Author of the Day: Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester writes lively histories and biographies, often using his own travels as a framework for the book. Whether he writes about volcanoes, the Oxford English Dictionary, China, earthquakes, or geography, Winchester's books are always entertaining.

Those I have read are in red; those on my TBR shelf are in blue.

Here is the list, starting with his latest release:

The Alice Behind Wonderland

Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms,and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories

The Man Who Loved China: Joseph Needham and the Making of a Masterpiece (reviewed here)

A Crack in the Edge of the World

Lonely Planet: Simon Winchester's Calcutta

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded

The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary

The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

The Fracture Zone: My Return to the Balkans

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time

Pacific Nightmare (a novel)

Pacific Rising: The Emergence of a New World Culture

Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles

Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire

Prison Diary, Argentina: A Falklands Story

Their Noble Lordships: Class and Power in Modern Britain

American Heartbeat: Some Notes from a Midwestern Journey

In Holy Terror

NOTES

Photo: Simon Winchester at Dinosaur National Monument in the Uinta mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah, while researching his next book about America. Photo by Setsuko WInchester, used by permission.  

Last updated on April 19, 2012.

OTHER WINCHESTER FANS

If you have reviews of Winchester's books or other Winchester-related posts, please leave a comment with a link and I will list them here.

Teaser Tuesday: Very Bad Men

Rhiner yanked his pistol around from behind his back, too late.  The tire iron slapped down hard against the barrel, the sound of it sharp like the crack of a whip.

-- Very Bad Men by Harry Dolan. 

This is the second in a mystery series set in Ann Arbor, Michigan, featuring crime magazine editor, David Loogan.

I loved the first one, Bad Things Happen (reviewed here) and this one is even better.  

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia at A girl and her books (fka The Printed Page), who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

Life in the Thumb is hosting in August.  Please visit Staci's fun and cheerful blog for some great reading inspiration. 

I got one book last week, the second novel in Ian Rankin's John Rebus series.  I am excited for this one and am planning a break from my Guilt List to enjoy it right away.

Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin

Opening Sentence of the Day: The Omnivore's Dilemma

What should we have for dinner?

-- from the Introduction to The Onmivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.

Air-conditioned, orderless, illuminated by buzzing florescent tubes, the American supermarket doesn't present itself as having very much to do with Nature.

-- from the first chapter, "The Plant: Corn's Conquest."

Although it was enormously popular, I put off reading this because I feared political polemic over unbiased information.

But I am on a tear with food books now that I am on a Food Freedom campaign, so when I saw the audiobook at my library, I snatched it.

I am still in the first section on how corn has come to dominate America's food supply. It is fascinating! I'll reserve judgment on the political issues until I finish the book. So far, nothing is overtly political, so it is easy to keep an open mind.

THOUGHTS AND NOTES

This book inspired my former brother-in-law, Curt Ellis, to make the charming and quirky King Corn documentary.

This book, so far, has inspired me to stop by one of my favorite local markets,  Sheridan Fruit Company, and buy some local, grass-fed lamb chops for the grill last night. Delish!

WEEKEND COOKING

Hosted by Beth Fish Reads

I have been reading food books because I am on a Food Freedom kick, which you can like on Facebook, or follow on twitter.

This counts as one of my books for the Foodie's Reading Challenge, hosted by Margot at Joyfully Retired.

Author of the Day: Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy (1939 - 2012) was an Irish author who wrote 16 novels and several collections of short stories. 

Every now and again I want to fall into a Binchy novel and live in it. This mood usually strikes when I am hectic at work or otherwise am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Her novels are dense with details of interesting, but ordinary, people overcoming difficulties. They are satisfying the way cleaning out a messy closet is satisfying.

Below is a list of her novels.  Those I have read are in red; those on my TBR shelf are in blue.

Light a Penny Candle (1982)

The Lilac Bus (1984)

Echoes (1985) (reviewed here)

Firefly Summer (1987)

Silver Wedding (1988)

Circle of Friends (1990)

The Copper Beech (1992)

The Glass Lake (1994)

Evening Class (1996)

Tara Road (1998)

Scarlet Feather (2000)

Quentins (2002)

Nights of Rain and Stars (2004)

Whitethorn Woods (2006) (reviewed here)

Heart and Soul (2008)

Minding Frankie (2010)

A Week in Winter (2012)

NOTES

Last updated on July 11, 2018.

OTHER BINCHY FANS

If you have Binchy-related posts and would like them listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.