The Way to Cook

Today’s post is from Cynthia at Harrington Library:

The Way to Cook by Julia Child

The popularity of the film Julie and Julia has brought the cookbooks by Julia Child back into fashion. This year Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the first cookbook authored by Child and published in 1961, made it to the bestseller list. I admit to being a long time fan of Child’s. From Julia I learned how to roast a turkey, make bread and pizza, and cook the perfect HB egg. Julia was fearless in the kitchen, and she made me feel that if she could do it so could I. Julia was unpretentious, and had such zest. I remember an appearance she made on the Tonight Show where she melted cheese with a blow torch and removed a champagne cork by lopping it off with an enormous knife. Julia was adventurous with food and always learning something new. Julia Child is all about technique: once you master a technique you can cook easily and quickly. To get a feel for contemporary food by Julia take a look at The Way to Cook. The Way to Cook is Julia Child’s magnum opus, her work that demonstrates to us everything that she had learned and wanted to teach us.

There are basics like egg cookery, HB (hard boiled) eggs, poached eggs, and omelettes; comfort food like Granny’s Ham and Potato Gratin; beautiful and delicious vegetables and salads; company dishes like leg of lamb and rib roast; and of course wonderful desserts. Julia would say if you want to save money, learn how to cook; if you want to be healthy, eat good home cooking. The Way to Cook will show you how to do it and make you want more.

NPR’s Best Books

Today’s post is from Annie at Parr Library.

National Public Radio has weighed in on the “Best Books of 2009,” and you can tell from their numerous “Best” categories that they realize what a huge endeavor this is.   Their categories include Best Debut Fiction, Great Gardening Books, Best Books for a Book Club, Best Memoirs, Most Mesmerizing Mysteries, Nancy Pear’s Under-the-Radar Books, Best Young Adult Fiction, Best Foreign Fiction, Top Picks from Indie Booksellers, Best Five Books to Share with Your Friends, and Best Cookbooks.  Access the full list here.

December Favorites from WAYRN? Book Club

What Are You Reading Now? Book Club members met in early December, and had lots of book recommendations, in spite of the very busy time of year.

Rose recommended two memoirs: Born Round by Frank Bruni, and American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson.

Margaret reviewed the short story collection, In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd, by Ana Menendez.

Jackie read these novels: Lime Tree Can’t Bear Orange by Amanda Smyth; Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie, Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, Digging to America by Anne Tyler, and Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead.

Joanna recently read two works of nonfiction: Maya Angelou’s Letter to My Daughter and Michio Kaku’s Physics of the Impossible.

Harold recommended Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose.

Arlene discussed several recent National Book Award winners: The First Tycoon: the Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, by T.J. Stiles,  Far North by Marcel Theroux, Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips, My Father’s Tears, stories by John Updike, and the young adult biography Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Philip Hoose.

Rich reviewed Greg Mortenson’s new book,  Stones into Schools, and The Big Switch, by Nicholas Carr, a history of electronic technology.

Mary recommended Stuart Woods’ Hot Mahogany, but not his Short Straw. She had also enjoyed the psychological suspense of Heather Gudenkauf’s The Weight of Silence and No Time for Goodbye, by Linwood Barclay.

Dawn read a history of Palm Beach,  Florida, called Madness Under the Royal Palms, by Lawrence Leamer, and the novels Silk by Alessandro Baricco, A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell, and Eli Gottlieb’s Now You See Him.

WAYRN? will meet again on Monday, January 4, at 1 PM at Haggard Library.

BookPage’s Best of 2009

This post is from Annie at Parr Library.

BookPage, the nifty book magazine you can pick up FOR FREE at any Plano library, has announced its 2009 Best Books list.  Its list is divided into parts: Teen fiction, middle-graders’ books; picture books; audiobooks; cookbooks; fiction; and nonfiction.  Click here to see all the lists.    

You can also sign up to receive BookPageXtra, which is BookPages’ enewsletter.  In addition to advance book reviews and author news, each person who receives the newsletter and responds when the monthly drawing is announced is eligible to win free books!  I’ve won it before—you get about 5 or 6 current books.  Nice!   To sign up, click here.    

And finally, BookPage also has a blog called The Book Case.  It’s an newsy blog, with information about books and authors, and all the most popular BookPage information, all in one place. 

Pretty good deal.  And did I mention that IT’S FREE at all Plano libraries?

Oprah’s 10 Terrific Reads

Today’s post is from Annie at Parr Library.

Oprah has eschewed a 2009 “best” list for “10 Terrific Reads of 2009.”    Same thing, however.

The Bolter by Francis Osborne
Dreaming in Hindi by Katherine Russell Rich
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Blame by Michelle Huneven
Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan
Some Things That Meant the World to Me by Joshua Mohr
The Invisible Mountain by Carolina De Robertis
Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness by Tracy Kidder

For a synopsis of the books plus links to O’s reviews of the books and readers guides, click here.

Books to Movies

Today’s post is from Annie at Parr Library.

Good Movie Season has begun!  Here are just a few of the upcoming movies that are based on books:

Playing now:
The Road based on The Road by Cormac McCarthy.  I couldn’t imagine how a movie could do this book  justice, but I’ve seen it and it’s a faithful adaptation and quite moving. 

Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, based on Up in the Air by Walter Kirn.  A movie for all those Advantage Executive Platinum flyers.  It’s very funny and a little sad.

Opening December 11:
The Lovely Bones, directed by Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame, based on The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.  As a book, a crossover hit with both teens and adults.  It will be interesting to see as a movie.

Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, based on Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation by John Carlin.  Stirring and inspiring.

Opening December 25:
Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, based on The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.  This seems like a perfect movie to go to after Christmas dinner.

Best Books List from the New York Times

Today’s post is from Annie at Parr Library:

Another Best Books list, this one from the New York Times.  Click here  to see their  10 Best list.  On the right side of that webpage is a link to their 100 Notable Books of 2009.  Lists for past years are also on this website.

Screen Doors and Sweet Tea

Today’s post is from Ellen at Parr Library:

Screen Doors and Sweet Tea:  Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook  by Martha Hall Foose

This book is a delightful mix of traditional and contemporary Southern recipes.  Mixed in with the recipes are personal anecdotes, beautiful photographs, as well as tips on cooking, storage, and suggestions of substitutions to personalize the dish.  Born and raised in Mississippi, Foose is the executive chef of the Viking Cooking School and the owner of Bottletree Bakery.  She shares her love of cooking, her affection for the South and its characters, and her recipe for sweet tea pie. 

Even if you don’t cook, cozy up with this book and soak up the goodness.  This is comfort food at its best.

A Brotherhood of Valor: The Common Soldiers of the Stonewall Brigade, C.S.A. and the Iron Brigade, U.S.A.

Today’s post is from Susan at Schimelpfenig Library:

A Brotherhood of Valor: The Common Soldiers of the Stonewall Brigade, C.S.A. and the Iron Brigade, U.S.A. by Jeffry D. Wert

If you are a dyed-in-the-wool Civil War aficionado, you might enjoy reading or listening to A Brotherhood of Valor:  The Common Soldiers of the Stonewall Brigade, C.S.A. and the Iron Brigade, U.S.A. by Jeffry D. Wert.  The author goes into great detail on the maneuvers, battles and individuals involved in the Stonewall Brigade, named for the famous Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson after the battle of First Manassas, and the Iron Brigade of the Northern Army.  The two armies are parallel in size and even faced each other in battle, but the makeup of the individual men is the same.  It’s interesting and sometimes gory,  as war often is, and the reader (listener) gets a feel for what the two brigades and their leaders are experiencing.  It’s the same for most who go to war; the important thing is to be true to your country and your fellow soldiers.

There are no sound effects on the audio book so that part of the horror is left up to the imagination.

Talk to the Snail

Today’s post is from Peter at Davis Library:

Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French  by Stephen Clarke

Stephen Clarke, a British journalist and novelist who has lived in France for over 12 years, offers a candid perspective to French customs and behavior.  Each chapter details “a commandment” for understanding and conversing with people in France.  These commandments apply to dining, smoking, working, politics, and the perils of French-style amour. He also provides a list of useful phrases that you may need in awkward social situations.  Written with wry humor, this is a great book for Francophiles, tourists, and others trying to decipher this unique and enigmatic culture.