notanotherbookreview

 Around 1973 or 74, my boyfriend and I wandered into a funky restaurant in Berkeley. I remember a hand-lettered sign, Chez Panisse, and a casual open space with arty touches. It had one choice on the menu but it was French.  I don't remember what we ate, only that it was tasty. There was a woman, who asked us how we liked the food, who said it came from her garden. It was a wait for food but we came back for the freshness, the food and her attitude, as though it was all a lark. Fast forward to 2017, where you have to look no further than Whole Foods to realize how Alice Waters changed the way we buy, cook and eat food. In her new autobiography, COMING TO MY SENSES: The Making of a Counterculture cook (Clarkson Potter/Penguin Random, Sept), Waters explains how her early life and the 1960s counterculture were essential ingredients to her evolution. At 27, Waters, a home cook without formal chef training, opened a restaurant based on a love of French cooking and an instin...

An audiobook of PARADISE GARDENS is in the works. It will be read by Nicole Greevy, a wonderful actress. We will work through summer for early September. 2019 ACX releases on Audible and other outlets. I am very excited this is happening. Paradise Gardens is a saga that lends itself to this format. Further info to come. Thanks for interest. Code for 30.day trial on audible.com 3KLDMSUB4WXY6 THANKS to @DixonPlace lounge for hosting UNIMAGINABLE WORLDS last night! 10/5 60 minutes of pleasure and perhaps terror, as we encounter feasible lives you can't imagine. Excerpts from new editions published by Pelekinesis. Love between NYC professionals on Unimaginable real estate (Paradise Gardens). A mermaid meets imitators in Coney Island (Tales from the Mer Family Onyx) Unimaginable--Seas we know that are unimaginable. A pier that seems familiar, we know this place, except it's Unimaginable. ...

The path to a well rested body and healthy capacity. Are you ready?  REST IS THE NEW SPORT now available in U.S. and U.K. Congrats to Jef Geys! Rest Is The New Sport publishes in U.S. and U.K. 11/21 https://www.amazon.com/Rest-New-Sport-Identify-biological-ebook/dp/B077CJ7TM5 “This book (REST IS THE NEW SPORT) is the result of 15 years of my own research and experience surveying 8000 people–both professional athletes and average joes. It gives my great satisfaction to help you better understand your body and to offer personal advice based on your specific type of fatigue. Everything begins with ensuring your body is well-rested.” -Jef Geys-  From working with the Special Forces in Belgium-men who need to be sharp and in optimal shape because their lives and ours depend on it--I feel I need to advise you strongly to take care of yourself, to make sure you are well-rested and to believe and try what I propose. Your responsibilities, at home and professio...

The old women in Roberta Allen's The Princess of Herself (Pelekinesis September 20th) made me think of  how (Samuel) "Beckett's itinerant greatcoat-wearing old men ramble throughout the pages of his fiction...". ( Art of Salvage, Julie Bates). Her observations have a wit dry and ready without compromise to please. In the title story, the narrator observes the Princess' "broad unlined forehead, the symmetrical features, the sallow skin, the mane of long gray curls falling past her shoulders, her shiny silver "moon" necklaces. Hippy necklaces. Behind her, the empty cafe. The polished wood tables." In Allen's stories, her older women run from mortality, chasing themselves.The narrator, like Beckett, puzzles out consciousness. She observes, not devoid of sympathy, but wields words like a sharp knife, deftly uncovering what we know and don't imagine. From a story called  Forgotten: " I remember thinking how young she looke...

Are we living in a computer simulation? Elon Musk thinks so. Here's E.T. Marshall's look, as his hero becomes conscious of alien technology. C H A P T E R T H I R T E E N We were sitting on beach chairs facing the Pacific Ocean. There were many clouds in the sky but no sign of rain, and it had all the makings of a beautiful sunset. I watched the bright reds, reflected on the clouds above the glow, softly and slowly transform into a deep purple. A dozen squawking seagulls were flying overhead; sandpipers were darting in and out of the surf line. I took my shoes and socks off and rubbed my feet in the warm sand. I thought how easily my mind could be fooled. One minute in space and the next at Venice Beach. As I looked around, it sounded and felt so real. I could hear the waves breaking gently on the beach, the tender wind moving through the palm trees behind me. Vlad refilled my wine glass. “But Vlad, where are the people?” I asked. “Venice Be...