Jane Merryman

a fish trapped inside the wind*

Archive for the 'Mini Book Reviews' Category

The Rowers

Posted: Saturday, November 24th, 2007 @ 12:03 pm in Mini Book Reviews | Comments Off

Kiesling, Stephen. The Shell Game: Reflections on Rowing and the Pursuit of Excellence. Nordic Knight Press, 1982.
 
            I like to walk at dawn along the river. At this time of day it belongs to a few exercise freaks, the birds, and the rowers. The university rowing team trains here, putting their boats in the water […]

An Improbable Life

Posted: Saturday, November 24th, 2007 @ 11:56 am in Mini Book Reviews | Comments Off

Reiss, Tom. The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life. Random House, 2005.
 
            As in the best biographies, the times take center stage in The Orientalist, and what times they were. Perhaps they existed more in the fevered dreams of the vast population of Europe’s uprooted than in actuality. Nevertheless, the early […]

When a Lover Enters the Room

Posted: Saturday, November 24th, 2007 @ 11:49 am in Mini Book Reviews | Comments Off

Rosenblum, Mort. Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light. North Point Press, 2005.
            Phenylethylamine, a molecule produced in the human hypothalamus, triggers the same warm glow one feels when a lover enters the room. This substance is also found in Theobroma cacao, a tropical bean from which we make chocolate. No wonder chocolate expert […]