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I watched the movie but hadn’t read the book until now. The audio was great and the author’s note on the 30th anniversary of the book explained the reasons on how and why the author set the story the way he did. The story introduces the reader to various people and characters of Savanah and also goes into great detail about a murder and all about the trial. 
Change the Recipe: Because You Can't Build a Better World Without Breaking Some Eggs by José Andrés, Richard Wolffe
This is a bunch of anecdotes from Jose’s life and businesses. He is honest in the mistakes and the choices in his life. There is talk about food but this isn’t a cookbook, it more like listening to a friend tell you about times in his life. The book also discusses how he started World Central Kitchen. This is a great small book that is perfect for either reading in one sitting or dipping in and out of as time permits.
#24 Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker
Jul. 1st, 2025 01:31 pmI stumbled onto the Itchy Boots YouTube channel a few years ago and was hooked. I don’t ride but I love travel and this was a day-by-day travel experience of a solo motorcyclist. The book is a great introduction to why she started traveling and filming her travels on a motorcycle. She ends up seeing the best out of people most of the time when she is on the road and now I want to watch some of her early videos that cover her time that the book goes over.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
A short book about the science of space travel. I did this as an audio and I really liked it. It covered some of the problems that using various methods of propulsion in space and why we may need some breakthroughs to make it viable for humans to leave our solar system.
This is a beautiful reprint of an essay written by Octavia Butler for Essence magazine and when reading it I think it still hits true over twenty years later. The art is great and this is a really lovely gift book.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
This covers Tom Petty’s early life and the early years of his career. There isn’t much about his later years but most casual fans will know those parts about his life. This goes over every band he was in before getting the Heartbreakers together and some of the things he did before he hit it big. Fans of Tom Petty will enjoy the easter eggs of lyrics woven into conversations. I also think this might be a good gift to give any musically inclined friend or family member to show them that it took a lot of hard work and some luck for Tom Petty to become successful.
Digital review copy provided by the published through Edelweiss
I checked this out because I found the videos entertaining. Two labs doing dog things with a sportscaster voiceover put a smile on my face along with thousands of other viewers. But this book isn’t just about the dogs and to be honest it would be a very short book. What does come through is the authors love of hiking with his dogs in Scotland. Due to has job he has hiked other places without the dogs, but it seems he loves doing the hikes with his four legged companions the most. A nice change of pace dog book and something a bit different for the hiker in your life to read. The author also reads the book and since he is a professional sports announcer that works really well.
#72 The Art of Sushi by Franckie Alarcon
Dec. 10th, 2021 10:27 amThis is more of a memoir wrapped in info and history about sushi. As the author travels around Japan learning how to make sushi and the different styles of it. The art is lovely and color use is intentionally limited to great effect. I did learn something new about how really good sushi uses a different way of treating the fish before it is carved up for the chefs to use. This would make a good gift for someone into sushi or learning more about different cuisines.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes (And Love My Microwave)
by David Chang , Priya Krishna
This isn’t set up like most cookbooks course or even some by season. This is set up taking an item and then showing what a few changes to it can make several different meals based on different cultures. There is a lot of back and forth from both writer in the book and there is also reference titles they give of you want to learn more in-depth about certain dishes and other dishes from that culture. This is much more of a cook at home book and a discussion of home cooking than “Let’s do recipes from my restaurant”. I was reviewing a digital copy of the book but I do want to look at the final version because I think some stuff will be different. This book feels like it is geared to someone who wants to be more adventurous in the kitchen but is a bit hesitant about playing with flavors. It feels more like an intermediate book, something for someone that is used to cooking a few things but is ready to take the next step in the kitchen.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelwiess
I was surprised to be sent this ARC since I don’t review a lot of nonfiction, but it was a joy to read. If you are interested in chemistry, art, or history then this book about the color blue might be up your alley. There is a lot of chemistry throughout the book as the author goes into detail about how certain paint shades of blue were discovered over the years. There is also a discussion about the blue and how the word is used in different cultures. It also goes over the chemistry of blue in flowers and animals. This is a translation from a German edition that came out a few years ago and I am glad it was made available to English readers. This would be a great gift book for a science loving person in your life.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
I’m glad this book came out in 2021 and not 2020, it would have been too much of a tease about traveling when you couldn’t do it. A word to the wise there is nothing really new in this book but it is more of a travel guide to most of the places that Bourdain went to on his various trips. Hotel and restaurant info on the cities covered along with quotes of dialogue from the various shows about those cities. The back of the book is well footnoted with where each snippet came from. This doesn’t cover every place he went to but is a nice recap of lots of great television and certainly a lovely jumping off point of ideas about where you might want to travel.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
This is not a book about Mythbusters. The show does get mentioned a few times, but it is more about the career of Adam Savage and how he became a maker. He talks about the way he approaches projects, what gives him happiness when he works, and ways to do various things. Sharing ideas and skills seems to be what he enjoys doing in his craft. Hearing tidbits about various movies he either worked on or made props for his personal use was fun. I enjoyed this and I think that anyone that likes to tinker will enjoy the book as well.
The Beautiful Ones by Prince, Dan Piepenbring, Esperanza Spalding (narrator), Adepero Oduye (narrator)
I grabbed the audio for this but ended up checking the book out because I really wanted to see all the photos in it. I was never a huge Prince fan but I enjoyed his music and the first part of the book gives you a bit of an outsider looking in on the life of Prince before he died. He was working with Dan Piepenbring to write his autobiography and there are some parts of this that talk about his early years. There is a section that covers the development of Purple Rain. I think it would have been better if the publisher did the book in a larger format to take advantage of the larger format for all the reproductions of the handwritten pages reproduced in here. The bits at the end of excerpts of past interviews with photos tries to give a bit more of his insights about his lift that wasn’t written down.
I grabbed the audio for this but ended up checking the book out because I really wanted to see all the photos in it. I was never a huge Prince fan but I enjoyed his music and the first part of the book gives you a bit of an outsider looking in on the life of Prince before he died. He was working with Dan Piepenbring to write his autobiography and there are some parts of this that talk about his early years. There is a section that covers the development of Purple Rain. I think it would have been better if the publisher did the book in a larger format to take advantage of the larger format for all the reproductions of the handwritten pages reproduced in here. The bits at the end of excerpts of past interviews with photos tries to give a bit more of his insights about his lift that wasn’t written down.
#66 Anthony Bourdain Remembered by CNN
Dec. 2nd, 2019 01:19 pmThis is a memorial book that collects quotes from both the famous and the unknown about Bourdain. All the photos are from his later episodes and they work well with the quotes used in the book. It was a sad reminder of what the world has lost when he decided to leave.
I listened to the audio book of this and it was really funny. I learned a few things about Monty Python and that Eric Idle had a close friendship with George Harrison. He makes no bones that he wasn’t good to his first wife and was unfaithful. Not everything is about Monty Python in it and the stories he tells about things he has done with famous friends is cute. A great audio book and I think I enjoyed it more that way since he does play a bit of music and there is one audio interruption gag that is good for a chuckle.
This is a series of essays that discuss astrophysics. I enjoyed the book, but I can’t honestly say how much of it I retained after a while. Everything was clearly written and easy to understand. It does make for a nice nonfiction read for a change.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
This nonfiction book covers the life and death of Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Day Queen who was never crowned and never wanted it in the first place. Other people schemed to get her on the throne after the death of Edward VI and she was a pawned used by her father and the Duke of Northumberland to be the puppet for them to rule England. The book is copiously footnoted throughout to support facts given in the book but even with the notes the care of the subject comes through the author’s writings.
The book is an interesting read of the time frame and how some people make poor decision after poor decision to the ruin of their families. In the end the only person out of Jane’s family that does well for themselves is her mother.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
The book is an interesting read of the time frame and how some people make poor decision after poor decision to the ruin of their families. In the end the only person out of Jane’s family that does well for themselves is her mother.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Each chapter in this book covers a different photographer but what they all have in common is a respect for the pinup style. A few of the shots certainly reminded me of original 50’s shots. Several had great props to enhance the setting. If you like cheesecake and pinup style art this is a good book to add to your collection. It is certainly one I’ll have to pick up to stock in the store.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
I must say that I was following this on Tumblr before the author got a book deal. This is a great look at women throughout history and not just the few famous names you might have heard mentioned. I read the book to see if it was appropriate for my young nieces and I might hold off a bit since the book doesn’t shy away for rape and torture that happens to some of the women. The book does have a rating system with the stories set up on a maturity scale. The art depictions of each of the women do try and blend in themes and objects about their story in the picture. Overall this is a great book to give someone that likes history to be able to sample facts from around the world and various time frames. A good jumping off point to find out more about each of these women.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
This is a tiny jewel of a book on sushi. The photography is lovely but I seriously doubt I will ever get to eat at the restaurant it is for. With each fish listed Jiro lets you know what time of year he serves it and why. There are some tips on eating sushi at the end of the book along with information about how to get a reservation at his restaurant. The book almost seems to be geared as a book to get as a gift for eating at the restaurant instead of trying to take pictures of every serving of fish.
I was surprised that some of the fish is aged to bring out the best in it. Each fish almost has a certain way of being treated to showcase the best flavors. This is a really lovely gift book for the foodie on your shopping list.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss.
I was surprised that some of the fish is aged to bring out the best in it. Each fish almost has a certain way of being treated to showcase the best flavors. This is a really lovely gift book for the foodie on your shopping list.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss.
