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Review Date: 10/12/2007
America's, and my favorite drug. I picked up this book because i was trying to convince myself to quit drinking coffee. Well, it was a great book and i ended up cutting down to a cup a day. I contacted Odonian Press and found out that they only had 10 copies left and they aren't going to reprint it. This book has information on coffee and it's affects on: anxiety, asthma, blood-pressure, breast-feeding, cancer, digestion, headaches, infertility, PMS, and something i'd never heard about, tobacco withdrawl. An easy to read book with tons of information on just about every aspect of coffee.
Review Date: 10/12/2007
I believe this book is probably the book that led the way for all the ziners who are doing books now. It's the first book i ever saw that stemmed from a zine, and i wanted to buy it the minute i saw it. However, i didn't have the cash then. I forgot about it for a while, but finally picked up a copy recently. I'm thrilled to get a chance to carry it. This is a collection of pieces originally found in Temp Slave! zine. Pieces by temp workers about working temp jobs. I always thought about contributing to this zine back when i was temping, because the stories about the crap jobs i worked would have fit well in there. If you've ever worked temps, you'll find solace in knowing you're not alone. If you've never worked temps, this will give you one more good reason not to
Review Date: 10/12/2007
Critical Mass had it's 10th Anniversary September of this year (2002) and this book was put together for that occasion. Numerous contributors from all over the world chronicled their experiences with Critical mass through essays, pictures, fliers, & comics. You get such noted contributors as Travis Hugh Culley (author of the great book The Immortal Class) as well as Chris Carlsson, who is credited with starting critical mass (though he denies it at every turn, giving credit to everyone who had a hand in it) Great writing, great pictures and an all around great book!
Review Date: 10/3/2007
Helpful Score: 1
Detours - Life, Death & Divorce on the Road to Sturgis by Richard Le Plante
I found this book on one of my forays through the library catalog. I usually head straight for the motorcycle history/technology section to see what they have in stock. Once in a while i peruse the subheadings in the catalog to see what else i might find. I normally don't get into stuff about Harley's or Harley riders. I certainly wasn't interested in reading about Sturgis, but i'd been a while since I'd read a good "road trip" book and I was in the mood. So i got it. I started it right away. I wasn't terribly interested in reading the sordid details about his love affair with his motorcycles. Thinking back, i can't figure out how many bikes there were. I only know that he threw down ridiculous amounts of cash for each and every one. What i did enjoy was reading about the rides. I especially liked the story of the huge rainstorm he got caught in. Nothing like danger and discomfort to spice up a story. I also liked that he chose not to have a windsheild on his custom bike. He was advised to get one, but he foolishly decided against it. I can understand. I think windsheilds look horendous on motorcycles and i would have mad the same choice. It took far too long to finish the book. I read it every day for a few days, i got about 3/4ths done and then set it down for a couple weeks. I wouldn't add it to my personal collection but it was enjoyable enough to read.
I found this book on one of my forays through the library catalog. I usually head straight for the motorcycle history/technology section to see what they have in stock. Once in a while i peruse the subheadings in the catalog to see what else i might find. I normally don't get into stuff about Harley's or Harley riders. I certainly wasn't interested in reading about Sturgis, but i'd been a while since I'd read a good "road trip" book and I was in the mood. So i got it. I started it right away. I wasn't terribly interested in reading the sordid details about his love affair with his motorcycles. Thinking back, i can't figure out how many bikes there were. I only know that he threw down ridiculous amounts of cash for each and every one. What i did enjoy was reading about the rides. I especially liked the story of the huge rainstorm he got caught in. Nothing like danger and discomfort to spice up a story. I also liked that he chose not to have a windsheild on his custom bike. He was advised to get one, but he foolishly decided against it. I can understand. I think windsheilds look horendous on motorcycles and i would have mad the same choice. It took far too long to finish the book. I read it every day for a few days, i got about 3/4ths done and then set it down for a couple weeks. I wouldn't add it to my personal collection but it was enjoyable enough to read.
Review Date: 10/13/2014
Helpful Score: 1
I picked this book up once or twice before and was never really that taken with it. For some reason it just didnt pull me in right away. It might be the writing style, or maybe its because when I dream of a farm, I dream of the country, not raising animals in the ghetto. But Jodi read it and really enjoyed it, so I thought Id give it another shot.
Novella and her partner live in a shady part of Oakland, CA. Not just marginally shady, but so shady that a homeless man lived un-accosted in multiple abandoned vehicles on their dead end street. Bad enough that they watched a man shoot up from their window. At one point she had a gun pulled on her while biking home. It was not a pleasant neighborhood and not one I would have chosen for an urban farm. However, it came with two things that are very helpful for an urban farm. An empty lot next door, and freedom. When the cops dont bother to show up until somebody gets killed, theyre surely not going to bother with someone farming in their yard. So they were basically able to do whatever they wanted with the space they had. So they planted a garden, then brought in some chickens, turkeys and geese. They got some bees, and fostered some rabbits. They sort of learned about each one as they were doing it, oftentimes through relationships they made with folks in the neighborhood. I think they took it a bit too far though when it went from poultry, bees and rabbits to pigs. I like that theyre willing to be a bit crazy and give something different a shot, but when the neighbors are complaining that their daughter is on the verge of vomiting from the smell, it seems like theyre taking advantage of the situation. They HAD to know how bad it smelled and for someone who is SO concerned about how her animals are treated when they are killed and dressed, she doesnt seem to have much concern about how her lifestyle affects those around her. At times shes sharing the bounty of her garden with her neighbors and the Black Panthers, other times shes overloading a borrowed truck with manure or having her neighbors help her coral her escaped pigs before they make it out to the busy street and cause havoc.
One thing I like about the book is that Novella shows herself to be pretty real, and the sort of person I would probably find myself hanging around. She drinks, she cusses, she gets angry, she makes bad decisions at times, and sometimes shes a bit self-absorbed and judgmental of people who arent like her. (Arent we all to some extent?) But shes passionate about whats she doing. She may not know exactly what shes doing, but she throws her whole heart into it and does it to the best of her knowledge and ability.
Novella and her partner live in a shady part of Oakland, CA. Not just marginally shady, but so shady that a homeless man lived un-accosted in multiple abandoned vehicles on their dead end street. Bad enough that they watched a man shoot up from their window. At one point she had a gun pulled on her while biking home. It was not a pleasant neighborhood and not one I would have chosen for an urban farm. However, it came with two things that are very helpful for an urban farm. An empty lot next door, and freedom. When the cops dont bother to show up until somebody gets killed, theyre surely not going to bother with someone farming in their yard. So they were basically able to do whatever they wanted with the space they had. So they planted a garden, then brought in some chickens, turkeys and geese. They got some bees, and fostered some rabbits. They sort of learned about each one as they were doing it, oftentimes through relationships they made with folks in the neighborhood. I think they took it a bit too far though when it went from poultry, bees and rabbits to pigs. I like that theyre willing to be a bit crazy and give something different a shot, but when the neighbors are complaining that their daughter is on the verge of vomiting from the smell, it seems like theyre taking advantage of the situation. They HAD to know how bad it smelled and for someone who is SO concerned about how her animals are treated when they are killed and dressed, she doesnt seem to have much concern about how her lifestyle affects those around her. At times shes sharing the bounty of her garden with her neighbors and the Black Panthers, other times shes overloading a borrowed truck with manure or having her neighbors help her coral her escaped pigs before they make it out to the busy street and cause havoc.
One thing I like about the book is that Novella shows herself to be pretty real, and the sort of person I would probably find myself hanging around. She drinks, she cusses, she gets angry, she makes bad decisions at times, and sometimes shes a bit self-absorbed and judgmental of people who arent like her. (Arent we all to some extent?) But shes passionate about whats she doing. She may not know exactly what shes doing, but she throws her whole heart into it and does it to the best of her knowledge and ability.
For the Guitar Enthusiast, Basic Pickup Winding Complete Guide to Making Your Own Pickup Winder
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
1
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
1
Review Date: 4/20/2009
Jason Lollar is the acknowledged master of custom electric guitar and bass pickup winding. In 1998 he wrote and self-published the definitive book on the design and construction of pickups, with a complete set of instructions on how to build your own pickup winding machine. In 1999 he published a second edition, updated with modifications based upon the experiences of other pickup manufacturers.
Inside you will find everything you need to know to be able to wind pickups just like the man himself. He shows you step by step all the tricks of his trade, from gathering materials, to making your own pickup winder, then winding the pickups yourself. He even includes a glossary of suppliers so you can order every single part you need without having to hunt them all down, and shows you how to make pickups for Strats, Teles, P-90s, Humbuckers, and Jazz and P basses. He is incredibly thorough with detailed explanations and pictures. Topics covered include magnetic materials, pickup resistance, covers, bobbin design and construction, pickup re-winding, modifications, potting and much, much more.
If you want to learn how to make pickups the way the best in the business does it, this is the book you must have on your shelf. 62 pages, comb bound
Inside you will find everything you need to know to be able to wind pickups just like the man himself. He shows you step by step all the tricks of his trade, from gathering materials, to making your own pickup winder, then winding the pickups yourself. He even includes a glossary of suppliers so you can order every single part you need without having to hunt them all down, and shows you how to make pickups for Strats, Teles, P-90s, Humbuckers, and Jazz and P basses. He is incredibly thorough with detailed explanations and pictures. Topics covered include magnetic materials, pickup resistance, covers, bobbin design and construction, pickup re-winding, modifications, potting and much, much more.
If you want to learn how to make pickups the way the best in the business does it, this is the book you must have on your shelf. 62 pages, comb bound
Review Date: 6/17/2014
Helpful Score: 1
When my girlfriend told me about this book, I thought it sounded interesting. The four agreements, as she remembered them, were things that I had kind of already decided for myself. She thought it was a really good book, so I thought I'd give it a read too. The basic premise of the book is that in the process of becoming a person, we are domesticated. During that domestication, we make agreements with ourselves. Some of them are true and some of them are not but they become part of our inner 'book of law.' Challenging those beliefs is difficult because that 'book of law' makes us feel safe, even if it's wrong. In order to break away from the pain, fear, and self judgement that goes along with those agreements, we have to make new ones.
I feel that the four agreements he lists are good ones. Like I said, I'd already started trying to follow them without actually reading the book.
1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don't take anything personally.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.
Of course he expounds on these, explaining why he feels each is important both for us and the people around us. I think much of what he writes makes a lot of sense, but I wasn't thrilled about it being explained through the filter of Toltec wisdom. I don't understand why a practical matter had to be turned into a spiritual one. I guess the pursuit of Toltec knowledge is this author's thing, but I don't feel that making these agreements sort of spiritual helped me in any way, shape or form. It's easy enough to skip over those statements and get to the meat of the agreements, but I just didn't need to be reading things like "Don't resist life passing through you, because that is God passing through you." Or "It is an expression of God to say, "Hey, I love you." Then you get to the very end of the book and there's a prayer to the creator. It seems out of place to me, you've got this whole book teaching you how to be comfortable with yourself and how to live without guilt and fear, but then you keep mentioning this concept whose very purpose is to fill people with guilt and fear.
It is a good book. I feel that living by these agreements had made me a better and happier person, but I didn't need a lot of spiritual mumbo jumbo to come up with them.
I feel that the four agreements he lists are good ones. Like I said, I'd already started trying to follow them without actually reading the book.
1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don't take anything personally.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.
Of course he expounds on these, explaining why he feels each is important both for us and the people around us. I think much of what he writes makes a lot of sense, but I wasn't thrilled about it being explained through the filter of Toltec wisdom. I don't understand why a practical matter had to be turned into a spiritual one. I guess the pursuit of Toltec knowledge is this author's thing, but I don't feel that making these agreements sort of spiritual helped me in any way, shape or form. It's easy enough to skip over those statements and get to the meat of the agreements, but I just didn't need to be reading things like "Don't resist life passing through you, because that is God passing through you." Or "It is an expression of God to say, "Hey, I love you." Then you get to the very end of the book and there's a prayer to the creator. It seems out of place to me, you've got this whole book teaching you how to be comfortable with yourself and how to live without guilt and fear, but then you keep mentioning this concept whose very purpose is to fill people with guilt and fear.
It is a good book. I feel that living by these agreements had made me a better and happier person, but I didn't need a lot of spiritual mumbo jumbo to come up with them.
The Jesuit and the Skull: Teilhard de Chardin, Evolution, and the Search for Peking Man
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
3
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
3
Review Date: 6/17/2014
The illustration on the cover of a skull sitting on books caught my eye. The title kept my interest. After reading the description on the inside cover, I definitely wanted to read this. So I checked it out from the library. The book is about Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit priest who in 1929 was one of the team that discovered the skull of Peking man. The discovery threw Teilhard, both a devoted scientist and a man of God, into a deeply personal conflict between the new science and his ancient faith. This struggle is at the heart of The Jesuit and the Skull.
To me this sounded quite interesting. I spent some time reading the God Delusion recently, and Richard Dawkins bases a lot of his arguments against the existence of God on evolution. I thought reading something from a different perspective would be interesting. I wanted to see how Teilhard reconciled evolution and faith.
However, his deeply personal conflict wasnt really between science and faith. Although was always working out the little details, he seemed to have his ideas pretty well figured out. From this book, he didnt seem to be constantly battling within himself to resolve the discrepancies. His main conflict seemed to be with the Jesuit order which refused to allow his books to be published, refused to allow him to take prominent positions in the scientific community, refused at times to even allow him to speak publicly because of his thoughts on evolution. He ended up spending most of his life as a Jesuit exiled because of his beliefs.
His deeply personal conflict seemed to have more to do with his friend Lucile. She was most certainly in love with him, and Im convinced that he loved her back, but because of his vows to the Jesuit order, he was not allowed to pursue a relationship with her. This incredible friendship, which could have been so much more, was actually destroyed by his commitment to the order.
By the end of the book I was getting so frustrated that I wasnt sure I was going to be able to finish reading it. He dedicated his life to the Jesuit order and they screwed him. They inhibited his scientific career. They inhibited his relationships. They exiled him away from his family and friends. They made his life hell! He died in exile, without one of his writings being published (as near as I can recall) and away from the woman he loved. What a waste!
I picked up this book to read about Teilhard who was completely unknown to me until I picked up this book, and theres quite a lot of information about him, but theres also a rather lengthy account of human evolution, which is fine but not exactly what I was hoping for. Its mostly tied in to the story of Teilhard, but theres quite a bit more science than I expected. I was most interested in the beginning and end of the book that focused more are Teilhard than on the science of evolution. Theres an interesting bit at the very end of the book about the disappearance of the Peking man skull during the war and where it might have ended up.
To me this sounded quite interesting. I spent some time reading the God Delusion recently, and Richard Dawkins bases a lot of his arguments against the existence of God on evolution. I thought reading something from a different perspective would be interesting. I wanted to see how Teilhard reconciled evolution and faith.
However, his deeply personal conflict wasnt really between science and faith. Although was always working out the little details, he seemed to have his ideas pretty well figured out. From this book, he didnt seem to be constantly battling within himself to resolve the discrepancies. His main conflict seemed to be with the Jesuit order which refused to allow his books to be published, refused to allow him to take prominent positions in the scientific community, refused at times to even allow him to speak publicly because of his thoughts on evolution. He ended up spending most of his life as a Jesuit exiled because of his beliefs.
His deeply personal conflict seemed to have more to do with his friend Lucile. She was most certainly in love with him, and Im convinced that he loved her back, but because of his vows to the Jesuit order, he was not allowed to pursue a relationship with her. This incredible friendship, which could have been so much more, was actually destroyed by his commitment to the order.
By the end of the book I was getting so frustrated that I wasnt sure I was going to be able to finish reading it. He dedicated his life to the Jesuit order and they screwed him. They inhibited his scientific career. They inhibited his relationships. They exiled him away from his family and friends. They made his life hell! He died in exile, without one of his writings being published (as near as I can recall) and away from the woman he loved. What a waste!
I picked up this book to read about Teilhard who was completely unknown to me until I picked up this book, and theres quite a lot of information about him, but theres also a rather lengthy account of human evolution, which is fine but not exactly what I was hoping for. Its mostly tied in to the story of Teilhard, but theres quite a bit more science than I expected. I was most interested in the beginning and end of the book that focused more are Teilhard than on the science of evolution. Theres an interesting bit at the very end of the book about the disappearance of the Peking man skull during the war and where it might have ended up.
Keep Chickens! Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs, and Other Small Spaces
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
6
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
6
Review Date: 6/17/2014
Although I haven't actually tried out any of the advice in this book, it seems like a good primer on starting to raise chickens, especially if you are getting your start in the city. She tends to spend a good amount of time focused on chickens as pets, even going so far as to suggest that even if you don't want chickens for eggs or meat, you may still enjoy them as pets. Maybe I'm just too practically minded, but I thought that was a bit goofy. On the other hand, I did enjoy some of the stories of the hijinks her chickens got into.
The book covers the basics on choosing and ordering or buying chicks, breeds, building a coop/henhouse, caring for chicks, feeding and caring for chickens, what to expect from neighbors and the law, and even some recipes to use up your eggs. I think I'm going to want to look at a book that's more detailed in some areas, but this is definitely a good start and a quick read.
The book covers the basics on choosing and ordering or buying chicks, breeds, building a coop/henhouse, caring for chicks, feeding and caring for chickens, what to expect from neighbors and the law, and even some recipes to use up your eggs. I think I'm going to want to look at a book that's more detailed in some areas, but this is definitely a good start and a quick read.
Review Date: 6/17/2014
I had considered buying this book, because I couldn't seem to find it anywhere to take a look at it... but read some pretty terrible reviews of it. Then I was able to get it on an interlibrary loan. For the most part, I think the book does a good job of showcasing some of the pieces at the Mutter Museum (at least for someone who hasn't been there yet.) However, some of the attempts at artistry are just annoying. I didn't need to see the photographer's? dog with it's face in a pelvis or it's foot on a jar. Nor did I need to see some hairy chest dude wearing a piece of flesh on his face. Some of the pictures are just straight up reproductions of old photos, others are artfully composed displays of museum artifacts, and then there are ones that are an attempt at artful composition but which obscure the subject matter either through blurring it or cropping. The book is mostly pictures (focused on diseased and deformed humans) with just short descriptions. There's more detailed information about the museum and it's collections at the front and back of the book. Overall I'd say this book is definitely worth looking at and probably worth purchasing
Review Date: 10/3/2007
She's a Bad Motorcycle - Writers on Riding, Edited by Geno Zanetti
This is a great compilation of motorcycle stories. 2 dozen essays, mostly excerpts from larger pieces on motorcycling. The book starts out with a piece from "The Perfect Vehicle" by Melissa Pierson which is one of my favorite motorcycle books. It then goes on with one hell raising adventure story after another by the likes of SOnny Barger, Hunter Thompson, S.E. Hinton, and Gary Paulsen. There are some more sedate pieces like Robert Pirsig's piece from "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance." But mostly they gravitate towards the dangerous and downright criminal. It ends with a piece called Bikers for Jesus. It's a rambling disjointed and overall poorly written piece that has little to do with motorcycles at all. I can only think of two reasons it might have been included. Either the editor is a christian and is trying to lead readers to Christ, or he's decidedly non-christian and is trying to make christians look like idiots. Either way, this piece should have been left out. It's kind of a let down after all the good stories in this book.
This is a great compilation of motorcycle stories. 2 dozen essays, mostly excerpts from larger pieces on motorcycling. The book starts out with a piece from "The Perfect Vehicle" by Melissa Pierson which is one of my favorite motorcycle books. It then goes on with one hell raising adventure story after another by the likes of SOnny Barger, Hunter Thompson, S.E. Hinton, and Gary Paulsen. There are some more sedate pieces like Robert Pirsig's piece from "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance." But mostly they gravitate towards the dangerous and downright criminal. It ends with a piece called Bikers for Jesus. It's a rambling disjointed and overall poorly written piece that has little to do with motorcycles at all. I can only think of two reasons it might have been included. Either the editor is a christian and is trying to lead readers to Christ, or he's decidedly non-christian and is trying to make christians look like idiots. Either way, this piece should have been left out. It's kind of a let down after all the good stories in this book.
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