Pioneer Woman: Food From My Frontier, Ree Drummond

As someone who loved Ree Drummond’s initial “Pioneer Woman” cookbook, filled with step-by-step recipes with accompanying pictures, I was interested in looking at her second cookbook, ‘the Pioneer Woman cooks: Food from my Frontier.” And I wasn’t disappointed. The second installment has even more recipes than the first book, and more creative spins on classical recipes. The book is divided into the following sections: Breakfast, Lunch, Soups, Starters/Party food/Drinks, Pasta and Pizza, Supper, Sides, Sweets, and Canning (yum). The step-by-step picture technique of going through each recipes continues here. Sample recipes included in this book are: (Breakfast) Homemade glazed doughnuts, Lemon blueberry pancakes, Breakfast pizza (Lunch) Spicy Grilled Vegetable Panini, Chicken Apricot Panini, Cornbread Croutons (Soups) Corn Chowder, Chicken tortilla Soup, French Onion Soup (we cooked this one from the book and had good results) (Starters) Brie-Stuffed Mushrooms, Asian Hot Wings, Restaurant-Style Salsa (Pasta and Pizza) Fancy Mac and Cheese, Thai chicken Pizza, Pasta with Pesto Cream sauce (Supper) Mexican Rice, Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp, Ranch-Style Chicken (Sides) Whiskey-Glazed Carrots, Perfect Potatoes au Gratin, Crash Hot Potatoes (Sweets) Strawberry Shortcake cake (my favorite recipe), Coffee Cream Cake, Billie’s Italian Cream Cake, and (Canning) Strawberry Jam, Sweet lime Pickles. The above is a small sample of the over one hundred recipes total in this book. Suffice to say, there’s a big variety of recipes included, and just like in the first book, the recipes are interspersed with photos from Ree’s picturesque life on the ranch. And pictures of a southern life create the mood for southern food. Overall, I continue to be a fan of Ree‘s cookbooks. In all the cookbooks I come across, no one else has ever done the step-by-step with pictures technique. Usually there’s one picture of the recipe when it’s done, and sometimes all the recipes are just text with no pictures at all. The fact that the author manages to accompany each step of the recipe with a picture, really makes her cookbooks stand out. Especially if you’re a beginning cook and looking for more detailed instructions, than this is like the ultimate cooking manual. Published by William Morrow Cookbooks. March 13, 2012. 304 pages. List price $29.99

Hitlerland, Andrew Nagorski

“Hitlerland” by Andrew Nagorski relays the years up to and during World War 2, told from the view points of various Americans who had the front row seats to the Germany drama playing out right in front of them. In the book, Nagorski compiles the narratives of American journalists stationed in Berlin such as Singrid Schultz, diplomats like Hugh Wilson, military attachés like Truman Smith, and many, many other characters who for various reasons happened to be present in Berlin during the twenties, thirties, and early forties. The main thing this book does is to present a detailed picture of the atmosphere leading up to Hitler’s rise and his eventual downfall. Nagorski paints a very bleak picture of Germany post-World War 1—a country that’s gone bankrupt, countrymen who struggle to survive, and a country mad at France and other allied powers for making debt re-payment nearly impossible. As the country lies in ruins, Hitler, who is largely unknown at this point, takes advantage of the situation to stage a failed revolutionary takeover—after which he is arrested and sent to prison for a short while, before he manages to come to power using legal methods. An interesting sidekick to Hitler during all this time is Putzi Haefstangl, a half-German half-American Harvard grad who uses his connections to fuel propaganda for the Fuehrer and to introduce him in the upper circles. According to Nagorski’s portrait of the times, few Americans take Hitler seriously and many visiting Americans, at least initially, make nothing out of him. Some, even, mistake him as being good for Germany—such as Martha Dodd, the daughter of American ambassador to Germany William Dodd, who is initially infatuated with the Nazi Germany and goes on to romance several high-level Nazis, before falling for a Russian Communist.
Enter mass rallies, the constant presence of German soldiers on the streets even before the war actually started, induced obsession over Aryans and non-Aryans, and a hatred-filled atmosphere that passed itself off as patriotism, and you have Nagorski’s many stories of the times. If you’re interested in the second World War, or simply intrigued by Americans in Berlin during this time period, than you will probably be intrigued by Nagorski’s portrayal of the times. Published by Simon & Schuster. March 13, 2012. 400 pages. List price $20.00

Voyagers of the titanic, Richard Davenport-Hines

“Voyagers of the Titanic” marks the one hundredth anniversary of the Titanic by re-telling the stories of the passengers aboard this ship and the events before, during, and after the sinking. Part One gives a general overview of the Titanic on land, and the shipowners as well as the shipbuilders that were behind it. Separate sections also follow the sailors, and discuss the boarding and the speed. Part Two follows the Titanic at sea and describes the people on the voyage—the first class, second class, third class, and the officers and crew. Part Three follows the collision and the events to happen afterwards. I found it interesting how much detail the author was able to gather about the ship and its accommodations, as well as the huge difference between the social classes. As the author notes, “With the exception of the officers’ quarters on the boat deck, the second-class smoking room at the end of the B deck, and the second-class library and third-class lounge and smoking room on the C deck, most of this superstructure was dedicated to the needs of the first-class passengers. And the first class,as described in this book, with all of its elevators, Turkish baths, gymnasiums, libraries, barber shops, and dark room for photographers, among other accommodations, was certainly striking. However where this book really shines is when it shares the stories of the passengers. Several well-known personalities of the times who had tickets cancelled shortly before Titanic was set to sail—among them Clay Frick, Pierpont Morgan, George Vanderbilt Milton Hershey and Robert Bacon, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to France. Others weren’t so lucky. There were at least seven sets of honeymooners in first class, among them Jack Astor who owned much of New York. Other passengers included the parents of a young woman in France who carried their purchases for her wedding, the sole black man on the Titanic, the confectioner who was sailing to join his brother in Connecticut whose wife and children was supposed to join him separately, the man who was travelling to Canada with his wife and had his entire life savings on him, the husband who had kidnapped his two sons from his wife and boarded the Titanic with them, adulters posing as married couples, “tricksters” looking for victims to rob, and a variety of refugees, clergymen, and working men all seeking to start a new life, among many other passengers. The most interesting part of the book is the last part where the collision is described in detail. The night is moonless and cold. The Captain is concerned about ice, thought doesn’t provide any instructions to the crew beforehand. No extra lookouts are posted. And then the event that made Titanic history happens. There’s a lot of details, research, technical explanations, analysis of events and the moral behavior of the different passengers and the crew. I have read several books on the Titanic, but this is probably the most detailed book on the subject that I’ve come across. Published by William Morrow. March 6, 2012. 352 pages. List price $26.99

Before the poison, Peter Robinson

“Before the poison” by Peter Robinson follows Chris Lowndes, a widower Hollywood musical score writer who moves back to England after becoming a widower—only to get swept up in his new home, called Klinsgate, and its dark history. Back in the early fifties, Grace Fox was hanged for poisoning her husband, Dr. Ernest Fox, in this very home and accused of being an adulteress with her young lover Sam Porter. When Chris sees a picture of Grace, she reminds him of his wife Laura and he becomes obsessed with her story. The book switches from the present time, to the fifties description of Grace’s trial and her ultimate conviction, before jumping to Grace’s diaries from the World War 2. Meanwhile, Chris interviews anyone who was remotely familiar with the story, and tries to find out whether Grace was actually guilty of the murder or not. I found this to be one of those mysteries with full developed characters and a detailed plot that only gradually unravels rather than being a breakneck thriller. Even minor characters are fully developed in this English mystery. For fans of character-driven mysteries. Published by William Morrow. February 21, 2012. 368 pages. List price $25.99

The Expats, Chris Pavone

"The expats" by Chris Pavone follows Kate Moore, an ex-CIA spy who quits her job and moves to Luxembourg with her husband Dexter--who is forced to re-locate because of his job, which involves computer security for banks. While in Luxembourg, Kate befriends another ex-pat couple, designer Julia and her currency-trading, hunky husband Bill. As Kate makes a new life for herself and her sons in the gorgeous foreign land, she begins to suspect that her beautiful adventure has a secret side. For one, Dexter spends entire days away from her in his office--but won't name the company he's working for, nor the details of his job. As Kate's friendship blossoms, she begins to suspect that Julia is not who she says she is. Gradually, hers and Bill's friendship becomes too close for comfort. And to further complicate matters, Kate becomes terrified that her CIA past might be catching up with her.Throughout the book, Pavone jumps from the present to the future and there's some foreshadowing going on. But what I appreciated the most, is Pavone's beautiful descriptions of Western Europe (there's a lot of globe-hopping going on), tied in with the continuing suspense. I like suspenseful mysteries in exotic lands, and this book definitely held my interest. Published by Crown. March 6, 2012. 336 pages. List price $26.00

The Technologists, Matthew Pearl

“The technologists” by Matthew Pearl follows the adventures of MIT senior Marcus Mansfield and his friends and fellow students, to solve the mystery of who is to blame for terrors inflicted on 19th century Boston. The terrors include ships going out of control and towards each other, as their instruments stop working properly because strange fog covers the area, glasses that turn into liquid, making windows melt, and killing an actress on the Boston streets. In the midst of everything, Marcus is tries to figure out who is manipulating technology, and is terrified that MIT would get blamed and their beloved college would get shut down. As it is, they already promised to avoid engaging themselves in the investigation, which is handled by the police. But Marcus doesn’t trust anyone, even as the tensions are high and he has to navigate a highly-political landscape. Meanwhile, his mentor and MIT president starts trying to solve the mystery on his own before being stricken with a health ailment. Soon enough, Marcus and his friends are left on their own, and form the Technologists club. As Marcus, Eddy, Bob, and Ellen investigate, their efforts are frequently sabotaged and someone is keeping a tab on their activities. There’s a lot of mystery, action, and character development going on, which explains this book’s length. Pearl does a good job with all the historical research (some of his characters are based on real-life MIT students) and engulfing the reader in the atmosphere of nineteen century Boston, while providing a backdrop filled with tension. Overall, an interesting read—especially if you like historical fiction or suspense titles. Published by Random House. 496 pages. Fenruary 21, 2012. List price $26.00

Agorafabulous, Sara Benincasa

“Agorafabulous” by Sara Benincasa is partly based on her one-woman show of the same name, and basically chronicles her battle with agoraphobia and debilitating fear, ultimately helping the author recover and find her true calling in the world—to be a stand-up comedian. The book opens up with a typical tale from the author’s life: She is eighteen years old and present on a school trip to Sicily. Suddenly, during a class trip to the beach, Benincasa is inundated with panic attacks and unable to leave the gas station bathroom, even as the two teachers outside will her to come out (which she does, and immediately falls to the ground, gets injured, and is driven by the school bus to the Sicilian hospital, all the while her class mates hate her for ruining their class trip). The way the author recounts this, is simultaneously sad and hilarious—as are much of the stories in this book. This first story is followed by more chronologically-included train-wreck like tales from the author’s life: her nervous breakdown while a student at Boston’s Emerson College, her fascination with smoothies following an eating disorder, her job at a spiritual sanctuary with a sketchy boss, her stint as a teacher at an artsy Texas high school that doesn’t require college degrees, her move to New York, her relationships, and ultimately her recovery. It’s a fun read, and you get the impression the author definitely has a talent for comedic writing. While on the surface things appear nice and breezy, it’s interesting to realize that beneath all of the author’s jokes and entertaining stories are some deep issues such as: mental breakdowns, agoraphobia, depression, eating disorders, some unhealthy relationships, and ultimately the search for an authentic self (for the author, it just happens to be deciding to become a stand-up comedian rather than a teacher). Thus this memoir caters to both: readers looking for a comedy-inspired memoir, and readers looking for some substance underneath. Published by William Morrow. February 14, 2012. 272 pages. List price $24.99