Books – Page 22 – Yeah nah.

Book review: Leonardo da Vinci

February 8, 2019August 15, 2019 CaptainFezLeave a comment

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Walter Isaacson’s made no bones about his interest in genius. I mean, he’s written biographical surveys of Albert Einstein (undoubtedly), Benjamin Franklin (yep), Steve Jobs (well…) and, er, Henry Kissinger (ahem) among others. Now, he turns his gaze towards a guy who we normally gaze towards – well, his works, anyway. Leonardo da Vinci.

Ah stuff it. Ignore the terrible segue and look at this ripped geometric dude instead.

You’d think someone so artistically significant would look a bit more enthused with his immortality.

Whew, crisis averted. Continue reading “Book review: Leonardo da Vinci” →

Book review: Oishinbo: Izakaya

January 19, 2019August 15, 2019 CaptainFezLeave a comment

Oishinbo a la carte, Volume 7 – Izakaya: Pub Food by Tetsuya Kariya and Akira Hanasaki.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Well, I guess it’s over.

This is the final volume of translated tales from Oishinbo. And what better way to end than with a beer and an attempt to teach an actor how to drink sake properly?

Oh, and some food created by a homeless gourmand? And some headhunting? And a relationship-fracturing food fight? And the choice of educational pathways? And the birth of some children? Continue reading “Book review: Oishinbo: Izakaya” →

Book review: Oishinbo: The Joy of Rice

January 18, 2019August 15, 2019 CaptainFezLeave a comment

Oishinbo a la carte, Volume 6 – The Joy of Rice by Tetsuya Kariya and Akira Hanasaki.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars.

We’re getting to the pointy end now. This is the penultimate volume of Viz’s collections of extracts from Oishinbo, and so it’s time for something subtle. Something both representative of Japan and its culture, and of hearth and home. Something to get excited about.

Jesus, steady on. It’s *rice* for fuck’s sake.

Something like rice.
Continue reading “Book review: Oishinbo: The Joy of Rice” →

Book review: The Elementals

January 17, 2019August 15, 2019 CaptainFez2 Comments

The Elementals by Michael McDowell.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

I’d never read any Michael McDowell before cracking The Elementals. I’d seen some of his other work, unknowingly – he was the scriptwriter for Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice – and I’d seen that he was very well regarded by Stephen King, so I figured I might as well give it a shot.

Continue reading “Book review: The Elementals” →

Book review: Oishinbo: Vegetables

January 13, 2019August 15, 2019 CaptainFez1 Comment

Oishinbo a la carte, Volume 5 – Vegetables by Tetsuya Kariya and Akira Hanasaki.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars.

Five volumes in and I guess we turn to the topic that kids aren’t excited about: veggies. Thankfully for me, broad beans are given a swerve, but there’s some good reps given to eggplant, a purple fiend I’m only sort of friends with.

I AM SHOUTING BECAUSE I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS TURNIP YOU SIMPLETON.

What I’m saying is that I guess it seems hard for readers – and for me – to be as wound-up excited to read a volume about greens when we’ve formerly had some great, in-depth knowledge shot at us from the Oishinbo food cannon. I was prepared for this to be a bit eh.

Thankfully, it’s not.

Pretty sure that guy on the right is related to that enthusiastic sommelier from a previous volume.

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Planning the pages: 2019 edition

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019 CaptainFez5 Comments

Another year, another list.

Buncha words. I still should mop the floor.

As I did last year, I’ve decided to try and remove a fair bit of the indecision that surrounds my reading. I’ve got a metric fuckton of unread books to go through, and I get paralysed with choice when I finish something. Which of the thousands – yes, literally – comes next?

So, I made a list. This one might be a bit more legible than last year’s one, but it’s probably just as unattainable, completion-wise. That doesn’t matter, though: the list provides some structure, and something that gives a good endorphin burst each time I can put a red read line through anything. Continue reading “Planning the pages: 2019 edition” →

Book review: The Inland Sea

January 8, 2019August 15, 2019 CaptainFez1 Comment

The Inland Sea by Donald Richie.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars.

In terms of travel books written about Japan, this is a classic. It’s a pretty simple work: Ohio-born outsider tools around the Seto Inland Sea and, in the manner of a flâneur, offers his take on the place. Pre-gallery Naoshima. Pre-bridge islands. A world of fishing boats and lazy afternoons.

Let’s put it in perspective from the outset: the area that he’s talking about is glorious. It’s hazy and hypnotic, and completely suited to romantic introspection if you’re a traveller who’s impressed by views. I mean:

Right? Right. It’s somewhere I wanted to learn a lot more about.

The problem is that through this book, you learn a lot more about Donald Richie than you do the area. And what you learn, ultimately, is that he’s pretty much a dickhead.
Continue reading “Book review: The Inland Sea” →

Book review: Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi & Sashimi

January 6, 2019August 15, 2019 CaptainFez1 Comment

Oishinbo a la carte, Volume 4: Fish, Sushi & Sashimi by Tetsuya Kariya and Akira Hanasaki.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Into the seas and rivers, the lakes and streams! This volume of Oishinbo covers all things fishy – as long as your definition of ‘fishy’ includes life-ending parasites.

(For the purposes of this instalment, it does. Also, yuck.) Continue reading “Book review: Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi & Sashimi” →

2018 consumption: a look at some stuff I liked

January 1, 2019January 1, 2019 CaptainFez9 Comments

Well shit.

I guess we’ve reached the point where, traditionally, I put up a post detailing what it is that’s taken my fancy in 2018. It’s become a bit of an annual thing, and far be it from me to disappoint the couple (?) of people who might nose through this thing in its entirety. So here we are: my wrap up of what’s been taking up my time.

Relatively accurate, though he swims more than I do.

Previous versions are here, here, here, here and here if you need an introduction.
Continue reading “2018 consumption: a look at some stuff I liked” →

Book review: Oishinbo: Ramen and Gyōza

December 31, 2018August 15, 2019 CaptainFezLeave a comment

Oishinbo a la carte, Volume 3: Ramen and Gyōza by Tetsuya Kariya and Akira Hanasaki.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars.

The consumption of food-based manga continues. After last volume’s night on the turps, it’s time for something a bit more filling – a bit more starchy. So this volume of Oishinbo a la carte fits the bill, given that it’s about ramen and gyōza: comfort food typified.

Finally a spiritual path that I could follow.

Continue reading “Book review: Oishinbo: Ramen and Gyōza” →