Europe Books

Spain...A Culinary Road Trip

Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow

Amazon Price: $23.07 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ecco Amazon Marketplace: 66 new & used starting at $18.55

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> General AAS
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Regional & International -> European -> Spanish

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From Mario Batali, superstar chef and author of Molto Italiano and Italian Grill, comes an eating tour throughout Spain with his friend Gwyneth Paltrow.

Spain...A Culinary Road Trip is the companion book to the prime-time public television series Spain...On The Road Again. The premise is simple: Mario Batali and Mark Bittman are single-minded, food-obsessed friends who are constantly on the lookout for the food, wine, and cooking that is unique to Spain—and in this series they will find it. Gwyneth Paltrow and the Spanish actress Claudia Bassols are eager to enjoy all the pleasures the country has to offer, and each pair will be lured into the worlds of the other.

The foursome take the ultimate road trip adventure, showcasing the pleasures of Spain, the country's regional cuisine, art, history, and culture, as they've never been seen before. Hundreds of gorgeous and candid photos, anecdotes, and more than seventy recipes from Mario appear in this scrapbook of the dream vacation through Spain.

Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Tanya Bastianich Manuali

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Cookbook - Model: BASTIANICH Amazon Marketplace: 65 new & used starting at $16.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Regional & International -> European -> Italian
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Ahhhhhh, BLISS 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Do you know how you can just about smell and taste Lidia's dishes as she prepares them on her show? Well, that's exactly what you'll get when you make her delicious and easy recipes in this divine book. She writes them out so well that it's almost like standing right beside her in your own kitchen. I have many, many cookbooks, as it's one of the things I collect, read from cover to cover, and then put to use -- but this is my all-time favorite for Italian fare. Put simply, it's pure bliss.

Lidia is the Queen 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The thing about Lidia's books and cooking show is she actually teaches me something. She tells me about the regional cooking and how to prepare authentic recipes - simple and straight forward. I love that she's not just another celebrity chef. She's the real deal.

Lidia and Mario Batali are true teachers of their craft. I constantly learn from both of them.

Editorial Review:

From the Tuscan countryside to the ruins of Rome, celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich takes you on a culinary tour of the ten places in Italy most near and dear to her heart... and stomach.

I Never Knew that About Ireland

Christopher Winn

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks By: Thomas Dunne Books Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $16.47

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Europe -> Ireland -> Troubles
Subjects -> History -> Europe -> Ireland -> General
Subjects -> History -> Europe -> Ireland -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

For real travelers or dreamers 4 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This is a different kind of travel book. Not a guidebook in the Frommer's or Lonely Planet tradition, but just as valuable for learning more about the country of Ireland. This book covers the four province of Ireland: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. Each county within the four provinces are featured. At the end of each section there is an "I Never Knew That..." section. Some things that I bet you never knew about Ireland:

-- In 1822, Richard Martin put through Parliament the first Animal Rights Bill and two years later founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

-- Rosslare has an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes of sunshine every day. (Living in Washington State, that sounds like paradise!)

-- You have heard of Stonehenge but did you know that the Grange Stone Circle is made up of 113 stones and is the largest prehistoric stone circle in Ireland (it dates from around 2000 BC).

-- The DeLorean (the famous car from Back to the Future) was built in Ireland and caught the eye of Hollywood producers.

--Sophie Pierce was the first woman to make a parachute jump, the first person in the world to fly solo from Cape Town to London and the first woman in Ireland and Britain to gain a commercial pilot's license. Unfortunately she fell out of a tram and was killed.

Winn has written a book with a warm personable tone. I felt as if I were listening to a fun friend who loved Ireland and knew neat trivia about each region. There is something for everyone as there are facts and stories about famous people, true crime, myths and inventions. Although color photos would have been nice, the numerous black and white sketches add charm to this book.

Winn is a writer, quiz master and producer for theater and television. He has also written I Never Knew That books about England, Scotland, Wales and London.

Armchair Interviews says: A wonderful book for trivia buffs and armchair travelers!

Editorial Review:

In this wonderful compendium, Christopher Winn gives a tour of the four provinces of Ireland---Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster. Find out where dreams were inspired, ideas were born, and where the unforgettable heroes of Ireland’s past now slumber. A treasure trove of fascinating stories, I Never Knew That About Ireland is packed full of information on the colorful history of the Emerald Isle.
This irresistible book gives a captivating insight into the heritage, memories, and monuments that have shaped each county in Ireland, searching out their secrets and unearthing their hidden gems.

Streetwise Paris Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of Paris, France - Folding pocket size travel map with metro map including lines & stations

Streetwise Maps

Amazon Price: $7.95 List Price: $7.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Streetwise Maps Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $3.71

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> Maps
Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> World
Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 70 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Very Useful Map Of Central Paris 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I generally like the "Streetwise" series of laminated maps, and their Paris map is no exception. It is compact, clear, easy to use, and exceptionally durable. It covers the city center of Paris, and the front side centers along the middle of the city with the Seine River running roughly along the midline. Northern and southern extremities, an index, and a Metro map are located on the back. All in all it is exceptionally useful for both planning a trip in conjunction with a guidebook as well as actually maneuvering on the ground in the city.

The most important landmarks are well defined on the map, and the information presented is accurate and current in my experience (it was revised in 2008). If you want to get out of central Paris you will need another map. Every map is designed for a specific purpose, and this one is designed for use by tourists of central Paris; for this purpose this map is exceedingly well suited, and I recommend it unequivocally.

Editorial Review:

Streetwise Paris Map - Laminated Center City Street Map of Paris, France - Folding pocket size travel map with integrated metro map including lines & stations

This map covers the following areas:
Main Paris Map 1:14,000
Paris Metro Map
Map of France

Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour

Kate Fox

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $11.03

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Customs & Traditions
Subjects -> Reference -> Etiquette -> General
Subjects -> Reference -> Etiquette -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent Study, Worthwhile Reading 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I had read Barzini's well known works on the Europeans and thoroughly enjoyed this book on the English.

The approach is academic yet palatable, laden with insightful observations and well deserves consideration as a work of anthropological interest. The author maintains an objective distance and professional methodology which impart a delicious irony; we are conditioned to primitive cultures as the provenance of these studies, she turns the focus upon what some may argue as the bastion of civilization.

As a guidebook to a cultural understanding of the English this work is invaluable. The expose on class is penetrating and amuses as there are unexpected twists; such as decorating your home or garden with a modicum of lower class objects, the inside joke apparent only to the cognoscienti.

Editorial Review:

A bestseller in the UK, Watching the English is a biting, affectionate, insightful and often hilarious look English Society. Putting the English national character under her anthropological microscope, Fox finds a strange and fascinating culture, governed by complex sets of unspoken rules and bizarre codes of behavior. Through a mixture of anthropological analysis and her own unorthodox experiments-even using herself as a reluctant guinea-pig-Fox discovers what these unwritten codes tell us about Englishness.

Rick Steves' Paris 2009 (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves, Steve Smith, Gene Openshaw

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Avalon Travel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 34 new & used starting at $10.93

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> France -> Paris
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> France -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> France -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the cozy crêperies of Ile St. Louis—Rick Steves’ Paris 2009 allows any traveler to experience all that the City of Light has to offer, from the big-name attractions to the local favorites. Rick covers the best of Paris, providing full tours of the museums and historic sights, detailed walks through various neighborhoods, and complete coverage of Parisian cuisine. Pick from over 400 types of cheeses at the fromagerie on Rue Cler or take a day trip to Versailles—it’’s all possible with Rick Steves as your guide.

French Milk

Lucy Knisley

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Touchstone Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $8.21

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Memoirs
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Charming Paris Mother/Daughter Travelogue 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The Glass Castle author Jeannette Walls once told me that memoir should be universal, and I've kept that in mind ever since when I read them. What I think she meant is that while a memoir is specific to the storyteller in the details, anyone should be able to relate to it, somehow. As I read Lucy Knisley's French Milk, I was struck by her storytelling, but also her age, use of photography, and that I could never write such a book, though I too have traveled to Paris with my mother.

The fact that her divorced parents are on good terms, a fact she casually drops in, resonated with me, especially when her father comes to join them for a brief visit during their six-week trip. This would never happen in my divorced family, and it made me, briefly, jealous--again, this goes back to Walls's maxim; my life circumstances may not be the same as Knisley's, but hers caused me to reflect on my own. She also exhibits a particular pride and faith in her work (with the occasional doubts), one that I still struggle with in my early thirties. Her dedication to her art and the creation of this book are apparent. Other moments are brief but powerful, such as going up the Eiffel Tower on a particularly windy day, where Knisley writes, "You could feel the tower move in the wind and see the birds blown off course."

I was torn as to the value of the photographs she included; at first, I thought there was something unfair about it, but then I came upon one of her kissing a wall and realized there was no other way to capture that moment, at least, not so thoroughly. The photos are used sparingly, without comment, filling in gaps in her story, fleshing them out and creating what feels more like an intimate scrapbook than a memoir, albeit an accessible one.

French Milk is a travelogue, and as such, sometimes the details of each meal become less interesting toward the end. But it's Knisley's personality, and little details that make this book so charming, whether it's the odd characters she meets or her feeling low on a particular day or railing against a piece of bad art, going so far as to name the artist, who's made a rendition of Paris Hilton, by name.

I finished the book a bit jealous of Knisley's closeness with her mother, and impressed that she managed to finesse both the details and the bigger picture, a portrait of a young woman just starting out in "the real world," but taking a detour to a city full of pastries, lush dinners, cemeteries, art and adventure before she does so. French Milk will appeal to Americans who've, like Knisley, fallen for Paris, and those looking to recapture their college traveling days. As for me, I'm giving a copy to my mom, and hope that our travels are as fruitful.

Editorial Review:

Through delightful drawings, photographs, and musings, twenty-three-year-old Lucy Knisley documents a six-week trip she and her mother took to Paris when each was facing a milestone birthday. With a quirky flat in the fifth arrondissement as their home base, they set out to explore all the city has to offer, watching fireworks over the Eiffel Tower on New Year's Eve, visiting Oscar Wilde's grave, loafing at cafés, and, of course, drinking delicious French milk. What results is not only a sweet and savory journey through the City of Light but a moving, personal look at a mother-daughter relationship.

Rick Steves' Spain 2009 (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves

Amazon Price: $16.29 List Price: $23.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Avalon Travel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $14.24

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Spain -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Spain -> General AAS
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Helpful guide to Spain 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I used this book and found helpful information. In Madrid the two restaurant suggestions near our hotel were great. I was disappointed to find no information on Valencia. There is a reference to a website but that is after the fact once you are travelling. Also, the great buildup for Nerja at the Costa del Sol is not justified. We were at Torremolinos and thought we must go to Nerja since it was so fondly written about. However, we were extremely disappointed and the water quality was inferior to where we were. And it takes hours to get there by train and bus. I guess any travel book is good once you go for the second time, but, many of the references to places were confusing to me on a first time visit and I missed doing all that I wanted.

Editorial Review:

Visit the Guggenheim Bilbao where the building itself is a tremendous work of art, sample the nightlife of Madrid that ends when the offices open, and witness the excitement and gore of a bullfight—Rick Steves’ Spain 2009 allows any traveler to experience all that the country has to offer—economically and hassle-free. Rick covers the best of Spain, from the big-name attractions to the local favorites: the golden beaches of San Sebastián, the Alhambra in Grenada, and the whitewashed hill towns of Andalusia. Offering expert advice on transportation, accommodations, and local cuisine, Rick Steves’ Spain 2009 is a tour guide in your pocket.

Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas (P.S.)

John Baxter

Amazon Price: $11.16 List Price: $13.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harper Perennial Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $8.18

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General AAS
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> Essays

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A witty cultural and culinary education, Immoveable Feast is the charming, funny, and improbable tale of how a man who was raised on white bread—and didn't speak a word of French—unexpectedly ended up with the sacred duty of preparing the annual Christmas dinner for a venerable Parisian family.

Ernest Hemingway called Paris "a moveable feast"—a city ready to embrace you at any time in life. For Los Angeles-based film critic John Baxter, that moment came when he fell in love with a French woman and impulsively moved to Paris to marry her. As a test of his love, his skeptical in-laws charged him with cooking the next Christmas banquet—for eighteen people in their ancestral country home. Baxter's memoir of his yearlong quest takes readers along his misadventures and delicious triumphs as he visits the farthest corners of France in search of the country's best recipes and ingredients. Irresistible and fascinating, Immoveable Feast is a warmhearted tale of good food, romance, family, and the Christmas spirit, Parisian style.