Stay Out of the Kitchen: An Albertina Merci Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)Mable John and David Ritz bring back the Reverend Albertina Walker and the hilarious cast of characters in their sophomore novel, Stay Out of the Kitchen. Some of the returning characters include: the insatiable Justine, Albertina's neighbor and neighborhood sexpot; the bi-racial rabbi, Naomi Cohen; the lovesick Clifford Bloom and her nephew Patrick. Also, new characters enter Albertina's world, keeping her life interesting.
Albertina is being pursued by a Shakespeare quoting diner cook, Mario. They would make a good couple, however he is an atheist and she preaches and lives by the word of God. She is also being pursued by one of her church members, Clifford Bloom. In his unassuming manner, he vies for her attention. While being chased by the two men, Albertina is also being pursued by Bishop Gold. The Bishop wants to purchase the block in which her church stands in order to build his mega church. Albetina`s church is the only thing standing in his way. It looks like God is working everything out when her childhood church in Dallas, Texas, makes her an attractive offer to take over the church. In the end, a surprise awaits.
I recently had a chance to hear Dr. John speak and she is a wonderful storyteller. She has a plethora of stories about her days as an entertainer and working for the legendary Ray Charles. Some of these stories were incorporated throughout this book. While listening to her speak, it appeared Dr. John's and Rev. Albertina's lives seemed to follow similar paths. The stories she told were not only entertaining, but the lessons learned were helpful to her followers and friends.
Again, Mable John and David Ruiz have come up with an entertaining and witty novel that will keep the reader glued to their seats, whispering a word of prayer and laughing out loud. If you have not read the first in this trilogy, Sanctified Blues, I suggest you pick it up and then settle in with Stay Out of the Kitchen.
Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

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Albertina Merci is back in this delightful second book featuring everyone's favorite blues singer turned evangelist!After Albertina's dear friend Mr. Mario, the owner of Mr. Mario's Downhome Café, has a heart attack and then loses his wife to diabetes, he decides that his lifetime love of soul food is over for good. Mr. Mario vows to go healthy, both personally and professionally, and tries to get Albertina on board, but it quickly becomes clear that he may be looking for more than pastoral support. And while he is undeniably romantic, Mr. Mario believes in the power of man…not God.The only heat isn't in the kitchen, though. Clifford Bloom, a white DJ who has been a fan of Albertina's since her days as a blues singer, is now a member of her church and he always seems to be there just when Albertina needs him. Could this blossoming friendship be leading somewhere romantic?Caught between two very different men, Pastor Merci also has to battle to save her little church in the heart of Los Angeles as mega-church pastor Bishop Gold wants not only the land where her church sits, but her nephew Patrick's loyalty, as well.

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The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book (Kitchen Sink Press Book for Back Bay Books) Review

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(More customer reviews)There's an illustration on the back cover of The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book that perfectly encapsulates the artist's work - it depicts the top of Robert's head exploding, with several of his creations, famous, infamous, and otherwise, leaping out.
That, to me, sums up Crumb's work - this incredibly inventive artist with, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, a head full of ideas that are drivin' him insane.
There are frequent complaints about Crumb's work being too dark, racist, sexist, and/or misogynistic. While I can see where these criticisms come from, I really don't think Crumb is any darker, more racist, sexist, or misogynistic than any of us - he simply is unafraid to - COMPELLED to, almost - lay his cards on the table. Some people find this offensive. Would it be absurd of me to suggest that some of those who are offended by his work have their own issues with sexism, racism, and/or misogyny that they are unwilling to confront?
What I'm trying to get at here, I guess, is that this IS NOT a book for little kids. There's a sticker on the front of my copy of the book that says "FOR ADULT INTELLECTUALS ONLY!", and while I'm not so sure about the "intellectuals" part, this is probably not a book you want your grade-school age child to get ahold of, unless you're okay with said child seeing depictions of graphic (and I do mean GRAPHIC) sex, hard-core drug use, and extreme (albiet cartoonish) violence.
I realize all I've spent all this space talking about Crumb without ever really discussing what I like about his work. I think there's two main things: (1) his unflinching honesty (as I touched upon earlier), and (2) the incredible beauty of his draftsmanship. I think my favotite chapter in the whole book is the one that features his pen-and-ink still-lifes and landscapes. Just beautiful stuff - worth studying for his use of cross-hatching alone.
In conclusion, if you're at all interested in checking out the work of one of the finest artists to ever work in the comics medium, I highly recommend you get this book. It's easily worth the 25 bucks.
Oh, yeah - and it DOES make a wonderful coffee table book. :)

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The Alchemist's Kitchen Review

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(More customer reviews)The Alchemist's Kitchen, by Susan Rich, published by White Pine Press ([...]).To say that this compilation is a lovely and simple collection would be false. "Simple" could be taken to mean childlike, or unsophisticated, which it most certainly isn't. By simple I mean that the poetry is understandable and personal, not so cluttered and overly nuanced that it becomes incapable of eliciting emotion.
Emotion abounds in this collection, which is divided into three parts: Incantation, Transformation and Song. Each section has its own beauty, and there is a delicate feel that at times becomes jagged and pointed, enough to make you sit up and re-read the stanza. This is not a poetry book to sit back and feel relaxed by, but rather one to slowly meditate upon.
The people drawn within it are complicated: in one moment trying to determine if a noise is simply thunder or an airstrike, while choosing what breakfast cereal to eat. They carefully choose a lipstick for a dance that may be their last. They discuss their travels with a dying parent whose only journey is from hospital bed to bath. They are painful and yet some are light and airy.
One of my favorites: from Song,
"You Might Consider"
how my long life of losing men
could create a new international sport.
Men lost in the desert, men missing
in action from doorways and all night diners;
men making the most of fire
escapes, service stairs, the emergency aisle
of airplanes like United. Men
para-sailing after spaceship encounters.
I am accomplished in the world
of the see-you-later save
as his pick up truck disappears
traveling on to the next espresso stand.
Something in the curve of my collar,
the cut of my blouse sets them running.
They know they are in the hands of a master.
But when the coffee's on, the pumpernickel
toasted just right, I have to let them know;
I'm actually ready to let them go." p.87
In "Transcendence", she uses the musical phrase,
"plastic curtains ecstatic as castanets." Words like that are mesmerizing, and I kept finding segments equally unique and beautiful, compiling an instant mental picture.In some of the poems she discusses the genocide in Srebrenica, and at times she refers to a 'Sarajevo Rose'. I had to look that up, and I've included a picture (above). A Sarajevo Rose is the location of a mortal shell attack that killed some one, some person, some individual that meant more than just a mark on the pavement. The damaged area is then filled with red wax, as a rememberance. That strange mix of memory and horror with a tiny dash of shocking color is what too many have lived through, and in a lyrical way Rich manages to link her poems with that same emotional impact.

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"Kaleidoscopic curiosity, powerfully kinesthetic language, and an encompassing compassion range in this abundant collection, in which personal and public realms serve as equal alembics for the distillation of both materia and light."—Jane Hirshfield

"Rich is a traveler and an observant one at that, with a keen attention to detail and a wonderful ear. These poems are a delight."—Library Journal

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A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family Review

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(More customer reviews)Cheryl Lu-Lein Tan grew up in Singapore with no interest in the family traditional cooking that surrounded her youth. Cheryl's dreams were bigger than that. At the age of 18 she left home and family for America to become the fashion writer she had always hoped to. Yet in her 30's, Cheryl began to long for that taste of Singapore, the dishes that defined her childhood. Was it too late to learn the secrets that surrounded her youth and now were embedded within the kitchens of her Grandmothers and Aunts?
A memoir of not only the beauty of tradition and food but also the strength found in unlocking the stories of the past.
In this mouth-watering sensation of a book - I learned about the history of Singapore flavors to the point that I felt as though I could almost smell the scents of fried crab, peppery pork rib broth, and Hainanese Chicken Rice...
During one trip back to Singapore when Cheryl has decided to actively pursue learning more about her Singapore heritage in cooking and offers to help make the traditional Pineapple tarts, I had to laugh when she walks into the kitchen to help to find not one or two pineapples for the tart making - but seventy. The plan was to make 3,000 tarts.Written and told by Cheryl Lu-Lein Tan herself, I enjoyed the humorous style of writing and had to laugh because she sounds a little like me - biting off more than she can chew (pun intended) such as traveling back and forth to Singapore to capture the family traditions, and in the midst of it all taking on the Bread Bakers Apprentice Challenge which was an on-line challenge to bake your way through every recipe in this book.... which includes triumphant stories "Bagels that were perfection right out of the oven!", as well as not so triumphant stories. "I knew the day would come when I would almost burn down my kitchen".
Oh - and just wait until she calls her maternal grandmother a liar. :D
Honestly I have not had so much fun reading a food memoir style read in a long time. I tasked myself to look up the words I did not know and turned this whole culinary adventure into a learning experience as well. As Cheryl makes her way through New York restaurants that feature Singapore favorites, and heads home to learn the "how to's" of her heritage she grows in more ways than she could have imagined.
I thoroughly enjoyed every morsel of this book. If you are looking for a real treat in culture, food, and everything in between, I would highly put my stamp of approval on this book. This book includes recipes in the back.See more details on this review at my Book Blog: Book Journey

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"Starting with charred fried rice and ending with flaky pineapple tarts, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan takes us along on a personal journey that most can only fantasize about--an exploration of family history and culture through a mastery of home-cooked dishes. Tan's delectable education through the landscape of Singaporean cuisine teaches us that food is the tie that binds."--Jennifer 8. Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
After growing up in the most food-obsessed city in the world, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan left home and family at eighteen for America--proof of the rebelliousness of daughters born in the Year of the Tiger. But as a thirtysomething fashion writer in New York, she felt the Singaporean dishes that defined her childhood beginning to call her back. Was it too late to learn the secrets of her grandmothers' and aunties' kitchens, as well as the tumultuous family history that had kept them hidden before? In her quest to recreate the dishes of her native Singapore by cooking with her family, Tan learned not only cherished recipes but long-buried stories of past generations.
A Tiger in the Kitchen, which includes ten authentic recipes for Singaporean classics such as pineapple tarts and Teochew braised duck, is the charming, beautifully written story of a Chinese-Singaporean ex-pat who learns to infuse her New York lifestyle with the rich lessons of the Singaporean kitchen, ultimately reconnecting with her family and herself.
Praise for A Tiger in the Kitchen
"Cheryl Tan, a Tiger in the Kitchen, keeps coming back to Singapore in pursuit of the haunting flavors of childhood meals and finds a part of herself she didn't know existed in the kitchens of her loving aunties." --Gael Greene, InsatiableCritic.com
"How does a NYC fashion journalist find herself in Singapore tackling 3000 pineapple tarts, rice dumplings, and other Teochew dishes? Along with the author, we discover the secrets of a culture through the language of the kitchen in this ultimate cure for culinary homesickness."--Kim Sunée, author of Trail of Crumbs

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Mommy Millionaire: How I Turned My Kitchen Table Idea into a Million Dollars and How You Can, Too Review

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(More customer reviews)I always thought the idea of owning a business would be great. I've dabbled on Ebay, with the whole intent being to stay at home and raise my kids while making money on the side. When I saw the title of this book it inspired me....maybe if I read it I could find some inspiration to start a business myself?
While the book itself is a good read (I didn't want to put it down!) I found the author's tenacity a bit scary. The product itself has limited potential....like a previous poster said, it's a fad product. Once everyone owns one, your income potential has pretty much dried up. The author fought really hard to make her business succeed by begging and borrowing, often at great personal risk. She often sacrificed time spent with family in her quest to make her business succeed. This to me represents the biggest conflict in her quest....the title "Mommy Millionaires" implies that this is something a Mommy can do "in her spare time" or when she isn't caring for her children. When in fact after reading this book I am more apt to believe the author traded in her time with her children FOR the business.....she even speaks about missing her children's birthday parties because she was too busy trying to promote her business.
I give this book 2 stars because it is a good read....but it misses its mark as an inspiration for other "mompreneurs". There are plenty of families out there who can successfully manage family and business. Moms shouldn't have to choose!

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Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty And Became Their Own Bosses Review

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(More customer reviews)So whaddya know, turns out I'm a sucker for inspirational literature after all. This book was sent to me by a friend who's been following my dreams of starting my own business, and I have to say it was extremely encouraging - both the act of his sending it to me and the stories contained herein. Even if you're not coming from a place of poverty or disenfranchisement, each one of these stories has a good nugget of truth in it: the obvious value of hard work and believing in oneself, but also seeing what people go through in the process of applying for a loan with tenuous collateral, or looking to expand an existing business, or taking a second job to secure health coverage. There's something good in each of these stories, and - yep - they're heartwarming. It's a nice collection.

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From Saint Hildegard's Kitchen: Foods of Health, Foods of Joy Review

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(More customer reviews)Saint Hildegard lived in the 12th century. She was an abbess, a mystic, and eventually, a saint. Among the considerable writings she left are her thoughts and opinions on the spiritual as well as physical values of various foodstuffs. This rather unusual cookbook derives its recipes from these theological and visionary musings, although a few are directly from the saint herself. This is not a meat and potatoes diet at all, but surprisingly well-balanced, considering the limitations of medieval fare.There is an emphasis on greens and grains, especially that health food junkie's delight, spelt, a decidedly acquired taste.Dishes vary from the simple, using only a few ingredients to the much more complicated, requiring a very well stocked pantry.A few ingredients will be unfamiliar to most 21st century cooks in the Midwest.I doubt that many folks regularly cook with nettles, something we generally consider a weed these days, but St. Hildegard makes a omelet of them,praising their purgative, restorative, and stimulative virtues. While this slim volume may prove more for reading, than cooking, Chicken Cooked in Wine for the Heart and the Tunisian Ratatouille are quite delicious.

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The 12th-century Benedictine Abbess Hildegard of Bingen was blessed with an astonishing array of talents. She was, among other things, a mystic, naturalist, visionary, and composer. Hildegard was also granted, by means of heavenly visions, in-depth knowledge about human nutrition. She believed foods of joy revitalized us and helped preserve good health in every sphere--physical, spiritual, and psychological.Now, famed French chef Jany Fournier-Rosset has mined from Hildegard's writings a collection of tasty recipes--you'll find everything from simple jams to chestnut souffle, from spiced wine to Tunisian ratatouille. The book contains a measurement conversion table, cooking terms, special bread-making instructions, lists of ingredients with definitions, sources for rare ingredients used in the recipes, and an index. Readers will also find a brief biography of Hildegard and table graces from Saint Benedict and others. With a focus on good health and vegetables and herbs from the garden, From Saint Hildegard's Kitchen makes a wonderful gift for the cooks in your life--including you!

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The Saffron Kitchen Review

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(More customer reviews)I adored this story. Clearly, Crowther is a masterful story teller. I enjoyed the development of her vivid characters and her love of language. As I was reading this book I had a deep appreciation of how well sentances were crafted, so deliberately and selectively. In many ways I was enraptured with this story as I was with Kite Runner. This is a multilayered story infused with heart, sadness and hope. I would highly recommend it. My thanks to the author for a touching, lasting read that I will gladly recommend to others.

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