Pamuk fined for insulting 'Turkishness'

Via Bookslut, we find news that Nobel prize-winning Orhan Pamuk, we read his book Snow last year, has been fined.

...pay 6,000 liras (about 4,000 USD) to six individuals—1,000 liras each—in compensation for insulting their “Turkishness” after citing the number of Kurds and Armenians killed in Turkey.

The Desert of Forbidden Art documentary

The LA Times covers the documentary called the Desert of Forbidden Art about an Uzbekistan museum filled with quality Russian avant-garde art. I'm posting this because Shelley has been recommending this documentary to us.

"The Desert of Forbidden Art" tells a tale that is stranger than fiction several times over. Viewers of this remarkable documentary will be astonished at not only what this art looks like and why it's forbidden, but also where it is and how it got there.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

Our next book will be The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. Posting a quick collection of links, definitely not all encompassing, so please pass along your links to me, especially if you have a favorite site.

The website of the book
Amazon link

nytimes review by david eggers

telegraph review

guardian review

the review in the independent
something David Mitchell wrote about his book

reviews by bloggers

at bibliokept

at savidge reads

at reading fuelled by tea

at written nerd

The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes

For March, we are reading The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes. I've collected a few links related to this book. I have no doubt there are many many more sites and links regarding this book. If you'd like, please send the links to me or write a comment.

What wikipedia has on the book
Bookrags has a study guide for this book
A page on Fuentes with links
Amazon on the Death of Artemio Cruz
A summary and study guide on enotes
There's even a facebook site for this book
A salon piece
Something at the booker tea reading group
psri's book blog has a book review

New section: Visit our sites

To make it easy to access our members' sites, we've got a brand new section, now placed in the upper left corner of our blog.


First up: Shelley Adler's website. She specializes in the genre of California realistic painting but brings to it her unique perspective. In her words:

My intention is to recreate within the small framework, the specific moment caught by the camera. I attempt to express the personality of the person(s) through their body language and the way they are positioned in relationship to each other and to express the feeling of the time or era in which they exist with atmosphere and color. Some of these elements may be present in the black and white snapshot, but they are not always obvious. I enhance the image by using my intuitive sense of the scene to imagine the colors that were there as the photo was snapped, and to bring to life the black and white image.

I feel that I am having a conversation with the images of the people as I paint them. They open up to me as I study the photograph and see the subtleties of their expressions and bearing. I then try to make that revelation part of the painting.

Currently, she's showing her work in several galleries in the area. Please visit her site for more information.
Shelley's link on ArtSlant
Tag Gallery interviews Shelley

Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee

We will be reading J. M. Coetzee's book, Disgrace, winner of the Booker and Commonwealth Prizes. I've gathered some links about the book and the novelist, posted below. Please feel free to send along any other items of interest.

Salon review in 1999
What wikipedia says about Disgrace
The Guardian review of Disgrace
The Amazon page on Disgrace
Book review on Hackwriters.com
Tony D'Souza writes an essay about Disgrace
Complete Reviews page


As you probably all know, Coetzee won the Nobel prize in 2003. Here's his biography on the Nobel web site.
What wiki says about Coetzee

Dreams of My Russian Summers by Andrei Makine

We'll be reading Andrei Makine's Dreams of My Russian Summers.
The Amazon link to his book

Interview with Andrei Makine by the Independent, "Through the Iron Curtain to Paris"
The Telegraph interview, "A Writer's Life"
"Torn Between Two Languages": a review in the NY Times
The literary blog, Ordinary World, reviews Dreams of My Russian Summers
wikipedia on Andrei Makine

David Lebovitz' Chocolate Yogurt Cakes

Have been enjoying reading David Lebovitz' book, The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City.  The recipe for chocolate yogurt cakes came from this book. It's simple and easy. It turns out he has a very nice blog loaded with recipes.

I found the recipe for his chocolate yogurt cakes online in this blogger's post at the Steamy Kitchen.
Podcast below on the Steamy Kitchen.
David Lebovitz Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cake from Jaden Hair on Vimeo.

Makes 12 individual cakes
7 ounces (200g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (125ml) unflavored vegetable oil, divided
1/2 cup (125ml) plain, whole-milk yogurt
1 cup (200g) sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups (180g) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
whipped cream (optional – that’s just my little addition to his recipe)
1. Preheat the oven to 350f (180C). Line a muffin tin with 12 indentations with paper cupcake liners, or lightly butter them.
2. In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate with 1/4 cup (60ml) of the oil. Once melted and smooth, remove from heat.
3. In another bowl, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup (65ml) of oil with the yogurt, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and almond extracts.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yogurt mixture. Stir lightly a couple of time, then add the melted chocolate, and stir until just smooth.
5. Divide the batter into the muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, or until they feel barely set in the middle.
6. Remove from oven and cool before serving. Top with some whipped cream, if desired.

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City.
His blog: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/

The Professor and the Madman

Found a few links about our next book, The Professor and the Madman written by Simon Winchester.

A Charles Taylor review at Salon.com

Interview with Simon Winchester at Powells

Wikipedia on Simon Winchester

PBS radio interview by David Gergen with Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester's bio on his website

Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century

The top 100 novels of the 20th century at the Oxford Books site