Book Description
Winner of the Strega Prize-a stylish and intriguing novel from Sicily's finest writer since Lampedusa.
In an island fortress-prison four political prisoners, sentenced to death for plotting against the Bourbon monarchy, spend their last night before they go under the guillotine. As they see the scaffold set up in the courtyard, they each search back through their past to find some pattern that will give meaning to the impending sacrifice of their lives. The baron, the soldier, the poet, the student-each has a tale to tell, each has an interest in weaving a web of deception. But who will, at the end, remain trapped in it?
Customer Reviews:
Night's Lies sheds light on honour and betrayal.......2002-05-29
If you know you are to die tomorrow, how would you spend the last night of your life? The same dilemma troubles four political prisoners, a baron, a soldier, a poet, and a student in Gesualdo Bufalino's Night's Lies. On the last night before they go under the guillotine for plotting against the Bourbon monarchy, the four characters review their lives. Is it more betrayal and regret? Or do they find vindication in confession?
Night's Lies is good story-telling. This tale is a brilliant execution of setting, characterization, narrative, and irony. The setting parallels the moral and spiritual exile of the prisoners. Set in a remote fortress on an inhospitable island that "is known as an island but ought to be called a rock. For it is nothing more than a stack of volcanic tufas heaped up into the form of an enormous snout, wearisomely steep in places, but for the most part bare, sheer crag". "As by a tortuous path you clamber up, your eye embraces on the one hand the immensity of the open sea, an infinite reach of blue to the western horizon; on the other, beyond the neck of water, there is the mainland, where you glimpse a harbour, a crescent of dwarf houses; but neither man nor motion."
The man who holds part of the key to their destinies is Consalvo De Ritis, the Governor, who strikes a deal with the prisoners. If one of them should anonymously name their leader by sunrise, then all of them would be freed. If not, all of them hang. They are placed in a small room for the night.
Ingafu, the Baron; Saglimbeni, the Poet; Agesilaos, the Soldier; and Narcissus, the Student narrate in turn their own tales of intrigue, love, lust, violence, jealousy, honour, and twists of fate. They seem to be trying to convince not only the others but also themselves of the sense and purpose of their lives, all knowing that death awaits them in one form or another.
Do they betray their leader but lose their own souls? Or do they find some way to escape their fate? Night's Lies is an intriguing tale that evokes the danger and relief of holding a mirror to our lives and wondering what it all means. Just the ending in itself is worth the read.
Fantastic and Fascinating.......2002-02-17
Bufalino writes gorgeous prose and I think that's the first thing anyone who reads this book will notice. In fact, the language seemed a little too beautiful for the cruel subject matter and the lives of some of the characters.
Although this book has a political theme (four prisoners are sentenced to death for plotting against the Bourbon monarchy), this really isn't a political book in any sense of the word. Instead, it's a study of deception, of truth, of what is real and what is only imagined. It's a study of cunning storytelling that will keep any intelligent reader engrossed until the very last page. Bufalino is certainly playing a game with the reader, but he does play fair.
The four prisoners decide to pass the last night of their lives with each telling a tale that is significant in his life. While each has a tale to tell, how much of his tale is truth and how much is deception? And who, in the end, will discern the truth from the lie?
The answer is right in front of us, almost from page one, something that makes Night's Lies all the more intriguing.
Night's Lies is a short book, a novella really, that can easily be read in one sitting, surely in one evening. It is, however, despite its brevity, a book that packs a punch. Well worth the time and highly recommended.
A mystical night.......2001-04-27
I just finished the book and I strongly recommend it. Although very hard to read and full of historical references, the plot is very thick and keeps your attention high throughout the journey. If you liked the Decameron you'll love this book, if you like historical fiction this is the book for you, if you want to know more about Sicily's history don't hesitate to pick the book in your hands. Best to read with a glass of Brandy on a coffee table, out on a porch overlooking the ocean, during a warm starry summer night. E-mail me for suggestion on similar books. Enjoy it Simone
Product Description
A condensed collection of four novel
Average customer rating:
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Lie Ten Nights Awake
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000BRQTWU |
Average customer rating:
- Excellent starting point for praying the psalms
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I Will Lie Down This Night (Prayerbooks)
Melissa Musick Nussbaum
Manufacturer: Liturgy Training Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Inspirational
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I Will Arise This Day (Prayerbooks)
ASIN: 156854085X |
Customer Reviews:
Excellent starting point for praying the psalms.......2001-04-04
This book provides an excellent illustration of how night prayer a.k.a. compline speaks to our everyday life. It does so in contemporary spiritual terms, e.g. several quotes are Celtic or sound Celtic, while building an understanding of a very traditional prayer. The illustrations and the layout of the book complement the content.
The chapters discuss nighttime rituals and fear, the oral nature of contact in darkness, the need for companionship, facing the "naked" truth, sheltering, blessing, waiting in hope - each discussed in terms of the every day experiences of raising a child (or being raised). This experience is interwoven with a parallel understanding of the words and attitudes of night prayer.
The final section provides materials for night prayer, a variation on the formal liturgical form. It consists of: 1) a choice of two opening prayers 2) quiet reflection 3) a choice of two pentitential prayers 4) a choice of five psalms or canticles 5) a hymn (the one mistep on production - not making the breaks between the hymns obvious) 6) a Marian invocation 7) a choice of three closing prayers.
Many of the texts of the night prayer were used within the chapters introducing the concepts of night prayer. The night prayer has been shortened, simplified and rearranged, but the various parts are very traditional. The format for night prayer given here has distinct advantages - (1)the parts are unchanging except by personal choice giving the ready possibility of memorizing and internalizing the prayers (2) the prayer is short enough to fit easily into one schedule so it can actually be prayed rather than remaining good intentions (3) the choices fit well within the context of the book so that choices are limited to psalms/canticles which one can easily relate to one's own day.
Highly recommended as a viable introduction to praying the psalms.
Average customer rating:
- Masterful storytelling
- More than enthralling, more than breath-taking!
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Lies of the Night
Gesualdo Bufalino
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
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ASIN: 0689121245 |
Customer Reviews:
Masterful storytelling.......1999-08-02
After Umberto Eco's classic "The Name of the Rose," this book wins hands down. Flawless structure, suspense and a deft handling of politics are some of the joys in this accomplished piece. It is both classic and post modern, with stories within stories and at the same time a beginning, middle and end that adds up to a thoroughly entertaining book. If you like Borges, this would be the novel he always wanted to write when he kept complaining novels had to many wasted words: None to be found here.
More than enthralling, more than breath-taking!.......1999-01-13
Italy, the middle of 19th Century. Four political prisoners are spending their last night in a badly-lit dungeon; they have been imprisoned in the most inaccessible fortress of the Kingdom of Neaples. These four men are going to die, because they have all been sentenced to death for their terrorist activities. Each of them in turn tells his story. One of them is the chief of the secret (and mysterious) patriotic organisation they belong to. One of them is a liar. To find out who the liar is you can only read the novel. And then re-read it again, becuse in this novel things aren't exactly what they seem. A small masterpiece, mixing a hypnotic style with a breath-taking plot. And know that once you've started reading it you cannot stop; plan your reading carefully!
Amazon.com
The secret to surviving parenthood? It's laughter, according to author Sandi Kahn Shelton. In this delightful book, Shelton, who's also the humor columnist for Working Mother magazine, dishes up hilarious insights into the inner workings of infants and toddlers that only a mother of three could provide. From sleep deprivation to sleeping with toasters, choosing child-care, and waiting for poop, Shelton touches on all the hottest topics of the first three years of parenthood. Organized by subject, instead of in chronological order, you'll find witty and wonderful stories in chapters such as "Why Babies Cry," "The Daddy Dance," "You Can Leave Home Without Them," "Parenting in Public," and "Life in the Terrible Twos." Shelton at one moment bombards us with such pure silliness as "Spaghetti goes on the head; that's why it's made in strands," and then, at the next opportunity, turns on the compassion with "you're most likely going to live through this time in your life. Especially if you can laugh. In fact, definitely if you can laugh." With such wit and wisdom, Shelton will help you see the lighter side of parenthood--and, hopefully, help you enjoy it even more. --Kelley Smith
Book Description
You've got circles under your eyes, crusty white stuff on your clothes, and strained carrots in your hair--welcome to the lighter, messier and definitely funnier side of parenthood!In this laugh-out-loud collection of wit and wisdom, the WorkingMother columnist and author of You Might As Well Laugh delivers chuckles, cheer, and compassion--guaranteed to help parents survive the first three years. From breast feeding to toilet training and everything in-between, Sleeping Through the Night explores:Parent Lingo--or words you never thought you'd want to know the meaning of, like Onesies, Zwieback, and Projectile VomitingThe going bribery rates for toddlers (Mamp;Ms are the currency of choice)All-time favorites toys: the toilet brush, lids from pots and pans, anything in your cosmetic drawer, fireplace tools, your keysHow to reconnect with old what's-his-name, that guy across the pillowThings NOT to discuss with the parents in the park (like your babysitter's phone number)
Customer Reviews:
Good for a laugh.......2003-04-05
She's really funny, but I didn't appreciate her choice of language in some instances.
Very funny but lacking in propriety.......2003-01-01
Shelton is hilarious. Working Mother magazine says she is "the true successor to Erma Bombeck's throne." Sorry, I cannot agree; Erma never cussed. I don't mind a little garden-variety cussing here and there, but Shelton really lets loose at times and pulls out the big ones--the offensive ones, that is. She did not end up using the F word, but frankly I don't know what stopped her; everything else was there. She really doesn't need the shock factor to be funny either. She's a riot. She's definitely been in the trenches, but she could take a lesson from Erma the Great. My rating for Shelton would have been a five if she had just cleaned up her act.
Too funny.......2002-10-05
I have a six-month-old and this book has me in stitches. I keep re-reading it because the author has really captured that parenthood is a constant journey of the sublime to the ridiculous.
Light on info.......2002-03-28
I found this book to be entertaining to read, but thin on useful information.
Light on info.......2002-03-28
I found this book to be entertaining to read, but think on useful information.
Book Description
Private Investigator Garrett has agreed to play bodyguard for a kid who is being threatened by creatures that defy description. But before Garrett can make heads or tails of the story, the kid is abducted-and the chase begins.
"Cook brings a dose of gritty realism to fantasy." (Library Journal)
Download Description
Private investigator Garrett has agreed to play bodyguard for a kid who is being threatened by creatures that defy description. But before Garrett can make heads or tails of the story, the kid is abducted and the chase begins...
Customer Reviews:
cook has a ghost writer? or did his son do this?.......2006-04-11
all the 3star and less reviews are fairly accurate.. this book just cant be written by glen cook. there are way too many inconsistencies in character and fact from prior books. all the other books in this series i just couldnt put down. this? im having a hard time getting through a chapter at a time. i wouldve guessed this to be cook's first stab at writing had i not known better. suffer through it if you really like the series, but dont waste your money on it new. i wouldnt pay more than a buck for this one... pew!
Gah! What Happened?.......2005-11-15
This is the 10th in Cook's Garrett series ("Sweet Silver Blues," "Bitter Gold Hearts," "Cold Copper Tears," "Old Tin Sorrows," "Dread Brass Shadows," "Red Iron Nights," "Deadly Quicksilver Lies," "Petty Pewter Gods," "Faded Steel Heat," "Angry Lead Skies," and "Whispering Nickel Idols"). I don't know who really wrote this, but Glen Cook should track him down and take him to court. Well, perhaps I exaggerate. However, from all the gaffs in this book, it looks like Cook didn't bother to review his notes from the rest of the series before he wrote this one. Here are some of the problems that leapt out at me:
- First of all, where did Garrett's love interest, Katie, come from? Usually, he finds these women as part of his cases (either the principal or a player). In this case, we start out the book with her already there. She has no background and plays no part in the book. He doesn't even mention Tinnie (whom he had gotten back together with at the end of the previous book -- a couple of weeks in Garrett time) until half way through the book.
- Second, Playmate is way out of character. In all the other books, he's a simple, honest person. In this one, he's essentially a walking Dead Man or a more honest Morley Dotes: a sophisticated, educated, smooth talking, cynical person. Plus, Cook specifically notes that he's NOT really 9 feet tall. Yet, in all the other books, he IS 9 feet tall. A couple of books ago, Cook graphically portrayed him in a situation at Morley's restaurant as being bent over to fit inside. My guess is Cook needed some way to work a specific type of character in as a principal and a 9 foot tall, simple guy wouldn't work. So, he just changed him.
- Similarly, Singe has miraculously graduated from a smart, though barely articulate, rat woman into practically an Einstein.
- Ditto for the Rose triplets. Specifically, Doris and Marsha. In all previous books those two grolls were dumb as stumps. Even more importantly, only Dojango spoke "English" (that was why he was around -- to translate). Doris and Marsha ONLY and SPECIFICALLY spoke grollish.
- And, finally, near the end, Cook mentions that the Tates have DWARF blood somewhere back in their line. That's not correct. Again, specifically, in all previous books he's mentioned that they have ELF blood in them.
Then, there are the "logic" errors (I know, it's fantasy, but still...). For instance, in one case Cook has Doris hold Garrett up to a fourth floor window. AFAIK, that should be at least 40 feet up. Yet, Doris and Marsha are 20 feet tall. Even with very long arms, they couldn't reach above 30 feet. Then there's the fact that the "Visitors" are described as ugly, yet everyone thinks they might be elves. In all of these books, elves are alway extremely handsome/beautiful: it's an elvish characteristic. There's no way anyone should consider these "Visitors" to be related to elves.
Another BIG problem is the problem itself. It might be a spoiler, but since it's implied in the official write-ups and becomes obvious at the very start of the book, I'll bring it up: there are space aliens in this book. I'm sorry, but aliens just have no place in a fantasy/detective novel. It's just silly. Even worse, Garrett plays the two-backed beast with them. Repeatedly. Often. Ugh.
And finally, Cook seems to have lost the detective part of his fantasy/detective mixture the Garrett books are supposed to be. Outside of some minor leg-work during the first half of the book, there's no real mystery and no detectiving. In fact, the last half of the book doesn't really do anything at all. It's just Garrett doing his alien experments, setting up some personal stuff, getting back at Morley, and the aliens finalizing things. That's it. All done. What a waste.
If you're still reading this, by now, you'll probably guess I'm not happy with what Cook's done to the series with this book (and I LOVE this series -- it took me years to find all the books again to re-read them). So, I have to give this book a sadly well-deserved 1 star out of 5. If you've been following this series since the beginning, the book will give you nothing but grief. If you've never read a Garrett book before, you might get a few giggles out of it, but you won't have any of the history (even though Cook's "modified" it) to understand what's going on. There's really no reason for anyone to read it.
Funny and Good.......2002-08-05
Just read Angry Lead Skies and thought it was funny and interesting couldn't put it down , was very easy reading . I wish Cook would more of these books Garrett and Co. step in it every time and have to do back flips to get out .
Great series, but this is the worst book in it.......2002-07-25
For whatever reason, Cook takes the series in a new direction, with the addition of aliens to the cast. Unfortunately, it doesn't blend well with his universe, though some of the aspects of the integration are quite funny. Also, the heavily convuluted subplots and large cast of characters made it rather confusing, especially towards the end. All of the other books in the series are great, though.
Angry Lead Reader.......2002-06-18
With out even reading the back cover the minute I saw the New Garrett Mystery I bought it. I am sorry I did. If my dog had not grabbed it I would have returned it. If you have read the other books in Glen Cooks Garrett series how can you help but be upset by this pale immitation. Gone is the marvolous pacing and quick wit. It has been replaced with bad jokes and worse style. It is ham handed and lacks the subtle sense of irony and twisted sense of humor that I have come to enjoy in a Garrett Mystery. Before I buy the next book in this series I intend to check it out of the library and see if I wish to waste my money on him again.
Product Description
Some days it doesnt pay to lift your sodden head off the desk blotter.Take it from me, Garrett, private eye. If youre cute and female, look me up, my address is in wizard-run TunFaire, where the paranormal plays daily. Look at my partner. Someone stuck a knife in him centuries ago, and hes been sedentary ever since. Dead, but not dumb, if you get my drift. And theres all these supernatural races clogging the streetselves, trolls, pixies, ogres, dwarves, and some of the strangest are among my friends. Even they bring trouble, and when trouble comes knocking, dont open the door.You think Id learn. Maybe thats why I got roped into the case in Angry Lead Skies. My bulky friend Playmate talked me into protecting Kip Prose, an annoying kid touched by brilliance and a bit of paranormal ability, whom he claimed was being threatened by skinny gray creatures with bulgy black eyes. According to Kip, the attackers werent after him at alljust trying to get to his friends Lastyr and Noodiss. But before I could get him to explain who they were, Kip was abducted, and the chase began....In Whispering Nickel Idols, trouble came from two sources: a streetwise priestess and her bucket of kittens, part of the ancient prophecy of the cult of A-Lat (curse this god-plagued city!). And a message from Harvester Temisk, mouthpiece of Chodo Contague, kingpin of kingpins, who slumbered in coma-land while his beautiful, psychotic daughter ran the Outfit. Temisk believed someone was deliberately keeping the Boss helpless and wanted me to snoop around. Then Chodo up and vanished. Add to that a mysterious plague of burning deaths and the fact that suddenly everyone was trying to kill me, I had plenty to figure out....
Customer Reviews:
Living forever! A guide.......2005-12-21
This is a great Heinlein read. No matter what you think living forever would be, this will add another perspective. Outlive your wives and families -- that is sad. But adventure on top of adventure - that is great. Go read it.
Good, if a bit meandering at times.......2005-08-28
The Story: Lazarus Long is the oldest member of the Howard Families (a group of Earth-humans who have bred themselves to be long-lived) at over 2000 years old. He has decided that enough is enough and is letting himself waste away. His relatives find him, abduct him, and medically rejuvenate him against his will. Lazarus finally agrees to stay alive and write his memoirs, if they can find something entirely new for him to experience. Part of the book tells us about this search for something new, and part tells us some of Lazarus' more interesting memoirs.
Commentary: This book is in several parts. The first part, which is the least coherent and most rambling, tells of how Lazarus is found and persuaded to stay alive and give his memoirs. He creates a (VERY) unconventional new family, and is given two entirely new things to experience. This part of the book explores different ideas about social structure, family structure, and social mores in striking (and sometimes unsettling) but always thought-provoking ways. It is very disjointed, though. Another part relates Lazarus' one romantic relationship with an "ephemeral" (someone with a normal lifespan). This section is very coherent and fascinating. It also includes one of Heinlein's most memorable minor characters: Buck, the genetically altered, intelligent, talking mule (I want one!). Another section deals with Lazarus' trip back in time to re-meet his family of origin (including himself as a child) and the complications this leads to. This part is also coherent, flows rapidly, and is well-written.
Second Commentary: This is a very adult book. I did not figure out how old Heinlein was when he wrote this one, but there is an almost-juvenile fascination with sex permeating this entire book. There is also an exploration of sexual mores that basically shoots down all limits on sexual behavior, except sex-by-force and sex that results in genetically damaged children. Anything else is up for grabs (and does get grabbed). Not for children, and likely to be unsettling for some adults.
Customer Reviews:
gr8 fun!!.......2007-10-02
The book is gr8 fun, of a guy in year 4 thousand and sth, trying to give a description of our world today, sarcastic, hilarious, but also kiind of tragic. Wil surely read more of this author, for example "Stranger in a Strange Land".
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
Lazarus Long is one of the Howards, a group of people that have extremely long life, basically due to genetics and being mutants, etc.
Lazarus Long is well into this third millenium, and is looking back on his life to that some of the information and insights he has can be used. Long himself is most definitely a dodgy bloke, and a 'villain' in the pommie sense.
A book only for Heinlein Fans.......2007-06-11
In my unqualified opinion, this novel is not science fiction per se but really a biography of Lazaurus Long. This novel tells of the many lives Long lived in his 2000 year long space faring career as well as the life he would live thereafter. In some ways, I am tempted to think that Heinlein wanted to publish old Lazaurus Long stories, but at the same time these stories that he presents in the book do have one theme in common: what does it take for a human to live? Is it merely to survive? Is it family?
Here Heinlein takes us on a journey to not only answer that main question of why to live but also to know Lazaurus Long better as a person, as a human being.
Although I throughly enjoyed this book, why I took off one star is merely because this book is not for readers who want to read Heinlein for the first time. You're better off reading his earlier 'Future History' stories before tackling this one.
Classic Heinlein, but could have used some severe editting.......2006-11-21
When polling Heinlein fans, a number of books come up over and over again at the top of the favourites list. Time Enough for Love is one of those books. It covers some of the lives of Lazurus Long, eldest known member of the "Howard Families" - a group of humans specifically bred for long life, due to a genetic mutation. The story starts in the year 4000 and something, and works its way forwards and backwards in time, mostly using reminiscences of Lazurus while he's undergoing "rejuvenation" - a process whereby the mind is transferred into a cloned body (I think ... it's deliberately vague). As usual, the plot is simply a ploy to allow Heinlein to muse philosophic on the usual range of his favourite topics - government, religion, and sex.
Heinlein is notorious for revisiting the same themes over and over again in his books. It's to his credit that he doesn't always reach the same conclusions. Unfortunately, I found myself growing impatient numerous times when reading TEfL. Parts of the plot are basically stolen directly from "I Will Fear No Evil" and others from "Farnham's Freehold." True: the plotlines are better in this book than in its predecessors, but it still makes it seem repetitive. More damaging is the fact that Heinlein's "never rewrite" rule is on glorious display here: a date with a red pen could have eliminated 100 pages and created a book with much better flow.
Time Enough for Love is at its best when Heinlein is not beating us over the head with his (Lazurus's?) philosophies - i.e. when Lazurus is retelling his stories. The best is the tale of Lazurus's wedding to his adopted daughter, and their adventures as pioneers on a lawless and unforgiving planet. The other main problem with Heinlein's philosophising is his deliberate attempt to be provocative, regardless of logic or scientific merit. For example, he repeatedly asserts that incest is an invention of religion with no scientific basis. While it's true that writers of religious texts did not have a knowledge of genetics, it's also true that most incest taboos ARE designed for the purpose of preventing destructive genetic traits from propagating. Even if the priests didn't understand why the taboo needed to exist, it was clear what the effects of inbreeding were.
Part of the problem with this book, for me, is that I despise provocation for provocation's sake. Without logic or a convincing argument to back it up, I grow impatient, especially when such things are repeated over and over. (Considering that Lazurus has sex with 2 sisters, his mother, and his adopted daughter, you see how often the incest issue has the opportunity to come up!) It's a shame, because some genuine thoughtful insights end up getting buried by the sensationalism - one that is particularly relevant today (with the George W. Bush doctrine of bringing/forcing democracy onto middle-eastern countries) is the observation that democracies often start out life as small elites forcing democracy on the majority (e.g. the U.S. and French Revolutions, the English Civil War, etc.).
There is a good book buried in Time Enough for Love. Certainly, I recommend it over earlier (and even less polished) works like "I Will Fear No Evil." In fact, I recommend it unreservedly for its attempt to shake the status quo (and yes, it's provocative even today). Unlike a lot of Heinlein books, there is a satisfying ending (there's even a little surprise twist at the end, but it's set up over the course of the entire book, so the surprise is earned). However, be prepared for repetition and stretches of irritation when Heinlein just doesn't seem willing to get on with it.
One of RAH's most original characters.......2006-11-20
Lazarus Long, a/k/a a very long list of aliases was born Woodrow Wilson Smith in 1912 in southwest Missouri. Several thousand years later, thanks to a particular genetic mutation, he's still going strong. Well -- he has thought about allowing himself to die a natural death. It's hard to keep up enthusiasm for life after all those centuries, probably a score of wives, and maybe a couple hundred children. This fat novel picks up the events, themes, and some characters of _Methuselah's Children_, one of Heinlein's most popular earlier books (it was serialized in the early `40s), about the Howard families, a vast experiment in selective breeding for longevity. There's not really a plot here, as such, just a narrative thread upon which the author can hang a number of side-stories about how families ought to function, how pioneering works, and why so many 20th century American mores (especially those relating to sex -- and especially consensual incest) are nonsense. The thread consists of Lazarus's memoirs, or at least those possibly true memories he's willing to share. It's all pure Heinlein and should be read with that in mind. I.e., younger readers weaned on endless (and generally mindless) fantasy series probably aren't going to get it. For the thoughtful reader, however, there's a lot here to enjoy. After this one, read _To Sail Beyond the Sunset_ (1987) for another view of some of the same story.
Average customer rating:
- Making sauerkraut and pickled vegetables at home
- Create your own kraut
- Complete Guide
- Practical sauerkraut book
- Good - but something missing
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Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables at Home: Creative Recipes for Lactic Fermented Food to Improve Your Health (Natural Health Guide) (Natural Health Guide)
Klaus Kaufmann , and
Annelies Schoneck
Manufacturer: Alive Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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Healthy
| Special Diet
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Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine: Improving Health and Longevity with Native Nutrition
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Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation
Accessories:
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RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
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Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
ASIN: 155312037X |
Customer Reviews:
Making sauerkraut and pickled vegetables at home.......2007-05-01
This book is a disappointment. I bought it after I got my Harsch fermentation crock and I do not find it very useful. There are 8 recipes for fermentation for different vegetables (in addition to two different variations for sauerkraut)and about half of the book has 9 food recipes all for sauerkraut (ie pineapple sauerkraut, reuben, etc) with a full page color glossy photo on the opposite page of the recipe (wasteful in my opinion). There is a section on adding herbs and spices and it is unhelpful as it does not give details for many of them on how to use/prepare them for fermentation. There is an interesting section on Healing with Lactic Acid Fermentation, but that is about it. The biggest reason I do not like this book is that there is little troubleshooting detail or any help/suggestions for fermentation when the conditions are less than ideal.
Create your own kraut.......2007-01-11
Great book for beginners. Easy to follow recipes that require only vegetables and mason jars to start . Even my very first batches of sauerkraut turned out great. Delicious!
Complete Guide.......2007-01-09
This book is a complete guide to making sauerkraut; in fact, it was like having my grandmother beside me. The methods she used were given step by step in this book and the saurkraut we made is perfect. We are going to do a crock of pickled vegetables this summer using the book as a guide.
Practical sauerkraut book.......2006-09-29
Even though this is a thin book, this is packed with information - basically everything you need to get you started.
The author(s) talk about why people make sauerkraut/pickles, a little bit about their use in various ancient and more modern cultures and how pickles saved the sailors from scurvy starting with 18th century, when ships started carrying them.
Sauerkraut/pickles are fermented foods, and the fermentation happens because of lacto-bacteria (named like that because they were first discovered in milk/dairy products). Actually, there are two types of them: for milk products and for vegetables. Organic products have more bacteria and ferment easier. Raw (i.e. unpasterized) milk sours by itself; pasteurized milk spoils... The white film you can find on organic veggies (e.g. plums, cabbage) is lacto-bacteria. Those bacteria - and fermented products in general - are beneficial for digestion.
The best container for fermentation is Harsch - search the web to see it. I learned from this book that the white yeast that appears over open fermentation pots is actually harmless, just it has a bad taste.
It is easier to get better results with more veggies or with more types of plants versus one type only. Salt is needed for fermentation, authors say, to allow veggies to withstand a couple of days without decay until fermentation begins. If you have organic veggies, or good container (such as Harsch), there is less need for it. Whey could also be substituted, but not fully (i.e. you still need some salt).
What else is in the book? The spices, of course. And some therapeutical applications of pickles.
And, last but not least, some recipes that seem interesting to me.
Good - but something missing.......2006-09-19
This is a generally well-written and nicely illustrated book, but there seems to be a piece of information missing in the description for making basic sauerkraut (pages 19-20). At the end of the recipe for making kraut in the Harsch crock it states that "the water must cover the weight stones . . ." However, at no point in the recipe is the addition of water indicated. I'd very much like to try this process out but want to get it exactly right. So now I have to go on my own quest to try and figure out this water question (does the pressed cabbage make it's own water, do I have to add it, and if so, when?).
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