Robert Camuto is a wickedly charming citizen of New YorkandFrance, but for his latest venture into the wilds of oephilia, Camuto introduces us to the vinyards of Sicily. It's a detailed tour of the wine culture of the region, as well as the best vintages. To accompany the discussion we will, naturally, be hosting a tasting of Sicilian wines provided by the excellent Chamber Street Wines. This is a rare free guided wine tasting by an expert on the region.
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News of Note
Staff Picks
An Elemental Thing
Written by David
by Eliot Weinberger (New Directions, $16.95)
No one writes like Eliot Weinberger. His work is difficult to classify, or even to describe. Poetic non-fiction? Creative essays? I don't know--nothing really works. He himself will tell you that the one unifying characteristic of An Elemental Thing is that everything is verifiable--but what does that mean? It's easy, though, to get an idea of what this book is all about. These are very short, oddly engaging, episodic pieces, and it would only take a few minutes to read the first couple all the way through. This is how I started, and, before long, I couldn't put it down.
Don Quixote
Written by David
by Miguel de Cervantes, Edith Grossman trans. (Harper Collins, $16.95)
I know it's a lot to ask someone to read this book (it weighs in at 1000+ pages and probably still inspires a palpable dread in anyone who had the poor luck to have it assigned in high school) but, please believe me, the reward is well worth the effort. Profoundly touching and absolutely hysterical, Don Quixote has been my favorite book for twenty years. It also happens to be the book that the Nobel Institute voted "The Greatest Book of All Time".
Catch-22
Written by Sandy
by Joseph Heller (Simon & Schuster, $15.00)
Damned if you do; damned if you don't. This book of paranoia, friction, and sadness shows the lives of a group of bombardiers, and focuses on Yossarian, who embodies all these things while struggling with the politics of a military life. You absolutely must read this book and laugh, cry, scream.
No one writes like Eliot Weinberger. His work is difficult to classify, or even to describe. Poetic non-fiction? Creative essays? I don't know--nothing really works. He himself will tell you that the one unifying characteristic of An Elemental Thing is that everything is verifiable--but what does that mean? It's easy, though, to get an idea of what this book is all about. These are very short, oddly engaging, episodic pieces, and it would only take a few minutes to read the first couple all the way through. This is how I started, and, before long, I couldn't put it down.
I know it's a lot to ask someone to read this book (it weighs in at 1000+ pages and probably still inspires a palpable dread in anyone who had the poor luck to have it assigned in high school) but, please believe me, the reward is well worth the effort. Profoundly touching and absolutely hysterical, Don Quixote has been my favorite book for twenty years. It also happens to be the book that the Nobel Institute voted "The Greatest Book of All Time".
Damned if you do; damned if you don't. This book of paranoia, friction, and sadness shows the lives of a group of bombardiers, and focuses on Yossarian, who embodies all these things while struggling with the politics of a military life. You absolutely must read this book and laugh, cry, scream.