Review: How to Cook Everything: The Basics: All You Need to Make Great Food -- With 1,000 Photos

How to Cook Everything: The Basics: All You Need to Make Great Food -- With 1,000 Photos by Mark Bittman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The full-length How to Cook Everything is my go-to cookbook, but I really enjoyed browsing its shorter, illustrated sibling. Unlike the monster original, it would be possible (and very interesting) to cook through this version. Which I would love to do.

Some of these are the same recipes as the other; some are a little different. Mr. Bittman still seems to think you can make barbeque sauce without a sweetener (nope, not gonna work).

Great, illustrative photos. This would be a perfect learning-to-cook book.



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Review: House of Earth

House of Earth by Woody Guthrie

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I picked this up on the new acquisitions shelf at the library because it was by Woody Guthrie. I'd just been reminiscing about learning "This Land is Your Land" in elementary music class.

I don't feel like I wasted my time with this, but I wouldn't re-read it. It was Steinbeckian with a dash of beat poet (not my cup of tea), plus a really long, awkward sex scene in the first chapter (not even my cup of lukewarm water). I can totally see why the author never got it published during his lifetime.

In the pro column, the setting and characterizations were vivid and life-like. The wide-open, lonely Texas plain is beautifully drawn.

Bottom line: I can't recommend this book, but I will be checking out more of Woody Guthrie's writing.




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