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At Large and At Small
At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays | Anne Fadiman
6 posts | 11 read | 3 to read
In At Large and At Small, Anne Fadiman returns to one of her favorite genres, the familiar essaya beloved and hallowed literary tradition recognized for both its intellectual breadth and its miniaturist focus on everyday experiences. With the combination of humor and erudition that has distinguished her as one of our finest essayists, Fadiman draws us into twelve of her personal obsessions: from her slightly sinister childhood enthusiasm for catching butterflies to her monumental crush on Charles Lamb, from her wistfulness for the days of letter-writing to the challenges and rewards of moving from the city to the country. Many of these essays were composed "under the influence" of the subject at hand. Fadiman ingests a shocking amount of ice cream and divulges her passion for Hagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip and her brother's homemade Liquid Nitrogen Kahla Coffee (recipe included); she sustains a terrific caffeine buzz while recounting Balzac's coffee addiction; and she stays up till dawn to write about being a night owl, examining the rhythms of our circadian clocks and sharing such insomnia cures as her father's nocturnal word games and Lewis Carroll's mathematical puzzles. At Large and At Small is a brilliant and delightful collection of essays that harkens a revival of a long-cherished genre.
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TheEllieMo
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Oops, I‘ve missed a few days!!

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 209
#BooksToRead #TBRPile #TBRMountain

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Litsi
Mehso-so

I greatly disliked this essayist. I tried to put my dislike aside but I was yet disappointed. Any essay has the bright promise of “new”. A new thing to see; a new way of seeing. But each of these arrives at this place where she seems to remember she should add factual information. And at that point the pages flood with info from which she then makes unearned connections. Full review. https://www.facebook.com/1082882538/posts/10221698664070863/

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jb72
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#bookspin

I am keeping the same list. I‘ve been in a reading slump the past month or so, but I think I‘m finally over it.

TheAromaofBooks Glad to have you along!! Sometimes those slumps happen. Whenever I have one, I just read terrible Pride & Prejudice variations on Kindle Unlimited. 😆 4y
jb72 @TheAromaofBooks Yeah this time I‘ve just been watching skoolie conversions on YouTube. Now I want my own bus. 4y
TheAromaofBooks Right?? Those videos are super addictive. I also can't stop playing Stardew Valley, which is seriously cutting into my hobby time 🙄 4y
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jb72 @TheAromaofBooks I‘ve not heard of that game. I‘m already addicted to angry birds. 4y
TheAromaofBooks It's just a little role-play game where you have a farm and basically go around and do the chores I do in real life 😂 I need help! 4y
jb72 @TheAromaofBooks LOL I had a farm game but it quit working. But again I already feed chickens in real life. I will resist looking up your game. Will power! 4y
37 likes6 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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Pickpick

Nice set of essays penned by the author of Ex Libris. I feel that Ex Libris is more endearing, however.

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ValerieAndBooks
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This looks like it‘d be a cool gardening project! Any of you done this?

From the essay “Night Owl”, basically about sleep.

Redwritinghood Fun, but probably beyond my gardening skill level. 6y
Suzze I had no idea there were more than a couple of flowers that bloomed at different times of day. 6y
kspenmoll No, but my sister is an amazing gardener & worked for a few years in at Lauritzen Botanical Gardens of Omaha- want to ask if she has heard of such a garden- sounds beautiful & intriguing. 6y
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Lcsmcat There‘s a piece by Jean Françaix for oboe called The Flower Clock. (L‘horloges des Fleures) but I didn‘t know it was an actual thing. 6y
Suet624 What a wonderful idea. 6y
Liz_M What a beautiful idea! 6y
DivineDiana That would be fabulous to see! 🌸🌺🌼🌹🌷 6y
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review
JessFerg
Pickpick

An amazing set of personal, educational, and intellectual essays. From collecting butterflies, to how we get mail, to American flag fact and legend, (and much more) Fadiman shares a little of herself and tidbits of history you didn't get in school. Just an amazing read whether you read the essays one at a time over the course of years, or blow through them all in one sittting.