The Place Will Comfort You: Stories

Book Description

Intelligent, evocative and darkly comic, Naama Goldstein's collection introduces a remarkable talent. In these sharply focused stories, the line between nation and self is as elusive as the distinction between past and present, fear and desire, the real and the imagined.

Against a backdrop that spans from the Galilean wilderness to midtown Manhattan, and from the 1970s to the present, the inhabitants of these stories struggle to feel at home in foreign and sometimes unwelcoming lands. In "A Pillar of a Cloud," a young American babysitting her Israeli cousins scandalizes the children when she invites an Arab roofer for dinner. "The Worker Rests Under the Hero Trees" features a twenty-something Israeli expatriate vying for romance with a childhood hero turned cranberry expert. "Anatevka Tender" stands on a fault line between ideologies as a mother who blames herself for her elder son's battle shock following the Lebanon War resettles her children in the suburban safety of an East Coast condo.

The brilliantly observed and haunting stories of The Place Will Comfort You illustrate the cultural divide between American and Israeli Jews -- and the difficulties of moving between these two vastly different worlds.

Customer Reviews:

Fingernails on a Blackboard.......2005-03-14

I am having a tough time getting through this book. From some of the wording and diction, I think it's translated from Hebrew. That seems odd, as it looks like the author has a Master's degree in writng from Vermont, so maybe I'm wrong, and this is how academics write ficiton these days. But certain things she says (e.g.--'Parsi' instead of Persian, and 'consoling' instead of the commonly used American colloquial 'sitting shiva' as just 2 examples) make this book a tough read for a speaker of Engish as a mother-tongue (that is, native English speaker).

I suppose what makes me cringe so much is that the book looks like it was written in Hebrew, and translated into English by an Israeli, rather than an anglo saxon. I am expecting any page now to read NATBAG, La Gardia and the Ministry of the Insides, or some other such thing--which, to any anglo saxon who has lived in Israel and speaks Hebrew, reads like fingernails screeching on a blackboard. . . .

Beautiful, evocative, witty short stories..........2004-10-30

Naama Goldstein's The Place Will Comfort You is full of humorous, mesmerizing stories centered on the cultural differences between Israel and America. Each story is strong and stands on its own. I finished this collection last night, yet am still thinking about these stories. In most cases, I find a short story is an instance of excellent writing that somehow lacks the power and force of a novel, but in Goldstein's case, all of these stories have tremendous power, even more than your average 400-page long novel. My favorite stories are "A Pillar of a Cloud," "A Verse in the Margins," and "The Conduct of Consoling." Each story has a touch of earnest humor coupled with deceptively simple prose. The combination was irresistible and I couldn't put this book down. This is an impressive debut effort from a promising author. I highly recommend this collection, even if you tend to shy away from short stories. I for one love short stories and these are as good as they get. They are not to be missed.

San Francisco Chronicle, Sun. 5/30/04.......2004-05-31

Books in Brief/ Amy Westervelt

What usually comes of writerly attempts to mix fiction and nonfiction is a hybrid that's not much good on either count -- too dry to make for good fiction, too fluffy to work as nonfiction. All of which makes Naama Goldstein's first collection of short stories, "The Place Will Comfort You," a real accomplishment. Not only does she do an admirable job of blending engaging narrative with political commentary, she does it over and over again in eight charming stories.
An Israeli American writer, Goldstein's stories follow American Jews to Israel and back again, chronicles the Israeli relationship with American Jews and vice versa, and tells the universal story of the foreigner looking for comfort in a strange land. Goldstein writes vividly, showing the insanity of war through little things like an Israeli child's fear of an Arabic food vendor or a detailed description of the new, iron-clad, blast-resistant doors that are all the rage in Tel Aviv.

The stories get progressively less linear and culminate in the transcription of a conversation between two acquaintances, a man and a woman who had been neighbors in Israel and are now both living near Boston. The conversation happens in disjointed spurts, but it's the overall feeling of it, not the content, that's important here. Neither seems exactly sane, but they get each other in some way, which leaves us with a sort of sad hope -- these people with no home can at least find a sense of comfort in each other.

Average customer rating:
The Place Will Comfort You: Stories
Naama Goldstein
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1416578676

Book Description

Amazon.com

All fantasy and horror fans owe it to themselves to read Lord Dunsany (1878-1957). The sword & sorcery genre was born in his early stories, and high fantasy was indelibly transformed by his novels. His profound influence on 20th-century fantastic fiction is visible in authors as dissimilar as Neil Gaiman, H.P. Lovecraft, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Lord Dunsany's best-known novel is The King of Elfland's Daughter (1924), wherein the men of Erl desire to be "ruled by a magic lord," and the lord's heir, Alveric, ventures into Elfland to win the king's daughter, Lirazel. Their story does not progress as a reader weaned on the diluted milk of formulaic fantasy would expect; and the novel's unique journeys and events are matched by Dunsany's rich and lyrical prose and by his contagious intoxication with the magic and marvels of both Elfland and our own world. --Cynthia Ward

Book Description

The poetic style and sweeping grandeur of The King of Elfland's Daughter has made it one of the most beloved fantasy novels of our time, a masterpiece that influenced some of the greatest contemporary fantasists. The heartbreaking story of a marriage between a mortal man and an elf princess is a masterful tapestry of the fairy tale following the "happily ever after."

Customer Reviews:

An elegant, lapidary masterpiece.......2007-10-02

This is simply one of the finest fantasy novels ever written.

Really, nothing else has to be said -- for evocative, lyrical, jeweled prose, Dunsany has no equal. This is as close to poetry as prose will ever come, and it's meant to transport the reader, to make the realms of fancy & imagination live for a brief time within its pages, and to leave softly lingering, fading memories afterwards.

But it's not for everyone.

Sadly, this faster-paced, superficial world of instant gratification has little room for the rich & contemplative beauties of Dunsany's work. Impatient readers want action, they want easily digestible prose, they don't want to exert themselves, much less meet such a different worldview halfway. No, if they're reading about invented cultures, they want those cultures to be familiar, built to a basic formula, and thoroughly pre-imagined for them.

And it's their loss.

Before fantasy became a matter of mass-produced product, it was the province of the dreamer & the poet, and each rare creator of it had a unique style & vision. But that was not to last. Generic adventure invariably overtook genuine vision, and what had been truly daring & magical became safe & predictable.

Still, if you're willing to put aside your preconceptions, to actually step outside the confines of your comfort zone, and to enter into the realm of splendid dreams & luminous prose -- this is your book. When Alveric takes his first step beyond the fields we know & sees the ethereal princess Lirazel, the reader goes with him. And from there the tale is woven with the intricate detail of a fine tapestry, in prose that's best savored slowly & fully, like a fine wine.

All of Dunsany's work was devoted to the idea that beauty matters, especially in an increasingly mechanized, commodified world. That idea was never better exemplified than in this exquisite novel. Here the ugliness & lowest common denominators of everyday life are refuted with passionate loveliness, and the soul is allowed to soar ...

Most highly recommended!

Don't read this because you feel you should..........2007-09-28

When one reads the various summaries and recommendations of Lord Dunsany, it begins to seem like he's nothing more than required reading for the fantasy enthusiast. There's a condescension, hidden or overt, that says that he's far more trouble than he's worth, and that fantasy has left him as nothing but a historical precursor to the more enjoyable and fully realized works that came afterwards.

I suppose that a 'modern' fantasy reader, accustomed to over a century of narrative and thematic domestication, could easily find Lord Dunsany lacking. Where are the wise-cracking dragon-riding dual-cursed-sword-wielding world-savers? Why is the romance so far in the background? Why does he spend so much time and language dwelling on the breeze on the flowers? Gaiman's own introduction refers to Dunsany as "drunk on the prose of the King James Bible" (an odd comparison, as I'm sure Neil has read more than two books written before 1930), and any number of post-Hemingway literates might just as easily talk about overly descriptive and archaic language.

Personally, I find fantasy lacking if it fails to convey a sense of depth and history...and an author who writes authentically "old-fashioned" prose has an edge, to my taste. I read fantasy for its delicious feeling of long ago and far away, and Lord Dunsany does that with seeming effortlessness. "King of Elfland's Daughter" is actually a very easy read, if you're at a high school level or above...in the same realm as the Narnia books (though without the WWII slang in the children's dialogue). It certainly won't trouble your patience if you have enough reading skills to absorb Tolkien (without Cliff's Notes or too much impatient skimming).

In addition, there is plenty of character depth- hinted more than examined, of course, but one must expect that from a literary tradition that didn't reflexively and exhaustively assess every thought and action. If you care to dig a little, you can find glimpses of the conflict of feminine independence, the dangers in pursuing the superficial lure of fame, the pitfalls of obsession, of jealousy, of mass hysteria, and the weariness of age.

On the other hand, "King of Elfland's Daughter" is no more a cleverly symbolic social commentary than it is an epic quest. It is 'just' a beautifully descriptive fairy tale, one that follows a chain of compelling characters and plays few favorites among them. Even the poor Freer is given neither undue sympathy nor condemnation as he rails against the encroachment of magic on his righteous influence. If I could wish for more, it would be that we are allowed to see even more of the sights along the way...for instance, once Alveric embarks upon his misguided search, he is more or less left to become a shadow of a man until the final happily-ever-after conclusion.

The happy ending (which is, of course, a matter of opinion...especially if you sympathize with the Freer or the Men of Erl) may strike modern readers as trite, but it suits the fairy tale structure just fine. In fantasy as in life, impulsive choices don't always have to result in tragedy and doom...

So there you go. If you want your fantasy to reflect as closely as possible your day to day experience, you will not be satisfied with Lord Dunsany. If you want your fantasy to resemble a mainstream best-seller with dragons and elves instead of detectives and spies, you're out of luck here. And if you think that fantasy begins and ends with clear journalistic prose describing sword-fights and battles of wizardry, you may be happier with...oh, any number of books on the genre shelves.

"King of Elfland's Daughter" represents the best of fantasy- not 'early fantasy', not 'proto-fantasy'...the best of fantasy, period.

Boring waste of time.......2007-08-13

An utterly boring waste of time. The book is full of words, a veritable word factory, written in pseudo-lyrical style, but the plot is predicable and as the reader nears the end of the book, the terrible realization begins to dawn that it's all leading nowhere. The trite ending eventually confirms the reader's well-founded fear.

There is absolutely no similarity between the fourth rate plotting and second rate use of language of Dunsany and that of J. R. R. Tolkien. The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings are poetic, heroic, epic, something to which Dunsany might aspire in his dreams, but then he -- and his duped reader -- must wake up to real life....

I should have known I was in for a disappointment when I saw that great self-important mediocrity, Neil Gaiman, involved himself in the book by writing an utterly meaningless introduction.

As for Del Rey publishing bringing this book back from its well-deserved oblivion, they really shouldn't have.

Gorgeous.......2007-08-09

A wonderful gorgeously written classic! This is a story 'not to be missed', get your copy while you can and treasure the opportunity to possess such a fine book! Few authors of any period can match the power, sweep, imaginative power of Lord Dunsany, his command of the language is 'peerless' and his ability to weave his story is beautiful to behold.

The King of Elflands Daughter.......2007-07-31

While I realize that everyone has a right to their own opinion, I feel that many of the raters that gave The King of Elfland's Daughter 1 or 2 stars have done so for the wrong reason. It seems that many of them are comparing this book with the epics of today and it is true that this book lacks some of the complexity and character development standard in todays fantasy book. The King of Elfland's Daughter, however, is more like a fairy tale, and should be viewed as such. It is beautifully written with lovely imagery and a sweet, if a bit simple, plot. If you are seeking an epic, pick up The Lord of the Rings or one of its many copycats. If you are looking for a quick beautiful story, give The King of Elfland's Daughter a chance.

Average customer rating:

King of Elfland's Daughter
Edward Plunkett,Baron Dunsany
Manufacturer: Millennium (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

When the men of Erl asked that they be ruled by a magic lord, their lord bowed to their wishes and sent his eldest son, Alveric, beyond the fields we know, to the land of faery to win the hand of Lirazel, the King of Elfland's sweet and beautiful daughter. But marriage between a mortal and an elf princess can only end in heartbreak, and the land of Erl discovers that the imposition of magic rule is, at best, a mixed blessing. Enchantingly written and completely captivating, The King of Elfland's Daughter is a moving and brilliant masterpiece.

Average customer rating:
THE KING OF ELFLAND'S DAUGHTER
Lord (Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett) Dunsany
Manufacturer: Unwin Paperbacks - Unicorn Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
ASIN: 0048232076

Average customer rating:
THE KING OF ELFLAND'S DAUGHTER
Lord (Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett) Dunsany
Manufacturer: Tom Stacey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
ASIN: 0854681655

Average customer rating:
The King of Elfland's Daughter
Lord Dunsany
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000R4OXSE

Average customer rating:
The King of Elfland's Daughter

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQY6IA

Average customer rating:
The King of Elfland's Daughter

Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GS82K6

Average customer rating:
The King of Elfland's DAughter
Lord Dunsany
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K17UXE

Average customer rating:
The King of Elfland's DAughter
Lord Dunsany
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K11LSE

Average customer rating:

Interesting Background

Rather disappointing....

DeCandido can write 'em!

Not Bad, but could have been better...

Better Than A Lot Of The Episodes

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda: Destruction of Illusions (Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda)
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Movie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Series | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda: The Broken Places (Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda)

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda: Waystation (Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda)

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda: Through the Looking Glass (Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda)

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda: The Attitude of Silence (Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda)

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda: Paradise Drift: Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda Book #6 (Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda)

ASIN: 0765344076

Book Description

Gene Roddenberry's Andromedatrade; is the continuing story of Captain Dylan Hunt of the starship Andromeda Ascendant, in his quest to restore the Systems Commonwealth that fell three hundred years ago. When the series opens, Hunt and the Andromeda have been rescued by the independent cargo ship, Eureka Maru. How the Maru got there is a fast-paced, exciting space adventure that Andromedatrade; fans and SF readers will love.The Eureka Maru has been impounded for non-payment of bills. Captain Beka Valentine and her crew daringly liberate the ship, and soon get a chance for a big score: pick up a Nietzschean princess, pregnant with a child that might be heir to the Nietzschean throne. Surviving betrayal and vicious attack ships, the Maru must bring the princess to safety before the child is delivered. Along the way, they gain a mysterious new crew member.Unknown to them, Nietzschean warrior Tyr Anasazi is on a mission to restore the glory of his people. To raise money for an army, he's accepted an offer to a High Guard ship that's been stuck in a black hole for 300 years. The money would be fabulous, but he needs a ship and crew. The Eureka Maru fits the bill.

Download Description

The first in a new series of novels based on the most popular syndicated adventure series on television today, Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, starring Kevin Sorbo. This is the story of what happened just before the series began: the chronicle of the crew of the Eureka Maru and Tyr Anasazi in the months prior to "Under the Night," shedding light on how they all ended up with Andromeda, and why they thought signing on with Dylan Hunt and his mission to restore the Systems Commonwealth was worth doing.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Background.......2006-08-18

Consistent with the Andromeda universe, and it was interesting to learn what took place before the Andromeda Ascendent was taken out of the blackhole. However, as with all Andromeda books; far too much profanity. It's not necessary to the story line and doesn't make it more real. Show me more drama in place of the profanity.

Rather disappointing...........2005-04-22

I had high hopes for this book to fill out the background on the shows main characters, other than Dylan, but found it rather lacking. If you want to know more about Beka, Tyr and Rev. Bem, the book does a fairly good job but hardly expends any effort on Trance and Harper who have great potential for interesting story lines. In fact, there is far more expansion upon a tertiary character who is barely memorable from the first episode than for Trance and Harper put together. In addition, if you're a Trance fan, you likely won't care much for the less than flattering descriptions. Anyway, it's not a bad story but could have been a lot better.

DeCandido can write 'em!.......2005-04-12

Oh, the beauty of the backstory, the prequel, the whatEVER you want to call it, especially when it comes to novel vs. television. It gives a writer a goodly amount of space to supply the characters with all the depth and strange habits that make for meaty personalities - something TV viewers might have to wait a long time to see, if they *ever* get to. And, as has been the case with pretty much every one of Keith DeCandido's novels, the man doesn't disappoint, providing us an excellent and plausible look at how it came to be that Beka Valentine should rescue Dylan Hunt in the pilot episode of "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda." Of course, now I really wanna go back and watch that pilot again, armed with this new information. Nice job, oh Great Hairy One.

Not Bad, but could have been better..........2005-02-22

I found this book rather enjoyable but, despite the great details, still somewhat lacking. A lot of effort was put into giving great insight into the characters of Beka, Tyr, and to a lesser extent Rev Bem, but Harper and Trance (my two favourite characters) get rather short shrift. I had high hopes that there would be more about Harper and his life while on earth, but there was more detail on the thoughts and history of a tertiary character that I barely remember from the first episode. In addition, it is plain that the Author doesn't care much for the character of Trance, as displayed by his repeated less than flattering descriptions. Given all this I'm rather surprised that I even gave it a 3! However, I am an Andromeda fan and the book definitely gave a better insight into where Beka, Tyr, and to a lesser extent the rest of the crew, were coming from.
So, if you like Beka, buy the book and you won't be disappointed. For everybody else.... you most likely will be.

Better Than A Lot Of The Episodes.......2004-09-19

Man, I can't believe it's come to this: that I'm writing reviews of novels based on "Andromeda". My mother begged me to become a doctor, but instead I decided to go into the highly exciting world of Betamax sales, and now I'm reduced to this. Look for me to cough up a review of a "Red Dwarf" episode guide soon or something.

Anyway. This novel is by Keith DeCandido and is the first published volume of "Andromeda" fiction. It's a prequel to the show's pilot episode and establishes backstories for Tyr and for how Trance (her happy and guileless purple version, not the later enigmatic and secretive gold version) hooked up with Beka and stuff. DeCandido does a good job of capturing the flavor of the show's first season (by far the best out of the four that have aired thus far), and even throws in cryptic citations and sayings as chapter headers, just like the actual TV episodes do. Lot of Nietzschean maneuverings and plots. The bits about Tyr and his ilk are really nice. The biggest bonus, though, is that Dylan only appears in about five pages. Yay! 'Cuz he is just terrible.

This is better than a lot of the recent episodes and is worth reading if for no other reason that that DeCandido wrote it. He's done a lot of excellent Trek work and if you like reading this sort of thing, I would highly recommend that you pick up his efforts. He shows a great deal more imagination than most authors in these series and does some real nice character work. If you've got some time to blow and you want a taste of "Andromeda" in its "almost good" period, give this book a try.

Average customer rating:

Heed the warnings

gotta love the guy!

love that alton brown

I love this guy!

Be Afraid

I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking
Alton Brown
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori and Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking

I'm Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0

Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen

I'm Just Here for the Food : Kitchen User's Manual

I'm Just Here for the Food: Cook's Notes (I'm Just Here for the Food)

ASIN: 1584793414

Amazon.com

Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking should be required reading for those who truly want to learn how to become great bakers. In his own off-beat style Alton explains the science behind the process simply and in a manner you will not only remember, but subconsciously apply to all your baking endeavors. What is salt's role in the baking process? Why use eggs? Why is the way you mix important to overall success? Stylized and presented like his first book and popular Food Network show Good Eats, Baking is more like a goofy textbook rather then a pretty, photographed book with a bunch of recipes. If you are looking for a couple of quick, simple recipes to make cookies or bread, keep looking. If it's an education about the "Whats," "Whys," and "Hows" of baking with the intent to lift your skills to a new level: welcome!

Baking is a precise science that needs to be followed to the letter if you want success. It is highly recommended to read the introduction and "The Parts Department" section before attempting any of the recipes in this book. The essence of Alton Brown's book is not to simply follow recipes, but to get a deep understanding of what is going on during the baking process. The introduction goes over the layout of the book and how it should be used (the ingenious "method flaps" for instance), the low down on how to read recipes, the importance of measuring by weight vs. volume, and baking's five core steps. The "Parts" section explains just that: ingredients. What is the chemical make up of proteins, carbs, and fats? Why is their interrelationship so important to success? How well do you know flour, eggs, sugar, and baking soda? Once you have the basics down and your parts measured it's time to get mixing. The rest of the book is smartly broken up by the six major mixing methods (Muffin, Biscuit, Creaming, Straight Dough, Egg Foam, and Custards). Each technique is explored in detail with recipes to follow. You won't find any ultra fancy recipes in Baking. The focus here is on the basics and getting the basics down right. Rediscover some old favorites like chocolate cookies and muffins, buttermilk pancakes, biscuits, shortcake, multigrain loaf bread, and good old fashioned cheesecake. There is no denying it, follow Alton's advice and you will be a better baker. Guaranteed. --Rob Bracco

Book Description

In his best-selling first book, Food Network star Alton Brown described what happens when food meets heat. Now Brown is back and ready to revolutionize the world of baking-and more. Breads, cakes, cookies, pies, custards, ice creams: The popular host of Good Eats explores the science behind our favorite sweets-and savories-explaining it all in his own inimitable style.

The book opens with a complete encyclopedia of the core ingredients or "the molecular pantry"-what they are, what they do, and how they play together (or don't). The main part of the book is divided by mixing method: Biscuit, Creaming, Muffin, Straight Dough, Modified Dough, Eggfoam, Custards, and a section called As Well As . . . , which includes such specialized methods as crepes, popovers, mousse, and doughnuts. .

To underscore the importance-and ease-of mastering the mixing techniques, the book features a special design that adds a half-page flap to the opening page of each mixing section. Printed on the flap is the master mixing technique to serve as a ready reference for each recipe that follows in that section.

The more than 80 recipes cover all the basics any baked-good lover could covet, from pie crust to funnel cake to homemade Pop Tarts to cheese soufflé. Select master recipes feature variations that underscore the effects of altering ingredient ratios or preparation methods. The classic chocolate chip cookie, for example, can be interpreted in soft, chewy, and crispy consistencies.

At 304 pages, the trivia-filled tome also contains all the fun components Brown fans have come to expect: fact-packed sidebars, intricate illustrations, glossaries, appendices, equipment lists-the works. It's everything readers have been waiting for . . . and more! AUTHOR BIO: Alton Brown is the writer, director, and host of the popular Food Network television program Good Eats. His first book, I'm Just Here For the Food, received the 2003 James Beard Foundation KitchenAid Book Award for Best Reference Book. His second book, Alton Brown's Gear For Your Kitchen, was nominated for both a James Beard and an IACP cookbook award.

Customer Reviews:

Heed the warnings.......2007-10-07

The first thing I attempted to bake out of this book was the pillow bread recipe. Read the philosophy, tool requirements, got stuff together - done. Bread rose. Wonderful! Bread baked. Not so wonderful. Was actually quite raw in the middle. This was intensely disappointing. I re-read the directions. Yep - everything is where when and how it should be. I look back at the reviews and hello! There are typos in this book. I thought it kinda weird that I should cook a great huge loaf of bread for no more than 25 minutes, most especially when my other bread recipes call for 40 minutes on much smaller loaves. I do not think this is Mr. Brown's fault. I do think it is the suspicious typo drama. Mr. Brown's other book is magic. No worries right off, wonderful food. The roasting methods are particularly accurate and pleasing. This book was a huge bummer. Perhaps if I had tried a recipe sans typo, I would not be typing this review. Oh well. I will forgive Mr. Brown if another edition comes out that redacts the terrible typos. Until then it's Martha Stewart and me, again.

gotta love the guy!.......2007-10-05

This is the book I've been looking for since I started cooking. I have purchased books, subscribed to magazines, visited web sites, etc. but I all have ever found was recipe collections. Alton teaches you how to cook, explains how and why it works and makes it entertaining. Just like his show on Food Network. Same goes for his other book - "I am just here for the food". These two books are the only ones you'll ever need, knowing the process you can create your own recipe collections.

love that alton brown.......2007-09-20

I bought this book for my husband, who is an aspiring pastry chef. He absolutely loved it. Alton Brown's sense of humor shines as much in the book as it does on his tv show. There are so many great tips and recipes! This book was well worth it.

I love this guy!.......2007-09-12

If you watch the food network you know Alton Brown. His books are as good as the show.
The recipes are good and he explains Why you do what you do.
I'd buy this book again!

Be Afraid.......2007-08-15

To qualify as a great or even good cookbook, it's important that the recipes be accurate. It's just not enough that the book and author are highly entertaining.
The newly "edited" edition is still filled with mistakes and that's just wrong on many levels, the first of which is wasting the consumers' time and money on preparing recipes which fail because of typos.
The responsibilty to make sure that recipes are correct is ultimately Alton's, since he's the guy cashing in on the deal, plus it's his name attached to the product... so who else am I going to blame?
My heavy duty KitchenAid Mixer fell off the perch, as they say, after struggling with the Focaccia dough (page 260). It needs at least 1 cup more water and the 4 tsps. salt (even Kosher salt) is way too much, let alone more salt sprinkled on top, just for good measure and guaranteed water retention for the next week.
I would happily cut Alton some slack here if this were not the "corrected" edition and if this were the only recipe with typos, but right now I'm a bit ticked off that I must shell out at least $300.00 to buy a new mixer.
Is it too much to ask that a "great" cookbook have accurate recipes, hmm?

I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking

Average customer rating:

great
Amazing!
Alton at his best!
Great Explanations
Chicks dig a guy who can cook.

I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking
Alton Brown
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori and Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Reference | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1584790830

Amazon.com

Alton Brown, host of Food Network's Good Eats, is not your typical TV cook. Equal parts Jacques Pépin and Mr. Science, with a dash of MacGyver, Brown goes to great lengths to get the most out of his ingredients and tools to discover the right cooking method for the dish at hand. With his debut cookbook, I'm Just Here for the Food, Brown explores the foundation of cooking: heat. From searing and roasting to braising, frying, and boiling, he covers the spectrum of cooking techniques, stopping along the way to explain the science behind it all, often adding a pun and recipe or two (usually combined, as with Miller Thyme Trout).

I'm Just Here for the Food is chock-full of information, but Brown teaches the science of cooking with a soft touch, adding humor even to the book's illustrations--his channeling of the conveyer belt episode of I Love Lucy to explain heat convection is a hoot. The techniques are thoroughly explained, and Brown also frequently adds how to augment the cooking to get optimal results, including a tip on modifying a grill with a hair dryer for more heat combustion. But what about the food? Brown sticks largely to the traditional, from roast turkey to braised chicken piccata, though he does throw a curveball or two, such as Bar-B-Fu (marinated, barbecued tofu). And you'll quickly be a convert of his French method of scrambling eggs via a specially rigged double boiler--the resulting dish is soft, succulent, and lovely. But more than just a recipe book, I'm Just Here for the Food is a fascinating, delightful tour de force about the love of food and the joy of discovery. --Agen Schmitz

Book Description

As host of Food Network's Good Eats, Alton Brown entertains and informs viewers with a lively mix of wit blended with wisdom, history with pop culture, and science with the kind of common cooking sense that our grandmothers took for granted. In this, his first cookbook, Brown presents readers with an instruction manual for the kitchen, combining 60 wide-ranging recipes with a wealth of culinary information that allows anyone--at any level of expertise--to understand the whys and wherefores of cooking.

Customer Reviews:

great.......2007-09-04

i love this book, it is broken up by cooking methods (i.e. boiling, roasting, etc.) and each is explained. the best part are the magnets that come in it...you see!

Amazing!.......2007-08-21

As a fanatic of Alton Brown, I loved this book. I got it for my birthday thinking it would be a nice cook book, but it was so much more than that. It had the history and the science of cooking, and as Alton explains, the science of cooking is very important. If you like Good Eats, you'll love this book too!

Alton at his best!.......2007-04-01

This is the ideal gift for someone starting out on their own in the world of cooking, or for anyone who enjoys "Good Eats" on the Food Network Channel. Alton Brown is informative, funny, and he uses a common sense approach to food science.

Great Explanations.......2007-03-09

Although this book has some recipes in it, it is filled with explanations and illustrations. It explains the science and technique behind cooking. I have enjoyed reading the book and am now in culinary school. Alton's book has helped me to understand why you do things a certain way and has given me an edge over other students.

Chicks dig a guy who can cook........2007-01-19

I bought this book for my 14 yr old son and 15 yr old nephew. They both think it's great. Each method of cooking (searing, grilling, braising etc.) is presented in a straight-forward scientific way, explaining what works and what doesn't. At the end of each section are a few simple recipes to demonstrate the method. I would recomend this to anyone who has teen-age boys in their life. And as my nephew said, "Chicks dig a guy who can cook".

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books