See this at: amazon.com| Added on 02/25/08

By Sally Squires Washington Post 2-12-08; Page HE01 Some people eat to live. Others live to eat. But Brian Wansink takes that idea to a whole new level, where food permeates every part of his life. He's the best-selling author of "Mindless Eating," a... See more

By Sally Squires Washington Post 2-12-08; Page HE01 Some people eat to live. Others live to eat. But Brian Wansink takes that idea to a whole new level, where food permeates every part of his life. He's the best-selling author of "Mindless Eating," a critically acclaimed book about why we eat more than we think we do. As the new head of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion at the Agriculture Department, he's about to help name the expert panel that will draft the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, the nutritional blueprint for Americans. He's married to a Cordon Bleu-trained chef who fixes gourmet meals for him and their two young daughters. On weekends, he often heads back to Ithaca, N.Y., to oversee research at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, where his findings helped inspire the 100-calorie snack pack. Now he wants to recruit mothers to help him whittle the widening national girth. Project M.O.M. is a new USDA campaign that targets the nutritional gatekeepers in every... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 02/11/08

Duma Key How to Draw a Picture Start with a blank surface. It doesn't have to be paper or canvas, but I feel it should be white. We call it white because we need a word, but its true name is nothing. Black is the absence of light, but white is the... See more

Duma Key How to Draw a Picture Start with a blank surface. It doesn't have to be paper or canvas, but I feel it should be white. We call it white because we need a word, but its true name is nothing. Black is the absence of light, but white is the absence of memory, the color of can't remember. How do we remember to remember? That's a question I've asked myself often since my time on Duma Key, often in the small hours of the morning, looking up into the absence of light, remembering absent friends. Sometimes in those little hours I think about the horizon. You have to establish the horizon. You have to mark the white. A simple enough act, you might say, but any act that re-makes the world is heroic. Or so I’ve come to believe. Imagine a little girl, hardly more than a baby. She fell from a carriage almost ninety years ago, struck her head on a stone, and forgot everything. Not just her name; everything! And then one day she recalled just enough to pick up a pencil and make that first... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/19/07

Plum Lovin' reminds me of an appetizer. The breadsticks the waitress brings you to tide you over until your meal comes. This book is the breadsticks, Janet the waitress, and your dinner will be book 13, out in June. It's a short, quick, little read.... See more

Plum Lovin' reminds me of an appetizer. The breadsticks the waitress brings you to tide you over until your meal comes. This book is the breadsticks, Janet the waitress, and your dinner will be book 13, out in June. It's a short, quick, little read. A fun filled adventure through Trenton with our favorite bounty hunter, Stephanie. Diesel, from the book Visions of Sugar Plums, returns to make a deal with Stephanie. He knows where her latest skipped bond is, and will hand her over if Stephanie helps a few lonely hearts have a good Valentines Day. Stephanie agrees. Plum Lovin' is filled with the usual crazy antics we have all come to love and expect, plus a few new ones. Some laugh out loud moments with Lula. Joe and Ranger are not a big part of this book; in fact they both make one small appearance (sigh). Diesel is the main man in this book and I for one was glad to see him again. How lucky can one girl be to have three of the finest men by her side? Ranger leaves town and tells... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 01/11/08

Duma Key How to Draw a Picture Start with a blank surface. It doesn't have to be paper or canvas, but I feel it should be white. We call it white because we need a word, but its true name is nothing. Black is the absence of light, but white is the... See more

Duma Key How to Draw a Picture Start with a blank surface. It doesn't have to be paper or canvas, but I feel it should be white. We call it white because we need a word, but its true name is nothing. Black is the absence of light, but white is the absence of memory, the color of can't remember. How do we remember to remember? That's a question I've asked myself often since my time on Duma Key, often in the small hours of the morning, looking up into the absence of light, remembering absent friends. Sometimes in those little hours I think about the horizon. You have to establish the horizon. You have to mark the white. A simple enough act, you might say, but any act that re-makes the world is heroic. Or so I've come to believe. Imagine a little girl, hardly more than a baby. She fell from a carriage almost ninety years ago, struck her head on a stone, and forgot everything. Not just her name; everything! And then one day she recalled just enough to pick up a pencil and make that first... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 01/04/08

From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. The 20th Kinsey Millhone crime novel (after 2005's S Is for Silence), a gripping, if depressing, tale of identify theft and elder abuse, displays bestseller Grafton's storytelling gifts. By default, Millhone, a... See more

From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. The 20th Kinsey Millhone crime novel (after 2005's S Is for Silence), a gripping, if depressing, tale of identify theft and elder abuse, displays bestseller Grafton's storytelling gifts. By default, Millhone, a private investigator in the small Southern California town of Santa Teresa, assumes responsibility for the well-being of an old neighbor, Gus Vronsky, injured in a fall. After Vronsky's great-niece arranges to hire a home aide, Solana Rojas, Millhone begins to suspect that Rojas is not all that she seems. Since the reader knows from the start that an unscrupulous master manipulator has stolen the Rojas persona, the plot focuses not on whodunit but on the battle of wits Millhone wages with an unconventional and formidable adversary. Grafton's mastery of dialogue and her portrayal of the limits of good intentions make this one of the series' high points, even if two violent scenes near the end tidy up the pieces a little too neatly. Author... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 01/04/08

From Publishers Weekly In this tart and hilarious "between-the-numbers" Stephanie Plum novel from bestseller Evanovich (Twelve Sharp), the Jersey bond enforcement agent, who already has two guys in her life (cop Joe Morelli and bounty hunter Ranger),... See more

From Publishers Weekly In this tart and hilarious "between-the-numbers" Stephanie Plum novel from bestseller Evanovich (Twelve Sharp), the Jersey bond enforcement agent, who already has two guys in her life (cop Joe Morelli and bounty hunter Ranger), reconnects with Diesel, a third heartthrob. Diesel offers Stephanie a deal: if he lets her find Annie Hart, a relationship coach who's become a big-ticket bond on Stephanie's Most Wanted List after fleeing a charge for a robbery she didn't commit, then Stephanie can do Annie a big favor by playing Cupid for a number of Annie's lovelorn clients, including a shy butcher, a desperate vet, an overworked single mom, a 30-something virgin and the marriage-phobic fellow who just happens to be Stephanie's pregnant sister's boyfriend. Diesel and Stephanie's short but sweet adventure ends on a teasing note that will leave fans hungry for the next juicy Plum-a-thon. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 12/13/07

* Hardcover: 149 pages * ISBN-10: 0312306326 * ASIN: B0000T70FE * Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches * Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Average Customer Review: (226 customer reviews) * Amazon.com Sales Rank:... See more

* Hardcover: 149 pages * ISBN-10: 0312306326 * ASIN: B0000T70FE * Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches * Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Average Customer Review: (226 customer reviews) * Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,819 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/27/07

Best Books of 2007: Top 100 Customers' Favorite. See more in our Best Books of 2007 Store.

Best Books of 2007: Top 100 Customers' Favorite. See more in our Best Books of 2007 Store. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/11/07

Evanovich brings back Stephanie Plum and all of her cohorts (leaving out, thankfully, her sister & brood) in a tale that has Ranger seemingly cloned and hiding out from the cops, based on the crimes committed by whoever is impersonating him. Bravo to... See more

Evanovich brings back Stephanie Plum and all of her cohorts (leaving out, thankfully, her sister & brood) in a tale that has Ranger seemingly cloned and hiding out from the cops, based on the crimes committed by whoever is impersonating him. Bravo to Evanovich for not blowing up Stephanie's Mini-Cooper! On a more serious note, this particular plot, about the kidnap of a child, hit a less over the top vein than some of the earlier Plum novels. And I must say, I loved the way the story evolved and the very real dangers and feelings the characters displayed in the story. No clowns for villains here. I have read other reader's comments about the focus on sex while Ranger's child was missing and the seeming willingness that Stephanie had to cheat on Morelli. I don't dismiss those as concerns on some readers' part, I just didn't feel they detracted from the book or the plot. I enjoyed it thoroughly and read it in record time. More, More!!! Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/05/07

Amazon.com Stephanie Plum, Trenton's favorite bondswoman, is having a career crisis, which gives Janet Evanovich plenty of opportunities to showcase her series heroine in a variety of alternative vocations, from dry cleaner to factory worker. Most of... See more

Amazon.com Stephanie Plum, Trenton's favorite bondswoman, is having a career crisis, which gives Janet Evanovich plenty of opportunities to showcase her series heroine in a variety of alternative vocations, from dry cleaner to factory worker. Most of them don't last a full working day, which is good for the reader, since it plunges Stephanie back into the always seedy, often dangerous, and always colorful world of fugitives who'd rather flee than face their day in court. She may be tired of having her life threatened, her cars torched or blown up, and her apartment broken into, but one thing she can say about her job is that it's never boring... and neither is she. Despite her intentions of going straight at a job with a little more security and a bit less excitement, an old client won't let her--he keeps leaving her threatening notes, stalking and scaring her, and making sure she needs the protection of the two men in her life--Joe Morelli, the sexy cop who's been bedding her since... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/23/07

* Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages * Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (February 7, 2005) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 076534825X * ISBN-13: 978-0765348258 * Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.7 inches * Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates... See more

* Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages * Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (February 7, 2005) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 076534825X * ISBN-13: 978-0765348258 * Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.7 inches * Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Average Customer Review: based on 78 reviews. (Write a review.) * Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,993 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 09/25/07

From Publishers Weekly Just a typical Jewish law student who returned to New York to study playwriting, Roberts forsook torts and all things dramaturgical for tarts and all things culinary. In order to better share his discoveries and enthusiasms, he... See more

From Publishers Weekly Just a typical Jewish law student who returned to New York to study playwriting, Roberts forsook torts and all things dramaturgical for tarts and all things culinary. In order to better share his discoveries and enthusiasms, he eventually launched a Web site—amateurgourmet.com—replete with recipes, marketing and cooking tips, restaurant reviews and overall winsomeness. Here, in 10 short essays, and with the same charming voice, he offers simple (perhaps even simplistic) lessons from his own journey out of fast food and microwave captivity to the Promised Land of Foodiedom. From basic tomato sauce to a feast for 10, he guides the way through a series of culinary adventures and exhorts the kitchen novice toward the same discoveries, surprises and challenges. This is not really a cookbook or a memoir so much as a kitchen travelogue or series of essays on culinary attitude adjustment, and Roberts has such lightness of spirit that even proficient gourmands may be... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 09/13/07

From Publishers Weekly Fleshing out backstory for the upcoming motion picture Jumper (based on Gould's 1992 debut novel of the same name), this breakneck-paced SF adventure revolves around a character created specifically for the film. Griffin... See more

From Publishers Weekly Fleshing out backstory for the upcoming motion picture Jumper (based on Gould's 1992 debut novel of the same name), this breakneck-paced SF adventure revolves around a character created specifically for the film. Griffin O'Conner, a precocious nine-year-old jumper (a person with the power to self-teleport), becomes the target of a ruthless cabal hell-bent on killing him. After assassins murder his parents in their San Diego home, Griffin barely escapes with his life by jumping to a location hundreds of miles away. But every time Griffin relocates, the mysterious operatives somehow track him down and kill those close to him. As the once naïve Griffin grows older, he learns to use his abilities in ingenious ways and ultimately embarks on a quest to avenge the deaths of his parents and others who died just because they befriended him. While series fans will almost literally be jumping for joy, newcomers may not fully appreciate the saga's thematic scope and history... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 09/13/07

Phillip Pullman's "Dark Materials" triology is the kind of story that you simply must read if you are a science fiction fan, or if you just like well-written books... You don't have to be a teenager to enjoy it, but you need to have a big imagination... See more

Phillip Pullman's "Dark Materials" triology is the kind of story that you simply must read if you are a science fiction fan, or if you just like well-written books... You don't have to be a teenager to enjoy it, but you need to have a big imagination in order to thoroughly do so. If that is the case, go on reading this review... The "Dark Materials" triology takes place in a world similar to our own, that is at the same time very different. In that world, each person's soul can be seen, is called a "daemon" and takes the form of an animal. The daemons of children change their appearance constantly, but once the children become adults, their daemons choose only one form. Pullman's alternate world has other differences, too, for example the fact that it has different kinds of magic, and that witches and armored bears coexist with human beings. The result is that the world he builds is exotic, strange but at the same time familiar. On the negative side, the writer also plays with an... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 08/26/07

James Rollins does what many authors fail to do: He continues to get better. While I still believe 'Map of Bones' to be his best all-around novel, 'The Judas Strain' is certainly no light-weight follow-up. This is great storytelling, simply put.... See more

James Rollins does what many authors fail to do: He continues to get better. While I still believe 'Map of Bones' to be his best all-around novel, 'The Judas Strain' is certainly no light-weight follow-up. This is great storytelling, simply put. While you would be hard-pressed to find an action/adventure oriented novel by almost ANY author that doesn't stretch the limits of credibility to SOME extent, I like that no matter how difficult some of Rollins' stories seem to be, he manages to put enough believable science into the mix to make what would otherwise be hard to swallow right into the What If category. I liked the premise from the first page, which is ALWAYS a good sign in my book. The voyage of Marco Polo from Asia back to Italy was beset by some kind of major tragedy which nearly wiped out all those who participated on the journey...a voyage which Marco never spoke about to seemingly anyone, even at his deathbed...or DID he? Yet another fantastic What If scenario begins as we... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 08/09/07

This is something that would be funny to give to any kid who has just crossed the bridge from being a little kid to being one of the "big kids." It pokes fun at some treasured icons from childhood, so you might want to check it out before handing it... See more

This is something that would be funny to give to any kid who has just crossed the bridge from being a little kid to being one of the "big kids." It pokes fun at some treasured icons from childhood, so you might want to check it out before handing it out. However, its a hoot! Comment | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 08/09/07

Amazon.com Stephanie Plum, girl bounty hunter, the terror of Trenton, the bane of her boyfriend Joe Morelli's existence, and the delight of her crazy grandma's heart, is in the wrong place at the wrong time--as usual. Just happening to be indulging... See more

Amazon.com Stephanie Plum, girl bounty hunter, the terror of Trenton, the bane of her boyfriend Joe Morelli's existence, and the delight of her crazy grandma's heart, is in the wrong place at the wrong time--as usual. Just happening to be indulging her nachos jones at a local deli when it's robbed by the notorious Red Devils, Plum is the eye witness who could put the gang leader, known as the Junkman, behind bars... if he just lets her live long enough. Looking for a place to hide out from the killer until the cops catch up with him, Stephanie sneaks into her fellow bounty hunter Ranger's apartment without telling Morelli, who's not overly fond of him. All the usual suspects in this long-running series are along for a wilder than ever ride, including Lula the gun-toting ex-hooker, Grandma Mazur, Stephanie's pregnant sister Valerie and her fiancé, as well as a host of minor characters who bring Trenton's seedier environs to life. Ten Big Ones is another madcap caper by a writer whose... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 07/24/07

From Publishers Weekly Narrator King somehow makes the crazy, comic antics of Evanovich's irresistible bond agent, Stephanie Plum, seem almost rational in this fine audio adaptation. The story opens with the outrageous apprehension of a nude,... See more

From Publishers Weekly Narrator King somehow makes the crazy, comic antics of Evanovich's irresistible bond agent, Stephanie Plum, seem almost rational in this fine audio adaptation. The story opens with the outrageous apprehension of a nude, Vaseline-coated fugitive by Stephanie and her plus-sized, ex-hooker, "sometimes partner" Lula. Soon after, Stephanie sets off on the trail of Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant who apparently fled a Visa bond and his fiancee. With plenty of prior experience narrating Evanovich titles (Hard Eight, etc.), King has no trouble highlighting the eccentricities of the author's invariably quirky cast of characters, as well as the ongoing romantic triangle between Stephanie, her sexy partner Ranger and Joe, a Trenton cop with whom she shares a "long, strange history." Evanovich's quick-witted, sarcastic and often raunchy dialogue takes the edge off the story's suspense, but King's chameleon voice and ease with accents make this a lively listening... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 07/12/07

From Publishers Weekly If he weren't such a good action writer, Rollins might make a dynamite climatologist. Each of his thrillers has featured as a central character an extreme environment, most recently the Arctic ice (Ice Hunt, 2003) and now the... See more

From Publishers Weekly If he weren't such a good action writer, Rollins might make a dynamite climatologist. Each of his thrillers has featured as a central character an extreme environment, most recently the Arctic ice (Ice Hunt, 2003) and now the hot sands of Saudi Arabia. But while Rollins writes settings and scenes that sizzle, what's caught in the heat are usually familiar characters grappling with far-fetched threats, and so it is here. That one male lead is a danger-courting archeologist named Omaha Dunn seems less parodic than tired, and the novel's premise of a hoard of antimatter hidden in the legendary city of Ubar is almost as ridiculous as the idea that this cache has been guarded for millennia by an order of women who propagate without men, via parthenogenesis. Rollins writes less like Michael Crichton than Stan Lee. Most of his readers won't care, though, because there's just enough scientific gloss on the nonsense to make it palatable, and anyway, what they want, and... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 07/03/07

Its been 10 years since the events in JUMPER. For all that time Davy has worked for the NSA. Davy has always believed that it would be impossible to hold him prisoner given his ability to teleport, however he is about to find out how horribly wrong... See more

Its been 10 years since the events in JUMPER. For all that time Davy has worked for the NSA. Davy has always believed that it would be impossible to hold him prisoner given his ability to teleport, however he is about to find out how horribly wrong he is when a totally ruthless, wealthy and influential group of people drug and kidnap him to find out his secrets. Stranded in their cliff-top home, Davy's wife, Millie makes the startling discovery that she too can teleport - that it is something that can be learned by the brain if you do it often enough. Millie is determined to get her husband back despite the seeming lack of clues, and much of this novel revolves around tracking down Davy and Davy doing his best to give as little information as possible to his captors, while seeming to co-operate. Like all Steven Gould's work this novel is well plotted with a commonsense approach to problems. However, this novel has not fallen into the trap of some of his previous books by being over... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/25/07

Amazon.com: National Lampoon Road Trip USA: Books: Harmon Leon by Harmon Leon

Amazon.com: National Lampoon Road Trip USA: Books: Harmon Leon by Harmon Leon See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/25/07

Book Description When fifty-eight-year-old Gabe Kaplan, perhaps best known for his performance in the title role of the popular seventies sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, got an e-mail asking him to participate in a show called Celebrity Boxing, he... See more

Book Description When fifty-eight-year-old Gabe Kaplan, perhaps best known for his performance in the title role of the popular seventies sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, got an e-mail asking him to participate in a show called Celebrity Boxing, he couldn't resist the urge to have a little fun with the request. After exchanging a series of ludicrous e-mails with the show's talent coordinator in a mock-serious attempt at negotiation, Gabe was inspired to start a prank e-mail campaign. The result is this hilarious collection of correspondence. See how people react to Gabe Kaplan's absurd claims that he: See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/15/07

I love to read this book again and again. It is light and yet absorbing, fast paced and yet it gets to the root of your emotions. We are introduced to the main character, Davy Rice, as a young boy, escaping an abusive father. This is where the story... See more

I love to read this book again and again. It is light and yet absorbing, fast paced and yet it gets to the root of your emotions. We are introduced to the main character, Davy Rice, as a young boy, escaping an abusive father. This is where the story starts because it is also the first time he experiences a Jump. Not that he believes it at first but this young lad has the ability to teleport. OK, I know what you are thinking. That this is a tired old theme, already used to death in Sci-Fi. Well you are wrong. Steven Gould, has taken a refreshing look at this subject and deals with it in a realistic way. Davy, as a character, is very easy to understand and empathize with and for this reason we truly believe what is happening to him. Before he can safely live a life away from his Father, Davy must get some cash, establish an identity, rent an apartment and all the things which you and I take for granted. This is made fascinating because he is a minor and has that special skill that no one... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/14/07

* Hardcover: 320 pages * Publisher: State Street Press (June 2007) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 068112749X * ISBN-13: 978-0681127494 * Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches * Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) *... See more

* Hardcover: 320 pages * Publisher: State Street Press (June 2007) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 068112749X * ISBN-13: 978-0681127494 * Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches * Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) * Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/11/07

From Publishers Weekly Though he entering an already crowded field of pithy family essayists, Wilder's first book still resonates as an idiosyncratic charmer, avoiding the easy jokes for more carefully calculated wit. The familiar perils of... See more

From Publishers Weekly Though he entering an already crowded field of pithy family essayists, Wilder's first book still resonates as an idiosyncratic charmer, avoiding the easy jokes for more carefully calculated wit. The familiar perils of parenthood-diaper changing, sleepless nights, inappropriate early words-are enumerated with an easygoing prose style that is consistently clever without ever trying too hard. Wilder is at his best when he ventures slightly farther afield from the standard set-pieces of the genre, such as in the show-stopping piece "Blood on the Tracks," in which he attends a music class for his son taught by a psychotic woman named Judith. Wilder perfectly conveys the nightmarish situation, recalling with escalating anxiety the rhyming couplets in which the teacher sings all of her instructions ("Repeating notes in such location / Is called proper audiation").. Unfortunately, the collection of 33 essays can get repetitive, and also suffers from the disjointed... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/08/07

Since reading this book and sharing it with friends I have made an important discovery....everyone secretly loves poo!!! Everyone has a story! Well, no matter your level of fascination or the degree of disgusting that your story entails, you will... See more

Since reading this book and sharing it with friends I have made an important discovery....everyone secretly loves poo!!! Everyone has a story! Well, no matter your level of fascination or the degree of disgusting that your story entails, you will love this book! Enjoy it and tell a friend...it's a new day in the world of dookie. Comment | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) See less

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See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/03/07

Chuck Barris is the creator and producer of such shows as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and The Gong Show, so it's safe to say he knows a little something about television contests. However, if there's one thing that "The Big Question" proves,... See more

Chuck Barris is the creator and producer of such shows as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and The Gong Show, so it's safe to say he knows a little something about television contests. However, if there's one thing that "The Big Question" proves, he certainly doesn't know much about writing. "The Big Question" is the name of a theoretical television show, one in which the final contestant in the final round has the chance to win one hundred million dollars by correctly answering one big question. The downside? If they answer wrong, they are executed on live television. It's not a particularly unique idea for a television show. In fact, its roots (and the themes that Barris only barely explores in this novel) are grounded in the same explotative prurience that made Barris' other shows (and modern day staples such as "Survivor" and "Big Brother") such big hits. It's not just about watching people succeed. In fact, it's hardly about that. It's also about watching them fail, and... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 06/03/07

From Publishers Weekly In this delightful romp through the food processing industry, Ettlinger, who writes on consumer products (The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores), says, "Believers of urban legends take note....... See more

From Publishers Weekly In this delightful romp through the food processing industry, Ettlinger, who writes on consumer products (The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores), says, "Believers of urban legends take note.... Twinkies are not just made of chemicals," nor will their ingredients allow them to last, "even exposed on a roof, for 25 years." But what exactly their ingredients are, and how they come from places like Minnesota and Madagascar to be made into what Ettlinger calls "the uber-iconic food product, the archetype of all processed foods," is the subject of his book. Each chapter looks at individual ingredients, in the same order as on a Twinkie package, so Ettlinger finds himself traveling to eastern Pennsylvania farms to study wheat, as well as to high-security plants that manufacture highly toxic chlorine used in minute amounts to make the bleached flour that is "the only kind that works in sugar-heavy" Twinkies or birthday and wedding cakes.... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 05/27/07

From Publishers Weekly Lauded in the U.K. as the next Kitchen Confidential (if the punny title isn't enough, "Including a conversation with Anthony Bourdain" is printed helpfully on the cover), White's occasionally thrilling and frequently rambling... See more

From Publishers Weekly Lauded in the U.K. as the next Kitchen Confidential (if the punny title isn't enough, "Including a conversation with Anthony Bourdain" is printed helpfully on the cover), White's occasionally thrilling and frequently rambling take on restaurant criticism-and the state of food in general-is sure to raise hackles, much as his inspiration did when it was first published in 2000. White persuasively argues that restaurant criticism has no discernable purpose other than to sell the newspapers and magazines in which they appear, that wait staff should be paid a fair wage in lieu of tips and that a steady decline in true service is hobbling an industry allegedly devoted to it. His oft-repeated remark that most European critics (and patrons) "know the taste of everything, and how to cook nothing" supports his thesis that the West has bred a world of consumers constantly hunting down the Next Big Thing, rather than appreciating (or even understanding) what's in front of... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 05/06/07

If you are considering reading "White Night" you have probably read books 1-8 of the Dresden Files (and if not, just go do that, please). In that case of course you should read "White Night". It's full of lots of "what happens next" to Harry and his... See more

If you are considering reading "White Night" you have probably read books 1-8 of the Dresden Files (and if not, just go do that, please). In that case of course you should read "White Night". It's full of lots of "what happens next" to Harry and his friends. Jim Butcher does a masterful job of showing how Harry resists changing for the worse. So many sad paths are open to Harry - not only that of black magic, but he could also become numbed by how much death and sorrow he'd seen and become rigid, like the wizard enforcer Morgan. He could begin to believe that the end justifies the means, like the wizard hit man Ebenezer. Harry makes his own way, earning the (sometimes reluctant) love and loyalty of those he fights beside. In "White Nights", Harry is kept on his toes by internal and external forces. The fallen angel Lasciel is still a temptation in his head against whom he must be continually wary. Meanwhile, he is mentoring Molly Carpenter in wizardry, which has its own challenges. The... See less