Book Review: Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees (OT)(about food)

Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (HarperCollins, 2024, 210pp HB, $26.99) 

What? No Papaya, No Durian?

Bite by Bite is different from yet similar to author and poet Nezhukumatathil's first book, World of Wonders

and both are informative, delightful and magnificent! 

The author relates her life story in bits and pieces, "bite by bite," using food as the fulcrum on which to reveal a food's  history, etymology, and most of all, the love between family members and their trials and tribulations growing up in different cultures. The author's mother is Filipina and her father is from India. We also learn about the different food and recipes, many of them fruit and many of the fruit, tropical fruit. It was fun for me because one of my faves is the mangosteen (and the mango).

We have lovely illustrations from Fumi Nakamura again but this time they are more realistic in style (compared to World of Wonders).

From nuts and sandwiches to deserts and staples, this book should be read slowly, though that may be hard to do. Slowly because of the details, telling the story of that particular spice, for example. And each of the 40 short chapters conjures up something in the author's background to relish. But not only her background but also of sharing cooking with her children and their grandparents, and reminiscing about TV shows from the 60s.

I miss the chapter on papayas but not one on durians!

Book Review: World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishments (OT)(a biography of nature)

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishments, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil* (Milkweed Editions, 248pp HB, 2024, $25, a national bestseller and Barnes and Noble's Book of the Year)

From Dragonfruit to Flamingos, From Monarch Butterflies to Corpse Flowers

A poet writes a book of short short snippets, chronologically, of not only the plants and animals that populated her world  in numerous states** but of how they painted her growing-up years - and it is one fascinating read! Short stories (short chapters, short essays), presented by an illustration by Fumi Nakamura and introduced with the species' scientific name, in italics to boot, which makes it fun to recall their Greek and Latin roots!

I would, however, had titled this book differently: World of Wonders simply does not do it justice. It is so much more than that.

As I usually do, I counted the pages in each of the 28 chapters (usually reaing the shortest ones first) but quickly gave up because nearly all the essays were wonderful! I did start at the beginning, however, then went to the back, then back to the early essays and read through, page by page.

My Favorite? Ah, that is pretty difficult to say because I love how author Nezhukumatathil (Filipina) connects the natural world with the human condition - on every page - many of the species being tropical ones with which the reader may not be aware. Perhaps my favorite essay is just the animal (or plant) I love the best, the one that brings back memories of my own growing up or when I taught English (like the author) in a university in South East Asia.

The author lives nature and almost miraculously could also teach college zoology or botany and make it fascinating. And don't forget to scrutinize the front cover for colorful pictures of many of the plants and animals inside.

And now I am off to get Bite by Bite!

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*Some editions have both a reader's guide and a teaching guide (of course, the author being a professor)

**Kansas, Mississippi, Arizona, Wisconsin, New York, Ohio. . . . and overseas assignments teaching poetry. With a degree in environmental writing, this is the perfect book for her and she is the perfect author for this book.

Book Review: Mommy, Baby and Me (Is your child expecting a sibling?)

Mommy, Baby and Me, by Linda Marshall (Peter Pauper Press, $16.99, 2017, 32pp HB, 2-5 years, grades 1-2) 

A New Classic!

We love this book! Written by Linda Marshall from the baby's point of view, Mommy, Baby and Me is not only delightful but just may solve a myriad of problems, aided and abetted by British illustrator Ged Adamson. 

Family Grows from Two to Four

The pupster (a Corgi) and her person live a lovely, busy life and do everything together.

 

Then, along comes Boyfriend and pupster gets pushed aside a little bit. Then in comes Baby and the poor little pupster is pushed aside even more.

 

That is, until she learns why the baby came into their lives.

Do you have a little one and are expecting another? Is the first one a bit jealous even before the blessed arrival? And more so, afterwards? Do you have a pupster who feels pushed aside all of a sudden when the family grows? 

Then this is the book for you. We are keeping ours forever just because we love the drawings and the story plus there are several drawings on each page! And we aren't even Corgi people!

Book Review: Bark (stories)

Bark, by Lorrie Moore (Random House, 2014, 192pp PB, $15.00)

Seven Short Stories

Although I don't usually review books of short stories, I was willing to try my hand at Bark for two reasons: the title (and front cover illustration) and the fact that the author comes highly recommended (and is an English professor). (The reason for my reluctance, generally, is due to the fact that the writing is too varied in style and accomplishment.)

One of the first things I do is locate the front cover online and append it to my review (see above) and also put in a folder for later reference. The book I physically have right now features a dachshund on the cover but the only cover I could find online has trees on the cover (see above)! Go figure. So, which is it? Or both? (And I apologize for the fuzziness. . . .)

The book on my desk currently has a couple of references to dogs but too few to actually merit the title in my opinion. But sometimes I simply can't ever correlate the title with the content so the slight disconnect here didn't bother me.

Author Lorrie Moore includes short and longer stories in Bark so of course I began with the short ones even though a longer one, the first, seemed to be more about dogs (Debarking). 

Most of the stories are what I call, plotless, which is not necessarily a bad thing: they show the reader what the characters are like more than what they do, so we get to know them, really know them. And if we like them, we tend to like the book. Unfortunately, I could only identify with the characters in one of these short stories making this book a chore to finish. However, your mileage may vary!

Book Review: Drinking with My Dog: The Canine Lover's Cocktail Book

Drinking with My Dog: The Canine Lover's Cocktail Book, by Natalie Bovis (Running Press, 2023, 206pp HB, $22.00) 

I was so excited to hear of this book and it came in the mail quite quickly, along with Cocktails with My Cat* which I reviewed first (here), for some reason (maybe saving the best for last since I am a dog person?)

Author Natalie Bovis is an animal advocate primarily but also a mixology instructor extraordinaire, as evidenced by her classes and books such as Drinking with My Dog. With dog-themed chapters like "Rescue Me" and "A Walk on the Wild Side" (lions and tigers and [bears], oh my!) and "Friends in High Places" (famous owners), she includes more than 60 original easy-to-make fun drink recipes. 

Chapter Three

A Dog Book or a Drink Book?

But is this a dog book or a drink book? "That is the question." Because so much information about man's best friend is jam-packed into this little hard cover book with whimsical illustrations galore that we just couldn't decide. 

My Favorite, Blue Velvet

We did decide to start not only making some of these delicious-looking concoctions but also to create some of our own: Bovis concludes with a chapter on how to invent them, name them and the steps to follow in making the drinks. 

And, never fear, the first chapter has all you need to know about beginning, with eight different shapes of glassware, and seven different bar tools, followed by ingredients to start with on your home bar. And garnishes. "People love dressing up their dogs with a cute bandana. . . . Similarly you can also dress up your drink with a decorative garnish. . . . " (p. 14)

Comparing Drinking with the later book (but earlier reviewed) Cocktails with My Cat, both are similarly organized but just enough different that families with both cats (perish the thought!) and dogs, will want to stock both books in their family bar.

We Learn About Dogs, Too

Did you know that poodles are the second smartest breed, after Border Collies?  After reading that, we wondered about golden retrievers, one of our two breeds, only to find them featured on the very next page, along with five other retriever dogs. Snoopy, the Obama's Bo and Prince's dogs are also included.

Legally Blonde

Honoring Betty White, A Golden Girl

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* Cocktails with My Cat, reviewed here, is hot on the heels of Drinking with My Dog.

Book Review: Cocktails with My Cat: Tasty Tipples for Feline Fanatics (OT)

Cocktails with My Cat: Tasty Tipples for Feline Fanatics, by Natalie Bovis (Running Press, 2024, $24.00, 144pp HB) 

Cocktails with My Cat almost turned me, a dog person, into a cat person. The day after it arrived in the mail, I brought it to Starbucks to meet my cat friends and they all whooped and hollered and wanted a copy for themselves. The title alone is an unforgettable gem, quite the attention grabber.

Did You Know You Can  Invent Drinks?

I don't drink so don't blame me for not knowing that drinks can be invented but now I just may go out and stock my empty home bar, now that I know how to create drinks, thanks to author Natalie Bovis, a bartending guru and instructor who also fosters kittens and cats and shares her life with eight rescue pets.

Quotes and Stories and 60 Recipes and More!

Bovis begins at the beginning with information on stocking your home bar with various  items of glassware (showing eight of them), bar tools, and ingredients such as garnishes, eggs, liqueurs (cordials) and even shrubs (not the green growing kind). She also defines 'neat' and explains James Bond and 'shaken not stirred.'

Chapters two through seven lead with a 2-page intro

followed by almost a whole page story of one breed of cats or one particular cat in history ("Famous Felines") with a final sentence leading into the name or ingredients of the new drink, followed by its recipe. Chapters include those on rescues, wild cats, and the holidays, with the final chapter encouraging you to create your very own signature drink inspired by your own cat.

The Hardest Decision

The hardest job I had was to choose just one drink to show you. So I picked two: "Seven Seas and Six Toes" and "Treetops and Tropics." Enjoy! 

Seven Seas and Six Toes

Treetops and Tropics

More Mocktails, Please

When (if. . . .) 'volume 2' comes out, I hope it features more 'mocktail' recipes (Cocktails has a few, thank you) and perhaps some photos to show off the drink colors to their best advantage. Even though many of the recipes in 'volume 1' are accompanied by whimsical illustrations and feature the storied cats, and drinks somewhere in the pictures if you search hard enough, I would love to see some of these as real-life colorful photos.

Should I have started with Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-Be?

I also have my eye on Edible Cocktails: From Garden to Glass - Seasonal Cocktails with a Fresh Twist. 

And now to take a look at Drinking with My Dog!

Book Review: Lilac Girls (three lives intersect, WW2)

 Lilac Girls by Martha Kelly (Ballantine, $17.00, 2017, 502pp PB) 

Where was I when this book came out in 2017? Why did I miss all the hullabaloo about this fantastic story of World War II? 

Author Martha Kelly has a habit of ending chapters on cliffhangers. . . . and with three major characters in three different geographical areas, I had to keep reading.

The Title. . . .

I am always cognizant of titles - what they mean and why they were chosen. Lilacs do appear twice in this book but I might have selected something different.

And the front cover illustration of three women walking away, arm in arm. How do our three women's lives intersect, I kept wondering.

I almost posted a preliminary review yesterday when I was about halfway through the book but then found some time and finished it (and it's a long book). And glad I was to read the author's note: Lilac Girls is based on true events which is amorphous, misleading, contradictory at best and doesn't usually tell me anything but the author's note does help tremendously.

Sisters and Friends and Family and the War and a Little Bit of Love

It is hard yet realistic to bounce from a wealthy socialite in New York City to a young woman in occupied Poland and a woman doctor in occupying Germany who believes wholeheartedly in the Reich. Reminds me of the conflicts in recent decades where the wars have been fought far from home and we hardly were affected at all. 

The first woman has a heart of gold and volunteers for the French war effort, seeking funds from the well-off for French orphans. The latter is hindered by her gender in a male-dominated occupation so when she sees an ad for a doctor in a re-education camp for women, she takes it (and finds herself in Ravensbruck!) And the other is a fighter and a supporter of others until she has a difficult time after the war.

We have one of them falling in love with a married man. We empathize with the war wounds that continue to plague another, well after the fighting stops. We follow the women in a concentration camp and really feel we are experiencing daily life there with its acts of generosity and betrayal.

Saga

Most sagas are historical novels about several generations of one family or two. This is a saga but horizontal not vertical in that it takes the reader through only a few years but focuses on three young women in three countries during World War II.

And the sage continues well beyond D-Day.

And, oh My!

Lilac Girls is part of a trilogy, the first book, Lost Roses,

 

also based on true events introduces us to the previous generation and World War I while Sunflower Sisters

begins the trilogy in the Civil War.