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Seed Libraries

San José Public Library - Seed Library — San José Public Library – Seed Library

Read a great article today on seed libraries and why they are so popular at libraries today. The article is from the great folks at Atlas Obscura. They also have a book! The article points out the fact that all our vegetables are coming from factory farms now. Because of this, there are no local varieties available anymore. They want to do what they can to help make these rarer varieties more available.

As plant species reproduce, new generations develop unique adaptations to different environmental conditions, resulting in diverse heirloom varieties. But when large companies control most food production and seed distribution, and work to hybridize and streamline agriculture, those regional differences can disappear.

“I don’t see us as competing against large industrial seed producers, we just want to make sure that biodiversity is still available to people,” Hought says. She also notes that, as climate change alters the environment, she hopes access to more varieties of seeds will prepare food growers to cope with extreme conditions.

I’m sharing this for a couple of reasons. I think it is very sad and in the long term detrimental the human race that we are depending on so few varieties of vegetables. Those that are chosen by the factory farms because they are the most resistant to disease and easiest to grow on a huge scale. Also, I share this because there are very few people out there that really understand that libraries are not just about books. Libraries are changing. Much more is available there than you think. ebooks, emagazines, audiobooks (even available on your smartphone), educational resources like Lynda for free. There is so much more about your local library than books. Not that books are not amazing after all that is the purpose of this blog!

“[Seeds are] cultural documents of what we have saved and found valuable in terms of taste and community,” Newburn says. “When we take the seeds home and plant them and return them we’re actually adding another chapter.”

Book Review | Grain Brain

Grain Brain by David Perlmutter is my second audiobook of the year. As you can imagine this was somewhat similar to the last audiobook I listened to. Both books are focusing on wheat and what repercussions it has for those of us who love it and continue to consume it.

Dr. Perlmutter focuses on the impact of wheat on the brain. Listening to these books at the gym is very purposeful and really makes me push that much harder. It focuses me on getting healthier. And the next time I am presented with an option to eat bread it makes me reflect before taking that choice. Joe Cross, of Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead fame, is famous for saying:

You control the last few inches to your mouth

I’m paraphrasing, but you get it. We are completely in control of what we are putting in our mouth. No one is holding a gun to our head and telling us we have to eat eggplant or Doritos. That choice is ours. We may be tempted with certain foods, but the ‘last mile’ is all up to us. We control that and there are no excuses for what we are choosing to put in our mouths.

The other side of the story. While doing some research for this post I ran across an article by Alex Ruani reviewing the book and warning people not to take everything in the book as literal truth.

Instead, Perlmutter suggests that a low-carb diet is the only way to manage your blood sugar and insulin levels. But, as we know, a high-carbohydrate, low-glycaemic diet can too…
Source: © The Health Sciences Academy ®. All Rights Reserved.
Read more: https://thehealthsciencesacademy.org

I agree that Dr. Perlmutter left some things out of the book. He encourages drinking red wine, but also says that it is easier to get your Restoril from a supplement. He doesn’t warn the reader that too much alcohol consumption can be bad for your brain and body.

While I agree with Alex, that you need to practice some common sense and not take everything from any non-fiction book as the truth. Do some research and use some good common sense.

As a whole, the book is entertaining and educational. There is much you can take away from this book and I would recommend it without reservation. 3 stars for this education non-fiction best-seller.

Book Review | Wheat Belly

My first audiobook of 2018. And I read/listened to this book mostly while at the gym! What a great way to get through your TBR! In Wheat Belly Dr. Davis convinces us all that wheat is not what it used to be and the new altered commercially created wheat is not good for a waistband. I enjoyed reading this book. I have been very focused on my fitness lately. I’ve gone vegetarian, since September of last year. I tried vegan, but I missed breakfast with eggs. So I compromised and I am eating egg whites.

Dr. Davis succeeded in convincing me that I need to reduce the amount of wheat that I am eating. I have eaten far too much. He argues that in fact, it can be addictive. This I very much agree with. I find myself craving a muffin, English muffin or just a slice of bread. Even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be very nice. Bread is “ingrained” in us! It is in every meal we have.

My family loves eggs in a basket, many people love to have a bagel or just some toast. Lunch is often a sandwich or a burger with a big fat yummy bun! Dinner always comes with a dinner roll. Its everywhere!

This book and Grain Brain have taught me about the glycemic index and many other ways that wheat negatively impacts our health. Grain Brains extends what I learned in Wheat Belly and speaks about how wheat negatively impacts our cognitive ability.

I liked Wheat Belly and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about eating healthy and being healthy. It is a great listen.

Book Review | Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is the best book I have read in many years. It may be my new favorite book of all time. After reading the book I feel like Wade Watts the main character. I feel like I too have achieved what he did in the book. Like many 30 somethings, this book really spoke to me. I grew up in the 80’s. It was my decade. The characters in the book study that era to be better able to player Oasis an immersive world that they access via fancy virtual reality (VR) rigs.

This book reminded me of so many things all at once. How much I loved growing up watching TV shows like Silver Spoons and Family Ties. Playing the same video games that the characters mastered in the game: Adventure, Joust, Defender, Zaxxon, etc.

Of course, right now there is a ton of buzz about this book because it has been made into a movie. A movie with a trailer that is pretty spectacular. the movie will be released later this month (3/29/18) and the director is none other than Steven Spielberg. Who better to direct a movie about the 80s than the man who helped make the 80s with his amazing movies. The amazingly brilliant mind behind E.T. and Raiders of the Ark, both came out in the 80s.

This book also reminded me of Second Life a lot. That’s the immersive computer simulation where people can make the avatar anyway they want and you can actually make money in the game. Or Lindens, that can be traded in for real cash. Or at least that’s how it was years ago when Second Life was a big deal. I tried Second Life a long time ago, but even after reading this book I have no desire to log back into that virtual world.

Before reading this book I didn’t know anything about Ernest Cline. Now that I have read one of his books, I can’t wait to read more. “I love it when a plan comes together!” 5 Stars!!!

Book Review | Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

In September of last year, I read Jessica Bruder’s article in Wired magazine about retired people living out of the RVs and working for Amazon fulfillment centers, MEET THE CAMPERFORCE, AMAZON’S NOMADIC RETIREE ARMY. It was a very well written article that greatly intrigued me. Later I found out that Bruder was going to be writing a book about the same subject, furthering the article into something substantial. Nomadland is the result of that work. Nomadland is Bruder’s third book and she has written for many magazines.

The book follows a few of these work campers as the work for Amazon and the park system. The pay is low, most time just above minimum wage, but it is usually just enough to get by with.

many of these wandering souls were trying to escape an economic paradox: the collision of rising rents and flat wages

Plus the RV driving retirees take care of each other, helping out where everything they can. Installing solar panels, sharing a meal, or patching up each other’s RV’s when there is damage. Even though they are retired they still work and they work hard. When working for Amazon they walk up to 15 miles a day putting Amazon products on shelves for other work campers to pick up and package for customers.

Amazon Tour by Flickr User: Maryland GovPics

Life is not a vacation for these senior citizens. Things are tough for those that lost their retirement savings when the market went bust or had to pay for huge medical bills when an unexpected illness struck. The single largest expense we all have is rent or a mortgage. If you can cut this expense by living in an RV or van or car, then the money you make goes a lot farther. Working for minimum wage really is a minimum then. Things are not good but they are doable…just.

This book was an insightful look at how those who get paid minimum wage make things work. Some of them live in RVs or cars because they had to decide if they wanted to eat or if they wanted to have four walls around them. Shelter had to take on another form for them. It works for them but there is definitely a stigma attached to living in your car. You are “house” less if no homeless. Without a real address, there are some real hassles to getting things done. Like having a drivers license even. Bruder did a wonderful job making her article for Wired grow into a very good read! I rate this book 4 stars.

Reading the Books You Already Own

Library by Flickr User Stewart Butterfield

This post goes along with The Purge post I did a bit ago. I read an article by Laura Sackton of Book Riot this morning. In the article, she mentions the exact problem I have. Most of the 706 books left on my Goodreads to-read shelf are books I already own. I just can’t seem to get to them. Sometimes like Laura I pick something up at the library that looks interesting. Other times I buy something from Amazon for my kindle. Still others, I’m given a book to read from a friend or family. Plus there are always books coming monthly from Book of the Month.

With all these enticing things coming my way, my to-read shelf is overflowing. I really want to read all these books! In the article, Laura suggests treating your shelves at home as a library. You have your big bookshelf as the circulation books, main library books. Then you have a hopefully smaller bookshelf with all the books you have on hold. These are the books you will be reading next. I like this idea, but I don’t have my books organized in this way. I’m not sure I can get myself to do it either.

I’ve been trying not to get any more books. When we go to the library now, I stick with the kids and don’t visit the adult section of the library. I stay upstairs where there are only books for children. I’m going to let my book of the month subscription expire for now so I have time to catch up on the ones I have received but not had time to read. The new rule for me is that I always need to be reading something from my own shelves.

How do you keep on top of the books you already have at home? I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments below.

Book Review | Take Risks: One Couple’s Journey to Quit Their Jobs and Hit the Open Road

Another book with a long title and if you look at the actual title as it reads on Goodreads it is really: Take Risks: One Couple’s Journey to Quit Their Jobs and Hit the Open Road (We’re the Russos Book 1), which of course tells us that Joe plans on writing a second book. Joe and Kait Russo are a couple that lived and worked in the Los Angeles area. Like many of us in this area, they worked very hard and their perspective companies expected a lot of them every day.

Living this way grew tiresome to the Russos and one day out of nowhere Kait said let’s just leave it all behind and travel. So began the Russos adventure. The non-fiction book chronicles the Russo’s life while they make their transition. In that year, they start researching their options and start shopping for an RV to live out of full-time. They put their house up for sale and have to get rid of most of their possessions.

Like many others, I watch Joe and Kait’s adventure via their YouTube channel where they post a weekly video covering their adventures. While watching their videos Joe recommended a book called Walden on Wheels. I had already heard of this book and it was on my to-read pile. Whenever someone talks about books I’m instantly interested and Joe just mentioned a book that was already on my list! So, Walden on Wheels went to the top of my to-read list. While I was reading and enjoying that book, Joe revealed to his YouTube subscribers that he had written a book and it was available on Amazon for download on a Kindle. I was sold. I immediately downloaded the book and began reading right after I had finished Walden on Wheels.

Joe doesn’t disappoint. He dived in with detail on their adventure to buy an RV and start their adventure. But just as they begin their journey, the book ends, which brings us back to the beginning of this post, there will be a second book and I will be reading it! While we wait there is always Joe and Kait’s new videos every week on YouTube. Joe’s first book earned 5 stars from me.

Book Review | The Good That Men Do

My first reaction to The Good that Men Do, is that there is very little I can say about this controversial book without it being spoiler-ridden. So with that in mind, this post will be a spoiler.

Alrightly then last chance to turn back we are going to dive into a spoiler post her. I don’t do these often so I have given you plenty of warning. On the show:

In the last episode, when Shran’s former associates track down Enterprise and board the ship, they demand that Archer take them to Shran, but the captain refuses. The aliens are about to kill Archer, so Trip, thinking fast, tells them that he will take them to Shran. When Archer protests, the aliens knock him out. Trip leads the aliens into what appears to be a harmless utility closet — he tells them it is simply a com station and he is going to get Shran to come to them. Trip tells them he just needs to connect a couple of things, but when he brings a pair of conduits together, a massive explosion erupts, taking out both Trip and the aliens. Trip is fatally wounded.

All that is from this Wikipedia entry. I just didn’t want to write all that out. So, yeah Trip is dead or at least we all assume he is. That is where The Good That Men Do is different from that last episode. It continues to tell the story. Instead of dying, Trip goes off on a top secret mission to save the galaxy from the Romulans.

Being a fan of the show I think the last episode was all wrong. And I’m not alone in that. So, while this was better than the last episode because Trip doesn’t die and I don’t remember it having Johanthan Frakes in it, in that whole strange looking back in time thing they did. I think Frakes is awesome, but the whole holodeck reliving stuff was lame.

These are the Voyages, Star Trek: Enterprise

The book moved slow, too slow. It was really long for what it was trying to do, 464 pages, maybe the author was trying to give Trip the ending he deserved and felt pressured to do that and he gets carried away with all the verboseness. The story just dragged. There was some action in it which was a breath of fresh air during a lot of internal dialogs the characters were having.

I gave this Star Trek novel 4 out of 5 stars because I liked the interactions between T’Pol and Trip mostly. I also like that the story continued to be told instead of ending. This was the 11th book in the Enterprise series and the last one that the show actually covered, so I’m very excited to see where things go next in the 12th book Kobayashi Maru.

Book Review | Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between

Yes, I am a fan of the Gilmore Girls. I watched the first show when it was on TV and then later I watched the whole thing through on Netflix just to make sure I had not missed any episodes when it was on TV.

Later I found out that Lauren Graham had written a book, not this book. A book called Someday, Someday, Maybe. I was reading a post online (I forget where) and the author was writing about the best audiobooks to listen to and how great it is when the author of the book actually does the audio part as well. After reading that article I found Someday, Someday, Maybe on audio at my local library and grabbed it.

I really enjoyed that audiobook and realized that Ms. Graham has a real talent for storytelling. Fast forward a few months and I hear the news that a new Gilmore Girls will be launching. I was disappointed to discover that it was more of a miniseries, with only 4 episodes. But at least they did something, and I enjoyed that too. It seemed to me that it was just enough to wet our appetites, but not enough to quench them. Really too bad.

But, reading Someday, Someday, Maybe and watching the new Gilmore Girls on Netflix lead me to of course want to read Ms. Graham’s new book, Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between. I thought this was going to be a biography of sorts, but it really just focused on what it was like to film the first Gilmore Girls and then when it was done how much she missed it. It could have been called the book about Gilmore Girls with a really long title.

She says she was very excited to film the new mini-series with Netflix and talks a lot about that project as well. But again, I was kinda hoping it was going to read more like a biography where we get to learn a little more about Ms. Graham. Although, it wasn’t like that we still get her witty attitude and funny jokes. It was a very enjoyable read and as a fan of the show a win for this reader. I felt this book earned 4 out of 5 stars. Dinged one only because I wanted it to be more biography.

The Purge

KonMari-ing my books by Flickr User: Kars Alfrink

I want to read more. When I get in this mood and I’m totally pumped to get reading more. You would think that I read right? Well, sometimes you can’t. If the kids are all over the place I can’t read, I have to stop every few seconds to do something. Not that I mind. I love my kids, but it is not the best way to get through a book. So sometimes, when I’m psyched to read, but I can’t actually read, I spend time on Goodreads. It is the facebook of reading. The social site for readers.

I have been on there more frequently in the past few days, and I take a look at the number of books read and the number of books I want to read. This is scary. I’m upside down on my numbers. While it is encouraging to know I have no lack of books that I want to read, I would really like my read number to be higher than my to-read number. As things stand now I’m at 717 to-read and 595 read.

This is after a few hours of purging already. I didn’t write anything down, but my to-read number before the purge started was around 760 or 770. That means I purged around 23% of the books on my to-read pile already. What did I drop from the to-read shelf?

My first stop was finding duplicates. I didn’t know that Goodreads had this tool, but it was there when I went looking for it, so no idea how long it has been there, but it made dropping the duplicate books very easy. I had about 25 duplicate books.

Then I started to go through my to-read list book by book. This is the super frustrating part. As I look through the list I keep seeing books I don’t remember adding. Why did I add this? I click on the book to look at the detail page. No friends have read this and like an idiot, I didn’t put anything in the recommended by field. SO frustrating. The next step is the read the synopsis and figure out if I still want to read this book, if not it’s gone.

This is how I’m purging or if you like “pruning” my Goodreads to-read list. I’m about halfway through my shelf now. I’m hoping to get that 717 number down to something that is more manageable. On the bright side, I’m spending so much time on Goodreads that I found this beauty of a 404 page: