The advantage to not finishing most of my reading these past few weeks is that I finished a whole slew of of books this one.

No different than you: Shevi’s story by Yehudit Bogats.
I didn’t mean to read this book. Especially not in its entirety. I was browsing the stacks at the Uni for something else and this caught my eye. Next thing I knew, I was on the last page with tears trying to stream down my face. In the stacks. I had moved from the middle because the lights had gone out (they are on a timer) to have light. Shevi’s story is an inspiration and I wish I could have met her and seen her smile. It has made me think of what words I use to everyone, visibly healthy or invisibly sick. There is another book, Words that Hurt, Words that Heal that I should probably reread in addition to adding back to my list, learning some Chofetz Chaim.

Working in women’s archives : researching women’s private literature and archival documents by Helen M Buss and Marlene Kadar
This slim volume looks at the archives and challenges faced with them for various “celebrated Candian authors such as Marian Engle and L.M. Montgomery, as well as lesser-known writers such as Constance Kerr Sissons and Marie Rose Smith” (back cover blurb). It was the bit on Montgomery which persuaded me to check this out from the Uni (well, that and the slimness of the volume). It’s just over one hundred pages but is quite wonderfully dense with information and insight. There are also pictures from the various referenced archives which are quite a delight. I have sticky notes all over this book and will have to mull over how I want to further review it to give it (and the subject) the attention it deserves. If you are interested in Women’s Archives, please check out this book.

Medieval Jewish Seals from Europe by Daniel M Friedenberg
I find interesting things when wandering the stacks. It isn’t done much anymore, which in a way pleases me as it means I have peace and quiet with no undergrads running around underfoot getting in my way. It also means that if the catalogue claims something is on the shelf, more than likely it is. I have a long fascination with seals, chops, hankyo, whatever you wish to call them. This book, a catalogue of known seals, includes wonderful history of them and also of the history of the time and place. It is grouped regionally (England, Germany, Italy, Hungary, etc). The black-and-white photographs are often surprisingly clear given their age. There are a few references to women having seals, something I would like to explore further. It’s a fun book to look through and wonder about.

The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen: Delicious and Nutritious Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Dishes by Donna Klein
This is the book I purchased with my discounts last week. There are tons of recipes which do not try to replicate meat (which I am curious as E does like some dead animal every now and then) but all look to create unique and healthy meals. As I use it more I’ll formulate a stronger review but I felt it’s diversity made it a very good addition to my otherwise incredibly small gluten-free cookbook section.

The Knitter’s Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn by Clara Parkes
This was the other surprise of the book-store discount purchases. I really didn’t need this book right now but it’s an amazing well through out reference. I’ve read through it once and figure that as I spin more and purchase different fibres I will reference it. I think that with my In Sheep’s Clothing I have now have a pretty solid fibre reference shelf. My only complaint is that there is nothing on jute!

Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Surprised that I hadn’t read this one yet? I know. For some reason it had escaped my purchasing and reading until this past week. I am slightly worried by how similar parts of my life (especially my knitting life) is to Stephanie’s but at the same time wholly comforted. Should I have E read her books so he knows I’m not alone in my strangeness? Hmm.. (no need to answer that) ;)

Eric by Terrt Pratchett
Completely irrelevant and a fun read while taking a bath. I’m going to attempt to hold off on the others until this term ends. I feel like my eyes will fall out and my fingers will fall off from typing. It’s not just school-end-of-term torture I have but year-end issues as well. Knowing me I’ll find a few other short sci-fi and fantasy books to make me feel like I’ve accomplished something and also for a mental break.

Managing Electronic Records by Julie McLeod and Catherine Hare (eds)
Another find in the stacks and useful. Electronic records, archives, and e-discovery are still enough to make my head hurt very very much. This was interesting and informative and if I had put my notes where they’d belong I’d have much more to say. *sigh*

Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor by Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh
I sprinted slightly to finish this. I forget where exactly I first heard of this but I placed it on my hold list almost a year ago and it finally came in (with all those other books) 3 weeks ago. It’s due tomorrow and I was determined to finish it and not amass any fines. What does this white girl who grew up in a wanna-be suburb out on the Island get out of a book on South-Side Chicago’s underground economy? At first I was worried I’d get nothing. Then I realized that life ain’t that much different. Yeah, there’s more violence and (er, “hopefully”) more drugs there than where I grew up, but that under the top level public web of economic life, there is another “vibrant” society. Two quotes really struck me.
This first one settled something that I’ve been bouncing around my head for over a year. A “classmate” (who (thankfully) dropped the program), once tried to say I was similar to him in that I was an entrepreneur. I countered that I was a small business owner [I'm really a sole proprietorship] and I thought that we had much different goals in mind. He disagreed with (everyone) me on this point believing that since I had registered an LLC it therefore meant that I was an entrepreneur. “Students of modern business tend to separate out the entrepreneur from the small business owner: entrepreneurs are seers and risk-takers, and studies of their mental strategies often have the quality of hero worship; writings about small businesses, on the other hand, are less dramatic and focus on the practical dimensions of commerce”. I felt much better after reading that.
Eunice (a pseudonym): “What you do in your household, that’s up to you. What you do outside your door, that involves me. Knowing the difference is what makes a good neighbour.” (p82-3) Omein!