• Circe by Madeline Miller : A retelling of the Circe myth, through which Miller also spins out various others of the interconnected tales (from Scylla to Odysseus). Circe being a nymph (“least of the lesser goddesses,” immortal but with no powers), daughter of Helios, banished to a lush island all alone (ok!) when it’s discovered she can craft spells from plants and is willing to interfere with the gods. The witch of Aiaia, as she’s henceforth known. I mostly listened to the audio, and I loved the reader, but there were 3 or 4 points in the book where I wanted an editor to step in. All in all, I liked it very much. I’ll be curious to see how her Odysseus compares to Christopher Nolan’s. (Speaking of which, among all the high-profile takedowns of the movie, I enjoyed this short-video counterpoint from Ezra Klein. Made me want to give it a look.) And I also want to actually read The Odyssey, which I never have.
• Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya by Jamaica Kincaid : From 2005, it’s a bit of a throwback to the “plant hunting” era. The book is more travelogue than anything else — being her memoir of a trek in Nepal with her friend the famed horticulturist Dan Hinkley and a pair of his British nursery-owning friends, in search of seeds. (For her to grow; for them to sell.) I always enjoy Kincaid’s voice and dry sense of humor, and love a good travelogue, so thumbs up to this one. And it sent me back to reread her garden memoir which I first read somewhere around Y2K. I’ll write more about both on future tiny forest in the not too distant future.
• How Much Land Does a Man Need? by Leo Tolstoy : Actually two short stories in this tiny volume, the aforementioned plus “What Men Live By.” They read like little parables. I love a little Penguin Classics pocket book like this (sadly not available at Bookshop, but ask for it at your local) for a quick palate cleanser.
• Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon : The textbook for my plant science class (did I mention? I’ve gone back to school) but it’s an accessible 240 pages of plant insights — in some cases demystifying them and in others emphasizing that there’s still so much we don’t know about how they make their magic — that I think many gardeners and houseplant lovers would appreciate. This one I did write more about over yonder. (And I’ve linked the more attractive, more recent edition.)
Please tell me what you’ve read and liked/loved lately—
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