Five favorite books: a book meme

Amy tagged me with this book meme that is making a round on food blogs. It's, apparently, her devious way to get me to blog more often. I guess it works. ;-) Thanks Amy.

1. Total number of books I've owned
Far too many. Oh, wait, no, one can never have too many books. Just lots and lots, then.

2. Last book I bought
Two actually, Paris, l'instant and Quiproquo, both by Phillipe Delerm. I am on a Delerm kick at the moment, to work on my French and also because I adore his style. His prose is gorgeous and precise. He somehow manages to use absolutely no superfluous words, even while being meticulously descriptive. In many ways the writing reminds me of beautiful photography, in the way that it grabs on to a fleeting moment or something seemingly unimportant, and recounts each in painstaking details. Like an excellent photograph, his stories invite -no, demand- participation from the part of the readers.

Paris, l'instant is a perfect book to keep in your bag while flaneuring in Paris. Its tiny size will add hardly any weight to your already heavy bag, loaded with your Plan, your travel journal, your digital camera, your hat, your umbrella, your bottle of Evian, and all things a true flâneur could ever need.

Plus, the subject matter is true to Phillipe Delerm's style, that is to say focusing on seemingly mundane matters, and even better this time since they are about all things Paris. Each story will direct your attention to minuscule yet astonishing delights that you may otherwise overlook.

A little tired from an aimless wander, look around for a nice spot at a sidewalk cafe, order un petit café or chocolat, take out your Paris, l'instant and let your eyes do the flaneuring while your feet take their well-deserved rest.

3. Last book I read
Des mots à la bouche : Festins littéraires. Found this little gem of a book at a little gem of a bookstore, the tiny Librairie Gourmande on rue Dante in the 7e. Des mots à la bouche is a collection of food writings from many well-known authors. It was lovely and I highly recommend it.

4. Five books that mean a lot to me
Are these supposed to be only cookbooks? I'm more than a little confused. There are a few books I could think of, some about food, some not, but they will have to do, I suppose.

Studies in Ethnomethodology, by one of my academic mentors, Harold Garfinkle.
Reading that book with Harold gave me the eye, taught me to make no assumption and be meticulous in my observations. These skills have been useful in all the paths I've taken since in my life, and -perhaps most of all- this new journey I am embarking on.

The Man Who Ate Everything by the ever acerbic, ever hilarious Jeffrey Steingarten.
How to cook a wolf. My introduction to the soulful MFK Fisher.
Two books that taught me much about food writing.

Another food book that I have been absorbed in is Olivier Roellinger's new cookbook, Une Cuisine Contemporaine, if only because it reminded me of the beautiful few days we spent blissfully lost on the Brittany coast in April.

The final one -perhaps the most important one of all- has yet to be written. One day soon.

5. Which 5 people would you most like to see fill this out in their blog?
Louisa, Josh, Adam, Alder (so he could show us some interesting wine books), and Clotilde.

Comments

[Trix]

1. Total number of books I've owned: About 200, I think.

2. Last book I bought: 'The Prostitutes of Serruya's Lane and other Hidden Gibraltarian Histories.' A little book of essays which was posted to me by my brother.

3. Last book I read: A New Grub Street by Georgeg Gissing. A very funny and cynical view of 19th century life.

4. Five books that mean a lot to me

Dickens - Peter Ackroyd
As atmospheric as biography can get.

Outsider - Colin Wilson

Again, a book taht makes you think about one's position within society.

The Bible
A lot of powerful stuff in there

Sartre

Nausee.

Not for the impressionable

[Anne]

Pim, je pars bientôt, je vais suivre les cours de l'oriental cooking school et passe quelques jours à angkor mais je n'ai pas ton mail pour te donner un peu plus de détail. Merci pour ton aide.

[Pim]

Anne,

Quand sera-tu à Bangkok? Je vais t'envoyer un email dans quelque jours.

cheers
pim

[Pim]

Thanks Alder. I prefer Blindness, certainly one of my favorites of all time.

Jimmy, I'm just refering to my new direction with the writing thing. Hopefully it will get somewhere.

Catherine, nice photos and cute blog. I will check back soon.

[catherine]

hi, pim
I'm chatherine
This time, I made my blog,
Although its level is not well high, because I'm really beginner, but at any rate, I expect to improve it step by step.
visit me, welcome you.
See you soon

[jimmy]

Say Pim...What is this "new journey" you're "embarking" on? Is this a total new job change for you? Will you now be based only in Paris?...I know you are very sensitive in many ways. Hope i'm not being to nosey! I am though quite curious...You know it's pretty easy to be misuderstood when communicating via the internet. In this format there is only one sense available, and it's very limited at best. Humans do the best when they can look into each others eyes...You do one hell of a good job with your writing, and photography! Thanks.........Jimmy-in-Seattle

[Alder]

Ah Pim. I don't tend to put these meme things on my blog, but I'm happy to answer it here. Miss you! I hope you're enjoying yourself and that you're now living off the licensing rights from your photographs to Time Magazine.

1. Total number of books I've owned: This has got to be in the thousands. Way too many.

2. Last book I bought: I ran out of books to read halfway through the honeymoon, so I bought several, but the last one I bought in the Frankfurt airport on the way home was Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. I know, I know. But I wanted something fun to read that my jet lagged head wouldn't be too bothered about understanding.

3. Last book I read: A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. This was a pretty good layman's survey of the evolution of modern science if a bit shallow. Definitely better than just about every textbook I ever had in school.

4. Five books that mean a lot to me

FOR MY LIFE:
These are books that I read again and again because they feed my soul in a way that is difficult to describe.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
The River Why by David James Duncan
New and Selected Poems by Mary Oliver
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
On Photography by Susan Sontag

REGARDING WINE & FOOD:
Sadly I think there are too few really great books about wine and food but here are five that I think are important.

The Oxford Companion To Wine
Laurousse Gastronomique

These are the two requisite encyclopedias, repositories of knowledge, and reference desks for the kitchen and the cellar.

Adventures on the Wine Route by Kermit Lynch
Noble Rot by William Echikson
The Pleasures of Wine by Gerald Asher

These are some of the better writings out there on wine and related subjects that are pleasurable to read, as opposed to being just educational or instructive.

P.S. How was Saramago's "The Cave" ? Blindness remains one of my favorite novels ever.

[anne]

pim,

je vais quelques jours à bangkok et je voulais savoir si tu avais quelques adresses en dehors des guides (marchés non touristique, librairie culinaire en anglais, magasin art de la table, etc.)
merci pour ton aide