April 30, 2008
Spring Eating
Spring is finally upon us, which means spring cleaning, if you’re so inclined. For those of us who are motivated to clean only by the thought of company coming, it’s a great time to have friends over for simple but delicious spring dishes. Asparagus is making its first appearance of the year in the produce section, with other goodies soon to follow. I’m new to Darien, and I can’t wait for the Darien Farmer’s Market. I‘ve been told it offers plentiful fruits and veggies as well as local baked goods, jams, and herbs.
In the meantime, I’m reading up on spring and summer’s bounty in How to Pick a Peach : The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table and trying out recipes from Mollie Katzen’s The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without. Some of our other new cookbooks poll great chefs for their favorite recipes and bring us inspiring ideas from French home cooks.
For a vicarious culinary thrill, there’s great food writing in the stacks. American Food Writing is a huge collection of work from American authors and cooks, Choice Cuts offers an international perspective, and an anthology from Gourmet Magazine serves up sixty years of writing from the august publication. Each book brings the reader the joy of cooking without the mess and heat of actually cooking. Online, food blogs and sites marry writing, cooking and recipe compendiums. 101 Cookbooks, Culinate, Curiously Ravenous and Kitchenography all offer a mix of the personal and the delicious.
Before you rush off to whip up your favorite spring frittata or ragout, tell us about your favorite cookbook or food website in the comments. Happy spring and Bon Appétit!
*photo found on Flickr, taken by user hoveringdog
Posted by Kate at 05:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 23, 2008
KISS
Keep it Simple has been the mantra for many of us over the years and I’ve now found the perfect little 2 oz, credit card size machine to help me do just this: Playaway - No downloads, no discs, just plug in the earphones and you’re off to Chapter 1. This has to be the simplest way to enjoy a book.
Our library owns more than 200 Playaway book titles (fiction and non-fiction) with 60+ of these in the Children’s Room. They are wildly popular and often reserving a title is the best option. Search the library catalog under Keyword – Playaway. Can you think of anything easier? Each Playaway comes packaged with earphones and a spare battery.
At the moment, during my early morning walk, I’ve been listening to In An Instant. Instead of making endless to-do lists in my mind, I’ve just finished another chapter! Now to make my point that this boomer can keep up with the millennials, you should know that my Cabrio disc player is loaded with the audio book, Geography of Bliss, and each evening I settle in my living room with the hardcover copy of the new novel, Mudbound. Yes, it has been a few years since my days at the Information Science School at Drexel, but we can all enjoy this new technology for reading books. If there’s a day you’d like to keep it simple, come in and check out one of our great Playaway books.
Posted by gretchen at 03:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 16, 2008
Looking for a Good Book?
I discovered Mary Doria Russell about 3 years ago with the publication of her third novel, A Thread of Grace. The story of Italian Jews during World War II in Italy, this book is historical fiction at its best--rich plot and characterization coupled with solid historical research. I learned so much and was moved along by the strength of the story and those who feature in it. Russell, a paleoanthropologist, brings a scientist's level of detail to her work, creating scenes that stay with you long after you finish reading the book. Russell's latest work, Dreamers of the Day, tells the story of a midwestern American woman nearing 40 who, after surviving the Great Influenza of 1918 and the tragic loss of her immediate family, embarks on a life-changing trip to the Middle East. We meet Winston and Clementine Churchill and T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia), and witness first-hand the origins of today's Middle East. Ms. Russell's first two books, The Sparrow and Children of God, are both works of science fiction.
Posted by JudyS at 11:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 15, 2008
So blown away
At any given moment in time, I'm usually reading a non-fiction book (or two or three). It's my thing. I love reading about new perspectives on true-life occurances. If I were stranded on a deserted island and I had to choose whether to bring a fiction or non-fiction book, the answer would be as clear to me as whether to choose between brussels sprouts and a scoop of mint-chocolate chip ice cream. (Uh, hello, it's mint, it's chocolate, it's heaven!) On my reading list right now are In Defense of Food, Reality Show, The Geography of Bliss, and The Punch. All excellent.
Then I heard about a debut novel called Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. I had met the author briefly at a Library conference while she was signing advanced copies of her book. The premise sounded interesting, but I reminded myself that the book was fiction. Not my thing. I'd have to deeply consider any time I'd have to give up to read fiction instead of my beloved non-fiction books. I'm being serious!
Then, a few weeks ago, Jen raved about the book, and I thought to myself, well, Jen's word is as good as gold (platinum, really!), so maybe I should give this a try. I did, and...honestly, if I never read another book again, my life will still be complete.
It would be impossible for me to list all of the reasons why I love this novel. All I can say is, and take it from a non-fiction reader, this book is what I'd choose to bring along on a deserted island. Forget the mint-chocolate chip. All I would need is my copy of Mudbound.
Posted by EricaB at 06:51 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 09, 2008
Author on the Air
Tune in to the Oprah Winfrey Show tomorrow (4pm, ABC), to watch an interview with author David Sheff of Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction. The memoir, which grew out of Sheff's 2005 New York Times Magazine article, "My Addicted Son," tells a sobering story of methamphetamine addiction - and what it's like to be the parent of a child who was once consummed by so much promise, but who eagerly succumbed to this most awful and pervasive of drugs.
Posted by EricaB at 07:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 04, 2008
Good things come in small packages....
For some perverse reason when critics overwhelmingly recommend a book I tend to resist reading it. I am not sure if it is because I disagree with the critics so often that I don't hold out hope for their best picks; or if I am afraid that it will not live up to my expectations! Whatever the reason for my hang-up, I decided to give Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson a try and I am so glad I did. This small book was on the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2007 and also on Time Magazine's Top 10 Fiction picks for 2007. This story begins with a seventy year old man, Trond Sander, who is living in a cabin in an isolated section of Norway. It is on the eve of the millennium and Sander's is reflecting on his life; and more importantly, his time in Norway as a boy with his father in the summer of 1948. This is a beautifully written book and tells a large story in a small way! Happy Reading!
Posted by Claudia at 12:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 03, 2008
A stunning novel makes its way to the small screen
On Saturday, April 12th at 9pm, Lifetime will be airing a made-for-tv version of The Memory Keeper's Daughter, a haunting novel about the repercussions of a split-second decision made with the best of intentions but resulting in destructive consequences. The book, partly a commentary on the stigma of disability in American society, combines the struggles of loss and regret with hope and the search for salvation, and it is a constant Staff Recommends pick. With the movie's all-star cast that includes Dermot Mulroney, Gretchen Mol, and Emily Watson, you won't be sorry to stay in on a Saturday night.
Posted by EricaB at 04:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack