London by Edward Rutherfurd

Rutherfurd has a distinctive style to his writing.  He'll take a setting, then proceed to take you through time and follow a few families through the generations of a place.  This particular time, he chose London.

We start at the beginning of time.  And then quickly proceed to where people inhabit London, most noticeably the Ducket family, with their webbed fingers and patch of white hair.  As the generations move, the plight and fortunes of the Ducket family change and intermingle with others (Like the Barnikel family and the Penny family) and they lose and win fortune several times over.  The landscape of London changes as it goes from rural to more urban and the great London Bridge is built. 

There are a lot of characters and it's hard to keep up as you go along.  But it's almost like a series of short stories so if you don't remember the family lineage, it's really ok, you can still get caught up in another set of characters story.  My favorite is probably the story of Jenny and Percy, the maid and the man who loved her and their difficult relationship.  They were later in the history and more familiar in how they lived, so maybe that's why it was easier to relate to them.  Not that the other characters are uninteresting, there's so many different professions and issues that each story is unique.

I really do like the format of how the history is told.  Following the families through generations it makes it easier to understand the history of the area and it definitely isn't as dull as a history textbook would be.  This is a great way to learn history!  Although I can't speak as to how factual everything is.  Obviously the characters aren't real, but the way the landscape and city changed is probably pretty spot on.  There are a few stories that are a little rougher (brothels, kidnapping, etc.)  but the majority are pretty tame and non-violent.

Another good one by Rutherfurd.  I look forward to reading more of his books.

London
Copyright 1997
1124 pages

The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace

It is amazing, if you have money, just what you can purchase.  In this case, a really old bottle of wine that was supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson.  I can't say it is something I'd ever want to possess, but to each their own.

The Billionaire's Vinegar chronicles the auctions, private sales, findings, tastings, and pretty much everything having to do with wine from the eighties onward.  Specifically, it delves into the mystery of the Thomas Jefferson bottles.  Rare wine supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson and auctioned off at great sums.  Later, there would be controversy surrounding the authenticity of the bottles though and both the players (ultra-rich people who have bought these bottles), scientists (analyzing the age of the bottles), tasters, and others would get involved.

There were a lot of people in this book, and with the exception of a few that came up every chapter, it was hard to keep track of them.  All the tasters, journalists, auctioneers, vintners, etc; there are a lot of people involved in the wine industry, and this book just tracked a small circle of them.  I didn't really care for any of them though.  Probably because I couldn't identify with any of them.  Well, that and with the exception of the really sweet wines, it all tastes like vinegar to me (and it's why I like the title).  I did find the history on Thomas Jefferson very informative though.  I learned things about him that I never knew, especially in regards to his spending habits.

This book started off very interesting with the information about wine and the history lesson.  But then it tapered off in the middle and became quite dry.  I disliked the politics and the intrigue and the drama that the bottles caused, especially since nothing was ever resolved so the book didn't feel finished.  I'm sure wine aficionados would have more of an appreciation for some of the people described in the book and would understand a lot more about the different vintages and bottlers.  Or at least they'd understand more of the terminology that was used.

Not a great book but it did have some good facts and was engaging in the first half.  History or wine lovers will probably enjoy it the most.

The Billionaire's Vinegar
Copyright 2008
319 pages

Degrees of Courage by Shari Vester

Degrees of Courage is a book that encompasses many things.  It is fiction, non-fiction, history and drama and it tells the story of three generations of women.  The book is loosely based on the author's family and growing up in Hungary during the 1900's. 

Angela is a young woman who falls in love with the local priest.  Promising to leave the clergy, he ends up leaving her pregnant instead and changes his mind about their relationship.  As a single mother in the early 1900's she has to struggle to raise her daughter by herself and that daughter grows up quickly.  Lensie, or Ilonka as she is called later, falls in love with a man much her senior and ends up pregnant as well, but they marry and soon more children follow, including Sari, a headstrong girl who wants more out of life than to just be a mother.  These women live through wars and Communist occupation in Hungary and face many struggles in just trying to live a decent life.

I'd say my favorite character was probably Angela.  She had a lot of struggles in her life but her ability to overcome them was amazing.  I was also impressed at the business she built for herself in a time where women didn't work as much, let alone ran their own business and was successful at it.  Ilonka I couldn't relate to as much as she wanted nothing more than to be a mother, which is an admirable pursuit but not one that I share.  But she was definitely dedicated to her kids and would do anything for them.  Shari definitely was headstrong and got herself into a lot of things, but she got to experience a lot of life that way and I thought it was definitely courageous for her to move as much as she did and take risks.  We see a little bit about Shari's siblings and they too had to overcome a lot of struggles because of the politics of the day.  It would seem everyone in this book had a hard life.

There is a lot of history in this book.  In fact, that would be my only complaint.  While I found it very informative, there were times when the book was talking about this leader or that, that it stretched on a little too long and I found myself losing interest.  The details on the war itself was interesting and the lives of the characters(people) I enjoyed hearing about very much though and that was the bulk of the book.  The plot progressed smoothly and most of the time was dedicated to Ilonka and Shari, although Angela had a solid section in the beginning of the book, just not as long.  It really is amazing the struggles that happened during the war.  I don't think Hungary is thought of much when it comes to World War I and World War II but they were in it along with everyone else and being a smaller country, they had a lot different outcome than some of the bigger powers.

A large book but filled with detail about three women who took risks and struggled to get what they wanted out of life.  It's a good book for anyone interested in memoirs or history and don't mind reading something that is partially fiction but with a good deal of non-fiction thrown in.

**This book was received as a Free Advanced Reviewer's Copy**

Degrees of Courage
Copyright 2012
566 pages

The Railroads of King of Prussia, PA by Michael Shaw

Choo!  Choo!  And other such train noises.  While I am by no means a railroad enthusiast (I just think the trains look pretty) I have to say that this was an informative book.  Focusing on the railroads in the King of Prussia area of Pennsylvania, it meandered through local lore and the railroad industry.

This is non-fiction and it tells the history of the Upper Merion Township and King of Prussia railroads.  It starts with the history of the area and how the towns were first settled.  Then it moves into the trade and industry and why the railroads were brought in.  The next few chapters show the evolution of transportation in the area and separates the different lines (Chester Valley Railroad, North Abrams Industrial Track, etc.) into their own chapters telling their own histories.  Chapter 10 has Railroad Testimonials from locals and Chapter 11 gives the history of some of the accidents on the railroads.  Finally, the last few chapters show the future of the railroad and the abandoned railways that are left in the area.

This book is probably going to have a very narrow scope of readers.  Those who will read it in full will be history buffs, railroad enthusiasts and people local to the area.  The next circle of readers will be the hobbyists, or those who enjoy going to museums and reading the captions under every picture.  And finally the last circle will be those people who just like flipping through the pictures and care nothing about the text at all.  Because the text is text-book format.  It gives the facts and really the only personable tone to the writing was the testimonials (which was actually my favorite section).  The text also focused more on the area than trains in general, so be prepared to read a book about King of Prussia's tracks, not the industry as a whole or the mechanical workings of trains (but really the title tells you that is what this book will be about).  Really though, I'm probably located in that last circle who likes to gush over the pictures.  I enjoyed seeing the tracks through time, the diagrams, the people at the railway stations, and the old advertisements.  I flipped through the book a couple of times just to go through the pictures.

An interesting book and worth reading just to glance through all the pictures.  If you are obsessed with railroads and time tables or the King of Prussia area, I'm sure this is something that you would definitely want to read.  If you're not so obsessed with those things, well, it may be a hit or miss with you.

**This book was received as a Free Advanced Reader's Copy**

The Railroads of King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 2013
185 pages

Voice of the Eagle by Linda Lay Shuler

Voice of the Eagle is the second book in Shuler's Kwani series.  I would say that this is definitely a series you need to read in order, as it makes reference to characters and events that happen in the previous book.  You'd be a little lost if you started out on this one.

Kwani has had her son and become the mate of Tolonqua, a handsome hunting chief.  They return to his home where she is mostly welcomed, despite her blue eyes.  But not all is well.  Tolonqua is the leader of a group that wants to build a new city.  One that will be better protected.  But some have reason to hate him and Kwani and don't want to see that happen.  And they will try everything in their power to stop it.

This book has the same problem as the first one in that the characters just aren't that likable.  They all think they're pretty special and above the rules of society.  Some humility would not be unwelcome.  And they're a bit selfish as well.  While I recognize it probably makes the book realistic, I still wanted some character I could care about and really root for.  And the bad guys, well let's just say that there is always at least one that is easily taken care of and they don't have any redeeming qualities at all.

I think part of the problem with the characters is on account of the pace.  This is a big book but it moves very quickly.  So much so that my favorite part, the last section, was not nearly long enough even though it was the most interesting.  I enjoyed hearing about Kwani's children grown up and everything that was happening and even Kwani became a more likable character.  There is a lot of history and information that was provided in the book though and I think it was well researched for a work of fiction.  I'm sure there are some errors, but it's clear that the author spent time learning about what she was writing.  I will put in my standard warning that there is graphic mention of sex and violence in the book, but it was all keeping with the time and setting of the book.

I'll read the third book.  I want to know what happens and where the story is taken from here.  But once again I'll be hoping for some better characters.

Voice of the Eagle
Copyright 1993
615 pages

In Meat We Trust by Maureen Ogle

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine program**

This is a really hard book to review. It's certainly well researched and well done (over 100 pages of notes and bibliography). But it also lacks interest at times. Which considering the amount of time that was probably spent on it, is sad.

Meat We Trust follows the history of meat production. From its humble beginnings on regular farms, to the development of factory farms, the different methods that were used to increase production, and the evolution of American's taste for meat and what type of meat. How accessible meat is to everyone regardless of income and the different laws and rules in place to keep it that way. And the sanitary laws that also came into play, along with an alternative food movement that wants to impose more regulations for how food is labeled.

There were a lot of people who developed the meat industry into the way it is today. Pioneers with technology and men out for a profit. You get to see how Tyson built his empire, and all the acquisitions he made. There are some descriptions of people in the alternative food realm who produced organics well before they became popular. And there is some talk of Ralph Nader and the movements against giant food corporations that he instigated. So an ambitious "cast of characters" in all.

This book starts at the beginning and shows how factory farms came about. Which means you got to hear about all the technology and the numbers of pounds of meat people were consuming. Each decade has its own numbers and innovations and it all points to ever increasing consumption. However, all those numbers and descriptions make the book slow moving and tedious to read. I found some of it interesting but at times it felt like there was detail thrown in just to use some of the research. And I wasn't sure how the author felt about everything. In some parts she's derisive about the organic movement while at other times the tone is admiring. Same with the factory farms. It was kind of confusing.

This is a well researched book, but it's just not attention grabbing. I think those interested in history and food politics will find it a good read though.

In Meat We Trust
Copyright 2013
367 pages

Not In Kansas Anymore by Christine Wicker

I wanted to give this book five stars just because the author used the word "kairos" in it. But sadly I had to actually review it on all of its merits, not just the particular use of a word. And having read Wicker's "Lily Dale" I had high expectations going into this book that just weren't fulfilled.

Not In Kansas Anymore attempts to explain how magic is invading America (or maybe already has been completely submersed in the culture). Wicker travels around the country attending parties of vampires, meetings of hoodooists, ceremonies of Wiccans and talking to people who have some kind of belief in magic, magical beings, or spiritualism outside of the realm of mainstream religions. Throughout the book she intersperses history telling the tale of the founder of Wicca, several notable historical figures who dabbled in alchemy or other magical pursuits, and the persecution of those associated with magic. But in reality, most of this book read like a memoir telling of Wicker's own experiences and her feelings towards the different types of magic.

This book is Wicker-centric. That means she is telling you how she feels about the magic and how she experiences it. While at the same time telling you she's a skeptic and doesn't believe anything about it. Since I thought this was going to be more following her line of work as a journalist, it wasn't something I expected because I figured she'd just report on what she observed and not inflict her own bias on the information. She also seeks out some really strange characters in all of these magical realms. It's not the everyday people that you would actually be curious about how they like magic, but rather the ones that dress in full goth or parade themselves as magical beings. I more wanted to hear about the secretive ones. Still, she does get some good stories out of these outrageous people.

This book didn't change any of my thoughts on magic, spiritualism and other such things. Since I read it as a memoir and history book it just didn't provide evidence for me one way or the other because I wasn't sure of the validity of the narrator. The writing in this book was very choppy compared to some of her other works too. It bounced all over the place. Instead of being laid out in chapters such as "Hoodoo", "Vampires", etc. it was laid out in themes such as "Weird Looking People" or "Werewolves Just Want To Have Fun." Ok, so those sound like they are about a specific thing, but really hoodoo pops up in nearly every chapter as does Wicca and a few other things. There's no streamlining too it and it's disorienting. I would have preferred she separate her subject so we don't get used to reading about one thing, then start reading about another, and then all of a sudden we're back to the first thing again. And the subtitle of the book "A Curious Tale of How Magic Is Transforming America" is a bit misleading because it had more history and things that happened in previous decades than what is going on in the more recent decades (aside from Wicker's own experiences that is).

Lily Dale was a great book. This one was not. I can't say that I enjoyed it very much and I was really hoping too as the premise sounded intriguing. It won't put me off of Wicker's books entirely, but I really hope any future ones are more written like Lily Dale than Not In Kansas Anymore.

Not In Kansas Anymore
Copyright 2005
264 pages + sources

Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China by Jung Chang

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine Program**

I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of Cixi before picking up this book. China's early history (at least before Mao) is not something I've delved into quite a bit. But having read the author's "Wild Swans" I decided to give this book a try. And I'm very glad I did.

Plucked out among many other girls as one of the royal concubines to the then emperor, Cixi was a normal Chinese girl. Well, normal insomuch as royal concubines are. Not even the Empress, she had to use force of will to climb up the ladder and become one of the most powerful figures in China's history. Ruling for the better part of a half century, a woman, in a land that oppressed the female gender, she had to be intelligent and cunning. According to this book, she was progressive and brought in a lot of modern improvements to China despite being wracked by rebellions, hostile foreign policies, and other hazards. And since she couldn't rule in outright name because she was female, she had to maneuver politics and emperors around to best direct her needs.

Cixi is a strong person, and that comes through in this book. Few women (or even men) can claim to do half of what she did in a lifetime. And she had to overcome a myriad of obstacles just because of her gender to rule. This book paints a pretty optimistic picture of her, but refers to the notion that she is not always portrayed this way. Having experienced this book about Cixi before anything else, I of course am disposed to lean towards the fact that she did the best she could in leading China, and when she made mistakes, she admitted them. So I admire her. And the author does mention several other people in this book as well, but to be honest, there's so many of them it's hard to keep track. It's obvious that Cixi is the main focus in this book, and that's just fine.

I learned a lot about China's history from this book. And about Cixi. It's amazing how many things can happen over the course of a few decades. There's even a good bit written about the Boxer Rebellion since it happened during Cixi's rule. But it wasn't dry as some historical books can be. It kept me riveted the whole time and even though it lagged a bit in parts in the latter half, I still found it hard to put the book down. It's the kind where you can probably go back, read it again, and discover new facts you may not have noticed the first time around. Really, the parts that made it lag were some of the politics, but the book can't be faulted for that as it's a book about a country's leader and politics go hand in hand with that. And from what I can tell it is well researched. Wild Swans was also well done and both books have had a lot of care put into them.

An excellent book and one I'd recommend to anyone interested in history or China. It's a powerful biography on a very interesting woman.

Empress Dowager Cixi
Copyright 2013
373 pages

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking by Anya Von Bremzen

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine program**

A memoir of food and longing, that's the sub-title of this book. And I think it's a very apt one. But it's also a book of history. I think I learned more about Russia from this book than I did in the few classes I took in college.

Anya grew up in Russia. But her mother, discontent with the way things were, finally left for the United States, and took Anya with her. Now, years later, Anya reflects on her time and of her parents and grandparents lives in Russia as well. Anya and her mother decide to cook through the dishes of Russia by decade. Starting with the decadent 1910's all the way up through the new millennium. Sadly, most of these decades are marked with hunger and shortage and encouraged a creative use of ingredients. But these are the same dishes that have Anya longing for the past.

Anya had a lot of complicated relationships. Probably the most important person in her life was her mother. They appeared to be constant companions and her mother is a very strong person. It was amazing how she was able to raise a child on so little and be brave enough to go to a new country on her own. Her father was a little less stellar and seemed to have a form of depression or drug addiction. And the way she made it sound was if that was a very common thing for men in Russia. Her grandfather was also an unusual type, being in the military he had a very strong pride in his country and some advantages that probably helped in their survival (or hindered it at times).

I had originally thought this book would be mostly about food. And it had some food included. Anya and her mother did a lot of cooking and reminiscing over food they ate while living in Russia. But I'd actually classify this book more of a history. It told of the different leaders and the living conditions under each. It also went into a little of how the military worked and the difference between classes of citizens despite the communist state. And of course there were the personal stories of Anya's life. The pace was decent, although when describing the politics it could drag a little bit sometimes. The little bit of the food that was described I have to say didn't sound very appetizing to me. Lots of mayonnaise, although it sounds as if Russian mayo is different than American. She did include some recipes, one for each decade, at the back of the book.

While I would have liked just a little more food, I thought this an informative memoir. It certainly opened up a bit of Russia from the perspective of someone who lived during some volatile times.

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking
Copyright 2013
334 pages

Vagrant Viking by Peter Freuchen

If I only accomplish a third of what Peter Freuchen accomplished in his lifetime I shall be very happy. Except for the self-amputation of part of his own foot. I'll leave that well enough alone. Freuchen led an incredibly exciting life and this book is one that is hard to put down.

Vagrant Viking is Freuchen's autobiography. Born in Denmark, he was a disturbing child that performed many hijinks. As he grew up, he realized University was not for him and instead joined an expedition to Greenland and the arctic. Here he would stay many years running a trading post and marrying, but Greenland wasn't the last of his travels and he also went to Siberia and to Hollywood to make movies. During World War II he was part of the resistance and was arrested several times by the Gestapo. And those are only some of his stories.

If this book was only about Freuchen it would still be remarkable. He did so much with his life and made an impact on so many people. While I think he was a little socio-pathic as a youth, he grew out of that and helped a lot of people. Most of the people he mentions in this book are spoken of fondly. He obviously loved his first wife, Navarana, and missed her deeply when she died. His second wife, Magda, was more distant and based on his descriptions I'm not sure what he saw in her. She certainly didn't have any redeeming qualities that I could see. His third wife, Dagmar, also didn't play much of a role in the book, but at least seemed a stronger person than Magda. People you knew he definitely didn't like were Hitler's regime. As part of the underground movement, he made a lot of trouble for the Gestapo in Denmark.

Freuchen goes on a lot of adventures in this book. Some of them good, some of them bad, and he comes close to dying a few times. But that doesn't stop him. I like the way he added such detail to his books. You get the full effect of the taste of rotting seal or the fear of hiding from the Germans. Freuchen gets his emotions across very well. And while some of these descriptions might not be for everyone (the aforementioned seal), I hazard a guess that everyone will find something they like in this book. Just the section on Hollywood and his experiences making movies was exciting. I now want to find his Eskimo movie and watch it as he does actually act in it.

A fantastic life and I'm glad he shared it with us. Between this book and the Book of the Eskimos I read from him, I'm very much now a fan.

Vagrant Viking
Copyright 1953
414 pages

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass is best known as an orator and an abolitionist.  A former slave, he knew first hand the suffering that not owning yourself can be.  I've been told many times that this auto-biography is one that should be read, so, when presented with the chance to listen to it on audiobook, I did.  The narrator had a calm, steady voice and it was quickly captivating.

This autobiography covers from childhood until ten years after Douglass gained his freedom.  He describes thte time he spent with different slave owners, his treatment while working for different people, and a little about what he did once he escaped.  A big part of this book was about his desire to read and how he taught himself to do so.

Douglass encounters a lot of people in his life and unsurprisingly many were cruel and harsh.  What did surprise me was that he did say some of the slave owners were decent in their treatment of him.  I couldn't ever imagine calling a slave owner decent and it shows that Douglass was definitely a bigger person than me.  To be so mild after having been a slave is astonishing.  He also describes the people that slavery made cruel, like the woman who started to teach him to read only to become the biggest opponent of slaves learning to read.  I do confess that there were so many people he mentioned, it was hard to keep track of them sometimes.

Douglass has a remarkable way with words and this autobiography is as interesting as it is sad.  But I wish there was more of it!  With the amount of detail that he put into describing how he learned to read and the beatings he got (which are sections of the book not for the faint of heart), I wish he had put just as much detail into other things, like his marriage and his speeches after slavery.  I realize he wrote several other books, but since this one covered his time right out of slavery, I expected there to be more description of that eventful time in his life.  It would have provided a big contrast to his time spent as a slave.  Even so, I did find the book extremely informative and it was definitely more than what I learned in school.    And I'm glad for having read such a personal account of slavery.  It is a reminder that such evil shouldn't be permitted in the world.

A great man and one can see why he was so influential.  His autobiography was quick, but moving.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
Read by Jonathan Reese

Book of the Eskimos by Peter Freuchen

The man amputated part of his own foot. Oh, and he lived in the arctic among the Inuit for a good portion of his life. And for the sake of clarity, I'm going to use the term "Eskimo" as that is what this book uses since it was written in the first half of the twentieth century. This book is Freuchen's look at the life of the Eskimos and their culture.

Peter Freuchen, author of this book, worked on ships at an early age and it took him to Greenland and other places in the arctic where he ran a trading post. He eventually married a local woman and was one of the only European men at the time to be so immersed into the Eskimo culture and accepted. He tells of the first few years and the hunts he went on, meeting his wife, and then he goes into the culture, stories, songs, and other lore of the Eskimo people. He finishes with a short history of the colonization of Greenland by Erik the Red and what it is like in the modern day (which at the time this book was written was the 1950's).

Freuchen meets a very wide array of people. And because the culture is so different, it makes them all the more exotic. It should be noted that at the time Freuchen stayed with them, there was very little outside influence and so a good many practices that we would be horrified with today, were still practiced. But more on that later. Most of the people he met were very kind and giving. Only a few tried to take advantage of him and that is merely a reflection on people as a whole and universal in culture. I found it interesting how meat and other things were considered communal property and how defacing themselves or insulting themselves was a common practice.

There are many customs practiced by the Eskimo that people at this time couldn't relate to. Cannibalism, abuse, murder of children (to keep them from starving to death), and other things are greatly described in this book. These were practices born out of need and I can't even fathom a society struggling so much as to resort to those things. They led very difficult lives. But there was a lot of good and harmony too. A lot of time and effort went into this book and Freuchen is nonjudgmental. He seems to show very little bias and that impressed me. And his writing was clear and modern sounding. If I didn't know better I would have said that this book was written recently by the language. He was approachable without being boring, although he did have a few spots that lagged.

A very interesting book and one that while old, isn't outdated. You'll learn about a very hardy group of people with a culture rich in detail.

Book of the Eskimos
Copyright 1961
441 pages

Donuts: An American Passion by John Edge

Take some dough, fry it, and then douse it in sugar. You now have the donut (doughnut). A favorite breakfast (or anytime) treat of many, the donut can actually be found in many cultures all over the world and by different names. But the concept is the same. Sweet fried dough. And this book is part of a series on American food by Edge. But you don't have to read them in any particular order.

"Donuts" is what you'd expect. It's a book about donuts. There's some history, mentions of different types of donuts by culture or country, and some explorations of famous donut shops. Edge also includes a few recipes for certain types of donuts.

Edge visits a lot of different donut shops, but they seem to mostly be centered on the West Coast. There is a vast majority of shops in Seattle and California, and quite a few in Hawaii too, which for the purpose of this book I'm going to consider "west coast" instead of the island that it is. Sure we do get down to New Orleans for some beignets, but the east coast only has a few mentions, and the south is dominated by Krispy Kreme. Now, granted, Krispy Kreme is popular and what started the doughnut revolution, so it does have its place in this book. All of the donut shop owners though don't really offer a whole lot about themselves or their products. Or at least Edge doesn't write about them very much. He does make note that they were mostly secretive, but I would have though there would be more than there actually is in this book.

In fact, most of this particular book is about the different donuts Edge tries at all these places. When compared to the other books I've read in this series, it just isn't as impressive on giving the whole picture of the food. It does the travelogue thing, but the history and lore of the food just isn't very prominent in this book. This was actually the first book of his that I had trouble keeping my attention on. I kept wandering off to more interesting things. And considering its not that long of a book, that was surprising to me. But I made my way through it and learned a little more about the donut. Although he tantalized with mentioning things like Ny-Quil donuts but never actually saying what they were.

I'd give this book two and a half stars. There was some interesting information contained within it, but largely it didn't have enough interesting things to make it an excellent food book.

Donuts
Copyright 2006
174 pages

Apple Pie: An American Story by John Edge

This is the second book in Edge's series about food. The first was about Fried Chicken. And I do think this second book was written better. And I'm not even a pie fan, but I found the information contained within to be interesting.

Apple Pie is definitely considered all American. There are so many variations from crumb toppings, to mock apple pie, to a flaky crust that everybody believes they do it the right way. In this book, Edge goes around the country trying out different versions of the pie and meeting the people that make them. Sadly, most of the pies he tries are not up to par, but there are a rare few that stand out and make his trips worthwhile. He also explores some of the history behind the pies and even presidents that had a fondness for the apple variety.

He meets some interesting people in his journeys. Especially the ladies that make the fried pies, they have some unique, albeit sad, stories about how they first started making pies. And then there's the guy who adds chilies to his pies. I thought he was interesting and had a fantastic idea. One I'd like to try out myself if I could only make a decent crust. And Edge himself is a charming narrator. He has a lot of belief and love of food and keeps trying even if he does run in to some not so tasty renditions of pie.

This book flowed a little better than the first book did. The chapters were slightly longer and allowed for a more in-depth look at the places he was exploring and the type of pie that was being produced. It also allowed more time for interviewing the people and relating a bit of history as well. I still would have liked to see more about the food itself. He covered the history very well, and even included a few recipes, but this was a very fast read and I think a lot more could have been added.

This book hasn't quite made me a pie convert, but I do want to try the green chili apple pie now and will have to hold on to the recipe from this book. I think anyone who appreciates the history of food would probably enjoy reading this book, or really any from the series.

Apple Pie: An American Story
Copyright 2004
162 pages

Fried Chicken: An American Story by John Edge

Fried Chicken is the first in a series by John Edge that explores different American foods.  Or at least those foods that Americans claim as their own.  And this book combines a little bit of history with cookbook and food travel writing. 

Fried Chicken explores all the fried chicken of the regions.  Southern to Ohio to New York's chicken wings to out on the west coast in Seattle.  In each area, he details the history of the area and fried chicken and then goes on to explore a restaurant or two in the area.  He lists out the merits (or downfalls) of each one.  And at the end of the section he includes a recipe that's supposed to represent the fried chicken of the area. 

This is about food, not people.  But there are some people that he focuses on.  Mainly the cooks, who all seem to be characters of their own sort.  But one thing ties them together, their love of food.  And Edge seems to take great love in eating the food he travels all over to try.  I especially liked the two ladies who worked at an inn and had for over fifty years, just like their mother before them.  They were the most endearing story in the whole book.

As for the readability of the book, I didn't really like it.  It was too jumbled for my tastes.  I liked the history, the recipes and the reviews of different places, but each chapter was way too short to really get the point across.  We were reading about wings in New York when way too soon we were down in Tennessee learning about hot chicken.  It was just little snippets of everything mashed together.  And while some of it was interesting, it just didn't feel thorough.  But it was a quick read.

I'll still read more of the series because I like anything involving food.  And there were some neat stories in this one.  But I think he could have really made this into something special.  Although he did make me want to infuse honey with rosemary.

Fried Chicken: An American Story
Copyright 2004
180 pages

America's Women by Gail Collins

First off, I experienced this book as an audio book.  The reader enunciated well and read at an acceptable pace.  Now on to the book itself.

American Women: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines really is a four hundred year history of American women in the United States.  It starts with the colonies, and the first European woman to give birth in America (Eleanor Dare), although obviously women had been having babies in America long before Eleanor and the Roanoke colony, all the way to the present and the women's liberation movement.  In between, it details suffrage, women in the workplace, women's place in the wars, and more.  And it goes into detail on certain women, like Annie Oakley and Harriet Tubman.  A lot of history is covered here.

With so many wonderful women to choose from its not surprising that Collins went with some of the obvious like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Betty Friedan.  But it was nice to learn about Eleanor Dare, who I'd never even heard of before and a few other women that led extraordinary lives but are rarely mentioned in popular history.  And it had stories about the average woman, and her reactions to the world around her and the restrictions placed on her life.  Stories that were as mundane as what the style was for women (big hair anyone?) to those little known histories of the first slaves brought over and their jobs selling produce on the streets.

There is a lot of history in this book.  400 years of it, although a bigger portion was spent on some areas of the book and it wasn't evenly doled out among the 400 years.  In fact, suffrage was probably the biggest part of the book, with women's liberation following closely behind.  While these are important topics, I would have loved to see as much detail go into the years before that as well.  Sure we got the story of Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane, but it just wasn't as extensive.  This book actually did go into some details I didn't expect though.  In fact, it's the first book I've read where it actually talks about pads and tampons.  And while the book predominately focused on European woman, it did go a little bit into the history of Black women and their rights as well.  The introduction does apologize for not including other minorities on the basis of the history not being recorded as well.  But overall, the book was well written, chock full of details, and an enjoyable bit of history (a genre I'm normally not too fond of).

A very interesting book and well worth reading.  It definitely brought some new topics of interest to my mind that I might want to research further.

America's Women
Copyright 2007
Audio Book

Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson

I love food. Any type of food, and I love the gadgetry that comes with the preparation of food. Some new kind of blender? I want to see it. A trip through the antique store to check out old egg beaters and mandolines? I'm there. But I never really thought about some of the basic stuff, which this book explores.

The author takes eight chapters and breaks down certain kitchen sciences and inventions into histories. The chapters are as follows: Pots and Pans, Knife, Fire, Measure, Grind, Eat, Ice & Kitchen. Some of these titles are fairly simplistic. For instance, Ice encompasses not only Ice Boxes, but Ice Cream and modern refrigerators as well. And some of the others are explanatory, like Pots and Pans. Each take you on a history as far back as the gadget existed and brings it to the modern and the different types we use now. There are also little sections at the end of each chapter that explore a single type of gadget, like a nutmeg grater. Such things as measuring cups, spoons, and even ice cream makers are discussed. But even down to the explanation of the fork through history, there's a lot in this book that isn't readily available in other history books.

Gadgets are interesting. It is possible to have a kitchen filled with gadgets that only do one thing (like an avocado cutter) or to just have a few trusty tools like a knife and stove. Each of these approaches takes a different kind of cook just like modern vs. traditional cooking takes a different type of cook. And the author does mention the use of sous-vide and it's rising popularity. I'm actually intrigued by the concept myself but have no room for any additional gadgets, especially after my latest foray into a juicer (and as the simplistic would say, what was wrong with an old fashioned manual juicer). For this whole book to be about the most simplistic of cooking utensils though makes it different from a lot of others. There is no technique being discussed here, just a simple history of some things we take for granted.

The writing itself was kind of dry. While I eagerly wanted to learn more about kitchen history, I had a hard time just sitting down and reading this book in one sitting and had to break it up a bit. There's a lot of fascinating information here, but sometimes the minute details are a little too much, such as the listing on and on of different types of spoons the Victorians used. I might have been a little more interested if there was a picture of all these spoons, but when trying to picture them all in my head, they all looked remarkably like teaspoons to me. And I'm not trying to say there aren't any pictures in this book. There are a few illustrations scattered throughout the entire thing. But I feel that this book could have been made so much better by actual photographs. Maybe not of everything, but there was a lot in there that I could try to web search each time, but it would be preferable to have it right there on the page. It would have broken up the monotony of all the detail as well. Wilson does tell it with a warm voice, but it's more like listening to a senior citizen wax on eloquently about how they walked uphill to school in the snow both ways.

It is an interesting book if taken in small portions. There's a wealth of information to be had (and a want for a Marshall Ice Cream machine) and it did inspire me to visit Ivan Day's website ( a guy who cooks historically). This is a good read for a foodie or historian.

Consider the Fork
Copyright 2012
279 pages

The Story of Ireland: A History of the Irish People by Neil Hegarty

Apparently this book is a companion to a TV series by the same name. I would really like to see that series, if it's half as descriptive as this book it should be pretty good. But this book was well done, considering the amount of history that was crammed into a little over three hundred pages.

The Story of Ireland takes the reader through Ireland's history back to when the Christian religion first came into the country (and the story of St. Patrick) to modern times detailing the bombings and civil strife that accompanied Irish politics for many years. In between it covers the rule of Ireland by England, and it's many tries at having home rule. It details the tension between the Catholic church and that of the Protestants, a strife that has encompassed many United Kingdom countries throughout their history. And it also says a little bit on the famines that hurt the population of Ireland.

The majority of the people talked about in this book are those that had some political standing or rule over Ireland. The average person in Ireland is not referred to much unless discussing the famines. So because this book features the people active in religion and politics, the storyline does much the same. The result is that despite the title saying this is a History of the Irish People, it's more a book of the history of politics that effected the Irish people. I'm not saying this to criticize the book, but more that I expected to learn about daily lives of people to a greater extent than I did with this book.

There's a huge period of history that's covered here and it's done quite well. For having to put all that detail into a small place, Hegarty is able to do it in a way that is readable, yet still interesting. I learned much more about the history of Ireland than I ever knew before. Especially the turmoil that has taken place in the last century that I never would have suspected. I also enjoyed reading about the real St. Patrick and will try to remember the facts about him while drinking green beer this March. When going deep into politics it is hard to remember who's who as so many names are mentioned, but that would be my only complaint with the writing. There is a nice timeline section in the back as well as a notes section.

A very nice, concise look at the history of Ireland. If you've ever been interested in Irish politics or the way religion has impacted the country, this would be a good read. While not quite textbook detailed, it still provides a lot of information for the standard reader.

The Story of Ireland
Copyright 2011
343 pages

Lost Kingdom by Julia Flynn Siler

I wanted so desperately to like this book. When I saw it on the shelf with its bright turquoise cover I immediately snatched it up. But now, after forcing myself to finish it, I find myself largely underwhelmed. Two stars from this reviewer.

Lost Kingdom says on its cover that it is about Hawaii's last queen, the sugar kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure. I'd say to an extent it's about those things, but largely it was about the Queen Lili'uokalani. The history covered a little bit about when traders, Captain Cook and missionaries came to the islands, but really started going into detail when Lili'u (shortened for ease) was born and then follows her through the time she is deposed and Hawaii is annexed by the United States. There is a little bit about what happens after she's gone, but like the time before she was born, it was only briefly covered.

Lili'u is described very favorably in this book. Especially when compared to the myriad of other people that are described. Those sugar barons, Thurston, Dole, & Spreckel, who were big businessmen in Hawaii. Her husband is also somewhat described, but not in favorable terms. And of her adopted children, barely anything is said about them. She is the main focus of this book. And while she's well described, I was looking for more than that since I thought the book would be about more than just her. The average Hawaiian person is barely mentioned in the book at all. Which is another thing I fault it for. Hawaii is its people, much like any other country, and to only show the rich, royal or powerful does a disservice to the history.

The writing style is very dry. There is a lot of detail, and I hesitate to call it textbook like because there have been many textbooks I've enjoyed, but there's just nothing to really sink into in this book. You can be reading a paragraph about one topic only to immediately jump into the next paragraph about something completely different and the overall effect wasn't cohesive. Important details, like her husband's death and other things are told in only a few sentences. And could easily be missed if you are just skimming the book. It's clear that she did a lot of research (as evidenced by the over one hundred pages of sources, end-notes, indices, and bibliography at the end of the book. In fact, I'd say that section takes up a good third of the book so you end up finishing it sooner than you think you would. And as this is the first book I've really read on Hawaii, I can't comment on if the facts are actually true or not. It looks like a lot of research, but as others have said, when calling the Hula sensual, it just doesn't ring authentic.

One aspect I did enjoy was the list of terms at the front for different Hawaiian words. It helped when I encountered them within the book itself, although struggling with pronunciation in my head was difficult.

I can't say that I'd recommend this book to anyone. It took a very interesting topic and made it dull. It was so hard for me to finish the book that I had to take it just a chapter at a time, which is very unusual for me. Perhaps somewhere out there will be a book about Hawaii that will captivate me.

Lost Kingdom
Copyright 2012
302 pages (415 pages with all the misc. stuff)

A Galaxy of Immortal Women by Brian Griffith

**This book was received as a free advanced reader's copy**

I'm fascinated with Chinese culture and with Women studies.  So a book that combined the both of them was right up my alley.  And this book was truly interesting.  Coming from an author who himself says he's not sure he's qualified to write this kind of book, I appreciated his honesty and his want to learn more about the culture; it's like he tried to really talk to the women of China and understand what they were saying.  And I think that even furthered the enjoyment of the book a little more for me.  This book not only details some of the history of China, but it also explores its religions, and its outlook on women.

All kinds of topics are explored in this book.  Confucianism, Daoist, Goddess religions.  They're all here and women's impact on them are explored as well.  It also offers a very broad history of China and its rulers, mainly focusing on the aspects religion played upon the different rulers, and how each ruling society treated women and their place in the household or government at large.  Several small stories, such as legends about different figures considered to be raised to goddess-hood are included in the book.  And a particular favorite of mine was the short story of the two lovers, separated in the stars by an overbearing father.  These little gems of stories helped explain the people's thought processes through time and their secret hopes for what they wanted with their lives.  There were also topics considering the Partnerships formed between women and men, family values as considered by different ruling regimes and even a glossary was included to list the Goddesses and other religious beings.  There was also a great deal of sources listed and an index.

There were many people mentioned in this book.  Some real, some not, but they were all treated with the same courtesy.  I was actually a little amazed at how non-judgmental this book seemed to me.  Different figures were presented factually without a lot of bias thrown against them.  The author was just doing that, stating facts, rather than going on long tirades against different decisions and political aspects.  I did like the mentions of the different goddesses (the outhouse goddesses were especially interesting).  Each had their own unique story and something different that they represented and some of them were even real people at some point so it was interesting to see what qualified someone to become a religious figure.  Since this book is mainly about women, the men may be described a little overbearing, but it wasn't done accusingly at least.

I liked all of the different topics this book covered.  In fact, my only complaint is that I had a hard time keeping track of the timeline in this book as it bounced around a bit.  There were some charts in front to help with that, but I would have liked for a little more of a straight timeline to keep things in line in my head.  But other than that it was a very easy to read book considering the it covered a lot of big topics.  The language was clear and precise and not hard to understand despite it being an educational sort of book and I can see most people picking it up and enjoying it.  Although it is more geared towards women, I can see men interested in history, China, or religion enjoying this book quite a bit.  It does offer a different view of China than what one normally expects.  And although I don't know enough about China or its history and religions to comment on the authenticity of this book, it seemed exceptionally well researched and the large index bears witness that some research was actually done, so I'm satisfied with that.

A different look at China and its religion; a good non-fiction to pick up if you're interested in the country.

A Galaxy of Immortal Women
Copyright 2012
281 pages