No comments about Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School.

1 comments about Have a Seat, Please.

1. The first half of this book consists of a multitude of "human interest" stories regarding condemned Texans walking the "last mile."

   The second half of the book, though, is a soapbox for overbearing anti-death penalty rhetoric.

   If you think you can tolerate the second half of the book, the first half of the book is worth it.

1 comments about Publisher.

1. Tom Maschler's life story: how he became editorial director of moribund publisher Jonathan Cape in his twenties after an apprenticeship with legendary Penguin publisher Allen Lane, transformed their fortunes by innovative and creative publishing of literary fiction and intellectually groudbreaking non fiction, founded one of the worlds most well known literary prizes, the Booker Prize, and published a vast number of the great and good writers of the last few decades, is so remarkable that it is impossible to mess up. That said, Maschler makes a pretty good fist of it. His writing style is plain and un-self aware to the point of autism, he name drops famous writers like a glossy magazine columnist and clearly fancies himself as a raconteur, a bon viveur, though clearly he has upset many more people than he realizes. Many stories end along the lines of: and he/she never spoke to me again. I can't help thinking I am owed an explanation.
   
   Mashcler's monstrous ego aside (at one typical comically un-self aware moment he writes of the pride he felt when a secretary said she could feel his presence in the Cape building even when she hadn't seen him arrive), his contribution to publishing is undiminished. He worked tirelessly to promote serious and intelligent books, and had a remarkable talent for spreading a buzz about his titles like bushfire through the publishing world. Publishers and booksellers knew that with Maschler behind a title you were guaranteed a: quality and b: (more important in publishing) sales. All this for comparatively little financial reward himself. Towards the end he writes of the buy out of Jonathan Cape by Random House when it could no longer survive as an independent company. Buy that stage, Maschler and his managing director were paying themselves only £40,000 a year, far less than many of his authors were earning as a result of Maschler's tireless support.
   
   Maschler will go down as one of the post war greats of the British publishing world (though equally is important is Liz Calder (now of Harry Potter house Bloomsbury), also vital to the Cape story and chronically undermentioned by Maschler. He mainly takes gleeful spite in boasting of authors he poached from Liz at her expense. Perhaps it is the case that good publishers make good writers, but great ones can't string a sentence together (for that is why they publish, rather than write). The entrepreneurial flair of the Maschler's of this world don't often go hand in hand with reflective, literary skills. Maschler's life story will be magnificently told one day, but by an authorized biographer, rather than the man himself.

2 comments about George Orwell: A Life.

1. The book had every thing i was looking for. It showed his life in different episodes. It was very easy to research in it.



2. Having been encouraged from about the age of twelve to read the essays of George Orwell I read Bernard Crick's recent meditation on him with a sense of gratitude. I haven't read any other work on Orwell which so perfectly conveys his inexhaustibility.
   Crick's real achievement here is a mastery of Orwell's tone. Orwell's essays keep a reader up until dawn and this book did the same to this reader.
   I can't say I agree with everything in the book, and have to say that sometimes I didn't grasp Crick's arguments. The chief pleasure of this book is its style; learned from one of the greatest defenders of expressed thought.

5 comments about We Are Our Mothers' Daughters.

1. I remember my mom telling me once that when she asked my grandfather for the money to take the college entrance exam he told her she should go to secretary school like all the other women. There was a time that women weren't allowed to seek their own destiny, be it successful stay at home moms or successful career women. I think my generation of women has forgotten about that and grown too comfortable with delegating our social and political responsibilities. I borrowed a copy of this book from a woman who is my mentor and bought a copy for my mom. But every woman my age and younger should read this so that they remember what came before us, and quite frankly as a career woman who still gets limited by my gender in the workplace, it is important to realize how far we've come and how far we still need to go. I didn't realize how good we have it, having lived on my own, bought my own cars and houses (the book talks about women not being extended lines of credit or losing lines of credit if their husbands died or divorced them --- as late as the 80s). The book has perhaps the best overall message that no matter what path you choose as a woman, what career or life choice, you have that choice now because of the women who came before us... our collective mothers. And it is our calling as daughters to make our mothers proud by not forgetting how valuable that choice is.



2. This is a gentle book of celebration. Cokie Roberts is an attractive lady from a large family of achievers. She shares part of her life story with the reader and writes valuable information in the form of essays, about amazing women past and present; many of whom we have not been aware of.

   I thoroughly enjoyed this easy to read book. I recommend it as encouragement to all women especially those hiding their talents.
   Mostly though, it is a reassuring book in that we women are reminded to appreciate each other, ever learning, ever discovering new ways to contribute, even if our best efforts go unnoticed for a time; willing to step back or go forward as the need arises, and always share the credits.

   With all due respect to the author, I find the title to be unworthy of this fine book. I am my daughter's mother; some women have no daughters, some daughters have no mother to encourage them - anyway perhaps I haven't gotten the point. Do read this book, enjoy it, and give it your own title!




3. Beautiful work by Ms. Roberts. A treasure for all women to read and enjoy. The essays are poignant and well documented. This is a book that should live on through history and handed from one woman to another.
   recommending also: Founding Mothers,Secret Life Of Bees,Three Junes,Lonely Hunter,Nightmares Echo



4. Interesting history of women in different fields, and, importantly, shows why they don't have the same interests as men in all the same numbers.
   
   Avows that neither gender has the desire to be the other, nor wants the other to be the same as them. Something that many of today's so-call social thinkers seem confused about. Many such thinkers seem not to want either gender to be the way they are, or not to want anyone to be an individual with their own values and choices.
   
   Roberts demonstrates that it is the women who hold a free society together -- who make it a society, who tend to keep associations with old friends and family, while men tend to neglect these. While men and women share more than they differ psychologically, their differences are important. At their best they form a partnership, gaining more from life -- each with different, but overlaping roles.
   
   (I've never had much use for Cokie Roberts as a political commentator, and as shown by the politicians she admires in this book, and as you would expect from government supported radio, NPR personnel are pretty much knee-jerk left wingers, favoring expanded government regulation and management of citizen's lives on all fronts. Fortunately, this is unimportant in this book.)



5. This book made me proud to be a woman! I learned a ton about women athletes, scientists, politicians, etc that I never knew. I also learned that even though I'm not a professional athlete, scientist or politician....we share many of the same experiences as women, wives and mothers. It's a great book and well worth the read. I recommend it for all women (and their spouses/significant others).

3 comments about Fire In The Wind: The Life of Dickey Chapelle.

1. I was actually a bit annoyed to find this book, since I didn't know anyone had written Chapelle's biography, and I had thought of doing it myself. That said, Ostroff has written it much better than I could have. While what drove Dickey Chapelle to her achievements and disasters remains a bit hard to grasp, Ostroff has done an excellent job of tracing her cliffhanger career. There are nitpicks: Ostroff puts herself in Chapelle's head at times, as if she knows exactly what Dickie was thinking, and there is no mention of Chapelle's spiritual beliefs or lack thereof. Despite these slips, the book is an excellent tale, well told. I've recommended it widely.



2. Interesting book about Dickey Chapelle. She wanted to be a pilot, but became a photojournalist--the first woman photographer to get accredation to cover the war in the Pacific in World War II. After that, she was present at nearly every noteworthy conflict or event there was--if something was going on, Dickey wanted to be there, and usually got her way. She worked for Life, Reader's Digest, National Geographic, and many other magazines and papers. She was killed in 1965, while with the Marines in Vietnam.

   Her personal life was not always smooth sailing, and I find it incredible that she achieved all she did.

   What I found most interesting about Dickey was her spirit--she didn't let conventions or anybody stand in her way. She was a trailblazer in her field, and I'm glad that Roberta Ostroff wrote this book--Dickey certainly deserves recognition for her courage and and heroism.




3. The book is very factual and an easy read because the author is a journalist herself. However Ms. Ostroff tends to engage in some hero worship with her subject, which came as something of a disappointment to me. Overall not a bad book but not one I'm keeping on my shelf.

No comments about A Publisher And His Friends: Memoir And Correspondence of the Late John Murray.

3 comments about True Stories.

1. Lev Razgon has not written just another account of train rides, hunger, and interrogations. Rather, in a series of vignettes, he explores the political culture both of the Soviet gulag and of the Stalinist era as a whole. While some of these can be precious, and all require a reasonable knowledge of Soviet history (better annotation would have been useful), Razgon provides one of the last first-hand accounts of the prison culture--on both sides of the wire--in the Soviet Union.



2. Lev Razgon has not written just another account of train rides, hunger, and interrogations. Rather, in a series of vignettes, he explores the political culture both of the Soviet gulag and of the Stalinist era as a whole. While some of these can be precious, and all require a reasonable knowledge of Soviet history (better annotation would have been useful), Razgon provides one of the last first-hand accounts of the prison culture--on both sides of the wire--in the Soviet Union.



3. This book is yet another wonderful, though terribly sad collection of vignettes about the author and his life in the Gulag. His writing is beautiful, even poetic and forgiving at times, then angry and frustrated in other parts. His is an honest, straightforward memoir about an awful period in Russian's cold and cruel history. You will never forget the people you meet in this book, and Lev Razgon will amaze and inspire you.

No comments about William G. Brownlow: Fighting Parson of the Southern Highlands.

4 comments about Lo que vi.

1. Purchased this book and started reading and could not put it down. Very good and coloquial narrative style. Also read Bajo la Mascara from same author, but this is far better,Highly recommend this book.

   Congratulations to the author, waiting for the next one.

   Iris Sanchez




2. Another great book by Jorge Ramos. Well written, easy reading, and very informative. He tells it "like it is"...



3. Soy un estudiante "hispanofil" de la lengua castellana y compró el libro para estudiar/practicar porqué parece ser un libro interesante, sobre cosas actuales, y no tan dificil porque tiene muchos capítulos cortos.

   Es, de verdad, muy interesante. A leer el libro es como ver a muchos sitios y actos, en America Latina y el mundo en general, sin viajar, sientado en la silla. Es mejor que las noticias "normales"; muy descriptivo, no es completamente objectivo porque tiene las opiniónes y afecciónes politicas del escritor, y para mi fui muy comodo la posibilidad a leer unos capitulos cada vez.

   Voy as comprar más libros de Sr. Jorge Ramos.




4. Yo me identifico mucho con este libro, pues en el, Jorge Ramos habla de la guerra de El salvador y yo siendo Salvadorena recuerdo exactamente todo lo sucedido durante la guerra en mi pais.
   Ademas admiro mucho al senor Jorge Ramos.