Scan barcode
goldandsalt's reviews
460 reviews
My Traitor's Heart: A South African Exile Returns to Face His Country, His Tribe, and His Conscience by Rian Malan
5.0
This book is SO intense. Sickeningly graphic fairly frequently, but I'm really glad I read it.
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong by Jean-Benoît Nadeau, Julie Barlow
5.0
This is a light, humorous ethnography of the French, from an American/Canadian point of view. Reading this before I studied abroad in France helped me SO MUCH! I'm fairly certain that I made a lot fewer cultural blunders than I would have without reading this book. I highly recommend it to anyone planning a trip to France.
Zapotec Science: Farming and Food in the Northern Sierra of Oaxaca by Roberto J. González
3.0
This is an excellent ethnography of food and agriculture in central Mexico. It's highly readable, as ethnographies go, and very interesting. I read it as a sort of companion to [b: The Omnivore's Dilemma|25310666|The Omnivore's Dilemma|Michael Pollan|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475679718s/25310666.jpg|55632318], because Gonzalez talks about how to the Zapotec, maize has a soul, which is a huge contrast to corn as a commodity in the US. This was for an independent study on sustainable agriculture systems, and the book immediately became a valuable segment of my study.
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
5.0
A sometimes silly, sometimes serious book about King Arthur. I really loved the unusual use of language and bits of mangled french thrown in here and there. It has tedious moments, and some things I just had to accept that I didn't understand and move on, but it was absolutely worth wading through.
The theme of slow, even, lifelong love vs. passionate, all-consuming love has really stuck with me.
As has the delightful King Pellinore.
The theme of slow, even, lifelong love vs. passionate, all-consuming love has really stuck with me.
As has the delightful King Pellinore.
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
4.0
Sometimes I like to read coming-of-age novels. This fit the bill. Also very character-driven. I like that.
The main character also happens to remind me of myself in high school.
The main character also happens to remind me of myself in high school.
Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
3.0
This book was rather hard to get into. The first 50-75 pages were quite a drag, and I didn't really care about the teenage protagonist. However, it was worth wading through, as the rest is a really interesting piece of fiction interwoven with history. I'm glad to have read it, and will definitely try reading more of the author's work.
The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer
2.0
This book was decent. It kept me interested on a 21 hour train ride, so I was happy enough. Mostly I liked it because I could identify with Carrie so much. I too dated my high school sweetheart from age 14 all the way till the end of college. We were the stable couple, the one that would never break up, the pseudo-married couple. Fortunatley, I got the chance to break up with him properly, without a tragic accident or fleeing to the big city.
Basically, this was an average book, that kept me engaged because of my own history.
Basically, this was an average book, that kept me engaged because of my own history.