2009(2)

WELCOME TO THE ESCAPE ZONE!

Summer in Colorado is an anomaly this year, as it seems to be across the United States. We’ve had heavy rain, blistering hot days, hail, high winds, and even tornados in areas where they are rare. Right now we are having a handful of days with temps only in the seventies—almost unheard of for August on the Colorado Front Range. From here we’ll probably simmer a bit more, then slide gracefully into another stunning red-and-gold fall. Whether you are parked under an umbrella with a tall iced tea to beat the heat, or curled up inside on the couch to stay dry, every season offers wonderful moments for reading and thinking, savoring and dreaming. Here at FEAST, we feel thrilled that we are entering our fourth year and still growing, that so many of you are enjoying what we recommend and discovering special treasures among the offerings. We hope you’ll continue to pass along the link to our issues and encourage others to join us.

This issue has a wide range of choices—we hope there’s something for each of you. Sometimes it’s hard to decide what section to put a book in. For example, this issue we couldn’t decide whether to put the incredible, fascinating story The Secret of the Great Pyramid in nonfiction, where it technically belongs, or in travel because it is a journey of sorts into the heart of Egypt. And we couldn’t make up our minds at first about where to place Ellen Meloy’s lyrically written, deep exploration of the desert landscape and meditation on color, The Anthology on Turquoise. In the end, both books went into our ROAD RASH section. So, even if you think you read only fiction, or only nonfiction, or don’t like books on art, food, or travel, at least scan all our sections because they often contain unexpected nuggets of treasure in unlikely places!

We are constantly seeking ways to make FEAST more useful and more appealing and you’ll see some adjustments in this issue. We’ve done away with the popups for instant purchases from Amazon because some readers found them annoying rather than helpful and other readers felt their favorite indie bookstores were being slighted. We are not tied to any corporate sponsorship—where you access your books and films, whether by purchase, trade, or your local library, is your business. What we care about at FEAST is that you gain pure enjoyment, education, and entertainment from what you read about here. To add to that pleasure, this issue we asked a couple of discerning outside writers to review one of their favorite recent reads for you to consider. I think you’ll like what they have to say.

PLEASE MAKE USE OF OUR COMMENTS LINK to make suggestions, issue complaints, or to let us know who else might like to know about FEAST. Remember that there is always a link to the left of the editor’s essay in case you want to have a text-only hard copy on hand.

Welcome to our world of earthly delights!

-- Rosemary Carstens
Editor

IN BETWEEN ISSUES OF FEAST, look for updates on books, art, food, film, and travel at our blog: http://carstensFEAST.blogspot.com

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @tweets2go

COMMENTS

FICTION THAT BLEW MY HAIR BACK:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson. Knopf 2008. Translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland. There are storytellers and then there are Master storytellers. Stieg Larsson clearly falls into the latter category in this first of the so-called Millenium Trilogy. It’s a thriller of depth and complexity sure to satisfy any fan of the genre, and Larsson, who died in 2004 of a heart attack after completing the last of the trilogy, has created a central character so unique in Lisbeth Salander that she will outshine other attempts at strong women protagonists far into the literary night. When young Harriet Vanger, member of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden, disappeared without a trace forty years ago, her uncle remained determined to discover what had happened. Now in his eighties, he reaches an agreement with Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist down on his luck, to pursue new evidence under the guise of writing a family history. The Vanger family is a collection of particularly nasty characters with only a few happier ones thrown in, and as Blomkvist uncovers new answers to the decades-old mystery he becomes a target himself. Enter (not until page 259!) Ms. Salander, a 24-year-old, tattooed, antisocial research genius who can kick ass and take names when crossed. What a team! As plot and subplot unfold simultaneously, you will be carried along faster and faster until you cannot lay this book down—even at 645 pages, you’ll be sorry to see it end. And the good news is—there are two more to go in this fabulous series—The Girl Who Played with Fire out this summer and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest in the fall. Not to mention the film—

For bio, forums, and other data: http://www.stieglarsson.com

THE PRODUCTION OF THE THREE MOVIES began in the spring of 2008. Niels Arden Oplev, a Danish director, will direct the first movie, titled Men Who Hate Women, to be released in the Nordic countries this year: http://www.stieglarsson.com/the-movies

Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese. Knopf 2009. An engaging family saga. Even at more than 500 pages from its opening prologue to the very last word of his attributions, this author captured my attention. He frames his story of this family in two unique ways: through the history and culture of Ethiopia and through the history and development of certain aspects of medicine. Not only is this the story of the lives of two boys born to a nun, fathered by a surgeon, and left behind to grow up in a warm adoptive family as part of a medical community in a country at war with itself, but it is the story of becoming a stranger in your own land. These are well-developed characters you care deeply about, yet at times despise their weaknesses. It is a story of compassion, betrayal, family love, and, above all, the flawed but magnificent qualities of being human. Author’s website: http://www.abrahamverghese.com

Little Bee, Chris Cleave. Simon & Schuster 2008. An unusual story of life and payback, sacrifice and self-interest woven around a violent chance meeting between two women on a beach in Nigeria. Chance can test your mettle, polish it or tarnish it—the tale of how these two women’s lives intermingled and the complexities of survival will give you plenty to think about long after the outcome is known. Cleave leads readers to reach a specific conclusion about events and then, drop by drop, bit by bit, provides detail that forces a reevaluation. Deep and provocative, a complete page turner. The author’s debut novel Incendiary won the 2006 Somerset Maugham award. Author’s website: http://www.chriscleave.com

The Forest Lover, Susan Vreeland. Viking 2004. Vreeland has written several “imagined” biographies either about famous artists or people in their closest circle. Her best known may be Girl in Hyacinth Blue, the imagined story of the girl in Vermeer’s painting by the same name. The Forest Lover relates the life of another legendary painter, Canadian artist Emily Carr, who is known for recording the totems and lives of the native peoples of British Columbia in the early part of the 20th century. Carr has been compared to Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keefe and her work is exceptional and surrealistic in both content and style. She garnered little recognition in her lifetime because of her unusual subject matter and because she brought sophisticated techniques of surrealism learned during a stay in Paris to what was essentially an artistic backwater in her time. Vreeland’s strength as a writer is her ability to turn well-grounded and thorough research into a compelling account. Here she does a fine job of detailing a woman artist’s struggle to follow her passion, relieve her personal sense of isolation, and gain recognition for her talent. Author’s website: http://www.svreeland.com

The Spare Room, Helen Garner. Henry Holt 2008. This small book is a rare jewel. Although fiction, it is written so directly and so honestly that it rings with truth. Naming the main character “Helen,” the author makes us believe this is her story, and maybe it is. Maybe it is potentially the story of all of us. Helen’s friend Nicole comes to Melbourne to stay for two weeks and seek alternative therapy for serious illness. Becoming nurse, advisor, perhaps protector of Nicole are not roles Helen relishes and she finds her emotional and physical energy depleted as her reactions swing from outright rage to unbearable grief. Here a caretaker speaks openly about feelings we seldom hear discussed, using fiction as a vehicle for discussing our universal difficulties in dealing with death. Very moving, very compelling—a story beautifully told.

A nice NYT review: http://bit.ly/Kh3a1

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford. Ballentine 2009. Story, story, story—combined with skillful writing, it is story that draws people in and makes them care about a book’s characters. Beyond that, a new spin on a topic long discussed can make us think freshly about historical events and their impacts. Jamie Ford does all of this in his debut novel about a young Chinese boy, whose father is vehemently against all things Japanese because of brutal Japanese attacks on his homeland, and a young Japanese girl whose family becomes caught up in WWII internment raids in Seattle. In the opening scene, Henry (the boy, now in his fifties and a widower) is sharply reminded of an earlier era when a basement full of Japanese belongings is discovered during a construction project at the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. Following Henry’s story as Ford moves agilely back and forth between present and forty years earlier, we gather insight into the difficulties for all families of Asian descent in a country at war and the extreme tactics employed to “defend the US against attack.” A marvelous story—warm, insightful, and filled with hope that love can survive against all odds. Author’s website: http://www.jamieford.com

The Weight of Heaven, Thrity Umrigar. Harper 2009. Frank and Ellie Benton have a perfect life: they love each other madly, they have a beautiful, bright son, Bennie, who is the centerpiece of their world. Like a lightning strike, the illusion of perfection is ripped aside when Bennie dies suddenly. Now their world is unbearable. A job offer in India provides a whisper of hope and they take it. Ellie determines she will not let the wonderful years they shared with their son be defined by the tragedy of their loss and finds a new life of a different sort in India. But Frank is consumed with trying to right an unforgivable wrong. He becomes obsessed with an Indian boy who is the son of their household help and wants to help him reach his full potential. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? But, as the cover says, “this is a story of how easily good intentions can turn evil and how far a person will go to build a new world for those he loves.” Plenty of thought-provoking material here. What would you do given that hand to play? Author’s website: http://www.umrigar.com

Secret Son, Laila Lalami. Algonquin 2009. Raised in the slums of Casablanca, Youssef El Mekki has been told all his life his father died when he was very young. Youssef longs for a father’s love and influence in his life and dreams of a future when, with an education, he can escape the stench and poverty of his neighborhood. One day, by chance, he discovers that his father is not dead, but instead a wealthy, married businessman who abandoned his mother when she became pregnant. Youssef, too, abandons her as he moves toward what he thinks will be a brighter future under the guidance of a suave and sophisticated father. But events and vested interests beyond his control or knowledge reverse his circumstances and he is once more back hanging around on the street corner with his unemployed childhood friends. What happens to a young man who has seen the careless extravagance of wealth and privilege in a society with deep class divisions, where the poor bear the burdens of indifference? Lalami explores this highly pertinent issue in a story that will answer questions about the seemingly siren call of extremism at the same time it breaks your heart. Author’s website: http://www.lailalalami.com

A review by Julene Bair, author of One Degree West: Reflections of a Plainsdaughter (Midlist Press 2000)
http://www.julenebair.com

In the Heart of the Canyon, Elisabeth Hyde. Random House 2009. Like one of the twelve disparate people who signed up for this river trip through the canyon, I could tell before Hyde had even taken me over the first rapid that I was in the hands of a master storyteller. In the Heart of the Canyon is an apt title, resonating evocatively with the real aim of this novel, to sink us deep into the hearts of the rafters and their guides. I was amazed by Hyde’s ability to interweave the concerns and secret insecurities, dreams, and fears of so many different characters without confusing me, losing me, or miring me in the shallows. Rather, she plunged me into deep water almost from page one. Each character emerges as a complete human being on whom the river slowly works its life-changing magic. These changes are not overstated, but subterranean shifts in attitude induced by an immersion in nature’s raw beauty while at the mercy of its raw power.

Elisabeth is in my writing group. I’ve told her often that I envy her the fictional worlds she occupies (she’s published five earlier novels). Her characters are so convincing that I keep forgetting she had to make them up before they could come alive and begin speaking to her, then to us. Author’s website: http://elisabethhyde.com/

For more on this fine novel, see the following New York Times Sunday Book Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/books/review/Schillinger-t.html

A review by Jerrie Hurd , writer and fine art photographer
http://www.jerriehurd.com
Our Stories: http://jerriehurd.wordpress.com

The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery, translated from the French by Alison Anderson. Europa Editions 2008. This book is such a short, sweet read it’s possible to miss the elegance of the writing. Muriel Barbery creates three ordinary characters with extraordinary hidden lives. Then she tightrope walks her story down the seam between those inner and outer selves. Renée is the frumpy concierge of a Paris apartment house who enjoys pretending she’s nothing more than she appears, but has worked herself into a dead end. Paloma is the precocious 12-year-old, who lives upstairs, hiding behind a mask of mediocrity, while planning her suicide. Ozu is the new tenant, a wealthy Japanese gentleman who maintains complete composure while cultivating an ability to see beyond the surface. He recognizes Renée as a woman worthy of his attention. He befriends Paloma. He exposes why people like Renée and Paloma hide their true talents from the world and frees them both. The result is a story of quiet victories told lovingly, with just the right amount of wit—an unforgettable reading experience. The Elegance of the Hedgehog was a French bestseller before landing on the New York Times list. It is Barbery's second novel. Her first will be released in English later this year.

JUST THE CAPTIVATING FACTS - RECOMMENDED NONFICTION:

Power in the Blood: A Family Narrative, Linda Tate (Ohio University Press 2009). This fascinating new book traces professor and writer Linda Tate’s journey to rediscover the Cherokee-Appalachian branch of her family and provides an unflinching examination of the poverty, discrimination, and family violence that marked their lives. Although it is a memoir, Tate had to “imagine” some of the details of her search for her family’s story. She did it beautifully. With all the facts and memories woven in, her research over many years in Appalachia made the imagined parts more informed than not. She also used pseudonyms for some family members who may not have wanted their stories shared. But, in essence, this is Linda’s story, her life, and her family through generations. The writing is lively and compelling and at times she is painfully honest about childhood events. But it is the spare beauty of that honesty that makes this book extraordinary.

Finding Beauty in a Broken World, Terry Tempest Williams. Pantheon 2008. Terry Tempest Williams has written an artful book, fashioned like the mosaics she uses throughout as analogies. At first it may seem that she is writing of disparate topics, yet as the volume continues, the reader begins to see they are all related, all are essential pieces of the whole. She writes openly and honestly about some very difficult personal and global issues—from environmental challenges and prairie dogs at risk of extinction in the United States to repeated genocides in Rwanda, from life-risking efforts to save lives to global indifference at human suffering—and she frames it in terms of the healing that can come from art, love, and compassion. A truly lovely book that provides insight and much to contemplate. For more information on this author: http://www.coyoteclan.com/

Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting, Michael Perry. Harper 2009. I recommended Truck: A Love Story when it came out a couple of years ago, but think Coop is even better. We left Mike’s life adventures shortly after he married and here we pick up as he, his wife, and his daughter Amy, plus a new little Perry on the way move into a Wisconsin farmhouse that has seen better days, sited on thirty-seven acres of overgrown farmland. The year ahead will hold chicken and pig escapades, a baby birthed at home by a midwife, reminiscences of his own farm childhood, with touches of sweet appreciation for his family life and keen observations about the unexpectedness hand of fate in each of our lives. Perry is witty and writes well. He doesn’t go for the braying laughter we encounter in much of the fodder produced in Hollywood. He elicits belly-shaking snorts and blasts of chortles by speaking of the secret thoughts we all have, the everyday absurdities and joy life offers in abundance if you are paying attention. Author’s website: http://sneezingcow.com/

Broken: A Love Story, Lisa Jones. Simon & Schuster 2009. Sent to Wyoming a few years ago on a four-day magazine assignment, Lisa Jones became intrigued with Stanford Addison, a Northern Arapahoe medicine man who had a remarkable way with horses and everyone he met. Confined since his twenties to a wheel chair, Addison is a paraplegic who is known as a healer both on and off his home ground on the Wind River Reservation. Lisa became both his biographer and his disciple, spending four years assisting him as he brought resolution to people from as far away as Holland seeking guidance and healing for what had broken in their lives. In the process of “getting the story,” Lisa found her own life transformed and old wounds brought painfully to the surface—but this time they were dealt with, enabling her to begin a new phase of openness to love and the meaning of friendship. This book offers significant insight into the state of Native Americans’ societal challenges and a way of life that has lost ground and into the courage and faith of one extraordinary individual. Author’s website: http://lisajoneswrites.com/broken.html

BOOK CLUBS traditionally read either fiction or narrative nonfiction or a combination of both and get together to discuss the book of the month. Why not throw something new into the mix? Choose a book about art, a specific artist or a collection, and discuss the images, the style, the memories, thoughts, or ideas generated by the work. You’ll be surprised at how interesting it might be. It does not matter if anyone in your group knows anything about art history or technique—you’ll all be enriched by just talking about what you like or don’t like. Images open doors that sometimes words alone don’t. I recommend it and here’s a few to choose from, as we have every issue.

A Museum of Their Own: National Museum of Women in the Arts, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay. Abbeville Press 2008. With text contributions by Philip Kopper. Wilhelmina Holladay is the founder of this very special and unique Washington DC museum. This book is, in effect, a memoir of its conception, organization, incredible cast of contributors and supporters, and the Herculean effort required to make the museum a reality. But don’t think it is just a dry relating of dates, dollars, and donations—Ms. Holladay tells this story with humor and humility and shares delightful tales behind the museum’s development and its major acquisitions. She introduces us to some of the world’s most talented painters (who happen to be women) that have gone mostly unrecognized through the ages. No art history or art education can be considered complete without their inclusion and once you read this book and pour over its images you will be astounded and eager to visit the museum on your next trip to DC! Much more can be viewed at the museum’s website: http://www.nmwa.org

Street Art and the War on Terror: How the World’s Best Graffiti Artists said NO to the Iraq War, text by Xavier A. Tàpies (Eleanor Mathieson, general editor). Rebellion Books 2007. Through the ages, it is the street that provides unfiltered commentary on political events. Whatever the so-called “party line,” for any society, there are those who use art as an effective tool to express what others may be afraid to say for fear of consequences. They express it visually, directly, often crudely, and with an underlying sense of irony, shock, and protest that gives it maximum impact. This book is a brilliant visual history about the exponential rise of anti-Americanism during the Bush administration and especially over the Iraq war. These are street artists from around the world, from The Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia and the “Far East.” The collection begins with the cataclysm of 9/11 and the commencement of the “War on Terror,” and continues through the years of America’s disastrous foreign policy during the Bush years. As author Tàpies states: “After 9/11 it was only the Street that spoke with an impassioned, uncensored voice: Street Art had claimed its place as the visceral medium for real political expression.”

Avant Gardeners: 50 Visionaries of the Contemporary Landscape, Tim Richardson. Thames & Hudson 2008. A book about the art of landscaping that presents the fifty most innovative garden- and landscape-design practices from around the world, profiling the work of each designer through informative texts, photographs, and plans. This is Concept Art taken outdoors, gardening with an intellectual bent. It’s fascinating to see what these young designers are thinking about and doing—highly creative exploration whether you are an old-fashioned, give-me-flowers-and-shrubs gardener or want to make a fresh statement.

An Unlikely Weapon: The Eddie Adams Story (2009). Legendary photographer Eddie Adams, famously seen lurking in war zones, at celebrity shoots, and on the streets of New York, photographed 13 wars, six US presidents, and every major film star of the last 50 years. His career and reputation exploded into world recognition when, in Vietnam in 1968, Eddie shot what is considered by many to be the definitive war photograph: General Loan, the Saigon police chief shooting a Vietcong prisoner point-blank in the head. “Saigon Execution” won Eddie a Pulitzer Prize and was credited with changing public opinion to help end the Vietnam War. Adams was a guy who lived hard and played harder. Enormously ambitious and driven, rough talking, notoriously dissatisfied with his achievements, he documented the plight of refugees around the world. He jumped aboard a boat load of Vietnamese headed out to sea with only some rice and a few hundred dollars worth of gasoline, faced off Fidel Castro until the two went on an unlikely duck hunting trip together, and dove headlong into a multitude of other risky ventures. In this documentary, journalists such as Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Morley Safer speak about Eddie with a measure of awe and respect. As Safer says, “Eddie was not your typical sedate, thoughtful photographer . . . He looked for trouble both on and off the job.”

SUSAN MORGAN COOPER is the brilliant filmmaker who produced An Unlikely Weapon. The road to its completion was long and not always smooth—but she had promised Eddie she'd finish it and she kept that promise, in spades. This is a DO NOT MISS film!

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo1HG-h7QV0

Interview of filmmaker Susan Morgan Cooper: http://www.documentary.org/content/meet-filmmakers-susan-morgan-cooper-unlikely-weapon

Herb & Dorothy (2009). Directed by first-time filmmaker Megumi Sasaki. To see Herb and Dorothy Vogel today, you’d never guess they have built one of the most important contemporary art collections in the United States. Oh, you say, well, those who have it can do it. But that’s not the case here, which is part of what makes their collection and the two of them so very unique. This is a love story. Herb spent his working years as a postal clerk and Dorothy as a librarian. By living on her paycheck alone, they were able to indulge their interest in Minimalist and Conceptual art by spending his salary on works of unknown artists that they liked. They had two rules: the piece had to be affordable and it had to be small enough to fit into their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. As time went on, the second of the rules became a challenge as by the time this film was made there was little furniture and only “paths” winding among the more than 2,000 pieces they had accumulated—and they shared the space with 19 turtles, a school of fish, and at least one cat. What they “liked” proved to be prophetic as the chosen artists became better and better known, now sought after at significantly higher prices by other collectors. Today their collection’s value runs into the millions. It’s an uplifting, amazing story and the film has won award after award at the festivals!

Trailer: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2910339/herb_and_dorothy_movie_trailer/

I’ve Loved You So Long (2008). Subtitles. Philippe Claudel’s feature film debut won him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. This film is worth seeing simply for the incredible acting performance by Kristin Scott Thomas—she says more with her face than many actors say with a script full of monologues. Sisters Juliette (Scott Thomas) and Lea (Elsa Zylberstein) have been estranged for more than a decade. That she was away in prison—for killing her own son—makes people she meets, prospective employers, and even her own brother-in-law very nervous. They can’t understand what would drive a woman to this unnatural act. As the truth is slowly revealed, the film reaches a compelling and dramatic climax. Don’t miss!

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2iSfhlNXZk

Nothing But the Truth (2008). Journalist Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) gets a great scoop from an unusual source and outs a casual acquaintance (a Washington insider played by the fabulous Vera Farmiga) as a CIA agent. Vaguely following the outline of the real-life incident, Rachel will not reveal her source, is jailed for contempt and held for almost a year. The impact of her actions on her own life and family, the consequences for the agent and her family, and the important issue of freedom of the press in the United States make this a gripping story. Also features Matt Dillon as the government’s formidable, relentless prosecutor; Alan Alda as Rachel’s own high-powered legal eagle; with Edie Falco playing the role of her newspaper editor.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgIMEJpwKbM

Swimmers (2005). An indie film set in coastal Maryland. Eleven-year-old Emma needs an expensive operation, which puts mounting pressure on a family barely making ends meet. When underlying tensions start pulling her parents and brothers apart, Emma turns to an emotionally haunted young woman for friendship. This is a fine story about good people who make some bad decisions, and the healing that irrevocable family feeling can bring about.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD-qhHDGuCs

The Secret Life of Words (2005). Directed by Isabel Coixet, starring Sarah Polley and Tim Robbins, with a small part by Julie Christie. A hearing-impaired factory worker, a refugee from former Yogoslavia, gives up her first holiday in years when she volunteers to nurse an accident victim on an oil rig off the coast. Josef (Robbins), who was temporarily blinded during a fire on board, tries to get to know his taciturn nurse. Slowly a strange sort of intimacy develops and they share secrets, lies, truths, humor, and pain, from which neither will emerge unscathed.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dAJUEngedA

Detailed introduction by director Isabel Coixet: http://www.irct.org/news---media/latest-irct-news/the-irct-in-the-media/the-secret-life-of-words/video-isabel-coixet-introducing-the-film.aspx

‘wichcraft: craft a sandwich into a meal—and a meal into a sandwich, Tom Colicchio with Sisha Ortúzar. Clarkson Potter 2009. Head judge of Bravo’s hit show, Top Chef, Tom Colicchio started his popular chain of sandwich shops, called “‘wichcraft,” in 2003 with Sisha Ortúzar with the goal to create “Craft between two pieces of bread.” In this new book, the two share the secrets behind the best-loved offerings from their 13 locations in New York, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. They truly elevate sandwich making to new heights with such classics as Roasted Turkey with avocado, bacon, and onion marmalade, and Sicilian Tuna with fennel, black olives, and lemon. Dozens of photos and simple-to-make recipes for dynamite meals. Now where’s the beer?

An interview with the Top Chef: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1881588,00.html

Organic and Chic: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets That Taste As Good As They Look, Sarah Magid. William Morrow 2009. As organic foods and farmers markets become more accessible, affordable, and popular, Americans are changing how they eat. But our sweet tooth still rages—what to do and how to eat healthily and still enjoy wonderful desserts? Organic baker Sarah Magid uses her background in fashion design to create visually stunning, unique, and delicious desserts using high quality ingredients. From cookies and bars to frostings and fillings, from modern floral cakes and cupcakes to rustic farmer’s market sweets made with seasonal fruits, there is something among these 60 recipes to delight every sweet-lovers, including an entire section on how to transform “junk food” such as Twinkies and Oreos into treats made with organic ingredients. Includes decorating tips, source lists, after-school goodies, and step-by-step photographs. Yum! Bring it on—
Author’s website: http://www.sarahmagid.com

A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, David Tanis. Six months of each year, David Tanis is head chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, where he’s worked since the 1980s for legendary Alice Waters. The other half of the year he’s in Paris preparing meals in a 6x10-foot galley kitchen in his 17th century apartment. This book was conceived from his belief that the best meals are simple, easily prepared, and served without too much fuss. They should not take all day to make. The “platter of figs” symbolizes the idea of eating with the seasons and is a metaphor for the food Tanis enjoys most: fresh, abundant, luxurious, fleeting, and innately beautiful. Twenty-four seasonal menus designed for 8-10, easily halved or increased, include such enticements as “Salmon on My Mind,” “Yellow Hunger,” “A Simple Moroccan Supper,” and “Slow Beef.” For each section, Tanis writes as much about eating as about cooking, about his inspirations, techniques, and infinite joy in the kitchen. This is my favorite cookbook so far this year!

Want to try your hand at one of the recipes?

Here's a link to Tanis’s SCALLOPS A LA PLANCHA

This issue we were a little light on books to recommend in this section. We decided to include at the end two online sources for lists of travel books others think are tops. You can check them out and let us know if you discover any particular books we should investigate!

The Secret of the Great Pyramid: How One Man’s Obsession led to the Solution of Ancient Egypt’s Greatest Mystery, Bob Brier and Jean-Pierre Houdin. HarperCollins 2008. This is an absolutely fascinating story about how French Architect Jean-Pierre Houdin and his wife became obsessed by the mystery of how the Great Pyramid was built. Using advanced 3-D modeling, Houdin worked ten hours a day for five years to finally discover evidence that the pyramid, contrary to all previous theories, had been built from the inside via a mile-long, corkscrewing ramp, unseen for 4,500 years! I could not set this story down. Through forensic architecture, Houdin and a team of others (who joined the journey as his ideas became known) make discoveries, and the evidence mounts to support their claims. The technology alone that is used is amazing and what it will continue to reveal next makes the imagination fly. Easily readable, not at all dry, if you get into this book, don’t skip the appendices OR the endnotes—both just add to the experience. A case of truth being stranger (and more absorbing) than fiction.

First of 5 trailer segments of a 3-D film about the discoveries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otSkcQcrLcc&feature=related

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, David Grann. Doubleday 2009. Grann explores the life of early 20th-century adventure traveler Percy Fawcett. In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find the long-rumored kingdom of gold, El Dorado—which he dubbed “Z.” Fawcett spent years gathering clues then made international headlines as he and his 31-year-old son set forth, certain they would be the ones to find it. He and his expedition disappeared. For the next 70 years, explorers searched for evidence of what happened to Fawcett and his party, and Grann digs into the darkest heart of the puzzle in this thrilling narrative. Supposedly it will be a film in 2010 starring (who else? Harrison Ford is too old—Brad Pitt). Hmmm. Well the book makes a great read anyway—

Author’s website: http://www.davidgrann.com

The Anthropology of Turquoise: Reflections on Desert, Sea, Stone, and Sky, Ellen Meloy. Vintage 2002. Meloy grew up deprived of a swimming pool, which, to her child’s eyes, was a shocking deprivation for someone living in Southern California. In this Pulitzer-prize-nominated book she writes humorously about traveling as an adult on a nostalgic trip from LA to her desert home in Utah, determined to stay only at motels with swimming pools. On a more serious note, she interweaves telling details and history of the deserts and waterways of the Southwest, reveals her love of the landscape and its wildlife, and underlines her deep commitment to the environmental movement. Meloy authored four books about the red rock region before dying in her sleep at the age of 58. Her writing was superb and she knew her territory as few writers besides Edward Abbey ever have. This is a book that has fallen out of sight, but should never be forgotten, if for no other reason than it sets the record straight about the subtle and disappearing riches of an important part of our country.

ONLINE LIST OF TRAVEL BOOKS:

National Geographic Traveler’s list of 50 best travel books: http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2009/07/summer-books-text/1

From TimesonLine.co.uk: Stanford’s 20 great holiday novels for Italy, France, Spain, and the UK: http://tinyurl.com/mc4s74

AND ONE LAST DISCOVERY, in a post by Janice at the SOLO TRAVELER BLOG, where she reviews a book about James Holman, a nineteenth-century, blind English gentleman, who traveled around the world, as told by Jason Roberts in A Sense of the World: http://solotravelerblog.com/blind-solo-traveler-history

Jason Roberts’ website is at http://jasonroberts.net