In Transit: An Heroi-Cyclic Novel (Irish Literature Series)

Book Description

Set in an airport ("one of the rare places where twentieth-century design is happy with its own style"), In Transit is a textual labyrinth centering on a contemporary traveller. Waiting for a flight, Evelyn Hillary O'Rooley suffers from uncertainty about his/her gender, provoking him/her to perform a series of unsuccessful, yet hilarious, philosophical and anatomical tests. Brigid Brophy surrounds the kernel of this plot with an unrelenting stream of puns, word games, metafictional moments and surreal situations (like a lesbian revolution in the baggage clam area) that challenge the reader's preconceptions about life and fiction and that remain endlessly entertaining.

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In Transit - An Heroi-cyclic Novel
Brigid Brophy
Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IVEQ4W

Book Description

Following Miscione's gritty debut, Angel Fire, this second novel ratchets up the suspense and the stakes. In her fan mail, Lydia receives an anonymous cry for help-a tape of a miss-ing young girl's desperate message on an answering machine. The accompanying note begs Lydia to find and protect Tatiana Quinn, 'and all the other girls in need of rescue.' This simple case of a missing teenager soon becomes much more. Someone is anxious for Lydia to drop her investi-gation, someone powerful and nervous enough to engineer the early parole of Lydia's mother's killer. Now, in addition to tracing the roots of Tatiana's disappearance back to the girl's step-father's business dealings, Lydia must find the man who wants her dead, completing his unfinished business from years ago.

Customer Reviews:

The Darkness Gathers.......2003-06-22

After reading "Angel Fire" I was curious about "The Darkness Gathers". I found this book well written and captivating. This writer has the gift of rising the interest of the reader and keeping that interest fed. It is a page turner and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading a good book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Compelling!.......2003-06-12

I won't give a summary of the book, since that has been done, but suffice to say I found Miscione's portrayal of the chaos in Albania as well as the trafficking of women and girls into sexual slavery realistic and compelling. Distractors were the author's penchant for dropping brand-names throughout the book and the fact that Lydia's boyfriend willingly follows along, even when she places them into dangerous situations. And he should know better - he's a former FBI agent. But all in all, this is a good book and shows the author has done her research well.

The second time is even better........2003-04-30

I read the first Lydia Strong story, "Angel Fire," and I had such a good time I got this next one the minute it came out. And I was pleased to find that the series (at least I sure hope it will be) is getting better all the time -- the relationship between Lydia and Jeffrey getting stronger, the stories even more complex and intriguing (and scary, too). Miscone takes on a lot in her plots, but she makes it all work beautifully in the end.

A Great Read.......2003-04-29

The Darkness Gathers leaves you breathless. Good character developement along with intriguing plot from a talented writer.

It comes SO close...........2003-04-24

Darkness Gathers has many ingredients for success: an appealing heroine, the heroine's ambivalent relationship with a male love interest, colorful settings, and an intriguing opening salvo: a tape recording mailed anonymously to the heroine.

I really wanted to like this book, as we need more new authors and more detectives. And I hope the author takes the next step to write a breakout novel next time.

I'll let other reviewers describe the plot -- and I agree with those who say it's "ambitious," even audacious. What stopped me was pacing. I kept wanting to take my own blue pencil to the copy and cut, cut cut!

The book opens with a long flashback, which didn't seem necessary. Lydia's childhood traumas may have led her to become a journalist of crime, but that deserves a sentence or two. Think of Ranger Anna Pigeon in the Nevada Barr series. We learn early that the heroine was widowed early and tragically -- but from New York widowhood to Park Service Ranger is a story that was left untold for six or so volumes, and we didn't miss it.

After reading Sol Stein's books on writing, I've become more conscious of redundant words and phrases, so perhaps I'm overly sensitive. I noticed that Lydia wore a "jade black hair clip" in her "black hair." Um...what other type of clip would she wear? How about just "pulled into a knot with a shiny black clip?"

You can pick almost any page, if you're so inclined:
"He took hold of her hand and rolled over onto his back, displaying his enviable abs and pecs..."

Or "She reached over ... with fingers cool and moist from the sweating plastic cup she held."

Less description, more action -- especially if the author uses the omniscient viewpoint, where we readers are like outsiders watching a show. And description can be presented with action.

My other quibbles:
We're told over and over again that Lydia has a special sense -- but it's not clear how she uses that sense in her work. Anyone who receives an anonymous tape, referring to a kidnapped girl, might be just a wee bit curious!

I had trouble with the far-flung plot -- Albanian kidnappings tied in with a villain from Lydia's dark past. I'd also like to see more sides to Lydia and Jeffrey. Instead of tagging along on Lydia's hare-brained ideas, Jeffrey needs to work his own caseload. He comes across as a little wimpy -- chasing after a woman who has her own agenda. Lovesick is fine for a tale or two but at some point we need gumption!

These two need to get into a solid fight and stop speaking sometime! If Jeffrey wants a relationship, he'd better start poking around...and let Lydia sulk and question her own feelings. And I didn't buy the detective opening his heart and files to two out-of-towners, just like that.

Book Description

GATHER, DARKNESS! is a science-fiction classic. It tells the story of Armon Jarles, a man on the edge, living amidst the disputes of two rival powers at large in the world. 360 years after a nuclear holocaust ravaged mankind, throwing society back into the dark ages, the world is fraught with chaos and superstition. The new rulers over the masses of humanity are the techno-priests of the Great God, endowed with scientific knowledge lost to the rest of humanity. Jarles, originally of peasant descent, rises to become a priest of the Great God. He knows the gospel propagated by the priests to be a fraud, based on illusion and trickery. Even more offensive to him is the paucity of true believers among the priesthood. One day he rebels against his priestly training and attempts to incite the peasants to rise up and demand freedom, but they are not ready. Jarles is not the only dissenter trying to sabotage and expose the false theocracy of the priesthood¿witchcraft is slowly gaining strength and support among the populace. Although Jarles is unaware, his rebellion against the power of the priests is about to throw him headlong into the middle of the greatest holy war the world has ever seen.

Download Description

The dark ages are back. Three centuries after a nuclear holocaust, Armon Jarles does battle with the false theocracy that threatens to begin the greatest holy war the world has ever seen.

Customer Reviews:

Science and religion join hands to oppress.......2006-03-07

Even when Leiber was trying to write something serious he still couldn't help being satirical, as when he describes aerial dogfights between "angels" and "demons." Only they happen to be airplanes disguised as each. The "demons" even have horns. You smile even if you don't want to, and there's really not much to smile at in this tale of a post-nuclear-war world in which the power-hungry use science and religion to enrich themselves at the expense of a povery-striken world. It's a subversive novel, actually, because Leiber is clearly informing us than when when political power over people is involved, it doesn't matter whether people worship God or the Devil, because for all practical purposes, they're the same thing. As almost always with Leiber, there are cats involved, although in this case they are minor characters.

Lieber at his very best.......2006-02-09

Imagine a world where the church ran everything. Sound good? Well, it's not. Just like in the middle ages, this church rules with an iron hand. Since God must be with the church, then opposition to the church is considered witchcraft, and it seemingly comes from Satan. A wonderful view of the negative possibilities should one single religion ever really take over the world. Lieber is a master writer, and this is one of his very best novels.

The Witchcraft was far more than it seemed...........2004-05-08

After the Great War that ended the first Atomic Age the Priesthood rebuilt the world. But the priests of the Hierarchy weren't really priests, at least not in the old timeless sense. In fact, the first thing a young initiate was taught was that the Great God did not exist- it was just a false idol and technological trick used to control the commoners. For the priests were really composed of all the privileged classes of the old age- the scientists, engineers, managers, doctors, and psychologists. They had banded together to rule the world by fear and superstition. They used the technology that they controlled to force and frighten the common people into serfdom and slavery. Indeed, they had used the Dark Ages as their inspiration and pattern in social organization, costumes, architecture- they even allowed witches to exist and operate as a means to help terrorize the masses. Unfortunately for the priests of the Hierarchy, the Witchcraft was far more than it seemed....

It is absolutely incredible that this tight little novel was written in 1943. Just the use of the term "Atomic Age" two years before Hiroshima is remarkable. Then combine that with the fact that Leiber accurately describes atomic power, genetic engineering, cloning, holograms, scientific brainwashing, psychological warfare, and mutually impenetrable force beams that sound exactly like light sabers. This novel was far ahead of its time and holds up as a gripping read even today. In fact, the oppressive elitism that it describes is more plausible today than it would have been in the freer decade of the 40's.

Leiber's Classic Dystopia of Religion Versus Witchcraft.......2003-11-29

"Gather, Darkness" was one of two dystopian novels written by Fritz Leiber (The other was "A Specter Is Haunting Texas".). Without question this splendid little novel still remains one of his most impressive literary achievements. It is also one of the best conceived, best written novels of a dismal future for humanity.

Three hundred years after a nuclear holocaust, humanity is ruled by a secretive religious brotherhood, the Hierarchy of the Great God, which uses science as the supernatural means of ensuring its control over an impoverished, predominantly illiterate population. Opposing this brotherhood is a secret society of witches, the followers of Sathanas, seeking to use science to overthrow the brotherhood's tyrannical theocracy. A young Hierarchy priest, Brother Armon Jarles, skeptical of his beliefs and the Hierarchy's orthodoxy, soon finds himself caught in the bitter struggle between both groups. A struggle that is meant to gather darkness against the Hierarchy's grip on power.

Wow!!.......2000-09-18

This is the first book of Leiber's that I have read and I am very impressed. Though the book was written in the 1950's it is able to transend 40 odd years and still be relevent in todays thinking. The most interesting twist is how Leiber moved away from science explaining the supernatural to science using the supernatural to maintain control on an ignorant society of peasents. Another impressive twist to the book was Leiber's ability to move the focus of the novel from between three different, yet important characters, without any interuption. I can not wait to read more of his books.

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Gather Darkness
Fritz Leiber
Manufacturer: Pellegrini & Cudahy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PRL3GI

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Gather Darkness 1ST Edition
Fritz Leiber
Manufacturer: PELLEGRINI & CUDAHY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PKUJ2O

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Gather Darkness!
Fritz Leiber
Manufacturer: Berkley Medallion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K1Z97I

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GATHER DARKNESS!
Fritz Leiber
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GRITLE

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GATHER, DARKNESS
Fritz Leiber
Manufacturer: Berkley Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GVXSUC

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Gather, Darkness
Fritz Leiber
Manufacturer: Pyramid
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KOG0YQ

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Gather, Darkness Collector's Edition
Frietz Leiber
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000M9GP94

Product Description

Masterpieces of Fanstay bound in geniune leather

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Gather, Darkness!
Fritz Leiber
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000KX76M2

Book Description

In the distant future humanity involved in a massive civil war. The colonies, long exploited by Earth governments, have created powerful robot fighting machines, GUNDAM, to help win independence. Fi ve brave young Gundam pilots are the last chance for peace.

Gundam Wing is the latest series in the long running Gundam universe. A recent phoenomenon in the US, Gundam has been voted the most popular anime series of all time in Japan. The series and its sequel are running on Cartoon Network through 2001.

Customer Reviews:

The Best of the Best!.......2001-09-16

My review on GW #3:
You must read this one! Although different from the T.V. series in that certain scenes are gone and new scenes are added, the changes make just as interesting a read as the original storyline. The end I think is better than the T.V. series', it tells more what happens to the pilots.

The Domon/Gundam G comics at the end make me laugh for hours after reading them! They are hilarious!

If you are a GW fan, you have to read this! Although I suggest reading the other two in the series first. :)

A fitting conclusion...despite a lack of appeal to all fans........2001-09-07

Die-hard fans of the anime series will most likely detest this three-volume manga because of its rushed storyline and tendancy to edit scenes that are trademarks of the show. But fans who managed to get through or even liked the first two volumes will most likely find this third and final volume a fitting conclusion.

All the cons mentioned before are found here, as are the pros (I won't mention them again). But here are some new thoughts on this volume. It now becomes even more suggestive (to me, at least) that this series was a "version" of the Gundam Wing storyline, not a replication as many fans wanted. It is also most likely targeted to just fans of the series, for those not familiar with the Gundam Wing universe will most likely be confused and perplexed, even with the first volume.

Several changes made to the anime's storyline in the third manga volume were surprisingly good, and characterization also managed to creep in sometimes. Fight scenes tended to be a little short, but they were plentiful. Even the ending, although not consistent to the anime, was satisfactory for me. And, as before, the Domon strips in the back made me crack up and crack up hard.

All in all, the third volume compliments the first two nicely. As a series, however, readers can't deny that this manga didn't stay true to the anime (a sin to some fans). This series is worth it if you don't mind the rushed storyline and odd quirks, but there are definately better and more fulfilling manga series out there, including but not limited to: "Inu-Yasha", "X/1999", "Fushigi Yuugi", "Battle Angel Alita", "Neon Genesis Evangelion", "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind", and "Galaxy Express 999".

In any case, enjoy!

great suspence.......2001-07-27

gundam wing volume 3 is action packed. Even if you've seen the episodes, it still brings suspense, holding your intrest. Good for teens, or any Gundam fan. Great animation and overall story.

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Chaser Platoon #3 (Iron Infantry)
Tim Eldred
Manufacturer: Aircel Comics - Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000J4FAZW

Product Description

Incredible Chaser Platoon series, no longer issued for a decade and a half! A must have for any fan Get it while you can still find it!

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Dodekain Anime Manga Comic #3 (3)

Manufacturer: Antarctic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

General | Manga | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000CF29RA

Product Description

Great American anime collectible comic.

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Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 #3 Part 2 1994
Hajime Yadate
Manufacturer: Viz Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Manga | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Product Description

Based on the anime TV series.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Comic #3 (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, 3)

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Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Comic #3 (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, 3)

Manufacturer: Mixx Manga
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

Product Description

Incredible Gundam Wing Comic Series. Gorgeous graphics! A must have for any fan! Get it while you still can!

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Ground Zero Comic #3 (Ground Zero)

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Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Ground Zero Comic #3 (Ground Zero)

Manufacturer: Viz Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

Product Description

Incredible Gundam Wing series! A must have for any fan!

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Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, tome 3
Koichi Tokita , and Yadate-Tomino
Manufacturer: Pika Edition
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

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I really liked it.
Not for the G Wing newbie! Unless you just want the pics
THIS BOOK ISNT WORTH IT!
HAHA...
Hahahaha!

Total Gundam Wing
Triumph Books
Manufacturer: Triumph Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sports & Activities | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1572434171

Book Description

TOTAL GUNDAM WING presents an indepth look into the fascinating wildly popular animated world of Gundam. Gundam Wing is as extension of the long-running Japanese series and is currently one of the most-watched cartoons in the U.S., spawning a collectable card game, models, toys, action figures and much more.

TOTAL GUNDAM WING will include:
* Special 16-page section of "3-D", with 3-D glasses included
* Gundam Wing character bios
* Gundam Wing episode guide
* The latest information on Gundam War
* Plus prices, photos, and information on all the best Gundam Wing action figures,
models and merchandise from the entire Gundam Series (in its 21st year in Japan)

Customer Reviews:

I really liked it........2002-11-27

I think some of the people reviewing this book are being overly mean.

What are you looking for out of a book on Gundam Wing?

Me?

I was looking for:

Bios of character w/photos - Yep. They're there. One photo's wrong but who cares? That's the artists fault. ;)

Bios of Gundams w/photos - they are here too

History & Info on Gundam. Yep, that's here. There's a very cool Timeline with great information about all the Gundam series. Colin Liu wrote a really cool story about "20 Years of Gundam". It's over 30 pages long, and tells you about all the Gundam Storylines.

Gundam Wing Episode Guide - Got it.

Modeling?? - CT Chin has a nice piece on Gundam Modeling with images of models. This is like 15 pages.

And there's a lot of other stuff in this book too. The 3D is kind of cheesy, but the rest of the book is fun.

Not for the G Wing newbie! Unless you just want the pics.......2002-08-11

I bought it mostly for the pics, even though Sally Po really is listed as being Noin in 1 pic with a real Noin pic on the next page. They have lots of typos, incorrect spelling of names & relationships. I think Dorothy is a distant cousin of some sort to Treize & if Dermail was Treize's brother well Dermail's parents must have been very fertile geriatrics to have a son old enough to be Dorothy's grandfather & also be the parents of a 20 to 23 year old man [I forget if Treize was 20, 21 or 23 in the series, but even the older characters were usually in their late teens]. I found Wufei's bio to be very incorrect & the other pilots data wasn't always correct either. If you want accurate Gundam Wing info buy something else or surf fan sites, the fan sites are usually obsessively correct if at all possible. It's a very good thing that they labelled this as an Unofficial GW book, because if this was an official book they could probably be repremanded for falsehoods or something. If you don't expect to much get it, otherwise save your money & get something else on GW instead, the GW: Tech Manual isn't too bad although that has a few goofs too, doesn't anyone know how to correctly spell Tsubarov's name for heaven's sake?!?!

THIS BOOK ISNT WORTH IT!.......2002-07-14

Please dont think for a second that you might want this book! Its information is tottally wrong! Names are [messed] up, family relations dont even make sense,the episode guide was 44% wrong, very biast and inncorrect character reveiws. Dont belive the other reviews on this page saying [stuff] like ''I know every character like someone in my family!'' or the really funny one ''this book was really helpfull.'' If you wanna learn something correct and really cool go to some fan sites .... Then you'll find some helpfull info.

HAHA..........2002-03-14

Easily put, this book IS NOT WORTH ANYTHING!!! All the information is wrong, and they even mistaken Noir's picture with Sally! Umm....EXCUSE ME?!?! Isn't there enough different between the two to realize they're two different people? Everything about this book is ENTIRELY made up!!! The people who wrote this book either never watched the anime or just decided to pick an anime off the top of their heads and start lying about it...Other than that, DO NOT, AND I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!! YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!

Hahahaha!.......2002-03-06

The only reason I got this book is for the many pictures. Most of the information is incorrect as a 12 year old reader from Millbury, OH said. When it says "Unofficial", they really mean "We made this up". The only nice stuff about this book is the pictures from Universal Century and the modeling section written by C.T. (Core) Chin of www.newtype-asylum.com. Definatly a site to check out. Anyways, I am gonna wrap this up with: If your new to Gundam Wing and looking for some great information, DON'T BUY THIS BOOK. But if your looking for some nice pictures from UC then I would pick this book up...

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Gundam Wing G-Unit, tome 3
Koichi Tokita
Manufacturer: Editions Pika
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Lensman Galactic Patrol #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 Anime Manga Comic By Eternitycomics (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5)

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Lensman Galactic Patrol #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 Anime Manga Comic By Eternitycomics (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5)

Manufacturer: Eternity Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

General | Manga | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000CEM76Y

Product Description

Get the complete series of Lensman, Galactic Patrol! All 5 comics from the Japanese Animiation in the Tradition of Robotech and Captain Harlock. A must have for any anime fan!

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Why Does This Book Contain Recipes?

A Must-Have Cookbook

This "cookbook" is just fantastic...

I cannot say enough about this book

How to Cook Without a Book

How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart
Pam Anderson
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Culinary Arts & Techniques | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Quick & Easy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | U.S. Regional | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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CookSmart: Perfect Recipes for Every Day

Perfect Recipes for Having People Over

The Perfect Recipe

A New Way to Cook

How to Cook Everything: The Basics

ASIN: 0767902793
Release Date: 2000-04-04

Amazon.com

Learn what makes a recipe tick, says How to Cook Without a Book author Pam Anderson, and you'll serve great food fast. Recognizing that most cooks feel challenged in the face of daily meal making, Anderson provides a game plan: prepare dishes based on available ingredients and simple cooking techniques you've mastered--not on recipes you've got to look up and ingredients you'll need to shop for--and you maximize the potential of kitchen ease. Cooks looking for a way to address the what-will-we-have-tonight quandary definitively, or those who feel they lack the energy or know-how to tackle cooking every night, should find the book essential. In chapters such as "Simple Stir-Frys" or "Weeknight Ravioli and Lasagna," Anderson presents a particular cooking procedure, provides a recipe that embodies it in its basic form (the protein-adaptable Weeknight Stir-Fry, for example), then offers simple variations (such as Stir-Fried Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms or Stir-Fried Shrimp with Pepper and Scallions). Chapters conclude with an at-a-glance review of key technique points. Following Anderson's tips and innovations, lasagna, for example, becomes a weeknight option (use egg-roll wrappers for the pasta, Anderson advises, and forgo the baking); she also shows how, once mastered, her Big Fat Omelet, which serves four, can become the basis for a wide range of lunch and dinner entrées. With a comprehensive pantry section and a dessert chapter that puts frozen puff pastry to work in imaginative ways, the book is a trove of information that cooks can use and depend on. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

Pam Anderson grew up watching her parents and grandparents make dinner every night by simply taking the ingredients on hand and cooking them with the techniques they knew.

Times have changed. Today we have an overwhelming array of ingredients and a fraction of the cooking time, but Anderson believes the secret to getting dinner on the table lies in the past. After a long day, who has the energy to look up a recipe and search for the right ingredients before ever starting to cook? To make dinner night after night, Anderson believes the first two steps--looking for a recipe, then scrambling for the exact ingredients--must be eliminated.  Understanding that most recipes are simply "variations on a theme," she innovatively teaches technique, ultimately eliminating the need for recipes.

Once the technique or formula is mastered, Anderson encourages inexperienced as well as veteran cooks to spread their culinary wings.  For example, after learning to sear a steak, it's understood that the same method works for scallops, tuna, hamburger, swordfish, salmon, pork tenderloin, and more. You never need to look at a recipe again. Vary the look and flavor of these dishes with interchangeable pan sauces, salsas, relishes, and butters.

Best of all, these recipes rise above the mundane Monday-through-Friday fare.  Imagine homemade ravioli and lasagna for weeknight supper, or from-scratch tomato sauce before the pasta water has even boiled.  Last-minute guests? Dress up simple tomato sauce with capers and olives or shrimp and red pepper flakes. Drizzle sautéed chicken breasts with a balsamic vinegar pan sauce. Anderson teaches you how to do it--without a recipe. Don't buy exotic ingredients and follow tedious instructions for making hors d'oeuvres. Forage through the pantry and refrigerator for quick appetizers. The ingredients are all there; the method is in your head. Master four simple potato dishes--a bake, a cake, a mash, and a roast--compatible with many meals. Learn how to make the five-minute dinner salad, easily changing its look and flavor depending on the season and occasion. Tuck a few dessert techniques in your back pocket and effortlessly turn any meal into a special occasion.

There's real rhyme and reason to Pam's method at the beginning of every chapter: To dress greens, "Drizzle salad with oil, salt, and pepper, then toss until just slick. Sprinkle in some vinegar to give it a little kick." To make a frittata, "Cook eggs without stirring until set around the edges. Bake until puffy, then cut it into wedges." Each chapter also contains a helpful at-a-glance chart that highlights the key points of every technique, and a master recipe with enough variations to keep you going until you've learned how to cook without a book.

Customer Reviews:

Why Does This Book Contain Recipes?.......2007-09-22

This is a deceitful book. The "techniques" mentioned in the title are summarized in tiny -- and dreadful -- "poems." And the book contains recipes which the novice cook must read!

I have a suspicion that this is a "vanity press" book; that is, one which the AUTHOR pays to have published.

A Must-Have Cookbook.......2007-09-05

This cookbook is so great! Most cookbooks include a bunch of recipes that require you to go out and buy a bunch of super-specific ingredients. But this book focuses on techniques and basic recipes that can be adapted as needed. It really provides a lot of great information on the basics so you can understand the building blocks of cooking great food. This book should be in every kitchen!

This "cookbook" is just fantastic..........2007-06-15

As an older mom always struggling to get an interesting meal for dinner prepared quickly, I have tried a variety of approaches. I have tried the cooking ahead approach(either a week or a month) and the grocery shopping alone can be overwhelming; then I tried the doctoring up convenience foods approach (always fast but can be expensive and taste like blah.)

I always keep coming back to the intuitive approach to shopping and cooking. Run to the store, bBuy the ingredients that look good and are on sale, and cook for dinner whatever I have on hand into something quick and interesting. (I'm told this is more like a chef approach.) I've no time for propping open cookbooks, measuring, compiling huge lists from recipes then going to the store, and so forth.

There are always leftover vegetables and meat to be used up, and I needed some fresh FLEXIBLE ideas on how to use up these leftovers. Before I read this book, my best dinners were always those that were from scratch but used up ingredients already on hand, that didn't really follow a recipe: pizzas, casseroles, quesadillas, omelets, sandwiches.

This cookbook is great for a beginner cook or a busy cook. Even though I have been cooking for over 20 years, this was exactly what I needed. The ideas on searing and pan sauces was worth the price alone for this book. I have made Roast Chicken and used the drippings from the roasting pan to make a Balsamic vinegar "pan" sauce and that was lovely!

Thanks again for this book.

I cannot say enough about this book.......2007-06-12

In the future this will always be one of the gifts I will give as a housewarming, graduation, wedding present.

How to Cook Without a Book.......2007-05-13

Pam Anderson's cook book is outstanding. The basic instruction skills are very helpful and the ingredients are easily adaptable to personal taste. Particularly important is the fact that the recipes require only a few ingredients as opposed to numerous ingredients most cookbook recipes require, yet the flavor remains fresh and satisfying. The section on stocking a kitchen is very helpful for meal planning and shopping and it insures that a variety of meal choices will be readily available. I recommend this cookbook for beginning cooks as well as for experienced cooks.

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