The Botany Of Desire by Michael Pollan

The Botany Of Desire

by

Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan is one of my go to author's.  I also enjoy his documentaries.  I was first introduced to him in the film "Food Inc"  and then later read The Omnivore's Dilemma.  Last night I finished reading his book The Botany Of Desire.   It is a delightful non fiction book about how plants evolve and benefit from our agendas.    He begins with the story of the apple and Johnny Appleseed and expounds upon fruits overall.  Next he talks about the tulip and the roles of flowers and beauty in our lives.  This is followed by medicinal plants with an emphasis on the ones that alter our consciousness and their role in pain control, memory and behavior and then zeros in on cannabis.  The author concludes with a discussion of the potato during which he includes the current practice of altering the genes of plants to provide an innate insecticide from insects.  Michael Pollen's writing is clear and his books are easy to read.  Some of his works have been made into documentaries.  The Botany of Desire is one of his books that PBS made a documentary out of.  Please see the video below to preview that documentary.  Also,  by clicking on the author's name and book title and the beginning of this post you will be redirected to pages with more information.  

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter

and the Deathly Hallows

by

J.K. Rowling

   I finished the seventh and last book in the Harry Potter series at 5:30 this morning.  I stayed up all night finishing it.  I did not want to stop and once I was finished with the book I was disappointed that  I had completed the series.  I do not want to be finished with them.  But I  plan on watching all the movies so will continue to enjoy the world of Harry Potter for awhile yet.  And there is a web site that is called Pottermore that if you click on the book title above you will go to a web page, which is the part of the Pottermore site, which is about Hogwarts School, which is the boarding school Harry Potter and his friends attended during the series.   Also,  at the end of this blog is a video about a castle in UK that is a resort based on the series.  Kids can go there for three days and have a mystery weekend in the recreated Hogwarts school.   There is also a Harry Potter exhibit at Universal Studios in Florida and another one in Hollywood.  It is my understanding there is also a site to visit in London.  I am sure there are other Harry Potter activities to participate in.  My kids were born a little too soon to be in the Harry Potter craze but this year at our Mother's Day brunch my grandson recommended the Harry Potter series to me and I have enjoyed every book in the series.  It took me six months to get through the series because,  using the digital library service,  the books are so popular I had to be on a waiting list for each book.  I realize there has been some criticism of the series because of they are fantasy books about witches and wizards.  Besides being great fun, the books stress good values of honesty and loyalty.  They emphasize making good choices for good and being against evil.  There are evil things in the world and it is good for children to feel empowered to take a stand against them.  The books teach cooperation with others.  I am pleased a generation is growing up with these values being presented in an entertaining way.   These are books that I would have read to my kids if they were out when they were in grade school.  We would have discussed the content as we finished reading a chapter or two each night.  J.K. Rowling has given the world a treasure with this book series and I am honored that my grandson shared this treasure with me. 

A Fall Of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

A Fall of Marigolds

by

Susan Meissner

This book contained all sorts of things that appealed to me.  It is a fiction story about a young nurse that witnesses the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in NYC and watches a friend leap to his death unable to help him and a young woman who is late to meet her husband at  Windows on the World the morning of 911 and is widowed as a result.  Both women have extreme survivors guilt.  The author uses the same antique scarf in the possession of both women to tie the story together.  The scarf is covered by cascading marigolds.    The modern day woman works in a fabric store and the concept of fabric and patterns is woven throughout her story.   The nurse from the early 1900's obtains a job at Ellis Island to escape from memories of the fire.  I listened to the book on audio.  I neglected to notice that it was a product by Christian Audio or,  not wanting to be preached at,  I most likely would not have selected it.  But I was pleased in that it was not a preachy book.  It was a clean book as far as its language and the behavior of the women involved, and at the end the author did express her opinion about the importance of romantic love in a person's life.  I do not agree with the author's conclusions.  Certainly we all need love in our lives but every one does not need romantic love to feel fulfilled.  Despite this disagreement with the author I recommend this book.  Some of the reviews criticize the book for being too dramatic.  I think the experiences the women had were very dramatic.  Other reviews criticized the nurse's described behavior in the book.  I think her hysteria was period appropriate.  That is how a woman would have reacted back then to that type of tragedy.  She showed strength to be able to eventually move beyond it.  Since the fabric expert was more functional I think the author was portraying the way women from each time period would have reacted.  This book is not going to be a classic and I would consider it under the topic of romance or chick lit so it is not the type of book I would normally read.  Nevertheless  I did enjoy it and would encourage those that like this venue to read it.  There is a lot in the book that book groups could discuss.  A portion of the proceeds from the book are donated to Save Ellis Island which you can read about by clicking HERE.  Please click on the author's name and book title at the beginning to follow the links to more information and enjoy the video that follows.  

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Fault In Our Stars

by

John Green

During the times in my life that I have been single I have had a dating rule that I was pretty firm about.  Which was - no second chances.  If I broke up with a man or he broke up with me then that was the end of it.  No getting back together and trying again.  I did break that rule a few times but,  with the exception of one person,  always regretted it when I did attempt a second chance relationship.   So I am not sure why I keep letting John Green break my heart.  I read his Looking For Alaska and was reduced to a puddle of tears.  I listened to Paper Towns on audio and was prepared that time so I managed to be just choked up and very blurry eyed.  And I resisted reading The Fault In Our Stars because I have not felt the need to sob.   But of course I wanted to read it.  I planned to read it eventually.  So several months ago I put it on hold on Overdrive.  I had to wait a long time for it but finally it was checked out to me and I finished it night before last.  Of course I had to have a box of kleenex near by.   But I loved it as I loved his other two books.  I do not read love stories.  I am an historical fictional genre person.  But John Green's books are an exception for me in that regard too.  It is the story of teenagers who have cancer.   It is a very uplifting book.  He dedicates it to an online friend he had and that person's site can be found HERE.   If you don't want to read this book . . . then watch the movie.  It is a great story.  I have posted the video of the movie trailer at the end of this post.  Please click on the book title and the author's name above to follow the links to more information.   And know I will read more of this author in the future.