The Best American Recipes 1999, Fran McCullogh, Suzanne Hamlin
A few years ago, Andi gave me the 2000 edition of this book for Christmas. When i saw 1999 in a used bookstore, i couldn't resist. Yesterday i finally sat down and read through it. I quite like the 'this year's trends' section at the beginning, and it's very interesting to read through it and see what sort of cooking was coming to the forefront at the time. I made the sweet & spicy pecans, and Nancy Silverton's hot fudge for a wee dinner party last night; both were good. The nuts could have been hotter - i'll up the chile powder next time. Like the 2000 book, i'm sure we'll be cooking out of this one.
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War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
Yikes. The nice folks at Borderlands recommended this for Allison when i was there a few weeks ago. I picked it up, and read it all. Today. The truly funny part is that i was looking for books for both Daniel and Allison; while Allison will like this (i think), i'm certain it will push at least several of Daniel's big buttons. A really good read. In a nutshell, the story revolves around a chick who plays rhythm guitar in a band in Minneapolis, and gets caught up as the not-so-token mortal in a faerie war. Had i read this in high school, i would have become obsessed with the world Emma Bull paints. Highly recommended.
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The Book of Illusions, Paul Auster
I now understand why James sent me a note saying "...but grab the Auster book and dig in as quickly as you can." This gift was a fascinating read - many-layered and thoughtfully woven from ideas that i recognize as some of James' favorite themes: a broken professor (in this case, from the loss of his wife and two children) who finds some redemption in intense study (in this case, of a particular actor in silent films), and a mysterious woman who helps save him from himself. Auster skillfully avoids playing these oft-repeated themes in a tiresome way, instead sliding things around, melding them together, and playing the tragedies repeated through the novel into a final sense of hope - not for anything specific or in response to any one event, but instead an overall feeling of hope. I think Auster's prose steadily improves. Recommended.
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The Fourth Star, Leslie Brenner
A lovely birthday present from Heather. Brenner spent a year observing the front & back of the house at Daniel Boulud's eponymous restaraunt, Daniel. I know i'm a sucker for restaurant writing, and thus a biased reviewer, but this book was really good. I wanted to taste most of what was described, and while her prose was sometimes heavy-handed, Brenner does a good job of conveying the movement and energy in the kitchen and in the dining room. Following the staff for a year, instead of for a single set of interviews lent depth to the book that made it even more compelling. And i got to practice my French! Recommended.
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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares
Well, this is actually more of a young adult book than a kid's book, but i'm not ready to seperate categories yet. The Dodds gave this to me for a birthday gift, and it's fantastic! Mere has been telling me about it for a while, and it was even better than i expected - even though the sisterhood things everything about how i wear my jeans is unforgivably tacky. ;) (i double-cuff mine, and i wear them with a belt & my tshirt tucked in!) The pants follow four best friends through their respective adventures during the summer between their sophomore and junior years of high school. Both thoughtful and funny, with themes all over the map (in a good way!), i would highly recommend this book. I bet Allison would like it.
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I Was A Rat!, Philip Pullman
A charming take-off on a Cinderella theme, skillfully written and artfully played. Recommended.
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Passage, Connie Willis
I finally got my hands on a copy of this - i've been trying to resist buying it in hardcover; while it's finally out in paperback, i found a copy at anne & Dave's while i was cat-sitting and nabbed it. Truth be told, i now think i need to buy a copy. It's hard to say if this has surpassed Bellwether as my favorite book by Willis without giving Bell a re-read, but it has scored a tie at absolute minimum. Strong characters who i came to care about and love were blended seamlessly with well-written physiology/psychology research. Willis confronts the fine line between spirituality and science from a scientists perspective head-on, and with skill. There was a spot in the book where she literally took my breath away - i sat stunned, unable to breathe for a few moments. While most of the book is very well-written and reasonably paced, i did feel a little let-down at the end; the last 20 pages or so felt both a little off and tacked-on. Maybe they were. I read most of the book in a single day, escaping from work and chores and other thoughts. Highly recommended.
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