Cooking Books

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

Elizabeth Gilbert

Amazon Price: $8.25 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Penguin (Non-Classics) Amazon Marketplace: 213 new & used starting at $6.30

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1640 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

like so many others, very dissappointed 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Not only did I find her whiney and self-absorbed, but also didn't see her as a really great writer. I almost quite half way but I hate not to finish, so I slugged through it all. There were a few interesting times in the book, but they are few and far between. Just find someone who read it and ask them to recap their favorite paragraph and you're done.

Editorial Review:

This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls “Anne Lamott’s hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister”) is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.

Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl-A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship

Sherry Argov

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Adams Media Amazon Marketplace: 104 new & used starting at $5.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 438 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Do you feel like you are too nice?

Sherry Argov's Why Men Love Bitches delivers a unique perspective as to why men are attracted to a strong woman who stands up for herself. With saucy detail on every page, this no-nonsense guide reveals why a strong woman is much more desirable than a "yes woman" who routinely sacrifices herself. The author provides compelling answers to the tough questions women often ask:

-Why are men so romantic in the beginning and why do they change?

-Why do men take nice girls for granted?

-Why does a man respect a woman when she stands up for herself?

Full of much-needed advice, hilarious real-life relationship scenarios, "she says/he thinks" tables, and the author's unique "Attraction Principles," Why Men Love Bitches gives you bottom-line answers. It helps you know who you are, stand your ground, and relate to men on a whole new level. Once you've discovered the feisty attitude men find so magnetic, you'll not only increase the romantic chemistry in the relationship-you'll gain your man's love and respect with far less effort.

I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence

Amy Sedaris

Amazon Price: $18.47 List Price: $27.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Grand Central Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 99 new & used starting at $12.33

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 209 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I like this book. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Dear Amy -

I like your book. No, I love it. No, wait, I totally *heart* it, in fact. It is way awesome. Much like you. I bet you throw the craziest parties. Will you kindly invite me sometime? I know I'm one of those annoying vegans who will totally muck up your dinner menu, but I promise to make it up to you by bringing plenty of booze.

Anyway, back to your book. Why do I *heart* it so? Well, the pictures totally kick it; it takes a special lady to pull off the bottomless-but-for-pantyhose look. Your gourmet masterpieces look yummy despite the animal ingredients. And your diy décor is do-able even for the not-so-crafty among us. Googley eyes on peanuts! Who woulda thunkit? And you're so retro, too, Amy! Like a Fiona Apple video, or those `70s douche ads that all us hairy-legged feminist bloggers like to pass around on the internets. I LIKE YOU is, like, the perfect coffee table book for people who think people who have coffee table books are kinda sorta pretentious jerks. For reals.

But wait! There's more! Your book also has words! And they make me laugh, and laugh, and laugh. And then chortle and guffaw. And then some more lolz. Your sections on entertaining the elderly, babycakes (sorry, "children"), ladies' nights and "when you get to play nurse" (not as fun and/or dirt-ay as it sounds) are especially amusing. Even the book flap provides several minutes of enjoyment.

In sum, Amy, you give this misanthrope hope! Plus, you taught me how to locate my vagina with a hand mirror. I will always remember you for that. With much fondness and warmth. Make of that what you will.

hugs & kisses

- k

PS - Did you by chance ever go by the name of Charlene, maybe in the early `80s? Because you totally remind me of Dr. Stephen Colbert, DFA's ex-lover of the same name. No? Whatevs, nm.

PPS - I know it's you.

PPPS - I am eagerly awaiting my dinner party invite.

Editorial Review:

The charismatic and multi-talented Amy Sedaris is many things: actress, author, and yes, David Sedariss sister. Now, she takes on the world of entertaining in this blisteringly funny collection of bizarre tips, recipes and craft ideas (like mini pantyhose plant-hangers!) perfect for hosting an unforgettable fete. Your guests will rave.

My Life in France

Julia Child, Alex Prud'Homme

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Anchor Amazon Marketplace: 73 new & used starting at $4.90

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 114 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Julia Child singlehandedly created a new approach to American cuisine with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show The French Chef, but as she reveals in this bestselling memoir, she was not always a master chef.


Indeed, when she first arrived in France in 1948 with her husband, Paul, who was to work for the USIS, she spoke no French and knew nothing about the country itself. But as she dove into French culture, buying food at local markets and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu, her life changed forever with her newfound passion for cooking and teaching. Julia’s unforgettable story – struggles with the head of the Cordon Bleu, rejections from publishers to whom she sent her now-famous cookbook, a wonderful, nearly fifty-year long marriage that took them across the globe – unfolds with the spirit so key to her success as a chef and a writer, brilliantly capturing one of the most endearing American personalities of the last fifty years.

Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting the Perfect Funeral

Gayden Metcalfe

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Miramax Amazon Marketplace: 77 new & used starting at $4.45

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 82 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good reading, good laughs, great characters 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Mississippi Delta classic. If you have any friends there or live or have lived in the Delta this is "must reading".

Being Dead Is No Excuse 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I did not know what to expect but I laughed all through the book. The recipes look promising although I have not had the opportunity to try one. I have given this book as a gift and recommended it to several friends. You might find it more relevent if you are from the South and are Episcopalian.

Just the recipes alone ... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

are enough to justify this purchase! They're outstanding, and so traditional down south that most folk don't even bother to write them down. But the writing - especially ias it relates to being Methodist or Episcopal, and whether your family falls on one side or the other of the politics in your hometown ... it's all good. Just hilarious! If you grew up in the South, you recognize these people described herein - and if you didn't grown up in the South, well, you'll wish that you had!

Buy it - it's all good!

Love,
granny nita

Wonderful 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Being from Alabama I know that what she says is absolutely true!

The Man Who Ate Everything

Jeffrey Steingarten

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Vintage Amazon Marketplace: 86 new & used starting at $3.46

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 65 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

When Jeffrey Steingarten was made food critic of Vogue in 1989, he began by systematically learning to like all the food he had previously avoided. From clams to Greek food to Indian desserts with the consistency of face cream, Steingarten undertook an extraordinary program of self-inflicted behavior modification to prepare himself for his new career. He describes the experience in this collection's first piece, before setting out on a series of culinary adventures that take him around the world.

It's clear that Vogue gave Steingarten carte blanche to write on whatever subjects tickled his taste buds, and the result is a frequently hilarious collection of essays that emphasize good eating over an obsession with health. "Salad, the Silent Killer" is a catalog of the toxins lurking in every bowl of raw vegetables, while "Fries" follows a heroic attempt to create the perfect French fry--cooked in horse fat. Whether baking sourdough bread in his Manhattan loft or spraying miso soup across a Kyoto restaurant, Steingarten is an ideal guide to the wilder reaches of gastronomy, a cross between M.F.K. Fisher and H.L. Mencken.

Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations

Chris Fair

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The Lyons Press Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $12.74

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Come for the shrill, leftist-corrective sensibility; stay for the fesanjan. 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Like some unholy hybrid of Rachel Ray and Fareed Zakaria, Ms. Fair uses her extensive knowledge of the world's hotspots and her love and talent for cooking to undertake the heretofore little-attempted mission of helping the reader actually learn something of use outside the kitchen whilst preparing to strap on the feedbag. The result subjects international relations, American foreign policy, and a sizable majority of the non-human animal kingdom to a healthy skewering.

Based on my own personal experiences with the author's cooking and rapier wit (she once helpfully explained to me the difference between "Northern Alliance" Afghan food and "Taliban" Afghan food), I believe you can safely assume that, in the end, you will be entertained, a little smarter for the effort, and in any event well fed.

A smart and evil grouse for dinner. 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Unique is an understatement. What other book full of carefully selected, international recipes includes a no-holds-barred "dossier of perfidy" for the 10 countries from where they originate and a bibliography richer than many doctoral theses? A cookbook with "Beer Butt Chicken" AND Zhen Qie Zi? Powerful and insightful critiques of Pakistani AND Israeli policies?

In her analyst-world, the author is well known for being direct and honest; someone once called her unvarnished, but that's far too simplistic. Read the book and you'll see she's also incredibly passionate about important things, creative in her approach to understanding and explaining them, sometimes pornographic, amazingly well-informed, often skeptical, and always brings along her 800lb vocabulary.

Everyone who reads this will learn something. Perhaps it will be about food and politics or just some new words for the NYT crossword or your GRE. Maybe you'll be inspired to know more about some of these places. I certainly am. Regardless, you won't read another book like this, I promise. Yes, I'm an "insider", but that doesn't make me wrong.
Hate the policies, like the people, love the food.

The Manga Cookbook

The Manga University Culinary Institute, Chihiro Hattori

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Japanime Co. Ltd. Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $8.81

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

cute basic cook book 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This is a decent beginner's cookbook. It would be great for children or teenagers who want to learn how to cook. The photos in the beginning are fine, but it's a bit disorganized because of the lack of photos throughout the book especially for different recipes.

Editorial Review:

Reading manga sure can make a person hungry! Food appears frequently in Japanese comics, but what exactly is it that the characters are eating? Introducing The Manga Cookbook, an illustrated step-by-step guide to preparing simple Japanese dishes using ingredients found in every Western kitchen. Learn to identify and make the same things you see in all your favorite manga: authentic onigiri (rice balls), yakitori (skewered chicken), oshinko (pickled vegetables), udon (Japanese noodles), okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pizza) and many others! Includes sections on how to assemble bento boxed lunches and properly use chopsticks. Features original manga illustrations by Chihiro Hattori. Soon, you too can enjoy a meal fit for a manga character!

Don't Eat This Book

Morgan Spurlock

List Price: $21.95 By: Putnam Adult Amazon Marketplace: 18 new & used starting at $3.00

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Total reviews: 63 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The literary debut of the funniest and most incisive new voice to come along since Michael Moore-and the acclaimed director of the film phenomenon of the year.

Can man live on fast food alone? Morgan Spurlock tried to do just that. For thirty days, he ate nothing but three "squares" a day from McDonald's as part of an investigation into the effects of fast food on American health. The resulting documentary won him resounding applause and a worldwide release that broke box-office records. Audiences were captivated by Spurlock's experiment, during which he gained twenty-five pounds, his blood pressure skyrocketed, and his libido all but disappeared.

But this story goes far beyond Spurlock's good-humored "Mc-Sickness." He traveled across the country-into schools, hospitals, and people's homes -to investigate school lunch programs, the marketing of fast food, and the declining emphasis on health and physical education. He looks at why fast food is so tasty, cheap, and ultimately seductive, and what Americans can do to turn the rising tide of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes that have accompanied its ever-growing popularity. He interviewed experts in twenty U.S. cities-from surgeon generals and kids to lawmakers and marketing gurus-who share their research, opinions, and "gut feelings" on our ever-expanding girth and what we can all do to offset a health crisis of supersized proportions.

In this groundbreaking, hilarious book, "benevolent muckraker" Morgan Spurlock debuts a wry investigative voice that will appeal to anyone interested in the health of our country, our children, and ourselves.

America Eats!: On the Road with the WPA - the Fish Fries, Box Supper Socials, and Chitlin Feasts That Define Real American Food

Pat Willard

Amazon Price: $17.15 List Price: $25.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Bloomsbury USA Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $10.99

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Amazon Best of the Month, July 2008: America Eats! originated as a 1935 WPA project that sent out-of-work writers (mostly unknowns, but also some soon-to-be famous names like Eudora Welty and Ralph Ellison) to chronicle America's regional cuisine, focusing on the group-dining dynamic of church suppers, harvest festivals, state fairs, political rallies, lodge suppers, and any gathering where food took center stage--"In a nation inhabited by strangers, sharing a meal lessened the loneliness of wandering across unfamiliar landscapes." While bits and pieces of their work saw the light of day over the years, the project was never completed or published and was filed away in the Library of Congress like a culinary Ark of the Covenant until Brooklyn-based food writer Pat Willard used this national artifact as a roadmap for her own coast-to-coast tour to see if these traditions still exist (many, sadly, are long gone) and offer a contemporary update on the WPA's original observations. Sprinkled throughout with heirloom recipes (Root Beer, Pickled Watermelon Rinds, Chess Pie, Son-of-Gun Stew) and never-before-published vintage photos, America Eats! is a celebration of our nation's table and a welcome addition to the popular food lit genre. "It's nice to report that, when a community need arises, we're still inspired as a nation to pull out a big pot and start throwing into it a lot of ingredients, with the understanding that sharing a large batch of something delicious with neighbors and strangers alike is a fine and proper way to accomplish some good." --Brad Thomas Parsons