The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

This is a fictionalized version of the story of Doctor Zhivago and the CIA's use of it--funnily enough, there is a non-fiction book about part of this story, The CIA Book Club that you can follow up with if you want the more factual version. This is two stories, one from the Russian side and one from the American side, and they are woven together. At the height of the cold war, the CIA ran an initiative known as “cultural diplomacy”. Following the premise that “great art comes from true freedom”, the agency seized on painting, music and literature as effective tools for promoting the western world’s values, and funded abstract expressionism exhibitions and jazz tours. But when it came to the country that produced Tolstoy, Pushkin and Gogol – a nation that, might value literature like the Americans value freedom (or at least we used to) – the focus was always going to be on the written word. And her subject, the part the CIA played in bringing Boris Pasternak’s masterpiece Doctor Zhivago to worldwide recognition, was the jewel in cultural diplomacy’s crown. In 1955 rumours began to circulate that Pasternak, hitherto known largely as a poet, having survived a heart attack and Stalin’s purges, was ailing and politically compromised but had nonetheless managed to finish his magnum opus. The sweeping, complex historical epic – and simple love story – that is Doctor Zhivago had been a decade in the writing under the most adverse circumstances imaginable: the imprisonment of Pasternak’s lover, Olga Vsevolodovna Ivinskaya; the death in the gulag of his friend and fellow writer Osip Mandelstam and the suicides of two others in his circle, Paolo Iashvili and Marina Tsvetaeva; constant surveillance and his own ill health. Because of its subversive emphasis on the individual and its critical stance on the October Revolution, no publishing house in the Eastern bloc would touch it. It was smuggled out by an Italian publishing house and this is the story of what happened to get it back into Russia. It is a well told story, and one that lays out why women who were of great use during the war and then discarded in the peace might have been tempted with becoming double agents for oh so many reasons.

Bacira, Madrid, Spain

This was absolutely the best deal of the trip, and an excellent meal. The tasting menu was an excellent deal and the wine pairing was even bettr--well chosen wines, generous portions, and all from Spain. I would highly recommend you add this to your Madrid itinerary. It is a Bib Gourmand restaurant, which is often our favorite type of restaurant, and here is from the Michelin website: A perfect example of friendship, hard work and, above all, an unconditional love for cooking. Here, the three owner-chefs at the helm, Carlos Langreo, Vicente de la Red and Gabriel Zapata, each specialise in a different type of cuisine (traditional Mediterranean, Japanese and Nikkei) but who are receptive to new trends and an inclination towards fusion cooking. The atmosphere here is both welcoming and informal with a vintage decor that includes slender wrought-iron columns. There are two tasting menus and we went for the long one--perhaps erroneaous as we could barely move afterwards, but overall a spectacular meal.

The Intuitionists by Colin Whitehead

There are a few living authors who are still writing whose work is so compelling that I seek out their new work, and in this case, am working on the books they wrote before I fell hard for them as a reader. The first book I read was Sag Harbor, and while it didn't knock my socks off as a work of fiction per se, it was so unusual in terms of the setting and subject, an entry into a world that is likely well known to African Americans but was completely unknown to me. So when I saw this on a "Staff Picks" table at my local library, I picked it up, and I would encourage you to do so as well. This book, his first, is set in a steampunky alternate mid-20th century, where elevators are the most important public conveyances in the world, and the people who inspect them basically run the city. There are two types of elevator inspectors: the first is the Empiricists (i.e. the traditionalists), who use close physical examinations to make their inspections, measuring and checking and confirming with evidence. The second type of inspectors are the Intuitionists, who inspect elevators (lifts) not by measuring anything, but by riding the elevators and feeling, sensing, knowing, what is happening to the machine in the parts they cannot see--there is some allegorical magic to be had here, as well as some manipulation for political gain. The protagonist of the novel is Lila Mae Watson, the first black woman to be employed by the city as an elevator (lift) inspector. She is also an intuitionist. As a “representative” of three different types of progressivism within the city, she is constantly being watched. To be an intuitionist is to be in the minority, to be black and an intuitionist is to be in a tiny minority, but to be black, female and an intuitionist makes her a truly unique individual. The corrupt, conservative, boss of the inspectorate want to make an example of her failing, and likewise their rival factions are keen for her to succeed.

Interaction of Color by Josef Albers

If you are going to take one color theory book with you to a deserted island, this is the one. Designers tend to think of Josef Albers (1888–1976) only as a color theorist because Interaction of Color is a classic design school text. However, outside of the design world, Albers is better known as an abstract painter. His work, particularly his Homage to the Square series, influenced Op-Art artists who furthered his explorations in human perception or “the discrepancy between physical fact and psychic effect.” He was the first living artist to have a solo show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. This book was originally published in 1963 and it still stands up as the best way to think about the relationship between colors. Here is a quick summary: 1. Color is the most relative medium in art. 2. Experience is the best teacher of color. There is no shortcut to your 10,000 hours towards mastery of this subject. Unless you experiment with colors in the manner in which Albers prescribes, you will not fully grasp how the exact same color can look different in a small quantity than it does in a large quantity or how the same color looks different surrounded by another color. Color is constantly related to its neighbors and to changing light conditions. 3. It is difficult to visualize specific colors. Visual memory is very poor by comparison to auditory memory. 4. People have strong preferences in regard to colors. No way around it, other than to try to add in a color you don't care for and see if you can change your mind. 5. Few people are able to distinguish tonal value in different hues within close intervals. There are apps to try to help you develop this skill. 6. When two colors have the same value, they “vibrate.” Because the eye reads value more than hue, vibrating colors compete for the eye’s attention and are uncomfortable to look at. 7. While there are innumerable colors, in most of the world’s languages, there are only about 30 names for different hues. 8. Any color can “go” or “work” with any other color, it is principally a matter of in which proportions they are used. Albers often required students to use colors that they disliked in order to have them realize this relational aspect of color. You might say there are no ugly colors, only ugly uses of color. These principles are astoundingly useful in modern quilting, and I cannot believe that I have been quilting for 50 years and never read this book--my only defense is that I have zero design background!

The Mortal and Immortal Life of the Girl from Milan by Domenico Starnone

The book opens with a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Euridice. Euridice dies young and Orpheus, who loved her desperately, goes to the Underworld to bring her back--the only thing he has to do is to not look at her while he is escorting her out--but he fails to follow that one rule and Euridice is doomed. In this book a young boy in Naples named Mimí sees himself in Orpheus. As a child, he watches from the kitchen window as the girl from Milan dances on her balcony. He resolves that, should the girl fall to her death, he would go to the underworld and rescue her. His obsession with her infects his friends and they have great fights over who she belongs to, despite them never speaking to her or knowing her all. She is almost literally mythical for him. The next layer in this book is one of class. The author reminds us that not so long ago Italy was not one country but many regions that were united under one language, which is not the one he grew up speaking. Since Mimi grew up speaking the Neapolitan dialect at home, Italian is his second language and he is desperate to join the ranks of the great poets he reads in class. It is only once he grow up, becomes educated, and learns the girl died shortly after she left his neighborhood that he want to transport the girl from Milan's story from the Neapolitan, where it lives in his head, to Italian, where others can hear it too. This is short and fascinating.

Xolo, North Liberty, Iowa

We are always on the hunt for a new Mexican restaurant. We like La Mexicana in Coralville, but we feel we could do better. Unfortunately, this is not the place. To start with the pluses: The fish ceviche was good--a large portion, and we would have liked an appetizer portion, but strong citrus and no off flavors. The menu is enormous and there are far more choices than at other local Mexican restaurants--including Chicken Milanesa and Huaraches, which are favorites of mine. The chips are very good, maybe the best locally, and the choriqueso dip was excellent. The choripollo was excellent, the best part of the meal. Now for the not so great news: It is pretty expensive for Mexican food (although the portions are large), and the service is quite slow--we previewed the menu, ordered quickly, and it was 45 minutes from sitting down to getting our main courses. The rice and beans were not good--underseasoned and the rice did not have a great texture--this is a deal breaker for me--we love rice and beans and if they are not really good, we might as well not go. The guacamole is not good, and probably not made in house. The restaurant itself if very nice and can accomodate large groups, but as a weeknight dining option, we wouldn't go back.

Universality by Natasha Brown

This book is smartly written and while short, it is not an easy read--don't be fooled by it's weight. The reason it doesn't rate more highly for me is that it is whip smart satire, but as I currently live in a country where The Onion is hard to distinguish from the actual news, it all makes it harder for me to appreciate. It begins with the kind of viral long-read article you might DM your mates, featuring an illegal lockdown rave by an anarchist collective squatting on a banker’s farm, an activist bludgeoned with a solid gold brick during the proceedings, and said banker – who wants his missing ingot back. Chaos, clicks and conspiracies ensue and it isn't even clear if it is real or fake. After a run at the privilege of living off your connections and your parent's cash, the novel’s focus shifts to Miriam ‘Lenny’ Leonard, a middle-aged, girl-bossing white lady columnist who rides the tide of demagoguery, seizing the opportunity for fame, riches and eyeballs at any cost. Lenny’s provocations are all too familiar in the present moment. Language becomes muddied, skidding from hot takes to fresh outrage all over again as she says the unsayable to feed the ghoul of populist opinion. Like I said, it is well done. and she isn't wrong, but I didn't appreciate it--bad timing on my part!

Dolce Villa (2025)

This is a lifeless script with adequate acting--except for the town mayor, Francesca, who is fun from start to finish. The real draw here is the charming Italian town where they are selling houses for $1 in the hopes of revitalizing a village where the population is shrinking to the point of not being sustainable. This is actually happening-two of my kids studied abroad in Sicily and a town nearby, Gangivecchio, had such a deal. The scenery is spectacular, and the house they are renovating is gorgeous. The story here is that a duaghter who is wandering aimlessly in both Italy and life happens upon this village and embarks on a plan to renovate a broke down palace using money that her Italian mother who died recently left her and her father, who used to be a chef but quit when his wife got ill, goes after her to stop her. Stop her he does not, and they both find love, love of land, and love of food and making it. No surprises.

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I read a review that described this a a mockumentary without an emphasis on the Mock--another described it as an earnest look at the music scene of the 1970's. Having been a young person at that time, in college and traveling quite a lot to see music myself, this up close look at the inner workings of a band that is in the midst of a meteoric rise in popularity does ring true. If this is a part of rock and roll history that you want to look more closely at, and have not been satisfied with the available memoirs and non-fiction books that document actual bands, or not particularly interested in any one band but want to experience the inner workings of a fictional band, this is a good rendition of that era. The other motivation might be the inner dynamics within the band, and in that context this is a pretty tame depiction. The book may have had a resurgence in interest because there is an Amazon Prime mini series based on the book tht has been well received.

Lisa Thorpe: Backyard Bird Fabric Collage

I went to the Minnesota Quilters show in St. Cloud last month and took a workshop from Lisa Thorpe doing collage with birds as the central theme. The one on the right is hers and the one below is the collage I made. There were so many things to love about this workshop, not the least of which was that I finished what I started that day and I was very happy with it. I also left inspired to do it again, and the teacher provided all the tools to make that happen, from how to create my own fabric with pictures of birds to selling a do-it-yourself kit.

I have taken a number of classes from great teachers over the years, but rarely have I had a teacher who came so prepared to make her students successful. The first ingredient to that was that her supply list was detailed enough that I actually packed well for the class. I brought things that I had that had bird themes, adn I brough fabric that would work in the background. If that wasn't enough she literally had enough materials with her that if you had packed 100% incorrectly (as has often happened to me) you could be successful because she brought lots of bits and pieces to do collage with, may that she had printed or hand stamped herself. Finally, if you just did not want to make choices, she has wonderful kits that you can assemble. It had beginners, intermediates, and advanced crafters all covered, everyone left with a project well on it's way to completion, and they were all different even though we had the same shared class.