There’s this thing I really like to do: eat. Reading is right up there (throw in playing with my kid, sleeping, and the occasional roll in the hay, and that there’s a perfect day). When I lived in New York, I was lucky enough to eat some very good food prepared by some absolute geniuses. One place I always wanted to go but never made it was Aquavit, a Michelin-starred Scandinavian restaurant that served more than just the Ikea-style meatballs we all know and love. […]
Elecamel’s No. 1
Other than an episode of South Park and idle gossip about Tom Cruise, I know very little about Scientology. The belief structure, the founding of the Church and the politics that operate it were unknown to me beyond that. I couldn’t understand why anyone would truly have faith in something that seemed so far fetched and was created by a man who was seemingly incapable of self-awareness. Lawrence Wright has written a concise history of L. Ron Hubbard, the Church he created and its path […]
Lemondrop’s CBR #1: Holidays in Heck by P.J. O’Rourke
One of my goals with CBR is to read more fiction (I’m mostly a travel/history/how-to/humor girl), but I’ve been wanting to get to Holidays in Heck for so long that it would have been impossible to make a concerted effort to read anything else first. P.J. O’Rourke has been my favorite writer since I was too young to get most of the jokes. Books like Holidays in Hell – a collection of essays from O’Rourke’s days as Rolling Stone‘s foreign affairs desk chief – are […]
ElCicco #CBR6 Review #2: The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story; a graphic novel written by Vivek J. Tiwary, art by Andrew Robinson with Kyle Baker
This graphic novel, released in November 2013, focuses on Brian Epstein’s crucial role in developing and promoting the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Tiwary, a Wharton Business School graduate and a film/TV/theater producer, was drawn to Epstein’s story not just because of his own love of the Beatles’ music or because of Epstein’s drive and business brilliance in getting the Beatles to the top of the music industry, but also because of Epstein’s personal demons and societal obstacles that threatened his professional […]
After the Music Stopped
Blinder provides a very clear explanation of the events leading up to and after the Great Recession. Everyone should read this to understand why it happened and what we can do to avoid the next disaster. The review is here: http://lyndamkreads.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/after-the-music-stopped-by-alan-s-blinder/
Badkittyuno’s Review #1: Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
“Salt: the only rock we eat”. I’ve really been enjoying this class of books that Goodreads calls “microhistories”, in which an author delves into a single subject with great detail. This particular book focuses on salt, which is a lot more interesting than you’d expect. Salt in some way has influenced: — the discovery of natural gas — Gandhi — taxes — all sorts of words, like soldier and salary — the creation of Tabasco sauce — travel and trade routes in addition to […]