Photography Books

Book Finds - August 2023 /  by Todd Henson

Book finds in August, 2023

This past weekend my father and I went on a day trip to visit some old family friends we’d not seen in a while. On the way there we stopped by the Greene Farmers Market at Greene Commons in Standardsville, Virginia, which usually has a bench set up with free books, and on the way back we stopped by the Green Valley Book Fair in Mount Crawford, something we used to enjoy doing with my mother. And as most often happens, I did find some new books to add to my collection.

Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood

I’ve read and enjoyed The Handmaid’s Tale and I keep thinking I’d like to try more by Atwood. So when I saw this one, with a cover that reminds me of some Michael Whelan paintings, I grabbed it.

Sweet Tooth: Book One by Jeff Lemire

I remembered reading reviews of Sweet Tooth and other comics by Jeff Lemire over at Roars and Echoes, and the cover of the kid with antlers stood out. Granted, it’s an image of the live action series, but I remembered the kid and the antlers from Lashaan’s reviews. Needless to say, I decided to pick it up and give it a try.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

I’ve only read one book by Ruth Ware but I’ve been wanting to dive back into her work ever since, and though I’ve already collected several others I’ve yet to try, I couldn’t help adding this one to the list when I saw it sitting there on the shelves.

Seventh Son and Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card

I’ve read and enjoyed the beginning volumes of Card’s Ender’s Game series, and I remembered my mother reading and enjoying the Seventh Son series, so when I saw the first two books of that series collected together, you guessed it, I had to pick up a copy.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

I enjoyed the movie some time ago, but what caused me to pick up a copy of the book was another book that I’m currently reading called The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, about a group of people and how their lives are changed when each finds a copy of the same reading list created and left behind anonymously at a local public library. One of the books on that list is Life of Pi.

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May/June 2023

I subscribed to this magazine for many decades and loved it, so when I saw a copy of a recent issue sitting on the bench of the farmer’s market I decided to take it home, especially given the cover story is by Matthew Hughes, who was always one of my favorite authors from the magazine.

The focus and highlight of the trip was the visit with family friends, but it was also nice to include a little bit of book finding, especially by visiting some of the places we used to visit with Mom.

Have you read any of these books, and if so what did you think?

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A Day at the Green Valley Book Fair - February 2023 /  by Todd Henson

And now for something a little different. My father and I didn’t go hiking this past weekend so I didn’t create any new nature photographs. But what we did do was take a day trip to the Green Valley Book Fair in Mount Crawford, Virginia. My family and I have visited the book fair several times a year almost every year for a decade or more. Even if I don’t have any need for new books I still enjoy the trip there and back and the time walking amongst all the books.

This isn’t the sort of book fair where you find rare or hard to find antiquarian gems. Instead, it’s an outlet store where overstock or extra books are gathered together and sold at a discount. It’s not the sort of place to go with a shopping list as you just never know what you’ll find (though you can check their website for recent additions). And that’s part of what I enjoy, stumbling across books I didn’t know I needed. 😀

So what did I stumble upon this time around?

My book haul from the Green Valley Book Fair in February, 2023

I visited the classics section first and found a copy of Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey in a single volume. I’ve wanted to read these for a long while so I picked up a copy.

Then I found a single-volume collection of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s work, one of those well known classic authors I’ve never read. The collection included Crime and Punishment, The Gambler, and Notes from Underground.

Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse jumped out at me. Not that long ago I read Wodehouse for the first time and I loved his sense of humor, so I’m hoping I laugh my way through this one.

The last book I found in the classics section was a collection of The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China including The Art of War, Wuzi, Wei Liaozi, Taigong’s Six Secret Teachings, Methods of the Sima, Three Strategies of Huang Shigong, and Questions and Replies between Emperor Taizong of Tang and General Li Jing. The only one of these I’d heard of before was The Art of War so I’m curious to learn more about the rest.

On one of the displays I found Fredrik Backman’s Things My Son Needs to Know about the World. I just finished My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry and it was the best book I’ve read in a very long time. Little did I know when I bought this one that it’s non-fiction. But if his writing style and humor are at all similar to what I read then I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.

In the general fiction section I found Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith. I watched the movie when it came out long ago and recall thoroughly enjoying it. Recently I checked and couldn’t find the movie to rent so when I found the book I picked it up. I almost always enjoy books more than movies so I’m hopeful I’ll enjoy this.

I also found a copy of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I remember Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy highly recommending this one so I look forward to giving it a try.

There was an entire section of Stephen King books over in the horror, fantasy and science fiction section and a few of them caught my eye. I picked up Firestarter, a classic I never got around to reading though I have seen the movie. The Eyes of the Dragon sounded interesting, more of a fantasy tale if I understood correctly. And Later, which seems to combine speculative with detective fiction, a combo I’m very open to.

Last year I read the first two books of Rebecca Roanhorse’s series, Between Earth and Sky, which included Black Sun and Fevered Star. I absolutely loved them both, so when I saw Trail of Lightning I picked up a copy. I think it’s an earlier young adult novel of her’s.

All the above books were in one of the two upstairs areas. Downstairs is where we usually find any photography-related books, as well as history, science, travel and lots of other topics. It’s been a while since I found anything new and interesting down there, but I was in luck this day.

First off I saw the large box that contained The Last Place on Earth: Photographs by Michael Nichols. It’s a large format book and includes as an extra Mike Fay’s Megatransect Journals. The photography appears to be stunning and I look forward to spending more time with this one. This book, alone, made the trip well worth while from a monetary perspective. I think the book retails for about $150 and online stores appear to have it priced around $112 right now. At the book fair I paid $29.99 for this monster of a photography book.

The last book I found was a large copy of Reza War + Peace: A Photographer’s Journey. I first learned about Reza some time ago when I watched a documentary or two featuring him and his work, both his photography and humanitarian work. I was very pleased to find this book shelved with the other photography books.

It was difficult to stop here, but my basket was full and very, very heavy, so we trudged back to the checkout where I ran into someone from work. I’m always surprised when I run into folks I know.

After we checked out we headed over to the Shenandoah Heritage Market, another location we usually visit when in the area. It’s a great mix of stores, from fabric and quilting to kitchen supplies, toys, memorabilia and antiques, furniture, canned goods, and bulk food and candy of all sorts. There’s also a great kettle corn vendor out front.

Our last stop of the day was for a bite to eat. There’ve been a group of restaurants in the area we’ve enjoyed visiting but over the years many have closed. Thankfully, Vietopia, a small Vietnamese restaurant in Harrisonburg was still around and just as good as always. I had a pork vermicelli noodle dish (Bún Thịt Nướng Chả Giò) and my father had a bowl of pho. This was a great way to end the day.

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My Favorite Books, Films and Anime in 2022 /  by Todd Henson

My favorite books, movies and anime in 2022.

2022 is just about over. It’s almost time to roll over the calendars and welcome in 2023. But before that happens lets take a look back at some of the books, movies and anime I was fortunate to experience and enjoy this year. Maybe you’ll find something in the list that catches your attention, or perhaps brings back some good memories.

Some of the links below are affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links. This is at no extra cost to you.

Favorite Non-fiction Books

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl might be familiar to some of you. He’s the frontman for The Foo Fighters and used to be the drummer for Nirvana. He’s an incredible musician, and it turns out he’s led an interesting life. I loved listening to this audiobook narrated by himself as he tells his own story. It was very heartwarming learning how important family is, and about the healing power of music.

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke

A great read by a master poker player who learned all about how to think in bets, how to weigh risks and rewards and make better decisions by recognizing and understanding the various cognitive biases we all experience. This book is all about realizing that any outcome is made up of part skill and part luck and by learning to better tell the difference we can improve our future decision making.

Favorite Fiction Books

The Wall by Marlen Haushofer

This was such a fascinating and moving read, all based around a single speculative element, the appearance of an invisible wall that traps a lone woman in the mountains, separated from her friends. The story is then about what she does. It’s such a personal and touching story, sad one minute and life affirming the next. Originally written in German in 1963, later translated to English, and then narrated as an incredible audiobook.

Good Omens: A Full Cast Production by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

An angel of heaven and a demon of hell have spent so much time together on Earth they’ve built up a friendship and have grown to enjoy their time amongst the humans. So when there are incontrovertible signs that the apocalypse is finally here they find themselves trying to stop it. What an absolutely fantastic and fun story full of the humor you’d expect from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. And what a fabulous audiobook narrated by a full cast who really bring these characters to life.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

If you’d told me at the beginning of the year that one of my favorite books this year would be an audiobook of this classic children’s story I’d have said you were crazy. And yet here we are. Such an absolutely lovely story, well worth reading to a child, and also well worth reading yourself. And if you get the opportunity, give Xe Sands a chance with her audiobook narration.

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

What a powerful start to a new fantasy series, and my first experience with a book by this author. The first short chapter was a bit of a gut punch, and from then on a clock was ticking, taking us closer and closer to something, though we don’t know exactly what. This book went by so quickly, I just couldn’t stop reading.

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

Some books are just pure fun and enjoyment, and that’s the case with this one. In a nutshell, it’s about a psychic who’s trying to learn to better use her gift while also running a travel agency. And it’s about a Seattle police detective who happens to have his life changed by using her agency, and then learning about her other skills. A fun, funny, and exciting murder mystery. Give it a try.

Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac

Peacemaker is a tale of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee, or Iroquois, of North America. It tells the story of the great Peacemaker who brought together the five warring nations into one confederacy. And the story is told through the eyes of a young boy who gets caught up in those times. A story for all ages and all times, one about understanding our differences and coming together.

Favorite Graphic Novels & Comics

Saga Volume 1 & 2 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

I waited far too long before finally trying this comic book series. I don’t know why. Probably because I heard it was a love story of sorts about a couple just trying to live a quiet life. And yet there’s so much more to it. I sometimes find it difficult to describe the things I most enjoy, and I’m finding that to be the case here. Just try it. It’s one of the best comic book stories I’ve read in a very long time.

Favorite Movies

Dune (Part 1)

I thought this was such a great interpretation of the book, or the first part of it, anyway. It had that same slow but deliberate build up, was very well acted with a great soundtrack and incredible visuals. I can’t wait to see part 2.

WarGames

This was a favorite when it came out and I enjoyed it once again in this rewatch. It’s one of several movies that got me into computers. It’s funny that I watched the 25th anniversary edition of the film 39 years after watching the original.

Ladyhawke

Another rewatch of a classic that I loved when it first came out and thoroughly enjoyed once again. This one was a fantasy love story set in a medieval sort of period.

Labyrinth

And one more classic rewatch from the ’80s. Another fantasy film but of a very different sort, this time with Jim Henson’s folks creating the creatures that populate the film.

Logan

This was my second viewing of Logan. I grew up with the Marvel mutant comic books and Wolverine and the X-Men were some of my favorites. So the final story of Wolverine is sure to get my attention. Thankfully, the movie does the story justice.

Favorite Anime & Animated Movies

RahXephon

It seems most of my favorite video content this year were rewatches, often from when I was much younger. Such is the case with this science fiction anime series. I loved how integral sound and music was to the story.

Fena: Pirate Princess

I didn’t watch a lot of anime this year, so this series makes it into my favorites due to lack of competition. That being said, I did very much enjoy the series, one full of action, adventure, mystery and romance. Granted, it didn’t quite stick the ending, but the rest was a lot of fun.

Have you read any of these books or watched any of the movies? What were some of your favorites this year. Let me know in the comments below.

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