Reading and breakfasting with friends before the
August 2017 Great American Eclipse.
Reading glasses for reading.
Special Eclipse Glasses for the eclipse event!
Monday, August 21, 2017
Friday, July 21, 2017
RED WHITE AND BLUE
Before Mrs. McGruder plays her Yankee Doodle on her kazoo for the 4th of July she'd like to share some book reviews:
Treason. Liberal Treachery From The Cold War To The War On Terrorism By Ann Coulter. The author discusses the history of liberal media reporting on various subjects ranging from Alger Hiss, Joseph McCarthy, Vietnam, the Cold War, North Korea and Islamic terrorists. Sometimes funny, often abrasive, the author presents interesting, apparently well researched info about the above mentioned subjects.
Christmas At Mt. Vernon by Helen Topping Miller 1957. A kid’s historical biography/fiction set in 1783. George and Martha Washington, after the Revolutionary War, are finally home for Christmas. This charming period piece follows George and Martha as they celebrate with family and friends. Details of their home and plantation, clothing, décor and manners makes this a fun Christmas read.
Published in 1957, this book still holds up and would be a delightful gift for a child or anyone interested in our First President.
Jamie’s America Jamie Oliver 2009. Lots of pictures of Jamie. Lots of pictures of food
These are all Jamie’s take on traditional American recipes adding his own “twist” to freshen them up and make them better. From, burgers to pizza, from BBQ to antipasto, grits, gumbo and “gator, Waldorf salad to cheesecake, bread pudding to of course, apple pie (well, appleberry, actually). Published in 2009, Jamie writes gushingly in admiration of President Obama, glamorizes the immigrant and “native” foods and in general, rather arrogantly explains America to us. The book has an index and chapter headings for geographic areas he covers: New York, Arizona, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Georgia and the "Wild West".
Blue Christmas and Other Holiday Homicides. Max Allan Collins
Seven short stories each centered around a different holiday-- Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, and, of course, Christmas. The story “A Wreath For Marley” is a variant on Dickens’ classic where the Scrooge type is a hardboiled P.I. who has a complete change of heart after meeting the Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future. Mildly interesting characters -- way too much violence and gore.
The Bluebloods Cookbook. Bridget Moynahan and Wendy Goldberg
Over 100 recipes (of mostly traditional American and Irish American Food) with accompanying photographic illustrations and some brief background info and anecdotes about the stars of the TV show. Probably of interest only to diehard fans of the show.
Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl. Translated by B. M. Mooyaart-Doubleday
This classic is well worth reading. At the same time horrifying and touching, this is the diary in which young Anne documented her experience of hiding from the Nazis. She received a diary as a gift for her 13th birthday in June 1942.
Within a month she and her family went into hiding and they spent the next two years there. The Gestapo found and arrested them in August 1944 and sent them to concentration camps where all except Anne’s father died.
Though Anne occasionally writes about politics and what is taking place in the outside world, most of her diary entries are about everyday occurrences, her thoughts and feelings. In this tale of a young teen growing to adulthood in difficult times, Anne manages to speak to many universal experiences common to everyone. As we read we can’t help but wonder what would have become of this gifted girl had her life not ended so tragically.
This is an inspiring story of the ability of the human spirit to rise above all troubles. I especially liked a quote from page 154 (in my edition): “And whoever is happy will make others happy too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery”. (March 7, 1944)
I highly recommend this book to everyone high school age and up.
Anne Frank. Her Life In Words And Pictures. By Menno Metselaar and Rudd Van Der Rol
Although filed in the kids section, this interesting book of 215 pages is great for grownups too. Lots of pictures of Anne, her family, and their famous hiding place (now a museum and much visited tourist site).
With commentary and historical background it makes a great companion to Anne Frank’s own diary which is must reading for adults. I would recommend this book both for adults and as a more appropriate introduction to the story of Anne Frank for younger readers.
Pollan Family Table: The Best Recipes And Kitchen Wisdom for Delicious Healthy Family Meals.
By Tracy, Dana, Lori and Corky Pollan
This new celebrity cookbook features recipes from the extended Pollan family which includes Tracy Pollan and her husband Michael J. Fox. The foreword by bestselling author Michael Pollan is very well written. The book is full of nice photos to accompany the recipes and has many scenes of the family dining and preparing the recipes. The kitchen “wisdom” of the title is not going to provide any great info for experienced cooks but may perhaps be a handy reference for beginners. We tried the Teriyaki Glaze for Chicken and, while tasty, it was hardly innovative.
A nice feature of some books nowadays is the accompanying website (pollanfamilytable.com) which has a recipe blog. The Pollans also have a Facebook page by the same name so the ardent fans can be kept up-to-date. Although pleasant enough to browse through, this book is basically just another in a line of celebrity cookbooks.
Sometimes the Wolf. By Urban Waite
Deputy Bobby Drake picks up his father Patrick on his release from prison. After 12 years father and son seem to have little in common and this story of an ex-con, ex-sheriff sent up for drug dealing is a sad tale of their attempt at reconnecting. wo dangerous criminals have escaped and are on Patrick’s trail looking for the money he hid. Although set in the Pacific North West the story seems mainly of a rather generic small town/woodsy environment. The subplot (and probably allegory of the main story) involves the wolf of the title.
Summertime Reading
Here's a review of
The Magic Educationist of Wood River Community College
from amazon.com
Top customer reviews
Another review:
Still Life With Chickens
by Catherine Goldhammer
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