Here’s a glimpse of some current reads which lend themselves more to sampling, in a handful of reading sessions, than gobbling in longer periods of time.
Although I no longer need to ponder the ratio of heavy to light volumes in my stack of current reads (because the COVID protective measures have changed my movement in the city), there are still some books in my stack which require a sink-into-your-seat focus and others which afford the opportunity to window-gaze between pages. These are the browse-y or sit-with-tea reads.
Afua Cooper’s Black Matters (2020) includes artwork by Wilfried Raussert, whose photographs also focus on Black lives and experiences. Canadians looking to mend the gaps in their formal studies should seek out Cooper’s writing; I can recommend We Rooted Here and They Can’t Pull Us Up and The Hanging of Angélique. (International readers would also benefit from reading her works, accessible and often narrative-driven, reframing the question of whether there’s any difference between racism in America and in Canada.) These nineteen poems consider various experiences of Black Canadians and their “ongoing, everyday struggles for justice, equality, and peace”.
The first volume of the Naomi series (2019-) by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker is illustrated by Jamal Campbell (who is also working with N.K. Jemisin to reimagine the Green Lantern mythos, in the Far Sector series).
Because I’m not properly versed in the DC universe, I wasn’t sure if I’d find the story engaging, but I appreciate a coming-of-age story about identity and struggle.
The idea of a place where “nothing ever happens here” that’s suddenly a hotspot, of a truth that the majority of people do not want to acknowledge that’s suddenly inescapable: we are living through a time when believing in a superhero is seductive.
When reading about courage is inspiring. When a young, Black woman must be prepared to stand her ground facing a foe larger and more powerful: “Well get ready, because I am.”
Bryant Terry’s Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean & Southern Flavors Remixed (2014) is one of my favourite cookbooks.
His Afro-diasporic recipes sometimes sound complicated (e.g. Smashed Potatoes, Peas, and Corn with Chile-Garlic Oil) but they are straight-forward. (You usually know what to expect just from the name, right?)
If you enjoy these flavours and collect the fundamentals (like, the Chile-Garlic Oil, for instance, which is very simple, actually), cooking with him becomes second-nature.
So if you’re bored with the usual home-made fare? Tired of the take-out options in your immediate community? (Support your local restauranteurs as much as you can, while we all cope with COVID protective measures!) Then try enriching your menu!
A bonus with this volume? Not only does each recipe come with a soundtrack recommendation, but there are even some reading suggestions too!
Lorna Simpson’s Collages (2018) landed on my TBR because I’ve been exploring the poetry and non-fiction of Elizabeth Alexander, who wrote the introduction to this volume.
Simpson’s artwork explores “the richly nuanced language of hair” via vintage advertisements from magazines like Ebony and Jet.
This slim volume (under 200 pages) includes 160 pieces, along with an artist’s statement which also helps situate the viewer.
The cover art hints at the surprises to be found—using a page from a textbook in an unexpected way, or by displaying an ordinary object in an extraordinary manner—and browsing a work like this for a few minutes is both inspiring and refreshing (and, sometimes, startling).
Richard Wagamese’s Embers: One Ojibwe’s Meditations (2016) doesn’t seem like the kind of book one would read through; slim and glossy-paged, it looks like the kind of book that sits on a coffee-table next to a bowl of pine cones or a stack of coasters.
“Mornings have become my table,” he begins. He shares these words as “embers from the tribal fires that used to burn in our villages”.
Divided into stillness, harmony, trust, reverence, persistence, gratitude and joy…some of his writing is openly spiritual, some short conversations are reproduced (including the “yes” bit, recognizable to Wagamese readers), and there are simple statements that resonate beyond the page:.
“A gift is not a gift until it is shared”; “SHOUT something”; and “When there’s a crack in my mirror, I can’t see myself as I am –all I see is the crack.”
Even though I count him among my MRE (MustReadEverything) authors, I didn’t expect to read straight through this book in a series of sittings.
Naomi is on my TBR too. My Uncle sent me a couple of issues via snail mail and the cover art is fantastic. I can’t wait to read it since I enojy a good coming of age story.
An Uncle who sends you books via snail mail? My favourite kind of Uncle! 🙂 It’s entertaining and fun: I think you’ll like it. (But I know you’ve got no shortage of good comics to read!)
Such interesting looking books. The vegan cookbook sparks my interest because I am vegan, but unfortunately I hate cooking, and own only about 4 cookbooks which have rarely been opened. I wish I liked cooking but I don’t. I sort of throw things together bad temperdly and hope for the best.
laughs It’s probably paradoxical to suggest this, but it sounds like a Youtube channel that people would love to watch. If I didn’t love to eat so much, I don’t think I’d’ve gotten into cooking either. Now I’m imagining that you eat rather like a Barbara Pym character? 🙂
Oohhh Afro-Vegan cooking? Sounds almost counterintuitive because seafood seems like such a big part of their culture, but it’s so nice to see more veggie-based options out there. I try to cook meat for dinner every other night, so I’m always on the look out for vegetarian and vegan recipes, but they have to be easy and quick!
Do you know about the cookbooks that Nava Atlas writes? (She’s also quite active on IG as The Vegan Atlas, apparently.) She’s recently had a couple of very fast and quick meal cookbooks. Her Family Vegetarian was a mainstay for us with the kids (very simple ingredient lists) for just everyday food, although it was mostly the Moosewood cookbooks that added true faves to our roster (the dishes requested for birthdays, holidays, etc. that have longer ingredient lists but still straightforward).
Ohhh ok I’m going to look her up, this sounds perfect for me
LMK if you find any favourites!
I’m going to look out for Afro-Vegan. Though I’m not vegan, I am non meat eating so vegan cookbooks are helpful but too many of them have the same variations on a theme and I’m getting bored. this could spice up the repertoire nicely
A friend mentioned that he has a newer book now, too, which might be easier for you to find. I find that just leafing through a cookbook can also serve to remind me of older favourites that have, somehow, fallen out of the regular menu. They’re inspiring even when I don’t necessarily find a new recipe to try.
Nice to hear that you’re discovering Elizabeth Alexander. I’ve loved what I’ve read of her work, particularly her bereavement memoir. (And, hey, she’s another U.S. inauguration poet!)
I miss the library for browsing cookbooks and random new nonfiction, especially. Some of my recent skimmers/dippers have been medical histories; another is Kakutani’s Ex Libris. I keep a few volumes of poetry by my bedside for occasional reading, including Nobody Told Me by Hollie McNish, short essays about her daughter’s early years interspersed with poems. I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott has a similar role in my stack; I pick it up every so often, usually while drying my hair, and read one funny autobiographical essay.
That was the first American inauguration I watched; where I was working, they stopped production so the whole company could watch (only about 20 people, but all of us together, around a single TV in a very large workspace). It was amazing. Those are all perfect “bookbag” picks for me too. Also, I thought I was the only person who tried to read while drying my hair (although I cut it just before the first COVID shutdown, so not so much, recently). It never works as well as I want it to. And I really enjoyed Ex Libris too: such bold colours!
I saw that you added the book Waste Matters on Goodreads, and so I added it to my TBR. Circa 2009 I would teach this essay about how corporations push to dispose of waste in black communities because the people who live there frequently don’t have the money or political influence to stop it. That blew my mind, but I have not seen another book or article on the subject. Thanks for bringing Waste Matters to my attention!
Do you mean that you added Black Matters, the poetry book? Or, are you talking about the Harriet Washington book about environmental racism? (A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind). Ohhhh, I think it must be the latter, because I was just looking up the link to it, and now I can see there that you added it yesterday! I’ll leave the link, in case anyone else is interested in this topic. I also really want to read her book on Medical Apartheid.
Oh! I misremembered the title. Yes, I added A Terrible Thing to Waste.
That’s a really interesting mix of books. Even though I’m not a vegan, I do like the look of Bryant Terry’s book. Plus, it seems like a different spin on the ‘usual’ vegan recipes, something more flavoursome and spicy, I suspect!
This would be a great cookbook for anyone looking to keep their tastebuds in shape. Did you know that our sense of taste dulls as we age, unless we continue to sample and enjoy a variety of flavours? I don’t want to miss out! (I think I learned this from Daniel Levithin’s new book, which is fascinating.)
I have the advantage over you in that as I move around I have a sleeper bunk with plenty of overhead lockers, and books in amongst the sheets and towels and clean clothes that I’ve forgotten about for years at a time. In my actual backpack I carry the book I’m currently reading plus 2 or 3 hopefuls. Browsing reading, not so much. I do that on my phone or laptop and it’s nearly all politics (or lit.blogs).
It’s true, this question of hopefuls. A single book, unless you’re on a very short trip (e.g. from mid-town to down-town LOL), just doesn’t cut it. There are probably some pretty interesting finds in those lockers that you might be thrilled to read when next you happen upon them.
I assume you, too, were glued to the inauguration yesterday. What a relief to have had it unfold without a resurgence akin to the January 6th attack. And what a relief-globally-to have some sense of management there, in regards to the pandemic; the borders to Canada have remained technically closed for some time, but there is still considerable traffic crossing even so, so obviously it would be better to have both sides attempting to reduce the spread.
I slept through the inauguration. Sorry, but it was after midnight. The change in tone in the newsletters, from Weds to Thurs was amazing. Though I think we’re just starting to realise how deeply embedded Trump loyalist are in the Civil Service.
Hahaha–it’s almost impossible to sleep through it here. The media coverage lasted a full twelve hours. I’m guessing that’s not the case for Australians then. Yes, it’s certainly not an over-and-done matter of transition. But it’s surprising and heartening to see such a shift in tone in some instances.
I love the idea of a soundtrack to match your meal or, perhaps, to listen to while preparing it.
Not all the recipes have both options (books, music) and some don’t have either, so it feels like he’s sincerely contemplated and shared only the best matches (rather than a marketing gimmick).
Well, that AfroVegan book looks amazing!
Yes, I’m not carrying a bookbag nowadays with all this staying at home that I’m doing. So there are heaps all round the house. Currently reading another skinny book (most of this month’s have been slender so far) and then will embark on a chunky Fitzcarraldo for February – lovely!
You’ve got so many great options for take-out, do you ever need to cook? Or are they not exactly in your neighbourhood so, with COVID, you’ve been cooking more?
I was just mentioning to Rebecca that I have been leaving my books all around the place, in little stacks, even more than usual…maybe it’s like “travelling” now!
Well, we have, but I don’t go out much lately (not since last March…) and so we are tending to mainly cook at home. I always did cook – having brought up three children as vegans, we had to really….
One advantage of grown/independent kids is decreased food costs! There are three family-owned restaurants (not vegan, but with vegan options) within a block of where we live, that we’ve been trying to support on a rotating basis every week or so. We order and drop off our glass containers and they fill them up and we return home with them; periodically we reconsider whether we should continue (as cases continue to rise) but they no longer have staff, just work the places themselves, and they seem more attentive to safety protocols than many friends and family. So, for now…
Having various reading stations around the house is a great way to read more! I have three that I use regularly.
We had some amazing pizza delivered last week, and we’ve done Nepalese and Malaysian (new to us) takeaway since lockdown 1. It’s nice to feel virtuous about supporting local businesses, especially when it’s so delicious.
Apparently we should model the behaviour of cats and move and stretch as often as they do, so fortunately there’s always another book close at paw/hand.
That sounds delish. I would love those choices. It doesn’t feel like we’re doing very much to help, really. There are probably about 15-20 restaurants/takeaways within two blocks of us, and I hope that others in the neighbourhood are doing more.
Black Matters is one of the books I got for Christmas this year. I haven’t started it yet, but now I’m glad I own it so I can read it as slowly as I want to! (Also, our libraries did not have it which made me mad, so I put it on my wish list. Maybe they’ve ordered it by now – I haven’t checked.)
A comic series about ME?!! OMG!!
And now I feel like I NEED to have that Afro-Vegan cookbook!
P.S. Your title made me chuckle. 🙂
LOL Yah, I know, right? Naomi‘s actually a lot of fun, and has adoption as a theme too, but it’s very much a superhero comic, so I’m guessing the cover would be your favourite part! 😀
Another great thing about this cookbook for those who are trying to eat more plant-based foods is that you can’t help but prioritize new and exciting flavours rather than simply looking for substitutes for old faves.
A poem/day for the Afua Cooper book was just perfect, so it’s lovely that you can take your time! Also…why don’t I know about ALL your bookish holiday presents?!!! Were some of them late arriving? 😛
Ha! They were scattered about for so long and I couldn’t be bothered to gather them together for a photo, even though I kept meaning to do it. I will take into account that you are interested! 🙂
I’ll have to refile fresh paperwork next December so that I don’t miss out on the holiday photos. 😀
Hey Marcie, I love the look of that Afro-vegan book! I lived in Barbados for a year a while ago, and I was blown away by the fresh produce from the market. I became a fan of “ground provisions”: yams, cassava, breadfruit, eddoes… I’d love to rediscover some of those recipes—although some of the ingredients might be tough to find here in rural Serbia!
One browse-y book I’ve enjoyed lately is Signs by the Roadside, by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andric. It’s a collection of thoughts and observations from his journals over a lifetime of writing, so you can dip in and read a bit here and a bit there—each one is only a few sentences. As with most books like this, the quality varies quite a bit, and there are plenty of duds or mundane observations, but there are also some real gems.
I can imagine that Barbadian food would make a convert of you in a short time and I bet you learned a lot down there, even beyond the menu. Maybe it’s more a matter of procuring the spices and adapting them to the grains and starches that you can access? Maybe you could open a wholly unexpected kind of fusion café (errrr, for take-out only, these days)!
That’d be so interesting. I’m not sure I’ve read anything set in Yugoslavia, let alone a writer’s diaries of life there. And I see that this one is available in Spanish (and various other languages) but not English, which only serves to remind me that I am missing out on a lot of good reading. Are you reading it in English or practicing a new set of language skills?
I do know what you mean, and had started to say something similar about Wagamese’s volume, too; I think part of the reason that I kept reading was that I would feel a few resonated and then one wouldn’t, so I’d move ahead to see if the next one did/didn’t, and that’s how I ended up reading it instead of only browsing! But maybe someone else would find my “duds” profound and vice versa?