Chang Books

Author Paula Kamen really walked a fine literary line between her own personal friendship, the mourning process, and the telling of a great, but tragic story. Her book, "Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition, and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind" is itself a brilliant effort and one that grabs the reader's heart and mind. This biography is intimate and reflective of not just Chang's life but also suggests a look inside the author as well.

The public knows all about the works of Iris Chang and her voice that told the world about the Chinese Holocaust by the Japanese at Nanking. She was a very successful writer and author. She was known world wide but few knew the real person she was.

Suicide is something, that in some way, touches every human life on earth. When someone we know personally, or learn about from the media, takes their own lives, it always leaves huge unanswered questions. On personal level, I have had several close friends kill themselves. I never have found any "good reason" for doing that. It is the author's own search, I believe, for those reasons and answers that drove her to write this accounting of a beautiful life.

The book is a page turner and holds you emotionally hostage long after you stopped reading it. You are haunted by Iris's last phone call to the author when she leaves her a cryptic clue of what was going to happen. It is always easy to see these as obvious suicide messages retrospectively - but at the time, that thought rarely occurs to friends and family.

The book is a story that needed telling; and being told by a friend is much warmer and compassionate then from a stranger. I am glad that the author took this story on. It may even be of some help for those on the edge themselves.

To say I enjoyed the book would be wrong - as it was painful to know where the story was going to end and how. But like a witness to an bad accident, one just cannot pull away and leave the author's words unread. For some reason, it would feel like a violation. Kamen's words can easily be read but the understanding of why Chang took her life may never be satisfactorily known.

A powerful and serious book that it is truly a gift from a friend to a friend.

I just finished "Finding Iris Chang" and am filled with respect and feeling
for Paula Kamen! I am so moved both by Iris' tragic life and by Paula's revealing so
much of what she went through in investigating Iris' suicide. I am
particularly impressed by the no-easy-answers conclusion of the book; so
much coincided to cause this perhaps unpreventable death. I am recommending
the book to many friends.

Iris Chang had a gift for reaching scholars and public with groundbreaking writing. Paula Kamen has a worthy goal in trying to understand Chang, but her book could be much better. She approaches the subject in a breathless, watch-me-unravel-the-mystery style. Thus it fits in the confessional/personal memoir genre, but focusing on her own longterm relations with Chang is unfortunate. This leaves her unable to plumb the depths of Chang's work or her death. Kamen seems mostly uninterested in Chang's concerns, including the Rape of Nanjing but also Chinese immigrants in America. Fierce commitment to redressing wrongs against Chinese, eventually shading into obsession, marked Chang's work, so any study cries out for real scholarship on the issues she pursued. Without this "FIC" can only offer raw material for more substantive work. Despite Kamen's speculations the "mystery" is plain enough: sustained study of war crimes and human rights violations is inherently depressing, and Chang presumably succumbed to the weight of history she shouldered. Her unfinished project on the Bataan Death March (also very grim) tends to support this view. Iris Chang's research inspired readers, but it was sometimes flawed, notably in overstating Japanese refusal to confront their 1931-45 history. Engaging these issues is crucial to comprehending East Asia then and now. K. Honda ed, "Nanjing Massacre" critiques Chang fairly along with other writers; S. Ienaga, "Pacific War" grapples heroically with the horror of Japanese aggression. NB, it was rated 3 stars until reading comments on the "I agree with PW" review. The info there, from within the Chinese American community, seems unimpeachable. We will truly honor Iris Chang by holding biographers to a higher standard.

Dear Paula,

Thank you for writing Finding Iris Chang. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to tell her story. For what it is worth, your pain did help me. When I read The Rape of Nanking I actually wondered how Iris could have coped with doing the research. When I read about her death I thought that her research into the Bataan Death March may have made matters worse.

While we know that the insight into the dark side of humanity would take its toll on anyone, it is your account of Iris Chang's last days which helped me the most. I don't know if Iris could have been saved from her inner demons, but her work will survive. This book has contributed much to Iris Chang's legacy. I pray that in death, Iris finds the peace that eluded her in life.

I hope this is not the last word on Iris Chang.

In a precursive phone call Iris told her "friend", Paula Kamen (who found her exhausting), to tell everyone what she was like "before this happened." I didn't count, but there were probably more pages about "this" and its aftermath, than what she was like before it. Kamen's book does not fulfill her friend's request.

Kamen had, and probably still has, a wonderful opportunity to provide insight. Unfortunately she gives us more about how she reacted to Iris, than about how Iris might have reacted to her. Why did Iris reach out to her? Did her interest in being a sorority member or homecoming queen inform her later career or was it a reaction? How did she become interested in Nanking? The questions surrounding her work on Nanking are huge and very little text is devoted to them.

Whether or not Iris's son was acutally autistic is resolved near the end of the book, which makes it more of a literary device than an factor. Paula is honest but, for me, too causal about her own flaws in her relationship with Iris.

I doubt that this is the telling that Iris had in mind.

Kamen is not the journalist her friend was. Being a lay person, I'm glad to see someone in this profession take "no" for an answer, as Kamen did with Iris's mother, (and Iris at the Tribune where stakes were higher) but the flip side of this is her relaxed approach to the reponses of those who bow (and bowed) to pressure. While I am not a lawyer or reparations expert, I expect that the Holocaust survivors also met resistance of officials citing treaties and precedents. Kamen gives the nay sayers a pass.

I think the world's hunger to know and understand this heroine has led to the warm reception this book has received by readers. I view it as a starting point for a more substantive treatment that I someone is working on right now.

I've had cakelove cakes and they are delicious. The book is pretty helpful in breaking down the recipes, I can't say my cakes are as good as Warren's (they're not), but this is a good book overall.

This book lets you peek into the world of professional baking and the inspiration that brings culinary genius. More than just a series of recipes, the reader learns tricks of the baking trade through the eyes of somebody with very specific likes and dislikes. I've made two cakes from this book so far and both have offered up so much more depth of flavor than the simple overwhelming sweetness found in most American cakes. The directions are precise (be sure you have a digital kitchen scale! and a working candy thermometer). Photos offer up inspiration as well as a step by step approach. The taste result is worth all the effort.

I've been lucky enough to sample Warren's wares at Cakelove in DC, and I'm so thrilled that he has brought the recipes back to us, as cakeophiliacs. Five stars, Amazon - it doesn't get much better than this!

I've made three recipes so far from this book and plan to make them all. They are unique, wonderful, and my family devours them. Next best thing to living close to one of Warren Brown's bakeries!

You may be familiar with Warren Brown from reruns of his show Sugar Rush on the Food Network, or perhaps if you're lucky enough to reside in D.C. you might have had the pleasure of sampling some of his creations and original recipes at one of his highly regarded CakeLove bakeries. For those of us living outside of personal shopping distance you're in luck as Warren has recently released a gorgeous cookbook dedicated to the art of making some of his most popular CakeLove recipes.

I don't use the term "art" loosely. These cake are involved masterpieces. Don't be lulled into complacency by the brightly colored layout and upbeat color schemes. The pages of this book may be designed to imply simplicity and ease but in reality this cookbook is more boot camp than day camp. These recipes mean business and attention to detail is key.

Fortunately, Brown gives you all of the tools to succeed including very detailed recipe instructions, step-by-step images when appropriate, and helpful tips and tricks. But in the end it's all up to you. Thanks to jaw dropping photography and tantalizing recipe options like Stout Pound Cake with Roasted Pecans, Tres Leches Butter Cake, and Hazelnut Spice Sponge Cake your body will no doubt go into pure craving mode, and the ambition to taste one of these fanciful creations will give you all the motivation you'll need to power through the recipe.

After examining the cookbook I decided to attempt the decidedly Summer appropriate Mojito Pound Cake. To answer your burning question, yes, it really does taste like a Mojito! Actually it tastes like a great Mojito, not one of those ghastly drinks you get from a hurried bartender because they think you're a jerk for ordering one in the middle of a rush, but a carefully made, simple syrup, and mint muddled Mojito that makes you sit back and say, "Ahhhhh..."

In all seriousness though, I can't believe I made this cake and I definitely couldn't have done it without this amazingly thorough text. There's nothing semi-homemade about these recipes. They're all butter, flour, cream, and eggs through and through. Sure they take a little more time and effort but the quality and taste of a cake made from scratch isn't even in the same league as your basic boxed Betty Crocker.

This book certainly makes a lot of bold claims for itself. According to the back cover it's "the authentic story of Jamaican popular music" as well as being "the best book ever written on reggae". So my first disappointment after receiving "Reggae routes" (a gift from a well-meaning friend) was to discover how short it is. Although the authors seem to think that they've written a "reggae bible", in reality it barely qualifies as a primer, and not a very good one at that.

The book is divided into 3 sections, so it makes sense to consider each one in turn.

Section 1 briefly outlines the history of Jamaican music and on the whole is a pretty good introduction to the subject, but it's nothing like the definitive account I was expecting. The only really bad chapter is "Reggae international", which mainly consists of well-worn cliches about Bob Marley and actually says very little about the impact reggae has made beyond the shores of Jamaica, particularly in the UK since the 1960's, or about the huge influence of Jamaican music on today's rave and dj culture, or its specific contributions to the development of hip hop as well as more recent phenomena like drum & bass and speed garage.

In Section 2 the authors list and discuss memorable recordings from the 1960's, 70's, 80's and 90's in roughly chronological order, and although most of their choices are worthy of inclusion, it's a far from comprehensive selection, mainly because they focus entirely on singles. It's true that reggae is without doubt a singles-driven genre, but failure to include some of the great albums from the last four decades means that many of Jamaica's finest recordings aren't even mentioned in "Reggae routes". What's worse is that some really significant singles are also missing, for example Wayne Smith's seminal King Jammy produced "Under mi sleng teng" (which kicked off the digital era in the mid-1980's) isn't included in the authors' 80's selection.

It also rapidly becomes clear that they don't have anything original to say about the music, and their comments about individual records are often brief, insipid or clearly borrowed from other sources. This part of the book is also littered with mistakes, and mainly demonstrates the complete opposite of what Chang & Chen would like you to believe, ie the mere fact that you're from Jamaica does not make you an expert on reggae music, or for that matter, a great writer....

They are clearly unfamiliar with some of the records they review. For example their brief description of U-Roy's "Natty rebel" correctly states that it's based on a recording of the Bob Marley song "Soul rebel", but they don't seem to realise that the recording in question is a cover version by the Gladiators (from their excellent "Trenchtown mix-up" album) and not by Bob Marley himself. Quite a few of the singles have also been assigned to the wrong year, which might be understandable for some of the more obscure tracks, but it's hard to believe that they don't know when massive hits like Marley's "Three little birds" came out....

Section 3 mainly consists of lists: Jamaican radio charts for each year from 1960 to 1997, a "most popular artists" chart (based on the radio charts), the authors' top 100 reggae chart (featuring their favourite tracks from 1960 - 1980) and top 30 dancehall chart (featuring tracks from 1983 - 1996). It's a pity that the latter two charts consist solely of the two lists of records with no explanatory comments, because it would be interesting to know why the authors decided that these 130 tracks are better than the huge number of others which weren't included. Failing this, it would have been helpful to cross-reference each item in the chart with the page on which it is discussed in Section 2 of the book (although I was surprised to discover that quite a few of them don't actually appear in Section 2!). It's also a shame that the authors didn't compile an album chart, which readers would probably find more useful, and I'm mystified as to why they don't seem to think that anything worthwhile happened in 1981 and 1982! The book finishes with a list of sources and references and a very short essay about Rastafarianism, which for some reason is tagged on rather untidily at the end.

Throughout the book the very variable quality of the photos and artwork is another let-down. Many of the images are either not well integrated with the text or poorly reproduced. For example, check out the pic of Lady Saw on p213 - although I'm quite prepared to believe it's really her, the photo is so blurred that it could just as easily be Nancy Reagan or even an alien from another planet! In addition, the choice of images to accompany individual sections of text is sometimes rather strange. For example, the authors illustrate their review of Black Uhuru's "Solidarity" with a picture of the front cover of the group's "Sinsemilla" album, which came out four years earlier and doesn't contain the track in question (it's actually from an album called "Anthem"). And there are other examples which are just as bad....

Overall, "Reggae routes" is the worst book on the subject that I've read, and as there are several infinitely superior reggae guides on the market, I'd strongly recommend that you avoid it.

Reggae Routes is by far the best written and most entertaining book on reggae. Unlike so many others that get bogged down on irrelevant details it cuts to the chase and tells you everything a curious and intelligent person could want to know about Jamaican Music. If you want to know about obscure albums released only in the UK - or happen to be a Scratch Perry or Flipper Price? fanatic - then you probably will find it inadequate. But if you want a good read that tells you what really happened on the Jamaican musical scene - and Reggae Routes is great at historical perspective and context - buy this book.

Unlike others who just make it up, the authors actually got historical charts to show what was popular in Jamaica when. And the authors' choice top 100 reggae and top 30 dancehall lists are a great guide to starting your own reggae collection. I don't agree all the way through but they clearly know their reggae. Only caveat is that the dancehall lists stops in 1998 so no 'Gimme The light' or 'Welcome to Jamrock'

As a New Englander, I have enjoyed Bob Marley and lately,the newest crossover reggae performer, Shaggy ; although their styles are really worlds apart. There's an energy in Reggae music that I absolutely love and realized that there must be tons of reggae music that I never had the opportunity to hear because, they weren't in the USA Top 40. Therefore,in an effort to learn more about the artists, the history, the various styles of Reggae music and all the music in between that I missed out on, I searched the many books on Reggae and luckily, came across this book in my local bookstore. I found it to be a GREAT guide for someone like me. It is an easy,enjoyable read, an objective perspective,lots of history, pictures and a perfect guide to finding and listening to some really great Reggae music. Really a must have.

Got Reggae Routes as a Christmas gift and it was a wonderful read - well researched, well written and consistently entertaining. A must for any fan of Jamaican music. I would like to have seen more on reggae abroad and on the great instrumentalists, but this book certainly tells the best story of Jamaican music I've ever seen. It may not be perfect but it's certainly better than anything else out there.

A great read. Wonderfully informative, very well written, and totally authentic. This is not some visiting foreigner's take on reggae. This is a labour of love by guys who grew up with modern Jamaican music. By far the best book ever written on the subject.

This is interesting and amusing to look through ONCE. I wish instead of buying it I just took it out of a library. I had hoped I'd get loads of ideas to add on a plate of food gifts or something but there was nothing much to learn here except for the fact that Black eyed beans make good "eyes". The great photography sold this book. I passed it on to my daughter who is more artistic than I. With just a little inspiration she will do some great pumpkin carvings ETC. However, if you're not born with artistic abilities don't expect it from this book. The real point of the book is for the author to make money.., mission accomplished!

Don't think for a moment that the insane food presentation ideas in this book are only meant to delight children; adults I've entertained become hysterical when served okra lizards or pigs carved from citrus fruits. Two caveats if you try any of these techniques: choose the right sized knife, and make sure it is sharp. Another good idea is to have spare food on hand; you'll ruin an attempt or two for sure as you slice your way up the learning curve.

Food writer Elliot Essman's other reviews and food articles are available at www.stylegourmet.com

A friend of mine gave me a copy of this book a few months back. I'd flipped through it a couple of time, but I finally got around to reading it cover to cover today. It's a fast read ... the edition I have is only 109 pages, and most of them are photos. I finished it during a 1 hour workout at the gym earlier today.

The author basically takes the approach of looking at various fruits and vegetables like a rorschach diagram ... selecting oddly shaped examples and looking at them from all different angles, while looking for standouts that display some unusual inner character or expressiveness - and then, with only a few minor cuts and tweaks, turns them into living art.

It's a very clever book, and some of the results that the author achieves are extraordinary. I was particularly impressed with the author's pumpkin carving ability.

In any case, this book is more about making art than it is about carving food ... the produce is just the photographic subject.

Nits ?

I thought the author dealt with the subject a bit too briefly and narrowly. Although the book is 109 pages, 90% of that page count is mostly photos ... the book can be read in well under 1 hour. I'd like to have seem more page count devoted to discussion and things like carving technique.

I'd also have like to see the author include some examples taking a less ultra-simple and ultra-minimalist course ... by doing some more extensive carving and alteration. Things like carving melons, and cutting interesting & amusing garnishes for parties. Such material could have taken the book a bit out of the land of avante garde whimsy, and into the realm of practical home entertaining.

Still, for what it is, the book is very enjoyable. It's still coffee table fodder, to be sure, but enjoyable none the less.

If you have never had the pleasure of flipping through the pages of this book, then buy it today! At first glance, it is merely a whimsical, albeit beautiful, series of photos. However, upon closer inspection, the expressions on the faces really start to come across. And, yes, I'm talking about produce! This is a great book to put on your coffee table and share with your friends.

Excellent, although it may have been directed toward children, it is a great source of information and pictures for catering and decorating food tables. I use it all the time and marvel at how I now look at fruit and vegetables prior to buying.

As a mom of two young children I am very busy. The time for long elegant meals, taking my time in the kitchen are - well, on hold it seems.

Anyone who knows me knows I love and admire Jacques Pépin, so I bought this book. Disclaimer here: Jacques Pépin has been a culinary hero and I have several of his other books. He is a Master. His background is impressive and he is truly a skilled and amazing chef. He is not full of ego and pomp. Jacques Pépin, is a chef with a lifetime of training and techniques.

This book is somewhat different from his others -- I think this may be the most beautiful by far. It includes some of his paintings, there are also photographs of him cooking, collecting mushrooms, and fishing. That coupled with excerpts about his philosophy on food and life make it more interesting than just a cookbook. It has 100 recipes, yes -- but even more valuable for me, he reminded me how important it is to enjoy food.

In one section he writes:
"For me, the greatest taste may be a perfect crunchy baguette slathered generously with the very best sweet butter, and the greatest dessert (besides dark, bitter chocolate) may be a succulent apricot or strawberry jams made with very ripe fruits and spread thickly on pieces of warm brioche. My favorite ritual is sitting every night at the dining-room table with my wife and sharing our meal and one, sometimes two bottles of wine and discussing the events of the day. Throughout the last four decades, this daily ritual has been ingrained so profoundly within us that we could not live without it."

What can I say? It inspired me. I needed a nudge back "in" the kitchen and this book did that for me. The recipes are simple and not too difficult. A busy mom even has time to try a thing or two. The recipe for Saucisson of pork tenderloin is as simple as can be, but when Pepin says he dicovered it at a market in Provence I think I have found a culinary gem. I want to try it soon.

We recently harvested red cabbage from the garden. I have been at a loss at what to do with it. I have sautéed it with olive oil, Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar, which I love. I also sliced it thinly at put it in a salad. But when I browsed through the book I was excited to see something simple and delicious to try: red cabbage salad with anchoïde dressing. Jacques handwriting at the bottom of the page says: cabbage and anchoïde is your standard French coleslaw. It is basically red cabbage with a garlic anchovy dressing. You probably either love or hate anchovies but there is no disputing it, anchovies really adds a new dimension to the food it is combined with. The recipe is basic and simple, as are alot of the others in the book. But that is great. They are not too intimidating and fit with a busy lifestyle.

I am enjoying the book and the photos, insights into life with good food. It is beautiful enough to place in the center of your living room for all to admire.

If you want to read more about my adventures with food and kids you can find me at [...]

I am sorry to say that I cannot review this item since it was never shipped to me although my credit card has been charged. I emailed the seller 2 times and never had a response from him. I don't know what my recourse is at this point. Is there a way for Amazon to contact the seller. I am very disappointed. I have ordered books many times through Amazon and never had a problem.

This is just what a real chef or home cook should read. Jacques's insight as to how recipes happen and the outcome of them is fascinating and sooooooooo true! They should be personal adaptations of the written recipe. Except when baking, there is plenty of room for creativity. Even in baking, one can be creative if they follow the basic rules and substitute favorite flavors of fruit, nuts, extracts. You'll only like it more. This book gives you room to make his favorites......your favorites. Wonderful ideas abound here. I want to try all of the recipes in the book. The narrative warms your heart and you feel like he wrote this book especially for you.

This book illustrates the accessibility of fine gourmet cooking. The step-by-step instructions assure success for the average cook.

Wonderful, uncomplicated recipes beautiful photographs of dishes. Gorgeous photos of his artwork and graphics. Overall a lovely volume that you will find yourself using again and again.

I always wanted to make some kind if chocolates and this is the book that inspired me! His directions connected with me instantly. Giving me the confidence I needed. The tarragon with candied grapefruit was my first attempt. And they came out exquisit. Lemon verbena and the anise with pink peppercorn were also got rave reviews. The tahitan marshmallows were also a first. Wonderful just wonderful! The malt ice cream ,roasted banana ice cream. And i can go on and on. I'm a middle aged guy who likes to cook and bake and now i do chocolates. Get the book, you'll be very happy you did.

Anyone who loves chocolate beyond healthy amounts (hehe) needs this book! The best brownie recipe - EVER - should be the selling point here! The recipes are not for the "semi-homemade people" if you know what I mean - set aside time to love and enjoy the process of making delicious confections!

I was more than pleased with my purchase. Transaction was very simple and quick. Delivery was incredible fast. Could not believe that I received my book as quick as I did. A++++++++++++

A very well written and thought out book, beautiful photographs and excellent recipes that are easy to follow. A must have for chocoholics.

Contents of book: About 25 chocolate candy recipes (1/2 the book), Snacks (brownies, cookies, cupcakes, souflees), chocolate drinks, and ice creams.

The best part of this book is that Recchiuti gives you the recipes of the real chocolates that he sells on his website and stores. Tea, Burnt Caramel, tarragon/grapefruit, cardamonom, malt with honeycomb, fleur de sel, rose caramel, kona, ginger, and so on - they are all there. Given that Recchiuti is known as one of the top chocolatiers in the country, this is really incredible. If you are a serious chocolate candy maker, this book is a must-have.

The difficulty level of this book is hard for chocolates, easy for other parts. Most of the chocolate recipes use invert sugar (not a common ingredient). Some of the spices are specialized (verbena, or rose water). Molding technique is obviously difficult. On the other hand, the other sections are at a much lower level of difficulty.

This book is not heavy on technique pictures or descriptions of techniques. You almost have to know the techniques before you do them.


If you are looking for chocolate techniques, "chocolate confections" by Greweling is a better book, as is "Making Artisan Chocolates" by Shotts.
To me, this is more of a ganache recipe book.


For me, the bottom line is that Recchiuti shares his recipes for his *entire line* of top end chocolates. He's giving away all his trade secrets in this book. You gotta have it for that reason.

A perfect match. A favourite painter and poet/performer in one volume. A complete delight and looks so good on the coffee table.

and well worth the read: That's How the Light Gets In: Memoir of a Psychiatrist by Susan Rako, M.D. Fans of Cohen will recognize "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." Rako, a near-contemporary of Leonard Cohen, has given us a remarkably candid and fascinating memoir -- notably well-written and a great read. The writing just flows.

Dance Me to the End of Love (Art & Poetry)

this is a beautiful book which joins Leonard Cohen's poem/song with Henri Matisse's paintings - a fabulous gift for someone you love, whether or not they are a Leonard Cohen fan

This edition of Leonard Cohen's song/poem with the artwork of Matisse is beautiful and the perfect gift for any engaged couple. If a man were to give this to me, I would have to melt before him. It could only be improved if a CD of L. Cohen was included with his deep, rich, smoky and phenomenally sexy voice bringing to life the dance.

It's hard to believe Matisse did not collaborate on this book. The perfect symbiosis of the poetry and illustrations truly dance you through to the end. I bought this book as a gift. I'm keeping it.

Unlike Michael Palin, where the books that are companions to his television travels are little treasures that stand on their own, Alto Brown's FEASTING ON ASPHALT: THE RIVER RUN is a bit of a disappointment. Brown, a witty and intelligent host, writes in a style that mirrors his narrative; folksy and smart with many interesting comments. The problem is that they don't really add detail to the already comprehensive series. Padded with photos by fellow "feaster," Jean Claude Dhlen, which while cute, are not exactly artfully composed and recipes that are often approximations of "secret family recipes," a concept I find ridiculous.(What are people afraid will happen to them if the world knew the truth about their doughnuts, fried chicken etc.) FEASTING ON ASPHALT: THE RIVER RUN is a cute scrapbook of the series, but if you're a fan just get the DVD's.

If you love Alton Brown you'll love this book. It is full of his insight, humor and wit. I watched Feasting on Asphalt and I enjoyed reading this book because it went more in-depth than the show did. I didn't find myself bored reading about things I had seen on the show, because I got to read it from Alton's perspective. Alton is a very adept story teller and I found myself absorbed in the book. Although I can't really classify any of the recipes as being particularly healthy I do love the recipes for Mulate's Homemade Bread Pudding and Nana Deane's Pecan Coconut Pie, among others.
If you are looking strictly for a recipe book than this is not your book, but if you are looking for a book that has great recipes in it and has stories that are entertaining that accompany the recipe, or you just like Alton Brown, than this is a great book.

Okay, I have to admit something. I've got a ridiculous crush on Alton Brown and his show "Good Eats" on the Food Network. That being said, there's clearly no way I can be completely unbiased when it comes to reviewing his book, but I'm not the kind of person to sit down and read a cookbook as though it were a novel regardless of how much I love the author.

Feasting on Asphalt is a compilation of AB's backroad journey up the Mississippi River (hence the subtitle, "The River Run"). I haven't watched the show, but the book is a pretty great reflection on the silliness and conversational style that Alton Brown usually employs in his "Good Eats" show, so I'm guessing the show is similar. The book itself reads like a scrapbook/travel diary, punctuated by funny little moments with the people he meets and the delish food they make that he samples. The recipes are either from the people themselves, or they're adaptations according to what Alton Brown thought the original dish had, and they're pretty much all good, greasy, crispy, fried Southern food (not a diet book, clearly).

One thing I've kind of had a problem with in his books and sometimes in his show is the implausibility of actually MAKING some of the dishes. But that's kind of something you see in any cookbook right? (What normal person who doesn't cook for a living is going have all these things on hand... like an actual vanilla bean?) So I forgive him.

Anyway, most cookbooks don't really give you a history or background on the food you eat, much less the ingredients you use to make it. Feasting on Asphalt has history, good food, and wit. What else can you ask for?

I just received this book for my birthday and haven't been able to put it down. His writing style is purely conversational, and most of what is in the book has been dictated into his ipod during the trip. There are some laugh-out-loud lines. If you are at all an Alton fan, this book is a must have. It's also one of those books that you do not have to read from the beginning. I read the chapter from Alton, Illinois first, then the last chapter after which I started at the beginning. It's a great book for people with a short attention span too.

this is basically a nice companion book to Alton's second roadtrip. A little short on recipes--like all good cooks these folks jealously guard their secrets!. the series is an "A+", this book is more of a "B".

Nice overview of some trends (a few missing hands come to mind) of contemporary knitting. Must confess still find Knitta the most interesting http://www.knittaplease.com

I love this book and have used it for inspiration many times. The photos are wonderful and the object are fantastic.

This book jump starts the "creative" instinct in any serious knitter. I have knitted 2 sweaters from the book and get stopped on the street and asked where I got my sweater. Of all my knitting books, this is my favorite, I wish I could find copies of the previous KnitKnits.

I loved Knitting in America (<> Knitting America, BTW) when it came out in 1996. Consider Knit Knit the updated version, with an entirely different point of view?

Whosit--Maggie Righetti? who talks about valuing a knitting book by the # of useful patterns divided by the price of the book? In this case, for me, forget the patterns just count the ideas, the inspiration, the reinforcement of knowing other people are working on the same frontier. Definitely, those knitted boots have possibilities. Need to find a source for abandoned birk footbeds... Electrical cord? Wow... I may have to knit something out of my garden hose stash yet.

If Debbie New used the picture of her stash in Unexpected Knitting, I missed it. For me, that picture alone is worth the price of this book. THAT'S how she does it! (A number of other studio shots give a realistic view of what a particular creator's world looks like; some are so cleaned up or staged as to not be particularly useful. IMO. YMMV. and all that.)

YMMV. Maybe that's the real value of Knit Knit. Here is a window into the variation in knitting in the world today. I love it that Ms. Pearl-McPhee can spend her life knitting socks and sweaters in wool. She lives in a cold place. I live in USDA Zone 7A, where we can wear wool three months out of the year. I need to find something else to knit the rest of the year, and sculpture is right up my alley.

In my version of a perfect world, publishers would save the pages given over to patterns and put that content on the web to download if you want it. I'd rather see another dozen profiles. Until the publishers of knitting books start calling me to ask for layout advice, I'll have to accept what they release. I'm happy to own this book.

I am extremely enthusiastic about the KnitKnit:Profiles + Projects from Knitting's New Wave by Sabrina Gschwandtner. Sabrina has a lovely personalized voice as she details the obsessions and fascinations of an unrelated group of knitting and fiber enthusiasts. Although they are unconnected by the book's end one enjoys a reflective understanding of how knitting has become a medium for political, social, and artistic endeavors.

As I've said in other reviews, I've been inspired to take my photography to a new level by Nick Kelsh. These are things I wish I'd known all along but have finally given me something to go on with how to pose my family and when not to pose them. A quick, enjoyable read with ideas to put into practice immediately with great results.

I really like this book. After I bought it, I became a first-time father (of twin girls). I take lots of pictures with a good digital camera. This book's lessons are very useful.

What I value about this book is its practical, insightful suggestions (and examples) for what kinds of activities one ought to be shooting (e.g., shoot candids, not just posed shots), and how photos ought to be composed (e.g., shoot tight-in on the subject, not overly wide shots). The book has been very helpful for me.

This is the second Nick Kelsh book I have read -- the first being: "How to Photograph your Life" which I also gave a 5 star rating.

This book is bound in the same fun spiral bound hardcover.

Nick Kelsh devotes only a page to technique in order to achieve beautiful pictures. I suggests 3 basic rules:

1. get in close to your subject
2. shoot lots of frames
3. turn off the flash

His example photos are stunning. And to be honest in order to achieve similar results simply following the 3 basic rules is clearly not enough. Knowledge in choosing the appropriate film type and lens as well as carefully setting the suitable aperature is a clearly an important part in making his many of his pictures so breathtaking. Nick Kelsh does not cover the specific nitty gritty of technique since it is well documented in numerous photography books so readily available.

He instead focuses on training yourself to recognize photographic moments when with friends and families that are often overlooked by the amateur or layperson photographer

There is absolutely NO discussions about equipment -- so for all you hardwaare junkies your outta luck here. Instead he approaches the teaching of photography through inspiration, sentimentality, nostalgia and story telling.

There are some overlaps in material between his other book (How to photograph your Life).

I've taken pictures as an amature for over 30 years, but my people-pictures have never been successful--all the family photographs on our shelves were taken by others. In the first chapter, the author explained what I was doing wrong in simple, non-technical terms. Sounded good, so I took my digital camera, sought out my youngest child and shot several pictures. My wife and son were so delighted with the result they decided have an 8-1/2 x 11 print of one shot framed on his wall!

The skill-level required to use the book is probably "you can read" The ONLY technical term the author uses in the book is in the sentence in the introduction in which he says he won't use any.

The book is relatively short: I probably took about two hours total to read it, and I'm a fairly slow reader. There are, however, a large number of photos brilliantly illustrating the author's ideas, and the tips are so good that the book was well-worth the price. After a few months I will probably have reached the limits of the data in the book and will want to read something more in-depth, but I never would have gotten there without this great jump-start.

Not one of the most profound books I've ever read, but for darn sure one of the most effective.

This book has some wonderful ideas. However, it is pricey for the amount of information you receive. More detail would have been very useful. I bought 2 of his books - families and babies. One would have done.