What another wonderful read. This is our Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, and I absolutely give thanks that I have found your delightful column. All the best.
Best issue yet! 1. No matter what he does or doesn't do, Eric Adams is TOPS for saying, "Kansas doesn’t have a brand!," and upsetting the anti-science "rednecks, crackers, hillbillies, hausfraus, shut-ins, pea-pickers" (quote from the movie, A Face In The Crowd") of the Great Altered-Mental-State of Kansas! 2. The tonic for the Rubber Plant is staring us in the face: Vick's Nyquil! 3. Amazon and Barnes & Noble should be shaking in their boots because Ms. Altshuler has the next big thing with "Sweet Pickle Books!" What a great dialogue combining great books with the appropriate pickle-pairing! The back and forth with Anne is worthy of college credit! “We have a ‘Don’t Be An Asshole’ policy,’” she said. No worries, most assholes don't read books.
Loved the pickle bookstore. How novel! (See what I did there?)
And yes, there’s always a second chance for books. I hated reading Jack Kerouac in high school, but on a particularly difficult day in the middle of the pandemic I picked up Dharma Bums again. This time around, older and (hopefully) a little wiser, I really enjoyed it. So yeah, when I put a book down because it’s not clicking for me, it’s more of a see you later than a true goodbye.
Also…. Really don’t finish a book that isn't keeping you engaged and feels like work! It took me literally YEARS to give myself permission to just not finish a book.
A fun return to regular programming. The Mayor is so desperate as a "notice me" guy it is funny AND absurd AND needy. I LOVE the responsible nature of the woman from Sri Lanka who salvaged the rubber tree plant. Yeah almost 70% of the mob wants to hack the plant. She recognizes she ended up with this plant on its deathbed and deserves a measure of space to decide what to do next. A hormone enhanced rubber plant SOUNDS exciting! I now finally realize why I don't have to read every genre. I don't eat bread and butter or sweet pickles of any sort. Dill, half-sour and spicy only. Probably means there are lots of books I am simply not destined to try. Lastly, only in a bookstore. The owner is peddling pickles and CHOOSES TO LABEL them "DILLED PICKLES". Swimming against the current, I love it. I just finished a podcast recommended by a friend tryiing to go backward to latin-rooted words and get folks to consider saying data and datum. Just like dilled pickles. Doesn't matter what is right, the train has left the station!
I reeeeeaaallllly want to visit Sweet Pickle Books, but I'm kind of far away... 😥
I was not down with The Kite Runner either, though many people thought it was "so great". I just thought the writing was pretty unremarkable. It did not impress.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, however, is one of my all-time favourite books. Now there's a guy who can write!
The BBC adaptation of "I, Claudius" (1976) is very good and had some famous or futurely-famous actors, including Patrick Stewart as Sejanus and John Hurt as Caligula. I watched it when I was a kid so I didn't know who anyone was.
The BBC version of "Cousin Bette" (1971) was also excellent, with futurely-famous Helen Mirren as Valérie. I liked it so much I read the book, discovering that the TV series was a very loose adaptation (better than Balzac, I think).
Everyone in Afghanistan hates "The Kite Runner".
There was a fourth thing I was going to say but I forget what it was. Probably something snarky about Eric Adams.
I would love a post about the garment district! Maybe the stores, the designers that frequent the shops there, the shoe cobblers. I used to frequent there when I lived by the city and it was my favorite place. The inspiration there is amazing! So many dreamers and so much creativity! I took my first trip to MOOD (the fabric store on Project Runway) when I was 13 and made trips every year since then. It holds a special place in my heart as a young sewer who loves fashion! - Madison
So happy to see Eric Adams Watch back--I laughed out loud at every single one of his comments! Also, hard agree with Ms. Altshuler about giving up on books you don’t like. There are too many amazing books to read, so why waste time on one that doesn’t resonate with you?
this makes me crave pickles so bad!! i always have to have a jar on hand, nothing like that sour dill flavor to finish a meal imo. great concept for a bookstore
So much to enjoy in this read but my favorite thing of all was the wall of photos that have been slipped inside books and forgotten. I use photos as book marks all the time, but I would be so sad to lose them - so note to self to stop that practice. OTOH I think Lost Photo, Former Bookmark should be a newsletter or something like missed connections 🤔 😊
NYC's Best Book-Pickle Pairings!
What another wonderful read. This is our Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, and I absolutely give thanks that I have found your delightful column. All the best.
Best issue yet! 1. No matter what he does or doesn't do, Eric Adams is TOPS for saying, "Kansas doesn’t have a brand!," and upsetting the anti-science "rednecks, crackers, hillbillies, hausfraus, shut-ins, pea-pickers" (quote from the movie, A Face In The Crowd") of the Great Altered-Mental-State of Kansas! 2. The tonic for the Rubber Plant is staring us in the face: Vick's Nyquil! 3. Amazon and Barnes & Noble should be shaking in their boots because Ms. Altshuler has the next big thing with "Sweet Pickle Books!" What a great dialogue combining great books with the appropriate pickle-pairing! The back and forth with Anne is worthy of college credit! “We have a ‘Don’t Be An Asshole’ policy,’” she said. No worries, most assholes don't read books.
Loved the pickle bookstore. How novel! (See what I did there?)
And yes, there’s always a second chance for books. I hated reading Jack Kerouac in high school, but on a particularly difficult day in the middle of the pandemic I picked up Dharma Bums again. This time around, older and (hopefully) a little wiser, I really enjoyed it. So yeah, when I put a book down because it’s not clicking for me, it’s more of a see you later than a true goodbye.
I love these weekly bits of light & shine. Thank you!
Now, would you travel west & write an Oregon version? We've got characters and quirk, too!
Also…. Really don’t finish a book that isn't keeping you engaged and feels like work! It took me literally YEARS to give myself permission to just not finish a book.
A fun return to regular programming. The Mayor is so desperate as a "notice me" guy it is funny AND absurd AND needy. I LOVE the responsible nature of the woman from Sri Lanka who salvaged the rubber tree plant. Yeah almost 70% of the mob wants to hack the plant. She recognizes she ended up with this plant on its deathbed and deserves a measure of space to decide what to do next. A hormone enhanced rubber plant SOUNDS exciting! I now finally realize why I don't have to read every genre. I don't eat bread and butter or sweet pickles of any sort. Dill, half-sour and spicy only. Probably means there are lots of books I am simply not destined to try. Lastly, only in a bookstore. The owner is peddling pickles and CHOOSES TO LABEL them "DILLED PICKLES". Swimming against the current, I love it. I just finished a podcast recommended by a friend tryiing to go backward to latin-rooted words and get folks to consider saying data and datum. Just like dilled pickles. Doesn't matter what is right, the train has left the station!
So much fun reading, education and life. Thanks for the smarts and the funnies.
I reeeeeaaallllly want to visit Sweet Pickle Books, but I'm kind of far away... 😥
I was not down with The Kite Runner either, though many people thought it was "so great". I just thought the writing was pretty unremarkable. It did not impress.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, however, is one of my all-time favourite books. Now there's a guy who can write!
You misspelled Stephen King! FYI
I am definitely going to check out Sweet Pickle Books next time I head down to the Tenement Museum.
From this day forth, whenever someone asks me a question I don't like, I will respond, "I AM the Intelligence Bureau."
The BBC adaptation of "I, Claudius" (1976) is very good and had some famous or futurely-famous actors, including Patrick Stewart as Sejanus and John Hurt as Caligula. I watched it when I was a kid so I didn't know who anyone was.
The BBC version of "Cousin Bette" (1971) was also excellent, with futurely-famous Helen Mirren as Valérie. I liked it so much I read the book, discovering that the TV series was a very loose adaptation (better than Balzac, I think).
Everyone in Afghanistan hates "The Kite Runner".
There was a fourth thing I was going to say but I forget what it was. Probably something snarky about Eric Adams.
It sort of looks like Adams is EATING the child’s finger 😂😂
I would love a post about the garment district! Maybe the stores, the designers that frequent the shops there, the shoe cobblers. I used to frequent there when I lived by the city and it was my favorite place. The inspiration there is amazing! So many dreamers and so much creativity! I took my first trip to MOOD (the fabric store on Project Runway) when I was 13 and made trips every year since then. It holds a special place in my heart as a young sewer who loves fashion! - Madison
So happy to see Eric Adams Watch back--I laughed out loud at every single one of his comments! Also, hard agree with Ms. Altshuler about giving up on books you don’t like. There are too many amazing books to read, so why waste time on one that doesn’t resonate with you?
this makes me crave pickles so bad!! i always have to have a jar on hand, nothing like that sour dill flavor to finish a meal imo. great concept for a bookstore
So much to enjoy in this read but my favorite thing of all was the wall of photos that have been slipped inside books and forgotten. I use photos as book marks all the time, but I would be so sad to lose them - so note to self to stop that practice. OTOH I think Lost Photo, Former Bookmark should be a newsletter or something like missed connections 🤔 😊