Audiobooks Books - Page 6

Puttin' on the Grits: A Guide to Southern Entertaining

Deborah Ford

List Price: $25.95 By: Penguin Audio Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $0.05

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Cooking

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Delightful book!! 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I thought this was a delightful and entertaining book. This book is packed with many different southern traditions and customs. Deborah Ford, writes with much passion and love for many of the southern manners, and social expectations. I really enjoyed that she packed this full of vital recipes such as how to properly make sweet tea, a must have if you live in the South. She also included many other recipes for gifts and other things you may want to have in your freezer just in case.

Puttin' on the Grits was a delightful book, with all sorts of illustrations, and tips. I thought she did a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of the South in the modern world. Deborah also gave many wonderful suggestions for learning all about Southern manners and those unwriten expections for those of us who may now live in the South. I would recommend this book to those who may want to learn more about what makes the Southern culture so unique.

Editorial Review:

Family and friends are the center of life in the South, and kitchens the center of Southern homes, so there is no better way to celebrate Southern traditions than a book on entertaining. From the heartfelt love in Grandma’s dumplings to the stomping good fun at a hoedown, Southern entertaining is special. This book will help everyone to be as gracious, warm, and entertaining as Deborah Ford herself. She can’t help sharing—it’s the Southern way.

Puttin’ on the Grits covers all the details of hosting festivities large and small. From mint juleps to charm lessons, Deborah reveals the colorful secrets behind why Southern women are such consummate hosts and captures the famous combination of elegance and wit that has become the GRITS calling card. Puttin’ on the Grits even includes a discussion of how to be the kind of guest who gets invited back. Whether popping a cork or cracking open a six-pack, every hostess can now be the belle of the ball.

The Book of Tea (UNABRIDGED CD Audio Book)

Kazuko Okakura

By: PDQ Digital Press(tm) Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $12.95

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Editorial Review:

The Book of Tea was written by Okakura Kakuzo in the early 20th century. It was first published in 1906, and has since been republished many times. In the book, Kakuzo introduces the term Teaism and how Tea has affected nearly every aspect of Japanese culture, thought, and life. The book is accessibile to Western audiences because Kakuzo was taught at a young age to speak English; and spoke it all his life, becoming proficient at communicating his thoughts to the Western Mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of Tea and Japanese life. The book emphasises how Teaism taught the Japanese many things; most importantly, simplicity. Kakuzo argues that this tea-induced simplicity affected art and architecture, and he was a long-time student of the visual arts. He ends the book with a chapter on Tea Masters, and spends some time talking about Sen no Rikyu and his contribution to the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The Book of Tea is available from PDQ Digital Press for Kindle and other eBook formats here on amazon. Also available: A CommuterCombo(tm) CD, containing both the AudioBook and the eBook.

Death Of A Dentist: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery

M. C. Beaton

By: Recorded Books, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $34.90

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Entertaining

Editorial Review:

Death Of A Dentist: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery, by M. C. Beaton, Narrated by Davina Porter." "If you haven't already fallen in love with the internationally-acclaimed M.C. Beaton, then this audiobook filled with her trademark wry wit and a wonderfully puzzling plot will do the trick. When Hamish Macbeth---Lochdubh's one-man police force---awakens one morning with a killer toothache, the only dentist who will see him immediately is Dr. Gilchrist. The dentist is infamous for some unsavory womanizing and his use of "The Great Australian Trench," a practiced slip of the drill that mars several teeth and ensures a return customer. Unfortunately for Hamish, and Gilchrist, someone has canceled all the doctor's appointments---permanently. A toothache can drive a man mad, and Hamish, with a mouth full of throbbing pain, decides to go after the killer alone. Narrator Davina Porter captures Beaton's smooth blend of motive, means, fast-paced action, and delightfully quirky characters while transporting listeners to the Scottish Highlands." "Reading Beaton is an experience akin to discovering buried treasure." ---Booklist, starred review. The Midwest Book Review raves, "Porter's voice is the perfect choice." [from back of case]

Let Me Call You Sweetheart, By Mary Higgins Clark, B-O-T Library Edition, Mystery - Unabridged 6 Audio Cassettes, 9 Hours, Read By Mary Peiffer

Mary Higgins Clark

By: Books On Tape, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $25.00

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Editorial Review:

"LET ME CALL YOU SWEETHEART BY MARY HIGGINS CLARK, B-O-T LIBRARY EDITION, MYSTERY - UNABRIDGED, 6 AUDIO CASSETTES, 9 HOURS, READ BY MARY PEIFFER: Imagine your name is Kerry McGrath and that you are a successful county prosecutor. Imagine you are at a plastic surgeon's office and you see the same beautiful face on two women. Then imagine that you suddenly realize the face also belonged to the victim in a 10-year-old murder case. Why do these women have the face of a dead woman? Kerry's troubled because the man in prison may be innocent ... and he's on death row. She launches a private investigation into the old case and this rattles some very dangerous people who will kill to save face, so to speak. "America's reigning Queen of Suspense does it again ... another spine-tingler!" (B-O-T Editorial Review Board) [from case]

Making Sense of Wine

Matt Kramer

Amazon Price: $41.80 List Price: $55.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Blackstone Audiobooks Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $34.64

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Drinks & Beverages -> Spirits
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Intelligent intro to wine 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 13 people found this review helpful.

The wine writer for the Portland Oregonian presents a truly intelligent introduction to wine, an excellent starting point for a novice who wants to ramp up his knowledge quickly and well, and a good read even for those who think they know it all

Stop making sense 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 25 people found this review helpful.

The title of the book is amusing given the numerous times the author refutes his own arguments on one point or another. Self-consistency, one imagines, is essential to "making sense."

For instance, he waxes eloquent in his novelistic style about how critical maintaining the cork was to the evolution of the bottle shape: "...there couldn't have been much laying down or cellaring of wines, at least to judge from the shape of the bottle...The bulbous base of the Globe and Spike made laying it sideways quite difficult and the long neck made it that much harder for the wine to neslte against a cork, keeping it moist and swollen, the seal intact." (p128)

This is followed soon after by: "There is even serious doubt as to whether it is necessary to lay the bottles on their sides to keep the cork moist...I can attest from personal experience that the corks and the wines appear no different from old wines stored horizontally." (along with further arguments and examples, p139)

So if we bought the book hoping to "make sense" of all this, should we infer that laying bottles on their side is better or not?

The author, who doesn't include a single illustration save one of himself, appears to be on a search for "truth in wine," which he argues in his first chapter is in fact reachable in the form of "standards." He then proceeds to demonstrate how such standards are indeed beyond the reach of objective truth in practice.

Nonsense.

However, I think everyone truly interested in wine should read this, if only to deepen the delicious enigma.

Editorial Review:

This new edition of Matt Kramer's classic guide to wine features a new preface and an all-new chapter that covers changes and advances in winemaking since first publication in 1989. The superbly written text explains everything an oenophile needs to know, including the creation and naming of wines, wine cellars, presentation and glassware, pairing wine with food, and much more. Kramer explores connoisseurship through the practical devices of "thinking wine" and "drinking wine," making for a most enjoyable and engrossing journey through one of life's most dependable pleasures.

Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras

Amazon Price: $26.59 List Price: $34.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Recorded Books Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $18.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 43 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wow! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book has it all: the druggie street scene, cash and sex, prison from the inside, redemption of a drug dealer, and the highest echelons of haute cuisine. It's very well written and thoughtful, too. The reader really feels a part of every vividly described scene. This book also makes you think about how people end up dealing drugs and that with the right motivation and influences drug dealers -- and perhaps other accused criminals -- can turn their lives around. But not all incarcerated felons have the insight, guts, leadership, strength and intelligence to pull themselves up and out. More attention should be paid to helping along inmates with potential to do good for themselves and for the world.

Inspiring and educational 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

In 'Cooked,' Jeff Henderson recounts his unlikely rise from a crack dealer in San Diego to a well-respected chef in a prestigious Las Vegas restaurant. His ambitions and inspiration came to him while serving a drug-related sentence in federal prison, and upon his release he put 100% of his efforts into educating himself, gaining experience, and convincing influential people in the restaurant business to take a chance on him.

Jeff's gritty memoir was fascinating to me, someone to whom most of his life experiences are completely foreign, and I had a difficult time putting it down between sittings. One can't help but admire his strength and resolve in making his dreams come true despite a past he wasn't proud of.

Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating

Jane Goodall, Gary McAvoy, Gail Hudson

Amazon Price: $22.05 List Price: $31.98 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Hachette Audio Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $2.53

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Diets & Weight Loss -> Diets -> Weight Loss

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

World-renowned scientist and conservationist Jane Goodall earned her fame by studying chimpanzee feeding habits. But in Harvest for Hope, she scrutinizes human eating behaviors, and the colossal food industries that force-feed some cultures' self-destructive habits for mass consumption. It's an unsustainable lifestyle that Goodall argues must change immediately, beginning--not ironically--at a grassroots level.

Looping personal anecdotes from 40 years of global travels with stories from noble farmer Davids and corporate Goliaths, Goodall methodically builds her case for shopping organic and living modestly. Mustering a tender gumption, she details the vicious cycle of pesticide-ridden and genetically engineered crops which feed the unknowing majority of consumers; and also feed the antibiotic-treated animals that provide these folks with inexpensive entrees. Leaving nasty slaughterhouse scenes to less tactful pens, Goodall focuses more on the product of "factory farming" techniques: mountains of waste, nutritionally depleted soil, polluted water, displaced organic farmers, and severely compromised food.

Hope springs from positive sources: Edible Schoolyard programs in the U.K. and U.S., parents breaking their schools' "unholy alliance" with fast food chains and soft drink companies, a steady rise in organic purchases. Goodall offers many suggestions for rallying others, exercising one's own consumer powers, and just plain eating less meat. Conservationists might say this information is nothing new, which might explain why Goodall provides only tertiary references to her many statistics and facts. But for those who prefer that their own eating habits be stirred--not shaken--into question, the kindly Chimpanzee Lady provides the gentle touch required. --Liane Thomas

The Joy of Wine: An Insider's Guide to the Major Varietals

Rob Geddes M.W.

Amazon Price: $29.95 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Now You Know Media

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Editorial Review:

Through this 4 CD series, learn all about the 12 great wine varietals from one of the world's top experts, Rob Geddes. One of only 264 Masters of Wine in the world, Rob pours his years of experience as an author, wine judge and broadcast radio personality into this unique audio series. You'll sure to find yourself laughing out loud at Rob's irreverent Australian humor while gaining fascinating new insights into how to select and enjoy wine. Open a new world of wine understanding while you drive, exercise or while relaxing at home. Learn more about the wines you love now and the ones you will love after listening to this series.

In addition to learning all about the wine itself, you'll pick up useful wine know like:

• How to develop a wine vocabulary that will impress your friends and show any waiter or salesperson you know your stuff

• How to select the best wine glasses

• How to create and maintain your own wine cellar, whether large or small

• How to assess a wine's quality by sight, smell and by using simple sheet of paper

Food and Love (Audio CD)

Gary Smalley

List Price: $21.99 By: Tyndale House Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $10.96

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Christianity -> Christian Living -> General
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Christianity -> Christian Living -> Relationships -> Marriage

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Put down that doughnut. If your weight or your spouse's weight is causing problems in your marriage, counselor and relationship expert Dr. Gary Smalley's Food and Love is packed with appetizing ideas for making changes in nutrition and relationships. His integrated approach, addressing spiritual, emotional, and physical health, overflows with practical tips for personal application. A set of quizzes in the front section of the book helps pinpoint where improvement is possible, and other information is broken down into bite-sized, manageable chunks, such as "Ten ways to extend grace when weight is an issue for you and your spouse," or a section of often-asked questions paired with Smalley's answers. Crucial to weight loss is the notion that "you need God's strength and power to make changes you can never make on your own," Smalley writes. The spiritual component and gentleness of tone in this book are inviting, and distinguish it from other diet books. Smalley's workable suggestions, paired with personal revelations about his own mistakes in weight control and relationships, make for engrossing, life-changing reading. --Cindy Crosby

Grits (What Makes Us Southerners, Vol 1)

Kathryn Windham

Amazon Price: $13.73 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: August House Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $9.68

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

You do NOT have to be from the south to hear this! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What a pleasant listen. Kathryn Tucker Windham is hilarious! She is one heck of a story teller! ALL of her CD's are FANTASTIC!

Editorial Review:

Nowhere are Kathryn Tucker Windam's transcendant themes of community, fidelity, and family more evident than in these stories. The author calls them recollections of a happy Southern childhood, but her avid admirers would tell you they are much more than that. Combing her vivid characterization, her affection for the South and its people, her well-seasoned humor, and her distinctive diction, these stories capture something of Southern culture that is in danger of extinction. By listening to Ms. ....