Reviews Posted This Week
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
A Plague of Angels by Sherri S. Tepper
If Nuns Ruled the World by Joy Piazza
Noah’s Wife by T.K. Thorne
Still Reading This Week
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
“In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew. ” from Goodreads
Almost Done Listening To
Trip of the Tongue: Cross-Country Travels in Search of America’s Languages by Elizabeth Little
“Though we’re known as a nation of English speakers, the linguistic map of the United States is hardly monochromatic. While much ado has been made about the role that Spanish may play in our national future, it would be a gross misrepresentation to label America a bilingual country. On the contrary, our languages are as varied as our origins. There is Basque in Nevada, Arabic in Detroit, Gullah in South Carolina. We speak European, Asian, and American Indian languages; we speak creoles, jargons, and pidgins. As a resident of Queens-among the most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse places on the planet-Elizabeth Little first began to wonder how this host of tongues had shaped the American experience. It was only a matter of time before she decided to take her questions on the road.” from Goodreads.
I have seriously stocked up on books from the library because I have some time off this week. I’m not sure why I did that. I basically have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off and then I have to go to family stuff for the weekend. Not really prime reading time.
