Tag Archives: adult non-fiction

On the Rise & Fall of Sourdough

Cover of The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook by Jim Lahey and Maya JosephI might be a little bit late to this bandwagon, but I finally caught up and jumped right on! My absence from this said wagon was not for lack of trying, let me tell you: I’ve got two dead sourdough starters under my belt*, and so for the sake of all future sourdough cultures to be, I figured I should stop there and call it a day. This was two years ago, in the September of 2017, that this all took place, and I am proud to say that as of this year, 2019, I HAVE BECOME A SOURDOUGH MOTHER**.

I have to give credit where credit’s due, because it was upon picking up The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook by Jim Lahey & Maya Joseph that my desire to try embarking upon the journey that is sourdough baking was reignited. And, joy of joys, the recipe included within these pages yielded me my healthy, bubbling sourdough starter son, Leviathan (hereafter referred to as Levi; sometimes spelled Levy), who dutifully lifts up my heart along with my sourdough bread. If you’d like to learn a bit more about the culture of sourdough, read on below the cut!

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Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness–Melissa Dahl

Do you cringe when you see that embarrassing photos from your teenage years on Cringeworthy: A Theory of AwkwardnessFacebook? Have you been on a date filled with unbearable silence? Did you ever go blank in the middle of a presentation with the audience staring at you? Being human is all about being awkward, and that’s ok.

Melissa Dahl takes on this underappreciated emotion and searched for the meaning behind it and how to come to term with it. Through a series of personal experience and professional research, Dahl came to the conclusion that awkward moments are universal; they can be opportunities for us to have better self-awareness and accept who you are. There are some really interesting psychology experiments as well as the author’s experience with improve class and Mortified show that made me to look at cringe-worthy moments differently.

This book is humorous, informative and a light read. Highly recommended–you will have new appreciation towards awkwardness.

You might also like:

Awkward: The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome

You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You’re Deluding Yourself

Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things

Van Gogh’s Ear: The True Story (by Bernadette Murphy)

Van Gogh's Ear

Van Gogh’s Ear is a journey to discover the truth and revisit some of the myth surrounding Vincent Van Gogh’s tormented yet passionate life. In this book, Murphy looked into forgotten archival materials, visited towns and museums, and brought Van Gogh’s world vividly to life, including some of the most important people he was involved with, such as police inspector, “Rachel” who he gave his ear to, his brother Theo, and fellow artist Gauguin.

Murphy took lots of effort trying to piece together clues that might shed light on the artist’s life and his mental state. This book can be also seen as an interesting and in-depth detective work. What amazed me the most was how often Van Gogh was in distress yet able to keep painting. Symptoms for mental illness were clear but back then the treatment for mental illness was very minimal and rudimentary. After reading this book, I can never look at Van Gogh and his painting the same way. I feel deeply sorrowful for what Van Gogh went through in his short and intense life, however,  I think the world is so much richer for what he had done.

An animated biography drama film called Loving Vincent (http://lovingvincent.com/) was released last year. It is the world’s first fully painted animated feature film about Van Gogh’s death. It was an unique experience and beautifully done. This movie is also nominated for an Oscar this year. I’d recommend this film to anyone who is interested in Van Gogh’s story or looking for a different movie experience.

Related:

Loving Vincent [DVD] ON ORDER

Loving Vincent [Bluray] ON ORDER

Van Gogh’s Ear (2016, Documentary)

Lust for Life (adapted from Irving Stone’s novel)

Van Gogh and the Sunflowers (Picture book)

Camille and the Sunflowers (Picture book)

The Artist and Me (Picture book)

Van Gogh: His Life and Works in 500 Images : An Illustrated Exploration of the Artist, His Life and Context, With A Gallery of 280 of His Finest Paintings

Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh (2005, Documentary)

Mystical Landscapes: Vincent Van Gogh to Emily Carr (an exhibition from the AGO, 2016)

Irises: Vincent Van Gogh in the Garden

Van Gogh’s Imaginary Museum: Exploring the Artist’s Inner World