Average customer rating:
- If you want gentle and nice, then pick up another book! hot hot
- Excellent!
- My favorite Linda Howard book...
- Linda Howard at her Best!
- One of my favorites of Howard's!
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Dying to Please
Linda Howard
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Kill and Tell: A Novel
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Open Season
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All the Queen's Men
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Now You See Her
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Mr. Perfect
ASIN: 0345453409
Release Date: 2003-11-04 |
Book Description
Loyal. Beautiful. Professional. Impeccably organized. Potentially lethal. Sarah Stevens is a woman with many distinct qualities. First and foremost a butler par excellence, skilled at running large households smoothly and efficiently, she is also a trained bodyguard and expert marksman–indispensable to her elderly employer, a courtly gentleman whom Sarah has come to respect and love as a father.
Then one night she thwarts a burglary in progress, a courageous act that rewards Sarah her requisite “fifteen minutes of fame” with the local press. But the exposure is enough to catch the attention of a tortured soul who, unbeknownst to Sarah, will stop at nothing to have her for himself.
Sarah’s perfectly ordered life is shattered when tragedy strikes: her beloved employer is brutally murdered. The detective investigating the case, assures Sarah that she is not a suspect. Until lightning strikes twice. There’s a second killing–and this time, despite a lack of evidence connecting her to the crime, Sarah cannot escape the shadow of guilt.
The only option left for Sarah is to carry on with her life. But she doesn’t realize that a deranged stalker is luring her into an elaborate trap . . . one in which she, once ensnared, might never escape. For Sarah soon finds herself at the mercy of a man who will tend to her every whim, smother her with affection, and crush her in his all-consuming embrace.
In a nonstop roller-coaster ride of unrelenting suspense, Linda Howard has written her most chilling novel yet. Dying to Please is a breathless thriller of desire and obsession.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
Loyal. Beautiful. Professional. Impeccably organized. Potentially lethal. Sarah Stevens is a woman with many distinct qualities. First and foremost a butler par excellence, skilled at running large households smoothly and efficiently, she is also a trained bodyguard and expert marksman -- indispensable to her elderly employer, a courtly gentleman whom Sarah has come to respect and love as a father.
Then one night she thwarts a burglary in progress, a courageous act that rewards Sarah her requisite "fifteen minutes of fame" with the local press. But the exposure is enough to catch the attention of a tortured soul who, unbeknownst to Sarah, will stop at nothing to have her for himself.
Sarah's perfectly ordered life is shattered when tragedy strikes: her beloved employer is brutally murdered. The detective investigating the case assures Sarah that she is not a suspect. Until lightning strikes twice: there's a second killing -- and this time, despite a lack of evidence connecting her to the crime, Sarah cannot escape the shadow of guilt.
The only option left for Sarah is to carry on with her life. But she doesn't realize that a deranged stalker is luring her into an elaborate trap...one in which she, once ensnared, might never escape. For Sarah soon finds herself at the mercy of a man who will tend to her every whim, smother her with affection, and crush her in his all-consuming embrace.
In a nonstop roller-coaster ride of unrelenting suspense, Linda Howard has written her most chilling novel yet. Dying to Please is a breathless thriller of desire and obsession.
Customer Reviews:
If you want gentle and nice, then pick up another book! hot hot.......2007-08-08
Murder and hot desire like you would not believe. Linda Howard's heroes are direct descendants from primitive, savage, he-man hunter warriors, used to making the kill, flexing their muscles, and doing the whole you-woman, me-man, protect and defend thing. They mosey on in and stake their claim. Tom Cahill, policeman with an edge, is one of those guys. However, Sarah, the heroine, isn't a passive, stay-at-home and nest type of person. Oh, she does do those things, but that's her job. She's a butler plus a trained bodyguard. She kicks butt in admirable style. When her employer gets murdered by a sicko determined to have Sarah at his own beck and call, Cahill gets involved in the case.This is raw, steamy, boiling sexual tension that doesn't let up! Even after Cahill and Sarah have sex... again and again and again! Yes, there is a plot - a rather riveting one, as Sarah becomes the obsession of one very sick person who is methodically killing off the people she works for - leaving her as the main suspect! Back to Cahill and Sarah, they are an inspiring couple, as they take up the fine art of strip wrestling (forget poker!) Excuse us, while we dash out and buy a wrestling mat...Taut suspense and the kind of story we have come to expect from Linda Howard mean you will read this over and over!
Excellent!.......2007-06-13
This is a really fun book to read. It has a little of everything - mystery, romance, great characters. It is a definite must read!
My favorite Linda Howard book..........2007-05-23
I put off buying this book for a long time. I saw it everywhere and constantly picked it up to read the back of it, only to put it back down and walk out of whatever store I happened to be in. The idea of a female butler who is also a bodyguard just wasn't appealing to me. So after reading all of Howard's other books in record time, I decided to give this one a shot. I'm still kicking myself for not reading it right away. This turned into my favorite LH novel (and one of my all-time favorite books) out-ranking my previous favorites - Mr. Perfect and Dream Man.
Sarah is one of the strongest women I've ever read about, but she was also very easy to relate to and sympathize with. Cahill is very much the Howard Alpha Male - hard-edged, blunt, protective, etc. I wasn't sure how I would like him (considering Sarah isn't that impressed with his personality when they first meet - although his body definitely turns her head) but his interactions with Sarah are so natural that they became my favorite Howard couple.
This isn't exactly a mystery. The reader knows who the killer is long before the characters (another aspect I thought I wouldn't like - I enjoy figuring out who it is - but I was wrong). This added an additional layer of suspense to the novel, whenever the reader knows that he's close to Sarah.
Ms. Howard is able to pack an emotional punch in nearly all of her books (especially her older romance novels) and this one is no different.
I don't remember laughing in it (I'd read Mr. Perfect before this book and it's still one of the funniest I've read), but it definitely had me anxious and caught up in the story.
I would recommend this book to most people. I've told four people about it and they've all really enjoyed it. In my opinion, it's the best of her most recent books (I haven't liked the last three). It's definitely romantic/suspense, so keep that in mind before you buy it.
Linda Howard at her Best!.......2007-04-01
Linda and Howard and Tami Hoag are the best RS authors around - this is one of my favorites - second only to Kill and Tell - great story, powerful characters and great plot movement. People who know RS will love this book.
Another suggestion for romantic ecosuspense Blind Spot - not up to the level of Linda Howard but a great story.
One of my favorites of Howard's!.......2006-10-21
"Dying to Please" is one of my favorite Linda Howard books. It's right up there with "Mr. Perfect", my absolute favorite of Howard's. Others wrote that they were disappointed in the hero, but I thought he was great! I loved how he was the one pursuing the heroine and wanting a committed relationship--usually it is the other way around! The suspense aspect was not the best, but it worked for this book.
Average customer rating:
- Moving...
- Mother, Please Don't Die
- GREAT BOOK FOR STARTING THE TEENAGE LIFE
- Very touching, a sad but good ending.
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Mother, Please Don't Die
Lurlene McDaniel
Manufacturer: Darby Creek Publishing
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Why Did She Have To Die?
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ASIN: 158196028X |
Customer Reviews:
Moving..........2001-08-18
I read this close to ten years ago now. It was so sad to read. You really feel for Megan and her family, and you sincerely hope that her mother would hang on as long as she could. This is extremely moving, and if you happen to come across a copy somewhere, I strongly encourage you to read this.
Mother, Please Don't Die.......1999-12-05
I read this book about five years ago, and I don't remember much about it. What I do remember is that it was great and very heart moving. It was my first book I think I cried about. I thought her family stuck together well through thick and thin.
GREAT BOOK FOR STARTING THE TEENAGE LIFE.......1999-09-14
IM THE KIND OF PERSON THAT DOES NOT LIKE TO READ. BUT WHEN I WENT TO A BOOK FAIR SOMETHING ABOUT THE TITLE THAT DREW MY ATTENTION. WHEN I READ THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK, I WAS NOT TO SCARED TO GO TO JUNOIR HIGH SCHOOL. YOU COULD SAY THAT THE BOOK GUIDE ME IN A WAY. THE MORE I READ THE MORE I WOULD NOT PUT THE BOOK DOWN. WELL TO MAKE ALONG STORY SHORT, I LAUGHED AND CRIED. I LOVED THE BOOK SO MUCH THAT I KEPT IT FOR A LONG TIME. I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO GUYS AND GIRLS THAT ARE STARTNG JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL ITS THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN.
Very touching, a sad but good ending........1998-06-13
What Megan and her family must face is truly devastating. However, they all cling together and show each other much needed love. I think that every young woman should read this book.
Book Description
Dying to Please:
First and foremost a butler par excellence, skilled at running large households smoothly and efficiently, Sarah Stevens is also a trained bodyguard and expert marksman - indispensable to her elderly employer. Then one night she thwarts a burglary in progress. The exposure is enough to catch the attention of a tortured soul who, unbeknownst to Sarah, will stop at nothing to have her for himself.
To Die For:
Blair Mallory lives the good life. She's pretty, confident, and the owner of a thriving upscale fitness center. But in the shadow of success, a troubled member of the club develops a strange fixation on her, imitating her style and dress. Matters take a darker turn when the look-alike is shot dead. Was this murder a lethal case of mistaken identity - and was Blair the intended victim?
Killing Time:
In 1985 a time capsule was buried under the front lawn of a small-town county courthouse. Twenty years later, in the dead of night, the capsule is dug up, its contents stolen. One by one, those who had placed items in the time capsule are murdered. Besides his suspicions about the sudden, mysterious appearance of Nikita Stover, the chief investigator, Knox Davis, has absolutely no leads. And while Nikita's no murderer, she seems to be hiding plenty of secrets.
Average customer rating:
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Dying to Please: Anorexia Nervosa and Its Cure
Avis Rumney
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Eating Disorders
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ASIN: 0899500838 |
Book Description
This is a personal and comprehensive account of the symptoms, causes and treatments of the life-threatening disorder, anorexia nervosa. The author, a recovered anorexic, draws upon her own life experience with the disorder and with treatment, and has combined this with extensive research. Avis Rumney explores the cultural and family origins of anorexia, and anorexic's characteristic problems-perfectionism, competition, body image, sexuality and fear of growing up. The criteria for curing anorexia are given and several forms of treatment are compared, including psychotherapy, behavior modification, drug therapy and family therapy. The transactional analysis-oriented program in which the author was cured is described, as is her own model for the treatment of anorexia nervosa.
Average customer rating:
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Dying To Please
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739425838 |
Product Description
Sarah Stevens is as beautiful as she is lethal. A butler par excellence, she is also a trained bodyguard who one night thwarts a burglary in progress. But her "15 minutes of fame" catches the attention of a tortured soul who wants Sarah for himself. When her beloved employer is brutally murdered, the detective investigating the case assures Sarah she's not a suspect. But then a second killing occurs and, despite a lack of evidence, Sarah is shadowed by guilt. She goes on with her life, unaware that she's being slowly lured into an elaborate trap set by a madman. All he wants is to cater to her every whim...and crush her in his all-consuming embrace. A non-stop roller coaster of unrelenting suspense, Dying To Please is a thrilling ride of obsession and desire.
Product Description
5 Book Set By Linda Howard; Dying to Please; Shades of Twilight; Killing Time; Cry No More; Cover of Night.
Product Description
6 massmarket paperback Titles By Linda Howard - Shades of Twilight - Dying to Please - Now You See Her - Open Season - Kiss Me While I Sleep - Stranger in the Night
Average customer rating:
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Dying to Please
Linda Howard
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVGKBS |
Book Description
When Katie O'Roark receives an invitation from the One Last Wish Foundation to spend the summer at Jenny House, she eagerly says yes. Katie is ever grateful to the anonymous "JWC," the person who gave her the gift that allowed her to receive a heart transplant. Now Katie is asked to help others who, like herself, are facing medical odds against them.
Being a "Big Sister" to Amanda, an eleven-year-old victim of leukemia; Chelsea, a thirteen-year-old candidate for a heart transplant; and Lacey, a fifeen-year-old diabetic who refuses to face her problems, is a challenge. As the summer progresses, the girls form a bond of friendship as they behave "just like healthy kids."
When a crisis occurs and one of the girls does not get to fulfill her dreams, the friends are devastated. The girls vow to gather each summer, so long as one of them is alive, in honor of their dreams and of a friendship strong enough to endure beyond this life.
Customer Reviews:
a truly great book.......2005-11-16
Please Don't die, was the first of many books by Lurlene McDaniel that i have purchased and read. Not only is it entertaining it helped me to get over the death of my cousin, who died of Leukemia. the individual stories of all the girls jumps out and grabs you, whether you want it or not. If you want a book that you want to read and be affected this is it.
THIS WAS THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!.......2005-01-08
This was one of the best books I have ever read. I learned a lot from this book. It also taught me a lot of things. It taught me that nothing can ruin a girl and girl relationship (a friendship between two girls). I have learned that when a good friend comes along, don't lose them. Don't let anything get in the way of that relationship. I had to do this book for a book report and I would do it again. Although this is the only one of McDaniel's books I have read, I plan to read many more. She is an inspirational writter and I say that she is an inspiration to us all.
This is a great book!.......2004-04-07
Lurlene McDaniel writes motivating novels about teenagers facing life-altering situations. Please Don't Die a fictional novel that is part of the One Last Wish series. The novel is written in third person, with four main characters. The themes of the novel are never giving up and never lose your hope and faith. Life is going to get tuff but as long as you have supportive friends and family you'll make it. Life wasn't made to be easy and there is always going to be someone who has more than you and always someone who has less. Enjoy what you have you were made for a reason, and everything happens for a reason even if its unknown. The one last wish series deals with an unknown person gives a gift of money with no strings attached to help someone who might be dieing. This mysterious person gives away money for a sick person to have there dreams come true in there final time. The person donating the money known as JWC doesn't want any credit for it just to know that the person who is sick will get there last wish.I personally loved the book, as a cancer survivor it gives me a lot of insight, and shows me how lucky I really am to be alive. Also life is to short and I need to enjoy every minute of it. Life may not always be easy but the bumpy roads only make you stronger. I have read many other novels by Lurlene McDaniel and I've loved them all too.
The author puts these girls threw hardship, but it shows them they aren't the only ones who are sick. They feel as if they are left on the outside looking in ad the world goes on and there not part of it. When they see other people their age sick like them they feel normal and it becomes not so awkward to make friends. This book has made me want to volunteer at a cancer camp(...)
I would definitely recommend this book! I give it a ten out of ten!
This is a great book; one of McDaniels' best works........2003-09-13
As Katie O'Roark comes to the Jenny house as a "big sister" she becomes friends with roomates Chelsea and Amanda right away, But with Lacey it takes a while to create trust. The Jenny House is the one place they can act like "normal kids". Through the summer the girls deal with there sicknesses and overcome some of their insecurites. They learn true frienship gos beyond death in this tragic story.
A Great Book and A View Of Reality.......2002-12-08
This is a great book that I will probably never forget. I have been reading Lurlene McDaniel books for a few months now, and this is by far the best one yet. I have loved the One Last Wish Books, and I have been dying to know who JWC was.
Katie O'Roark gets invited to Jenny House, a summer camp for sick kids. She is big sister to Amanda, a very sweet thirteen year old with lukemia who tries to make light out of everything; Chelsea, a 14 year old girl with a heart condition who's parents are way too overprotecting; and Lacey, a 16 year old with diabetes who is such a snob and no one can stand her. These girls bond very closely, and by the end of the summer, they are inseparable. Then, something happens, and one of the girls gets sick and has to go to the hospital. She is unable to fulfill her dreams.
This is a heartwarming story about friendship, and I learned that life isn't as happy as everyone as it is for me, and everyone should take life for granted. I hope this was helpful to you!!
Customer Reviews:
A suspense/mystery in an alternate history England.......2000-11-11
Garrett's Lord Darcy revisited. The original 3 stories were take-offs of classic Sherlock Holmes stories but set in an England based on Richard the Lion Hearted having retained power and the Plantagenet dynasty having continued for several generations. A system of working magic has evolved to support technology instead of mechanical knowledge. This delightful story is a take-off of the classic Agatha Christie story, 10 Little Indians, and stars an older and mellower Darcy. The dry, factual style of the original Darcy stories is appparent in this book also and, other than the setting, this might be a straight mystery. The magical science is clever and logical although a bit belabored. The original 3 novels were among the first in the field to explore the consepts of magical technology and all the Lord Darcy books kind of point to their magical ideas and say "see how clever". Lord Darcy is an adventure hero, an alternate history James Bond. Thus, while this story is a good mystery in a fantasy setting, it will not apeal to readers looking for in depth characterizations. Readers who enjoyed Patricia Wrede's Merlion the Magicion might like the Lord Darcy stories because the setting is very similar.
Book Description
The twelve women from Chastity, Missouri, meant trouble for Wagon Master Cody Snow. Snow was used to transporting guns and whiskey, not mail-order brides. Then Cody looked into the defiant eyes of Perrin Waverly, a woman who had a past as painful as his own. Snow discovered an even bigger problem - his own desire. When he yells "Wagons Ho!," they all begin a perilous odyssey. The spinsters and widows, a seventeen-year-old innocent, a Missouri belle, and the wagon train's handsome half-breed scout all have reasons for moving west, all of them carrying secrets. Now they will discover the dangers of the trail match the dangers in their souls.
Customer Reviews:
One of Maggie's best.......2006-12-29
This is truly one of Maggie Osborne's most entertaining books. It is a classic with all the right ingredients of a romantic western.
A Great Historical Romance.......2005-09-18
Brides of Prairie Gold is an extraordinary historical romance on the Oregon Trail. All the characters are compelling but her main characters are well defined and truly engaging. This book takes you to new places you thought you could never imagine. Truly wonderful.
Excellent...(4 1/2 stars).......2004-04-28
What a book! "The Brides of Prairie Gold" was truly entertaining. The book was labeled as a romance, but I have to say that it focused more on the womens relationships with each other than on romance. Thats not to say there was no romance. The main couple, Perrin and Cody, were interesting, but what I really wished for was more of Webb and Mem - I would have LOVED a book written that focused on them alone. Webb was amazing and I prayed for so long that he would FINALLY notice Mem...the scene where they commited themselves to one another was so romantic I could have died...Any frustrations I felt toward Webb vanished when he proclaimed his intentions in a swoon inducing lovescene that took place in hot springs...oh,I truly could have died! So...why not 5 stars? All in all, I wanted a little more focus on romance, but my main problem with the book was its ending...too sad for my taste. Still, this is a genuine keeper...Id recommend it.
Entertaining Read.....Not particularly romantic...........2004-04-23
Wow! This was an excellent read! Prairie gold is the story of twelve women who travel out west to become mail-order brides. The story focuses primarily on Perrin Waverly who is an intelligent widow with a big secret. Also in the spotlight are the other women who accompany her, including Perrin's nemesis Augusta Boyd.
I really enjoyed Prairie Gold. Maggie Osborne is at her absolute best when writing about the frontier days. Perrin and the other women were fascinating creatures and their struggles truly horrific at times.
While I liked this book, and give it a five star rating, I didn't find it particularly romantic. Mostly because the romance was rather downplayed, and was rather bland. The hero Cody Snow was rather typical for a romance hero (his wife did him wrong so he hates all women) (bleh). The romance between the character Mem and Webb Coate was more interesting but very unrealistic. The character, who, ironically I liked the most, was Augusta Boyd. Augusta was portrayed as a spoiled princess, but I felt she was the most realistic character as she reflected many of the attitudes and prejudices of the time.
PEEVES: The "Good" characters were quite politically correct. Also parts of this novel did not ring true for the period. Examples: Once discovering Perrin's secret, the women of the camp (and men) would shun her. I also could've done without the `obsessed stalker' character (how realistic is it that this person would be able to sneak around unseen amongst such a tight knit and close community and wreak havoc? (Besides I felt this subplot was unnecessary and cluttered an already action-packed plot). And last, despite myself, I wished for a happy ending for Augusta, who grew a lot, and deserved more than the author wrote for her.
Overall, a great read. Sure to please the most discerning historical fan, but a little light on romance.
One of the best books I've ever read.......1999-09-06
This was my first experience reading Ms. Osborne and I loved the book. I started reading it at 10p.m. and couldn't stop until 5a.m. I really loved the epilogue where she tells about the lives of the characters up until their deaths, it gave me a satisfied feeling of closure, something that you don't always get with a book. I'm a Maggie Osborne fan for good. If you like to read about the Oregon Trail and what these brave pioneers went through this in not only a love story but rich in historical detail as well. This book is on my keeper shelf.
Book Description
When Grace Young was a child, her father instilled in her a lasting appreciation of wok hay, the highly prized but elusive taste that food achieves when properly stir-fried in a wok. As an adult, Young aspired to create that taste in her own kitchen. Her quest to master wok cooking led her throughout the United States, Hong Kong, and mainland China. Along with award-winning photographer Alan Richardson, Young sought the advice of home cooks, professional chefs, and esteemed culinary teachers like Cecilia Chiang, Florence Lin, and Ken Hom. Their instructions, stories, and recipes, gathered in this richly designed and illustrated volume, offer not only expert lessons in the art of wok cooking, but also capture a beautiful and timeless way of life.
With its emphasis on cooking with all the senses, The Breath of a Wok brings the techniques and flavors of old-world wok cooking into today's kitchen, enabling anyone to stir-fry with wok hay. IACP award-winner Young details the fundamentals of selecting, seasoning, and caring for a wok, as well as the range of the wok's uses; this surprisingly inexpensive utensil serves as the ultimate multipurpose kitchen tool. The 125 recipes are a testament to the versatility of the wok, with stir-fried, smoked, pan-fried, braised, boiled, poached, steamed, and deep-fried dishes that include not only the classics of wok cooking, like Kung Pao Chicken and Moo Shoo Pork, but also unusual dishes like Sizzling Pepper and Salt Shrimp, Three Teacup Chicken, and Scallion and Ginger Lo Mein. Young's elegant prose and Richardson's extraordinary photographs create a unique and unforgettable picture of artisan wok makers in mainland China, street markets in Hong Kong, and a "wok-a-thon" in which Young's family of aunties, uncles, and cousins cooks together in a lively exchange of recipes and stories. A visit with author Amy Tan also becomes a family event when Tan and her sisters prepare New Year's dumplings. Additionally, there are menus for family-style meals and for Chinese New Year festivities, an illustrated glossary, and a source guide to purchasing ingredients, woks, and accessories.
Written with the intimacy of a memoir and the immediacy of a travelogue, this recipe-rich volume is a celebration of cultural and culinary delights.
Customer Reviews:
Very interesting, but occasionally disappointing and annoying.......2007-10-01
I purchased this book with high hopes - I'd read the glowing reviews on Amazon, plunked down my hard earned money, and shortly after it arrived I dove in head first.
As did the author of "American Pie" (who travelled extensively in a search for sublime pizza), the authoress of this book traveled to culinary destinations in San Francisco, New York, Hong Kong, and Mainland China, in search of Wok stores, wok makers, and elite Chinese chefs - in search of wok lore, and recipes.
The authoress then provides the reader with a helpful overview of the 3 basic types of wok (twin loop-handle Cantonese, northern-style with one handle, and the ubiquitous western-style flat-bottom wok), the best materials to buy them in (cast iron, or hand-hammered high-carbon steel), the various ways they're commonly seasoned, and how to maintain and care for them. Then she moves on to her recipe section.
Strengths ? In no particular order:
a) FRONT: The first 56 pages of this book, covering wok manufacture, selection, seasoning, and care, are very helpful and interesting. That was the material I actually purchased the book for.
b) RECIPES: Some of the recipes included appear well crafted and very tasty - I'm actually looking forward to trying several.
c) HEADNOTES: To me, a recipe is a participatory story, followed by a meal ... it's an act of communion with both the author, the more distant sources of the recipe, and with life itself. Depending on your introspectiveness and philosophical outlook, cooking can be a very deep experience. Accordingly, I'm always grateful when authors go to the trouble to include head notes for their recipes. I *want* to hear about a recipe's origins, and commentary on what makes it special, memorable or unique to the author, and I really miss that sort of thing when authors don't bother to include it. In this case, the author generally does an above average job.
d) REAR: The section in the rear, listing some companies that specialize in wok equipment, custom stoves, wok burners, and even culinary training, are helpful, although they're apt to become quickly dated. This book actually has a pretty decent index in the back - in the body of the book, she commits the sin of prefixing her recipe names with the names of the people they came from in, and she also fails to provide a list of recipes, but the index in the back is fairly complete, and she wisely reverses the ordering of named recipes (moving the name to the end, and leaving the key ingredient up front). The font used for the indes is too small, but I've seen worse.
Weaknesses ? Unfortunately, I have quite a few:
1) RECIPES: There's only 125 recipes in here, which is pretty threadbare for a book retailing for (as of this writing) $35 USD. Some look very good, but more than a few look decidedly mediocre.
* For example (and I know it's bad form to criticize someone's mother's recipe, so please forgive me in advance): "Mama's Fuzzy Melon with Dried Scallops". I'm sure it tastes wonderful, and the dish looks appetizing (if sized a bit small) - but the recipe contains some decidedly impractical steps. Few people are likely to spend 20 minutes simmering a one (1) oz piece of Smithfield ham, and then spend another 20 minutes steaming the blasted thing, before mincing it as the garnish. I'm sorry, but I am NOT going to futz around for 40 minutes on a 1 oz piece of ham that I could demolish with a single bite. Isn't going to happen. If I were to make that recipe, I'd more than likely replace the ham with some minced dried sausage or smoked bacon, either of which require oh, maybe a few brief moments of sautéing before being simmered with the rest of the dish.
* Another example is "Chef Danny Chan's Steamed Salmon with Lemon" (p.202). I dont know what planet the author lives on, but here on Earth, I'd be hard pressed to call adding lemon to steamed salmon as "innovative". People dont buy cookbooks to learn such unimaginative fare. The author doesnt even bother to specify whether the fillet is skinless and de-pinned or not ...but given the weak level (or rather, complete lack of) butchery skills elsewhere in this book, it's a safe bet that the fillet called for is indeed boneless and skinless ... which is a shame, because classic Chinese coastal cuisine includes things like steamed fish heads and fish-head stew. Proud though the author claims to be of her Chinese heritage, my impression of of her (limited though it is to this book alone) is that she's not a very adventerous eater ... no bones, no organ meants, heck I'm not even convinced she knows how to separate a supermarket chicken leg into a thigh and a drumstick, much less break down a whole chicken.
2) WASTE: Peasant cuisine, particularly Asian cuisine, is notorious in it's adherence to frugality - nothing gets wasted. Heads, feet, and innards all get routinely used/eaten, no bones escape unsimmered, and people even fuel their home hearths with saved rice stalks ... and stack food in tall towers of steamer baskets to conserve fuel, etc. The author overviews all this, while waxing poetic, and at length ... and then, inexplicably, she includes some absurdly wasteful (and obviously non-authentic) recipes without batting an eye. For example: her recipe for chicken broth (p.195) calls for boiling a 4 lb chicken in water with a few slices of ginger ... and then she throws out the entire chicken and lists the yield as only 2 quarts of broth. Huh ?! I'm sorry, but that recipe is more than a little incompetent. Now, a recipe calling instead for 4 lbs of chicken bones & wing tips would be cheaper, less wasteful, yield better tasting results, and several times the amount of stock. Another inexplicably wasteful recipe that stuck out in my mind was one on p.210 that calls for using 3 cups of oil to fry 8 spring rolls ... and then the oil is promptly discarded, without any mention or discussion about filtering, storing and reusing (or recycling). In fact, all of her fried recipes end the same way - with discarding copious amounts of oil after a single use.
3) SUPERSTITIOUS & VACUOUS CLAIMS: Some of the author's culinary tips are, at times, a bit superstitious ... and at other times, incorrect.
* Rice Rinse Water: She tells her readers to save their rice rinsing water because it has {cue dramatic lighting} "special powers for cleaning one's wok". Sorry, but it's almost certain that that particular custom is a blindly parroted leftover from earlier pre-indoor-plumbing times when people had to laboriously cart their household water from streams, rivers or the local communal well ... they probably (and wisely) wanted to same themselves the extra trip by reusing water that wasn't too dirty. It has no special magical cleansing properties. Now, theoretically, doing something like that *might* eventually improve the patina of one's wok slightly, but I truly doubt it's worth the trouble.
* The author asserts, on pg 211, that woks are better at deep frying than a true deep fryer. Uhm, no. Deep fryers generally have a larger capacity, and (assuming equal heating capacity) much better heat recovery because of the volume of oil (and the thickness of the cast iron, if done stove-top). The author crows about how woks use less oil ... well guess what, less oil means less heat recovery. Low heat recovery means the oils cools quickly when you drop in the food, and food absorbs much more oil at lower temperatures ... resulting in oily food. Woks are, by definition, highly responsive to heat changes ... which is diametrically the opposite of what you want for frying, where heat retention and even heat distribution, is KING. So, no offense to the author, but woks are decidedly below average at frying - the only exception to that are large commercial woks with lots of oil and lots of firepower (as well as ample skill riding the heat) ... and those are not practical for home use. As long as I'm on the subject, the author seems to have a weak grasp of frying temperatures. She calls for 325F for frying spring rolls ... she doesn't bother telling the readers what some of the other classic frying temperatures are, like 350 for fries, or 380 for flash-fried calamari, etc. If you fry either of those at the 325 the author seems to indicate for everything, you'll get a greasy mess.
* In addition to frying, the author waxes poetic, and at length, about how woks are ideally suited to virtually every type of cooking: smoking, pan-frying, braising, boiling, poaching, steaming, stir-frying. etc. Sorry to break the news, but woks are NOT ideal several of those tasks. It's ideal for stir frying, and (if you have a strong heat source and proper steamer inserts) it's excellent for steaming ... but woks are decidedly average (at best) in most of the other areas. A wok cannot match a BBQ for smoking, nor can it match a heavy cast iron pan for pan frying, nor can it match a Dutch oven for braising (I'd like to see the author attempt a "Yankee pot" roast in a wok ... that would be amusing). Make no mistake - with adequate skill, a wok is a wonderful all-purpose all-in-one pan, but the thing to remember is that while it can do many things, it only does a few of them exceedingly well ... and skill can only compensate for that to a point.
* Dont even get me started on the knee-jerk silliness of seasoning a wok with chinese chives. She goes on about that for pages and pages. I don't buy it.
4) Photo/Recipe Mismatch: A recurring pet peeve of mine, with many cookbooks, is that the recipe photos frequently don't accurately reflect the recipes they're supposed to illustrate.
* For example: "Uncle Lang's Three Teacup Chicken (p.183)" - the photo shows a beautifully fried whole small head-on chicken. Unfortunately, the authoress' version of the recipe lamely calls for using split breasts (boring !) or whole legs instead. It really irritates me when authors aim low and/or underestimate their readers like that. I wanted to make the version in the photo, and shame on the authoress for not attempting the same.
* Another example is "Ray Lee's Cantonese Steamed Chicken" (p.202) - the photo shows perfectly braised chopped parts in a rich sauce (au jus ?) and garnished with scallion and onion ... it positively gleams with oil in the photo (since the dish in the photo is not steaming, it must be vegetable oil rather than the rendered fat of the chicken, because chicken fat solidifies at room temperature). The authoress' recipe lamely calls for using whole legs instead - they're marinated with all the other ingredients, and then steamed whole, and there's no mention of either a sauce, a garnish nor drizzling with oil.
5) Insufficient procedural photos: In my not so humble opinion, any cook book that includes dumplings should include some procedural photos on how to make them for the benefit of the reader. Personally, I already know how to make dumplings, so this is really a nit on behalf of the readership at large.
6) Gaps in the subject matter: This book is too short - the author could have covered the material in significantly greater depth and breadth than she did. Examples of some gaps she failed to cover:
* Wok Hearths: I'm pleased that the author went out of her way in the opening chapters to show passing glimpses of authentic Chinese hearth stoves, but I was disappointed that there's no photographic or descriptive information on the hearths themselves ... how they're typically laid out, how they're constructed, how they're stoked and used and cleaned, how ventilated, how protected from the weather, etc.
* Vegetable Oil: It boggles my mind that an author who focuses so directly on woks, and wok cooking, would give virtually no coverage to the varieties of cooking oils available, and their different qualities and quirks of use. The author largely ignores the entire topic, and just lists "vegetable oil" in all her recipes. If I were inclined to speculate, she probably omitted the material because she's clueless herself ... she could only write about what she knew and understood herself at the time. I was (and am) disappointed.
* Wok Accessories: She makes frequent mention of putting heat-proof dishes and oval platters atop 1 inch high steamer racks in her woks, but she never shows the reader any photos of the same. She shows pictures of classic bamboo steamers, but not the racks and dishes most of her steamed recipes call for. That's an example of author laziness, and inattentive editing.
I'll stop there.
Bottom line: Despite it's many shortcomings, I can still recommend this book ... but only for people who are very into their cookware, and who are specifically looking for an introduction to woks - how to select them, how to season them, and how to get started with using them. If you already own a good wok, and know the basics of wok cooking, save your money, because there are plenty of books out there that cover wok cooking with greater depth and skill.
Personally, I'd like to see this book re-released in a greatly expanded and better edited edition at some point - the authoress had a great idea, but fell short of my expectations.
Fabulous book on the Wok .......2007-06-26
I am really enjoying this book. Yes, I continue to enjoy it. From learning about the traditional methods of preparing the wok for cooking, to how to create REAL stir fry. I love the stories and antecdotes in this book. I love the lessons on choosing a wok, and the difference between a carbon steel and a cast iron, hand-pounded one. The cast iron woks are fragile ( I never would have thought that!) Want to try one of Amy Tan's favorite recipes? It's here.
The book has a lovely feel, and is a great read. Enjoy!
Chinese Cookbook.......2007-03-23
I love this cookbook because it has a wide variety of chinese foods listed and gives guidance on how to select the right cookware to get the best results from from their wonderful recipes.
Wonderful!.......2007-02-08
One word, Wonderful! That's how I describe this book. You will never ever have watery stir-fries or half-raw veggies again. Your stir-fries will come out just like they are supposed to... with the "Breath of the Wok" still wisping from the perfectly seared meat and veggies. This is the only book so far that has taught me how to cook proper Chinese dishes. The meat is tender and juicy and the veggies are tender-crisp with a light flavorful sauce. Simply wonderful. I'm still amazed at myself for being able to produce these dishes with such an inexpensive wok! Many thanks to the authors for their labor of love.
Simply Excellent -- Excellently Simple.......2007-01-24
What a wonderful book for the senses . . . the writing, photos and content really raises the bar. My biggest interest when purchasing this book was the background information on the history and culture of Wok cooking. I truly believe that knowing and understanding this information will play a role in my own successful dishes. The food will take on meaning, and be a part of generations before me, in lands far away from my own home town.
Yes, there are standard recipes included . . . but the cultural and historical information is for the mind and soul. These are ingredients in good cooking as well!
As for the "Wok hei" or breath . . . remember that a breath breathes in AND breathes out. From a purely physics standpoint, the intense heat and flame achieved when done properly brings energy IN to the food (in order to support the combustion) . . . then that energy is released upon serving and eating. In true Eastern fashion, I also believe that we're not talking just about heat here . . . but a universal "force" added to the food as well.
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