tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post3685858933422491170..comments2024-03-14T00:16:32.077-07:00Comments on 50 Books: BOOKS: How to Eat a BookTammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16613804843380827691noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-74471591228141701832007-04-19T00:21:00.000-07:002007-04-19T00:21:00.000-07:00I'm almost done with How To Cook A Wolf, and I sur...I'm almost done with How To Cook A Wolf, and I sure do hate to see it end! My favorite chapter so far is "How To Stay Alive"Bybeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10061186489010154661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-6069518040356369732007-04-03T20:18:00.000-07:002007-04-03T20:18:00.000-07:00"My Kitchen Wars" by Betty Fussell. An autobiograp..."My Kitchen Wars" by Betty Fussell. An autobiography, post - WWII housewives in competition with each other to see who is the better cook or hostess. Fascinating. <BR/>~AMKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-78332321542047234652007-04-01T11:39:00.000-07:002007-04-01T11:39:00.000-07:00Picking up on Orwell's theme of homelessness and p...Picking up on Orwell's theme of homelessness and poverty, if you want to have all of your ideas about these things overhauled and also make yourself very uncomfortable, read Marge Piercy's <I>The Longings of Women</I>. It's a quick read, and the cover makes it look like a trashy romance, but it's pretty awesome.AlienEmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17377760507647321411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-26407004744685314232007-04-01T09:48:00.000-07:002007-04-01T09:48:00.000-07:00I've been pressuring you to read The Unconsoled ev...I've been pressuring you to read The Unconsoled ever since you read that that other one, the one whose title sounds like an 80's pop song. Don't You Forget About Me? I can't remember. But I promise that The Unconsoled will not be at all like the other book you loved. I doubt you'll see what's-his-name repeating himself.<BR/><BR/>(We just had a baby here. No sleep. Brain not recalling properly.)<BR/><BR/>I'll give this sure-to-be-terrific entry a closer read later, as well as the comments that I've skipped for now, but I just want to say before I go: Three Stories made me want to gouge my eyes out. Just saying.<BR/><BR/>Also, did I miss the once-promised blog about Oprah? And what do you think of Oprah and Cormac McCarthy? Strange pairing, or made for each other?<BR/><BR/>Sorry for the loopiness. Sleep hard to come by these days. I said that already. You understand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-39855819785869128672007-03-31T18:11:00.000-07:002007-03-31T18:11:00.000-07:00read all the Bourdain, starting with KC. but not n...read all the Bourdain, starting with KC. but not now. after MFK Fisher, I suggest John Thorne (I love him just for his recipe for brussel sprouts), Laurie Colwin (comfort food reading) and/or Michael Lee West (funny, and with fabulous recipes). I also just read a very amusing book called Death by Pad Thai, different famous-ish writers on food. I am a bit of a food freak, in case you wondered :)<BR/><BR/>In other topics, read Scarlett Thomas' PopCo. In fact, take a break on food books and read PopCo next.BabelBabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00467487618830618571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-46112226022830530852007-03-31T06:54:00.000-07:002007-03-31T06:54:00.000-07:00Bit of a segue, but did you ever see the CBC minis...Bit of a segue, but did you ever see the CBC miniseries <I>Hemingway Vs. Callaghan</I>? It was an adaptation of <I>That Summer in Paris</I>. Decently acted, but mostly dull. I did come away with a giant crush on whoever played Morley Callaghan’s wife though (who’s name and face I’ve long since forgotten). I only bring it up because it was the last time I learned anything about the Paris in the ‘20s crew, and I remember thinking, “This is fascinating! I’m going to read, watch, and eat anything I can find that has anything to do with this.” Then I promptly got distracted by, I don’t know, maybe a squirrel outside my window, and I never got back to it. But your review of <I>The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas</I> are making the urges come back.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06856187137331544258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-9001925527241338942007-03-30T21:40:00.000-07:002007-03-30T21:40:00.000-07:00Oooh, you've got me jonesing for Alice B. Toklas n...Oooh, you've got me jonesing for Alice B. Toklas now (well, maybe not HER, but the book). I adore A Moveable Feast, so it's an enticing connection. I enjoyed Three Stories somewhat, so I'd be up for more Stein.<BR/><BR/>As for recommendations, I just finished The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures and found it delightfully funny and odd. Louis Theroux is a fantabulous writer (son of American travel writer, Paul Theroux).Andihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05220718933942181809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-39998937920524507012007-03-30T16:10:00.000-07:002007-03-30T16:10:00.000-07:00I second the recommendation of Lamb by Christopher...I second the recommendation of Lamb by Christopher Moore. Very funny. <BR/><BR/>Also, it's vomitoria.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-66350638055426464132007-03-30T14:50:00.000-07:002007-03-30T14:50:00.000-07:00Another recommendation for Bourdain here, but I sa...Another recommendation for Bourdain here, but I say go for "The Nasty Bits" - he discusses plongeurs and a lot more there. <BR/><BR/>Here's a mini-review I wrote for some friends last year:<I>This is a very uneven collection of essays written over the last five years. Bourdain is a fantastic (often very snarky and rude) writer, so even the lame pieces are worth a chuckle or two, and the really good ones....damn near priceless.<BR/><BR/>Halfway through the book, I started getting peeved because it was clear that some of the essays were written for a particular audience, and I wanted to know what/where. Then I looked at the back of the book, and saw a section called "Commentary". My god, this was wonderful. He not only provides the info. I was wishing for, he critiques his own work mercilessly. I think that the commentary should be right at the end of each chapter - otherwise, no complaints at all about this book, despite the fact I didn't agree with some of his pieces at all. And when I read the commentary, I found that Bourdain often didn't agree with himself anymore, either.<BR/><BR/>A quote to tempt you to take a bite: (from the Preface): "When I look back on the last five years since I wrote the obnoxious, over-testosteroned memoir that transported me out of the kitchen and into a never-ending tunnel of pressurized cabins and airport lounges, it's a rush of fragments, all jostling for attention. Some good, some bad, some pleasurable - and some excruciating to remember. Much, I suspect, like the pieces in this collection."<BR/><BR/>As an aside, I now know about plongeurs, degustation, fusion vs. regional cooking, and all kinds of good things to order next time I go to a Vietnamese restaurant. And dammit, I want $500 to blow on the food-porn sushi bar.</I>Sandy D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08650640470141210550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-6114846923385126802007-03-30T12:46:00.000-07:002007-03-30T12:46:00.000-07:00Down and Out in Paris and London was one wonderful...Down and Out in Paris and London was one wonderful book. I had kind of forgotten about it until you reminded me. And SOmeone mentioned You Remind Me of Me by Choan. That one is a winner, worthy of being put on your list.Lisa Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02543435909439905937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-80645175354878549302007-03-30T09:24:00.000-07:002007-03-30T09:24:00.000-07:00Follow the thread beyond the end until you are for...Follow the thread beyond the end until you are forever lost in the maze.<BR/><BR/>How true is that second statement of Orwell's.Quillhillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07601080339912553168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-22383349777390632212007-03-30T07:57:00.000-07:002007-03-30T07:57:00.000-07:00Have you ever read You Remind Me of Me? Oh, do rea...Have you ever read <I>You Remind Me of Me</I>? Oh, do read it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-21878367874803755722007-03-30T07:55:00.000-07:002007-03-30T07:55:00.000-07:00The Unconsoled is an enormous waste of time. I say...<I>The Unconsoled</I> is an enormous waste of time. I say this with much regret, as I'd call <I>The Remains of the Day</I> one of my favorite books ever, and I quite liked <I>Never Let Me Go</I>. But <I>The Unconsoled</I> is just one big, dull, anticlimactic dream sequence.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-9657844576132056362007-03-30T06:49:00.000-07:002007-03-30T06:49:00.000-07:00Being that it's almost Easter I really MUST insist...Being that it's almost Easter I really MUST insist that you read <I>Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal</I> by Christopher Moore. The only way I can think of you not liking it is if you're uber religious and I hadn't noticed.<BR/><BR/>I do the same thing with libraries. It ends up being cheaper just to buy the damn book. :)notanillusionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11950738178858717020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-54975476350307107112007-03-30T05:47:00.000-07:002007-03-30T05:47:00.000-07:00I second the recommendation for Kitchen Confidenti...I second the recommendation for Kitchen Confidential above, but also recommend Reckless Appetites, by Jacqueline Deval, for yet another angle on cooking and food: mad cooks and their bad romantic entanglements. Love it.Oddmonsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07786328964392802198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-17998855900964860742007-03-29T23:50:00.000-07:002007-03-29T23:50:00.000-07:00Completely unrelated to anything in this blog, exc...Completely unrelated to anything in this blog, except the part where you asked for suggestions:<BR/><BR/>I'm reading "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Johnathan Safran Foer. And it. Is. Amazing. Absolutely.<BR/><BR/>Disregard if you've already read it.<BR/><BR/>PS - Love the blog.awsnapmexicohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10184497904668462224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-71525006782903676812007-03-29T20:01:00.000-07:002007-03-29T20:01:00.000-07:00I'd recommend going with A Cook's Tour by Anthony ...I'd recommend going with A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain. It's part tour guide, part description of foods of the world.<BR/><BR/>Or, Kitchen Confidential, also by Bourdain, which is his story of his life as a cook.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-62423618155286080062007-03-29T18:56:00.000-07:002007-03-29T18:56:00.000-07:00I've never read it, but I like to think that Alter...I've never read it, but I like to think that <I>AlternaDad</I> is like high-concept version of <A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099654/" REL="nofollow"><I>Ghost Dad</I></A>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-49306559327280833242007-03-29T18:02:00.000-07:002007-03-29T18:02:00.000-07:00Hi, I just discovered your blog a few days ago and...Hi, I just discovered your blog a few days ago and have been catching up. <BR/><BR/>I'd read the Espresso Tales- if you hated Bruce in the first book, you'll love what happens to him in this one. If you want to read another book about food related things, maybe try Ruth Reichl's <EM>Garlic and Sapphires</EM> about going undercover as a food critic.anne57https://www.blogger.com/profile/13829551041797269696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-35712093752015750672007-03-29T17:50:00.000-07:002007-03-29T17:50:00.000-07:00Have you read Waiting for Gertrude? It's Alice B....Have you read Waiting for Gertrude? It's Alice B. Toklas, but this time reborn as a cat living in the Pere Lachaise Cemetary. Bill Richardson is the author, and if you have read and enjoyed Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast, you will certainly enjoy this one.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11317568565085893849noreply@blogger.com