Skip to content

Gardening Infographic

Dilapidated building near Warsaw, VA

A very nice infographic about gardening.

Tagged , , ,
2015 01 22 ernie Gardening Comments (0) Permalink

Brief Review. The Man Who Smiled: A Kurt Wallander Mystery by Henning Mankell

The Man Who Smiled: A Kurt Wallander Mystery (4) (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) by Henning Mankell



Another great police mystery by Mankell. It contains the usual characters on the police force and Wallander’s family and friends. Parts allude to the struggle of the common man against the rich and powerful with some justice in the end.

Tagged , ,
2015 01 17 ernie Books Comments (0) Permalink

Brief Review. The Word Exchange: A Novel by Alena Graedon

The Word Exchange: A Novel by Alena Graedon




The future. A symbiotic relationship between humans and their ‘smart’ devices. All seems good except that words are supplied to us so we don’t have to think of them, at a modest cost. But what about cornering the market on words? Removing all existing text and dictionaries. This is a nicely crafted thriller. Well done.

Tagged ,
2015 01 17 ernie Books Comments (0) Permalink

Brief Review. The Visionist: A Novel by Rachel Urquhart

The Visionist: A Novel by Rachel Urquhart.




An interesting story and nice character development. Set in the 19th century in New England when Shakers were thriving. The description of Shaker society and organization often kept me reading.

Tagged
2015 01 16 ernie Books Comments (0) Permalink

Brief Review. Stag’s Leap: Poems by Sharon Olds

Stag’s Leap: Poems by Sharon Olds




Absolutely enjoyable and wonderful collection of poems. All are about her separation from her husband and coming to grips with living apart from one with whom you have shared many years.

Tagged ,
2015 01 16 ernie Books Comments (0) Permalink

We’ve Come So Far

Tagged , ,
2015 01 15 ernie A Place to Bury Strangers Comments (0) Permalink

Brief Review. A Fatal Likeness: A Novel by Lynn Shepherd



A Fatal Likeness: A Novel by Lynn Shepherd

A rather wordy fictional account of deadly rivalries with Victorian sensibilities at the time of Shelley his wives and mistresses.

Tagged
2014 12 31 ernie Books Comments (0) Permalink

Brief Review. Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid by Nikki Giovanni

Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid by Nikki Giovanni


A wonderful collection of poems and short prose pieces about daily life many presented as an autobiography.

 

 

The end of the poem ‘When My Phone Trembles (for D’Angelo)
When my phone trembles
After midnight
I take
A deep breath
Reach for my glasses
Think of my son

And I pray

Tagged ,
2014 12 31 ernie Books Comments (0) Permalink

Brief Review. The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming (New York Review Books Classics) by Masanobu Fukuoka

The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming (New York Review Books Classics) by Masanobu Fukuoka


An interesting account of farming in Japan using no plowing for grain crops and almost no tending, certainly no pruning in orchards. Also what we now call slow food – eating what is in season and available locally. Look at nature and natural processes as a whole. Humans may be capable of analyzing, researching portions of it but cannot understand  or control the whole.

Tagged ,
2014 12 31 ernie Books
food Comments (0) Permalink

Brief Review. Tinkers by Paul Harding


Tinkers by Paul Harding

A wonderful exploration of two lives. A man in his eighties on his death bed, his last few days and past life in retrospective, and the man’s father. THe father is subject to epileptic seizures and we see the world in a way that many of do not perceive. The dying man repairs clocks as a hobby in his retirement. WE are constantly reminded of the precision and complete control of clockworks and the conflicting erratic, human view of the world. Excellent.

Tagged
2014 12 31 ernie Books Comments (0) Permalink