Gifted Typist

In my continuing effort to satisfy the 100-Things meme challenge issued by the Bad Tempered Zombie, here is a list of the books I’m reading.

I’m not a one-book-at-a-time sort of reader. I don’t feel I need to finish one book before starting another. There is freedom in dipping into this book or that one at your pleasure. I finish most books I start, although I don’t force myself to read something that is poorly written, badly drawn and a waste of time. (DaVinci Code).

I’m not a book freak. I don’t preach on my or anyone else’s need to read. I just like having things that interest me at arm’s length. Books satisfy that. So do taped TV shows, rented videos and good friends.

My choices are non-fiction. A lot of fiction I’ve read over the last few years has underwhelmed me, even the “good” stuff. But I’m not anti-fiction, just a bit short on inspiration at the moment.

I’m a sucker for a hardcover and all but one book on this list are hardcover. I’m always open to new suggestions so please tell me what you think I’d like.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan. a seminal work on food, the food industry and our twisted relationship with food. This is a break-out book, like Fast Food National of a few years ago. He has a new one coming out called In Defense of Food which wants to put the fun back in food.

Teach Yourself Adobe Creative Suite 3 – All in One - This is work-related reading. The book covers the basis of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver and Acrobat. I’m getting there with Photoshop , Acrobat and Dreamweaver, just beginning Flash and In Design, and still lost in space with Illustrator.

Cook with Jamie , Jamie Oliver – After a long, long break, I’m going back to cooking for fun. I love food and used to enjoy cooking. Jamie Oliver is an engaging character who is passionate about food and cooking. My first Jamie-cooking foray was the other night – Pot-roasted Poussins Agro Dolce with Sticky Saucepan carrots. It was a roaring success.

The Long Tail, Chris Anderson – This was the buzz book of last year. It provides a good explanation of the new business model in the Internet era. This is a world of unlimited choice, aggregators, niche markets and virtual communities that congregate around one interest. Anyone doing business, communications, manufacturing or delivering any service would benefit from this book. (Update since writing this post: I’ve finished this book. I can recommend it)

The Canon, A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science Natalie Angier – Written by the science correspondent for the New York Times, this book is an eloquent and lyrical exploration of the subjects so many of us feared in school. She makes physics a joy to read. Ditto chemistry, evolutionary biology, astronomy and geology. Last night I read about the laws of thermodynamics and was thoroughly charmed and engaged. The world needs more good science writers like Angier.

Sound Bites, Alex Kapranos – Some of you may know him from Scots rock band Franz Ferdinand. This book is an eating diary recorded while he was on a world tour with the band. He discusses what he eats, where he eats it and the people he eats with. A fun book.

The (like) Language Report (for real), Susie Dent – part of a series, this book takes you to the front lines of the rapidly evolving English language. It’s not judgmental and fearful of change as some language books can be. I particularly enjoyed the Headlines section. One notable was “Dirty Harry” which appeared in The Sun after Prince Harry visited a lap dancing club.

The Mitfords, by Charlotte Mosley – letters of the six infamous Mitford sisters who shocked the world with their politics, novels, marriages and aristocratic antics during the 20th century. Their friends included Adolf Hitler, Queen Elizabeth, Evelyn Waugh, and President Kennedy. You could say that the Mitfords were the Paris Hiltons and Britney Spears of the 20th century only the Mitfords were wittier and less banal.

Quotation Marks, Marjorie Garber – written by a heavy hitter English professor from Harvard, this collection of essays applies sharp academic thinking to pop culture, among other things. Only read one of the essays, an exploration of the Jewish angle in the whole Monica Lewinsky affair. This stuff is smartly written, well referenced and a delight to read.

E= Einstein: His Life, His Thought, and His Influence on Our Culture, edited by Donald Goldsmith and Marcia Bartusiak. I’ve been at this one for about a year. It’s a collection of essays on the man’s life, his theories, family and politics. I find his physics interesting, especially Special Relativity, but the way he came up with his ideas is riveting to me. He used instinct, creativity and critical thinking to come up with his ideas and then his scientific genius to prove them.

Books on my bedside table but not yet cracked: On Beauty, Zadie Smith and Night Watch, Sarah Walters.

Bad Tempered Zombie 100-things meme count for this post: 12

Bad Tempered Zombie 100-things meme total: 35+12 = 47

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 9:53 am and is filed under CBC Radio, culture, words. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.