The War on Privacy
Fresh Pasta
Made some fresh pasta for dinner and decided to hand cut it so it brings rustic flair to the meal.
My Struggle Book 5 by Karl Ove Knausgaard
An easy winter read, book 5 covers Knausgaard’s early twenties in honest detail. The many foolish things we do in youth, he shares for all of us. There is something terribly engaging in his style and since this is autobiographical, the level of excitement for him and dissapointment when he hurts others is like no other book. I look forward to the sixth and final book next year.
H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
I have been well aware of this book as it is now ten years old, has won many awards, and has been a fixture of many book store end caps. It was only recently that I bothered to learn what the book was about and give it a read. Having just escaped a book about whales and revenge, I jumped right into a book about hawks and grief. I would describe this as a sad book, but one that shows a very vulnerable time in the author’s life.
The Greenhouse Project
After having expanded our gardens and fenced in the raised beds, we decided to take the plunge on building a greenhouse this year. The thought being that a greenhouse would provide more options for growing food, maybe even year round. In my estimation, even if the experiment didn’t work, at least we would have more storage.
There were a number of options for a foundation on the Greenhouse, but I decided a slab of concrete would be the most durable and pair well with an extended driveway for teen parking.
To Build a Fire by Jack London
I visited my uncle in California last week. He encouraged me to read the short story To Build a Fire by Jack London as it was memorable to him and Jack London is a well known local for Oakland. We checked out a bookstore and they had a used compilation, so I picked it up as a souvenir.
The story was quite grim and though I was not looking for such a grim tale, it was quick and fits these cold winter months.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Like most of the planet, I have heard of Moby Dick. I know of Captain Ahab, the great white whale, and even remember Starbucks is named after the first mate on the boat. I also know Moby Dick has a reputation of being a difficult book that people often quit. It was Benjamin McEvoy who convinced me this is a great work of literature and the type of book one should read for their own journey.
Redwoods
I was able to visit California with my son. One of the non-negotiable places to visit was Muir Woods. He had never seen the redwoods and I’d much rather see the towering trees than the towering buildings of the city.
Of Monsters and Men
I have really gotten into the album My Head Is an Animal this year. I was pleased to find The Cabin Sessions, recorded ten years after the album came out.
Fight Oligarchy by Bernie Sanders
I found this small book staring at me when I was browsing the bookstore. I find Bernie to have a sensible perspective on things and without reading the jacket, picked it up. I agree that our modern USA has become an oligarchy skewed system with our current tech billionaire frenzy and their lopsided influence they have.
This book seems to be a packaging of the speeches Bernie gave on a tour earlier this year.