Meow, Merrow, Meeeeow!

I Could Pee on This – and Other Poems by Cats –by Francesco Marciuliano

Poetry

111 Pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: No

Illustrations: Yes

Suitable for eReaders: maybe

5 Stars

This is a small book, roughly 5" x 6.25", it's a delight to hold, it's fun to turn a physical page. I think much would be lost on an eReader.

This book belongs in your hands.

This book belongs by your bed.

This book belongs in the Guest Bathroom.

This book belongs in your living room.

This book belongs wherever you have

a flat surface on which to set it.

This book belongs!

                        --Tashiko Akuma Pestini, Lenora's feline owner

If you like cats, you'll love this. If you don't like cats, you'll love this. You will laugh out loud at these poems.

Odd, those Norse Myths

Odd and the Frost Giants – by Neil Gaiman

Fantasy (MG+)

128 pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: No

Illustrations: Yes

Suitable for eReaders: Yes

5 Stars

This delightful tale of Odd, a young lad who helps Thor, Odin, and Loki regain their godly shape from the Bear, Eagle, and Fox they were changed into, and further helps to get Thor's hammer back, and save Asgard, and the human world below, from eternal winter is a fun read! (Phew! that was a long sentence. You may now stop and breathe;-) At first, the Gods try to hide the fact they can talk, but Odd catches them at it, and they admit it. He helps them, and they help him, helping to maintain balance as it should be.

It is listed for Grade 3-6 -- and perhaps I am finally in my second childhood? -- but this was a fun retelling of the old Norse myths, a grand introduction to one who isn't familiar with them.

When you need a couple hours of escape, this is a great book in which to crawl and enjoy that time, that escape, that delightful story. Neil Gaiman does a remarkable job of putting you in the story right from the beginning. Well crafted tale.

Trekking for Tea

China's Ancient Tea Horse Road –Text by Andrew Forbes, Photographs by David Henley

History

2782 KB / 91 pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: No

Illustrations: Yes

Suitable for eReaders: Not really *

4 Stars

If you are a tea drinker, and interested in the history of tea, this might be an utterly fascinating book. I am neither a tea drinker, nor particularly fascinated by the history of tea, and it was merely interesting.

However, I am fascinated by the history of China, and bought this book for my Kindle. Big mistrake.

There are several photos and copies of paintings in this book that were too small to be enjoyed on my Kindle, and the captions below almost unreadable. And, because I have last year's Kindle, and not the Kindle Fire, they were all in black and white. (They may be black and white in the hard copy, I don't know.)

And the formatting was a tad off putting. there were line breaks where there should have been none, thereby creating paragraphs where there should have been none. Irritating, not major. Okay, major enough I'm grousing about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the text (except for the formatting issues) and think I would have enjoyed the photos had I been able to properly see them. The map was totally useless. Now, what I would have loved to have read a hard copy book, with a fold-out map (I love maps. One can never have too many maps.) and been able to follow along as I read the text, and viewed the pictures. Alas, the only map was at the very beginning and too small hard to read.

The Ancient China Tea Horse Road was a caravan route, actually several that merged along the way, from China to Lhasa, Tibet, and then on across Tibet and down into Burma, India and other countries. It was actually in use until the Chinese claimed their ancient right to Tibet (Kublai Khan's era, I think). And is, once again, in use, however, there is now a road, instead of a trail.

Porters, and sometimes mules, carried teas, and other trade goods, depending on where one was along the way across high and treacherous trails up the Himalaya Mountains. This route was especially important during WWII and when the Communists were fighting Chiang Kai-Shek. There are actual photos of some of the porters, and an interview in this book. That, alone, made it worth the read. I just wish the photos had been larger. And the map usable.

If you plan a trip to China, or Southeast Asia, read this book. If at all possible, find a hard copy of it. Get a map of China, and follow along, I think you'll find it of interest. 

*NOTE: I was given a Kindle Fire for my birthday, and I have to say that, on the fire, the book is great.  The illustrations are vivid, and the formatting perfect.

Got a Bone in Your Throat?

Bone in the Throat –by Anthony Bourdain

Mystery

372 KB / 304 pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: No

Illustrations: No

Suitable for eReaders: Yes

4 Stars

Murder mysteries are not my usual genre when I reach for fiction; however, I'd just finished reading Kitchen Confidential (see below) and enjoyed it, so added Bone in the Throat to my Kindle. While it's not the story I would have given to my Sunday School Teacher as a child, it is a story I'd have shared with my Drill Instructor.

This is his first novel and I think he did a pretty good job. It's set in a mobbed up restaurant in New York City. The language is a tad rough for the genteel set, but perfect for the story. I gave it 4 stars more for the publisher than the author. When it was translated from paper to electrons, a lot of formatting was lost, quotation marks dropped, the symbol for the British Pound found it's way into the story as a double, lower case 'l', nothing serious, but enough times (once is too much) to be irritating and cost points – for the publisher, not the author!*

If you are a lover of metaphor, don't bother with this one. Bourdain tells the story straight out, with no creative flowery stuff. When he talks about the sex, it's straight out about the sex. When he talks about the murder it's well described in a few words, not drug out for paragraphs and pages. If the 'F' word offends thee, don't read this. But, do get a life.

Tommy is the sous-chef at the Dreadnought Restaurant. His dad disappeared when he was a kid (assumed mob hit) and his uncle, a wannabee Wise Guy, takes him under his wing and helps his sister, Tommy's mother, raise him. Tommy wants nothing to do with the mob or his uncle, he wants to be a chef, and avoids his uncle as much as possible. But Uncle Sal is, after all, family. And then Uncle Sal needs Tommy to do a favor for him, payback for the help, a simple favor that won't get him in trouble or cause him grief. Yeah. Right.

Tommy and his drugged out boss, the Chef, are now caught in the midst of an FBI operation, drug rehab and threats, Mob mentality, and, well, for a fun read, pick up the book. As stated above, this book does not fall into my usual fiction genre, and until I finished the last chapter, I wasn't sure I'd pick up another Bourdain novel, but I will.

Oh, and if you don't recognize at least one of the Mob Guys, you need to read or watch more news!

*OK, maybe I should change to a 5 star. I received a Kindle Fire, and the formatting is perfect! Why it is good on the Fire and not my older Kindle, I don't know.

Do Ya Wanna be a Chef? Huh? Do Ya?

Kitchen Confidential – by Anthony Bourdain

Memoir

464 KB/321 Pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: No

Illustrations: No

Suitable for eReaders: Yes

5 Stars

Okay, I admit, I like Anthony Bourdain. I travel the world and enjoy foods vicariously through his TV show, No Reservations that I will never get to see or enjoy any other way. I also admit, right up front, if you think the language of the show is rough, the language in this book is full bore with No Bleeps!

Last year, I read Beaten, Seared, and Sauced, a memoir by Jonathan Dixon on his journey to become a Chef and graduate from the CIA. It was fun.

This year, Kitchen Confidential seemed a natural follow on. Both Bourdain and Dixon attended and graduated from the same CIA campus. Both are male. Both write well. End of comparison.

Bourdain is a Bad Boy from the get-go. I have a soft spot for Bad Boys, at least some. At least those who are at a safe distance;-) This memoir is filled with raunch, booze, drugs, and escapades that had me laughing out loud almost through the whole thing. I started it as a bedtime read, and spent most of today on the sofa finishing it. I don't mind the language if it's in a funny setting. And it is, well, Bourdain.

He tells us when to order fish, and when not to, and why. He explains what really goes on behind the scenes in the kitchen. His crew a missed match bunch of bawdy pirates, who come and go with the tides. And just about the time when you wonder, really wonder, he takes us into a 3-star restaurant, and shows us how a kitchen can be run—with respect, quiet, totally the opposite of New York's Les Halles where he is the Executive Chef (at least at the time of the writing of the book). He points out the differences, and explains why he will never be a 3-star Chef.

Do you think you might like to be a Chef? Do your friends tell you you should open your own restaurant, serve your special foods and drinks for money? Do you harbor that dream of having your own show on Food Network, of becoming the next Iron Chef? Read this book, and think about it, very, very seriously. Then, if you still want to open your own place, go forth and do so. But remember what Anthony Bourdain writes. Remember his descriptions of his hands. Can you stand for 10-17 hours a day, seven days a week? Pay attention. And don't say you weren't warned!

Man's Search for Meaning

Man's Search for Meaning –by Viktor E. Frankl

Psychology

1803 KB/185 pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: Yes

Illustrations: No

Suitable for eReaders: Depends

5 Stars

I purchased and read this on my Kindle. It has endnotes at each of the 3 sections, and I found it frustrating I couldn't get to them, let alone back to the text. If you are like me, and like to read them, then get the hard copy.

This is not the first time I've read the book, I think it's one of those books everyone should read at least once in their adult life, and probably a few more times throughout the rest of their life.

The first part of the book is about Frankl's time in the Concentration Camps of the Holocaust. What makes his account different from most of the other's I've read, though surprisingly not all, was the attitude he chose to live through his imprisonment, which started out in Auschwitz.

Frankl was of the opinion that our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude. And that, if you have meaning in your life, you can live through anything, or at least die with dignity.

It was illegal for those in the Camps to actively stop someone who was trying to commit suicide, but Frankl and other's were able to work with several men (men and women were segregated by gender) find a meaning to their life, and to continue to live.

The second and third sections of the book basically described his theory on how to conduct Logotherapy. The book is not clinical, and I think anyone who is interested can easily access the information. It is a quick read, and if you want to apply any of the lessons, I think it will change your life for the better.

I couldn't help but notice how many of what Dr. Frankl taught, was similar to the basics of what Buddhism teaches, though Dr. Frankl was not Buddhist.

If I had a hard copy, it would be on the shelf next to my copy of Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal. Both excellent books, both by survivors, both easy reads of a difficult subject.

Sometimes I'm Witchey, Sometimes I'm Not...

The Serpent's Kiss: A Witches of East End Novel –by Milissa de la Cruz

Fiction

750KB/330 pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: No

Illustrations: No

Suitable for eReaders: Yes

I purchased this book on the Kindle Daily Deal, intrigued by the title (love a really good witch story) and did not read any of the reviews. Had I done so, I would not have bothered. It is Book 2 of 3 books. And it reads that way.

There seemed to be little substance in the book, now I understand why -- it was merely a bridge between two other books. Unfortunately, I probably won't invest my time (or money) in either Book 1 or Book 2.

The setting is a delightful village of North Hampton, and the characters are fun. There was a lot of humor, which I like, the writing seemed solid, and it's probably too bad that Book 2 was offered on the Daily Deal rather than Book 1. I do wish the publishers of series books would put the number on the cover, ie, Book 2 of 3, to help readers understand what they are buying, especially when the purchase is made online.

As a stand alone book, I don't recommend this. As part of the series? Well, I can't recommend it because I haven't read the rest of the series. I am giving it an Amazon rating of 2 stars because it did not make me rush back to the computer to purchase any more of her books. (Please understand, I have picked up and read series books starting in the middle, on more than one occasion, only to rush back to the bookstore as soon as I finished to purchase the remainder of the series. While frustrating to start in the middle, it isn't the end of the world. In this case, though, it is the end of the series, at least for me.)