6-DAY BODY MAKEOVER: Drop One Whole Dress or Pant Size in Just 6 Days--and Keep It Off  by Michael Thurmond: Remember the Grapefruit Diet?  The Hardboiled Egg Diet?  Any fad diet that makes you drop weight quickly but is unsustainable for more than a few days?  This is the newest entry into the marketplace of fast weight loss.  Thurmond is known for his 6 Week Body Makeover, which emphasizes an exercise routine and diet based on your body type.  So does this new book, but with a more restrictive diet.  The idea is that you can jumpstart your weight loss by, in my case, eating nothing but fresh tuna and distilled water for six days.  Different body types get different foods, but this is not a diet I would dare show my doctor.  Still, if you are looking to drop a few pounds for a special occasion, and won't mind gaining it back the day after, it probably won't kill you.  But don't hold me to that.  05/05

52 PROJECTS: RANDOM ACTS OF EVERYDAY CREATIVITY by Jeffrey Yamaguchi:  This is a wonderful little book from the creator of www.52projects.com website.  Everyone has a creative streak and some of us are better than others at bringing it out.  This little book has positive ideas to get the creative juices flowing.  The first half of the book talks about why these projects are so important, how they work and why you should try them when you need some added inspiration.  Then there are the 52 projects which range from writing assignments, photography and other artistic suggestions, and lots of fun, really different ideas like #2, "Find a Recipe for Key Lime Pie."  Now I live in south Florida so I know that there are more recipes for Key Lime Pie than you would think - but it doesn't stop with just finding the recipe.  Then it's baking it, inviting friends over to eat it, taking pictures of the party and so on. Or #14, "Write down the lyrics to your favorite songs."  Or #50, "Go to the library" with additional suggestions of what to do when you get there.  This book makes the perfect graduation gift, a nice little gift for no reason at all (my favorite kind of gift) for any of your creative friends.  06/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

1001 BOOKS FOR EVERY MOOD by Hallie Ephron:  It’s a book for every reader who loves lists of books.  Ephron categorizes 1001 books into eighty chapters, selections to fit any mood.  Are you in the mood for a good laugh?  Are you in the mood to be afraid?  For a chill?  For a thrill?  She does an excellent job in putting fiction, nonfiction, and even some children’s books into the categories.  The author also marks books that have won awards, rates them for their literary merit, and rates them with other criteria.  Best of all, each chapter repeats the ratings, so readers don’t have to flip to the front of the book to remember them.  1001 Books for every Mood is a must-read for those of us nerds who love to list our books. 07/08 Lesa Holstine

A16: FOOD & WINE by Nate Appleman & Shelley Lindgren: I think it was while I was reading one of the last issues of Gourmet magazine that I found out that this cookbook won the prestigious 2009 International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Award as Book of the Year. After having perused it, I can see why it won; this is more than just a cookbook. A good chunk of the book focuses on the wines of southern Italy, and the rest on the food. A16 is considered by many to be one of the best Italian restaurants in the country, and to have the chef (a James Beard 2009 Rising Star Chef of the Year award nominee & a recent contestant on The Next Iron Chef on the Food Network) share his recipes is truly a gift. In fact, this book will make a wonderful gift this holiday season. While I haven't tried the Monday Meatballs recipe, I'd like to, it's very different with its infusion of ricotta cheese and milk. I loved the Braised Cannellini Beans with Garlic, Marjoram, and Oregano, especially since I got to use the oregano & marjoram from my garden.  But this is not a cookbook for the beginning cook; the meatballs involve grinding your own meats, and it would take a very brave novice to attempt to make their own sausage. But do try the Neapolitan Pizzas and do use the wine pairings suggested, they are worth the cover price alone.  FYI, the A16 is the highway that runs through southern Italy. 11/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

ABOUT ALICE by Calvin Trillin: Trillin’s latest bestseller is a loving tribute to his wife, Alice, who died in 2001. She had been such an integral part of his other books that people felt as if they knew her, and they sent him sympathy letters expressing their regret for his loss. Trillin had been married over thirty-five years to Alice, and, when she died, he felt as if she stayed long enough to see their daughters raised and married. He was always in awe of the beautiful, well-educated woman, and he felt that he was always trying to impress her. This is a tiny book, only seventy-eight pages, but it’s filled with love. I’m sure Calvin Trillin impressed Alice with his adoration, one last time. 04/07 Lesa Holstine

THE ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES:  The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich: Mezrich, author of Bringing Down the House which became the film, 21, takes on the founders of Facebook - without even talking to one of them. This is purportedly nonfiction, but let's call it creative nonfiction, and the bottom line is that it's a fascinating, fun read.  Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin met at Harvard as undergrads and became fast friends. They had a lot in common, they were both social outcasts yet brilliant in math. Zuckerberg gets the idea to hack into the school's computer system and create a database for the male students to rate the female students. He almost crashed Harvard's computer system in the process but they didn't kick him out of school for it. That idea was the baby that grew up to become Facebook.  Zuckerberg is the bad guy here, the one who created Facebook by stealing ideas from his friends and not paying anyone back.  There is great irony in the founder of a social networking site alienating his friends in the process, and the 'betrayal' in the subtitle rests at his door. It's also interesting that a social networking site was started by two guys who were socially inept, and even more interesting that Zuckerberg refused to talk to the author. What to believe? Who knows, but nonetheless, it's a good story. 09/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

AD HOC AT HOME by Thomas Keller: I am a huge fan of Keller's French Laundry cookbook, and I know the esteem with which he is held by chefs worldwide. When I finally got my hands on this new cookbook, it was with great anticipation. I love the "back to basics" approach like the pictorial on how to cut up a chicken, the chart differentiating between cheeses made of cow, goat or sheep milk, the pages on kitchen equipment and so forth. But the cookbook itself, the recipes, are very difficult to follow, not because they are especially complex but because of how the book is laid out.

For instance, one of the first recipes is for Pan-Roasted Chicken with Sweet Sausage and Peppers. At first glance, this doesn't seem especially complicated, there are less than 10 ingredients, and the entire recipe fits easily on the page. But a careful reading reveals that the chickens should be no more than 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, a size that is not generally available in supermarkets but have no fear, there is a footnote that suggests trying a farmer's market. The chicken is cut up according to the accompanying pictures, then brined. That recipe is on another page. The sweet sausages called for involve checking out the page of sources in the back of the book. The ingredient listed as "Peperonata Rustica" actually requires another recipe on another page. While many of the recipes are more self contained, many are not. "Grilled cheese" requires visits to three recipes on three separate pages, "iceberg lettuce slices" also requires three, plus another visit to the "sources" page, and "meatballs with pappardelle" requires 4 or 5 recipes, depending on whether you're purchasing or making your pappardelle.

That said, the back of the book, the "basics" chapter is worth its weight in gold. Those mysterious gastriques that are on fancy menus and every episode of "Top Chef"? A simple recipe for cherry gastrique is here, feel free to impress your family and friends. Roux is explained, as is emulsified butter and clarified butter, and a recipe for mayonnaise that is so good and so easy you'll never want to buy another jar. It's too complicated to be my favorite cookbook, but some of the recipes are worth the trouble. It is a book that I know I will give as a gift and that I will refer to time and time again. 04/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE: ONE FAMILY'S STRUGGLE WITH AN AGONIZING MEDICAL MYSTERY, by James Patterson & Hal Friedman:  Cory Friedman was a typical five year old boy. That is, until he wakes up one morning with an urgent need to shake his head. This need is just the beginning of years of uncontrollable ticks, verbal utterances, and other unmanageable behavior. Cory is ultimately diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE is a story told by Cory Friedman and his father, Hal. The reader gets an inside look at the living hell that this family went through in the thirteen years it took to "control" this illness. Cory was put on so many types of medications, they were soon unable to determine if the tics and other problems he was having was a result of the Tourette's or of the medicine he was on. Nothing appeared to help; Cory's symptoms just got worse. This is an honest, heart wrenching tale of Cory's torment. Cory was willing to share this misery with others, in the hopes that someone with the same condition might gain something from this. I can't say enough about how amazing this book is. I believe that this tale of perseverance, dedication, and love, would be beneficial to any family undergoing any sort of medical or behavioral problem.  11/08 Jennifer Lawrence

ALONG THE FLORIDA TRAIL by Bart Smith & Sandra Friend:  Most people have heard of the Appalachian Trail (especially lately) but not too many are familiar with the Florida National Scenic Trail.  It runs more than 1500 miles from the Everglades at the southern end of the state, through Pensacola up in the Florida Panhandle.  While there aren't any majestic mountains, there are flora and fauna unique to Florida, and while bears aren't usually a problem, there are alligators and the endangered Florida panther.  Friend spent five months hiking the trail to create this beautiful book that captures a part of Florida most tourists - and many residents - never get to see. 07/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show:  Presented as a textbook (perhaps "faux textbook" would be more appropriate) it is entertaining and educational.  Stewart has a way of pointing out the obvious; in chapter five, The Judicial System, the following discussion question is asked (p.101):   "How many of the nine Supreme Court justices can you name?  How many of the nine members of The Brady Bunch can you name?  What does that say about you?"  A lot of laughs and a lot of good points made.  A really good book - and Publishers Weekly's Book of the Year, deservedly so.

AMERICAN BAND: Music, Dreams, and Coming of Age in the Heartland by Kristen Laine:  Anyone who's ever been in marching band, or has a child in marching band, will want to read this intimate look at the Marching Minutemen of Concord High School, in Elkhart, Indiana.  Laine spent a year with these kids and really got to know them, and their band director.  I found all the band stuff fascinating because my only experience with marching band was when my daughter started high school last year, so it's interesting to see a different perspective.  The other major theme of the book is the strong emphasis on the Christianity of the band members.  Frankly, I found it a bit unsettling as I am a staunch believer in the separation of church and state, and it also bored me, thus making the book more difficult for me to read and I found myself skimming at times.  But despite that, the band stuff is interesting enough and unusual enough that I still have to recommend it anyway.  09/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF BARACK OBAMA by the editors of LIFE Magazine: This is a beautiful coffee table book just in time for the holidays.  Learn about our new President-elect via candid pictures and posed shots from the campaign, as well as family photos of Barack, Michelle and the girls, along with a forward by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and essays written by some incredible writers - Gay Talese, Andrei Codrescu, Fay Weldon and others. A wonderful gift for any Obama supporter - I know I'll treasure this book.   11/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

AMERICAN ON PURPOSE: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Tourist by Craig Fergusun: Who would expect a tough guy growing up in Scotland would dream of becoming an astronaut and an American citizen? He may have given up on the first dream, but he proudly fulfilled the second, becoming an American citizen in 2008.  Shortly after that momentous occasion, he was invited to host the Washington Correspondents dinner, where he admits that was when he realized that he probably watches too much MSNBC.  When he met President George W. Bush backstage before the dinner, he was expecting a "drooling moron." Instead, he found Bush affable and chatty. Fergusun's memoir is a delicious read, especially if you like his brand of humor, which I do. He admits to his drinking and drug problems, attempted suicide stopped only by the offer of another drink, and voices his opinion on a wide variety of topics, like why he avoids strip clubs: "If I was inclined to seek the company of a bunch of angry drunk women who hated me, wanted all my money, and were determined to tease me but not have sex with me, I would just open a bar in Edinburgh."  A comfortable, funny and patriotic read. 10/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

American Rhapsody by Joe Eszterhas: Complete and utter garbage, I loved it!

And You Know You Should Be Glad by Bob Greene: The journalist and bestselling author tells a very personal story in his latest book, the story of his best friend’s death from cancer. Bob and Jack had been best friends since age five. As a group, ABCDJ, Allan, Bob, Chuck, Dan and Jack ran around in Bexley, OH until they graduated from high school. But, Bob and Jack were always close, so it struck Greene hard when he received the call saying Jack had cancer, and it was serious. As they walked the streets of Bexley, remembering their youth, it struck Greene that instead of making his remaining months about death, Jack was making them about his life. “He was tasting his life.” This is a poignant story about two men celebrating life and friendship. 07/06 Lesa Holstine

ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, and Steven L. Hopp:  Kingsolver has been an advocate of eating locally grown food for some time, and was able to put her beliefs into practice when she moved to a farm in Virginia.  She spent a year eating only the foods they grew on her farm or that were grown in a hundred mile radius as much as possible, and wrote this fascinating book about that experience.  Her husband, Steven Hopp, and daughter Camille also contributed.  When people ask if she didn't get tired of eating the same things all the time, Kingsolver gently points out that every month grows a new menu.  They weren't sure if their pantry would get them through the winter, but it did, although March was a tough month.  My favorite part of the book was about the turkeys they raised.  Apparently turkeys have been artificially inseminated for decades, but these turkeys were being raised by hand and Kingsolver wanted them to reproduce the old fashioned way.  She finally found some information on turkey breeding au natural in an antique farming book, and her female turkeys soon gave up coming on to Steven and instead set their sights on the Tom turkey.  What I liked about this book was Kingsolver's tone; on rare occasion almost preachy, but for the most part just passionate, informative and often funny. Anyone with an interest in how and why we eat what we do should take a look at this book, which was most reminiscent of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.  There's also a website with lots of pictures and recipes: http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/  06/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Aqua Erotica edited by Mary Anne Mohanraj:  The subtitle is "18 Stories for a Steamy Bath."  What makes this book unique is that it is printed on special paper which feels rather heavy because it is completely waterproof!  

ARMED AND DANGEROUS: The Hunt for One of America's Most Wanted Criminals by William Queen and Douglas Century: Queen, in his third year as a Special Agent with the Department of the Treasury's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, became obsessed with Mark Stephens, known as "Mountain Man." Stephens was a dangerous, gun-crazy renegade who terrorized Southern California, and even threatened his own parents. He was a gunman, a mountain man, and a drug trafficker who grew marijuana on federal land in the San Bernardino Mountains, and came out of the mountains to terrorize his dealers, their families, and ordinary people. Although the police departments in a number of towns wanted him, no one was able to capture him. Queen's interest in the criminal grew into an obsession, and he pushed his supervisors until he was allowed to set up a team to track and arrest Stephens. This is the compelling story of one lone wolf tracking another. Queen was a determined law enforcement agent, resentful of the man who was holding a county hostage. It's a riveting story for any true crime fan. 07/07 Lesa Holstine

THE ART OF EATING IN by Cathy Erway: Foodies and fans of Cathy Erway’s Not Eating Out in New York blog will enjoy this companion book to her not eating out efforts that began in 2006. At 26, Erway, like so many of us, realized that her income could not support her eating out habits. Instead, she would use her love of food and cooking to prepare inventive and usually cost-efficient meals in her own kitchen. For two years, she followed a strict regimen of not eating out and discovered some interesting things about herself and New York food movements, blogging about it all the while. The Art of Eating In is a sort of behind the scenes look at those two years; a foodie memoir and a look at the New York food scene from another perspective. Erway’s story makes for some pretty entertaining and inspiring reading—you’d be hard-pressed not to want to try No Knead Bread or some of the other dishes she talks about in her book. I won’t be embracing all of Erway’s experiments in food, menudo as a hangover cure and the more out there underground food movements being a few, but I enjoyed reading about her forays into the various ins and outs of not eating out in the big city. 03/10 Becky Lejeune  

ARTHUR SCHWARTZ'S NEW YORK CITY FOOD: An Opinionated History and More Than 100 Legendary Recipes by Arthur Schwartz, photographs by Chris Callis:  I haven't actually made any of the recipes in this book, but I didn't buy it for the recipes.  I bought it for the historical significance and contribution and the great  pictures. The cultural diversity of the Big Apple is examined in detail and with love and laughter.  Anyone with a love of New York and a love of food will love this book.  09/05

ART OF THE CHOPPER by Tom Zimberoff: Motorcycles have always been hot and TV shows like American Chopper have revved up the heat even more.  Tom Zimberoff is a photographer who is best known for his shots of rock 'n roll stars like the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and many others.  But he's turned his lens to one-of-a-kind bikes and these pictures are just incredible.  This is a beautiful coffee table book, high quality paper and gorgeous photos of the motorcycle as art.  Put this on the top of your gift list for any chopper fan. 09/05

ASIAN DINING RULES: Essential Strategies for Eating Out at Japanese, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Korean, and Indian Restaurants by Steven A. Shaw:  Steven Shaw is a New York Jew, which automatically makes him something of an expert on Chinese food at least.  He's also a serious foodie and a restaurant critic, and has crisscrossed the continent in search of the best in Asian food.  He shares what he learns in this eminently readable and educational guide to Asian dining.  He espouses befriending the sushi chef, and actually making yourself a regular at most restaurants to get the best food and best dining experience for the buck.  He carefully explains the confusing items on various Asian menus, and tips us to always ask for all the menus, especially at Chinese restaurants.  Apparently there often is a menu for tourists, i.e. Caucasians, and another, better menu for Chinese.  He warns Japanese-Americans not to attempt to speak Japanese at a sushi bar unless you are fluent among other helpful hints.  He also includes some history about the various Asian cuisines, how they came to America and why, as well as why some have not, like Filipino restaurants, despite there being more Filipinos in this country than almost any other Asian immigrants or descendents.  A fascinating and fun read, especially if you love Asian cuisine or are at least curious about it. 11/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

AT LARGE AND AT SMALL: Familiar Essays by Anne Fadiman: Fadiman, author of Ex Libris, once again returns to the essay format to discuss topics that the reader may never have thought about. These essays, written over a period of seven years, from 1998 to 2005, often discuss very esoteric topics. How many of us think about Charles Lamb or Samuel Coleridge in our daily lives? However, we do think about ice cream and coffee, and the mail. And, most of us will face the trauma of moving at some time in our lives. At times, Fadiman is very difficult to read, since her enormous vocabulary is beyond many of us. At other times, there are moments of understanding. It may be stretching at times to read her essays, but Anne Fadiman’s works are always rewarding. 07/07 Lesa Holstine

AUDITION by Barbara Walters: I'm not usually celebrity happy, but I doubt you'd find any woman of my generation that doesn't have at least a passing curiosity and some respect for this woman who has broken more glass ceilings than just about anyone in television.  Walters has led, some would say, a charmed life, and in this memoir, she shares some of the bad along with the spectacular good to help put her life into a more realistic vision for her fans.  It is remarkably readable, especially considering it is a doorstopper of a book with very few pictures, but let's face it, the woman has lots to talk about.  Besides her own history, she made history with her interviews of most of the world leaders of the 20th & 21st centuries, not to mention her popular celebrity interviews.  A surprising fast, fascinating read.  06/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

BAIT AND SWITCH: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream by Barbara Ehrenreich: After Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed hit the bestseller lists, she heard from people from the middle-class. These college graduates and former occupants of mid-level white-collar positions who couldn’t get jobs had stories to tell about downward mobility. Ehrenriech legally changed her name, and decided to do everything possible to land a middle-class job. In five months, she applied for over 200 jobs, attended career workshops, and paid consultants. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t measure up to Nickel and Dimed, in which the author spent time working low-wage jobs. This book is filled with the mind-numbing details of classes and advice from career gurus, all of which led nowhere. Ehrenreich failed to get a job, and the book fails to involve the reader. 09/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

BAD DOGS HAVE MORE FUN: Selected Writings on Family, Animals, and Life by John Grogan for The Philadelphia Inquirer by John Grogan:  This follow up to the phenomenon known as Marley & Me seeks to capitalize on that success with this collection of Grogan's columns that have run in the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Some are sweet, some are funny, some are sad, and all will tug at the heartstrings and are worthwhile reading, but the magic of Marley & Me is missing here.  01/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

BAREFOOT CONTESSA BACK TO BASICS: How to Get Great Flavors from Simple Ingredients by Ina Garten: If you're a fan of the Barefoot Contessa or her Food Network show, then you know that Garten cooks food that people actually want to make, and eat.  This is a nice collection of recipes, from appetizers to entrees to desserts and even some cocktails.  The Roasted Shrimp Cocktail is a nice twist on the usual boiled shrimp and almost as easy, and the Italian Wedding Soup is as good as my local Italian bistro.  A super simple Easy Sole Meuniere was delicious and a great dish for a work night - I live in Florida and we don't get fresh sole, but we do get fresh striped bass and it was yummy.  And do not miss the brownie pudding.  Rounding out the book are some FAQs (What's kosher?), "top ten flavor boosters", and a page of sources to get some of the more esoteric ingredients that you may not find at your local grocers.  Lots of pictures and easy to follow recipes make Back to Basics a nice addition to any cookbook collection. 11/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

BEHIND THE MYSTERY: TOP MYSTERY WRITERS INTERVIEWED by Stuart M. Kaminsky, photographs by Laurie Roberts:  A must have for any mystery lover, this is a fascinating picture book of interviews with many of today's most popular authors.  The list is memorable and includes: Lawrence Block, James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, Tony Hillerman, the late Evan Hunter, John Jakes, Faye and Jonathan Kellerman, Elmore Leonard, Sara Paretsky, Robert B. Parker, Ann Rule, Lisa Scottoline, Martin Cruz Smith, Mickey Spillane, Joseph Wambaugh, and Donald Westlake.  The interviews are interesting and personal, as are the candid photographs; they are taken at either the authors' homes or Kaminsky's home.  The authors featured are all friends with Kaminsky, lending an insiders' glimpse into the lives of those more mysterious to readers than the fictional worlds they create.  My only complaint: a book like this should have been printed on better paper. The quality is acceptable but this is a very special book and deserved more.  Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

BENTO BOX IN THE HEARTLAND: MY JAPANESE GIRLHOOD IN WHITEBREAD AMERICA by Linda Furiya: Furiya refers to her book as a food memoir, which it is, but it is also a thoughtful examination of family life in the only Japanese family in Versailles, Indiana. Furiya loved family meals until she went to school, and discovered that her parents and her food were not like that of the other students. When she asked to take a lunch to school, she was given an obento, a Japanese-style boxed meal of rice balls, not the white bread sandwich she wanted. For years, Furiya struggled with her identity. She fought back at school against the name-calling and injustice. She placed phone calls for her mother, so she wouldn’t have to talk on the phone. She didn’t understand that her mother, who spoke limited English, and lived in rural Indiana, had been a sophisticated woman in Japan. It was only as an adult that she could appreciate that her parents shared their culture, their history, and their stories with their children, while they ate. Her father, in particular, demonstrated the spiritual aspect of eating. It was many years before Linda Furiya took pride in her Asian identity. In her memoir, she opens up about her anger, shares recipes, and, finally comes to grips with the fact that Japanese home cooking was the only daily link to her parents’ culture. This is a moving book, about pain and triumph, and food. 01/07 Lesa Holstine

THE BEST OF FRIENDS: Two Women, Two Continents, and One Enduring Friendship by Sara James and Ginger Mauney: James, an NBC correspondent, and Mauney, a filmmaker, have been friends since the age of twelve, when they shared secrets at a slumber party. Both had dreams of leaving their hometown for the wider world, but their escape mechanisms where different. Ginger Mauney sought the escape through love, falling for and following a tennis player on the professional circuit. Sara James went looking for stories, hoping to become a broadcast journalist with a major network. When Ginger's dream fell apart, she found herself in Africa, hoping to photograph wildlife. Each woman found heartache, and success, and shared a special friendship. That friendship helped them through the ups and downs of careers, romance and life. The Best of Friends is a beautiful book. Share it with your own special friend. 07/07 Lesa Holstine

BIKER'S HANDBOOK: BECOMING PART OF THE MOTORCYCLE CULTURE by Jay Barbieri: Barbieri is the TV producer of American Thunder on the SPEED channel, which I've never seen as I don't think I get that channel.  But I did like this book which is light, fun, and full of pictures as well as information.  Helpful hints abound like if you have to fly to a bike rally and ship your bike, never admit it.  Jay tells you what you need to pack for road trips and how to load a bike, offers some of his favorite places to ride (the Badlands among others) along with lots of great stories about all aspects of biking including Daytona Bike Week and why you should never, ever refer to motorcycle clubs as "gangs." It is a great gift for the biker in your life - but only if they love Harleys.  11/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

BILLY COLLINS LIVE: A Performance at the Peter Norton Symphony Space by Billy Collins: I love poetry.  And Billy Collins, former U.S. Poet Laureate, is one of my favorites, especially when he is doing the reading.  This book on CD is almost as good as attending a reading.  Introduced by Bill Murray, Collins reads some new and some old favorites, then takes some questions from the audience.  My 13 year old daughter, who delights in torturing me by telling me how much she hates poetry, became a captive prisoner in the back seat of my car on her rides to and from school while I played this CD.  The first poem she heard was "The Lanyard", a sweet, nostalgic and laugh out loud funny poem about that childhood arts & crafts artifact.  Collins talks about how he made his mother a lanyard at camp and how that evened the playing field between them:

Black Cloud: The Great Florida Storm of 1928 by Eliot Kleinberg:  I recently had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Kleinberg speak about his new book at Borders.  It was standing room only and with good reason - this is a fascinating story and Kleinberg is a hell of a storyteller.  I immediately went home and started reading, and couldn't stop until I turned the last page.  This unnamed hurricane is the second worst natural disaster in American history, after the Galveston hurricane (Isaac's Storm,) yet it has been pretty much forgotten.  Kleinberg, along with Robert Mykle, who wrote a book about it last year called Killer 'Cane: The Deadly Hurricane of 1928, are determined to change that.  

Over 2500 lives were lost, and that is just an estimate.  Black Cloud not only covers the storm, it also covers the historical significance of it.  Sixty something white bodies were buried in the cemetery in West Palm Beach.  Almost 700 bodies of African Americans were buried in a mass grave in a potters field that was left unmarked for 73 years.  Even more disturbing was the fact that who knows how many more African American bodies were simply burned, leaving a black cloud hanging over the 'Glades (and giving Kleinberg his title.)  His research was exhaustive.  There are still survivors of the storm living in the area that were available to be interviewed and their stories are simply heartbreaking.  It's a story that needed to be told, and is told well.

Blood Washes Blood: A True Story of Love, Murder, and Redemption Under the Sicilian Sun by Frank Viviano: A history of Sicily told from the perspective of one man's search for his Sicilian roots and all the stumbling blocks along the way.

Blue Blood: Duke-Carolina: Inside the Most Storied Rivalry in College Hoops by Art Chansky: As the ACC kicks off its basketball season, it’s the perfect time for a book about the rivalry between the basketball programs at Duke and North Carolina. For more than fifty years, these two schools, only ten miles apart, have fought for supremacy in their conference. In fact, they played the first basketball game of any kind on TV. Chansky tries to be impartial, although he is a graduate of North Carolina, with his history of the schools, including the Dean Smith years at Carolina, the Coach Krzyzewski years at Duke, and the down years at both schools. This is definitely a book for fans of these particular basketball programs. The histories may be too detailed for casual fans. 01/06 Lesa Holstine

BOBBY FLAY'S BURGERS, FRIES AND SHAKES by Bobby Flay: New cookbook from the very talented Flay, this one featuring recipes most people would actually make.  We are heading into hamburger season now, so get your grill ready and open up this cookbook.  Hamburgers are actually hamburgers here, no special add ins needed. It's the toppings that make these recipes spectacular, featuring ethnicity at center stage: Greek, Mexican, and of course, southwestern.  Lots of recipes for fried potatoes from skinny fries to steak fries to sweet potato fries (the best!) and even several variations of onion rings.  Shakes are to die for; if you are going to splurge on a shake, why settle for strawberry when you can have a Blackberry Cheesecake Shake (I haven't had the nerve to make it yet) or a peach Bellini shake (and yes, it has alcohol.) 04/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

The Book of Courtesans: A Catalogue of Their Virtues by Susan Griffin:  Feminist author Griffin writes an eminently readable account of some of the most successful courtesans throughout history.  This book is sensuously written without being salacious and introspective without being smarmy.  Well done.

THE BOOK OF GENERAL IGNORANCE by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson: Despite the British slant, this fascinating trivia collection professes to prove that “Everything you think you know is wrong.” Originally compiled for the BBC panel game, QI (Quite Interesting), the book contains 230 misconceptions that most people have. What is the largest living thing? Unless you said a mushroom that’s growing in Oregon, you’re wrong. Did you know that camels originated in North America? There’s a wonderful story about Napoleon’s most humiliating defeat. This is an enjoyable collection for trivia buffs, and the know-it-alls in your family. They’re probably wrong about much of what they know. With The Book of General Ignorance, you can prove them wrong. 11/07 Lesa Holstine

BOOM! VOICES OF THE SIXTIES by Tom Brokaw: Forty years after the sixties, there is still debate about the meaning of the Sixties, politically, culturally and socioeconomically. Brokaw examines the Sixties, and the repercussions, from a personal standpoint. He relates his own viewpoints, and that of many others from all avenues of life. Brokaw interviewed people active in the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, students who opposed Vietnam, and the soldiers who went to Vietnam. He also interviewed politicians, musicians, and other journalists. Where were you in the Sixties? What have you become since or because of the Sixties. It’s a fascinating look back, and examination of our present, based on those years. 11/07 Lesa Holstine

Check out the interactive, online version of The Border Film Project. 06/07 Dan Cawley

BORN ROUND: The Secret History of a Full-time Eater by Frank Bruni: I loved Ruth Reichl's account of being the restaurant reviewer for the New York Times in her fascinating, fabulous memoir, Garlic and Sapphires.  She retired and was succeeded by William Grimes, and when he left Frank Bruni got the coveted position. My mistake was assuming that Bruni's memoir would similar to Reichl's; to me a "full-time eater" was a reference to his job eating at and reviewing restaurants. I know that one should never assume anything, but I did, so this book was a bit of a disappointment to me.  Bruni wrote a memoir, mostly about his eating disorders, how he overcame them, and being gay, and as an afterthought, his stint as food critic for the Times. I liked the last eighty pages or so, the rest I could have lived without. I am not a big fan of memoirs dealing with addictions, be they drugs, alcohol, food, or sex, so this book just didn't work for me. 11/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Brainiac by Ken Jennings: Jennings, the Jeopardy champion with the longest run on the game show to date, has written an enjoyable book for trivia buffs and those of us who have always been nerds, enjoying knowledge, trivia and odd facts. This fascinating book is filled with information about college quiz bowls, pub trivia contests, and even a Wisconsin town that holds a radio trivia contest for fifty-four hours in which numerous teams compete year after year. Interspersed in this information is Jennings’ story of his competition and long run as a Jeopardy champion. If you enjoy this kind of information, you’ll also have fun with the trivia questions and answers Jennings includes in each chapter. This is a well-written, enjoyable book. 10/06 Lesa Holstine

Breaking Clean by Judy Blunt, Knopf:  This is the best memoir I have read in a long time. Just go out and buy it. You will find yourself drawn in immediately and you will not be able to put it down. Blunt is now a hero of mine and she will be a hero of yours. Remember how much you loved ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTIN'? How it took you to a part of the country in contemporary times and to a way of life you barely knew existed? How it plunked you down and opened your eyes? How you came to love it? This is similar to the experience of BREAKING CLEAN. But it's cold and barren and isolated. It's northeastern Montana and the challenges to live here are dangerous and frightenening. And if you don't fill with tears in the chapter called Winter Kill I can't imagine what is wrong with you! There are a million wonderful quotes hailing all aspects of this book - - but from me let me say I know it's a book you should read and share with friends - - especially young women.

Brothel: Mustang Ranch and its Women by Alexa Albert: Very interesting sociological peek into the country's most famous whorehouse and the lives of the women who work there.  Been optioned for a movie.

CAN I KEEP MY JERSEY?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond by Paul Shirley: Paul Shirley was a National Merit Scholarship finalist who went to Iowa State on an academic scholarship. He’s a 6’10” intellectual man, who also happens to play professional basketball. But, since he was a benchwarmer in the NBA when he did play, he kept a journal of his travels through the interesting world of basketball. He played basketball for teams in Greece, Spain and Russia, minor league teams in the United States, and, occasionally, professional teams in the U.S. He had very brief stints with the Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, and the Atlanta Hawks. His longest stretch playing with a pro team was the seven months he spent with the Phoenix Suns. Shirley says he is “Not good at writing from a positive-person viewpoint.” He’s right when he portrays himself as “cynical, judgmental and sarcastic.” This isn’t a book for a basketball fan with stars in their eyes. This is a realistic story of a man trying to make it to the difficult heights of professional basketball. Perhaps every young man who dreams of a basketball career should read Shirley’s story. 06/07 Lesa Holstine

CAT PEOPLE by Michael Korda and Margaret Korda: Cat lovers will appreciate this little book with enchanting cat sketches by Michael Korda. The Kordas relate a few stories about cats owned by famous people, such as Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln. Most of the book is dedicated to stories of the Korda cats, though. Anyone who loves cats will find themselves laughing, crying and nodding with recognition at the cats who entered their lives, and their hearts. It’s a perfect gift book for the cat people in your life. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History by George Crile:  This is the fascinating story of how Charlie Wilson, a hard-partying Congressman from Texas, undertook a personal mission to assist the mujahideen rebels of Afghanistan to defeat the forces of the Soviet Union. The consequences of this have shaped our times. On the one hand, this greatly accelerated the downfall of the Soviet Union as a superpower and on the other hand, it left billions of dollars worth of high tech munitions in the caves and on the plains of Afghanistan which we would later come to regret. So this is a story worth hearing.
    And a fine story it is. With rich characters, not only Charlie himself, but also a rogue CIA agent on the outs with the "old school" boys of the CIA and a military genius who figured out the appropriate "arms mix" to insure victory and then faded from view because he had no more worlds to conquer.
    The process revealed in the telling is just as fascinating as the characters. How Charlie was able to work effectively behind the scenes in Congress, forging an incredibly powerful network of allies from both parties and from all regions of the political spectrum. For example, his years in the Texas legislature sitting next to Barbara Jordan gave him an entree to and credibility with the Black Caucus in Congress. And all of this was accomplished at a time when the CIA was under fire at the White House and in Congress. And while dating a variety of gorgeous women and doing serious damage to his liver.
    Many years ago, I had a history test on which the only question was - Do leaders shape events, or do events shape leaders? This is the riveting story about one man who most certainly shaped some of the most important events of our time. With repercussions that perhaps are still yet to come.  ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

Chloe Anne: Force of Nature by Valerie Oblath: Chloe Anne, a voluptuous cat, “too beautiful for words,” tells her life story, through her owner, Oblath. Before her adoption from the Humane Society, Chloe Anne led a pedestrian life, with a pedestrian name, Penny. However, she found herself loved and cherished, adopted by Oblath, and sharing a pampered life with Cinders, the other cat in the house. Chloe Anne has a wonderful sense of humor, and cat lovers will totally love and accept this book, although other readers might find us nuts. It’s the perfect book for the cat lover in your life. 05/08 Lesa Holstine

CHRISTMAS WITH PAULA DEEN by Paula Deen: The Food Network star and restaurant owner shares her Christmas recipes and memories in this small book for the holidays. The recipes look wonderful, and not too difficult for most of us. The book felt repetitious, though, because many of the stories had been shared in Deen’s memoir, Paula Deen: It Ain’t All About the Cookin’. For fans, it’s fun to read the comments made by Deen’s sons, Bobby and Jamie, who we’ve grown to know over the course of her shows. If you’re looking for a Christmas gift for a cook who enjoys Southern cooking, this might be the perfect little present. The recipes are the reason to pick up this book. 11/07 Lesa Holstine

THE CITY OF FALLING ANGELS by John Berendt: If you loved Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, you might be disappointed in his latest book. Savannah was a character in the earlier book, and Berendt just doesn’t bring Venice, Italy to life in this latest one. He tries to focus the book around the fire that destroyed the Fenice Opera House in 1996, but it’s a slim hook on which to hang the entire story. The people who appear in this one are just as eccentric as those in his earlier book, but there are so many of them it’s difficult to keep the stories straight. Venice and its people remain distant and unfamiliar. Don’t expect to fall in love with the city as Berendt knows it. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

COACH edited by Andrew Blauner: Was there a good or bad coach in your life? Former Senator and basketball player Bill Bradley said, “The really great coaches engage their players in a quest to be the best.” In this collection of essays, twenty-five writers discuss people who made a difference in their lives. Authors who wrote about sports as varied as basketball, kung fu and golf include Pat Conroy, John Irving and John Edgar Wideman. For those of us who hated phys ed classes, Francine Prose reflects on the gym teacher she detested for eight long years. It’s a fascinating book to pick up and select an essay. Some will leave the reader with a thoughtful message. Others, such as Prose’s, might have the reader laughing and identifying with it. If coaches are in the business of molding people, somewhere in this book might be the story of a coach that brings back memories.  12/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

THE COLDEST WINTER: AMERICA AND THE KOREAN WAR by David Halberstam:  On June 25, 1950, seven divisions of elite North Korean troops crossed the border into South Korea with the intention of gaining control of the entire Korean peninsula in three weeks.  Sixteen years later on June 25, 1966, I got married and in the fourth year of my marriage was sent to the DMZ in Korea, where the “three week war” was still being contested.  While not likely to garner the publicity of his defining book for the Vietnam War, The Best and the Brightest, Halberstam’s treatment of the Korean War, written three decades after it began is arguably his best effort ever.  Halberstam himself considered The Coldest Winter the best book he ever wrote, the culmination of forty-five years of writing about America's postwar foreign policy.  In the book, he provides astonishingly vivid and nuanced portraits of all the major figures -- Eisenhower, Truman, Acheson, Kim, and Mao, and Generals MacArthur, Almond, and Ridgway, while also giving us tightly crafted narrative journalism, chronicling the stories of individual soldiers on the front line and the challenges they faced.  It was for me a disturbing but uplifting read. 02/08 Jack Quick

Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Richard Yancey:  Richard Yancey was a failure.  He had numerous, low paying jobs over many years and was living with a woman who had inherited wealth - she was supporting him, and rubbing his face in it.  He was a very successful student, however, and when he finds a blind ad in the paper looking for someone with his impeccable grades, he decides to investigate.  Turns out to be a job as a revenue collector with the Internal Revenue Service, and thus begins Yancey's engrossing tale of life with the IRS.  This is the stuff of nightmares; he seizes people's homes, cars, businesses, basically destroys lives, but he's very, very good at it.  Yancey worked for the IRS for twelve years while secretly longing to be a writer, and this is his compelling story. 

THE COOK'S COUNTRY COOKBOOK: Regional and Heirloom Favorites Tested and Reimagined for Today's Home Cooks by The Editors of Cook's Country Magazine:  I'm not sure what the relationship is between Cook's Country Magazine and America's Test Kitchen, but they seem to be one and same here.  This cookbook is filled with classic American recipes, the stuff most of us grew up with.  Chicken Soup.  Mac & cheese.  Meatloaf.  Tuna casserole.  Vanilla pudding (an actual recipe, not from a box!)  What I especially like about these recipes are the notes that accompany them, explaining how they came up with the recipe, the things they tried that didn't work and why, and even occasional notes on what brand of pot or pan or peeler they prefer and why.  More pictures would have been nice, but the recipes are so clearly drawn and so easily followed that pictures really aren't needed.  This is the quintessential comfort food cookbook, and frankly, with all that is going on lately, they couldn't have picked a better time to offer it up.  A couple of my favorite recipes were the Butternut Squash Soup and the Blue Ribbon Apple Cake.  09/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE CRAGGY HOLE IN MY HEART AND THE CAT WHO FIXED IT by Geneen Roth: Roth tells the story of the kitten she didn’t want, the father she was afraid to lose, and the love she found in life. After sixteen years of an eating disorder, Roth quit diets, settled at her natural weight, wrote two books, and taught workshops. What she couldn’t overcome was her fear of losing everyone she loved. Roth didn’t think she had the capacity to love, because she was afraid to let herself love. And, then along came Blanche, a white kitten who grew to be twenty pounds, and turned out to be a he. The woman who was out of touch with her feelings suddenly found herself dealing with her feelings about her father, and the acceptance of a cat who gave her love with no strings attached. Roth takes a fascinating journey of growth in this book about love and loss. 05/08 Lesa Holstine

CRASHING THROUGH by Robert Kurson:  Bob Lujano is a staff member at the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, Alabama where I work out.  In 1979, Bob lost his arms above the elbow and his legs at the hips to a rare form of meningitis.  Yes, he is in a wheelchair but he isn’t disabled.  Try to keep up with him in the swimming pool, or on the track.  Don’t even think of taking him on in wheelchair rugby as he has won 5 US Quad Rugby National Championships with the Lakeshore Demolition and 3 medals playing rugby for Team USA.  He was one of the stars of the 2005 movie about the sport titled Murderball.  Mike May is a similar remarkable person.  Blinded in a childhood accident, he learned to drive a motorcycle, hike alone in the woods, and downhill ski, while also working as the CIA’s first blind intelligence analyst as well as being a successful inventor, entrepreneur and family man.  While no one has yet been able to replace Bob’s missing limbs, Mike was able to have his eyesight restored at age 46.  This book tells the story, with all its ups and downs of what happened to this remarkable man whose brain had forgotten how to process visual input.  Whatever problems we think we have pale in the face of the accomplishments of people like these.  If you don’t get goose bumps from this book, have your pulse checked by a professional. 08/07 Jack Quick 

Crime Beat: A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers by Michael Connelly: For ten years, Michael Connelly was a crime reporter in Florida and Los Angeles. As he covered the detectives who worked the homicide beat, he observed their mannerisms, listened to their speech, and, eventually used the stories and people he covered for his award-winning crime stories. Although some of the stories in Crime Beat are a little long and tedious, the reader sees indications of the future writer. This collection of columns from Connelly’s years on the crime beat will appeal to true crime fans, and those who want to study Connelly’s background for his bestselling fiction. 05/06 Lesa Holstine

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM by  Deirdre Dolan:  I am a huge fan of the show, so I was really excited to get this book and it exceeded my expectations - and how often do you get to say that?  It basically covers the show through its star, Larry David, from his stand-up days through Seinfeld through Curb.  It runs through a season-by-season episode guide from day one through season five, but so much more than that.  I really enjoyed the interviews with David and his co-stars and directors, and the pictures are great.  Besides the obligatory candid on set shots and so forth, there is a section of pictures of artifacts from the show like Dr. Sewell's prescription pad and the Cashews & Raisins mix that had a low count of cashews, and another section with pictures and descriptions of Larry's various houses each season.  Yes, these are people's homes, not a stage set.  A fun read with a lot of bang for the buck, and a must-have for any fan of the show.  And who isn't?  11/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS by Conn and Hal Iggulden: Just in time for Father’s Day, this is the perfect gift for any man who is still young at heart. The Dangerous Book is jam packed with anything and everything a guy could ever need. From instructions on knots and how to make invisible ink to advice on girls, this book has it all. Think of it as an all-encompassing boy scout manual. I wouldn’t normally review something like this. How do you really review a gift book, right? I took one look at it and had to share it. It’s a neat concept and I highly recommend buying a copy for yourself and that person that is impossible to shop for (dad.) 06/07 Becky Lejeune

The Dead Beat by Marilyn Johnson:  Johnson’s quirky fascinating book is subtitled, “Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries.” According to the author, obituary pages are some of the best-read pages in the newspaper. Johnson not only attended the Sixth Great Obituary Writers’ International Conference, but also spent time interviewing some of the great obituary writers from newspapers as diverse as The New York Times and The Daily Telegraph of London and the weekly Chilkat Valley News. “Historians tell us we are living in the Golden Age of the Obituary.” Johnson’s fascination with the art of writing obits will intrigue the reader. This is a marvelous little book, with enough web sites and newspaper information to keep an interested reader hooked for years. 04/06 Lesa Holstine

Depraved English by Peter Novobatzky:  A reference book that charts a very specific territory.   This is a collection of obscenities and obscure disgusting words.  Impress your friends with words like callipygian (having nicely shaped buttocks) and mazophilous (fond of breasts).

THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America  by Erik Larsen: Nonfiction about the Chicago World's Fair with a parallel story about a serial killer in the same area at the same time. This book got all sorts of accolades and I can understand why; both stories are fascinating and compelling. But I had issues with the amount of detail the author provides, especially with the World's Fair - it felt like he had the names of every person who worked at building it. The book alternates chapters between both stories which made for a very jumpy book and forced me to try and remember who some of these people were. Too much information is not always a good thing. Includes about 40 pages of footnotes. 06/05

DIGGING FOR THE TRUTH by Josh Bernstein: Digging for the Truth is currently the highest-rated original series in the history of The History Channel. Fans of the show, or anyone interested in archaeology, will appreciate this fascinating book. Bernstein, host of the series, is the owner of the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) in Boulder, Utah. He’s well-qualified to participate in the archaeological expeditions taken on the show. The show attempts to make history fun, which discussing archaeological discovery, preservation and education. In the course of the book, Bernstein discusses his adventures as he travels from site to site, filming the show. He covers such interesting historical mysteries as the lost Ark of the Covenant, the search for Ed Dorado in Peru, and Stonehenge. Readers get an inside look at the difficulties in filming the television show, as well as the mysteries behind history. It’s a fascinating view for history junkies. 01/07 Lesa Holstine

DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY by Chris Roerden: Roerden’s book is an excellent selection if you are an aspiring mystery writer or an author looking for good advice. She has been an editor for over forty years. Her helpful techniques are offered with a touch of humor. Since Roerden believes, “Your most valuable resource for learning the craft of writing is the work of other writers,” she provides examples to assist with the learning process. She analyzes passages from 130 published crime novels, passages that successfully demonstrate the techniques she wants to teach. She also gives examples of poor writing, but she made those up. The tools provided in this book are designed to help writers catch the attention of readers. Along with the basic tools, she provides formatting information and a list of popular internet sites for mystery writers. Roerden provides invaluable advice for the aspiring author. 11/06 Lesa Holstine

EARLY BIRD: A Memoir of Premature Retirement  by Rodney Rothman:  Rothman was 28 years old when he lost his job as a comedy writer on a sitcom produced by David Letterman.  Since he was a New York Jew, he decided he would ultimately end up retiring to South Florida, so he got the idea of getting an early taste of what that would be like.  He sublet a room from an old woman in Century Village in Boca Raton, Florida and moved in for six months of shuffleboard, cruising with the Red Hat Club, and the ubiquitous Early Bird dinners.  Rothman also includes some interesting history on how Florida became the Mecca of retirement and portraits of many of the residents of the retirement community and what their lives are like.  Lots of laughs amid the tedium and of certain interest to anyone who is thinking about retirement or knows anyone who has retired to South Florida. 07/05

EASY JAPANESE COOKING: BENTO LOVE by Kentaro Kobayashi: According to Wikipedia, bento is “a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine.” In other words, it’s a lunchbox meal. And for Americans it means a more grownup version than the packed lunches we’re so used to. In the latest addition to Kentaro Kobayashi’s Easy Japanese Cooking series, he introduces home cooks to the art of bento with easy-to-prepare dishes, each one photographed and featuring easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and packing tips. Each recipe is for one perfect lunch-sized portion, and none of the recipes requires more than a few minutes’ cook time. One thing to note, bento is meant to be eaten within a few hours of preparation and a traditional bento box may provide a bit more temperature regulation than a Tupperware container. But in that case, refrigerating and reheating in the microwave is probably a safe bet for working folk taking advantage of this great way to pack a lunch. The book showcases traditional stir-frys like Beef and Green Pepper and Cashew Chicken as well as some non-traditional bentos such as the Fish and Chips and the Cheeseburger Bento. And, like the other titles in the series, Kobayashi provides helpful cooking tips and substitution suggestions as well. Highly recommended for anyone and everyone interested in creating tasty and fun Japanese cuisine at home. 08/09 Becky Lejeune

EASY JAPANESE COOKING: NOODLE COMFORT by Kentaro Kobayashi: If you’re like me and have never quite grown out of the ramen noodle phase, then this is definitely the book for you. Kentaro Kobayashi has compiled a collection of Asian and classic noodle dishes that are easy to prepare for any occasion. The book is divided according to type of noodle, and/or the region the dish comes from, and includes tips on how to identify, cook, and serve each different noodle. Each recipe is pictured in the book (always a plus) and features failry easy-to-find ingredients. Alternatives are even offered for some of the less common items, which is great for folks who want to try something new but may not have access to a wide array of international ingredients. Recipes include items like Homemade Udon (make your own tasty noodles from scratch), Spicy Meaty Tan Tan Noodles (yummy noodles with ground pork, ginger, and other spices), and my favorites so far: Ramen With Tofu—a more grown-up, but still simple, play on the classic grocery store version—and Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga). This is the second book in the series. There are three additional titles due out later this year. 07/09 Becky Lejeune

EAT ME: THE FOOD AND PHILOSOPHY OF KENNY SHOPSIN by Kenny Shopsin & Carolynn Carreño: Kenny Shospin’s restaurant is one that I’m sure many New Yorkers are familiar with. With his notorious attitude towards media, health inspectors, and even potential clientele, Shopsin is likened to the Seinfeld Soup Nazi. Some even believe the infamous character may be based on him, but we’re likely never to know for sure. In Eat Me, Shopsin abandons his “no media” rule and shares over 100 of his delectable creations with the public. This is the perfect cookbook for foodies like myself who are likely never to be able to experience these items first hand. From a simple egg salad to Shopsins’ famous Yin-Yang Rice Bowls – meant to be paired with soup – this collection of inventive dishes is sure to tantalize your taste buds. In addition to the recipes, the book also features Shopsin’s own anecdotes about everything from his family and loyal customers to his views on pancakes and salads. The book also features the once 6-page menu, great for help in creating your own Shopsin’s dinner at home. 01/09 Becky Lejeune  

Every Book Its Reader by Nicholas A. Basbanes: Basbanes’ book is subtitled, “The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World.” I cried while reading the first five pages. The book is an eclectic discussion of books. There’s a discussion of whether or not people are products of the things they read. There are suggestions for collections that have lists of best books. One powerful chapter discusses the books our forefathers and the Presidents read. There’s a chapter on researching the Bible, and one about book collecting. One chapter focuses on the medical doctors who realized the importance of reading to children. Basbanes has picked wonderful quotations to start each chapter. There’s something for everyone who truly loves books in this fascinating work. Even every chapter has its reader in this new piece. 12/05 Lesa Holstine

EVERYDAY PASTA by Giada De Laurentiis:  The newest cookbook from the Food Network star (and movie mogul niece) focuses on pasta, but also includes some sauces, salads and sides.  De Laurentiis is a classically trained chef, but her recipes are easy to follow and none looked too difficult.  I liked her explanations on how to cook pasta, especially the way she differentiates between pasta for hot dishes and for salads.  She also explained a few of the hard grating cheeses used in so many pasta dishes, but left out Grana Padana, the new kid on the grating block.  Lots of pictures make this a beautiful book, but only a few of the recipes tempted me to even try them, and those I tried were just okay - I'm not sure I'd make them again.  04/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT BEING A GIRL I LEARNED FROM JUDY BLUME, edited by Jennifer O’Connell: O’Connell compiled a collection of essays by YA and Chick Lit authors such as Meg Cabot, Julie Kenner and Beth Kendrick. Each of the twenty-two authors looked back at their own past and their connection to Judy Blume’s books. Blume was able to explore the troubles of adolescents in books such as Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, Deenie and Forever. In poignant essays, the writers tell about their lives, and how a Judy Blume story changed or affected them, or helped them through a difficult period. Does Judy Blume know that she “grew” an entire batch of authors who now try to emulate her, reaching out to other women or to teens? Blume may not have offered solutions in her books, but she showed that other young people have the same feelings or experiences. These writers acknowledge the “Judy Blume moments” in their lives, and share them in a thoughtful book. 06/07 Lesa Holstine

The Exact Same Moon by Jeanne Marie Laskas:  This is the marvelous sequel to Fifty Acres and a Poodle, where Jeanne marries Alex, they buy a farm, and live happily ever after...until this new book comes along.  Jeanne's mother becomes paralyzed from Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and Jeanne finds herself commuting back to the city to help out.  Sometimes it takes a crisis to force people to examine their lives, and this one causes Jeanne to rethink her decision not to have children.  Alex, with two grown children from his first marriage, is supportive and open to anything she wants.  Jeanne explores her relationship with her mother, her husband, and her own desire to become a mother in this tender, funny, heart-wrenching-yet-heart-warming story.  Lest this sounds maudlin, it is not - there are laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout, from befriending the scary old woman recluse down the road to stealing her mother's plants back from the new owners of her home to the horror of converting the entire farming community into satellite TV junkies.  Laskas' style of writing just draws the reader in, making us feel like a part of her amazing family, and creating an intimate, appealing and ultimately satisfying escape into her gentle world of farming, laughs and love.

F5: Devastation, Survival and the Most Violent Tornado Outbreak of the 20th Century by Mark Levine: On April 3, 1974, the United States was hit by at least 148 tornados spawned from one “megastorm” that killed hundreds and caused billions in property damage. Six of these tornados were rated F5 with sustained winds of over 260 miles per hour. This book tells the story of that day in a rural Alabama county where dozens of individual tornadoes reeked havoc. I grew up in central Alabama in one of the infamous tornado alleys. I have had the experience of having one pass directly overhead (they really do sound like a freight train) and have helped clean up after a dozen of them. Nothing can prepare you for the sheer power of one of these beasts, nor its ability to change lives and alter landscapes in seconds. If you have never experienced one, this reads like fiction. If you have, then you know it is fact. A hurricane, tsunami, blizzard, volcano eruption, even earthquake – generally there is some warning. With tornados, you may die in the wreckage of your home while the dinner table at your neighbor’s house isn’t even disturbed. Entire houses can be picked up and set back down hundreds of feet away with children safely sleeping inside. The sheer capriciousness of these storms actually gives them a certain majesty, not unlike a “big cat” or other predator. Levine has captured about as much of these monsters as any human can – which is still only a modicum of their reality.  05/07 Jack Quick

Fantasyland by Sam Walker: Walker’s book about Rotisserie baseball is a fascinating book, if you’re a baseball fan or a fantasy baseball fan. It’s not for everyone. The details about checking out players ahead of time, crunching statistics, and watching players via computer throughout the year won’t be enjoyable for a number of readers. But, for those of us who are fanatical about baseball, or have spent a year sitting at a computer, watching one player in a game, this is an intriguing book. Walker, a Wall Street Journal sports columnist, cut back on his coverage in 2004, in order to spend a year playing Rotisserie baseball with some of the premier people in fantasy baseball. In order to get an edge, he traveled to each spring training camp, talked to players and managers, and hired a research team to assist him. Walker worked with everyone from a statistician to an astrologer in order to select a team. Walker’s book is wrongly subtitled, “A Season on Baseball’s Lunatic Fringe.”
Fantasy players might be crazy about baseball, but they’re certainly not lunatics.  10/06 Lesa Holstine

Father Joe: The Man Who Saved my Soul by Tony Hendra: Tony Hendra is a British comedian and comic writer (he prefers the term "satirist.") American audiences may be most familiar with him as the Ian Faith character in the rock satire This is Spinal Tap. This book is the surprising story of his spiritual journey from his teens to the present day and the role played in it by his spiritual advisor, a Benedictine monk named Father Joe.
    The beginning of their relationship is hardly auspicious. Young Hendra is sent to the monastery for confession and punishment when he is caught in the early stages of adolescent grouping with a neighbor's wife. Hendra is given a glimpse of a better faith when Father Joe suggests that the only sin involved was selfishness.
    Later in their relationship, as Father Joe advises Tony that his career is in the world and not in the monastery, he comments that "more husbands and wives should be canonized." Hendra does go on to live in the world and have a very successful career at the National Lampoon and other places, but he regularly feels the need in time of trouble to travel back to the monastery and visit with Father Joe. Despite Father Joe's cloistered existence, he seems to fully grasp the problems created by a fast-past modern society and life in the entertainment industry.    As the story concludes, Mr. Hendra brings his son to visit the dying monk.
    This book is The Seven Story Mountain of our time and will be considered one of the most important books of this decade. It is not light reading, however and may not be appreciated by those readers and worshippers who prefer their God "lite." Read it anyway. Any book with a sentence like "The first exercise of love is listening." is worth reading and pondering. 06/04 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

FIRE-BREATHING LIBERAL: How I Learned to Survive (and Thrive) in the Contact Sport of Congress by Robert Wexler:  Wexler is my congressman, and I've voted for him in every election in which he's run. So I come to this book with a prejudicial view - I like the guy.  How can you not like a guy who was honest enough to admit to Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report that he has tried cocaine?  True, as Colbert pointed out, Wexler was running unopposed so he could have admitted to just about anything and been re-elected.  This is his story.  His years in Congress have been turbulent, to say the least.  I also live in the district with the infamous "butterfly ballot" and it was my neighbors who gave the election away by mistake.  Wexler discusses those issues, as well as the Supreme Court decision (Gore v. Bush), Clinton's impeachment and why he thinks Bush should be impeached, his visit with Syrian President Bashar Assad, and lots more Washington insider stuff.  Wexler makes it all fascinating and entertaining, a winning combination for any book, but especially one steeped in politics.  7/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page:  This is not your typical cookbook; instead of recipes, there's flavor matching.  There is an alphabetical list, from achiote seeds to zucchini blossoms, and under each listing are techniques for cooking, and the flavorings best suited for that ingredient.  For instance, "skirt steak" has broiling, grilling or sautéing listed as the best techniques, and a list of flavorings that include some of the more obvious, like garlic (which is emphasized,) to some that you may not have thought of, like allspice, balsamic vinegar or cinnamon.  For some of the lesser known listings, like Kohlrabi, the author also offers seasonal information, botanical relatives, weight, and volume, and for Kumquats, she also offers that the taste is "sour, bitter."  There are comments from well known chefs sprinkled throughout the book, along with the names of some of the dishes they make (here recipes might have been nice) and some short essays as well, like a piece by "Vitaly Paley of Paley's Place in Portland, Oregon, on Cooking with Mushrooms."  An excellent, interesting addition to a well established cookbook collection, but probably not for beginners.  12/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FODOR’S SMART 1,001 TRAVEL TIPS: A must read for would-be world travelers.  How else can you learn to pack your own chewing gum if you are going to Singapore since its not sold there, and oh yes, be careful of the water in Mexico - use boiled or bottled water even for brushing your teeth.  A well-written and somewhat quirky guide that even armchair travelers can enjoy.  Even native English speakers can have difficulty with Scots’ English, so don't hesitate to ask for clarification.  Also, watch out for New Zealand's one health hazard -"duck itch".  In Holland be aware that coffee shops also sell (legally) marijuana, hash, and drug paraphernalia, which can be used on the spot. And if you are a book lover, no matter where you go, pack an empty tote bag or duffle inside your luggage as you will need the extra room to bring home the books. 11/07 Jack Quick 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT by Philip J. Romano: Over 200,000 people pay daily homage to the genius of Romano. They do so by eating at Fuddrucker’s, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, eatZi’s, Shuckers or Cozymels. Romano developed and has successfully operated and marketed each of these national restaurant concepts/chains. In his book he shares the reasons for his success, which include placing service first over profit and getting people to work with you rather than for you. Sounds simple, but you must be doing it right to build a $10 billion restaurant empire. Nicely written and interesting background for all of us who tend to eat out more than at home. 03/06 Jack Quick

FOOD RULES: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan:  Pollan is the genius behind In Defense of Food, The Omnivore's Dilemma and a few other books on food and where it comes from. He is also one of the stars of the Academy Award nominated documentary, Food, Inc., for me a life changing film about the food industry in this country and one of the most enlightening and frightening films I've ever seen.

The thing is that Pollan is not one of these militant, radical vegans or anything. To me he comes across like the voice of reason. He eats meat, but sparingly and only free range beef and organic. He does his research and for this book, also put up a request on a New York Times food blog for people to send him the rules about eating that they grew up with. This book is a compilation of his own rules and those he's collected. It's a tiny paperback and at its simplest, is a collection of wisdom on how to eat for health and well being. It is an easy read and often amusing.

One of the rules: "avoid food products that make health claims." A company with the resources to get FDA approved health claims for their products doesn't necessarily make them healthy - think margarine. Once touted as the healthy alternative to butter, we now know that the transfats it contains are worse than the saturated fat in butter. Or as Pollan puts it, "the silence of the yams" doesn't make them less healthful. More rules: "Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry." (Xanthan gum anyone?) "Eat only foods that will eventually rot." Not Twinkies, which Pollan took on book tour with him and after two years, remain as fresh as the day he bought them. And a couple of my favorites: "Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce," and "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't." Thought provoking to say the least.  02/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE FOOD YOU WANT TO EAT by Ted Allen:  This is a fabulous new cookbook from the cooking guy of the fab five of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame.  The recipes are easy and elegant, yet it's all food you'd want to eat.  The recipes are simply explained and beautifully laid out with lots of pictures.  I especially loved that there is a wine pairing with every recipe and the aesthetics of the book are terrific - there is a very practical and cool looking plastic cover.  This is the perfect cookbook for any new cook or anyone who lacks kitchen confidence because using these recipes will build confidence and inspiration, and what is more important in a cookbook than that?  02/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch 

FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN by Sister Karol Jackowski: Sister Karol Jackowski joined the convent during the turbulent sixties, years that were turbulent for the country, but also for the Catholic Church. Her memoir is a fascinating peek inside the secret world that most of us know little about. It tells about her first seven years, the formative years in becoming a nun. She joined the Sisters of the Holy Cross at Saint Mary’s in South Bend, Indiana. When she entered the convent, there were very rigid rules for postulants. After nine months, they entered the novitiate. However they knew they wouldn’t be going home for five years after joining. In 1966, with Vatican II, the rules began to ease up. Nuns changed their habits, and could take back their own names.
However, nuns that had been cloistered often couldn’t handle the changes, and young nuns wanted more. In the 1960s, more than 200,000 women left the convent.  Sister Karol Jackowski is one of those nuns who stayed, which is surprising when you read her story. This is an intriguing story of a little known world. 05/07 Lesa Holstine

THE FORTUNE COOKIE CHRONICLES: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee: I love Chinese food, and I love humorously written, well researched food books, so when I heard about this one, I couldn't wait to get my chopsticks on it.  I am really glad I did.  This is a fact-filled, fun read about the history of Chinese food in America, that includes amazing research that took the author all through China and Japan.  Japan, you say?  Why yes, because our beloved fortune cookies are not Chinese in origin, but rather Japanese.  In fact, we are now exporting "American fortune cookies" to China.  The idea of delivering food to people's homes started with a savvy Chinese restaurant owner in New York City.  And Lee explores the relationship between Jews and Chinese food, including a chapter devoted to the only Glatt Kosher Chinese restaurant in the southeastern United States, and its Peking Duck scandal.  She goes looking for the origin of one of our most popular dishes, General Tso's chicken, and explains why chop suey is disappearing off of Chinese restaurant menus all across America - hint: neither dish is Chinese in origin.  This is a quick, fun read, perfect to read in small bites and guaranteed to make you hungry.  05/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FORWARD FROM HERE: Leaving Middle Age – and Other Unexpected Adventures by Reeve Lindbergh: Lindbergh, the youngest daughter of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, is an accomplished author in her own right. Her latest book is a collection of thoughtful essays, covering subjects as wide-ranging as turtles, learning about rural living in Vermont, aging, and her brain tumor. There’s even a chapter about winter reading and summer reading. This small book is for anyone who enjoys short, warm commentary. 07/08 Lesa Holstine

FREE FOR ALL: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert: This one is for the librarians.  I checked out the customer reviews on Amazon, and it doesn't seem to be appreciated nearly as well by library users, and since I work in a library, I have a biased view, which of course I'm happy to share.  Borchert is an assistant librarian in a suburban Los Angeles public library, which means he doesn't have his coveted masters degree in library and information science.  But he does have several years experience in dealing with the public, and that's what he shares in this funny, breezy book.  If you think libraries are quiet, dull places of study, then you haven't been to a public library lately.  Borchert's library may be suburban but has had its share of drug dealers working out of the men's room, moms brawling in the stacks, and regulars that include a man desperately seeking to buy a South American wife, and Henry, the daily crossword puzzle aficionado/nut.  He discusses the hiring process and employment practices of civil service jobs - pass probation and you've got a job you can retire from.  But it's the little stories, one after another, that bring this book to life.  Written in conversational style, it's rather like spending a few hours in a bar with a friend who's unloading about work, like the story about the Indian girl who was hired because she was quiet and helped make the library diverse, but was fired when some young boys were singing offensive rap songs and she exploded like an atom bomb in the middle of the library, practically ripping their heads off.  Or the story about the proud parents of the child doing a science fair project on which the absorbency of diapers, and in doing his research Googled the word "diapers" and found a picture of a 50-year-old man wearing one along with a very satisfied smile.  But only other library/civil service workers will appreciate the chain of command that must be followed when you see a body go flying past your window. 12/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl:  A quintessential New York book that is so delicious I devoured it in one sitting, if you'll pardon the food metaphors.  Reichl was the NY Times restaurant critic for many years, and this is the inside scoop on how that worked.  She learned on her flight in from Los Angeles to take the job that her picture was already hung in every kitchen of every important restaurant in NY.  She decided she would need to invent a new persona, someone who could dine anonymously and ended up creating several.  Her claim to fame came with an early double review of the famous NY eating establishment, Le Cirque - one review was as the recognized restaurant critic for the Times, the other as an anonymous diner.  It cost the restaurant their coveted fourth star and made people sit up and take notice of the newcomer.  The book details her meals and her life as a critic with humor and pathos.  Reichl is a passionate foodie and her descriptions will fascinate and satiate the reader. 05/05

THE GASTRONOMY OF MARRIAGE by Michelle Maisto: In Michelle Maisto’s debut, a food memoir that also traces her relationship as she and her fiancée begin building their life together, Maisto shares her passion for cooking and her journey through her new engagement. She walks the reader through her city, her neighborhood, her food memories, and the ups and downs of planning a marriage in the midst of her everyday twenty-something life. With her own thoughts on other culinary writings, the various complications and adventures of combining households (and kitchens), and food itself, Michelle invites readers to experience a little bit of her world. As an eager foodie myself, The Gastronomy of Marriage is a fun look into someone else’s kitchen and their cooking exploits. Maisto writes about food—and the rest of her life—with an elegance and passion that readers will truly enjoy. The book also includes a collection of the recipes discussed within. 09/09 Becky Lejeune 

The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery: Naturalist Sy Montgomery always did identify with animals more than people, but she never expected to love a pig as much as she grew to love Christopher Hogwood. The little runt grew to be 750 pounds in his fourteen years living with Montgomery and her husband. During that time, he shared his love with them, and brought the town of Hancock, New Hampshire to their doorstep. Readers who enjoyed John Grogan’s Marley & Me will want to try The Good Good Pig. 08/06 Lesa Holstine

GRACE (EVENTUALLY): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott: This is the third book in Lamott’s “Thoughts on Faith” series, following the bestsellers, Traveling Mercies and Plan B. Once again Lamott views her daily life, politics and view of the world as part of her personal faith. She writes about her frustrations with her teenager son, Sam, but they’re the frustrations of most parents whose kids become rebellious teens who no longer seem to be the same person they were as a child. It’s a pleasure to read the writings of an ordinary person struggling through life. Lamott never was, and still isn’t a saint, so readers probably can relate to someone struggling as much as they are.
    And, as a reader, it’s hard not to love a writer who talks about the treasures in books, and the relationship between a writer and a reader. As a librarian, I have to admire and cheer for the writer who showed up for an emergency read-in to save the Salinas, CA libraries when they were threatened with closure. If you are looking for a spiritual book with all the answers, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a book by a struggling human being, reaching out to God for help, you’ll appreciate Grace (Eventually). 04/07 Lesa Holstine

The Great Deluge by Douglas Brinkley:  The historian’s treatment of Hurricane Katrina and its immediate effects on New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is an indictment of the federal government. Although Mayor Ray Nagin, Governor Blanco, and Michael Brown are all cited for their incompetence in time of crisis, FEMA and President Bush come under the greatest criticism. Brinkley tells the history of one week in the region, August 27-Sept. 3, 2005. The book isn’t totally depressing because he tells the story of some of the heroes of the disaster such as the Coast Guard, small town mayors and individuals who saved people and animals. However, if you weren’t ashamed of the government reaction before reading the book, you will be angry and ashamed when you finish it. 06/06 Lesa Holstine

THE GREATEST PRESIDENTIAL STORIES NEVER TOLD by Rick Beyer: I’m addicted to Beyer’s books, written in conjunction with The History Channel. Each of the small books contains 100 short tales, in two pages each. This one is subtitled “100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy.” You can’t go wrong with either of his other books, The Greatest Stories Never Told, and The Greatest War Stories Never Told. In this current collection, he tells the story of the president who once acted as a hangman. And, the president who applied for a patent wasn’t Thomas Jefferson, but Abraham Lincoln. Which president liked to go skinny-dipping in the Potomac? Did you know George Washington ran a profitable distillery? Beyer’s book is well-researched and sources cited. It’s a treat for anyone who enjoys presidential history or trivia. 11/07 Lesa Holstine

The Greatest War Stories Never Told by Rick Beyer: The documentary producer who works for The History Channel researched and gathered one hundred fascinating stories of military history. He presents the events in chronological order, beginning in 371 B.C. Short essays are accompanied by drawings and captions that tell of little known events, such as Napoleon’s interest in selling Louisiana because of mosquitoes. This is an intriguing little book for those of us who enjoy historical facts. 06/06 Lesa Holstine

HEAT: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford: This is a fun read for anyone who enjoys the Food Network, Mario Batali, or has a healthy curiosity about what goes on in a high end restaurant kitchen.  Buford gave up his "real" job as an editor at the New Yorker to work full time for Batali in the kitchen at Babbo.  Buford is charming and honest about his fun and foibles, from being deliberately bumped 40-some-odd times a shift (by the higher ranking kitchen echelon to keep him in his place,) to the wines that are really used in the restaurant, the blisters on his hands (tongs are useful!), or flying off with Mario to help at a charity event.  It's a foodie's delight and I couldn't put it down.  08/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HEROES FOR MY SON by Brad Meltzer: This is a giant step away from the thrillers and even graphic novels Meltzer is best known for. Meltzer says he's been thinking about this book since his first child was born, and it shows. This is a lovely book, a gift to be shared and cherished with children and grandchildren and anyone else who needs a hero. It is a series of photographs and very short essays, no more than a few paragraphs, about the men and women Meltzer finds the most inspiring, and why he wants his son to know about them. These heroes range from the expected like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Albert Einstein to lesser known heroes like Andy Miyares, a Special Olympics swimmer and Barbara Johns, a high school student at the heart of Brown vs. Board of Education. Fifty-two heroes in all, from the most personal, Meltzer's mother, who died from breast cancer to everyone's hero, Captain Sullenberger who landed a plane in the Hudson River. There's even a page at the back of the book with room for the picture and story of your hero. It's just a beautiful book to share with those you love. Meltzer has created a legacy.  05/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Hiding Places by Daniel Asa Rose: After his divorce, the author decides to take his 2 boys, ages 7 & 12, to Europe to find the hiding places their relatives used to escape the "not-sees" during the Holocaust.  I loved the premise of a man instilling his family history, making memories, for his sons.  Reading it was an emotional roller coaster that had me laughing and crying and left me both elated and exhausted.  A truly amazing book that I could not put down.

HOUSE: A Memoir by Michael Ruhlman: From the back cover and flap info on this book I was expecting a written version of This Old House or Extreme Makeover.  But what I got instead was a story about a writer and his family and how they live; an old house renovated by an architect, a contractor and his team; and a fascinating history of suburbia, Cleveland-style.  Ruhlman, author of the wonderful Soul of a Chef, reveals more of himself than the actual construction efforts and it makes for compelling reading.  11/05

HOW NOT TO WRITE A NOVEL by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman: There are any number of how-to writer’s guides out there but this is not one of them, this is a how-NOT-to guide. Mittlemark and Newman use their combined years in the publishing industry to put together a guide using the most common mistakes made by authors. With advice on everything from plot and style to setting and character development, each chapter is full of useful information on what to avoid when writing your book. By outlining the pitfalls of writing with amusing and interesting examples, Mittelmark and Newman have created what turns out to be a quite funny and easy to read guide that will prove to be a very useful tool to any writer out there. Whether you are finally trying your hand at your first novel, or you’re trying to sell your first completed novel, How NOT to Write a Novel can help along each step of the process and clue you into just what you need to do to clean up your manuscript and get it published.  04/08 Becky Lejeune

HOW STARBUCKS SAVED MY LIFE: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else by Michael Gates Gill: Michael Gates Gill grows up in a very comfortable way, then builds a very successful career in advertising with a prestigious firm.  But after twenty-something years, a new, young boss is brought in who wants to surround himself with new, young employees, so buh-bye Mike. After an affair that produces another child, buh-bye marriage.  Mike finds himself wondering how to survive with no health insurance and the strong possibility of brain cancer.  He wanders in to a nearby Starbucks, where a young African-American woman is sitting at the next table.  She asks him if he wants to work for Starbucks, and before he knows it, he is.  Health insurance is the big draw, but Mike soon learns that feeling useful again is a pretty nice feeling.  If you've ever worried how you're going to make it through retirement, or if you are a Starbucks addict, like moi, then this is a very thorough and enjoyable look at the inside of the company through the eyes of one of its happier employees. 09/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HOW TO BOOZE: EXQUISITE COCKTAILS AND UNSOUND ADVICE by Jordan Kaye and Marshall Altier: Booze and humor: always a great pair. Jordan Kaye and Marshall Altier have put these two things together in a funny, and sometimes pretty raunchy, bar book filled with tips on the perfect drink, history of classic cocktails, and frat-boy level humor in How to Booze. As a bar book, I actually love the indexing. The guys have divided the index by spirit and then within each spirit by how well-stocked your liquor cabinet may be. Looking for a simple drink with gin? Try a classic gimlet, which is by the way, the recommended drink for your second date. Prefer rum? Someone with a well-stocked (geeked out) bar might prefer a Mai Tai Roa-Ae to serve at a barbecue. I’d say any of the drinks inside would make a good accompaniment for reading Kaye and Altier’s “Unsound Advice.” Like I said, booze and humor always make a good pairing. 06/10 Becky Lejeune 

How to Set His Thighs on Fire: 86 Red-Hot Lessons on Love, Life, Men, and (Especially) Sex by Kate White:  When the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine writes a book with a title like this, you get exactly what you expect; a book length version of Cosmo minus the pictures.  If you love all the cutesy columns about getting along with your bitch of a boss, pleasing your man and making sure he pleases you, and you want some inside dish on celebrities, this is the book for you.  Back in the day, and by that I mean the Helen Gurley Brown days, Cosmo was new, inventive and shockingly bold about s-e-x when every other woman's magazine was avoiding the topic completely. But the cat was let out of the bag a long time ago and there's no stuffing it back in again, so frankly, this book just bored me.  The best thing I can say about it is it's written in 86 very short, very put-downable chapters, making it a great book to read at traffic lights.  06/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman by Nora Ephron:  This bestselling collection of essays is definitely a book for women. Very few men will appreciate the chapters called “I Hate My Purse” or “Maintenance.” Ephron discusses the difficulties in being a woman, and, an aging woman at that. The highlight of the book for many readers, though, will be the chapter “On Rapture,” about losing oneself in books. This is a nice little volume that enables us to laugh at ourselves. 09/06 Lesa Holstine

THE ICE MAN: CONFESSIONS OF A MAFIA CONTRACT KILLER by Philip Carlo: For over forty years, Richard Kuklinski, aka The Ice Man, carried out contract killings for six different mob families in New York and New Jersey. To many, he was a normal guy with a wife and three children. To his colleagues, he was a brutal and reliable hitman. He has claimed responsibility for anywhere between thirty and two hundred murders throughout his career.  At one point, he even claimed to be partially responsible for the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Phillip Carlo’s chilling account is the result of hundreds of hours of personal interviews. This in-depth look at the life of one of the most notorious guns for hire will have you looking over your shoulder and wondering just how well you know your own neighbors. 09/07 Becky Lejeune

If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name by Heather Lende: Lende lives in Haines, Alaska with her husband and five children. She writes a social column called Duly Noted and the obituaries for the weekly newspaper, the Chilkat Valley News. In the small community of 2400 people, which is often isolated from the rest of the world by snow, Lende really does know the other residents. She writes of their tragedies, the death of a young man lost at sea in a fishing accident, the plane crashes, the health problems. But she also writes of their triumphs, the successful fundraisers for a child’s surgery, the weddings, the play productions and parades. Lende brings small town Alaska to life in a book that will make anyone from a small town nostalgic for what they left behind, the friendship and love shared by a community. 05/06 Lesa Holstine

I'M JUST A DJ BUT...IT MAKES SENSE TO ME by Tom Joyner with Mary Flowers Boyce: Tom Joyner is the black disk jockey on the syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show, on which he talks to more than eight million African Americans in more than 120 markets. His book targets his media market with the hope that he can inspire someone to believe in their dreams, work hard to achieve them, and give back to the black community once they have made it. It’s not only the story of his life and career, but also the story of his own attempts to give back, particularly to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s). Joyner has serious suggestions to make to his black audience, but he doesn’t take himself too seriously. This is a light-hearted book with an important message for the target audience. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

I'M LOOKING THROUGH YOU: GROWING UP HAUNTED by Jennifer Finney Boylan: I assumed this book was about ghosts and haunting. Instead, it’s more about dealing with one’s inner ghosts. The Boylans move in to a dark and mysterious old mansion, named the Coffin House after the previous owners. Strange happenings are a common occurrence for them. Jennifer Boylan, born Jimmy, repeatedly sees the spirit of an older woman with starry eyes. Jennifer felt like she was herself a ghost living in a body that was not hers. She finally confesses her feelings to the world years after she’s moved out of the Coffin House. She has a wife and children of her own. She’s long toiled over the gray area between men and woman. Years after her sex change, she returns to her childhood home with a group of “ghostbusters” in the hopes of revealing more about the ghosts she encountered growing up. Is it possible that the ghost she saw as a teen was simply an embodiment of herself in the future? Boylan’s writing and witty comments keeps the reader involved in the reliving of her childhood. Her honesty is genuine and downright painful at times. Admittedly, I didn’t exactly get was I was expecting from this book. In actuality, I think I got more. 05/08 Jennifer Lawrence

Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman:  After hearing this author speak, I immediately ran out and got all his books.  This one is a memoir of a few years he spent in China teaching doctors English, studying wushu (martial arts) and learning about the culture.  Fascinating and funny.  I found the video at Blockbuster (thanks Ann) and it was enjoyable seeing Salzman play himself.  

An Italian Affair by Laura Fraser:  A memoir set in Italy and San Francisco about a woman who gets over her husband's leaving her for another woman by having several trysts with a married man.  Italy & sex usually works really well for me, but not this time.  I hated the way it was written in the second person, especially as it was her own story!  If I could have read it as a word document, I could have changed all the "you's" to "I's" and the "yours" to "mine" and been much much happier, not to mention less likely to throw the book across the room.  Also, this woman is a travel writer and writes about these fabulous little hotels all over Europe yet never names them.  Maddening!  On the positive side, I did learn some cool bastardized Italian slang.

I Was a Teenage Dominatrix by Shawna Keely: This memoir is the real deal about men who hire women to humiliate them.  It's funny, sad, intelligent and informative.  Not for the puritanical or squeamish.  

IT'S NOT MY FAULT!-or- Can a Rabbi’s son Find Happiness as a Tennis Pro? By Daniel I. Waintrup: Waintrup, the son of a rabbi, spent fifteen years as a teaching pro at a New England country club. He tries to tell the story of his life using anecdotes, biography, letters, and advice as to how to play tennis. However, the book is in a confusing format since he doesn’t know if he wants to be a stand-up comic, a writer or a tennis pro as he writes the book. He discusses losing tennis tournaments by saying, “When it comes to executing the shot under pressure, you continually miss it.” Waintrup totally missed the shots with this autobiography. 12/05 Lesa Holstine

JACKPOT NATION: Rambling and Gambling Across Our Landscape of Luck by Richard Hoffer: Hoffer, a writer for Sports Illustrated, takes on one of this country’s biggest sports, gambling. He provides some background to illustrate the history of gambling in this country, saying the U.S. was built on luck and chance. In 1612, the English authorized America’s first lottery to help fund the Jamestown settlement. From gold rushes to oil gushers, this has been a jackpot nation. Today, we have a thriving economy based on gambling. Americans bet each other about $80 billion last year. Hoffer travels the U.S., checking out various forms of gambling, from Las Vegas and its history, to Utah, a state that outlaws gambling, to Minnesota, where charity raffles have been popular. This is a fascinating look at America’s fascination with games of chance, but at times, it’s a little too technical for those of us who are ordinary readers. 08/07 Lesa Holstine

THE JEWISH-SICILIAN COOKBOOK by Pamela Hensley Vincent:  Yech.  Okay, that's not really a review, so I'll expand on that.  First, some background - I'm Jewish, my husband is Sicilian.  Anyone looking at me knows I love food, and between our grandmothers, I know good Jewish food and good Sicilian food.  This book ain't it. The first hint that not all is as it should be is in the introduction to Vincent's mother, Gail: "this chic green-eyed, brainy blond hated to cook." Interesting tidbit to precede Gail's recipes.  So here we go - "Yetta's Spaghetti" is made with canned tomato sauce and tomato paste.  "Cacciatore" has serrano or jalapeno chilies and a can of "Chunky Tomato Sauce".  And don't get me started on the lasagna with "extra tomato paste".  The only fresh herb to make an appearance is parsley.  Curly parsley.  The only fresh tomatoes that show up are in "Yetta's Kasha and Bows"  and in, and I swear I'm not making this up, "Yetta's Chicken Soup".  I've eaten both of these foods all my life, had them in other people's homes, from Jewish delis, even frozen from the supermarket and I've never seen tomatoes in either Kasha Varnishkes (the actual name of the kasha and bows dish) or in Jewish style chicken soup.  Or Italian style chicken soup for that matter. There are dozens of fabulous Italian cookbooks out there, and some really excellent Jewish ones.  This is neither.  06/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

John Adams by David McCullough:  A fascinating look at one of our most interesting founding fathers from the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Truman.  Another Pulitzer Prize for this one.

JUGGLING ELEPHANTS by Jones Loflin & Todd Musig: At first glance, Juggling Elephants appears to be just another lightweight business self-help book. However, there is some meat to this story, despite the small size. The authors use a parable to suggest a way to organize your life so that you don’t seem to be trying to “juggle elephants,” do everything and be everything to everyone. They tell the story of Mark, a man overwhelmed by his work life, who is trying to have a satisfactory home life as well, while completely neglecting himself. It takes a trip to the circus, and a meeting with a ringmaster for Mark to learn a work style that will allow him to organize his time so that he can get the most out of all aspects of his life. In doing so, they ask, is life a three-ring circus in which you’re trying to juggle elephants. They suggest you identify the rings of your life. For Mark, they were work, family and relationships, and self. No matter who you are, you can’t do everything. This little book helps the reader organize time so as to prioritize the “best acts.” If you’re trying to meet everyone’s expectations, and starting to fall behind, Juggling Elephants might be helpful tool. 10/07 Lesa Holstine

JULIE & JULIA: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell: Put this book on your favorite foodie's gift list immediately.  Julie Powell was feeling a tad depressed, so to cheer herself up, she decided to tackle Julia Child's masterpiece, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  The goal she set for herself was to prepare every recipe in the book in one year and she blogged about it, way before blogs were much known.  That blog was expanded on and turned into this very funny, very brave and heartwarming book.  09/05

The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook by King Arthur Flour: If you like to bake or know someone who does, this really is one of the better all around baking books.  It covers all the basics and beyond.  You won't find chicken dishes and such, but you will find breads, cobblers, cakes, cookies, pizza, pancakes, coffeecakes and crackers.  The book starts off with a discussion of flour, something the King Arthur folks know a little something about, and why it should be weighed and not measured.  Then it's off and running with clear, easy to follow recipes.  I usually am not a fan of brand name cookbooks, they tend to eschew logical, good ingredients to push their own brands, but this is a real exception.  Although to be fair, I am a fan of their products.  01/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

KISS MY MATH by Danica McKellar: You know how you sometimes get those strange and illogical recommendations from Amazon.com? Well, math is apparently a mystery to the good folks at Plume Paperbacks who sent me this book aimed toward making teenage girls like, you know, math and stuff. After all, her previous book was MATH DOESN’T SUCK, so maybe she is doing something right. Actually as a Georgia Tech graduate, I am pleased to announce that I found no errors in their calculations and in many ways can see why this book could/should be popular with young teenage girls. With chapters like “Didn’t That Guy Say He Was Going to Call? – Using Variables to Translate Word Problems” and step by step instructions starting “Duh. Okay, we don’t panic…” this would seem to hit its targeted audience quite well. If the shoe fits, etc. and so forth, but having no teenagers in the house, and having long ago solved the mystery of “Amanda, Davana, and Emily all have the same phone (fat chance), and they’ve all started collecting ringtones for them. Amanda has twice as many ringtones as Davana, and Emily has 3 more ringtones than Amanda. If together, they have a total of 103 ringtones, how many ringtones does Davana have?”, I think I’ll go back to my first love – real mysteries. Thanks anyway, Plume Paperbacks, particularly for the chapter “Creative Uses for Bubblegum.”. 06/09 Jack Quick 

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain: A  behind the scenes look at what goes on in restaurants (sometimes more than you wanted to know!) along with recipes and shopping and cooking tips.  He is brutally honest about his profession and the people that work in it.  A funny and fascinating read for anyone who has ever wondered "how did they do that" while dining out.

KNIVES AT DAWN: America's Quest for Culinary Glory at the Legendary Bocuse d'Or Competition by Andrew Friedman: I am a foodie. I love to cook and I love to watch the Food Network and cooking reality shows. When I received this book, I had never heard of this biannual culinary competition - Bocuse d'Or. I started reading and was immediately hooked. The biggest celebrity chefs in the world were center stage - Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Bocuse d'Or USA Vice President Jerome Bocuse, along with their protégés. Then when I was about half way through the book, I was watching Top Chef I was stunned when, as Friedman put it on the Top Chef blog, "America’s favorite cooking competition program, Top Chef, will meet the world’s most prestigious cooking competition, the Bocuse d’Or." The winner of that night's episode, Keven Gillespie, won the chance to compete for a spot on the American team being sent to compete in the Bocuse d'Or. It was recently announced that Kevin won his preliminary round and will compete in the semi-finals to earn a spot on the final team America.

Friedman did a great job with the book. He brings this amazing two year process to the Bocuse d'Or competition to life, and it is just fascinating reading. He follows all the people involved, shares emails and conversations and pictures, through the final event. The competition itself sounds rather like Iron Chef on steroids.  It's a five and a half hour grueling competition inside a glass walled stadium in Lyon, France, with thousands of fans from every country screaming and carrying on throughout. This is a book about food, yet it really is an exciting page turner. Put this on the list for any foodie in your life. 12/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Land's End: A Walk in Provincetown, by Michael Cunningham, Crown Journeys:  As Cunningham walks through Provincetown I felt as if I was peering over his shoulder. He introduced me to people, places poetry, pilgrims and porches. I know he has some secrets left, but that makes me want to explore Provincetown on my own. History, tips on where to pee, where to cruise, and other tourist pointers mix effortlessly with Cunningham's supreme ability to describe and interpret a place he calls home for a portion of the year. You share his respect for his neighbors, friends and the idiosyncrasies of this remote place. I felt I'd taken a mini vacation when I put this book down.  P-town is a place I visited as a child and then forgot. Now I plan to go back. But even if you never go, Provincetown is a wonderful spot to follow Cunningham to. 

Massacre in Mexico by Elena Poniatowska; Octavio Paz, Introduction; Helen R. Lane, Translator:  This oral history is a painful, systematic telling of the events that led to what has to be one of the worst civil crimes ever committed in a democratic country. After months of conflict between university students and the authorities, the Mexican police and army fired on a peaceful demonstration of hundreds of students in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, in Tlatelolco, Mexico, just prior to the 1968 Olympics.  Because the Olympics were scheduled to begin the following week, the eyes of the world were focused on Mexico, but the government denied any involvement.  This chronicle brings together testimony from a variety of witnesses, including parents, students and local residents; headlines and statements from newspapers; official documents from various student organizations; transcripts of tape recordings; army dispatches; and Poniatowska's thoughtful take on it all.  The way the material is presented makes it all the more distressing as it is so matter-of-fact, one story after another, one vignette more heart wrenching than the next, so that cumulative effect is devastating.   There are pictures as well, but the text is much more horrifying.  Most of the official records are still sealed, but recently some pictures were made available that proves the government's involvement in this disgraceful piece of Mexican history.  

MASTER DETECTIVE, THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF ELLIS PARKER, AMERICA’S REAL LIFE SHERLOCK HOLMES by John Reisinger: With a title like this, the book better be good, and it is. Ellis Parker conducted an independent three-year investigation onto the crime of the century – the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby – and concluded that the wrong man, Bruno Hauptmann, had been arrested, tried and convicted for the crime. Even though Parker had a confession from the man he claimed was the real killer, Hauptmann was executed as scheduled. Was Parker right? Did an innocent man die? You will have to decide for yourself. Don’t let the long title turn you off. This one reads like fiction, well written fiction. 01/07 Jack Quick

MASTER DETECTIVE by John Reisinger: Subtitled, “The Life and Crimes of Ellis Parker, America’s Real-Life Sherlock Holmes,” this tells the fascinating story of a man who rose to the heights of fame during a successful forty year career, and then crashed because of his involvement in the Lindbergh kidnapping case. Ellis Parker was the successful Chief of Detectives in Burlington County, NJ for forty years. He solved impossible cases and became famous as the greatest detective in America, and, possibly the world. However, when the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped, Parker couldn’t stand to be left out of the investigation. He probed around the outskirts of the case until he convinced himself that Bruno Richard Hauptmann was not guilty, and that Parker knew who was responsible. He initiated the kidnapping of his suspect, and forced a confession, only to find himself arrested and tried on federal kidnapping charges. The first part of this book tells the fascinating story of Parker’s rise to fame and his success as a detective. The second part tells of his obsession with the Lindbergh case and his fall from grace. It’s an intriguing book about a little known man. 02/07 Lesa Holstine

MAZEL TOV: Celebrities' Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories by Jill Rappaport and Linda Solomon:  With a couple of pages devoted to each celebrity, a few embarrassing pictures (Donny Deutsch & Jeremy Piven spring to mind) this book will make a fun bar or bat mitzvah or Chanukah gift.  From designer Michael Kors to the "Fonz", Henry Winkler, Richard Dreyfuss to that hottie, Josh Bernstein, to the "Bark Mitzvah Lady" (don't ask,) cute pictures and stories abound.  The bar mitzvah is a momentous event in the life of a Jew, it is when they are considered an adult and agree to live under Jewish law.  There is a religious ceremony, which is often skipped by the guests as they make a beeline for the party.  Parties have become lavish affairs (check out MTV's My Super Sweet 16 if you need a frame of reference) but this book concentrates on a different era. It's worth the price alone for Gene Shalit's memories and his picture, sans mustache, or for Kirk Douglas's memories of doing it twice - he celebrated a second bar mitzvah at age 83.  As Donny Deutsch points out, "I don't think anybody ever remembers their tenth birthday, but the bar mitzvah is a milestone in your childhood." 11/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MICHAEL SYMON'S LIVE TO COOK: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen by Michael Symon and Michael Ruhlman: Put these two Michaels together and you've got yourself a heck of a cookbook. Symon is an "Iron Chef" on the Food Network, and a James Beard award winner who has a modestly priced restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. I have to confess that I love cookbooks that are more than just a collection of recipes, I like to read too. This book is part memoir about how he got where he is, but his memoir is really a journey through his food. Lots of easy recipes for novices, along with great directions (Ruhlman's experience shows here) but also more challenging sections on charcuterie and pickling. Lots of great pictures, always a plus for any cookbook. The food is American, with some really unique and interesting dishes like Linguini with Heirloom Tomato, Capers, Anchovies, and Chilies (delicious.) and everyone's favorite, Mac and Cheese but Symon's version adds in roasted chicken, goat cheese, and fresh rosemary. Definitely worth a long look. 12/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A MILITARY MISCELLANY by Thomas Ayres: Whatever your feelings for or against the military you are bound to find a few gems in this new volume of fascinating and little-known facts, anecdotes, lists, and stories from America’s rich military legacy. Like, the only President since World War II without military service – Bill Clinton, or how thousands became drug addicted during the civil war and were provided free morphine afterwards by the Federal government. Read it or just it open it to any page - there’s plenty of fascinating lore here that will reel you in for a spell. Like, did you know the Pentagon was designed to handle 50,000 workers and visitors each day? To handle the traffic, the cloverleaf traffic intersection was designed and proved to be so successful it became the standard for the Interstate highway system. 10/06 Jack Quick

MOLTO GUSTO: Easy Italian Cooking by Mario Batali & Mark Ladner: This latest cookbook from the modern master of Italian cooking is a winner. Keeping it simple, the book emphasizes fresh ingredients, some of which may be difficult to obtain locally, although there is the seemingly obligatory list of online sources at the end of the book. The beauty of the book is in the simplicity of the recipes; while there isn't much in the meat department, there are incredible, easy recipes for antipasti, pizza, pasta, vegetables, and gelato. Many of the recipes require only a few ingredients, and several are based on the food served in Batali's restaurants, particularly Otto, his pizza place, and most likely Del Posto, where co-author Mark Ladner is executive chef. The pizza recipes are divided between Otto and the traditional pizza found in Batali's beloved Napoli, Italy. The pasta dishes do not require homemade pasta, imported dried pasta from Italy is recommended. The pictures are gorgeous and inspiring, and this is a cookbook I will be going back to repeatedly. 07/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NEW RULES: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer by Bill Maher:  If you enjoy his HBO show Real Time, you will enjoy this collection from the "New Rules" segment of each show plus some new "new rules".  Accompanied by photographs and organized alphabetically, Maher skewers everyone from politicians to celebrities to popular culture - mostly popular culture - cell phones, McDonalds, etc.  Good stuff.  09/05

NEXT MAN UP by John Feinstein: What would you expect but another fabulous book from one of our premier sportswriters? This book is subtitled, “A Year Behind the Lines in Today’s NFL,” but it’s actually a year with the Baltimore Ravens football team. Feinstein was given access to the owner, the management and coaching staffs, and the team for the entire season in 2004. As he breaks down the year, and the team, player by player, he even makes the strategy for the draft interesting. Each staff and team member is given time in the book as they come up in the course of the season. Short biographies are presented as part of the process of revealing how they fit into the overall scheme. However, as Feinstein shows, football is a brutal sport, and each person is replaceable by the “next man up.” This is definitely one of the best sports books of the year. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine

NOTE TO SELF: On Keeping A Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Samara O’Shea:  A delightful little book.  Each chapter includes an entry from Ms. O’Shea’s personal journal as well as amusing anecdotes from historical and contemporary authors, actors, politicians, and others in support of her life long fascination and satisfaction from keeping a daily journal.  From Samuel Peppys in the 17th Century to blogging on the Internet, anyone who aspires to write, or just enjoys reading will find a few jewels in here.  A few samples: John Wilkes Booth wrote this after fatally wounding Lincoln “I shouted ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis’ before I fired. In jumping, broke my leg.  I passed all his pickets, rode sixty miles that night with the bone of my leg tearing the flesh at every jump.  I can never repent it, although we hated to kill.”  Louisa May Alcott on her literary achievements. “My winter’s earnings – School (teaching) $50, Sewing $50, Stories $20 if I am ever paid.”  And that greatest advice of all from William Shakespeare, “This above all, to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”  Among others included – Tennessee Williams, Anais Nin, Joyce Carol Oates, and Sylvia Plat.  Enjoy. 08/08 Jack Quick

ON BULLSHIT by Harry G. Frankfurt: A short essay on the etymology and usage of the word "bullshit".  Would have made an entertaining magazine piece, but a book?  I think not.  And it's not funny, as the title would seem to imply.  If I wrote anymore this review would almost be longer than the book so I'll just say save your $9.95.  Seriously. 07/05 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King: Part how-to, part memoir, excellent read all the way around.  Learn how a master storyteller weaves his magic. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

ONE RED PAPERCLIP by Kyle MacDonald: You might have heard of MacDonald, but didn’t realize it. In July of 2005, he went on Craigslist, and offered to barter one red paperclip for anything. He wanted to trade up until he had a house. With his wacky sense of humor, MacDonald tells the story of, what he referred to as, “A real-life Choose Your Own Adventure book.” His trading progressed slowly, from paperclip to wooden fish to a camping stove, until eventually, a radio host in Quebec offered him a snowmobile. When he announced to the nation that he’d go anywhere in Canada except Yahk for a trade, publicity started to take off. By the time he finished, MacDonald’s blog had more than 3,800,000 hits. This is MacDonald’s story of trading up, bigger and better, but it’s also a story about hope and possibility. This is an enjoyable book about a year that began with One Red Paperclip. 10/07 Lesa Holstine

OPENING DAY: THE STORY OF JACKIE ROBINSON'S FIRST SEASON by Jonathan Eig: Everyone knows the story of Jackie Robinson, the first man to break the color barrier in baseball.  Eig takes you through his first season, from the time he is called up to the majors, working things out with his teammates, the harassment of opposing team members and fans, all the way to the world series.  The Yankees took the title that year, but it took them seven games to beat Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers.  A must read for baseball fans.  04/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

ORGANIC AND CHIC: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets That Taste as Good as They Look by Sarah Magid: Bakers beware, this enticing cookbook is going to be next on your must-buy list. As the shift in the cooking world comes more and more to local, organic, and healthy-as-can-be cooking, books like Organic and Chic keep popping up everywhere. The difference is that Magid’s book is all baking: delectable cakes, cookies, “junk food favorites,” and even things to bake with your kids are all included. Magid also tells you where to find the ingredients the book calls for (many are readily available at national store chains) and provides info on where to get some of her own favorites. And best of all, Magid includes a chapter on cake decorating. Yep, her cakes are beautiful and a bit intimidating if you aren’t sure how to go about getting the same effect, but she provides easy-to-follow instructions on sugar sculpting, icing, and designing a cake. Each recipe comes with a little anecdote about where the idea came from or when she likes to make which recipe for what occasion. Best of all, the instructions really are easy to follow and the pictures are totally mouthwatering. My favorites so far are the Double Ginger Cookies and the Sweet-Potato Cookies.  (Note from the BookBitch: the marshmallow frosting is to die for!) 06/09 Becky Lejeune   

OUR DUMB WORLD: Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition by the Onion:  If you are not familiar with the Onion, "America's Finest News Source" and the originator (I think) of pseudo news, get thee over there immediately.  Today's headlines, as I write this:  "Mel Brooks Starts Nonprofit Foundation To Save Word 'Schmuck'", "Christian Charity Raising Money To Feed Non-Gay Famine Victims" and most appropriately for this site, "Third-Person Limited Omniscient Narrator Blown Away By Surprise Ending."  But Our Dumb World isn't about news, per se, it's an atlas, and if you weren't sure about this, the cover helpfully steers you towards the Onion's skew by proclaiming "Now With 30% More Asia" and such highlights as "Fewer Clouds on Maps" and "Long-Standing Border Disputes Resolved."  A sampling from the page on the South, "Where the Mistakes of the Past Come Alive" include this gem on my home, Florida: "The Silent Holocaust: Though on the surface Florida appears to be a tropical paradise, inside this state lurks a dark, gruesome secret: Each year, thousands of Jews are sent here to die."  The Onion doesn't leave a stereotype unturned, from Malaysia, "An Allah-Inclusive Terrorist Resort" to India, "Please Hold While We Die of Malaria" to French Guiana, "The Colony That France Totally Forgot It Still Had" to Germany, "Genocide-Free Since April 11, 1946."  All the map lovers in your life, and even those who can't fold a map, will find something to laugh at here.  11/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter: The former President airs his views on the state of the country in this #1 bestseller. His premise is that hardliners are imposing their views on a moderate majority. He says, “The influence of fundamentalism and neoconservatism is a threat to our customs, moral commitments, domestic and foreign policy.” Carter’s opinion is, “It is the unprecedented combined impact of fundamentalism in religion and politics that has helped to create the deep and increasingly disturbing divisions among our people.” Based on Carter’s experience and background, he predicts a very scary immediate future for this country. This is not a comfortable book to read. Instead it’s a warning that the moderate majority needs to speak up before the gains that previous administrations made are forever lost. 01/06 Lesa Holstine

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN: A Chef's Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal by Gillian Clark:  I like food memoirs as a rule, and I'm happy to say that this was no exception.  I don't like those whiny women overcoming adversity memoirs, and while this had touches of whininess and oodles of adversity, the main focus was still in the kitchen and that worked for me.  Clark owns one of the most successful restaurants in Washington D.C., and this is her story about how she got there.  Divorce, single mothering, and getting fired from more jobs than I wanted to count were just some of the troubles faced and overcome in this ultimately interesting and uplifting memoir.  07/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

PAULA DEEN: IT AIN'T ALL ABOUT THE COOKIN' by Paula Deen and Sherry Suib Cohen: Deen and her co-author bring the restaurant owner and Food Network television star to life in this intriguing memoir. Deen is a strong, bawdy southern woman who built a successful business from scratch with help from family. She pays tribute to her family in this loving autobiography, filled with the warmth she's known for. Deen pulls no punches as she tells of her troubled marriage to Jimmy Deen, father of her sons Jamie and Bobby, her agoraphobia that lasted almost twenty years, and her affair with a married man. But, she also tells of the struggle to build her business, her courtship and marriage to Michael Groover, and the happiness in her life in recent years. Deen even provides a few recipes to keep fans happy. This is a fascinating portrayal of a woman who fought against the odds, and became a successful restaurant owner and television star. 04/07 Lesa Holstine

The Perfect $100,000 House: A Trip Across America and Back in Pursuit of a Place to Call Home by Karrie Jacobs, illustrated by Gary Panter: Jacobs is an architect critic and editor of Dwell magazine, and she set off to find a good house for not a lot of money.  Guess what: she couldn't do it.  Sorry if that ruins the ending, but please - a whole book that missed the point?  The point being that if there was a perfect $100,000 house in America, then that would have made an interesting book.  The search for it, and not finding it, makes it the literary equivalent of the over-hyped Geraldo fiasco of Al Capone's vault.   And while the illustrations are nice, I would have preferred photographs.  Not a perfect book by any means.  08/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation by Catherine Allgor: In the years before women were featured in newspapers, Dolley Madison was famous. She was a public woman, a national figure, and a powerful political player. Allgor makes the case that Dolley created the role of First Lady. She was a successful influence peddler, and a great influence on the politics in the new government in Washington. According to Allgor, Dolley would fulfill her potential as an innovator during her years as the President’s wife. Allgor claims that when James Madison arrived in Washington, his best years were behind him and Dolley’s political future was ahead of her. The burning of the White House in 1814 brought the country together, made Washington the permanent capitol, and guaranteed Dolley Madison’s place in history. Allgor has written a compelling biography of the fascinating woman who became a role model for the First Ladies who followed. 05/06 Lesa Holstine

PLAYBOY'S SILVERSTEIN AROUND THE WORLD  by Shel Silverstein:  I'm a mom who knows Shel Silverstein from his wonderful books of poetry for children, including one of my favorite books ever, The Giving Tree.  I knew that he also wrote songs, including the megahit made popular by Johnny Cash, A Boy Named Sue, that I remember from when I was a kid.  But I didn't know that he was good friends with Hugh Hefner, and that he started out doing cartoons for Playboy in the 1950's & 60's and was a frequent guest at the Playboy Mansion. Hefner sent Silverstein around the world to do travel cartoons for the magazine, visiting such diverse locales as Moscow, Paris, Haight-Ashbury and the White Sox Training Camp.  This book is a collection of those works and includes a rare look at the lesser-known (at least to me) side of Shel Silverstein, including his fascination with nudist camps and beautiful women.  This book also works on a nostalgic level, looking back at a chaotic time in this country interpreted by Silverstein's unique art and voice. Interestingly enough, a biography, A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein by Lisa Rogak also came out early last year, but it was slow going and I gave up on it.  This collection is a much quicker, easier way to gain insight into this truly gifted artist's life and soul.   02/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

PLENTY: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith & J.B. MacKinnon: The authors, journalists, became part of their own research when they decided to spend one year on the 100-mile diet, eating food that was grown or produced within 100 miles of their home. The idea was planted in a small way when they had a meal with friends at their cottage in northern British Columbia. After reading a study by Iowa State University that said, “The food we eat now typically travels between 1,500 and 3,000 miles from farm to plate,” they decided to find a way to eat that wouldn’t impact the environment to such a great extent. Alisa is the more emotional author, writing descriptively about the year and her feelings. James, on the other hand, is very scientific about their experiment. Their combined writings produced a fascinating book that shows the vast amount of food available locally when someone makes the effort to find it. 09/07 Lesa Holstine

PORCH TALK by Philip Gulley: The Quaker minister who writes the Harmony books has compiled a thoughtful, humorous collection of essays. It’s subtitled, “Stories of Decency, Common Sense, and Other Endangered Species.” It’s a commentary on “things large and small,” from men and hardware stores to the problem with society. Gulley claims the problem with society is the lack of front porches because people can no longer sit, visit with family and neighbors, and communicate. His book is praises a slower lifestyle. He suggests that people are too busy living the good life to remember how to enjoy life. Once again, Gulley has managed to provide readers with a few thoughts to make them stop, at least for a few minutes, and remember a simpler life. Porch Talk is worth picking up, if only to give yourself time to remember. 06/07 Lesa Holstine

PostSecret by Frank Warren: If Warren’s book and website do not make you feel like a voyeur, nothing will. His postcard art project began as a project in which he printed 3,000 postcards inviting people to share a secret with him. A year and a half later, he is still receiving postcards as senders attempt to heal themselves. Dr. Anne C. Fisher, who wrote the introduction said people are sending these secrets for the same reason they are drawn to psychotherapy, and that the art and healing become one in the form of a postcard. Warren has compiled some of these postcards into a collection. The secrets are troubling, haunting, touching. Somewhere in all of these postcards you’ll find one that will move you and bother you. If you’re looking for a book to make you think, make you feel, or just change your mood, try PostSecret. 05/06 Lesa Holstine

Presentation S.O.S. by Mark Wiskup: For those who have to make presentations in front of groups, communications coach Mark Wiskup demonstrates in nine steps the easy way to make a successful presentation. The author plans to help his intended audience enjoy public speaking and improve their presentation skills. It begins by addressing common fears. Although the book has some helpful ideas, the author tries too hard to be current and hip with his slang and references to television shows and pop celebrities such as Paris Hilton. The message is diluted by the cutesy interjections, such as “Oh, the humanity!” The steps and message may be helpful, but readers may be turned off by the author’s style. 09/05  ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

THE PRINCE OF FROGTOWN by Rick Bragg:  The author of All Over But the Shoutin’ and Ava’s Man, completes his family cycle by breaking the reader’s heart one more time. This time, Bragg digs into his father’s story, the man he viewed as a drunk who couldn’t keep his family together. When Bragg, himself, becomes a stepfather, he realizes he might not have understood his father’s life. He contacts family members and his father’s friends to discover a truth he never knew. The Prince of Frogtown wraps itself around the story of a mill town, the story of a man and a family, and, ultimately, the story of Rick Bragg. All Over But the Shoutin’ may still be a favorite of many people, but fans should read this in order to complete the family story. 05/08 Lesa Holstine

PUGLIA: A Culinary Memoir by Maria Pignatelli Ferrante, translated by Natalie Danford:  This is another fascinating book in a new series from small press Oronzo Editions that is part cookbook, part food history, and part travelogue with beautiful pictures.  Authentic recipes are the heart and soul of this book, however, from Puglia, which for the geographically challenged (like me) is in the heel of the boot that is Italy.  Like the first book that I read in this series, Sicily: Culinary Crossroads by Giuseppe Coria, the history is meticulous. The recipes are interesting to read, and the emphasis is on vegetables, although there are some meat dishes including pork and rabbit.  The books are paperbacks, but very high quality with beautiful paper.  NOTE: This book is  available for purchase directly from the publisher's website, Oronzo Editions, and there are downloadable excerpts as well, or you can purchase from Amazon.com.  03/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

QUIT DIGGING YOUR GRAVE WITH YOUR KNIFE AND FORK: A 12-Stop Program to End Bad Habits and Begin a Healthy Lifestyle by Mike Huckabee: I don't usually like these types of books, so I don't usually read these types of books, much less spend my own money on one, but after seeing Mike Huckabee doing the talk show circuit, I was intrigued enough to overlook his politics and take the plunge.  A short book filled with personal success that is truly inspirational, especially to anyone who has had health problems or loves someone who does.  06/05 

RAW FOR DESSERT by Jennifer Cornbleet:  My wife is glucose intolerant and I am diabetic.  She does a great job in picking and choosing foods for both of us that take into account our respective problems.  But sometimes you want to reach out for something a little extra like coconut cream pie with chocolate cookie crust or jumble berry upside down cake with caramel sauce.  In this awesome book, Ms. Cornbleet has provided these and dozens of other reduced sugar gluten free alternatives that anyone can enjoy. Creatively using fruits, nuts, juices, and a blender she creates items like Chocolate Lava Cake and pumpkin pie, which have all the goodness of the original – and are good for you as well. Ms. Cornfleet has also authored Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People which is now on my shopping list. Bon Appétit’. 09/09 Jack Quick  

READ, REMEMBER, RECOMMEND: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers by Rachelle Rogers Knight: The title of this is misleading, because it’s so much more than a journal. This is a perfect gift for the avid reader of literary fiction. There are lists of award winners, recommended literary fiction, and boxes to mark whether the reader owns the books, wants to read it, or recommends it. There are also blank pages for someone to annotate the books they’ve read, with comments, quotes, or whatever they want to use to remember a book. Knight also includes websites for additional lists, so the journal provides an endless supply of book suggestions. If there’s someone in your circle of family or friends who loves literary fiction, this might be the perfect gift. 12/07 Lesa Holstine

THE RESTLESS SLEEP: INSIDE NEW YORK CITY'S COLD CASE SQUAD by Stacy Horn: There are 8,894 unsolved murders in New York City since 1985. This is one of the statistics from Horn’s history of the New York Police Department’s Cold Case Squad. The squad was formed in 1996 by bringing together a number of the best detectives who were lone wolves or black sheep in other divisions. This fascinating look at the Squad ties together their history with the story of a small group of detectives who worked on four cases. This is a detailed examination of police work and the obstacles faced when trying to solve old crimes. It’s highly recommended for anyone intrigued by the latest media interest in cold cases. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

Revved! by Harry Paul & Ross Reck: This small book is workplace inspiration for supervisors who want to motivate their staff. There’s a very simplistic storyline, and a very simple message, but it doesn’t hurt to read it. How does a supervisor win over the staff, and get them to support the supervisor? Show them you care. The message boils down to: a caring supervisor is a successful supervisor. There’s really nothing new in the book, but it’s an important reminder for managers and supervisors. 08/06 Lesa Holstine

RICE COOKER MEALS by Neal Bertrand: We have a rice cooker which we have enjoyed for many years to prepare rice. Now Mr. Bertrand shows us how to prepare entire meals using this versatile piece of kitchen equipment, some of which don’t even use rice, like ballpark casserole which is kind of like super nachos ready to serve with chip “scoopers” and tasty adult beverages. The publisher is based in Louisiana so there is a decided Cajun and Tex/Mex slant to many of the recipes which include soups, casseroles, rice main dishes, rice side dishes, and non-rice side dishes. A neat addition to your kitchen if you want to expand beyond “plain rice”, which is still pretty good. 09/09 Jack Quick

The Ride of Our Lives: Roadside Lessons of an American Family by Mike Leonard: Mike Leonard, NBC’s Today show correspondent, packed up three generations of the Leonard family in two rented RVs, and set out to give his parents, in their 80s, one last trip across the United States. The accident with one of the RVs before they even left Phoenix the first day was just the start of their road adventures. Leonard is a storyteller, and he might have set out to tell about a road trip, but he ended up telling about generations, a family who started as immigrants and ended up with a fourth generation of Americans when Leonard’s grandchild was born in Chicago. Along the way, his parents fought, he and his children took time to listen to his parents, and the family was held together by love and laughter. This is a goofy family at times, and sometimes the stories become a little ridiculous. Most readers who finish the book, though, will be rewarded by the lessons Leonard learned about life and family. It’s a book with funny stories, and a tear at the end. 04/06 Lesa Holstine

A Round-Heeled Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance by Jane Juska: This is a memoir of a retired English teacher from Berkeley, California who decided to take control of her life.  Divorced for many years, she was a single mom raising her son alone.  He grew up, and she became lonely, so she placed this personal ad in the New York Review of Books: 

"Before I turn 67--next March--I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like. If you want to talk first, Trollope works for me." 

She received lots of responses, more than she ever expected, from a variety of men of different age groups and geographic locations.  She seemed especially drawn to New York, to the men and the city itself.  She met a handful of men, had some heartbreak and some good times, and drew on her experiences to write this book.  With various references to classical music and fine literature, this book is alternately intelligent, sweet, and salacious, which works for me!

SANTA'S NORTH POLE COOKBOOK: Classic Christmas Recipes from Saint Nicholas Himself by Jeff Guinn: I love cookbooks, even though I only average using two recipes per book.  This cookbook is very cute and very interesting; not only are there recipes from all over the world, there are little stories about how the holidays are celebrated in the various countries, and notes from Lars, Santa's personal chef, about how he came up with the recipes.  Recipes are as diverse as Misa de Gallo Lumpias (Rooster's Mass Spring Rolls) from the Phillipines; Rosca de Reyes (Kings' Ring) from Peru;  Layla's Festive Lamb Stew from ancient Lycia (modern Turkey); Christmas Fufu (mashed yams) from Ghana; Christmas Plum Pudding from England.  There is a recipe for one of my favorite cakes, Cassata Siciliana (Sicilian Sponge Cake) from Italy, but this recipe doesn't appeal to me.  The best cassata cake is a rum soaked sponge cake filled with cannoli cream with the addition of chopped chocolate.  A lot of people add candied fruit or peels or glacéed cherries, as this recipe does, but I hate that shit.  On the other hand, the Candy Cane Crème Brûlée is fabulous!  And I am definitely going to try making Glühwein ("Glow" Wine) from Germany, a hot, mulled wine that sounds like a wintery, Christmas-y version of Sangria. 11/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Sea Biscuit: an American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand: Been listening to the audio book all summer (I have a real short commute!) and it is just a wonderful, fascinating story.  My 9 year old daughter loved it too!

THE SEARCH: HOW GOOGLE AND ITS RIVALS REWROTE THE RULES OF BUSINESS AND TRANSFORMED OUR CULTURE by John Battelle:  If you were one of the smart investors who managed to purchase shares of Google during their initial public offering in 2004 at $85 a share, then you probably know that Google topped out at over $700 a share this year, and has been hovering just under that mark for several weeks now, making Google one of the richest and most successful companies in the world.  Battelle takes a look back at the company, at their early beginnings; a business biography of sorts.  Larry Page and Sergey Brin were roommates at Stanford and created their incredibly powerful search engine, but didn't realize the implications - at first.  Battelle is the founder of  The Industry Standard and original editor of Wired magazine, and frankly, a bit full of himself.  But to give the devil his due, he was around damn near at the beginning of this thing, and recognized what a beast the boys were unleashing: a "database of our intentions."  This book was originally published in 2005, so many of the theories espoused by Battelle have come to pass; sales of information based on our searches, ads personally directed at each individual search, not to mention all the other Google services that are used, saved, and searchable by the government.  In case you hadn't noticed, Big Brother has arrived, and he's wearing a Google sweatshirt. 12/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE SECRET LIVES OF MEN AND WOMEN compiled by Frank Warren: If you’re a fan of the PostSecret blog and website, the latest Frank Warren compilation will not come as a surprise to you. If you haven’t read any of the PostSecret books, you are in for a surprise. PostSecret was a project in which Warren sent out postcards and asked recipients to send him a secret anonymously. To his surprise, he’s been receiving postcards for three years. This is the third compilation of secrets people reveal only on their postcards. Once again, they reveal painful secrets or ones that make the reader laugh. More often than not, they are sad and tragic. These are not messages for the squeamish, but ones that will make the reader uncomfortable at times. Once again, with The Secret Lives of Men and Women, Warren has compiled a revealing book. 02/07 Lesa Holstine

The Sexual Life of Catherine M. by Catherine Millet, translated by Adriana Hunter:  In a word, boring.  It reads like a laundry list of sexual events, one more tedious than the next.  In all fairness, I read the first 150 pages or so and skimmed the rest.  This is the least erotic book I've read on sex since, well, Satisfaction, the Kim Cattrall sensation.  Even though it's a memoir I still expect some sort of plot, something to happen to someone somewhere along the line that I will actually care about.  There are no characters other than a list of names along with various nameless bodies with nothing to connect them to, Catherine and her boyfriend, and we never get to know anything about either of them except that she likes group sex and gets tired of being the one to initiate it.  Her language, which is translated of course, leaves me cold.  I think the big deal about this book is that it is written by a woman, which makes it the female sexual equivalent of say, the memoir by Wilt ("I slept with 20,000 women") Chamberlain.  Utterly without merit.

Shiksa Goddess: Or How I Spent My Forties by Wendy Wasserstein:  A very impressive collection of essays, some are touching, but most are laugh out loud funny.  A joy!

SEX & THE CITY: The Movie by Amy Sohn: If you loved the show, and have seen the movie at least once, then this is the book for you.  Not much reading required, it's a collection of photographs from the movie, including many pictures of scenes that were cut.  The thing to do, according to Sarah Jessica Parker, who was touting it on The View last week, is to find the outfits that didn't make it into the film.  Enjoy the backstage secrets like the belt that was worn so frequently with so many outfits that they named it, the behind-the-scenes tidbits from all the stars and the producer, the insiders tour of NYC, and of course, the fashion.  A fun book and a great gift for any Sex & the City fan.  06/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Sex and the Seasoned Woman by Gail Sheehy: Sheehy’s new book is a fascinating study of the invisible woman, the women who seem to disappear from view after the age of forty. She points out that this stereotype of the invisible, sexless older woman has been broken by women who are discovering sex, intimacy, new identity and a passion in life, after menopause. As she met with and interviewed countless women, she discovered that the second half of life can be a liberating period in which women finally find their own identities, freed from children and spouses’ expectations. Any woman over the age of forty-five, should find this an exciting book, offering numerous opportunities for future life. 01/06 Lesa Holstine

SICILY: Culinary Crossroads by Giuseppe Coria, translated by Gaetano Cipolla:  This is a fascinating book, a sort of food history of Sicily, complete with recipes and pictures.  Oronzo Editions is a new publisher that is publishing translations of "micro-regional traditions of home cooking to the revelations of restaurant chefs" throughout Italy.  The first two books to be published are Sicily and Puglia. I started with Sicily because my husband is Sicilian, so I was curious in a personal way about the region.  The history is meticulous. For instance, while working on his family's genealogy, my husband learned that his great-grandmother was sent to live with the nuns, who taught her baking.  In this book, I learned that the nuns were famous for their baking, and this was a fairly common practice.  The book is divided by region; Messina, Siracusa, and so forth, and the pictures are lovely, not just of the food, but of the different areas as well.  The recipes are interesting to read, but I don't know that I will be preparing  "Wrapped Beef Intestines" or "Tuna Semen" (it's what you think it is) any time soon, I'm just not that adventurous.  On the other hand, "Pasta a la Norma", spaghetti with eggplant and ricotta salata, is on my to-do list for sure, along with "Mussel Soup", "Tuna with Zucchini" and "Rice Fritters".  The books are paperbacks, but very high quality with beautiful paper.  NOTE: This book is only available for purchase directly from the publisher's website, Oronzo Editions, and there are downloadable excerpts as well. 02/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Sixpence House by Paul Collins:  Charming memoir about a year spent in Wales, in a small town called Hay-on-Wye.  Hay is a rather unique place on this earth; the population is approximately 1500, yet there are 40 bookstores.  And even more remarkable, at least to me, only one of those bookshops carries new books, the rest are antiquarian, including one that is housed in a castle and boasts the largest collection of antiquarian American literature in the world.  The author moved his family to Hay to finish writing his first book, Banvard's Folly, and with the intention of buying a home there.  They put bids in on a few homes, but the inspections were invariably disheartening - it seems that homes that are more than a century old tend to have the sort of imperfections that need buckets of money to fix.  So the Collins' moved back to the States, and this lovely book was born.

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT: Passion and Property in Manhattan by Steven Gaines:  True confession time: when I was 16 years old, I had rhinoplasty, popularly known as a nose job.  In the 1970's, nose jobs were all the rage in my affluent suburb and I knew many girls who had them.  They would visit a surgeon's office and look through a book of "noses" to select the one they wanted for their face. The only problem was that most of these girls ended up with the ubiquitous "ski slope" nose; cute, small, with an upward tilt at the tip.  Nose jobs required a hospital stay of a few days, general anesthesia was the rule, and the girls were sent home with a hard rubber protective device taped to their face over their bandage-packed noses.  Except for one doctor; a radical who didn't believe in general anesthesia or cute, one-size-fits-all noses selected from a book.  His name was Dr. Howard Diamond.

Dr. Diamond had his own unique ideas about rhinoplasty.  His patients had their faces numbed, certainly, but they were awake during the procedure, awake enough to hear the good doctor instruct a visiting physician from England to "hit it harder" and for a patient's foot to lash out and upset an instrument tray.  He had the arrogance of a surgeon sure of his superiority; during the pre-surgical visit, he would examine the nose in question and dictate exactly what he was going to do.  In my case, he informed me that he would remove the bump and that would make my nose appear shorter without requiring anything further of him.  He had a beautiful office on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, with a private hospital on the premises.  And I was sent home with a small bandage, no packing, no hard rubber protection, just a few stitches.  My nose suits my face and is unique to me, and every nose I knew he did was unique to its owner - and not a "ski slope" in the bunch.

Why am I spilling my guts about this in a book review?  Because on page 6 of The Sky's the Limit, I read this:

"One of Fifth Avenue's largest maisonettes, a fifteen-room triplex at 817 Fifth with forty feet of frontage facing the park, was for many years the home and office of Dr. Howard Diamond, the grand master of rhinoplasty in New York in the 1960s and 1970s. Thousands of princesses from all five boroughs and New Jersey made the pilgrimage to Dr. Diamond's subterranean operating rooms to sleep under anesthesia for a few hours and awaken with the doctor's famously all-purpose ski-slope nose with his distinctive planed bridge."

I am a Diamond Princess.  And being such, I knew this paragraph to be incorrect.  This book is a work of nonfiction so therefore it must contain only fact.  But I know it doesn't, so it calls into question the veracity of the rest of the book.  With that in the back of my mind, I continued reading and got to this section on page 48 regarding the popularity of co-ops in NY:

"Because buying stock in a private company is a private transaction, there is no public listing of sales or prices, so all figures quoted in the industry - and in this book - are the word-of-mouth figures that filter through the porous real estate community and wind up in brokers' computers, sometimes unsubstantiated."

There you have it; a nonfiction book of gossip and innuendo.  Certainly lots of the information contained in this book is substantiated, there is a lengthy list of sources at the end.  But not all of it, and that is unacceptable.

In the interest of fairness, I must say that I read a review copy, not a finished book.  I wrote the publisher of my concerns and asked where Mr. Gaines got his information from.  I never did receive an answer about his source, but was informed that the book had gone to print with the paragraph intact.  Therefore, while I can say it is an interesting book about real estate in NY with lots of good gossip about celebrities and their trials and tribulations in buying and selling their homes there, I can't say any more than that.  I don't know what is true and what is not, and that really bothers me. 06/05

THE SPLENDID TABLE'S HOW TO EAT SUPPER: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift:  I am a huge fan of public radio, and The Splendid Table is one my favorites.  It's a show for foodies - they discuss everything food-related: restaurants, recipes, pots, knives, cookbooks, even food poetry.  Radio host Kasper and her producer, Swift, have put together a book that is part cookbook, part shopping guide, part cooking teacher and totally wonderful.  The recipes are interspersed with all sorts of tips to make any cook's life easier, like how to make frozen shrimp taste good and the do-it-yourself dressing kit. My garden is overflowing with tomatoes, so I get to make the yummiest Ripe Tomato Stack with Pine Nuts and Mozzarella, which the authors claim is the most downloaded recipe on the site.  It takes caprese to another level and is really delicious. That is one of the best things about this cookbook - most recipes offer variations.  While I enjoyed the South of France Tomato Soup, I prefer the variation, Old Time Summer Tomato Soup.  One of my new favorite cookbooks for sure.  05/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch 

A SPORTSCASTER’S GUIDE TO WATCHING FOOTBALL by Mark Oristano:  Whether you are a casual fan like my wife, or live for fall weekends as I do, you will enjoy this concise guide to American Football.  Focusing primarily on the pro game, the principles are applicable at all levels, with some relatively minor rules variations. Oristano even includes neat things you can say like “The first time you recognize zone blocking, say softly to yourself but loud enough for others in the room to hear – Nice Zone Blocking Scheme.  They will be impressed with your knowledge level and if they ask you to elaborate just respond, “Keep watching. You will pick it up.” He explains Zebras – the men in the striped shirts who attempt to maintain order, the laundry – flags thrown by zebras to indicate infractions, the two minute drill and remember “they pay them to play through pain.” Quite enjoyable. 01/10 Jack Quick

A STINGRAY BIT MY NIPPLE! By Erik Torkells: When travelers submitted their stories to Budget Travel magazine’s True Stories section, they included anecdotes that poked fun at themselves and their traveling companions. In a small book, filled with photographs, people tell their stories of exotic travel and encounters with everything from monkeys to stingrays. Some of the stories, and pictures, are not exactly appropriate for younger readers. However, it's a fun book that takes the armchair traveler from Tibet to Zimbabwe, and sometimes makes us glad we stayed home. 04/08 Lesa Holstine

THE SUBLIME RESTAURANT COOKBOOK: Florida's Ultimate Destination for Vegan Cuisine by Nanci Alexander: I'm not vegan, but heard such great things about this restaurant that I had to try it. It was phenomenal; in fact, if I could eat like this every day, I'd have no trouble being vegan. So I decided to check out the cookbook and see if I could cook like this. It was a no brainer - the recipes are easy to follow, and even more importantly, ingredients are easily found at most supermarkets with a good organic department or specialty stores like Whole Foods. I made our favorite appetizer, the Frito Misto, a tempura-battered cauliflower tossed in Sweet Chili Sauce that was reminiscent of General Tso's chicken. The Chopped Salad is wonderful, and we loved the Caesar with its light, lemony dressing, although truth be told, it didn't really taste like a Caesar. The cookbook covers appetizers, salads, entrees, desserts, even drinks like the Pomtini. My daughter is dying to try the coconut cake so that will be next. 06/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

SUMMER AT TIFFANY by Marjorie Hart:  Hart’s memoir takes the reader back to a more innocent time, the summer of 1945. Despite the fact that it was wartime, Marjorie and her friend, Marty, two college students from Iowa, had the summer to enjoy the glamour and excitement of New York City. Arriving in the city without jobs, they were soon hired at Tiffany’s as the first women ever to work the sales floor, hired as pages or couriers within the store. The girls found their days magical when Judy Garland or Marlene Dietrich appeared in the stores. Some days could be filled with disaster, as the day when Marjorie dropped loose pearls in the elevator. The two girls are present in Times Square for the VJ Day celebration. Readers will find Marjorie’s innocence amusing. The cost of items will be surprising, but that’s complemented by the low wages. Marty and Marjorie have to save up to go to the Empire State Building’s observation deck because they couldn’t afford the dollar. Summer at Tiffany brings back a time when the world didn’t have instant news, and everyone was just a little bit more naïve. 06/07 Lesa Holstine

THE SUSPICIONS OF MR. WHICHER: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Detective by Kate Summerscale: Summerscale’s nonfiction account of a famous British mystery from 1860 has received rave reviews in professional journals. The reader will have to decide if it’s the exciting account the reviews claim, or a dry, long, repetitive narration, as I found it. The murder of a three-year-old boy at Road Hill, and the subsequent investigation set all of England on the trail of a murderer. People throughout the country followed the case, including writers such as Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, who later based works on the detective involved. It was a case that made amateur detectives of readers throughout the country, and led to numerous mysteries with investigating detectives. It also destroyed the career of Detective-Inspector Jonathan Whicher, the Scotland Yard detective sent to investigate. Because newspapers and the reading public, along with local police, did not like Whicher’s solution to the country-house murder, he was reviled throughout England. Five years after his retirement, the killer confessed. Although Summerscale intended this book to read as if it was a country-house murder mystery, it read as if it was a court transcript of the case. I’ll let readers judge it themselves. 05/08 Lesa Holstine

SUZE ORMAN'S 2009 ACTION PLAN by Suze Orman:  I am stuck so deep in the middle class that I can barely see my way out of it, and the way things are right now I'm rather content to stay where I am.  Either way, Orman always sounds like she's speaking directly to me, and I like that. This book is no different.  I bought The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke for my son as he graduated college, in hopes that he might actually read it and learn something from her, but I don't know that he ever did.  Either way, Orman is smart, and she forces the reader to take a long, hard look at what they are doing with their money and why.  She addresses your credit rating, how to improve it and why you should, along with the mundane realities of life - retirement, paying for college (my daughter is a junior in high school!), real estate, and so forth.  She's cautiously optimistic, helps you prioritize obligations and explains why in clear, easy to understand language, without a lot of the financial jargon you find in other books in this genre.  She's very, very good at what she does.  If you can't afford to buy the book, do yourself a favor and borrow it from your local library.  01/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

TALES FROM Q SCHOOL: Inside Golf’s Fifth Major by John Feinstein: In 1995, when A Good Walk Spoiled was published, Feinstein had letters from readers asking about the golfers from Q School, the qualifying tournament which lands the leading golfers on the PGA Tour. This time, the author devotes the entire book to that tournament, and the golfers attempting to reach that pinnacle. Some are veterans, such as Larry Mize, who have not been successful recently. Others are young men such as Bill Haas, expected to become a successful pro because his father is one. Feinstein successfully tells the heartbreaking stories of those players who fail, either in the first stage, the second stage or the finals. It’s just as sad to watch golfers not move on in to any stage. John Feinstein’s sports books are bestsellers because he brings the personalities of a sport to life, even ones the reader has never heard of. And, he makes the reader care, about the sport, and the success of its competitors. 06/07 Lesa Holstine

TALKING BACK...TO PRESIDENTS, DICTATORS, AND ASSORTED SCOUNDRELS by Andrea Mitchell: Mitchell’s memoir is a political junkie’s dream. The chief foreign correspondent for NBC tells of her entire career in journalism, from the years covering Philadelphia’s political news to her present job with the network. During those years, she covered everything from the Jonestown massacre to political conventions and the Clinton White House. She interviewed Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat. Somewhere along the way, she even found time to squeeze in a marriage to Alan Greenspan. Mitchell allows the reader to share her “insatiable curiosity about the way other people live their lives-their hopes, disappointments, privations, and triumphs.” She said, “Those are the stories that inspired me to want to be Brenda Starr, girl reporter.” 09/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

Teacher Man by Frank McCourt: The Pulitzer prize-winning author of Angela’s Ashes tells of the difficult years as a teacher that led to the writing of his first book. It’s only in the second half of the book that the reader appreciates the organization of the first part. It seems unfocused and jumps around in McCourt’s life. However, when he starts teaching at Stuyvesant High School in New York, McCourt has a deeper understanding of his role as a teacher, and it’s reflected in the organization of the second half of the book. This isn’t the same story McCourt told before. This is one for those who want to read about a struggling teacher, struggling to learn and to teach. The last two sentences are a powerful ending to this introspective story. 01/06 Lesa Holstine

THE TENDER BAR by J.R. Moehringer: This book is styled as a memoir, but it is really more of an expression of gratitude to all of the individuals and institutions that helped Mr. Moehringer grow from a small boy into a man who knows how to write about what he is seeing and what he is feeling.
    The premise of the book is that a neighborhood bar became not only the boy's missing father, but his big brother, his buddy, his schoolhouse and his training facility. But in justifying the premise, Moehringer makes it clear to the reader, if not to himself, that he was both exposed to some very helpful people and bright enough be able to understand their gifts.
    Attempting a book about drinking and a drinking establishment is frought with peril. Generally, such books err either on the side of over-romanticizing the gin mill or becoming preachy about the evils of alcohol. Books of the first sort tend to be favored by people who think themselves equally serious drinkers and readers. In addition to having read a lot of books over the years, I have been in a whole lot of barrooms. In almost everyone, the "regulars" would tell me that their establishment was "just like Cheers." They weren't. Books of the second sort tend to be produced by the newly sober, but badly spoiled personalities who are flush with their initial success. These books have no more to do with real sobriety than the romanticized bars had to do with the utopian Cheers. Moehringer avoids both those traps and produces to my way of thinking, a unique and readable product.
    Follow him as he grows, through his father's leaving, his fight to get into Yale and his work for the New York Times. It is an interesting story. I would recommend this book as a nice change of pace for the reader and good food for thought about our own lives and those who have contributed to them. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

TEXTS FROM LAST NIGHT: All the Texts No One Remembers Sending by Lauren Leto & Ben Bator: First thing, Lauren Leto & Ben Bator are not authors, they are collectors. Their collection is available online at their website, Texts From Last Night. As to what they are collecting, well, here's my understanding of it. People go out and party, get drunk or stoned or whatever, and send embarrassing/funny text messages to their friends and/or significant others. Then someone - either the sender or the receiver - posts these little gems on the website, where they are read by millions of eager fans, and Leto & Bator's favorites end up in this little book.

Credit this book's publication to the Julie & Julia phenomenon. Take a successful blog/website, turn it into a book, hope for a movie and pray for millions of dollars to roll in. I liked the Julie & Julia book, and loved the movie. This book? Not so much. On the other hand, my seventeen year old daughter is an avid fan of the website, and so are some of my college age co-workers. Target audience, I suppose, are Millennials. I am a Boomer, and don't find chapters on Farts, Cheaters, Drinks or most of it especially funny. Why the publisher felt the need to turn this into a book is beyond me. Their target audience is way happier reading them online or on their iPhones, so I'm not really sure who is going to buy this book. Maybe as a gag gift? This book made me feel like a cranky old fart. 01/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THINGS COOKS LOVE: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes by Marie Simmons (Sur La Table): I've never been to Sur La Table, a premier cooking store, and this book should have convinced me it was time to check it out.  It didn't.  It's not that I don't love cooking, or cooking stores, or this book - because I did.  I'm just over buying expensive kitchen utensils that have limited use.  That said, this is a fun book - all sorts of interesting things that you don't see everyday, and tips on how to use them and why you should.  I enjoy all sorts of food books - memoirs, cookbooks, and so forth, and this is just a little different twist on the genre.  Writing about gadgets and pots and pans isn't as pedestrian as it may sound - especially when they are as interesting as a pommes Anna pan to a mattone. Some criticism has been leveled at this book, calling it no more than a glorified Sur La Table catalog - and an expensive one at that at $35 - but it really is much more than that.  Yes, the pictures are catalog worthy, and you can go to their website and purchase a set called "things cooks love" for the discounted price of $650.  Or you can just read the book and learn how to use some of the things you inherited from your grandmother and weren't quite sure what to do with, or learn what really essential items every kitchen should have and what to look for in those items. The book is sectioned by country and type of food, turning it into a culinary journey of sorts. And be sure to try some of the recipes, as simple and delicious as Roasted Garlic Mashed Russets with Olive Oil, or the Sea Bass Filets with Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Sauce.  7/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THIRTEEN AND A DAY: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Across America by Mark Oppenheimer: My daughter will become a Bat Mitzvah in a few weeks so it seemed serendipitous that this book should come out now.  The basic premise of the book seemed to be a sociological study of the ritual of Bar/Bat Mitzvah - literally, "son/daughter of the commandments" AKA the coming of age at 13 in Judaism.  The author visited synagogues from New York, Florida, Texas, Alaska etc. and the various styles of celebration were examined.  What surprised me, however, was how judgmental the author was in his discussions - especially since he confesses to be a non-practicing Jew who never celebrated his own Bar Mitzvah.  He didn't approve of the excess of everything in New York City or Westchester, but liked the religious simplicity of the Chasidim in Alaska.  I would have liked to see a broader study and a less judgmental one, but it was interesting. 07/05

THIS BOOK IS OVERDUE: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save us All by Marilyn Johnson: This Book is Overdue is an unscientific study à la Studs Terkel of a profession that is often taken for granted and usually overlooked.  Johnson has written an homage to librarians everywhere.  All sorts of librarians, from "Frederick Kilgour, the first to link libraries' computer catalogs to one another back in the late sixties" to George Christian & Janet Nocek, the Connecticut librarians who sued the federal government as John Doe over the Patriot Act, to the virtual librarians of Second Life and several of the blogging librarians too. Johnson celebrates these librarians as heroes of the information age in an always interesting and often humorous way. It's warm, witty, and wise, just like many of the librarians portrayed within and a terrific read. NOTE: I got to spend some time with Marilyn at the Florida Library Association 2010 annual conference. Read all about it on the BookBitchBlog.  04/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi:  Beautiful, middle-age, love at first sight story set in beautiful, old, love at first sight Venice.  Too good to be true, yet it's not a novel - it's a memoir. A sort of Bella Tuscany meets An Italian Affair...the author takes us to live with her in Venice.  We get to go shopping in the marketplace, dine at local trattorias, sip wine on the beach at sunset, and we're included in her wedding plans.  A few recipes are included from the writer/chef/bride.  Delicious reading indeed!

A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas: Thomas has written a heartbreaking, yet uplifting memoir. When Rich, her husband of twelve years, took the dog for a walk, he was hit by a car and suffered brain damage. In the years since then, as she watched her husband change, her dogs were sometimes the only consolation she had. They were the stable forces in her life, as everything changed. Abby and Rich shared a loving, rich relationship, and Abby’s efforts to continue that relationship over the years are inspiring. This is a beautiful, poignant autobiography.  09/06 Lesa Holstine

THREE LITTLE WORDS by Ashley Rhodes-Courter: Ashley Rhodes survived 9 years and a total of 19 foster parents. "Three Little Words" describes the many cases of abuse Ashley experienced in the near decade that she spent in the foster care system. Ashley and her brother, Luke, were forced to live in foster homes overrun with children and suffered unspeakable abuse. The odds were against her in a system that still has problems. Yet she not only survived, she flourished. Throughout her experience in the foster system she attempted to reach out to authorities about the atrocities that she and her foster siblings faced. Each time she was ignored; she was simply an unruly child seeking attention. After she was adopted, Ashley went on to become an advocate for the foster care system and her voice was finally heard. One of the most powerful parts of the book is the three little words alluded to in the title. They aren’t “I Love You” as many would expect, but “I guess so” which is what Rhodes said to a judge on the day of her adoption. 05/08 Jennifer Lawrence

TOO SOON TO SAY GOODBYE by Art Buchwald: Art Buchwald's kidneys were failing.  He needed dialysis to get his leg amputated, but then decided no more dialysis.  He was in complete renal failure, checked himself into hospice and began the process of spending his last few weeks dying.  Except he didn't.  At least not for several months.  He became the "Man Who Would Not Die" and got to say goodbye to everybody who meant anything to him - some of them more than once.  He plans his funeral, his eulogy, the food being served; discusses heaven, living wills, and all the other things no one discusses about death.  This is pure Buchwald, dying on his own terms and determined to make us laugh as he does it - a truly fitting goodbye from an American icon. 02/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

TRAFFIC: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What it Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt: Am unlikely topic but what an amazing book.  As Vanderbilt points out, people spend more time in their car than ever, and he examines why we do what we do in our cars.  He claims to have gotten his inspiration while driving on the Jersey Turnpike, but really applies everywhere.  So are you an "early merger" or "late merger"?  Do you merge way before you know the lane will end, when you first see the warning signs?  Or do you wait until you have no choice and the lane ends? And if so, does that make you a selfish jerk who makes it harder for everyone else?  Or are the people who merge early really the ones gumming up the works.  But there is so much more covered here, from why new cars get into more accidents than old ones, why traffic signs don't work, the problem with cell phones and of course, road rage. This is well researched and fascinating reading in Vanderbilt's very capable hands. 8/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE TRIUMPH OF THE THRILLER: HOW COPS, CROOKS, AND CANNIBALS CAPTURED POPULAR FICTION by Patrick Anderson:  Anderson is the thriller reviewer for the Washington Post, and one of my favorite reviewers.  Not because I always agree with him; I don't.  But his reviews are always to the point, he never seems to be trying to impress his readers with his own smarts, and even when he doesn't like a book, he's never nasty (although there may some authors who disagree.)  I expected a lot from this book and he delivered.  Anderson traces the evolution of the thriller from its earliest beginnings to what has become the modern day thriller.  I think he may have overstepped the bounds of what truly differentiates a thriller from other crime fiction, but it's a small quibble.  There are tons of recommendations, including the authors Anderson feels are the best out there today:  Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Thomas Harris, and George Pelecanos.  I don't know that I could come up with a top four, and if they would be the same, but I admire the man for trying, and for explaining the genre as fully as he does. 04/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE TRUTH (WITH JOKES) by Al Franken: Comedian Franken’s latest book of political humor that attacks the Bush administration is not going to change anyone’s opinion. Those who defend the current administration will either not read the book, or will hate it. Those who oppose the Bush administration will find new fuel for their ammunition. It is a timely book, as it examines Bill Frist’s problems and Tom DeLay’s political situation. Franken’s main premise is that Bush, Cheney and Rove built the 2004 Presidential campaign on fear and lies. He claims, “In almost every aspect of government- from energy to military contracting to environmental protection to health care-you find the exact same kind of cynical looting and betrayal of the public good.” Franken’s message is, “We have to throw these guys out.” 11/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

TWITTER WIT: Brilliance in 140 Characters or Less by Nick Douglas: If you were wondering what Twitter was all about, curious about the hottest micro-blogging trend, or just wanted to know what everyone was Tweeting about, then this is the quick read for you. Highlights of the earliest Twitter days are recorded here for posterity, including such gems as these: from willdurst, "I think the proof there is intelligent life on other planets is the fact they've chosen not to contact us;" from adamisacson, "Buying groceries online is convenient but deadly boring. As a result, most things in our fridge start with 'A', 'B', or 'C;'" from munki, "Don't say 'y'all' when what you mean is 'youse guys,'" and from kevinmarks, "You know, most of the Harry Potter book plots would be over in 3 chapters if they had a decent search engine." Enjoy, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bookbitch. 10/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch.

TYLER'S ULTIMATE: BRILLIANT SIMPLE FOOD TO MAKE ANY TIME by Tyler Florence: Florence may not have the party personality of Mario Batalli, the showmanship of Emeril Lagasse, or the beauty of Giada De Laurentiis, but what he does have is great food.  I watch a lot of the Food Network shows, but rarely am I tempted to try anything that Batalli or Lagasse makes, although I enjoy watching them.  On the other hand, Florence is much more laidback, but I want to try everything he makes.  This latest cookbook is based on his newest show and features lots of the recipes that he has prepared.  I've tried several, and every one has been easy to follow and delicious.  A few have become family favorites: Ultimate Rigatoni, Eggplant and Sausage; Broccoli, Parmesan and Lemon; Caramelized Onion Toasts, to name but a few.  Most of these recipes are available on the Food Network website, but there is nothing quite like thumbing through a cookbook with beautiful pictures when you're trying to decide what to make for dinner.  04/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE UNITED STATES OF ARUGULA: HOW WE BECAME A GOURMET NATION by David Kamp: It’s happened gradually so you may not have noticed, but these days the United States has become a nation of foodies. Jack-in-the-Box is serving foccacia sandwiches. The supermarket has ten kinds of olive oil. The Boar’s Head Saloon in my little tiny hometown actually has Hefeweisen beer. On draft!
    It’s pretty amazing that even in the 1950s, newspaper articles would put the word “pasta” in italics because it was such a foreign word, and now chefs like Mario Batali are cooking sweetbreads on national television and becoming rich and famous from it.
    This is the story of how that happened, and ooh, it is dishy! Kind of like Bill Bryson’s A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, it gives the historical facts about its subject, but the real fun is in the personalities behind the story. Like how Craig Claiborne, the original New York Times food critic, had some very strange issues with his parents. Or how the staff of Chez Panisse would have rather wild parties after the restaurant closed. Even those old Time-Life international cookbooks have a somewhat scandalous backstory.
    It’s really a page-turner, and a great read for anyone even remotely interested in food and cooking. The only thing missing is the recipes.  01/07 Jenne Bergstrom

THE VISUAL MISCELLANEUM: A Colorful Guide to the World's Most Consequential Trivia by David McCandless: This book is a unique and artful way of looking at statistics of popular culture, going way beyond pie charts and bar graphs. The book is very colorful and interesting, but I have to question the validity of a lot of the information when Wikipedia is listed as the only source for many of the statistics given. The book also has some technical issues; for instance, there is a comparison of "annual methane emissions in equivalent C02" that is titled, "Farty Animals." Cute, right? There are simple blue pictures of a woman, a pig, a cow and so forth, with a bright yellow cloud of varying sizes behind each, but there are no numbers, just the diagrams. So I learned that cows fart more than women - but was there supposed to be more info than that? Something about C02 perhaps? On the next page is an illustration of the United States with the title, "How Rich? Yearly earnings of world's wealthiest nations as combined earnings of US States." The picture shows the western majority of the US in purple, the middle in yellow, the southeast in orange and the northeast in blue, but again, there are no numbers and no references. Not sure what I am supposed to be learning from this diagram. Then there is "The Poison" page, which has diagrams of various cocktails that illustrate the proportions of the ingredients. Very cute, interesting and useful in fact. The next page has the same layout featuring hangover remedies. But then it turns to salad dressings, which could also be good except they left out the names of the various dressings, rendering the information useless. All in all, a great idea that needs a little more research using more authoritative sources than Wikipedia (a good starting point for sure, but not a good ending point) and a lot more proofreading.  11/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch NOTE: Received this from the publisher, HarperPerennial - I noticed in your review some of the misprinted diagrams that you pointed out, and I did just want to let you know that those were due to an unfortunate printer error which we're working to correct. (Alas, it was unable to be fixed upon the first printing.) However, David McCandless will be posting those corrected diagrams on his website www.informationisbeautiful.net, along with some bonus material as a thanks to his readers and to make up for the misprinted diagrams.

WAITER RANT: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by Steve Dublanica (AKA The Waiter):  Do you know anyone who works in the food industry? Did you love No Reservations by Anthony Bourdain?  If you answered yes to either of those questions, put this book on your must read list immediately.  What Bourdain did for the kitchen, i.e. the "back of the house", Dublanica does for the front of the house.  Learn why professional waiters won't spit in your food - they prefer much more creative and insidious ways of responding to your complaints.  You will learn why it's okay to eat fish that's been frozen, if done properly; why you should avoid dining out on holidays like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day; and why you cannot offer lavish praise in lieu of a monetary reward for your waiter.  All this and more from a man who was the head waiter at a high end Manhattan restaurant and blogged himself into a book deal.  11/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson:  Travel narrative at it's funniest.  This book leaves one yearning for the great outdoors despite the risks and the hardships.  I listened to it on tape read by the author, which gives a real feeling of intimacy.  If you've never been hiking, are passionate about it or anything in between, Bryson brings it all home.  Just started listening to In a Sunburned Country, in which Bryson explores Australia.

Waxworks by Frieda Hughes:  Ms. Hughes is an artist and an author of children's books. She is also the daughter of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. She has her mother's ability to wield words like a scalpel, cutting very precisely and very deep. Waxworks is a collection of poems all of which are Ms. Hughes reflections on figures of legend and history and art, much as if she were looking at their statues. Fittingly, one of the poems concerns Madame Tussaud herself, looking for models of her famous creations in people in the London streets. There is the best and worst in all of us. We are all potentially murderers and betrayers. Other poems deal with characters ranging from Thor to Burke and Hare. I found particularly compelling her poem about Job, which begins "When Job was a woman/ God thought she was perfect." Later in the poem, the voice of God speaks to her in the form of one of her "father's " crows. To no avail. This is a compelling and often grisly work. I would like to say that Ms. Hughes has also inherited her mother's demons and in particular feelings about her father, but Ms. Hughes is too much her own voice to be so rudely explained and pigeonholed. She is worth admiring in her own right.  This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

WAY OFF THE ROAD by Bill Geist:  A reader in search of a fun trip can’t go wrong with Bill Geist’s new book. The CBS commentator takes trips of discovery to small towns, looking for unique individuals and a vanishing world where people don’t take themselves too seriously. It doesn’t get much smaller than Monowi, Nebraska, population one person who is the local mayor, librarian, the police chief and bartender. And, it doesn’t get funnier than the standstill parade, where the observers marched around the parade. One man vacuums up prairie dogs, while another is a mule train mailman who delivers mail to the floor of the Grand Canyon. Geist’s Way Off the Road is a perfect escape for the summer. 06/07 Lesa Holstine

WELFARE BRAT by Mary Childers: Childers has written a thoughtful memoir of her childhood in a poor white family in New York, one of seven children with numerous fathers who never stuck around. Even as a child, Mary wanted to escape the poverty and patterns in her family. Although some of her sisters were as promiscuous as their mother, Childs went through an accelerated program in school, graduating at sixteen. She found jobs, participated in the Fresh Air Program, anything to escape the traps at home. As her mother and sisters tried to drag her down, she fought to make a better life for herself. She wanted college and a better life for herself. Childers’ story is actually a triumphant one, and she says, “Several of us are thriving and able to help others survive because we refuse to accept family habits and inherited disadvantages as if they are destiny.”  08/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

WHAT ON EARTH HAVE I DONE? by Robert Fulghum: Fulghum, the bestselling author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, returns with another heart-warming book. His latest is a collection of stories and observations that answer, and sometimes just propose, major questions of life. He has adapted those “Mother Questions,” the ones mothers always get. His questions are now, “What on earth have I done?” “What in the name of God am I doing?” “What will I think of next?” “Who do I think I am?’ Fulghum explores the three worlds he lives in, one in Seattle, one in Moab, Utah, and the third in Crete in order to try to understand life. At times, his essays make the reader laugh and cry in the same article. Most of all, Robert Fulghum asks the reader to examine life, from a not-so-serious viewpoint. 10/07 Lesa Holstine

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING by Kyle Garlett:  Brain cramp – we have all experienced those moments of mental meltdown when the thought process inexplicably shifts a gear and stumbles.  Afterwards we look around furtively to assess the damage, and more importantly to see if our moment of weakness has been witnessed.  Hopefully, the damage is slight and the witnesses are few.  However, when your brain cramp occurs in or pursuant to a major sporting event before as many as millions of people, well, it becomes a regrettable but unforgettable episode.  Garlett has perfectly captured some of the most famous or infamous moments in sports, from Ohio State coach Woody Hayes running onto the Gator Bowl field and striking an opposing Clemson football player, to the riot at Chicago’s Comiskey Park during Disco Demolition Night which caused the home town White Sox to forfeit a game.  The Heidi Bowl, Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard Round the World”, the Miracle on Ice, the Curse of the Bambino, Leon Lett’s lost Superbowl score, as well as his fumbled fumble recovery - all these and more are nicely detailed in this must have book for avid sports fans.  Definitely recommended. 07/09 Jack Quick 

WHEN GOD WINKS AT YOU by Squire Rushnell:  Rushnell asks, what if God sends you a direct, personal message through odd coincidences? These may be answers to prayers, or “godwinks.” This warm book stresses the power of coincidence in our lives. Rushnell relates short stories to exemplify “godwinks.” My favorite story involved Emmett Kelly’s daughter. When she was born, it was the only time the clown was ever photographed with a smile on his face. After his death, she was on a plane, with a copy of that photograph in her lap. The man next to her turned out to be the photographer that took the picture. This is an important little book stressing that godwinks happen at times of need in life, times of transition or crisis. Oprah Winfrey brought these books to the attention of her television audience. When God Winks at You is a powerful book. 02/07 Lesa Holstine

When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams by Bob Greene: Like his other books, Greene’s latest makes the reader nostalgic for a past you never knew. Or, if you were lucky enough to be a teenager during the 1960s, it might bring back memories. In 1992, when a musician for Jan and Dean’s road band contacted Greene, he never expected that letter would change his life. For the next fifteen years, Greene spent his summers meeting up with the band, performing and enjoying their company. He had the chance to meet the performers of his teen years, the Beach Boys, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, and, of course, Jan and Dean. It’s a book tinged with sadness, with Jan Berry’s accident hanging over the whole book. It’s also the story of a group of men, “Lost Boys,” as Greene refers to them, who spend their summers together, in friendship, just “playing.” If anyone can make the reader long for the past, it’s Bob Greene. 05/08 Lesa Holstine

WHERE HAVE ALL THE LEADERS GONE? by Lee Iacocca: Iacocca’s book may be the most important book people should read in an election year. It summarizes the problems with our government, and our country, and raises a call to arms. Iacocca says he’s sick and tired of politicians who don’t listen to the people, politicians who are running the country into the ground. He admits Americans are to blame as well, but he encourages everyone to carefully choose a president. Iacocca’s call to action demands outrage, action, and sacrifice from everyone. He offers a great deal of hope for the country, if we’re willing to take action. Where Have All the Leaders Gone? is a book that demands answers. 05/08 Lesa Holstine

Who Cut the Cheese? - An A-Mazing Parody about Change (and How We Can Get Our Hands on Yours) by Stilton Jarlsburg: Funny and clever, everything a parody should be.  In my humble opinion, Who Moved My Cheese needed to be lampooned. 

WHO THE HELL IS PANSY O'HARA?: The Fascinating Stories Behind 50 of the World's Best-Loved Books by Jenny Bond and Chris Sheedy:  It just so happened I knew who Pansy O'Hara was, but I was intrigued enough by the title to read the rest of the essays in this intriguing little book of the true stories behind some of the world's most popular books. This book will not appeal to the literati, not when it includes behind the scenes looks at J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, and The Guinness Book of World Records along side Erich Remarque and All Quiet on the Western Front and the Brontë sisters.  But as a book lover of all kinds, I really enjoyed it.  It's a fun and enlightening read. 09/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

WHY DO I LOVE THESE PEOPLE? by Po Bronson: Po Bronson listens to people for a living. His latest book is “about decoding the mystery of family life.” He talked to 700 people in the course of concluding that “no matter how hard it’s been, we all can create a better family experience.” These are stories of ordinary people who don’t sound so ordinary with what they have accomplished. Some of found their way back to their families. Others have moved on past their families. But, they all made a conscious choice to try to make a better life. By interviewing individuals about their family life, Bronson hoped to encourage everyone to examine their own family. Is there a way to work out the problems in our own families? Bronson might be picking up the Studs Terkel’s mantel as a journalist who can reveal the state of society through the stories of a few dozen people. This is a powerful statement about the state of family life.  12/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

WHY MY THIRD HUSBAND WILL BE A DOG: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline: I love the Scottoline novels, and that same gentle humor, love of family and the intrinsic Italian all come out in this collection of Philadelphia Inquirer columns.  Philly folks undoubtedly are already familiar with Scottoline's weekly column called "Chick Wit" but the rest of the country is in for a treat. Here we meet the real life characters Scottoline's fictional characters are based on; her mother Mary, gay brother Frank, her beloved father, her BFF's and her brilliant daughter Francesca. Most women will relate and will laugh at Scottoline's warning to never take your bra off, even while relaxing at home, in case you end up having to go to the emergency room, or her two ex-husbands, "Thing One" and "Thing Two." I especially related to her adoption of a dog when her daughter left for college - I adopted a kitten my daughter's senior year in high school because he would never leave me for college. Of course, Scottoline already had three dogs, two cats and chickens, among other pets, but the point was the same. The stories are just a couple of pages longs, easy and delightful reading, and made me laugh out loud. A wonderful holiday gift for any woman - or enlightened man. 12/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Why My Wife Thinks I’m an Idiot by Mike Greenberg: Greenberg, co-host of the number one morning sports talk show, Mike & Mike in the Morning, subtitled his book, “The Life and Times of a Sportscaster Dad.” Readers looking for inside information about sports or radio are not going to find it here. Instead, they’re going to find Greenberg’s stories of family life, particularly with his young children, along with discussions with his psychiatrist, and stories (true or not) from the journal he was supposed to keep for his therapist. Greenberg comes across as a very insecure man, but one who is totally devoted to his family. This is a fun story about a family man, who just happens to work as a sportscaster.  04/06 Lesa Holstine

WHY WE BUY: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill:  This book has become a sort of classic on retailing, and I've never read it.  Since there is an updated version coming out at the end of the year that will include the Internet, I wanted to get a look at this book first.  I haven't worked retail for several years, (singing a new version of the Amy Winehouse song my friend Nancy dreamed up called, "Never Going Back to Retail") but certain aspects of retailing are affecting libraries, particularly with regard to branding, displays, and customer service.  So I went to the Underhill book to learn about signage, shopping habits and so forth, and learn I did.  Underhill's company spent twenty years basically spying on people in their native shopping environments, and writes about it in a very readable, often amusing way.  In fact, reading about his operatives invisibly following shoppers through department stores immediately brought to mind the Josie Marcus, Secret Shopper series by Elaine Viets.  Anyone with a retail store really needs to read this book before they open their doors.  It will be fascinating seeing how the world marketplace, the Internet, has changed the science of shopping.  09/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Wins, Losses, and Lessons by Lou Holtz: The former college coach has written an interesting book for football fans, and those interested in life’s inspirational lessons. Holtz was the first one in his family to attend college, on the advice of his high school coach who told his parents he should go to college and become a coach. As a scrawny, small player at Kent State University, he learned the importance of believing in yourself, and giving 100%. These are lessons he tried to instill in his football players as he moved from college to college, William & Mary, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina. Those who follow college football will be interested in the lessons he learned from the legendary Woody Hayes, as well as the important lessons he brought to his own legendary career at Notre Dame. Holtz imparts his ideas for life, including his “WIN” strategy: “What’s Important Now?” Although he’s now well-known on the speaking circuit, college football fans will be the biggest audience for this bestseller. 10/06 Lesa Holstine

Wisdom of Our Fathers by Tim Russert: Following the publication of his bestseller, Big Russ & Me, Russert was inundated with letters from sons and daughters who wanted to write about their fathers. These letters were compiled in the latest bestseller just in time for Father’s Day. It’s an enjoyable, moving collection of advice and stories for all of us who are sentimental fools. 06/06 Lesa Holstine

Witsec : Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program by Pete Earley, Gerald Shur:  Fascinating look at the creation and workings of the witness protection program.  There are some really incredible stories about some of the participants, and what appears to be an honest look at the pros and cons (no pun intended) and the successes and failures of the program.

Working with You Is Killing Me by Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster: The two consultants intend to teach employees and managers how to identify and handle any relationships that hold you back on the job. They use “hooked” as the term for feeling caught in an emotionally distressing situation at work. “Unhooking” is their term for tools that allow you to manage yourself and take care of your work life. However, if you’ve read a couple chapters in this book, you feel as if you’ve read the entire book. There’s too much repetition of unhooking physically. There are too many scenarios, and too much repetition throughout the book. The authors might have started with an original idea, but they were “hooked” on their main premise, and never got away from that. 04/06 Lesa Holstine

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan: Egan's book is a masterpiece of nonfiction storytelling. Few people are probably aware that American meteorologists rated the Dust Bowl the number one weather event of the twentieth century. At its height, 100 million acres of land were affected. The hardest hit areas were sections of Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Settlers came to the area in droves from 1910 to 1930, seeing this land as “the last best chance to do something right, to get a small piece of the world and make it work.” However, according to Egan, “they themselves betrayed the land by digging it up and scraping it down to dirt.” Egan has written a powerful story of the people who came to the land, plowed it up, made it a dust bowl, and survived “the nation’s worst prolonged environmental disaster.” It’s a fascinating, grim story of a little remembered part of our history. 12/05 Lesa Holstine

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: AND 202 STRONG CONTENDERS by Keith Olbermann: The host of MSNBC’s “Countdown” compiles a year’s worth of his “Worst Person in the World” feature in this amusing and dismaying book. According to Olbermann, “These are not really the worst persons in the world, but these ‘Worsts’ are the mortal enemies of honesty and dignity, of selflessness and class.”
    Olbermann considers his lists descendents of comedians such as George Carlin and Bob & Ray, who all compiled interesting lists. These current lists reflect outrageous comments or behavior by people and organizations, some well known, and some known only for one act of stupidity. The well-known people include Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and baseball pitcher Kenny Rogers. Organizations include FEMA for Katrina-related offenses, and the Dept. of Homeland Security. Olbermann’s “Worst Person in the World” title goes to FOX host Bill O’Reilly, who was honored with mention in the book over forty times. If you frequently watch “Countdown,” you’ll appreciate the collection because you’ll hear Olbermann’s voice in your mind as you read the daily lists.  11/06 Lesa Holstine

WRITING TOOLS: 50 ESSENTIAL STRAGEGIES FOR EVERY WRITER by Roy Peter Clark:  I should preface this review by saying that I've been reading Mr. Clark's writing tips for quite a long time via the Poynter website where they first appeared.  Poynter is geared towards journalists, but I think these writing strategies are of help to any kind of writing - journalism, fiction, school reports, whatever.  The tools make a remarkable collection and a very valuable book for anyone who is interested in improving their writing.  A lot of what he says sounds like common sense, and it is - but sometimes we need to be reminded of the basics, and nudged further along, which he does quite well.  So starting with "Part One: Nuts and Bolts" which includes such wisdom as "Begin sentences with subjects and verbs" and "Fear not the long sentence."  Part two is called "Special Effects" and includes such gems as "Prefer the simple over the technical" and "Set the pace with sentence length."  Part three is called "Blueprints" and includes things like "Work from a plan" and "To generate suspense, use internal cliffhangers."  The last part is called "Useful Habits" and these are the rules to live/work by: "Do your homework well in advance", "Break long projects into parts" and "Learn from your critics," among others.  The book is very readable and it is obvious that Mr. Clark did his homework and "owns the tools of [his] craft."  09/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A Year in the World by Frances Mayes: The bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun arranges her latest travelogue into a year. The book actually covers five years of trips. Mayes and her husband gave up their teaching jobs to work as full-time writers and explore new possibilities. Together they traveled and ate their way through Spain, Portugal, Naples, Great Britain, Greece and Turkey. This new book is fascinating with all its details of meals, back scenes of cities, water, hikes, and scenery. But sometimes the reader feels bogged down in details. Still, Mayes enjoys her travels, and she offers fascinating glimpses for the armchair traveler. 04/06 Lesa Holstine

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