike some of the amazing food we had on this trip, I think we could make our own and enjoy them, all the while remembering where we had them first, which is one of the prettiest spots I have ever been. I am not sure about the cut out shapes, but I do have a sizable collection of cookie cutters so I could decide that later.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is the third book I have read by this author, and they are all completely different in terms of stories told, but all dynamite. She is a force to be reckoned with. This is a retelling of the HG Wells story and offers up a twist: Here, the mad scientist has a daughter named Carlota who is nothing like her dad. Carlota pushes back on antiquated notions about women’s capabilities and their place in the world, turning the Victorian-era novel into an atmospheric feminist tale that melds horror, history and a little romance. The novel’s first half starts off objectively enough as Moreau’s scientific journals: Moreau, over the years has made furry hybrids with hunched shoulders and short forearms, but also apelike things whose knuckles could brush the ground. These horrible creatures suffer with tumors, painful joints and other infirmities. Moreau claims his experiments will someday unlock cures for human diseases, and he offers no more powerful example than Carlota, whom he claims is kept alive with injections that derive their healthful properties from jaguars. Science aside, Carlota pushes the novel forward as she grows up alone with her father in a hacienda that also is home to more than two dozen hidden-away hybrids. The second half of the book, where the hybrids strike back, is wonderful and satisfying and it is altogether a great read.

A Man Called Otto (2022)

Let me start by saying that this is a good movie, but it is also a remake of the 2015 movie titled A Man Called Ove, which was Sweden's submission for Best International Film and was on the list of final nominees, and is based on the 2012 book of the same title by Frederik Backman. The Swedish movie is better. It is about Ove, an ill-tempered, isolated retiree who spends his days enforcing block association rules and visiting his wife's grave, who has finally given up on life just as an unlikely friendship develops with his boisterous new neighbors. It is droll and dark and we all know an Ove so it gives everyone something to think about. The only reason to see the new over the old is if you don't speak Swedish, and you don't want to read the subtitles. In my household, we have enough hearing loss that no matter what, we have the subtitles on, so it just doesn't apply. Part of the appeal of the old over the new may well be that it is just hard to settle into a movie with an uncharacteristically cranky Tom Hanks. He does his usual excellent job on embuing himself in his role, but it takes a while for the experienced Tom Hanks audience to quite grasp it, and by then the impossibly appealing neighbors are well known to us, and we cannot imagine him not falling for them the way we have. It is a story that you can see the end coming a mile away, but it is enjoyable none-the-less to get there, and this version is well worth seeing.

Victory City by Salman Rushdie

This was written and submitted to his publisher before the author was viciously attacked and wounded at a public event. It is inspired by the real-life history of Vijayanagar, a once flourishing medieval Hindu Kingdom in South India that was undone by men's lust for power and the inability to let well enough alone. Rushdie re-imagines its collapse as a feminist fable about the lust for power and the power of stories. The book reads like an old Indian tale, complete with magical elements that interact with mere mortals, and who have come to expect the worst from humans. They are rarely disappointed. It recounts the story of a sorceress and poet named Pampa Kampana, who dreams a whole civilization into existence from magic seeds. Through divine intervention, Pampa lives for more than two centuries, witnessing the city's many victories and defeats. She writes it all down and seals the story in a clay pot for future generations.

Central Otago Wine Country, New Zealand

Our trip to New Zealand was a series of unfortunate events, and the day we spent wine tasting on the South Island in New Zealnd is the story of making lemonade out of lemaons. We were supposed to go to Milford Sound, which is one of the things I remembered best from my first trip to New Zealand almost 40 years ago. We flew in, and it was memorably spectacular from the air, so that is how I wanted my spouse to see it too. We were also on a limited time budet, and it would allow us to not spend the whole day in the car getting there, and have time to explore the waterfalls and fjords that make it such a special place. When the weather forecast was that it was too foggy to fly, we pivoted to a wine tour--which would have been far cheaper than the flying was, except that at the very first winery they had free shipping to the United States, so we pivoted to making the day cost neutral and having something from the trip to enjoy at home. I would highly recommend this option and while I thought I didn't care much for New Zealand whites, it turns out I am not crazy about the New Zealand whites that are prevalent exports. We tasted some really delicious pinot noirs, roses, and sauvignon blancs and great fun while doing so. If we go back, we would purposely travel to wine country!

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

This is a romantic comedy, which is a genre of film that I like, but I do not read alot of it. It is on the NYT 100 Notable Books of 2022 list, which is where I saw it and added it to my To Read list, and I am very glad that I did. Florence is a gifted write who is an unconfident but gifted writer. She escaped her home town because of a single unfortuate event--she saw a ghost when she was 13 years old. A local boy had been murdered and his body buried--the boy haunted her, and as a result his body was found and his murder solved. All well and good, but she revealed why it was she knew what she did, and she was made an outcast. So she escaped to Manhattan. Florence works as a ghostwriter for one of the most successful romance writers in the industry, but she’s behind on turning in the last book she has under contract. After a harsh betrayal and break-up a year earlier, she just can’t envision true love and happy endings any more. But the clock is ticking, and not finishing is really not an option. While she is working out what to do, the worst happens--her beloved father dies suddenly and she has to go home, where she encounters a grief, a family that she loves, and a ghost who loves her as well.

Shotgun Wedding (2023)

The essense of the plot is this--Darcy wanted a small wedding, but agreed to a destination wedding (in the Philippines--the suggestion being that they wouldn't go big and do Bali--overall this sub-text is very unappealing and if I were the Phillipine government I would protest and encourage people to watch a couple of Anthony Bourdain episodes from his trips to Manila to counter balance this). Her fiance Tom is trying to make everyone happy, because essentially none of their families are. It all goes terribly wrong when pirates invade the ceremony and Darcy and Tom are left with saving all their loved ones. This is not a good movie. As one critic put it, as an action movie/romantic comedy hybrid it’s too violent for comedy fans and not thrilling enough for thrill seekers. It’s not romantic enough for the romcom fans, despite the best efforts of Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel, and the back ground patter of the dueling family. What is amazing is that Jennifer Lopez looks nothing like her age of 52, and pulls off the gun slinging action hero role pretty convincingly, after she rips off her wedding dress and gets some army boots on. We watched on a trans-Pacific flight (the longest kind!) and it was perfect. No one's blood pressure went up and it didn't leave us with anything to contemplate that might interfere with sleep.

How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

The subtext is The New Science of Psychedelics, and it is that, plus a pretty extensive review of the old science of psychedelics as well. The use of psychedelics as a mode of treatment is falling back into favor, after a brief and politically fraught emergence on the scene in the 1950's and 60's. There was some promising data emerging that was quashed, partly for political reasons (the military eliminated it as a tool they could exploit and the mainstream saw it as part of the hippy movement that they wanted to suppress) as well as hampered by the attention seeking nature of the professionals whose advocacy was tarred by the limelight they sought. Fast forward to the present where white upper and middle class opiate users are dying at startling rates, so new and innovative treatments for substance use disorders specifically and mental health in general are popular and sought after. The book explores the range of disorders and conditions that might be treated by psychedelics, which is broad, ranging from end of life anxiety, to substance use disorders, depression, and a myriad of other psychiatric conditions. The author talks to researchers, research subjects, recreational users, and takes psychedelics himself in order to provide a broad range of thoughts and experiences, and then he attempts in the end to explore why they might be uniquely helpful. I found the characterization of psychiatry to be largely derived from the media and movies rather than direct contact with practicing mental health professionals, and therefore irritating, but overall this is very thought provoking and hopefully sways some skeptics to think again about how these agents might effect real change and alleviate suffering.

Rātā, Queenstown, New Zealand

We really loved Queenstown, and after driving pretty much the length of New Zealand, it is the area we would return to. This was the place we had our first meal in country and it did not disappoint. We had two small plates, two main dishes and a side. The two small plates were spectacular. One was an octopus dish that was slices of octopus that had been marinated and were served cold in a salad that had crunch from pumpkin seeds, had crunch from vegetables, and an incredibly balanced dressing that had equal parts acid, sweet, salt, and heat. Just amazing. The other was a kingfish crudo that was one of the best crudos I had ever had. We ate something similar to this dish whenever we saw it on the menu, and I am salivating just thinking about it. And I am not a huge fan of raw fish! That good!

The potato side dish was dressed with miso and honey, which is a trick that I could take home with me--so often when we are on a seafood heavy trip (we live in a land locked place, so when in an island nation, the choices are pre-determined) I get no take home tips, but this is something I can use. We had duck, which was a bit risky because my spouse makes it quite well, but it was delicious and cooked perfectly for me. The other main was black cod (the fish of the South Island) with seaweed and abalone--and quite balanced and unusual. We tried glasses of two different white wines from New Zealand and kicked off the trip right.

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

There is a lot going on in this book. It is the story a girl in Argentina who dreams of playing soccer professionally and it is also a book about the food and culture of the world that Camila Hassan is growing up in. It is an oppressively male-dominated culture in her Rosario barrio, but she finds her joy and freedom on the soccer pitch. She can't tell anyone other than her best friend that's she's on a team because her parents forbid her from playing, but the more her team wins, the harder it is to keep the secret. And the team's becoming a force to be reckoned with, largely due to her intense, skillful play. Camila's home life is rough. Her father is an abusive bully, her brother is struggling to rise in the local soccer league, and her mom is emotionally beaten down by years of verbal abuse. Diego, her brother's best friend, complicates matters when he visits home from playing professionally in Europe and pursues a relationship with her. She can't see a way to make the relationship work with him playing halfway around the world and her pursuing her dream of playing professionally in America. The secrets and stress begin to take their toll on her, and in the end some people come through for her and she comes to see what developing her own future means in terms of what she can keep and what she has to let go.

She Said (2022)

One review I read characterized this as a tough but worthy watch, and I would agree. It chronicles the backstory of how on October 5, 2017, a New York Times story by reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor made public what had been whispered about for years. One of the most powerful men in Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein, who made films that made millions at the box office and got dozens of Oscar nominations and three Best Picture wins, was a serial sexual predator whose abuses were covered up by his studio with hush money payments. That he used his position to extract sex from women was well known, but the extent to which he raped unwilling women was less well understood, and at least in this account, is what turned the tide and helped amass the kind of evidence that was needed to get by the newspaper's legal team. So for a long time a blind eye was turned on sexual harassment and no one bothered to pick up that rock and look more closely at what was underneath it. That reporting had concrete effects. It helped inspire countless #MeToo revelations, the departure of other top executives, and systemic changes that have given women more opportunities and more protection in the film industry and in other workplaces as well. The toll that it took on the two women who reported the story is also well portrayed. Bearing witness and keeping people's secrets that they weren't ready to divulge is a heavy burden, and the support both women had on the home front was also pretty incredible. A well told but difficult to hear story that is interesting even though we know the outcome from the beginning.

Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah

When Abdulrazak Gurnah won the Nobel Prize in literature last year, not nearly enough people had read anything by the Tanzanian-born writer, myself included. He fled to England as a teenage refugee after the 1964 uprising in Zanzibar. He began writing fiction in English — his first language was Swahili — and eventually became an English professor at the University of Kent, where he taught for several decades. Throughout his career, he has worked to impress upon a forgetful world the experiences of displaced people, and this is a fine example of that. It is set in early 20th century East Africa, with a multitude of colonial baggage. At the center of the story is an Indian African man named Khalif. Equipped with some bookkeeping skills, a little English and an enthusiasm for gossip, Khalifa gets a job as a clerk for a local merchant, a kind of landlubber pirate who plays both sides of German rule. The story veers between hope and despair, with a side of cruelty balanced by acts of kindness. It is a great story well told.

Lemon Tart with Olive Oil Crust

I have to say, I was a little sceptical of this, wondering how impactful the flavor of the olive oil would be on the flavor of the crust, but my firend who made it for my birthday said to trust her, and I did, and she was right, it is flat out amazing. And easy to go together to boot. Added bonus is that it doubles nicely. One for now and one for the freezer. 1 ½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour 5 tablespoons (2¼ ounces) sugar ½ teaspoon table salt ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons water Filling 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon table salt 3 large eggs plus 3 large yolks 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest plus ½ cup juice (3 lemons) ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 INSTRUCTIONS For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in bowl. Add oil and water and stir until uniform dough forms. Using your hands, crumble three-quarters of dough over bottom of 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough to even thickness in bottom of pan. Crumble remaining dough and scatter evenly around edge of pan, then press crumbled dough into fluted sides of pan. Press dough to even thickness. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is deep golden brown and firm to touch, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. 2 For the filling: About 5 minutes before crust is finished baking, whisk sugar, flour, and salt in medium saucepan until combined. Whisk in eggs and yolks until no streaks of egg remain. Whisk in lemon zest and juice. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly and scraping corners of saucepan, until mixture thickens slightly and registers 160 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes. 3 Off heat, whisk in oil until incorporated. Strain curd through fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Pour curd into warm tart shell. 4 Bake until filling is set and barely jiggles when pan is shaken, 8 to 12 minutes. Let tart cool completely on wire rack, at least 2 hours. Remove outer metal ring of tart pan. Slide thin metal spatula between tart and pan bottom, then carefully slide tart onto serving platter. Cut tart into wedges, wiping knife clean between cuts if necessary, and serve.

A Season On The Wind by Kenn Kaufman

As literature goes, this is interesting at the best of times but pedestrian and pedantic in places. The author is a life long birder, starting in childhood and both he and his spouse continue to bird early and often. They chose to move to northern Ohio because of it's importance as a stopping off point in the song bird migration from their wintering spots in the south of the Americas to the north where they breed and spend the summer. That was the driving force in why he is there, and it is at the center of what ties the book together. He is working up momentum for opposition to putting wind turbines on the shores of Lake Erie and in order to bring notoriety to the migrating bird's plight, he also started a birding festival that occurs over 10 days at the front end of May to experience the migration in person. So there are two threads, wound together, that end up being an interesting story decently told.

Story Poles

Story poles, such as the ones located at VanDusen Garden, were carved to preserve knowledge, history and stories of the people. Story poles do carry a lot of spiritual values but they are not the same as religious values, therefore, calling them totem poles is inaccurate. First Nation people did not worship or pray to the poles. The pole on the left tells The Mosquito Story, an origin story of where the mosquitos came from. This pole tells the origin story of mosquitos, which came from the ashes of the funeral pyre of Baboudina (top), chief of the blood-suck Mosquito People. Below him is the young woman (middle) who killed the Chief and save her husband (bottom) and baby. The pole on the right, Al of the Gispudwad, is the origin story of the black bear crest. A long time ago a man was transformed into a bear and lived among the bears for a while. When he returned to his people, a kind elderly healer helped him become human again. The black bears remained friends with the man and would help him if he was in trouble. To honor the black bear he had his descendants use the bear as their crest.