My fourth semester back at university has ended. It has been the most successful school term of my life! My classes were mostly food focused and that did help me stay motivated. April was a successful reading month for me, even though I continue to be well behind my reading goal for the year. It may have been a pipe dream in the first place.
BUT...
I did finish SIX books this month and I do consider that an enormous achievement.
14. Liar and Spy
15. 15. The Omnivore's Dilemma
16. 365 Journal Writing Prompts
17. Stars So Sweet
19. The Circle
The last two I finished since my most recent update and one was AMAZING and the other was really super pretty bad. One was about eating bugs and the other was about the evils of social media and the control of the internet. Considering my interest in dystopia, they both strike different parts of interest for me. The Circle was one of the worst books I have ever read, yet I found it still to be intriguing. It played very much into my own personal interests regarding social media, dystopia, and control. But it was so poorly plotted and characterized. I thought that many elements of the social media system that was developed were interesting, but the clunky execution was a huge disappointment. I would not recommend this book to anyone, and I am curious if anyone is actually got to see the movie.
Edible, on the other hand, was amazing. It went beyond the need to eat bugs as a way to keep a sustainable food source; it also really explored the gourmet side of eating insects. I have always been a very picky eater, but that has changed a lot in the past few years. To say I wasn't adventurous would be inaccurate. I am willing to try new kinds of food. But I would always count out food that had disliked items included in the dish. In the past year or two, I have started exploring more. I will occasionally eat a tomato or mushroom, but eggs I still firmly avoid. But this book really got me in the mood to track down and consume some bugs. Recently I wrote a paper about the dangers of seeking out authentic food for status, but I am not beyond admitting that much of my interest in eating bugs is to be able to say I have done it. It may not come with a high status, since most will be grossed out, but it will be a kind of unlocking achievement.
School is over for a few months and I am not sure how that will shape my reading desires or the speed at which I complete books. I am hoping to read through several recipe books rather quickly, but I keep putting these off for titles with more cohesive narrative structures. I am still in the middle of a lot of titles. I pick up and put things down with my whims. I rarely intentionally put a book down permanently.
Here is what I am currently reading:
The Fireman
Acceptance
Silent Spring
Culinary Tourism
Hope to read soon:
Make Room! Make Room!
No One is Coming To Save Us
Mycophilia
Next week I will be attending and presenting at the Ethnobiology Society Annual Meeting in Montreal. I am very nervous and excited for this opportunity. I am eager to hear about all the ideas that people have been working on. Ethnobiology is a very new interest of mine and stems from my interests in food. I get very inspired hearing what projects people are working on. As a class we recently completed a survey of local parents about childhood nutrition. I love all the ways that food can connect with different subjects in new and interesting ways. I am also hoping the travel time will help me get some extra reading time in.
What books will you be reading soon?
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