I'm in; however, I can't find Old Herbaceous and Michael Pollan on the same page. Do you by any chance mean:

"Old Herbaceous: A Novel of the Garden (Modern Library Gardening) Reginald Arkell (Author), Penelope Hobhouse (Introduction)

"It was one of the mild autumn mornings when early mist had turned to soft rain and water dripped from everything..."

Here is a link that might be useful: Old Hebaceous at Amazon

Yes, Nan, that's it!
marie

Thought I'd try again. Maybe everyone is in Florida? Or dealing with ice dams?

I don't have any suggestions personally, but am checking to see if you noticed this recommendation from the thread below about Where is everyone? Several people are reading:

Diane Ackerman's "Cultivating Delight: A Natural History Of My Garden". When I was reading the thread, I made a mental note that it sounded interesting, but failed to make a note on paper and then couldn't remember the name and author. Glad to find it again.

Well, I'm a history buff, so I read mostly history and biography. I'm in the middle of a book about Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia, and their father Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia). I think it's fascinating. I would assume I couldn't tempt too many others.

I don't really read much gardening-oriented stuff. One book I did read several years ago which I thorougly enjoyed was "The $64 Tomato" - can't remember the author at the moment. And not sure if it's strictly "gardening" but I did read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle", by Barbara Kingsolver, which I would highly recommend also.

My next book is ready and waiting, a history of the assassination attempt on Lorenzo & Guiliano De'Medici. I'm in my Italian Renaissance mode at the moment. :)

:)
Dee

Hmm, I don't think I've read much on the Italian Renaissance. There is a good, fairly recent biography of Catherine de Medici out there.

It's funny how history books seem to travel in packs. From the NEW shelf in the library in the last few years, I've found a bunch of Revolutionary War histories, and Elizabethan histories, with a perennially popular subset of Shakespearian commentary/history things.

As for gardening related things, I'm sort of working on researching a 1930's perennial plant list. I'm getting hung up a some aster and phlox cultivars, and may simply have to let those go.

Dee, two things. First, a book I read and loved last year in preparation for two weeks in Florence, epicenter of the Renaissance and the Medicis: Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline Murphy. It's non-fiction written in a page-turning fashion. She was the daughter of Cosimo I and the very beautiful Eleonora di Toledo.

BUT back to the topic--garden book reading. I am sad that you don't read garden books. I couldn't live without my how-to books but beyond those is a wealth of garden literature, wonderful accounts of people creating and loving and sometimes hating their own gardens.

This is a genre that began in the late 19c and continues today, and when I have a minute, I will list some titles.

"...BUT back to the topic--garden book reading. I am sad that you don't read garden books..."

Aw, Ginny, don't be sad, lol! I have piles and piles and piles of books (history and biography, mostly) around my house waiting to be read, and I work in a library, so I have a list of 81 books (and counting) there that I add to every time I see a good book. I am convinced I will die with a huge list of unread books, lol. I also hope that heaven (or wherever I end up, lol) will have a well-stocked library!

So, the way I look at it is, I adore history but can only read about it (still trying to figure out how to go back in time as a fly on the wall, lol!).

I adore gardening too, but I can DO that, so I save my reading time for other things.

Unless, of course, the occasional quick, good gardening read comes along. Oh, and of course I ALWAYS look at the pictures in every gardening book that crosses my path, lol!

:)
Dee
P.S. Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll check it out before I switch back to medieval England, lol.

I second the recommendation for the $64 Tomato, by William Alexander.

I admit it, I read a lot of novels! My reading group just discussed Great Expectations, and I was amazed at how much I loved that book; it must have all gone over my head back in high school. I just finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (David Wroblewski), which I loved, although it was really long and the reviews were mixed.

I've also been reading everything I can get my hands on about Afghanistan, Palestine, and the mid-east in general. If you come across The Lemon Tree (Sandy Tolan), Three Cups of Tea (Greg Mortenson), Reading Lolita in Tehran (Azar Nafisi), Nine Parts of Desire (Geraldine Brooks), or The Places In Between (Rory Stewart), get them all - they're ALL incredible.

I have an ongoing argument with a handful of friends and relatives who say they only read non-fiction. My perennial question to them is whether, at a museum, they'll only look at photographs, not paintings or drawings. I generally think that more lies are told in history books than in novels; you can control the factual information you present in history, but when you lie in a novel, you're a complete failure. LOL.

digging...of the Mid-east books you have read, is there one you would put first. I've read a few of the more popular books on the topic, ala kite-runner, but would love to get something with more depth.

Thanks!

Lisa

Well, those are hard to pick from, because they're all really good! I left out the related ones that weren't quite as good (A Thousand Splendid Suns, Swallows of Kabul, Kabul Beauty School, Bookseller of Kabul, Snow... !) I'll try though ...

9 Parts of Desire's subtitle is 'The Hidden World of Islamic Women' and it's probably my favorite of those books. It's written in short segments about many different cultures, which makes it easy to read; and it's really well written. My one complaint is that presents only the western view of Islam, so while I think I learned a lot about the subject I have to wonder how much was colored by the author's prejudices.

The Lemon Tree presents the history behind the current situation in Israel and Palestine, but as a personal relationship between two individuals; it's incredibly interesting.

Three Cups of Tea is an astounding true story of an adventurer turned educational advocate in east asia. It's a really fun read, and although not the most well-written of the bunch, it's inspiring.

"...I have an ongoing argument with a handful of friends and relatives who say they only read non-fiction..."

DTD, I have nothing against novels or fiction, and indeed have read lots. Some of my all-time favorite books are fiction (Lord of the Rings, Ivanhoe, Wind in the Willows, Wuthering Heights, almost any Jane Austen). I will admit (although you can probably tell just from the titles I listed, lol) that most of my fiction-reading includes "the classics" which I read in high school and college (at least for the first time). I haven't read that many novels recently. For me personally, I love history, I love learning about places, peoples and events, and IMHO, you just can't make this stuff up! So, while I don't look down upon fiction, with my limited time, I prefer to read my favorite topic, which is history.

I have several of your recommendations on my list. I'm surprised to see you put "A Thousand Splendid Suns" on the not-so-good list, as everyone I've spoken to who has read it has raved about it as much if not moreso than "The Kite Runner". I haven't read either yet, so I can't say.

I have read "Reading Lolita in Tehran" and was somewhat disappointed. I don't know... it was good, but not what I expected.

:)
Dee

Oh the heck with gardening books! Ah, the Wind in the Willows, I haven't read that in years, and it is one of my all time favorites. Who is it- Rat or Mole - who gets a wiff of home, and whose nose infallibly leads him there? And the little christmas carolers who arrive? Or Toads mad car chase and the "intervention" of his friends?
Who has reread the Secret GArden? Maybe we could start there together.
Marie

Marie, I still have the copy of "The Wind in the Willows" that I got when I was 12 or so. I used to read it to my kids all the time - they loved it! - and I got them each a copy for their twelfth birthday. Yes, the Toad "intervention" was a favorite chapter (although it may have been more the "poop-poop" of the motor car that delighted the kiddies, lol) and of course Toad's subsequent adventures. My kids still know this verse by heart:

The Queen and her ladies-in-waiting
sat at the window and sewed.
She cried, "Look! Who is that HANDSOME man?"
They answered, "Mr. Toad!"

Ah, yes, the joy of great literature, lol!

Have not read "The Secret Garden"... yet.

:)
Dee

I read The Secret Garden as a little girl and then I read it out loud to my children. It is one of my all time favorite books. The movie is awful. Any gardener of any age will respond to the thrill of the garden in that book. And the author, Frances Hodgson Burnett, was a real gardener. She knew what she was talking about.

dee,
do you mean you've never read the Secret Garden even once? I'll order a copy on line (used) and send it to you, if you'll tell me where to send it.

It has to be the version with Tasha Tudor's illustrations.

Marie

No Marie, haven't even read it once. Thank you for you very generous offer, but I work in a library, lol! You don't have to buy me a copy. I promise I will take it out and read it, in between Italian Renaissance intrigue and medieval English political maneuvering, lol. It will be a nice respite!

Thanks so much!
:)
Dee

> I'm surprised to see you put "A Thousand Splendid Suns" on the not-so-good list, as everyone I've spoken to who has read it has raved about it as much if not more so than "The Kite Runner".

> I have read "Reading Lolita in Tehran" and was somewhat disappointed. I don't know... it was good, but not what I expected.

I really liked all 3 of those very much. Kite Runner was better than 1000 Splendid Suns, IMHO, because of more well developed characters. Reading Lolita in Tehran really showed what it was like to be a "normal" Iranian after the revolution. I found that really compelling non-fiction.

Gee, I have a copy of Secret Garden on dvd, which I've been saving for my next bout of the flu. NOW you tell me it's no good? Oh dear - I guess I'll have to get the book.

We'll keep on top this....

Well, here's history for you: how about 100 years of
gardening (sort of)? My favorite book this past year
(gave away half-dozen as holiday gifts!) was Stanley
Kunitz' slim volume, "The Wild Braid". . ."Thoughout his
life (1905-2006), Stanley Kunitz created poetry and tended
gardens. This book is a distillation of conversations...
that took place between 2002 and 2004. Beginning with the
garden...the explorations journey through personal recollections, the creative process, and the harmony of the
life cycle. A bouquet of poems and a total of 26 full color photographs accompany the various sections." This
book simply proves there's hope for all of us aging gardeners; it's an absolute gem!

A second vote for another choice already posted - Diane Ackerman's "Cultivating Delight". . .and, if by any chance someone has missed it's first being posted here on GW, Sarah Stein's "Noah's Garden".

Three cheers for this post. . .you folks are so responsible
for swelling my reading list. . .my librarians are deeply
grateful that you are keeping them busy !

Carl