currently reading...

it's been ages since i've done one of these, but some shiny new books got delivered this morning so i thought i would share what i've been reading recently.



on the top of the pile is civilization and the limpet, by martin wells. someone recommended this book to me on flickr a while back, and it has been really enjoyable. wells got me from the very first page with the observation that 'some poor people work all their lives and all they ever make is money'. his basic assertion is that modern society is increasingly focused on itself, and in some cases you would 'hardly know that other animals existed.' this book is a collection of essay on some of the more curious members of the animal kingdom, more specifically those of the marine world. each one is entertaining and informative and if you are a nature nerd like me it is a good read.

i just finished the last great sea and mentioned it here. a broad spectrum yet detailed history of the north pacific ocean that i've now read twice, and probably should again at some point. good, but a lot of information to absorb.

i found this curious 30 year old soft sculpture book in a pile of things at my friend's house, as she was cleaning out old things while she moved. i haven't fully explored it yet but there are some very quirky sculptures featured. i may give it its own post soon.

wild color is a book i've had for quite some time, but i've been referring to it a lot recently as i'm getting back into natural dyeing as the weather warms (something about summer and dyeing works perfectly together, don't you think?). i think this book is an excellent reference for anyone playing around with natural dyeing.

the last two books arrived this morning, and are further inspiration for the summer of dyeing (see above) i have planned.  indigo is not so much a how-to book as a comprehensive history of indigo use. maybe someday i'll get to actual successful indigo dyeing and then i can be part of that history... eco colour is natural dyeing under the guidance of the amazing india flint. i actually borrowed this book from the library, but due to its high demand i was only allowed a 14 day loan with no renewal. a quick browse told me i would be referring to this volume for a while to come, so it seemed a good idea to get my own copy.

what are you reading lately? (ps, i'm looking for a good summer novel to whisk me away - any suggestions?)

currently reading...

the week is winding down, and it seemed like a good time to share some books again that i am reading these days.



on the top of the pile is everything i want to do is illegal, by joel salatin. i borrowed it from the library and am slowly working my way through. anyone who has read michael pollan's the omnivore's dilemma might remember joel and his farm, polyvore, where he raises a variety of meat animals (cows, pigs, chickens) in a sustainable way. joel is a big believer in local food, and this book details his battles with the state of virginia and the USDA while trying to offer a local, healthy product for his customers. it's very interesting, but he has a lot of anger (not that he doesn't have a right to). i just find all that anger a bit exhausting, so it's good for me to read other things too. i'm not sure if this is because regulations are a bit different in canada, so i don't feel the same level of rile as he does, but he does give an insider's perspective on those fighting to offer a better source of food than the CAFOs that predominate the meat industry these days.

second is a book A just got for me the other day, is dyes from american native plants, by lynne richards and ronald j. tyrl. as the dye experiment continue (in the photo above you can see one of my current dye jars, from yellow onions), this book is a good resource for over 150 common plants in north america that can be used for dyeing. it also has a bit of history of natural dyeing in north america.

third in the stack isn't really a book, just the latest issue of whole living magazine. i only started reading it this year, but i truly enjoy each issue. incidentally, mav did a review of whole living over on 3191, back in january, which is actually what finally pushed me to buy an issue. she isn't wrong.

finally on the bottom of the stack is another recently gifted book, marine life of the pacific northwest. you can imagine this book from Andy Lamb and Bernard Hanby would be right up my alley, and i have spent much time already giddily pouring over its pages of colour photos. i think it's almost sensory overload for me, actually. it is way too big to be schlepping down to the shore as a field guide, and it is a bit pricey, but if you are interested in sea life from this coast i highly recommend it. i can't imagine that i would ever get tired of this book.

i will be back in this space over the weekend, hoping to share some recent dyeing and some new stuff for the shop. i am participating in poppytalk handmade's next market which starts monday, so i will let you know when stuff is up there too. hoping you all have great weekend in store!

currently reading...

it seems like i have quite a few books piling up on my bedside table this week, and i thought it might be fun to share some of them here. feel free to chime in with what you're reading or recommend!



i've mentioned before that i love books about the west coast - history, ecology, etc - and right now i'm reading the collector, by jack nisbet, which is about the botanist david douglas, and his explorations in the pacific northwest in the 1830s. i'm finding it pretty interesting so far, realizing how many hundreds of plants and animals he documented and "discovered", besides the douglas fir, whose cone is featured on the cover. "collector" is a very apt title, as i'm slipping back and forth between fascination and mortification on the techniques of that time. common practice for botanists/naturalists seemed to be all about preservation (of plants and animals specimens, to take back to england) but with very little note for conservation (ie picking all samples of a plant that could be found, with little regard for leaving some be).

the second and third books in the pile, books #1 and #2 in the bone collection, by jeff smith, were actually picked up for my nephew, for his birthday next week. but i didn't think he would mind if i started reading them, and i finished the two over the past three evenings. they are graphic novels, telling the story of the three bone cousins and their many adventures, and i really enjoyed them. there are actually nine books in this first series, so i am thinking i might have to get the others at some point to read.

like so many others, i am a big fan of heidi swanson and her food blog, 101 cookbooks. i've been reading it for a few years now, and last year i picked up her other book, super natural cooking. it is one of my most used cookbooks. i was thrilled to hear she had another book coming out this spring, and my copy arrived this week. super natural everyday is looking really good so far, although i haven't had time to make any of the recipes yet. but i highly recommend checking out her website if you are not familiar with it, and the books are a great extension of that. all the recipes are vegetarian, with a focus on whole foods that incorporates lots of interesting ingredients while still being very approachable.

bottom of the pile is a library book, one that i wanted to check out before purchasing. so far, handmade living, from lotta jansdotter, is a beautiful look at clean scandinavian style. i think she describes her style as swedish, with influences of asian and the west coast, and that is a mix that definitely appeals to me. lotta's own printed fabric is featured throughout the book, and that along with recipes and decorating ideas makes it a wonderful feast for the eyes.

so, what's on your bedside table this week?

cantharellus and other 'shrooms...

this past weekend i was visiting my folks while A was away across the country (enjoying the fall colours in Ontario). visiting with my mom, especially at this time of year, always gives me a chance to: a) raid her garden (pumpkins, squash, kale, tomatoes, etc); b) clean out more old boxes (ugh); c) visit the sheep and alpacas; and d) snoop through closets and shelves to see what treasures my mom has been holding on to that i can procure or borrow for myself. right now in fact, i'm wearing a cotton canvas tunic that my mom made in the 70s. i also found an old Cowichan-style cardigan that she knit for herself years ago, that i hope to get lots of use out of this winter. but getting back to today's topic...



as you've probably noticed, i'm a bit mushroom crazy this fall. which is saying a lot, i'm normally kind of muchroom obsessed - perhaps i'm just giving in to it completely now. and as my mother and i were talking about mushrooms, she brought out an old Danish identification book she had. awesome. i am in love with the drawings in this worn, orange book. it belongs in a set with other books that identify plants and animals, all with these amazing illustrations.



i wish they had more books like this available now. not just because they are so pretty to look at, but also because i think they actually make identification a lot easier than actual photographs. there is just something about them that is more clear, don't you think? there is often such variation in fungi, and in other plants, that i usually find one photo to be inadequate in helping determine a species. somehow the drawings work a lot better.



i am just borrowing the book while i scan many of the pages. this is only a small selection - i am hoping to scan most of the book to have on file to save, since i can't get a copy for myself. i hope you enjoy the pictures as much as i do - and if you have any sources for old nature identification books, please share! i'd love to see more of these.