Shopping Books

Yet another great book from Sara Henderson. I loved the words Crash! Rumble! Splat! and how Howie is always making a mess. This book makes reading fun and is a great addition to our collection.

This darling puppy is sure to appeal to my first graders. The bright colors and easy reading will entice my beginning readers to dive right in to reading! Grocery shopping is an activity children are familiar with and can relate to. I imagine they will enjoy reading about a puppy getting into trouble in the store instead of themselves. I love the way the author shows the children how to forgive in each of her books.

The Howie books are a delightful series for young readers. Howie brings a charming message of God's love and brings humor and adventure as well.

I just graduated from college with an elementary education degree. I read -Howie Goes Shopping- and was found the entire Howie series charming and am enthusiastic about adding it to my classroom library for youpng readers.

My 10-year old daughter enjoyed the character of Howie and the repetition used in the book.

This is perfect for someone who enjoys produce but doesn't really know much about it. I look-up the items on my shopping list before I go to the store and it yields a better selection for me. I will be ready for the large farmers markets soon!

From The Orange County Register/Fullerton News Tribune
October 5, 2006

by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

You're shopping for produce and spot this spiny magenta...what? Christmas ornament? You're curious, but what on earth is it? For a moment your hand hovers as you gauge your own adventurous spirit. But do you buy it soft or firm? peel it? cook it? eat it raw? So instead you buy plums. Again.

"The appearance of dragon fruit is downright surreal," writes Cathy Thomas, the Register's food editor and award-winning author of "Melissa's Great Book of Produce: Everything you need to know about fresh fruits and vegetables" (Wiley), a gloriously photographed, comprehensive guide down the produce aisles. With Thomas at the helm, each fruit, from Asian pear to yuzu, and each vegetable, from artichoke to yu choy sum, begs to be discovered, its perfume inhaled and, yes, tasted.

Dragon fruit "has eye-popping magenta skin, dotted with bright lime-green spines" and "tastes like a marriage between kiwi and pineapple," she promises. Indeed it does, as I discovered recently at a book signing and reception held in the gardens of the Long Beach Museum of Art. Robert Schueller, marketing guru for Melissa's World Variety Produce, Inc., the largest distributor of specialty produce and foods in the U.S., selected a dragon fruit from the exotic fruit buffet - a riot of color like an artist's palette - and cut into it to reveal its purplish-pink flesh.

So what do you do with it? Dice the flesh, says Thomas, and combine it with diced pineapple or mango, toss with mint or liqueur and serve in the spiny shells. Or cut into wedges and splash with fresh lime. Use dragon fruit purée in cakes or quick breads or fold into sweetened whipped cream.

Thomas and Melissa's have teamed up to take the guesswork out of buying, storing, preparing, using and serving 120 fruits and vegetables. Brilliant photos from the Register's Nick Koon and 100 mouth-watering recipes plus a glossary of gizmos make "Melissa's Great Book of Produce" a valuable resource for the home cook or seasoned professional.

But the icing on the cake (or, I should say, the crown on the pomegranate) is the prose. Unlike other produce guide writers one consults for mere information, Thomas, with her uncanny ability to capture sound, smell and taste, invites you on a shopping adventure. Take figs: "Fragile fig skin surrenders easily to reveal soft-textured flesh filled with a multitude of tiny seeds. A bite produces tiny seed-popping sounds, flesh saturated with honey flavor, and a moist flower-petal aroma." Go ahead. Pass up those luscious black missions. I dare ya'.

Each fruit and vegetable fairly leaps off the page. "I want people to be able to smell each one and taste it," she told me. "Should it give a little when you press your thumb or snap when you break it?"
Common varieties combine with the exotic, eliminating the intimidation factor. "Everybody knows common celery," said Thomas, "but what about Chinese celery? The leaves and stalk are limp. They're supposed to be. They're so aromatic and delicious. I love to see people use them in stir-fries and soup."

"I make it a point to try something different every time I shop," noted Nancy Eisman, Melissa's special projects director. Good idea! So as fall days turn crisp and the soup kettle beckons, why not try the sunflower choke (also called Jerusalem artichoke, sunchoke or girsole).

Cream of Sunflower Choke Soup
From "Melissa's Great Book of Produce" by Cathy Thomas

1 1/2 pounds sunflower chokes, peeled, cut in 1-inch-thick slices
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, sodium-reduced preferred, or vegetable broth
Salt and white pepper to taste
3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
Optional: croutons

1. Place sunflower chokes, milk, and broth in nonreactive, large saucepan. Simmer, partially covered, about 12-14 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup liquid.
2. Puree in batches in food processor or blender, using caution because ingredients are hot. Add reserved liquid if soup is too thick. Taste and add salt and generous amount of pepper. Ladle into 4 soup bowls. Top with parsley and croutons, if desired. Serves 4

Visually, this book is impeccable. The food stylist, graphic designer, and photographer have done a fantastic job of showing the fruits and vegetables in an appealing and stimulating way, sliced and angled just so. The typography and look of the book is probably one of the nicest on my shelves. But it's not just a good coffee table book. Most importantly, it contains enough detailed information on a quite impressive range of fruits and vegetables that it has quickly become my favorite reference book for fruits and vegetables. I can't say enough how thoroughly enjoyable the book is to look at and learn from. And my favorite part is when the author describes how a particular item tastes: for example, a feijoa has a "sweet-tart taste blending pineapple, citrus and purple grapes." The next day I hunted down a feijoa and enjoyed that sweet-tart taste! I have since personally vowed to try every fruit and vegetable in the book that I haven't yet eaten. It may be a challenge to find them all, but of course, as the book implies in its title, melissas.com is one place I can look for them.

This book has tons of information! I work in an upscale grocery store where we carry a lot of the product that is in this book. I can read up on a particular product and know when it is available, how to pick out good product and even find a recipe or two. Thanks!

A geek in one thing, a geek in all things, I guess and here is a book for all the gardening and food geeks out there. I came acorss those book while trolling the sorting shelves at my local library. It is one of the best finds I have made in a while.

Melissa's Great Book of Produce: Everything you need to know about fresh fruits and vegetables is a information-filled and gorgeously photographed tome on produce both familiar and strange. For each piece of produce you get information on buying, storage use and even a few recipes along the way. There are some items in here I have never heard of before and it is great to get information on those I have heard of, but never encountered.

A wonderful book for the kitchen or the couch, Melissa's Great Book of Produce will surely expand your knowledge and, most likely, your appetite.

Highly Recommended

I designed shopping carts for 5 years. After I left that company, I saw this book. I bought it as a gift for my former boss who was the owner of the company that made shopping carts. I thought that he would get a kick out of it. Before I gave it to him, I decided to glance at a few pages and ended up reading through the whole book before I gave it to him. I sort of felt bad since the book is now officially used. He loved it anyway. It was interesting and it has inspired me to do something similar.

When I first heard mention of this book (in The Believer magazine), I laughed out loud at the concept...

I laughed out loud when it showed up on my doorstep, too. The effort and thought put into the development of this silly book is tremendous. The result is an excellent play on the concept of field identification guides.

Whenever people see this book on my coffee table, it becomes a conversation piece. Funny, funny stuff.

Received the book last week- funny read and the pictures are amusing for a while...then the "field guide" aspect of the book may be a bit too complicated for a "fun read". It's quite a complicated work-up that the author had contrived, and while impressive- I was using too much brain power while reading something that should be entertaining. I don't think I have enough room left in my brain to store field guide info on shopping carts- even just to make it til the end of this book! But maybe YOU do! :)

As a certified straycartologist I applaud the effort to publicize this issue. I only hope we can convince those crumb bums in Washington that expanding our coverage to the rest of North America can only be achieved with copious federal spending.

Like the question burning in the loins of Lewis and Clark before us, what will the West reveal? My crotch is afire with this question: what will the West reveal about...ourselves? [For full effect, deliver that last word in a fervent whisper]

This book is easily one of the top four reference guides for shopping carts available on the market today. It does an excellent job of covering the following topics:

* Shopping carts

Overall, I heartily endorse this product.

I learned more about the personalities in the Washington and Lee families and the history of food. It was really enjoyable.

I'm seventh cousin to U.S. Grant but have always had tremendous respect for, and interest in, the family of General Robert E. Lee. Altho we know that General Lee was a man of impecable morals and a champion of valor and honor, less has been known of his immediate family. Anne Carter Zimmer's book gives us a window in time into the life of the family of her great grandparents and a look at 19th century housekeeping. I grew up in Ohio before moving South and some of Mary Lee's household hints were utilized by my grandmother and mother. This is a fantastic book, warm, humorous, informative and with photos and shetches enough to make one sense that they might have felt at home in the Lee household.

Please, Anne, let us hear from you in the future. I'd very much like to know more about your singular family!

Anyone who is interested in knowing more about the personal side of Gen. Robert E. Lee and the people who stood behind him and allowed him to become great (his family) will enjoy this insight into their everyday lives and the heritage the author (Lee's great-granddaughter) has had to live up to throughout her life.

I would strongly recommend this.

This book is a great one for providing us a glimpse into life over 100 years ago. It is hard to imagine what a woman had to do back then to create the genteel life. Every household had to be self-sufficient, as this remarkable volume shows, making its own foodstuff, soap and cleansers. I loved this book and have shared it with good friends.

Mix together some spicy ingredients of Southern history, add "receipts" (aka recipes) for food, plus personal memoir, and a fascinating book is ready for you to devour or to send to friends as a gift.
What a marvelous, brilliant weaving together of the family history of the Robert E. Lee family, along with insider Civil War history, social history, food history, family characters and so on, have been put together by Anne Carter Zimmer, who gives us recipes one longs to try. I definitely want to attempt the Charlotte Russe and certainly the Sally Lunn. (Wish I had the courage for the oyster dish where, halfway throughout, you throw out one batch of oysters and add a fresh batch.) When I read the book's first line, "We didn't make much of ancestors when I was growing up," (this from the great-grandaughter of Robert E. Lee), I knew I was in touch with an authentic voice and that I would love this book. And love it I did.

I found this book to be a wonderful read and Brooks is to be commended! It is not often that African-American children can pick up a book and read about themselves, especially as told by an African-American male. Talk To The Hands: Anthony's Days Shopping With Mom and Dad, is an excellent teaching tool. I would suggest that all households with small children obtain a copy of this book. Children can learn about expression and creativity, just by reading "Talk To The Hands: Anthony's Days Shopping With Mom and Dad."

I especially liked the way Anthony named his hands "Righty" and "Lefty."

This story was cute, funny and whimsically clever. It is best read to children while using the reader's hands when 'Lefty' and 'Righty' voice their opinions on various matters pertaining to Anthony's wanderings.

The author made me chuckle time and again and I could not put it down.

A very touching, loving story written by a father about his son. This book shows the love that parents have for their child in an honest, realistic manner. A functional family at last! There are a few minor mistakes in the editing of this book, but this is to be expected as it is a first book published without an editor. It is so refreshing to read a happy family story. I recommend this book for readers of all ages. I think that adults, as well as children, can learn much from the Brooks family!

Every chapter was very interesting and Funny as little Anthony grudgingly went to the mall with his parents as they shopped for clothes. Not too amusing too a little boy full of energy and so he'd sometimes use his hands as though they were answering back to him with their own little personalities. Very cute! He also becomes a hero, with the help of a security guard who happens to love publicity, while at the mall and wins his parents a shopping spree. Oh how I wish that for me! The touch of adding an over zealous security guard in the story adds extra flavor to the story as well. He challenges Anthony to a video game match...guess who won that? I found it astoundingly neat how Anthony made time to watch his favorite cartoon while at the mall that showed five sock puppets saving the planet and had the ability to unite and call on a giant sock puppet to get rid of an invading alien from outer space. Great illustrations even if they were in black and white. You owe it to yourselves, this is a must buy! I can read any of the 26 chapters to my three children and they enjoy them all.

The premise of a little boy talking to his hands and pretending that they respond back isn't entirely unique but the story picks up enough to keep you interested in the antics of little Anthony as he shops at the mall with his parents. Each chapter flawlessly connects well to the next so that you don't get lost in any translations. The characters in this story are added in well and are believeable...in a zany sort of way. Anthony's parents are very patient with him because they are well aware of his tendancy to conjure up his sidekick buddies, Lefty and Righty, at a moments notice. The author has even added Anthony's favorite cartoon within the story...very innovative.

I recommend this book, it's charmingly humorous and shows the patience one must have with children.

I opened this book expecting to see the same old information written in guidebook form. Instead, what I found was a book that proved as enjoyable to read as it is helpful. I can't believe there are even stores mentioned that this veteran New Jersey shopper didn't know existed. I'm very happy I purchased this book!

My wife and I had some extra time on a combination work/pleasure trip recently. We picked up this book before leaving based on the reviews and found several places that had exactly what we were looking for. Wish Sue would publish a version for Colorado!

The Great New Jersey Shopping Guide has been very helpful for me. I have lived in New Jersey all my life and I still learned new places to go and new sources for shopping. This book is not only good for the serious shopper but also for those who want to try someplace new.

As a seasoned shopper, I thought I knew just about every worthwhile retail destination in the state. I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up this book and discovered interesting locales even I wasn't aware of. Everything is included--from shopping malls to museum shops to gourmet food stores. Best of all, The Great New Jersey Shopping Guide isn't written in standard guidebook form, but rather includes personal anecdotes from the authors, which are quite enjoyable to read. I especially liked Sue Bruskin Clarke's tales of mall shopping in the '60s and '70s and I related to her downtown shopping experiences in towns like Hoboken and Princeton.

This book is a must have for all New Jersey shoppers.

I've read just about every book that I could find about shopping in New Jersey and this one is by far the best.

The thing I love the most about it is that it pointed out fabulous shoping trips that you wouldn't think of on your own. It really opens up fabulous new shoping advantures.

I've also gone on a few of the trips and have been very happy with the results. The book is right on the mark when describing each of the shoping excursions.

I say get this book, you won't be sorry.

Funny and adorable! Clever rhymes and cute expressions on this poor, unfortunate piggy who gets lost at the grocery and then confused for everything from soda pop to a ruler. Teaches kids how lots of foods and other items have terms in common with human body parts--rulers have feet, soda bottles have a neck, corn has ears, etc. Illustrations are not very modern, but it's very much worth it anyway!

Love it, love it, love it! I own another Bill Grossman book - MY LITTLE SISTER ATE ONE HARE - and absolutely loved it, so I was looking for other Bill Grossman books when I came upon this one. I couldn't believe the selling price of the book. I said to myself, "It must be a fantastic book because at Used, I couldn't find it no less than $40 anywhere." So, just by risk, I bought the book (and paid a pretty hefty price for paperback), and it is worth every penny. I love this book and my kids can't get enough of it. I highly recommend it if you can afford it, if not, try to find it cheaper, because you are really missing out. I would not recommend paying that high of a price for any paperback children's book, but if you have the money, go ahead. It's a collector's and we've all enjoyed it.

I found this book a number of years ago in a remainder bookstore in Britain. My three year old daughter loved it and, what also counts for a lot, I loved reading it to her as well. Wonderful ideas and beautifully written. I lost the book in a house move and am over the moon to have found a copy again.

This is one of the very best children's books I have found. It was recommended by a book store after I asked for rhyming books for my then 3 year old. 3 years later we are STILL reading it, have read it to all his school classes, recommended it to friends, and it's a big favourite.
Great for vocabulary-building, funny, and wonderful illustrations.

This is one of the best children's books I have ever read. My 4 1/2 year old and I laughed out loud reading it. It is lots of fun to read with alliterative rhymes and cute pictures as well as a very funny story. This is a great children's book!

Okay, okay... I admit that when it comes to being organized, I'm on the "challenged" side! I received this book as a gift, and it really put things into perspective for me! YES!! I'd much rather go shopping, and with these playful, but poignant tips, getting myself tidy is REALLY easy! A GREAT read, a fun, playful, entertaining way to get yourself organized...and then go shopping! Yippeee....

Whether you need organization in your home or at the office, or in your home office, Betsy gets right to the point, and with good humor. Love the part about going shopping...and dancing, to make the task of organizing fun! I'm inspired to start organizing my desk and filing that paperwork right now.

After many years of piles,stacks and hidden documents that would only appear several weeks after their due date, I have a home office now where the phone is easily visible, the files are in order, and the time I used for hunting and searching is now available for work and play.

Simple and easy is a fabulous attraction for a veritable packrat and with Betsy Van Sicklen Cohen's whimisical and efficient approach the bags of stuff get packed, things are in order and there's the time for shopping-sure enough.

This book is the fun and easy way to get yourself organized! It is a fast, easy read and the best part is, it helps you get organized by going shopping first!!! I would recommend and purchase this book for anyone who has that stack of "stuff" lying around in the house!! This book helps you realize that putting things in convenient organized places is easier than it seems!

I received the book as a gift and promptly read it. It was fun, entertaining and informative. It made me realize that there are alot of us out there that have collected and overcollected STUFF and probably need to reduce and reorganize all those collections. The book has good ideas on what to do, how to start, and how to finish the job. Yeah, this could actually be fun.

I travel to France and especially Paris often and love to have an insiders look at shopping places that visitors often don't know about. I can't wait to get there in October and use my little green book to check out some of the places in it. Love having the email addresses, phone numbers and the many pictures. Thank you Rebecca!

Travel through the best of the insider's Paris in 208 beautifully written and photographed pages. In concise, but through narratives, Ms. Magniant brings the best of Paris to your mind while Allison Harris' photos are each a well composed tableau of the individuals shop's wares. From wall designs to unique notions to toys, antique printed matter, designer clothers, jewelery, perfumes, all manner of foodstuffs, and other off-the-beaten-track treasures- if you can't find something of great interest to you, don't see Paris-see your doctor!

The perfect book for exploring Paris via shopping! The book is divided by neighborhoods for easy reference. The descriptions are extremely helpful and the photographs could be postcards of Paris themselves. The small size of the book will fit into your purse for easy access. I read this on the subway before I went shopping and couldn't wait to start shopping.

I just purchased a copy of "Chic Shopping Paris." It's a delightful guidebook. The information is absolutely essential if you plan to visit Paris, and, of course shop. If you don't plan to visit Paris, you can still injoy the beautiful color photos and dream!

even if it's only window shopping.

My wife and I love travel and we have had the privilege in shopping in many of the great cities of the world: New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Rome, Milan, Houston, and many many others. Paris is without equal for shoppng in a number of respects: elegance, beauty, quality, knowledge of staff and the pure joy of seeing fine products in a beautiful setting.

We both admit that we are a little intimidated, and frankly it's only in Paris we have that feeling. Partly it's the attitude of the sales people -- worldly, fashionable, speaking impeccable French. Partly it's our awe that the French seem to have discovered how to imbue even the simplest product with a level of sophistication.

Chic Shopping Paris is a great passport to discovering the joys of shopping in that great city. The photographs by Alison Harris are beautiful -- the book is almost a postcard collection of beautiful products beautifully displayed. The text is descriptive, educated, loving even -- Rebecca Perry Magniant proves her learning not only in this sampling of her work, but also on her frequently updated website. If the following passage resonates with you to any degree, visit the website, and carefully consider buying this beautiful little book:

Nicole Lehmann
19, rue de Turenne, 4th arr.
01 42 77 57 21
Métro: Saint-Paul
Tuesday-Saturday 11am-7pm, Sunday 2pm-7pm, closed Monday
nlparis.com

Nicole Lehmann's new shop just a block away from the Place des Vosges is small but elegant, the perfect setting for showing off her luxurious purses. Each of her bags is entirely handmade, with attention to fine details, in high-quality leathers and skins with metal accents. The bags come in three basic styles: the cabas (tote), the pochette (clutch), and the besace (messenger). Each comes with either long or short straps and in different finishes (grained or smooth leather, suede, alligator, ostrich). Some have unique details such as a long chain strap that can be removed and worn as a necklace; another style has a slim leather closure strap that is interchangeable with straps of other colors, and any of the straps can be worn as a bracelet. A small line of jewelry, cuff links, and belts rounds out the collection."

And if this book doesn't interest you, at least visit the publisher's website; The Little Bookroom publishes a number of delightful books that will enhance your travel experiences.

Robert C. Ross 2008

I bought DIRT CHEAP, REAL GOOD for a weekend trip to D.C. and I was blown away by the thorough research the authors had done on thrift shops in the area. They not only tell you where to go, but also include information about what to expect in terms of price, selection, and even atmosphere. The writing is lively and fun, and the book is illustrated with photos of many of the stores. This book is a gem for true connoisseurs of thrift stores and American popular culture.

Dirt Cheap Real Good Rocks. I was visiting some friends in Philly and my friend was wearing a cool old IZOD(I had been dying to find some IZODs and Le Tigre vintage shirts). When I asked him where he got the shirt-he pulled out Dirt Cheap... and we spent THREE full days on tours of the Philly area thrift shops! I cleaned up!(now you can find some of those shirts on my ebay site) There were also cool insights to local eateries!! Now I have one in my car and have circled the next several trips.. They need to write one for every part of the U.S.!!

we used Dirt Cheap this weekend on a trip to Philly - these girls know their stuff! i got a brand new thrifty couch at one of the stores listed in the book, and we ate breakfast at carman's country cafe in south philly, which was delicious and really really fun. i highly recommend Dirt Cheap Real Good.

I read this book assuming that, after 9 years living in the DC area, I would find summaries of my favorite haunts, and maybe scoff at outdated listings for a few that had closed. I did not expect, and was very happily surprised, to find mention of several newer shops, including a few nearby I didn't even know existed!

The book was obviously very thoroughly researched, and I'm sure they had a blast writing it. (Now, if only I had thought of it!)

You may purchase this guide looking for some stores to stop into, but what you'll find instead is the makings of a thrift vacation. The authors outline great roadtrips to surround the highlighted thrift stores, so you'll know where to stay and eat as you thrift your way around the mid-atlantic region. They even throw in some other activities besides thrifting in case you go into bargain-hunting overload. It's a pretty genius idea and a totally original take on road-tripping. I highly recommend picking this book up for a new perspective. Plus, they do give you all those great stores to stop into.