Some More Food for My Brain and Heart

I love scouting the SALE bins of bookstores, for seldom won't I find gems lying there unnoticed. Here are the latest books I was able to buy at discounted prices:

1. Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food by Felipe Fernández-Armesto (2002, Key Porter)
– Originally priced at C$34.95, I got this book for only C$7. Near a Thousand Tables "tells the fascinating story of food as cultural as well as culinary history—ecology as well as gastronomy." Interestingly, it makes the reader realize that "every ingredient of our past and present can be read off our plates: our identity, our place in society, and the place of our society in the world."

2. Witch Hunt: History of a Persecution by Nigel Cawthorne (2003, Capella/Arcturus Publishing)
"This book examines the persecution and the religious hysteria that inspired the witch hunts of 1450–1750, tracing its roots back to the savage suppression of the heretical Waldensian sect by the Catholic Church."

– Reading this book, the reader will feel disgust and disbelief on how wicked and narrow-minded many people in the old days were. The reader will chill to realize that the religious authorities persecuted so many "witches" not because they were real witches but simply because these individuals had stood by their unorthodox and radical views and ways. Very familiar, enlightening, and compelling—simply because "witch persecution" is still much alive in our times...in the guise of persecuting those who choose to be unique and unusual. From C$25 to C$6, Witch Hunt is certainly a great hunt!

3. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology by Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm (2002, Annes Publishing)
– Originally costing C$34.30, this book I got for only C$9.99—a really great buy! It includes the mythologies of both the Western (Greek, Roman, Norse, etc.) and the Eastern (Japanese, Chinese, Indian, etc.) cultures.

4. A Thousand Pieces of Gold: A Memoir of China's Past through Its Proverbs (hardcover) by Adeline Yen Mah (2002, Harper Collins)
– Actually I already have a copy of this book in trade-paperback form; but since this hardcover edition, which originally costed C$37.95, is only C$6.64, I bought it anyway. Yen Mah's books are always filled with fascinating and inspiring personal accounts, rich with Chinese proverbs and philosophies.