Bout of Books Read a Thon

I have decided to try and take part in the Bout of Books Read a thon from 19 August - 25 August 2013. As this is the last free week I will have before classes start for the semester I am going to spend it reading!

About the Read a Thon:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Book Review: The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy

The sushi book is divided into 4 parts. First is an exploration of sushi. How the first Atlantic bluefin tuna were shipped to Japan fresh, how sushi evolved from its fermented origins as a way to preserve rice to the popular forms it is enjoyed in now: futomaki, nigiri, sashimi, and the box sushi which is still a regional fermented delicacy. The second portion of the book looks at the expansion of sushi from a Japanese delicacy into the well loved globally enjoyed delicacy it is today. The book focuses on the introduction of sushi into Los Angeles, and the spread of sushi as a food for first the rich to becoming widely available across the US and into the rest of the world. The third portion of the book focuses on the fishing industry in different ports where tuna is a primary catch crop. How over fishing has decimated wild tuna populations, and how farming tuna has become a profitable option that still depends largely on wild fish. The book ends with a look at the future of sushi. How changes in tastes in other Asian powers such as China may change the purchasing pattern of tuna (both fresh and frozen, wild and farmed), the tuna pirating that is occurring in the Mediteranian, and the effects of trying to propigate tuna in farms rather than catching wild tuna and fattening them on fish farms.

I thought this was an interesting look at the complexities of the tuna fishing trade specifically, and how sushi has increased the demand for this fish worldwide. Since it was written using 2005 and 2006 statistics as the most recent I was left wanting to know more about how what I was reading about was current now in 2013.

Books Read in June 2013

Print copy:

1.) Something to Hide by Patricia Robinson
2.) Samurai Game by Christine Feehan
3.) Deadly Safari by Karin McQuillan
4.) The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thorton
5.) Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
6.) Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts
7.) Lily's Crossing y Patricia Reilly Giff
8.) Beyond Sanctuary by Janet E. Morris

E-Book:

1.) Vesper by Jeff Sampson
2.) The Tale of The Wicked by john Scalzi (short story)

Audiobook:

none finished this month

Books Wild Released in June 2013:

1.) Samurai Game (Game/Ghostwalker) by Christine Feehan on 6/13/2013
2.) War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups Are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back by Lou Dobbs on 6/13/2013
3.) Something to hide by Patricia Robinson on 6/13/2013
4.) Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume 3: Superman by Michael Fleischer on 6/20/2013
5.) Man of Steel: Superman's Superpowers (I Can Read Book 2) by Lucy Rosen on 6/20/2013
6.) Happy Graduation! (Ready-to-Read, Level 1) by Margaret McNamara on 6/20/2013
7.) Deadly Safari by Karin Mcquillan on 6/22/2013
8.) Where the Heart Is (Oprah's Book Club) by Billie Letts on 6/24/2013
9.) Lily's Crossing by PATRICIA REILLY GIFF on 6/30/2013
10.) The Shape-Changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn on 6/30/2013