Green and grey you may I say

Two interesting finds in the June 15th issue of Library Journal:


"The Green Table"  VERDICT An essential purchase for any dance collection, this program will be a strong addition to any popular entertainment holdings as well; very highly recommended. The Joffrey Ballet's reconstruction of the Kurt Jooss ballet. 9780769750903 on DVD.

"Grey Gardens"  now available on Blu-Ray. The 1976 documentary about Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale in their crumbling mansion. First seen in the Sheldon Gallery theater with Nelson Potter's Aesthetics class. I've forgotten the theory of aesthetic distance, but the film lurks in my memory.


And just because, here is The Edge of My Life So Far, choreographed by Bruce Wood and danced unforgettably by Nycole Ray.





© 2014 Nancy L. Ruder

Reds

Including an Einstein Eisenia Fetida and a hit out of the park.

© 2014 Nancy L. Ruder

If you liked The Hare With Amber Eyes

Memoir, history, charming characters, muttering spouses, committed horticulturalists, obsessive collectors, genteel experts, quirky watercolor illustrations all together make a delightful summer read. Having known an obsessive rose collector in my childhood adds to the fun.

Chasing the Rose: An Adventure in the Venetian Countryside, by Andrea di Robilant; illustrated by Nina Fuga. Knopf 2014.


Di Robilant’s is a unique exploration of how human history often leaves its imprint in the most unexpected of places.

A quiet country pleasure.--Kirkus Reviews

Publisher's media info

Empress Josephine was so mad for roses that she persuaded Napoleon to let a British gardener pass through his naval blockade.--Wall Street Journal

 

  

If you still have not read The Hare With Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal, I highly recommend it. Slow-going and worth every minute in gaining a new understanding of art history, Europe in the 20th Century, anti-Semitism, attention to detail, and memoir-writing. You will think of it often years later.

And don't forget The World is a Carpet, by Anna Badkhen. It will return to mind, too.

© 2014 Nancy L. Ruder