Category: Writing

author: Michael Ruhlman
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2012/01/08
date added: 2012/02/08
shelves: cookbook, ebook, non-fiction, read-again
review:
Returned itself to the library before I finished. Some interesting ideas here, things I’d like to try in more detail sometime.

author: Michael Ruhlman
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2012/01/08
date added: 2012/02/08
shelves: cookbook, ebook, non-fiction, read-again
review:
Returned itself to the library before I finished. Some interesting ideas here, things I’d like to try in more detail sometime.

author: Chris Hardwick
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2011/12/20
date added: 2011/12/27
shelves: ebook, non-fiction, self-help, read-again
review:
Just barely got started; it expired while I was working my way through Inferno. Seemed interesting, if a little wacky in tone. Might try again at some point.

author: Chris Hardwick
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2011/12/20
date added: 2011/12/27
shelves: ebook, non-fiction, self-help, read-again
review:
Just barely got started; it expired while I was working my way through Inferno. Seemed interesting, if a little wacky in tone. Might try again at some point.

author: Max Hastings
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/12/22
date added: 2011/12/27
shelves: ebook, history, non-fiction, read-again
review:
HUGE almost blow-by-blow account of WWII. Somewhat overwhelming in spots, and too long to finish before it expired. Would like to try again someday.

author: Max Hastings
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/12/22
date added: 2011/12/27
shelves: ebook, history, non-fiction, read-again
review:
HUGE almost blow-by-blow account of WWII. Somewhat overwhelming in spots, and too long to finish before it expired. Would like to try again someday.

author: Candice Millard
name: Elaine
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2011/12/25
date added: 2011/12/27
shelves: non-fiction, biography, history, politics, science, ebook
review:
Fascinating book on a topic I knew nothing about. (I vaguely remembered that Garfield was shot by an office seeker, but not much more than that.) The switching back and forth between the life of President Garfield and his (crazypants!) assassin was very well done. And I’m a little sad I hadn’t known anything about Garfield before this; he comes off as a really wonderful human being.

Also: holy premodern medicine, Batman! It’s clear early on that he may have been shot by Guiteau, but he was killed by appalling medical practices. If he’d been left the hell alone, he probably would have lived; if he’d been shot two decades later, they would have gotten out the bullet AND he would have lived. (There’s an interesting sidetrack into Alexander Graham Bell’s development of a metal detector in hopes of finding the bullet.) But in 1881, getting the best possible medical care basically finished him off.

Now I’m curious why American docs in particular were so slow to take up Lister’s antiseptic methods and the germ theory. I got pretty well grossed out by the descriptions of doctors basically rooting around in his back with their bare hands looking for the bullet…which happened to have ended up on the opposite side from where they thought it was…and pus, and fevers, and blood poisoning. Ewwww.

A interesting story very well told. Highly recommended.

author: Candice Millard
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2011/12/25
date added: 2011/12/27
shelves: non-fiction, biography, history, politics, science, ebook
review:
Fascinating book on a topic I knew nothing about. (I vaguely remembered that Garfield was shot by an office seeker, but not much more than that.) The switching back and forth between the life of President Garfield and his (crazypants!) assassin was very well done. And I’m a little sad I hadn’t known anything about Garfield before this; he comes off as a really wonderful human being.

Also: holy premodern medicine, Batman! It’s clear early on that he may have been shot by Guiteau, but he was killed by appalling medical practices. If he’d been left the hell alone, he probably would have lived; if he’d been shot two decades later, they would have gotten out the bullet AND he would have lived. (There’s an interesting sidetrack into Alexander Graham Bell’s development of a metal detector in hopes of finding the bullet.) But in 1881, getting the best possible medical care basically finished him off.

Now I’m curious why American docs in particular were so slow to take up Lister’s antiseptic methods and the germ theory. I got pretty well grossed out by the descriptions of doctors basically rooting around in his back with their bare hands looking for the bullet…which happened to have ended up on the opposite side from where they thought it was…and pus, and fevers, and blood poisoning. Ewwww.

A interesting story very well told. Highly recommended.

author: Nancy Baggett
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2009/08/28
date added: 2011/12/23
shelves: cookbook, own
review:
I only got to make one recipe out of this book: the very first one. But it was amazing. I’ve made basic white bread twice now. The first time, I didn’t let it rise quite long enough, so it was kinda dense, but still really tasty. The second time I was more patient (and maybe added more yeast? or it was warmer?) and it turned out just about perfect. I really want to get a copy and try more recipes. (Also need dutch oven.)

[Edit: got a copy for Christmas (2009 or 2010?) from my sister. Have made several recipes, am fond of oat bread, English muffin bread, and pizza dough.]

author: Nancy Baggett
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2009/08/28
date added: 2011/12/23
shelves: cookbook, own
review:
I only got to make one recipe out of this book: the very first one. But it was amazing. I’ve made basic white bread twice now. The first time, I didn’t let it rise quite long enough, so it was kinda dense, but still really tasty. The second time I was more patient (and maybe added more yeast? or it was warmer?) and it turned out just about perfect. I really want to get a copy and try more recipes. (Also need dutch oven.)

[Edit: got a copy for Christmas (2009 or 2010?) from my sister. Have made several recipes, am fond of oat bread, English muffin bread, and pizza dough.]