Review of "Last Man Off' by Matt Lewis

Matt Lewis is a very good writer. The pacing of his story was excellent. The account of his time as an observer on a fishing boat in the southern ocean around South Georgia Island and the subsequent abandonment of it in a very bad storm was filled with detail. The days fighting for survival in the life raft were gripping. This is a book that will keep you reading through the night.

Review of "I Am Radar" by Reif Larsen

This book kept me reading. It covered so much history throughout the world while following the "performances" of a mysterious group of artists originally based in Norway. The book starts out with the birth of Radar Radmanovic and follows his life until his involvement with the remaining artists in the group. Large parts of the book don't involve Radar but other members of the group. The stories are all fascinating with a touch of the mystical.

Review of "The Girl On the Train" by Paula Hawkins

This book slowly reveals the story of Rachel's life and her involvement in the murder at a house in the neighborhood that she used to live in. At first she doesn't seem like a very strong person who became an alcoholic when she was not able to conceive a child. She still loves her ex-husband even though he has remarried and has a child with another woman. Rachel wants to help solve the murder by telling the police what she observed from the train she takes every day. She knows that the husband of the murdered woman will be a suspect but she wants to help him. She observed his wife kissing another man on their terrace. The book had a lot of twists and turns as the truth is slowly revealed through Rachel's faulty memories and the points of view of the different characters in the novel. A great debut novel.

Review of "Food: A Love Story" by Jim Gaffigan

Review of "Food:  A Love Story" by Jim Gaffigan

This book is not about high cuisine.  It's a lot closer, in a self mocking way, to low cuisine, to everyday eating as much as everyday food and to everyman.  Jim travels the low road to food everywhere including restaurants, restaurant chains, at home, at BBQ's and at football games.  I found him to be very often laugh out funny so be careful not to read this book in public places.  It's a lighthearted book with its heart in the heartlands of today's American food heartland. 

Review of Fifty Mice by Daniel Pyne

Fifty Mice plays with memory and what is real. It is the story of a man who is unwillingly put into the Witness Protection Program but doesn't know why. He has to try to figure out what information the people who abducted him want. The man has a fiance but has commitment issues and hasn't set a wedding date. He slowly comes to care about a little girl who is also in the Witness Protection Program and eventually her mother.  Through sessions with a psychiatrist he recalls an incident in his life having to do with a mermaid/dancer at a sex bar that he had visited. His memory of that night is hazy at first. He was drunk and doesn't remember the details. Eventually he does remember and the story moves forward quickly after that.  I enjoyed reading this book. It presented a puzzle to solve that had me hooked until the end.

Review of "Bitter" by Jennifer McLagan

Review of "Bitter" by Jennifer McLagan

 

They say you can't judge a book by its cover.  In this case, you can judge the publisher really cares about the texture or feel and imagery of the cover of "Bitter".  The six letters in the title word 'Bitter' are engraved or inset into the hardcover and the spine.  The topic, cooking bitter foods or ingredients, is different and interesting from that angle.  The author brings in many aspects of bitter foods including the  historical background [did you know the grapefruit is the only citrus not originating in southeast Asia?, sometimes the science of the sensation of bitter or the chemistry [e.g. of phytochemicals]].

The recipes are interesting and  although I have not tried many of them.  My only complaint with the book is that it covers a fair number of ingredients that are either hard to obtain or very expensive.  Expense is especially a problem in the realm of bitter where one often needs to acquire a taste for some foods and without knowing if you will truly like it in the end this can be an expensive bet of money, time and effort.  Examples include Tobacco Chocolate Truffles and a whole chapter of recipes using cardoons [member of the thistle family].

Overall an interesting read and a well produced book.

Review of "North - The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland" by Gunnar Karl Gislason & Jody Eddy

"North  - The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland"

This is a sumptuous book.  It starts with the jacket cover with an enticing "nouveau" dish on the front and on the back a photo of  waters chock full of blue ice.  Both are inviting and stunning. The stories, photographs and recipes are very engaging and maintain the same standard of quality throughout.  Icelandic cuisine has a lot of novel and broadening aspects for an American palette and cook.  Though this is the 'new' cuisine there are many fairly simple recipes that any cook can approach.  Read this book for any number of reasons:  the stories of people and food, photographs or recipes.