First eBook Review

Originally posted on Future-ish - I'm pleased to announce that I finally broke down and purchased my first eBook. Not that I was opposed to it or anything, I just hadn't found any new titles I wanted to read yet. I tried for Alvin Toffler's 1970 Future Shock, but alas, no electronic version was available. Lucky for me, I happened upon Nick Bilton's book I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works. I'm only a few pages...er, I mean percentages...in and I'm already enjoying both the book and the electronic format. I went with the Kindle app on my iPhone and am pretty happy with all the little bells and whistles. As long as I can highlight and add notes, I'm a happy camper. I did purchase my first robot earlier this year, an iRobot Scuba, so I'm not too far behind the times.

I will say that it is a bit trippy (slang appropriate for both decades in which these books were written) reading I Live in the Future after Future Shock, but I'll save a discussion of all the connections until I finish both. Stop back in for a full report soon.

Update: 12/4/10...

I just finished the book and was actually pretty pleased with both the ebook experience and the actual content. I would say that Bilton isn't living all that far off into the future, but his understanding of past, present, and future media did provide a good framework with which to ponder where things are going. Everyone seems to be blogging about what lies ahead for journalism and social media so I none of Bilton's key points were all that revolutionary as I've heard them from may other authors and bloggers. I did really appreciate his many anecdotes for how to think about what is to come, however. The fact that surgeons with a background in video games may perform better is a great thing to tell your folks who complained about your hours behind the console. Bilton's point near the end of his book in which he points out that new media doesn't allow any of us to make mistakes or forget things is poignant too. All in all, a great read for sure. Like the movie theater vs. 'wait for the dvd debate' with books you have the paper vs ebook deliberation. I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works isn't one of the titles that requires the romance of a hard copy book read by the fire. Rather, it is the perfect format and content for a quick ebook read...especially considering the online extras that come with the book, QR codes and all (like the one below that references this particular blog post).

Book Review: The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget

Being the Lifestyle Ambassador & Co-founder of the Sustainable Style Foundation and all, I thought Josh Dorfman had written the perfect book when he penned his first opus, The Lazy Environmentalist back in 2007. Many authors have attempted to write the next big guide to going green, but none quite compared to Josh's first 'guide to easy, stylish, green living'. As it turns out...Josh himself has written the next big guide to going green...and its AWESOME! Once again, Josh is able to make going green totally down to earth and accessible. When Joe the Plumber decides to go green, I'm pretty sure he'll read The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. In his new book, Josh once again runs down the list of the best products and resources for green living, but this time he's on an even higher mission...going green while saving both time and money. Clearly, given the economic situation we're all in, his new book is timely but it is also a resource that will serve as a guide in any era as it is essentially a road map for how to make affordable and sustainable lifestyle choices whether you're a college senior living on student loans or a hard-working soccer (or hockey) Mom. Recently laid off or just getting out of school but still want to get your green on? Don't fret, Josh even has a section on the booming green job market. Once you've dog-eared your dozens of pages, hit the computer and surf over to Josh's website The Lazy Environmentalist to get new tidbits and pointers. Even better, tune in to Josh on the Sundance Channel starting in June of 2009.

Book Review: Organic Kitchen Garden

Originally posted on Opportunity Gardens...

Do you remember when you were a child and you had a favorite book or blanket that you took everywhere with you? You couldn't imagine going somewhere without it? Organic Kitchen Garden by Juliet Roberts, editor of BBC Gardens Illustrated, has become THAT BOOK for me. I picked it up on a whim at a local grocery store and I haven't been able to put it down since. I can't leave the house without it in my bag and it has been at the top of my stack of books by my bedside nightly. Certainly it was the combination of 'organic', 'kitchen', and 'garden' that caught my attention as these are three of my favorite things right now, but when I opened the book and started looking through the pages and pages of unique insights, helpful hints, and beautiful photos I'd found my favorite blanky all over again. With a setting like Audley End House in Essex, it should come as no surprise that the Roberts' work is a fairy tale dream come true for any gardener.

The book has bushels of great information and advice on organic gardening including a fantastic monthly calendar of activities. The photographs by Gavin Kingcome of the organic garden at Audley End are pastoral, idyllic, and completely alluring. One aspect of the photos that directly drew my interest was the traditional materials that were used in the garden. In our modern garden world of PVC piping and plastic pots, it was incredibly comforting to see terracotta forcing vessels and glass cloches. Perhaps it is a bit too quixotic to consider reviving these traditional tools and procedures, but they do bring a sense of romance and grace back to the garden that seems to be missing in our modern times. I could write so much more about this book but alas, I need to go thumb through the pictures again...I'm completely addicted.

Book Review - Te Ata: Chickasaw Storyteller, American Treasure

It is hard to describe how much I loved this book. I must admit, it was Te Ata's image on the front cover that originally caught my eye in a used book store. But once I started the book, every time I sat down to read it I felt like I was listening to one of my Grandma Rosie's stories about 'the old days'. Te Ata's elegance, grace, talent, and perseverance are truly inspiring and Richard Green's book captures it all very well.

Book Review - Gorgeously Green

Simply put, Gorgeously Green is fabulously fun. The book and the accompanying website are packed full of fun and valuable information that prove that the saying is true, it really IS easy being green. I can honestly say I don't think there's a better reference for fulfilling SSF's mantra "look fabulous, live well, do good". In the forward, Julia Roberts calls the book a "bible of hope and help (not to mention a good cleansing mask and source for eco-cashmere). Author Sophie Uliano makes making greener personal lifestyle choices fun and accessible to everyone. She makes it irresistible.

Uliano hits all of the big lifestyle categories too: apparel, food, beauty, gardening, travel, weddings, etc. And yoga poses! Yes, sprinkled throughout the book are yoga poses and other activities to invigorate the mind, the body, and the soul. Best of all, her motto, "one change makes a difference", confirms that you don't have to be perfect...one small step here and there can add to a big difference over time, especially if a lot of us make the same small steps. The way she presents her ideas and solutions is what really sets this book apart...its fun, its positive, its interactive, its educational, and I have to admit - its completely girly. But that's OK! Her concept of becoming a 'green goddess' is exactly what the green movement needs. As I said before, she makes going green irresistible. The fact that she provides a definition and discussion of 'gorgeousness' says it all.

On the website you can find some videos as well. After watching them you sense her passion, commitment, and excitement in every page of the book. Don't miss GGTV on the website, and the 'Girls Club' must be a lot of fun too. Probably most important though, is that she takes providing background information and resources on key issues very seriously, toxins in cosmetics for example. I don't think I've come a cross a better treatment of the subject or a better collection of green options to address the issues. There are literally easy to understand definitions and website links everywhere.

Gorgeously Green is a great read, an invaluable resource, and as Julia Roberts put it, a true bible of hope. What other green resource book leaves you with the feeling that you just solved some of the world's problems over a cocktail with a girlfriend? Hmm...none. But that's exactly what Gorgeously Green does. Cheers Sophie, you and your book are fabulous!

Available at your local bookstore and online at: Amazon | Barnes& Noble | Powells

Book Review - Auto Mania

My most recent book review request came from Yale University Press. The title? Auto Mania: Cars, Consumers, and the Environment by Tom McCarthy. Now I am a sucker when it comes to anything history, biography, environment and so would probably give any book in these categories a pretty glowing review, but I must say I REALLY enjoyed this book. It is a very thorough look at our ever so addictive relationship with cars with all its eccentricities from the need for speed, keeping up with the Jones', to ever present power and greed. And he does it with a bit of humor tossed in here and there. Essentially an environmental history of the automobile, McCarthy points out early that scientists and engineers were well aware of the many challenges that came with cars and even goes into Henry Ford's sincere interest in reducing waste in his uber efficient assembly lines. Pop culture played a key role too, from Elvis Presley to Will Rogers. And, no surprise, even early observations of global warming - and how they were ignored - show up in the book. After reading McCarthy's book, we better understand America's romance with the automobile with all its wires, belts, and oh so many other social, political, economic, and environmental 'strings' attached.

Book Review - What We Believe but Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty

This was a fun read, always a good time when scientists and other leading thinkers let their minds go a little crazy. But I must say I wasn't really 'wowed' by any of the many, many short essays. This was the 2006 edition of John Brockman's annual question to the members of The Edge website, an online thinktank/blog or sorts. Some funny essays, some boring essays, and quite a few that were well worth their read if for no other reason that they were by famous scientists.