Average customer rating:
- Freedom's Ransom
- not as good as the prequels
- Continuing the adventure...
- Description of a story, not a story itself
- Looks like another case of no rewrite and paid by the word
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Freedom's Ransom
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Ace
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Freedom's Challenge
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ASIN: 0441010202
Release Date: 2003-01-28 |
Amazon.com
Freedom's Ransom is the fourth novel in Anne McCaffrey's Freedom series, also known as the Catteni Sequence. The sequel to Freedom's Landing, Freedom's Choice, and Freedom's Challenge, Freedom's Ransom will please some fans of this star-spanning science fiction series, but others will find the book slow-paced, talky, and lacking in action. Freedom's Ransom ends conclusively, with no major unresolved plot lines, yet leaves space for at least one sequel.
The planet Botany was settled by a mixed group of humans and aliens, slaves of the alien Catteni and their alien masters, the Eosi. But one Catteni was dropped on Botany with the slaves: Zainal, who helped them win their independence. Now Botany must establish trade with other planets in order to survive. But the other worlds have been ravaged by the Catteni, and once-proud Earth has been reduced to primitive poverty, its technology stolen by corrupt Barevi merchants. To save Botany, Zainal and Kris Bjornsen, his human lover, must find a way to help all the worlds.
While the preface of Freedom's Ransom crisply summarizes the preceding books, this series has so many characters, races, and planets that newcomers should start with the first book, Freedom's Landing. Sophisticated SF readers aren't likely to enjoy the series, but it should hook young adults; if you're looking to broaden a child's reading beyond Harry Potter, try Anne McCaffrey's Freedom series and Dragonriders of Pern series. --Cynthia Ward
Book Description
The surviving colonists of the planet Botany have conquered the alien invaders who enslaved them. But their ravaged world needs technology. Planet Earth needs food. And now the survivors need to decide what kind of world they will become.
Customer Reviews:
Freedom's Ransom.......2007-07-17
I truly enjoyed this book, as this is the second time I have purchased and read it. I have all of Anne McCaffrey's books and enjoy reading and re-reading them.
not as good as the prequels.......2007-07-13
This one is not as good as the previous ones. I mean, c'mon... Starbuck's and dentistry? It just doesn't seem as fleshed out as the rest. I just hope Anne can show us the farmers more before she dies.
Continuing the adventure..........2006-11-04
Love it! Love it! Love it! A series that incorporates all my favorite genre: Romance, Sci-Fi, and Adventure! When the Third of the Freedom series ended I was told that it was the last! I felt like I had lost touch with family members! I am excited to have the saga continue in Freedom's Ransom. Hopefully there will be more to follow.
Description of a story, not a story itself.......2006-08-19
Freedom's Ransom could have have been a good story, but instead, it is a description of a story. Instead of dialog and action telling the story, the story is described in prose. It brings to mind the old line "SHOW the reader, don't TELL her!" This is definitely a book that could have used another rewrite to replace the tedious prose with dialog and action. This isn't the first of her books about which I'd make this same complaint.
Looks like another case of no rewrite and paid by the word.......2005-08-12
Title says it all. Too many writers are writing series in which the plot never develops, irrelevant side stories distract from the plot, and phrases get repeated over and over with no purpose.
Book Description
One Kind of Freedom examines the economic institutions that replaced slavery and the conditions under which ex-slaves were allowed to enter the economic life of the United States following the Civil War. The authors contend that although the kind of freedom permitted to black Americans allowed substantial increases in their economic welfare, it effectively curtailed further black advancement and retarded Southern economic development. The new edition of this economic history classic includes a new introduction by the authors, an extensive bibliography of works in Southern history published since the appearance of the first edition, and revised findings based on newly available data and statistical techniques.
Customer Reviews:
Excellenty arranged & great to read.......2002-04-06
I was a student of Dr. Ransom at the University of California, Riverside, and I majored in history. Though Dr. Ransom generally is considered an economist, he--more than anyone I've ever read or heard lecture--is able to articulate and present economics within its proper historical parameters, and show you exactly how, for example, whatever historical event is occurring, this is how it affected the world--the people--economically.
Economics for Historians.......2001-09-08
In essence, this is an economic interpretation of Southern history in the late nineteenth century based primarily on statistical data. The authors began this project when they noticed the scarcity of scholarship concerning the economic institutions which took the place of slavery in the South; they felt it necessary for the understanding of the Negro experience to understand the manner in which the Negro entered into a nonbinding economic lifestyle in the years after the War Between the States and Reconstruction. A primary concern of the authors was the economic malaise of the South agriculturally and certainly industrially in the period from 1865 to 1914, a time of impressive economic growth elsewhere in the nation.
The authors devote much of their study to a region they define as the Cotton South, wherein they see homogeneous development. They stress the fact that they are economists and not historians--political, social, and cultural history are beyond the scope of this book. While the authors may at times refer to economic effects of noneconomic forces, they make no attempt to do anything more than offer an economic interpretation of the post-emancipation South; that alone signifies their contribution to the historical field. In the end, they give their ideas as to the evolution of a Southern economy that exploited farmers--white and black--and allowed for little or no industrial development.
Average customer rating:
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Freedom to Learn for the 80's
Carl Ransom Rogers
Manufacturer: Merrill Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0675200121 |
Amazon.com
Ransom opens with the story of five men taken hostage in 1995 in Kashmir, the hotly disputed paradise that lies between India and Pakistan. The men--two Britons, an American, a German, and a Norwegian--were tourists hiking their way through the breathtakingly beautiful part of the Himalayan mountains that crosses through Kashmir, when men with weapons appeared and snatched the five hostages from their wives, girlfriends, and fellow tourists. Interweaving the story of the Kashmir abduction with accounts of other kidnappings and interviews with antikidnapping "risk" experts, Ann Hagedorn Auerbach weaves a mesmerizing tale of kidnapping on a massive scale: as many as 20,000 to 30,000 incidents occur annually, she claims, up from about 6,000 per year during the 1980s.
Although most modern kidnappings are motivated by profit, she says, many are baffling and senseless. Auerbach ascribes some of the blame for the rise in kidnappings to the end of the cold war, which brought a substantial number of uneducated but highly trained soldiers into the mercenary pool as demilitarization slashed military budgets worldwide. Ransom also details the countermeasures that have been put into effect to combat the kidnapping problem, from the FBI's own recent internal revolution on the issue to the rise of high-tech "risk consultants," freelancers who provide danger assessments for corporations and individuals and who, if necessary, will fly to the scene of a hostage taking to negotiate with the kidnappers.
As for the five in Kashmir, one is dead: the Norwegian, his body found dismembered barely a month after the group was taken hostage. Of the remaining four, no word of their situation has come since December 1995, when the four men were allowed to record a message for their families. --Tjames Madison
Book Description
A riveting and frequently terrifying investigation of the world's fastest growing criminal enterprise--kidnapping for ransom and political advantage.
In Ransom, Ann Auerbach spans two years in the high-stakes world of international kidnapping, beginning on July 4, 1995, when terrorists seized an unsuspecting couple on the banks of a Himalayan river in Kashmir. Seamlessly moving between this story and others, the book shows how events in the post--Cold War era have compelled criminals, former rebels, former terrorists, and even former soldiers to turn to kidnapping to make a living. She discloses one shocking detail after another about the crime and its perpetrators, including trends that dramatically affect every businessperson and traveler venturing abroad.
Revealing hundreds of never-before-reported facts culled from interviews worldwide, Auerbach provides the first inside look at the highly secretive world of private kidnap negotiators, the little-known international role of the FBI, and the explosive controversies within governments on the question of ransom and other concessions. Most memorable, however, are the often-heroic sagas of individuals who have endured captivity or fought for the freedom of their loved ones.
Ransom entertains, informs, and warns. What The Hot Zone was to the threat of viruses, Ransom is to the larger menace of global kidnapping and terrorism.
Customer Reviews:
A Disorganized Jumble Of Disconnected Thoughts........2003-07-25
This book is just a jumble of disconnected thoughts in incoherent paragraphs, each having nothing to do with any other. I was so excited to begin reading this book. Then, after reading 100 pages, I was so excited to throw it away. Please, please, please don't buy this book. Not buying it will teach the erroneous editors that let it pass, that people want something better for their reading.
After Sept. 11th, this is a must-read.......2001-10-19
Auerbach's brilliant and prescient book shows us how terrorists-including Osama bin Laden-have been financing their operations all these years: kidnapping innocent tourists and businessmen in a now too-famous part of world. Auerbach's writing is wonderful; the book reads like a thriller. Her reporting is the best of journalism, sensitive and informative. She gets behind the scenes of the private kidnap consultants and the U.S. government that, for complicated political reasons, failed to protect and save Americans in that troubled region. And her message is very important. Your safety is your own reponsibility. No one may be able to warn you more specifically about these terrorists' intent or come to your rescue if you fall into their hands. Auerbach was ahead of her time. But now we all know how right she is. Read the book for your own protection. The kidnap problem is ongoing--and getting worse.
Dreams that Turn into Nightmares.......2001-04-20
The romance of travel today is seriously threatened by the problem Auerbach's book details. People who follow their dreams to beautiful, isolated parts of the world sometimes become pawns in conflicts they had no part in. Auerbach's scrupulous research and moving descriptions form a memorable--and chilling--cautionary tale for globe-trotters and armchair travellers alike.
Compelling & action packed--but w. profound underlying theme.......2001-03-18
If Robert Ludlum wrote non-fiction, this would be his kind of book. Ann Hagedorn Auerbach gives us the inside story of the global kidnapping crisis. Despite what the tourism industry would have us believe, the problem is not limited to - or even done mainly by - political terrorists. Auerbach, who is quoted in this week's People cover story, shows us that most kidnappings are motivated by money. That fact tells us volumes about the growing gap between rich and poor. The globalists tell us that a WTO-dictated economy is raising all boats. But Auerbach - who, in Crichton-like fashion, weaves an action-packed story with a broader lesson - shows we are merely creating a small rich elite in third world countries. The chickens will come home to roost on all of us - world travelers or no - if we do not insist that rights for workers and small farmers, and our need to preserve our small planet's environment, become universally respected.
Disappointing & unfocused.......2000-12-20
A while back I picked up Robert Pelton's absolutely fascinating "World's Most Dangerous Places, 4th edition". After reading his intrepid accounts of kidnapping in places like Colombia, I was intrigued & wanted to learn more. I bought "Ransom" expecting the same engrossing level of detail that W.M.D.P. provides. Instead, what I got was a patched together, overlong work that purports to give us the "inside scoop" on international kidnapping and instead is a series of chapters verging back and forth between fawning profiles of counter-kidnapping professionals (sans any real insight into what it is they *do*) and melodramatic tales of victims in Kashmir. I'm sure Auerbach meant well, but her book does not provide enough interesting information to be worthwhile; her style is overblown and windy, and her reporting is not up to par. If you're really interested in this subject, my advice is to save your money and pick up W.M.D.P. instead-- you'll be glad you did.
Average customer rating:
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Freedom's Ransom
McCaffery
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0399144889 |
Book Description
Clark presents a brief history of the creation and development of the intelligence services in the United States. He centers his examination on the two main constants in the American way of gathering, processing, analyzing, and using intelligence; change and a concern for the impact of secret activities on democratic government. Resolving the ever-growing need for informed decision making continues to put pressure on the country's ability to manage and provide oversight of intelligence. Clark assesses how those forces have resulted in ongoing changes to the intelligence apperatus in the United States. Consistent with other volumes in this series, Clark supplements his narrative with key documents and brief biographies of influential personalities within the intelligence community to further illustrate his conclusions. Clark provides a current, explanatory text and reference work that deals with what intelligence is, what it can and cannot do, how it functions, and why it matters within the context of furthering American national security. He describes the U.S. intelligence community prior to WWII, demonstrating that intellignece gathering and espionage have played a key role in national security and warfare since the inception of the Republic. Through their ubiquity, Clark establishes them as a necessary function of government and governmental decision making. Today, the intelligence apparatus encompasses numerous activities and organizations. They are all responsible for different parts of the practice of collecting, processing, analyzing, disseminating, and using intelligence. With the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, significant stresses began to appear in the U.S. approach to the intelligence process; Clark concludes by chronicling those stresses and the attendant drive for change was accelerated after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Average customer rating:
- Okay, but not great
- Collectors' item
- Great collection of "naughty elves"...
- I'm the author of one of these stories...
- Excellent Read!!
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Cloaked In Shadow: Dark Tales Of Elves
Elaine Cunningham ,
K. D. Wentworth ,
David J. Corwell ,
Christe M. Callabro , and
Adam Hardy
Manufacturer: Fantasist Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Cunningham, Elaine | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Wentworth, K.D. | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Anthologies | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0971360820 |
Book Description
Elves aren't always creatures of the light.
Some elves thrive in the darkness, stalking their unwary victims for their own twisted pleasure. Sometimes they hunt and kill for the mere thrill. Sometimes their motives are beyond all human understanding.
Inside this anthology you will find elven assassins, kidnappers, and conspirators. You will find elves who are reaching from beyond the grave and those who are throwing away the heritage of their wood-addled brethren. And you will find human beings who are struggling to survive as they find themselves caught up in the games that Sidhe play.
In "Bad Company" by K. D. Wentworth, a New York cop must survive a harrowing night in Central Park, a land that opens up into the realm of the fey.
In "Juniper" by Elaine Cunningham, an aging Strega battles to save the life of a child from linchetto, night elves feared as bringers of nightmares.
In "Rotten Blood" by Murray Leeder, a deranged elf seeks to inflict a plague upon his people.
In "Celebrant" by Gerard Daniel Houarner, a grieving widower becomes the plaything of a seductive elf.
Twenty-two dark tales of elves, and an introduction by the creator of Poison Elves, Drew Hayes, await you inside.
Customer Reviews:
Okay, but not great.......2005-03-13
I was very interested in this anthology when I heard about it, because I always love to see new things done with old fantasy tropes. But I was disappointed because the vast majority of this book is same-old same-old. The elf tales are indeed all dark -- sometimes in a contrived and ill-fitting way -- but they're also firmly settled in the European tradition, mostly medieval with a smattering of modern-day, and almost none of them do anything new or unique. I liked only a few stories in this book: Margaret Fisk's "Curve of her Claw" was an interesting reworking of the idea of small mischievous elves who play tricks in the night -- hers are carnivores, and they especially love brains. Murray Leeder's "Rotten Blood" could have fit well into the Tolkien universe, except that one of his elves realizes the inherent contradiction in a race of immortals which calls itself natural, so he finds a way to make them mortal. Christe M. Callabro's "Kin of the Blood" played with the notion of dark and light elves through a pair of sisters, one of whom must kill the other.
Even though I liked these tales, though, I didn't love them. And a number of other tales in the book were frustrating in that they showed the potential to be really original, but then veered off into same-old same-old territory. David Corwell's overlong "The Legacy of the Quedana" featured a tribe of elves with a Native American flavor, but then imposes on them the same cliched plot seen in many "Indian" stories. Erin McKay's "Diminishing" is a modern-day whodunnit unremarkable in any way except that it touches on elves' reaction to human multiculturalism... but it's only a touch, not revisited at any point in the story. Given how much is made of it early in the story, the fact that this element is ignored later makes it feel like a forgotten, dangling plot-thread.
The volume also suffers by the inclusion of illustrations by Star E. Sutezzo that feel like comic-book art -- occasionally appropriate, but frequently not, and wholly not to my taste. Even the introduction by Drew Hayes feels rambly and purposeless; it added nothing to the book.
I have to admit that my frustration with this book may stem from a mismatch of expectations. I'd hoped to see some really unique or interesting stuff -- not just dark elves but *different* elves; new takes on old myths, or exploration of more obscure myths regarding elflike beings, or blends of elf myth with the mythos of werewolves, witches, etc. Unfortunately what this book contains is mostly "blackwashing" of the usual elf tropes. If that's what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed, but for me the book was a bust.
Collectors' item.......2005-01-29
This anthology contains "Songs," the professional debut of Barbara Geiger, who is bound to become a big name in the fantasy field. Mark my words: this will be a sought-after collectors' item because of this.
Great collection of "naughty elves"..........2004-11-21
OK, you may find this review a little biased, as my husband Jon Sprunk's first published work, "The Artist" appears in this anthology, but as a long-time reader of fantasy, I think I can say in all honesty that the stories included here are interesting and well-written. My favorites (besides the obvious!) are: "Curve of Her Claw", by Margaret McGaffey Fisk, "Rotten Blood" by Murray Leeder, and "Songs" by Barbara Geiger, to name a few. Give it a try...you may find you didn't know as much about elves as you thought you did.....
I'm the author of one of these stories..........2004-10-30
..."The Elf Knight and Lady Isabelle", which was inspired by the similarly named traditional ballad. In the ballad, a mysterious 'elf knight' lures women away in order to murder them. But Lady Isabelle, the last of the women, charms the elf knight to sleep so as to tie him up and stab him. While listening to the Steeleye Span rendition of the ballad in my car, I had a sudden inspiration: "I know why he kills them!" I shouted, slamming on the brakes. (Luckily, I was on a dark, deserted road in the Santa Cruz Mountains.) The story was born out of that inspiration. I hope that readers enjoy not only "Elf Knight" but the many other fine stories in this anthology.
Excellent Read!!.......2004-10-28
This is an excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed each and could not put it down. I especially liked the "Diminishing" by Erin MacKay and "Bad Company" by K. D. Wentworth. I would highly recommend this collection.
Average customer rating:
- It is nice to have these stories available again
- A Book of Wonders
- ood sampling of Schmitz
- an excellent collection to begin an addiction
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The Best of James H. Schmitz
James H. Schmitz
Manufacturer: Nesfa Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Wizard of Karres (Lackey, Mercedes)
ASIN: 0915368463 |
Customer Reviews:
It is nice to have these stories available again.......2006-11-11
Schmitz was a very unusual author for his time, and each of his stories brings something new to the table. Even today, his work stands out for being so far in advance of our technology yet still shows the human (or some cases non-human) element within these technological worlds. While we see some of what he foresaw in the Internet and other similar inventions, he has carried them farther than we have been able to to date. On the human side, while many of his stories are the classic hero's journey, each one of them tells this classic model in a unique way - and with Schmitz, the end of the journey is rarely what you would expect!
A Book of Wonders.......2003-04-25
The Best of James H. Schmitz is a selection of stories published by NESFA as the first in their "Choice" series. Its genesis was a panel conducted by the editor, Mark L. Olson, during Boskone 27 "which proved that Schmitz still has fans out there". It contains an introduction by Janet Kagan and a bibliography of Schmitz's SF works in addition to nine stories.
The introduction provides a rather good analysis of Schmitz's characters, plots, and style, but doesn't much address his environments, probably due to length considerations. A more extensive analysis of these environments is provided by Eric Flint in the Baen editions of Schmitz's SF works.
"Grandpa" is a story of a Colonial team that found a surprise in the ecology of an unexplored planet. "Lion Loose" is a Quillan tale wherein he gains an unusual ally. "Just Curious" is about a unique mental ability and the reaction of a man who has been subjected to it. "The Second Night of Summer" tells what Grimp and Grandma did during summer vacation. "Novice" is another summer vacation story, in which Telzey drives her Aunt Halet to hysterics. "Balanced Ecology" is the story of an environent that adopts a human family. "The Custodians" is a tale of a hijacking and a man's conscience. "Sour Note On Palayata" is a Psychological Service story about consciousness and wisdom. "Goblin Night" is a yarn about Telzey, Chomir and a spook.
This collection is a fairly balanced selection of the author's short works, ranging from the quite familiar to the fairly obscure. Although not necessarily the "best" of his short stories, all are interesting and enjoyable and have that characteristic sense of wonder. While this is a good starting point for readers who have never before encountered this author, serious fans will also want to buy the Baen publications, which contain so much more.
Highly recommended to Schmitz fans and anyone who enjoys interstellar adventure with a sense of wonder.
ood sampling of Schmitz.......2000-04-26
I'm a long time fan of James H Schmitz from when his stories first appeared in the sixties and seventies, and so I was pleased to see his work coming back into print This volume is just a sampling of what he was capable of. It introduces several of the characters that appear in many of his other stories. Telzey Amberdon in here, in both Novice and Goblin Night. Heslet Quillan is in Lion Loose (along with one very interesting monster), Just Curious is not so much a Science Fiction story as a horror mystery, while the other stories show the broad range of his writing. One interesting aspect of Schmitz's writing was the way he wrote about ecology as a major factor in his stories. Grandpa and Balanced Ecology include the life forms of a world as major characters without being preachy or pedantic. In that line I strongly recommend his book The Tuvela (also titled The Demon Breed) if you can find it in used book stores. That book also features Nile Etland, one of Schmitz's very interesting female characters. Schmitz was using strong, and believable, female characters long before anyone else, and they are both realistic and sympathetic, much more so than most of the ones in print today. In case you think he did only strong female characters, this book also has The Guardians, one of his best stories, with a sympathetic, and believable, male space pirate. And of course, Heslett Quillan is here in Lion Loose. The bibliography at the end of the book, as well as the cross-reference of stories and characters is very helpful. But a major character in his stories is the background itself. The Federation of the Hub is a fascinating place. This book gives a glimpse of it. All in all, I recommend this book as a sampler and starting point for those wanting to know more about a very good, and seminal SF writer. And while they were not written as children's stories, their content, and relatively short length compared to the massive books out today, make them ideal ways to introduce young children, especially young girls, to SF.
an excellent collection to begin an addiction.......1998-01-05
I've read what I can easily find of Schmitz's longer works and greatly enjoyed them. This collection of some of his shorter works has induced a craving for what's not included here. A bibliography in the back of the book is a great aid for my search. All his stories I've ever read are an enjoyable way to pass an evening.
Product Description
5¼ x 7¼ inch softcover. 6 Stories. Twilight by Don A. Stuart; Far Centaurus by A.E. von Vogt; The Dead past by Isaac Asimov; Sleep No More by James H. Schmitz; Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand by Vonda N. McIntyre; Emergence by David R. Palmer.
Book Description
Curl up in front of the fire with the delicious homespun fare of Rachael's comfort food. Treat yourself with these Top 30 meals, a collection of her greatest hits. The perfect way to unwind after a busy day--you deserve it!
Customer Reviews:
great little book.......2007-09-15
I really like this great little book. I have already tried out four of the recipes and they are simple and quite delicious. Rachael truly does deliver a 30 minute meal. The Shepherd's pie took a little longer, but was really worth it. I have since bought several other cookbooks by Rachael Ray and am very happy with all of them. Many of the recipes use common ingredients that I already have on hand in my kitchen. I recommend this book.
Rachael Ray Top 30 30 minute meals-Comfort Food.......2007-08-10
This is a great recipe book has a lot of great comfort foods and easy to do
Finally!.......2007-06-22
After serching through many recipes for the perfect Macaroni and Cheese, Rachel Ray has created such a recipe. Her Macaroni and Cheese with sausage, tomatoes and cheese is awsome! Easy to assemble and very tasty.
gift.......2007-05-14
purchased as a gift for my nephew who was recently divorced and wanted some ideas for quick meals for himself.
No such thing as too much Rachael Ray!.......2007-03-09
Rachael Ray's sparkling personality is reflected in this wonderful little book. The recipes are simple and quick, just as you would expect. The book itself is a nice size; the colors, graphics and print are clean and easy to read through. Not only does this book make a nice addition to my collection of cookbooks, but is one that I actually use as more than just decoration.
Book Description
This collection of greatest hits featuring popular comfort foods, includes a buttery Chicken Fricassee, zesty Pepper Steak, and Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese.
Customer Reviews:
Make new friends, but keep the old.......2007-02-24
Rachel's genius in top performance. I enjoy new tastes and regional cooking, but when it is cold or dreary, or when you are needing a good old friend, or the party is not just all about the food, this is my pick. The Swedish meatballs has become a personal and family favorite, and that recipe was quickly memorized. This is Rachel Ray at her best.
Zesty Warmth for Winter and Days When You Need Perking Up!.......2007-01-20
I come from the school of thaw it, zap it, and throw some fresh herbs and spices on top. That's how I usually create a meal in 5-10 minutes. Let's face it; I'm impatient when it comes to cooking.
But on certain days, I fondly recall comfort foods that just hit the spot and left me feeling warm all over . . . no matter what the weather was outside. The frozen foods you can buy normally don't convert well into comfort foods. I have a few simple recipes I've developed for myself, but these dishes don't have the complexity of flavors and appearance that would make them feel like REAL comfort foods.
Having been impressed with Ms. Ray's 30-Minute Meals, I decided to see what this book would provide. I was pleasantly surprised by several things:
1. Many of the dishes that I enjoy in restaurants but don't know how to make are included (such as Italian Wedding Soup, Portuguese Sausage and Greens Soup, Creole Chili, Smoky Chili, Everything Jambalaya, and Swedish Meatballs).
2. The complexity of the instructions is just right for my elementary skills. I find myself intimidated by cookbooks that assume I know what I'm doing in the kitchen.
3. Unlike 30-Minute Meals, not every dish features either garlic or garlic and anchovies.
4. There's a rich repertoire of spices, herbs, prepared sauces, alcoholic beverages, and mustards that nicely matches my preference for zest in my food.
5. The dishes are "spiced" up both in terms of ingredients and appearance. For example, she recommends putting sweet pickle relish in your burgers (along with a little onion, cayenne pepper sauce, and steak sauce) while you baste with ketchup and steak sauce. I never would have thought of sweet pickle relish as an ingredient . . . even though I love sweet pickle relish on burgers.
6. Seeing her imagination at work inspires me to toss in even more of my favorite flavors into various dishes. It's like getting your license to drive alone for the first time!
Unlike 30-Minute Meals, Ms. Ray sometimes also gives you an accompanying dish to complement the entree. I think that's a nice touch. After all, a whole meal needs to work together so that you enjoy each item more.
For those who haven't done the dishes before, I especially treasured her advice about what order to do things in. It would be easy for me to forget to start the rice first . . . which would destroy the 30 minute timetable. While I'm not sure that an amateur like me can do all of these dishes in 30 minutes, I felt pretty confident that 40 minutes would always be enough time.
Although I often cook only for myself, if I freeze the left-overs the extra time I spend on these healthy, good-tasting dishes, the extra time I spend won't add more than about five minutes in preparation time per meal. I think that's worth it to step up from the sameness and blandness of thawed, zapped food.
Good cookbook..........2007-01-15
I'm not a RR fan, but I do like this book for basic, easy recipes that can be made pretty quickly. The photos are nice (although not being able to figure out which recipe is on the cover is annoying) and the typeface and layout are easy to read. A good basic book that would be a great gift for beginning cooks and people pressed for time.
...Wow, that hits the spot..........2006-03-01
I originally purchased this book because I was looking for some new ideas to help make feeding my family a little bit easier. I wasn't disappointed.
My wife and I had tried using one of Rachael's recipes from the tv show. We ended up being very disappointed. A supposedly 30 min meal ended up taking something like 2 1/2 hours to prepare (and I'm not a novice chef).
The first recipe we tried was for the Navy Bean soup. Wow!. It turned out awesome and it actually ended up being close to 30 min in preparation. My 8 yr old son gave it some very high marks. I love a good soup and was very impressed with the results. The recipe was very easy to follow and the ingredients were very easy to find and prepare.
The rest of the recipes were successful as well. What I really liked was the small stories that Rachael included with each recipe. That gave them just a slight personal touch which made them even better. I wholeheartedly recommend this book, especially to those families who don't have a lot of time on their hands for elaborate meals, and many of these recipes are kid friendly.
I'm looking forward to trying the Guy Food volume next.
Good buy for the wife.......2006-02-25
I purchased this one for the wife and see loved it. She in very much a believer in comfort foods and this book has several dishs that she loves. I do have to say that these dishs are pretty easy to make - Rachael is truly the queen of good quick meals
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