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books and things
Apr. 12th, 2010 02:53 pmI took the kids to the library last week and quickly perused a display of books. On a whim I picked up a copy of The Red Leather Diary and ended up devouring it. It is such a fascinating sort of book. A young writer for the New York Times chanced upon some steamer trunks that were about to be tossed out from the basement of her building. (making room for storage) One of the things she found (besides some fabulous vintage clothes and handbags) was a five year diary that had belonged to a girl named Florence Wolfson. Florence writes about her life from 1929 to about 1934. It begins on her fourteenth birthday and follows this incredibly interesting life. Lily Koppel the writer who discovered the diary reads it and is completely engaged by this Florence. She sets off to track her down and finds her!
The book is interesting because it takes stuff from the diary and also has Koppel sort of telling Florence's story in a slight stream of conscious style. Sometimes I wish there was more of the diary. Florence is such a character. Timeless in many ways as she was a teenager and what she feels and says is something that many girls would respond to. She also had this incredibly bohemian adolescence. She was very bright and graduated from high school when she was fifteen and was going to college and experiencing all kinds of sophisticated things that were mixed up with the day to day. It's also the story of a period of New York that is no more. But told in this day to day life it seems so much more real. One of the other things I love is what this diary does for the grown-up Florence many years later.
I am just so pleased that I was able to sit down and finish a book. It has been a couple of months since that has happened and I felt frustrated inside. Now to read other things!
...
Yesterday I planted artichokes, french tarragon, sweet peas and some other random plant I found at the nursery. I forget the name. I will have to look it up. It is something that grows well in lousy soil, doesn't require much water and thrives in hot sun. Perfect for the front garden! I also checked the compost pile and it is filled with worms having a field day. It is like they are at Old Country Buffet and they know to avoid the bread fillers so they can get as much in them as possible. "Skip the bread sticks and go straight for the ribs!"
...
Made a roast chicken and this spinach pilaf for dinner yesterday. I like how simple the pilaf was and flavorful too. Tonight there will be a soup with the leftover chicken and pilaf. Plus the pain aux noix I made. I need to find some other vegetable or something to serve with it. I need to return that kneadless bread book this week but I would like to make one more thing. Not sure what yet.
The book is interesting because it takes stuff from the diary and also has Koppel sort of telling Florence's story in a slight stream of conscious style. Sometimes I wish there was more of the diary. Florence is such a character. Timeless in many ways as she was a teenager and what she feels and says is something that many girls would respond to. She also had this incredibly bohemian adolescence. She was very bright and graduated from high school when she was fifteen and was going to college and experiencing all kinds of sophisticated things that were mixed up with the day to day. It's also the story of a period of New York that is no more. But told in this day to day life it seems so much more real. One of the other things I love is what this diary does for the grown-up Florence many years later.
I am just so pleased that I was able to sit down and finish a book. It has been a couple of months since that has happened and I felt frustrated inside. Now to read other things!
...
Yesterday I planted artichokes, french tarragon, sweet peas and some other random plant I found at the nursery. I forget the name. I will have to look it up. It is something that grows well in lousy soil, doesn't require much water and thrives in hot sun. Perfect for the front garden! I also checked the compost pile and it is filled with worms having a field day. It is like they are at Old Country Buffet and they know to avoid the bread fillers so they can get as much in them as possible. "Skip the bread sticks and go straight for the ribs!"
...
Made a roast chicken and this spinach pilaf for dinner yesterday. I like how simple the pilaf was and flavorful too. Tonight there will be a soup with the leftover chicken and pilaf. Plus the pain aux noix I made. I need to find some other vegetable or something to serve with it. I need to return that kneadless bread book this week but I would like to make one more thing. Not sure what yet.
