The story of the Bounty and Captain Bligh is fairly well known, several movies have been made of this and numerous books. This book offers very detailed information on the voyage and many of the members of the crew and their families. The original purpose of the Bounty voyage was to bring back Breadfruit plants that were to be brought to the Caribbean to be used as a cheap but viable food source. The Breadfruit is very nutritious and can be used as a single source of food. What was surprising to me was that after the mutiny and Bligh's amazing voyage back to England he made a second trip to get the Breadfruit. This time he was given a much bigger ship and an escort ship with a military force, that way there would not be a second mutiny. This second trip was successful and breadfruit is now a common food in the Caribbean.
Thursday, December 25, 2025
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Voices from the Kitchen
This book contains the transcript of 27 interviews with people who work in restaurants in NY. All of them are immigrants, and they tell their stories of how they ended up where they are. It is mostly interesting, but does get a little repetitious as most of the stories are the same. But there are a few excpetional stories. Definately stories of our times.
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
The Twilight Forest
The author is a widely published nature writer. In this book he travels through New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and California documenting the decline of the ponderosa pine. He provides background on the evolution of the ponderosa, its place in the culture of the west and information about the different varieties of the ponderosa. Basically his premise is that the ponderosa is in decline and may disapear. Mostly this book is the story of the effects of climate change and how it is reshaping the landscape, in particular in the western US. Very good writing.