RIP, Julia Child
– August 13, 2004Posted in: Uncategorized
Books To Jump Up and Down Over
Magic Hours by Tom Bissell: This marvelous collection of essays chronicles everything from film shoots to novelists rescued from oblivion. (The essay on the Underground Literary Alliance, with its portrait of raucous factions, unexpectedly reveals how soft today's literary world has become.) But if you peer between the cracks of these smart pieces, you may very well see how cultural lives are formed from the most unexpected life choices. And as we follow Bissell's development as a writer over the years, that goes for Bissell as well. (Bat Segundo interview with Bissell)
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway: Harkaway's latest novel greatly improves on his previous book, The Gone-Away World, which I'm already on record as praising. Angelmaker adopts genre elements without ever feeling like a genre book, and it leads me to believe that Harkaway is well on his way to a narrative grace close to China Miéville's. Yet inexplicably this very fun book, which includes an eightysomething badass named Edie Banister, a mysterious mechanical object that may destroy the world, farcical scenarios involving lawyers and the police, and some unexpectedly moving moments about fatherhood, doesn't appear to be getting much attention in American newspapers. Nothing from the snobs at The New York Times Book Review, nothing from The Washington Post. And since I can't get Harkaway on Bat Segundo, I hope this Jump Up and Down mention gets you hopping as well.
The Age of Insight by Eric Kandel: Unless you're really pressed for time, forget Jonah Lehrer. If you want to understand creativity and its relationship to neuroscience, then the bowtie-wearing Nobel laureate is your man. In addition to being a physically beautiful book (you will drool over many of the paintings), there are helpful overviews on optical illusions, science, biographical backgrounds, and many vital figures from the Vienna Secession. Kandel's enthusiasm (and his call for greater unity between the humanities and science) is contagious.
Did you hear the audio clip on NPR this morning? God help me, all I could think about was Dan Akroyd’s classic SNL bit …
I did, as a matter of fact. Even so, I didn’t realize how much I loved Julia Child until this morning. Between her and the Galloping Gourmet, they showed me that cooking shows were fun and instructive (and during my early twenties, pivotal towards helping me sober up from a hangover).
Oh God, the Galloping Gourmet – we are really in flashback city here, aren’t we? He was hilarious but I don’t think I could ever contemplate choking down one of his dishes … You know he has his own site at http://www.grahamkerr.com?
Yes, the cleaner and more sober Graham has one of those cool slicing things, which I actually have in my kitchen (it’s very handy).
What is Julia fondling in that picture exactly? It’s either a very large fish or some kind of latex novelty.
Julia never needed frigging Atkins/No Carbs smack to keep her game going…she will be missed *sniff*