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Category: Nonfiction

Review: Charlotte au Chocolat by Charlotte Silver

[ 4 ] February 26, 2012

Reviewed by Jill Franclemont

I love memoirs. I enjoy reading a first-person narration of someone else’s life – it’s like having an extended conversation. Of course, it’s technically a monologue – I don’t actually get to talk, or at least, when I do (which more than occasionally happens, especially with a book I either like or dislike a great deal), no one talks back. But it feels like a conversation. Like the best kind of conversation, actually – like when you meet someone you click with and sit for hours learning all about them.

Charlotte Au Chocolat was such a memoir for me.

It is the story of Charlotte Silver, born and raised by restaurateur parents (together and, ultimately, separately) at Upstairs at the Pudding, the restaurant above the Hasty Pudding Club in Harvard Square. The book chronicles young Charlotte’s life in the elite culinary world of a high-end Boston restaurant. From her earliest days, she dressed for dinner, dined on wild European boar, and was served the dessert she was named for – Charlotte au Chocolat (a confection of chocolate, ladyfingers, and liqueur that sounds to die for). Her days and nights were split between the Front of the House (i.e., the customers, the opulent dining room, and the dressed-to-the-nines service personnel) and the Back of the House (i.e., the chefs, kitchen, and cleaning staff). From a young age, she learned that never the twain shall meet – except in the person of her oh-so-glamorous mother, the chef and manager of the establishment.

A most elegant childhood, indeed. Also, sadly, often a fairly lonely one. The busy restaurant life is not an easy one. Tales of financial woes, legal battles over the building lease, and many long nights spent sitting at a table for one abound. Still, Charlotte and her mother managed to hold on to the restaurant – and their relationship – with a rather indomitable spirit and sense of self that I believe made for a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The book jacket self-describes young Charlotte as living the life of Eloise at The Plaza. There are parallels, to be sure, but there are also healthy smatterings of the less glamorous side of living the high-life – or at least of providing the high-life for others. These elements render the story accessible and sympathetic, and keep it from slipping into a “my childhood was fancier than yours” ego battle.

The story is as decadent as one of Charlotte’s mother’s desserts – and just as enjoyable. If you have any interest in the restaurant business – or unusual childhood stories – give this one a go!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

A former corporate attorney and government relations/health policy executive, Jill-Elizabeth walked away from that world (well, skipped actually) and toward a more literary life (equally challenging, but infinitely more enjoyable). If you enjoyed this review, please visit her at Jill-Elizabeth.com, the official home of All Things Jill-Elizabeth – that is, all of the teehees, musings, rants, book reviews, writing exercises, and witticisms of her burgeoning writing career.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Riverhead. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Update: Ciao Italia Family Classics by Mary Ann Esposito

[ 4 ] February 25, 2012

NOTE: Colleen Turner previously reviewed Ciao Italia Family Classics by Mary Ann Esposito based the 3-recipe pamphlet that we received from St. Martin’s Press (see the review here). The publisher has since sent Colleen the finished book and she changed her rating from a 2/5 to a 4/5. Here is her update:

The publishers of Ciao Italia Family Classics by Mary Ann Esposito were kind enough to send me a finished copy of the cookbook to compare against the pamphlet I originally received for review. There is absolutely no comparison between the two as the finished copy is beautiful! There are lots of full page pictures to go along with the recipes, all the recipes appear to be complete and the author even gives helpful hints for stocking your pantry with basic Italian necessities.

The recipes are divided into eleven different categories – antipasti, soup, pizza and break, pasta, sauces rice, fish, meat, vegetables, salads and desserts – and it is easy to find something to satisfy every tastebud.

So far I have made two of the recipes: Mom’s Summer Tomato Salad and Baked Ziti Casserole with Meatballs. The tomato salad is so simple to put together but was absolutely delicious. The Ziti Casserole, which included a homemade pork sausage ragu sauce, tasty little meatballs and fresh mozzarella, was a hit in my house and will be something I am sure I will be asked to make again and again.

The only downsides I can find to this cookbook is that every recipe doesn’t have a photo of the finished product (I like to compare what I make to the ideal to see how close I get) and that some of the ingredients are quite pricey and are not things I typically have. All in all, this is definitely a cookbook I will use in the future and I am glad I got the opportunity to see the finished product.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Colleen lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, son, their dog Oliver and their fish Finn. When not working or taking care of her family she has her nose stuck in a book (and, let’s face it, often when she is working or taking care of her family as well). Nothing excites her more than discovering a new author to obsess over or a hidden jewel of a book to worship.

This book was provided free of any obligation by St. Martin’s Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead

[ 5 ] February 20, 2012

Reviewed by Colleen Turner

On January 24th, 1943, 230 women boarded a train in France, bound for the unknown. They ranged in age from fifteen to over sixty and encompassed positions in society from school girls to furriers to farmers’ wives to doctors and chemists. Most, on the surface, seemed to have little in common. What united them was much deeper and much more binding.

These women found themselves imprisoned together for their various resistance acts against the German invaders that had taken over France upon their occupation on June 14th, 1940. And all would have to cling together as strongly as possible in order to survive what lay ahead of them at the end of their train ride: the death and work camps of Auschwitz, Birkenau and Ravensbruck. Their united strength, intelligence and determination to live and tell others of the horror they have witnessed, experienced and survived led to forty-nine of these brave 230 coming home to France in the summer of 1945.

A Train in Winter is a remarkable story that not only brings attention to this specific group of women and what they went through under the Nazi regime but the bigger picture of the French Occupation, the French Resistance and the other men and women, many communists but not all, who were determined to fight for what they saw as right and to reclaim the country that was theirs. It also brought into the light, using stark and blunt writing, the true horrors of what the people of Europe, from many countries, religions and political beliefs, experienced in the various Nazi concentration camps.

I was absolutely enamored with these women, their friends and families and with the bravery they all exuded when so many others would have, and some did, give in to the Germans. Faced with such extreme degradations, brutality and hatred inflicted on them they managed to maintain their morality and defiance and banded together to save those they could and never forget those they couldn’t.

In no way can A Train in Winter be looked at as a happy, uplifting read. What this book is is a testament to strength, friendship and the ability to maintain a core set of beliefs even when in hell. It is fully apparent that Caroline Moorehead not only did extensive research but interviewed survivors and their family members and enclosed their lives and words into the story. She makes you feel like you are witness to these atrocities right along with the women, making for a heart-wrenching experience. I don’t believe I will ever forget these women and what they did for what they felt as right.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Watch the story of these amazing women in a video created by the UK publisher

Colleen lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, son, their dog Oliver and their fish Finn. When not working or taking care of her family she has her nose stuck in a book (and, let’s face it, often when she is working or taking care of her family as well). Nothing excites her more than discovering a new author to obsess over or a hidden jewel of a book to worship.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Harper. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Courtney Comes Clean by Maer Roshan

[ 3 ] February 19, 2012

Reviewed by Joanne Reynolds

Courtney Love seems to be a very intelligent, drugged-out train-wreck. Maer Roshan, founder and editor-in-chief of The Fix, spent about a year with Courtney. In his book, Courtney Comes Clean, Roshan describes her various paranoid behaviors relating to finances, reputation, etc. Courtney Love has been an addict since about the age of 15 and has tried to rehabilitate herself over and over again.

While rehab does work for some people, I don’t get the sense that this will be the story for Courtney. She really appears to be a tragic figure that people will have a tendency to just dish dirt about, as she leaves that door wide open. People just love to read dirt about someone who is so famous, especially if the fame is not flattering.

All of the theories that she is using her marriage and the subsequent suicide of her husband, Kurt Cobain, as the fuel for her celebrity doesn’t really come across in this book. Courtney doesn’t discuss Kurt too much in this particular venture. Her thoughts about people ripping her off of millions of dollars because of her trusting nature and her drug-addled states becomes inherently prevalent throughout the book.

I have to be honest about my non-knowledge of Courtney Love’s music. I have never really heard her art and really only know about the woman through the gossip that I’ve read in magazines.

Courtney Comes Clean doesn’t really get into a whole lot of personal details and there is much supposition on Maer Roshan’s part about her posings. I feel that a lot more research could have been done to either justify Courtney’s proclamations or disprove them. I did not walk away with much more knowledge about the woman that I walked in with. It just wasn’t as detailed a story as it probably could have been, given the time that the author spent with the woman.

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Joanne has always been an avid reader and loves the ability to lose herself in someone else’s life for the time that it takes to read about it. She has a huge admiration for authors and the worlds that they create for us. She enjoys reading to her granddaughters and hopes that they take up the love of reading.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by FSB Associates. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Wildlife Photographer by Chris Gomersall

[ 3 ] February 18, 2012

Reviewed by Caleb Shadis

When I first opened Wildlife Photographer: A Course in Creative Photography by Chris Gomersall, I was merely expecting a nice coffee table book with lots of pretty pictures. What I got was so much more. Gomersall has spent the better part of 30 years photographing wildlife and nature, though birds are his speciality. I must say that his experience shows through every page. Yes, he has wonderful photos to share, but he also provides plenty of good advice.

Gomersall doesn’t go into all the technical details of setting up each shot. He describes what he did and what he was looking for and covers the basics. He instructs with stories and explains that the photos should be telling stories of their own. I enjoyed reading Wildlife Photographer; Gomersall has an easy way with words. It is obvious that he has a wealth of knowledge and care deeply about the subject.

Overall, Gomersall’s photographs are absolutely beautiful and these alone make the book worthwhile. If you are interested in photography, especially wildlife photography, I’m sure you can learn something from this book.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Caleb is a software engineer and amature woodworker living in southern Minnesota. He has more hobbies than he has time or money for, and enjoys his quiet time reading.

The review copy of this book was provided free of any obligation by Frances Lincoln. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Easy Entertaining at Home by Sandra Lee

[ 2 ] February 16, 2012

Reviewed by Amanda Schafer

Sandra Lee is known for her semi-homemade creations, where she takes a prepackaged item and alters it slightly to make it her own and create a fabulous new recipe. She is also known for her beautiful table-scapes and festive beverages to pair with each meal.

When I got Easy Entertaining at Home, I was truly excited to see the creative ways that Sandra would help me entertain at home with pretty tables and easy recipes. I thought it would be a wonderful addition to my cookbook shelf and make my life less stressful when having friends over for dinner. I was horribly disappointed!! This book is full of alcoholic beverages and even some alcoholic food recipes. While I realize that the alcohol evaporates when you cook with it, it was still quite irritating to see that out of over 150 recipes in the book, only 33 of them were for non-alcoholic food items. In case you’re counting, that’s only about 20%.

One could argue that when making a beverage that calls for alcohol, a person could just omit the alcohol and make it a virgin drink. However, there are several cocktails that are basically just fruit juices without the alcohol. I know that many people are completely fine with drinking alcoholic beverages and I even have a few cookbooks with random cocktails in it. But a cookbook like this tends to exclude those who prefer not to serve cocktails at their parties. It seems almost offensive to have a book that is touted as “entertainment made easy” while completely excluding an entire group of people.

When I opened Easy Entertaining at Home, I was also expecting some “creative ideas” for celebrations as the cover stated. There were no instructions on table decorations, or any theme ideas. There were a couple of pages that included a checklist for planning when to buy what and when to prepare certain aspects of a party, but nothing like what I imagined from the title.

Based on Sandra’s dedication page, I thought that this would be a book for an “every day get together with family and friends”. What it really consists of is a way to throw a party where the primary thing you want people to do is drink. It was a huge disappointment and I am now even questioning my dedication to Sandra Lee’s TV show.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Amanda lives in Missouri with her engineering husband, two sons, and one daughter. In between homeschooling and keeping up with church activities she loves to read Christian Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and any Chick-Lit. She never goes anywhere without a book to read!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Hyperion. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Style Me Vintage: Make-Up by Katie Reynolds

[ 3 ] February 14, 2012

Reviewed by Wendy Fitos

Style Me Vintage: Make Up by Katie Reynolds is the second book in the Style Me Vintage series and covers makeup looks from each decade starting with the 1920’s. The book is targeted for makeup artists as well as women looking to create a look for a party, so the application techniques are very clear and concise.

Many of the looks featured in this colorful book can be easily worn today by slightly changing up the colors and refining the technique if the look needs to be professional. The Marlene Dietrich look from the 1930’s is very classic and would work great for either the office or a cocktail party. The Audrey Hepburn look from the 1960’s can be seen today in many style and fashion magazines. What is refreshing about Reynolds’ technique is that it isn’t picture perfect in terms of application, but the angles of the pictures make it easy to see each step of the application without having to try too hard.

Reynolds gives a short list of what is needed to create the look, quick tips and several pictures for an easy application. She transforms one decade to the next and makes it fun by using a picture of a model from the actual decade and then a picture of her modern day recreation.

Style Me Vintage: Make Up would be great for teen or themed parties as few materials are required to recreate the looks inside. It would also work well for a woman who is trying to give her current makeup a trendier look without having to spend a lot of time.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Wendy Fitos is a makeup artist and esthetician with 22 years of experience. Her goal is to educate women on how to create looks that will meet both professional and personal styles. Wendy lives in Cleveland, Ohio and enjoys reading and exercising.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Pavilion. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Quiet by Susan Cain

[ 7 ] February 11, 2012

Reviewed by F. Scott

Quiet, by lawyer-turned-consultant Susan Cain, is a good antidote to what I call our BS society. In short, she shows that it is okay to be short with your words to the world and others around you.

Our society forces everyone in it to be an extrovert—and if you’re not, you’re just too weird to be liked, hired, or kissed. We learn this from our early days in school when the point is to be socially adept and get along with others. Cain correctly points to the “politically progressive roots” of this phenomenon in our society. However, she doesn’t really nail or name the ultimate culprit: John Dewey. Democracy demands that we socialize kids, not really teach them anything or make them think very deeply, Dewey basically said.

I always like to refer to that scene in To Kill a Mockingbird when Scout tells her father, Atticus, “teacher says we’re not supposed to read outside of school.” (This is 1932.) That’s because of the see-and-say method then coming into vogue to (not) teach kids to read. Just be nice and social, my dear little Scout, and don’t think too much. This is all Dewey. Atticus, great man that is, says nuts to the teacher.

This is the whole “cooperative” approach to learning, and if you as a teacher don’t do it that way, you’re out. Talk to just about any K­–12 teacher these days about their classes and you’ll eventually hear this: “. . . and then I put them in groups.” As a once and former teacher, I say, “Screw the group work!” Everybody but everybody knows that one kid does all the work and the others just copy off him or her. And “group projects” usually aren’t.

How did I get off on this rant about education, anyway? Because everyone just blabs all damn day long, and no one can think their way out of paper bag.

Cain offers research study after research study on the mental, emotional, spiritual, and even physical characteristics of extroverts and introverts, complete with fMRI tests. Seems that introverts literally do have thinner skin. But it all sort of melds together pretty quickly, and one chapter is just like the next. Yet, we can come to see that most people really are introverts by nature—I forget what stats she gives, and she doesn’t say this herself—but we force ourselves to be extroverts in order to get, to get the girl…the guy…the job…the sale.

Sorry, folks, but one more time I have to say this: “What do editors do these days?” Quiet could be much tighter. The research findings are often interesting, but if I ever write like this, shoot me: “On a sunny but overcast, rainy but dry, day that was getting hotter and colder at the same time . . . in walked/approached me/sat down an unassuming man/woman/child of a certain age . . .” I mean, at the start of every chapter!

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Read Susan Cain’s NYT article, “The Rise of the New Groupthink“, and the corresponding commentary at BigThink.com

F. Scott would really just like to talk when he wants and shut up when he wants.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Crown. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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