I was way off my game this month. I don’t know what I was doing but it wasn’t enough reading! Since I only met about half my quota this month I’ll have a lot to catch up on in December.
Champagne:
How the World’s Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times
Don and Petie Kladstrup
This was a spectacular nonfiction piece exploring the history of champagne. I knew a bit about the drink but its history is tied to politics, war, and even feminism in some fascinating ways. It’s well written, easy to read, and chock full of interesting information.
Girl With a Gallery
Lindsay Pollack
This biography follows Edith Gregor Halpert, a female gallerist who practically founded the gallery scene as we know it in New York City. A lower class immigrant from Russia she resisted the gender norms of the early twentieth century to have an exciting, pioneering career in art. I love biographies of strong women so this was an easy home run, but it was also interesting to read about the art world from the gallery side.
Mauve:
How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World
Simon Garfield
This piece wasn’t quite as engaging editorially as the other nonfiction books I read this month, but the information is fascinating. It’s about the scientist who discovered the chemical compound that makes the color mauve. But that compound also went on to be used in medicine, including vaccines against malaria and cancer, and in dozens of manufacturing purposes. Cool stuff.
Santa Evita
Tomás Eloy Martínez
I loved, loved, loved this book. It’s an abstract modernist fiction story by an Argentine author about Eva Peron’s body. In real life her body was actually stolen for many years and supposedly smuggled abroad. This book plays up that drama while also exploring the insane cult of love Argentina had (and still has) for Evita. Beautifully written and intellectually provocative.
Out of Line
Barbara Lynch
This was our book club book this month and I really enjoyed it. It was not very well written, but Barbara is a chef not a writer. She’s one of the most famous chefs in Boston and she fought her way to that position from low income housing in Southie. She has some wild stories and it’s so inspiring to see how her hard work, networking, and natural talents paid off.