Oh, The Things That Catch My Fancy!
+ another book giveaway
Wait, did I say I was moving my newsletter to Tuesdays? Forgive me, I really meant to say, I like Thursday! Thursdays, it turns out, are better! So here I am, on Thursday, popping into your inbox with a bit of fancy, whimsy, and things that have surprised and delighted me in recent months.
Anselm Kiefer in Rome
Let’s start with how I was in Rome in early January and turned a corner into an alley that opened into a courtyard with this piece of art tacked up against the wall. I recognized it immediately and was shocked that an Anselm Kiefer artwork would be exposed to the elements (the alley was covered, but still was shocking) in such a fashion. Although his pieces are often created by being left out in the open, so I suppose it isn’t so weird.
I had seen a similar piece at the Venice Biennale in the Palazzo Ducale (maybe the one in Rome was a piece of this one?). It was one of the most stunning art exhibits I have ever seen. The room, the scale of it all.
The entire exhibit was absolutely magnificent. It took place in one the most beautiful palazzos in the world, Palazzo Ducale.
Swerving out of the realm of art, let’s talk about salad! I told you this would be a whatever catches my fancy, right?
The Department of Salad
I’m not a salad fan. Not really at all. But I’m becoming one because I want to stay healthy and keep that pesky cancer from coming back. So I am always looking for more ways to enjoy salad, particularly salad with NO KALE, tomatoes, peppers, or bitter greens. A year ago I would never have imagined that one of my fave substacks would be Emily Nunn’s The Department of Salad.
Emily’s a former New Yorker editor, and the author of the memoir The Comfort Food Diaries: My Quest for the Perfect Dish to Mend a Broken Heart. Her substack makes me want to eat so many salads. Who knew there were so many possibilities?
Poor Things
Joe and I recently went to see Poor Things, and I can’t stop thinking about this film. Emma Stone was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. The story is batshit crazy and fair warning, don’t go with your parents, or as fellow author
did, take her two teens. There is a LOT of sex. I mean, so much fucking you may not know what to do with it, especially because it’s not really all that sexy. It’s certainly “furious jumping” as Miss Bella Baxter calls it, but it’s all rather matter-of-fact (and often very disturbing), and a part of her learned experience. The film itself is a beautiful, well-wrought piece of art, with a unique story (from a book!) and truly unforgettable characters. This film will deserve all the Oscars it receives. Plus Willem Dafoe is in it, who I love (and have also seen wandering around in Rome, where he lives!). Here’s the trailer (don’t worry, no furious jumping).Also, this is the most adorable video of Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo attempting to play Agree to Disagree.
AI Deciphers 2000-Year-Old Herculaneum Scrolls
This is so cool! AI algorithms have successfully deciphered text from a 2,000-year-old charred scroll from Herculaneum's Roman library, previously buried and damaged by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. This breakthrough came as part of a $1 million contest initiated by Nat Friedman, the former CEO of GitHub, which challenged participants to extract Greek text from the damaged ‘Herculaneum papyri’ scrolls. These scrolls, unearthed in the 18th century, were long considered undecipherable due to their condition. The winning software leveraged AI to identify patterns overlooked by human researchers, revealing more than 2,000 readable letters and unlocking historical texts thought lost to time. The scroll above is about food and pleasure and is thought to have been written by one of Epicurus’ followers, who may also have been Virgil's teacher.
Salvador Dalí’s Crayfish Tower
When I scored the deal with MIRA Books for In The Garden of Monsters (you can pre-order at that link!), I splurged a little and bought this plate, which was issued in 1981 for the ten-year celebration of Dalí’s cookbook Les Diners de Gala. There is a painting in the cookbook and an accompanying recipe.
And here’s a recreation of this crazy recipe!
Congrats to Last Week’s Winner!
Congrats to Mick Murphy for winning The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James! For those of you who didn’t win, you can purchase a copy here.
Also, you’re in luck, because…
It’s Time for Another Book Giveaway!
"Looting, lying, and the letter of the law: Queens of London delivers a rollicking ride through the criminal underbelly of post-WWI London. Gritty at times and tender at others, Queens of London unmasks the most lawless―and likeable―gang of women you've never heard of."
― Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary
A tale of dark glamour and sisterhood, Queens of London is a look at Britain's first female crime syndicate, the ever-shifting meaning of justice, and the way women claim their power by any means necessary, from USA Today bestselling author Heather Webb.
To sign up for the giveaway, you can fill out this form. Your name will be thrown into the hat for a shot at a copy. This giveaway closes at midnight ET on 02/11/24. Winners will be notified within 48 hours of the giveaway close and announced in my next newsletter/post.
Important to Note: you must be 18+ and a United States resident (pesky international laws make it tricky to do giveaways worldwide). If you are someone who loves rules, you can find the obligatory info here.
Let’s talk about the good stuff. If you love food and love Italy, and haven’t read THE CHEF’S SECRET or FEAST OF SORROW, click the links to learn where to buy your copy! 🍒🍗🍷
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That Kiefer piece is amazing.
KALE IS A CONSPIRACY THEORY AND I WILL NOT HEAR OTHERWISE.
Signed, someone who also hates salad but can manage if it only includes spinach and fruit. Not Kale. Never Kale.