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Lorna C. (cookiemonster71) - Reviews

1 to 20 of 27 - Page:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Author: Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 166
Review Date: 11/7/2007
Helpful Score: 6


This is the kind of book that changes the way you view the world. I may not turn my back yard into rows of crops, but I am moved to buy more locally and more organically. Also, check out her website, a great resource.


Cooking for Harry
Cooking for Harry
Author: Kay-Marie James
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 11
Review Date: 11/7/2007


I liked the beginning of this book because when I'm not cooking and/or eating food, I like to read about fictional characters or real people who are cooking and/or eating food. About 2/3 of the way through, the plot makes an attempt to be more than a book just about food (which is when I think it gets a little hokey). However, it is a very short book and you can get through that part quickly.


Downtown Owl
Downtown Owl
Author: Chuck Klosterman
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 10/16/2011


A very enjoyable read about small town life in the 80's. With Kosterman's special dark humor of daily life, he shows the very human side to characters of all different types. As someone who has never lived in a small town, the idea of the same group of people knowing each other their entire lives and not being able to do anything about it is an interesting way to tell a story.


The Enchanted: A Novel (P.S.)
The Enchanted: A Novel (P.S.)
Author: Rene Denfeld
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 9/29/2015


My book club chose this book by accident and ended up loving it. The title does not relate the true meaning of the story. Told from the eyes of a prisoner on Death Row who shows a love for humanity one normally does not attribute to Death Row inmates and from the view of a Death Row investigator who is haunted by her own history. The characters are very deep and thought out. For a relatively short book, a great deal of story and description is packed in. If you do not need a feel good book and want to read something that might give you a different perspective, this is a recommended read. If you have the version with the author's notes at the end, that helped gain an understanding of why this book was written.


The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont
The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont
Author: Victoria Griffith
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 6/25/2012


Here in the USA, we have been raised that the Wright brothers invented the airplane. However, in other parts of the world, it was Alberto Santos-Dumont who is credited with the invention of the airplane.

This was an entertaining and beautifully illustrated story about Santos-Dumont's adventure as the first man to take off in a plane using its own power (the Wright Brothers had assistance from others with their take off).

I really liked the mention of Cartier in the story as well.

This was a delightful story that taught my children and me something new.


The Foodtaster: The Story of My Incredible Life
The Foodtaster: The Story of My Incredible Life
Author: Ugo Difonte
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 4/6/2010


A very interesting and funny tale of a food taster who survives using his wits, his humor and his cunning to outsmart those who wish to kill the duke he serves.


French Milk
French Milk
Author: Lucy Knisley
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 34
Review Date: 10/17/2014


A young 22 yr old aspiring illustrator gets to spend 5 weeks in Paris with her mom. Every day she fills her journal with the touring and observations they encounter. Most of the journal is her drawings which are a pleasure to look at. This is the true voice of a young adult on the edge of entering the real world and taking in all there is from an old world.

This is NOT a book for kids. Adults are allowed to read graphic novels and this is one of them.


The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
Author: Amy Schumer
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 32
Review Date: 9/30/2016


You need to like Amy Schumer's humor to enjoy this book. You need to be OK with a women freely discussing sex, her enjoyment of sex and her body. This is not a memior (she isn't old enought to have one yet!). This is just her being frank talking about subjects that have happened in her life. Losing her virginity, being in abusive relationships, caring for a sick parent. The book isn't a knee slapper. However, it was written in her voice and puts on paper topics that have been forced to be taboo for a women to openly discuss.

I thought is was a good read, especially when her shining star is still burning bright. Her amazement that she has found celebrity and humbleness about it comes through in her stories.


The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle
Author: Jeannette Walls
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 3454
Review Date: 11/7/2007
Helpful Score: 1


What an amazing book! A great reminder that I am not as bad of a mom as I think! I recommend this to all women who think they had it bad as a kid or might be screwing up their kids. No way you could have it as bad as the Walls!


The Gods Among Us: The Divine Masquerade Series
The Gods Among Us: The Divine Masquerade Series
Author: D. C. Belton
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 4/3/2012


I won this book through a GoodRead.com giveaway.

Like any first book that sets up for a series, The Gods Among Us has lots to explain in the first few chapters. I had some starts and stops where I turned to the Chart of Houses in the front to figure out who was what and where they belonged. However, as the excitement began and the plot moved ahead, all the pieces fell into place.

Pallas is like any frustrating/frustrated teen. She knows everything and nothing. She doesn't want any help and has no idea what she's doing. When she meets Othello, her talking tutor of a cat, her life takes a big 180 and the adventure begins.

I thought the writing was well done and drew me into the story. At the end, you are looking forward to book 2! This is written for young adults, however I think readers of all ages will enjoy it.


Hand Me Down
Hand Me Down
Author: Melanie Thorne
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 4/11/2012


As the mom of two daughters, this book hit home. It reminded me that I'm a great mom! Sometimes you read a story about a kid gone bad and you wonder how the parents messed up. Hand Me Down is a book about a great kid even though her parents are trying really hard to ruin her life! This isn't the "Oh, my parents don't understand me" complaining of a teenager. This is the story of Elizabeth who is forced into the position of being the only level headed member of her family.

Melanie Thorne's writing ties to you Elizabeth so that you can't put the book down, waiting for something good to come her way.

This is an outstanding read for teens or adults.

I received this book from a GoodReads Giveaway.


Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress: Tales of Growing Up Groovy and Clueless
Review Date: 4/4/2010


I thought this was a great book. I laughed out loud many times, trying to find someone I can tell a funny part to. It is wonderful how Gilman can look back on her life and find humor in everything that happened to her.


Jacques Pepin Fast Food My Way
Jacques Pepin Fast Food My Way
Author: Jacques Pepin
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 7/30/2017


This is a good cookbook with ideas of what to throw together for meals. A good book if you already know how to cook and are looking for ideas. Probably a good book if you don't know how to cook and don't have great knife skills (a lot of things were thrown together). If your cooking is in a rut, it is a nice boost. Glad I can share it with others on PBS.


The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks
Review Date: 3/25/2012


Whether you are a great cook or a horrible cook, this book is for you. Kathleen Flinn walks a class of novice home cooks through all the basics in the kitchen so they can free themselves from having others prepare all their meals.

I consider myself a good cook (haven't killed anyone yet!) and I learned many wonderful things from this book. The recipe for 5 minute bread and homemade vinaigrette using the end of a jam/jelly jar have been used repeatedly in my home.

I recommend this book to my friends who tell me how they hate to cook and are afraid to cook. Flinn helps her students (and the reader) through many different tasks in the kitchen to help you make life easier and save some money.

Well written and an easy read.


The Magician's Land (Magicians, Bk 3)
The Magician's Land (Magicians, Bk 3)
Author: Lev Grossman
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 17
Review Date: 12/4/2014


I had a very hard time reading this book. I wanted to fly through the pages to see what would happen in Fillory and to Quentin and the old gang but I knew each page I finished brought me closer to the end of this wonderful trilogy. I describe this as Harry Potter meets Narnia but for adults. It has been a wonderful series to read, each of the books as good as the next.


Me, Myself, and Why? (BOFFO, Bk 1)
Me, Myself, and Why? (BOFFO, Bk 1)
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 46
Review Date: 3/9/2012


I love Mary Janice Davidson books. However, I really didn't care for this book. I understand she is trying out something new, however I think she was trying to introduce new characters and their quirks while tying in a serial murder case and too many things seemed half way done. She is a wonderful author. Try her other books before this one.


Meanwhile: Pick Any Path. 3,856 Story Possibilities.
Meanwhile: Pick Any Path. 3,856 Story Possibilities.
Author: Jason Shiga
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 1/13/2011


My kids can't put this book down. This is a fun book that the reader gets to choose his story line with almost each frame he reads in this graphic novel. Each time you begin you can choose a different ending.

Highly recommend!


Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady
Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady
Author: Kate Summerscale
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 2.7/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 3/25/2012
Helpful Score: 1


When is a divorce not an ugly thing? Two people start out in a marriage in the hopes 'til death do us part'. And then things change. Does it help that they might have married because of money or social status or plain fear of being alone? Once children are brought into the marriage and there is considerable money involved, they can't just walk away.

It doesn't matter what time period it happens, divorce brings out the ugly in people. If the time period is the mid 1800's in Victorian England, it isn't going to be very promising for the woman involved, since women were considered property of the husband and second class citizens.

In Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace by Kate Summerscale, a detailed account of a sticky divorce reminds us that we've come a long way, baby. The first half of the book retells the diary of Mrs. Robinson and her infatuation with Edward Lane. The second half of the book describes the bitter divorce proceedings between Mr. Robinson, Mrs. Robinson and her accused adulterer Lane where the main piece of evidence is the diary of Mrs. Robinson.

It is a very well researched factual event that is written like fiction to draw the reader into the emotional roller coaster Mrs. Robinson is forced to ride.


The Narrow Road to the Deep North: A novel
The Narrow Road to the Deep North: A novel
Author: Richard Flanagan
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 11
Review Date: 2/23/2015


This is the first book I have ever read about POWs in Asia during WWII. It was a fresh topic for me and eye opening in the level of inhumanaity one person can have toward another and justifying it as due to a higher cause. Beautifully written, the story goes back and forth from the present to a pre-war past to the horrors of the war and back to the present. If you can appreciate a topic written in a way that will force you think about duty, love, heroism, war and death, this is the book for you. AFter reading it, I understand why it won the Man Booker Award.


Once We Were Brothers (Liam Taggart & Catherine Lockhart, Bk 1)
Once We Were Brothers (Liam Taggart & Catherine Lockhart, Bk 1)
Author: Ronald H. Balson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 8
Review Date: 1/17/2012


I just met the author of this book and have to say that anyone could pick up this book and get lost in it. It is for those who enjoy historical fiction, mysteries, legal thrillers and more.

This is one of those few novels where you tell yourself you'll put the book down after the next chapter, and the next and the next. The characters and the story they tell engross you to the point where they feel so real that you truly care about what has and will happened to them.

"From Nazi-Occupied Poland to a Chicago Courtroom". This would be a wonderful book group selection.


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