My weakness for cook books

I don't buy many books.  Usually my reading material comes from the library or friends.  However, cookbooks are my kryptonite.  Especially the great finds at garage sales and Half Price Books.  The more photographs, the better.  These have their own special shelf in my kitchen; with plenty of Post-It flags highlighting favorite recipes, or recipes to try in the future.  Here are a few creations stemming from these books:

These are corn on the cob cupcakes from a cupcake cook book.  Yellow frosting, jelly beans are topped with squares of yellow Starburst "butter".

American flag brownies for my Fourth of July celebration.

Thanksgiving appetizers.  The recipes weren't from a cookbook, but the decorating ideas came from a Thanksgiving cookbook.  Next year I want to try home-made stuffing from this book.

Caramel pralines from Betty Crocker.  

Another favorite book of mine is "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen."  It is not a cookbook, it is part-history book and part-science book on where our food comes from and how cooking transforms it .  If you've seen any of Alton Brown's shows or cookbooks, I think it must be one of his science references.  There are entire chapters on single subjects, like dairy, eggs, meat, sauces and seeds.  

What we love

The Encyclopedia of Gratitude loves used and independent bookstores too!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

By Mindy Kaling

I love hearing about down to earth, sane people who make it big in Hollywood.  One takes a gamble reading a memoir or Rolling Stones article on a celebrity - you may be better off not knowing the gory details of their past.  I remember reading an article about Justin Timberlake.  Before that article I was a huge fan of his solo CDs and appearances on Saturday Night Live.  Then I read about him in Rolling Stones and was deeply disappointed in all of his drinking and pot smoking references.  Still a fan, but with a grain of salt.

That same sense of disappointment was not there with Mindy, who writes for The Office and plays Kelly Kapoor.  I found out about this one on Goodreads, with its excellent recommendations based on my past reading.  She is a writer, actor and producer that you laugh with as you read along and isn't on the crazy train.  Being that we are in the same generation, I can relate to her childhood experience (80's children's clothes anyone?) as well as college and career stories.  There were many laugh out loud moments in the book.  See for yourself in an excerpt of her book.

If you need more after reading her book, you can also check out her blog for more Mindy.  Here are some of the chapter titles to give you a taste of her humor:

• Don't Peak in High School
• Failing at Everything in the Greatest City on Earth
• Non-Traumatic Things That Have Made Me Cry
• Why Do Men Put on Their Shoes So Slowly

Common Good Books in St. Paul, MN

I went to a great book store in St. Paul today. Tucked underneath Nina's Coffee Cafe, Common Good Books is a great general bookstore located on Western and Selby. It's an aesthetically appealing store to the cozy eye - exposed brick walls, twisting and turning back hallways showing you the world of books never ends! For the poetry lovers, this is a large wall dedicated to the genre. There are a few sections of nonfiction, but I would say mostly the store covers new books and general fiction. There are also special sections for children and local writings.

Books are sold at their list price, however they do offer benefits to regular customers. If you join their frequent buyer club, after purchasing 12 books, your next book is free, based on the average of your 12 books. You can even put your friend's/family's purchases on your list if they don't want their own list.

This store will be a MUST on our next book crawl!

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

While waiting for The Princess Bride to arrive at Common Good Books in St. Paul, MN, I chose a short book from my iPad freebies.

As one who personifies pets, I was immediately drawn to this book, narrated from the mind of a St. Bernard, Buck. The book held true to the hard working and loyal nature of a dog. But this personification allowed my heart to sink deeper and deeper as Buck and his teammates were driven far beyond what I thought they could allow. It was difficult to read about the ferocious fighting between dogs, the harsh weather conditions, the deep starvation of animals, and worse of all, the lack of camaraderie between man and animal. The animals continue to be sold from one worse team to another.

To the rescue, Buck is saved by John Thorton, as the rest of his previous crew fall to their deaths ... literally. Rescued as well is my heart, as Buck and Thorton build a relationship that defines "Man's Best Friend." The daily lives and thrilling tales of Buck and Thorton made me beam, as my "best friend" curls up on the couch next to me.

However, as one who personifies pets, I did not understand Buck's final "Call of the Wild" in the end. To me, dogs are the docile type of canines, put on this earth to provide companionship to humans. Sure, Buck showed some ferocious characteristics during his desperation and starvation periods, but his relationship with Thorton brought what I thought is a dog's true character.

London has Buck answer this "Call" to join the wolf pack to answer a legend of the Yeehat tribe in Canada - they noticed a change in the breed of timber wolf - seen with splashes of brown on their muzzles and heads which may have come from breeding with another type of canine. While this legend in the end explained to me the purpose of Buck's travels/life to get him to that point, I still prefer a story of a loyal house dog who is one of the family.

The Poisoner's Handbook

Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age of New York - by Deborah Blum.

This book has one heck of a catchy title.  It also can draw some worried looks from people who take a glance at what you are reading, and slowly inch away.  It is the fascinating tale of the birth of modern toxicology in the 1920s and 1930s.  In my professional life, I work closely with toxicologists to receive pertinent health information to protect workers.  So this book connected the current field with its origins for me.  The origins stemmed from the need to track down criminals for poisoning cases, and later evolved to include workplace toxins.  Too often, the courts would let probable criminals go free due to a lack of analytical methods or vice versa, send innocents to the Sing Sing facility in New York for execution.

Each chapter is dedicated to a poison, and gives case studies of how methods were developed relative to certain crimes taking place, mainly in New York City.  Charles Norris is the chief medical examiner that ultimately sets a model to be replicated across the U.S. for how forensic medicine should be conducted.  His overworked, underpaid, yet dedicated employee, Alexander Gettner laid the foundation for many analytical techniques that came to cited in medical textbooks and as part of the forensics program for the MDs in New York.  The poisons include: chloroform, wood alcohol, cyanides, arsenic, mercury, carbon monoxide, methyl alcohol, radium, ethyl alcohol and thallium.  What amazed me was how readily available these toxins were at the pharmacy or hardware store.  Some were known to be toxic (the arsenic and cyanides used for pest control) yet others were touted as health tonics (radium water for a healthy glow).

Despite Gettner and Norris' work, the creation of stronger safety regulations and the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA, we still face many of these poisons today.  Undoubtedly, there will be cases of carbon monoxide deaths this winter due to poorly maintained furnaces and space heaters.  We are still dealing with lead clean-up in homes and soils.  There are still concerns about toys containing lead paint.  The older poisons have been well characterized in terms of their health effects, how to treat them and how to prevent illness in the first place.  But there are 1000's of new chemicals being produced each year, and we have to keep our eyes on them.  Just because there aren't immediate health effects, doesn't mean there aren't longer term health or environmental effects.

The author has to cover some gory details in her tale - the results of autopsies and acts of murderers, but she does it in a way that did not leave me feeling too disturbed.  Instead, I felt empathy for Norris and Gettner as they tried to advance their field in a way to keep up or even ahead of the criminals.  They took it personally if the jury did not understand their evidence, and worked hard to learn from their mistakes and not work harder on the next case.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone in a public health or preventative health field.  The organic chemistry discussed may be a little off-putting to some, but you don't need a major in chemistry to get through the book.

Astrid & Veronika

Today I read Astrid & Veronika by Linda Olsson. I have had a couple busy weeks and next week doesn't look any different so it was nice to literally curl up with a quiet book that didn't ask anything of me and let me drink my weight in tea while I read.

A story of friendship, loss, and reconnection to one's life, Astrid & Veronika is gracefully written. Olson allows the story to unfold quietly as she alternately uncovers the tragedies in each woman's life and how they help one another to cope and resurface from the depths of their colossal losses.

While I'm not sure I'll carry this story with me, it did introduce me to the poetry of Karin Boye, which I appreciate. I look forward to discovering her catalog and perhaps exploring other Scandinavian writers as well.

Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland

While I appreciate McCourt's laid back approach to Ireland's history, his style in Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland revolved around individuals and I feel that there is so much missing from his narrative. I didn't actually get a sense of the Irish people themselves or any of the major events.

McCourt explains events such as the Easter Rising and Bloody Sunday only in contexts of who was involved. This tactic resulted in a vague and disjointed telling of the story, as well as a lot of redundancies. I read a review that questioned the editing of the book and I totally agree, it wasn't well-formatted.

The sections on Irish writers and Mary Robinson were particularly good, though I found it odd that Oscar Wilde wasn't included in the former. I also noted the absence of Roger Casement from the chapter on the Easter Rising.

Overall, it was very clear that this wasn't necessarily a history of Ireland, but was instead a collection of what McCourt happens to know. Not a terrible waste of time at all, just not very comprehensive, not particularly well written, and sometimes politically dry.

This Child Will be Great

For my second book club meeting of the week, our group read the memoir "This Child Will be Great" by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.  Sirleaf was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakel Karmen.  Sirleaf is the first female president of Liberia.


I haven't read many memoirs, so I don't have much to compare it to.  In this case, Sirleaf's story reads more as a series of dry events that could be one long bulleted list.  I wonder if this writing style is a reflection of her time spent in the business world, where that type of writing is more common than a sentimental style.  Either way, as I reflect on all she has encountered, and what she has accomplished, it is apparent that she is quite the amazing human being.  Here is a series of her passages that spoke to me, almost as tidbits of advice:


Still, once I took the position, I had stepped into a stream that would carry me along toward the future of my professional development.  So often it is the small decisions in life that end up shaping our future the most. p 32

• The learning here - pay attention to your small decisions as they may have bigger repercussions than you may originally anticipate.  

All of this I said, but in the end, it was really one word - idiots - that got me into trouble.  That was the word that did it.  That was the word that they really, really did not like.  p 123

• The learning here - people may focus on one or two points and ignore the rest of your message.  The theme of education, or lack there-of, is common when defining a gap for Liberians in this book.  I wonder if this is why the word "idiot" offended so much - many of the regime did not have much of a formal education, and did not want to appear weak because of it.  

Leadership has many challenges, and those challenges are serious.  Too often people, in their eagerness to stand and shout 'Follow me!,' neglect to consider the downside.  They do not, for example, consider the possibility of ostracism.  But the truth is that if you want to lead and be hailed, you must also be prepared to be ostracized, because it surely will happen at some point in your career.

• The learning here - there are ups and downs to any situation.  Leaders may be glorified on one hand, but there will be people wanting to tear you down and you must be prepared for both aspects to move ahead.

On the challenges Sileaf faced as newly-elected president: "On that glorious day Liberians had not experienced government provided electric power for more than sixteen years... Pipe-borne water was nonexistent in the city center and parts beyond.  Civil servants' salaries were in arrears and woefully inadequate at any rate.  Our schools were in ruins, not just physically, but also in terms of the loss of trained teachers.  Mortality rates among all sectors of our population were frighteningly high.  Our hospitals lacked equipment, drugs, and most critically, doctors..." p 273

• The learning here - it would be difficult enough becoming leader of a developed nation today, and yet knowing the state of Liberia and what she faced, Sirleaf fought for her election to bring change to these situations.  Wow.  What a strong, brave woman!

The Devil in the White City

This week, I will be attending two different book club events.  For one club, I read The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.  Three sets of stories are melded together in this piece of non-fiction.  It is the tale of a murderer, a serial killer, and the building of the Chicago World's Fair in the early 1890s.  


Before reading this book, I did not know much about World Fairs.  Now, I know a bit about the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, and a smidgen about the Paris World's Fair of 1889, to which the Chicago team used as their standard to surpass.  It was nicknamed the White City based on its appearance from the white exterior architecture of the buildings.  While the Chicago Fair was being designed and built to honor the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus "discovering" America, H.H. Holmes, America's first serial killer was on the loose in Chicago.  





While reading this work of non-fiction, I started to take notes on familiar items and names that were started or associated with the Chicago World's Fair.   I've included a few that stuck out for me in the following list.  


Structures and inventions of note:

• Light bulbs.  The war of DC vs AC light bulbs was intense at this point, and Westinghouse won the lighting contract for the Fair with their AC bulbs, at a bid of $399,000.  As the author states, "The exposition went with Westinghouse, and helped change the history of electricity"
• Ferris wheel.  This was the Chicago Fair's answer to rival the Eiffel Tower of the Paris World Fair.  
• Exhibits of new inventions:  "The first moving pictures on Edison's Kinetoscope...the first zipper; the first all electric kitchen...Aunt Jemima's...Juicy Fruit, and caramel coated popcorn called Cracker Jack..."
• Midway.  The idea of Midway really took off with the Chicago Worlds's Fair, and carries on to this day.  One of the exhibits at the Midway was the California Ostrich farm which "offered omelets made from ostrich eggs, though in fact the eggs came from domestic chickens."  Shredded wheat was introduced as a cereal item that is still carried in grocery stores.  
• Museum of Science and Industry.  The Fair's Place of Fine Arts, transformed into a permanent structure, now houses the Museum of Science and Industry. 

Names of note:

• Frank Lloyd Wright.  He was a junior architect with Louis Sullivan's firm, and was fired for using his free time to design houses for clients of his own.    
• Elias Disney helped build the White City.  According to the author, Elias's son Walt may have been influenced by the White City in his creation of the Magic Kingdom.  

My review:
Genre: Non-fiction, history, true crime


Who I would recommend this to? Anyone with an interest in U.S. history that likes a detailed look into a set of events in a specific time frame should enjoy this book.  Even though it involves a serial killer, I did not find it too off-putting and enjoyed the majority of the book. 
If you're more of a fan of movies based on books, it is rumored that Leonardo DiCaprio will play Holmes in a 2012/2013 movie release.


Would I read other books by this author?  Erik Larson has other books available, and I may consider reading In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin when the waiting list isn't so long at the library.