Reviews with TLC

Imagine is exactly what one would expect. It is the lyrics to John Lennon's song, Imagine , turned into a picture book. The pictures are sweet and kind. The message is peace and unity. Imagine provides a easy way for people who like the song to share it with their children. It also provides ample opportunity for a discussion about the world using one's imagination and the role imagination shares in shaping the world. Imagine is a book for children with a universal message of love and acceptance that knows no age limit.

Here We Are: Notes for Living on the Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers explores the place each of holds in the wide world and the interconnectedness of the world in which we live. Jeffers starts with our place in the universe in a move that feels a bit reminiscent of Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot . Here We Are is about how vast and yet how small our world is. Jeffers brings together both the smallness and the largeness of existence in this simple yet engaging and informative picture book.

I bought The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen even before I adopted a plant-based diet because I was intrigued by the recipes in the book. I've made several of the very interesting recipes in The Conscious Cook.    I rarely make the recipes in it anymore, but  I keep this cookbook on my shelves and occasionally use it as a reference or for inspiration. As I sit here looking through the cookbook, I'm tempted to make some of the recipes again soon, adapted to fit my cooking style which doesn't include the oils and the highly processed foods he uses. Beyond even that, many of the recipes require ingredients I don't necessarily keep in the kitchen, so I'd need to shop for them. This is probably the main reason I don't use this cookbook as much as some of the others on my shelves. Many of the recipes are also quite involved and time consuming.  That said, the recipes I have tried all tasted delicious, so if you're willing to put in the time and effort, it's a

Someone I trust, I can't remember who, recommended I read On the Road by Jack Kerouac, so I bought a copy. I placed it in my to-be-read stack of books and went on my way. Eventually, I came to the book as I worked my way through the stack. To be honest, I moved it down in the pile a couple of times as other books appealed more to me in a given moment. Even after I started reading On the Road , I wasn't sure about it. Something didn't quite work for me at first. For pages and then chapters, I felt like I was missing some crucial element to the story, but I kept reading because it intrigued me and the writing style was interesting. That said, I never could figure out why any of the characters were so fascinated by Dean Moriarty. He came across as just another con man and I don't find con men the least bit charming, so I spent most of the book wishing the narrator, Sal, would wise up and get away from him and stay away from him. I came away from On the Road with one ov