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Browsing all staff pick reviews written by 'pollockl'

"The 'Real' Maids of Jackson, Mississippi."

Title: The Help
By: Kathryn Stockett

Ms. Stockett has a true ear for dialogue, a gift for developing her characters and for creating a fast pace in this remarkable novel, but it's her understanding of the hearts and minds of women that has made this a direct hit for me. The setting is 1962, in Jackson, ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on Aug. 26, 2010
Tags: fiction, audiobook
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The Making of Modern Paris, or, the demolition of prime real estate?

Title: Haussmann, His Life and Times, and the Making of Modern Paris
By: Michel Carmona

This is a critical biography of the ultimate urban planner, Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann. A re-evaluation of the controversial urbanization of Paris, Dr. Carmona (professor of Urban Studies at the Sorbonne) does a fantastic job of laying out the truly hideous public hygiene problem, famously described as "a choleric swamp", and ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on Aug. 12, 2010
Tags: non-fiction, history, biography, art, travel
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The cookbook classic: Why it is still the best reference.

Title: Mastering The Art of French Cooking:
By: Julia Child

Do we only consult this book when faced with a special occasion? Or can we read it, un-rushed, for sheer pleasure? I highly recommend adding to your nightstand, the classic cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Written with her co-authors, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck, Volume One was first ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on June 3, 2010
Tags: non-fiction, history
0 Comments

I can't wait to visit a salt mine!

Title: Salt: A World History.
By: Mark Kurlansky

Thanks to Mark Kurlansky, who always makes history come alive - I learned that simple salt has not always been simple, in fact, man's need for salt and its manufacturing process helped shape civilization. He writes about how salt influenced trade routes, dynasties, and empires, from ancient Egypt, to China, ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on April 22, 2010
Tags: non-fiction, history
0 Comments

It's A Long Drive Down Interstate 5, or that's a lot of cotton!

Title: The King of California, J.G. Boswell and The Making of A Secret American Empire.
By: Mark Arax

This book dovetails perfectly if you happen to be reading John Steinbeck, or studying the photographs of Dorothea Lange. A biography which examines the life of a very powerful farmer (at one point owning over 200,000 acres of rich farmland) used to driving bargains across bar stools and shaking down ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on Oct. 20, 2009
Tags: non-fiction, history, biography
0 Comments

Ever worked a weird low-level job?

Title: Nickel and Dimed, on (not) getting by in America.
By: Barbara Ehrenreich

Haven't we all worked at some kind of wretched job at some point in our lives? And thought to ourselves "I am so over-educated for this!" In this book, Ms. Ehrenreich conducts an experiment, using herself for the test subject: find work in meaningless jobs and write about the experience ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on Oct. 4, 2009
Tags: non-fiction, history, biography
1 Comment

Endearing biography of Doris Day

Title: Doris Day: the untold story of the girl next door
By: David Kaufman

Are you a "Dayniac" too? This biography is so much more than just the usual tell-all book about America's sweetheart Doris Day with the superb voice and acting career. This book will give you the real low-down on her smarmy manager/husband, Marty Melcher. Miss Day was one of the biggest ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on July 16, 2009
Tags: non-fiction, history, biography
1 Comment

Watching The Oscars Will Never Be The Same.

Title: The Big Show : High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards
By: Steve Pond

All the in-fighting and back-stabbing and shocking shenanigans of Hollywood and the behind-the-scenes gossip of the biggest show we all love to watch! Written by an observer extraordinaire who loves juicy gossip as much as we do. Now I know just how quirky the hosts can be, and it's the ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on May 12, 2009
Tags: non-fiction, history
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French wine makers in WWII: an inspiring story!

Title: Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure.
By: Don and Petrie Kladstrup

The authors interviewed several members of five prominent wine making families in France. Very interesting stories of how they personally hid Jewish refugees in wine caves and smuggled members of the Resistance in wine barrels! We read of grape harvests ruined because of the shortage of horses, sulfur dust and ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on March 19, 2009
Tags: non-fiction, history
1 Comment

Friends in the Kitchen

Title: M.F.K. Fisher and Me: A memoir of Food and Friendship
By: Jeannette Ferrary

If only it were my kitchen! I would prove to both Jeannette and Mary Frances that when I scramble eggs, or sear a pork chop, it was their advice that helped me make them turn out so "right." What serendipity! Jeannette is a cookbook writer and writes M.F.K. a fan ... [Read more]

Posted by pollockl on Feb. 26, 2009
Tags: non-fiction, history, biography
0 Comments