Your Pasta Sucks contains multitudes. It is a very funny memoir from a self-proclaimed Italian, Irish, Mexican homosexual. It also has family recipes that have a lot of ingredients and mostly take a while to cook. Photos are rather hit and miss. Nutritional information is non-existent. Admittedly, I wouldn’t recommendContinue Reading
Hannah is a twenty-something server working as a Cellar Rat, stocking bottles in a wine cellar, on her path to becoming a sommelier in NYC’s fine dining restaurants. Now a couple of decades later, she looks back at a career that was both a love affair and an addiction. HannahContinue Reading
As you can tell from the title, Cosmic Bullsh*t, this book discusses some pseudoscience topics in demeaning ways. Mythology, religion, astrology, alien visits, time travel, and dystopian end time scenarios are all reviewed from a scientific perspective and found wanting. The humor interspersed within the science feels rather forced, moreContinue Reading
Rot discusses the physical and political reasons for the Irish potato famine of the 1840s and 50s. What caused so many to have to choose between emigration and starvation? Where were the rich British landlords when their workers were starving? However, it shines a harsh light on our current AmericanContinue Reading
Despite inexplicable resistance to the science of climate change, our more drastic weather and the increasing frequency of large storms are heralding a change for the worse. If humans worldwide are unable, or unwilling, to reduce their carbon footprint, do we all just need to move north (or to MarsContinue Reading
How to Solve True Crime contains a series of true crime stories. They illustrate how detectives have used Occum’s razor, both successfully and not so successfully, to solve their cases. Occum’s razor is a scientific theory that encourages looking at the simplest solution first. It doesn’t prohibit expanding the investigation’sContinue Reading
Just when you thought you knew everything about Agatha Christie, boom! The new meticulously researched book, Secrets from the Agatha Christie Archives, arrives to prove you wrong. Every published work of Agatha Christie, and a few rumored unpublished ones, are included in this comprehensive guide. Ordered by original publication date,Continue Reading
ChatGPT Secrets is the third book in a trio of books about ChatGPT by the same author. It is a good overview for rank beginners who have barely heard of AI and never used it. For those more experienced AI users, there are a few unusual ideas for using itContinue Reading
Debt-Free Art Degree: Foundations in Drawing is a clear and concise exploration of how to draw, and think, like a professional artist. Starting from three simple lines: C-curve, S-curve, and Straight; and ending with color theory, this book really does contain all you need to begin your drawing journey. TheContinue Reading
Is the Swiftie in your life sad that Taylor’s Eras Tour has finished its US stops? If so, cheer them up with the Unofficial Taylor Swift Crochet book (or something you crocheted from it). The book has 21 different crochet patterns with skill levels varying from beginner to experienced. TheContinue Reading
The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook includes recipes for every bread you have ever heard of and many more than you haven’t even imagined. It includes recipes for quick non-yeast bread, sourdough bread, holiday bread, pizza dough, and even jams that can all be made in your bread machine. BestContinue Reading
Vegan Japan is a cookbook that is filled with just that vegan Japanese dishes. While the cooking techniques are relatively easy, the ingredients may be a challenge if you don’t live in a large city. My daughter who lives near Los Angeles had no problem finding the ingredients in herContinue Reading
What causes a horror manga author to get into horror? In Uncanny: The Origins of Fear, we see (through vivid drawings) that it started with an outdoor toilet. The book is largely text but does include a few illustrations too. It begins as Junji Ito’s autobiography written in first person.Continue Reading
Puzzle Me Twice is a fun, and humbling, ride through your preconceptions! Even though the author warns you that these puzzles are tricky and should be examined carefully, I got 90% of them wrong. And I thought the Mensa test was easy. I’m not a stupid person so why couldn’tContinue Reading
Nature has created some wild things and Atlas Obscura: Wild Life describes them all! From heavy metal vultures called lammergeiers to the Himalayas’ Noble Rhubarbs, these living beings are fascinating to read about. The lammergeier wears “KISS-worthy eye masks”, eats skeletons and loves to dye themselves blood red. The NobelContinue Reading
Hmmm, well there wasn’t much in this book about The Gangs of Zion, other than that they exist. Instead this is a rather pompous autobiography about a black cop in a gang unit in Salt Lake City, Utah in the 1990s. In Utah, being black was unusual and being aContinue Reading