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I wonder why I haven't bought a Kindle or a Nook. Am I a Luddite? Maybe it's just because I don't have a burning desire to replace books with an e-version? I admit that sometimes it would be nice, but I guess I don't have enough problems with the current method of going to the library and checking out books (and occasionally buying books or getting them from Paperbackswap.com).
Jan. 12th, 2013
Book Report
Jan. 12th, 2013 01:04 pmAnother one yet again?? At least my main hobby is inexpensive and good for the soul, even if I do overdo it.
The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers – This was an interesting work of non-fiction about a young woman, Phiona Mutesi, who lives in the slums of Uganda and learns to play chess. Despite all the odds – she lives in a shack and is lucky if she eats one meal a day – she begins to win championships and is even sent abroad for several championships. I wanted to learn what has happened to her since this book was published and if her living circumstances have improved at all, but I didn’t find much – though apparently Disney has bought the rights to do a movie about her. Grade: B
Dirt Candy by Amanda Cohen and Ryan Dunlavey – A friend gave me this book for no particular occasion, which was very nice of her! It’s part graphic novel and part cookbook, by the owner of NYC’s vegetable (yes, vegetable) restaurant Dirt Candy. Cohen explains the name and focus of her restaurant – she wants people to think of vegetables as something wonderful and delicious that come from the dirt, and that there are plenty of restaurants focused on seafood, steak, etc but none focused on vegetables. So this book tells her restaurant’s story in graphic novel format, complete with plenty of recipes. I didn’t care for all the complaining that Cohen does - yeah, customers are hard to please - it’s a restaurant and people are picky when they spend $20 on an entree!; and yeah, journalists think that running a restaurant is far more glamorous than it truly is, but misconceptions like that are typical for many jobs. But still, the book is hard to put down and just a lot of fun to read. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet though. Grade: B
More books behind the cut!
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The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers – This was an interesting work of non-fiction about a young woman, Phiona Mutesi, who lives in the slums of Uganda and learns to play chess. Despite all the odds – she lives in a shack and is lucky if she eats one meal a day – she begins to win championships and is even sent abroad for several championships. I wanted to learn what has happened to her since this book was published and if her living circumstances have improved at all, but I didn’t find much – though apparently Disney has bought the rights to do a movie about her. Grade: B
Dirt Candy by Amanda Cohen and Ryan Dunlavey – A friend gave me this book for no particular occasion, which was very nice of her! It’s part graphic novel and part cookbook, by the owner of NYC’s vegetable (yes, vegetable) restaurant Dirt Candy. Cohen explains the name and focus of her restaurant – she wants people to think of vegetables as something wonderful and delicious that come from the dirt, and that there are plenty of restaurants focused on seafood, steak, etc but none focused on vegetables. So this book tells her restaurant’s story in graphic novel format, complete with plenty of recipes. I didn’t care for all the complaining that Cohen does - yeah, customers are hard to please - it’s a restaurant and people are picky when they spend $20 on an entree!; and yeah, journalists think that running a restaurant is far more glamorous than it truly is, but misconceptions like that are typical for many jobs. But still, the book is hard to put down and just a lot of fun to read. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet though. Grade: B
More books behind the cut!
( Read more... )