July 14, 2021

Putting the Buzz in Buzzed


Putting the Buzz in Buzzed
Hopefully, these critters will "bee"have themselves this summer.  Photo by Sally Millar via Unsplash

The Forestry Committee of the Moscow region is warning residents to steer clear of any bumbling drunk bees as the weather keeps heating up. No, the bees are not dipping into the country's great supply of vodka, but with such high temperatures due to the heatwave, it's possible that the bee's usual food source, flower nectar, may begin to ferment. 

This isn't an entirely uncommon occurrence and is nothing for residents to be worried about. Not surprisingly, drunk bees aren't more aggressive than they would be in their sober condition, just more clumsy and confused (much like their human counterparts, might we add).

So let's be kind to our small drunk friends so that they can get back to making delicious Russian honey!

Oh, and don't smile at foxes.

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This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
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White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Marooned in Moscow

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This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
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A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
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The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

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Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

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