Accessible and Enjoyable
934495
Solidly researched and engagingly written assessment of the historical, current, and future health of the state of New Jersey by two keen observers of the state's economic climate. The essential information presented is accessible and understandable not only to policymakers and the business community but to the layperson interested in where the state has been and how it will fare going forward in the twenty-first century.
2882296
A very engaging and easily accessible book on how we deal with uncertain choices with little information. I enjoyed the book and I also enjoyed the thrill of constantly looking inward on how I deal with ambiguity. If you are a fan of pop psychology and like understanding yourself a little better, then this title is for you.
1268948
The Big Picture by Sean Carroll is a very accessible addition to the category of science books for the general public. As is usually the case this incorporates contextualizing the science within the more philosophical parameters of daily life. We may not think of our lives as philosophically driven but our actions and ideas are indeed so in the broadest sense. Carroll uses the concept of poetic naturalism to bring the discussion from the hows of science to the whys of the humanities.

I found his discussions quite enjoyable and his arguments well grounded both scientifically (of course) and philosophically. That isn't to say I agreed with every use of every term but he did not grossly misuse any terms to make a concept fit his paradigm. This is often where books at the boundaries between disciplines begin to falter; that does not occur here.

I would recommend this to anyone who generally likes these books as well as anyone looking for a substantive discussion of naturalism using the latest science as part of the case-building. An enjoyable read with very few instances which should require extensive background.

Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.
1199780
Wonderfully enjoyable. . . .  A foreword by Heston Blumenthal puts this edition in context: "[Escoffier] said he wanted the book to be 'a useful tool rather than just a recipe book,' and that's exactly what it is." Another nice grace note--a very brief biography of Escoffier on pages xx-xxii by his grandson Pierre P. Escoffier.

While Escoffier may have said that this is not a recipe book, the recipes are delightfully straightforward. I have made Cerise jubilee any number of times. His description of how to make this is one of the shortest and most direct. That impressed me!

To the extent that it is relevant, the chapters are organized by various obvious categories: sauces, garnishes, soups, hors-d'oeuvre, eggs, fish, butchers' meat, poultry, game, composite entrees, roasts, vegetables, sweets and desserts, ices, sandwiches, and fruits, jams, and drinks. Covering the waterfront, in short.

Each section, of course, features many recipes. But the short introductory comments are also worthy of note. Here, Escoffier provides general statements about how to approach matters. Sauces? He speaks of basic preparations, such as stocks, glazes, mirepoix, and so on. Back to basics. Then, some general principles on preparing sauces. In short, one gains his perspective on sauces before actually exploring individual recipes.

All in all, a most enjoyable volume for an amateur cook like me.
4564135
The Voice is an accessible and faithful narrative-driven Bible. Put together by a group of scholars and writers from Ecclesia Bible Society, it focuses both on faithfulness to the original text and on readability. They use a unique translation approach they call "contextual equivalence," which is basically dynamic equivalence (like NIV) with some contextual adders. It has a nice flow, has helpful notes, and comes in a nice package (looks and feels a lot like a novel).

They add contextual helps to their translation, and when they do so the addition is denoted by italics. So for example, while they translate Christos (Christ) pretty consistently as "Anointed One," it will sometimes be with an adder in italics like "Liberating King" to help explain how Christos was commonly understood at the time.  They don't seem to be shifting the wording to our context (like The Message does) so much as explaining the original words in a way that is in-line with the text. It is refreshing to see this kind of differentiation in a translation which otherwise might border on paraphrase.

One other unique feature is the way dialog is displayed - more or less like a script, with the speakers name at left and the spoken text indented. This makes it very easy to identify what is said by who (though the reader should know that this is sometimes educated guesswork on the part of the translators), and, I felt, helps with the flow. My only reservation with this feature is that it seems to contradict (or at least inhibit) another one of their stated goals with this Bible: To bring out the original authors style and not "flatten" it in favor of translation style.

This isn't just a translation -- it is a complete package, including articles and introductions, each of which seems to be well researched and presented for entry level adult Bible readers. This makes it somewhat like a "light" study Bible, with notes that are short and interesting enough that you will probably read them all in the course of a casual reading.

I'd love to see an edition of this Bible that was more true to its "novel" form: Get rid of the chapter and verse numberings (and maybe even the italics for the added words), and make an edition of this that is even more geared to helping readers immerse themselves in the story.  However, even as it stands, I would be quick to recommend this work to anyone wanting to read the entire Bible for the first time, and also to anyone familiar with the Bible who needs to approach the text again with fresh eyes.

(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)
4568169
Besides the fact that Tim Ferriss appears to be the most accessible author ever encountered, the advice in the book is manageable and helpful. The blog, online bonus material and countless links to products makes performing your own body experiments much much MUCH simpler. Even though I don't have the time nor the resources (stay-at-home-mom of two and three-year old girls) of the author to completely remake my, Ferriss brings the mountain to the reader. He outlines the most bare-bones ways to read the book to get what you want. The book is so accessible and written in such a fun, self-deprecating way you want to read the whole thing, and then invite Tim over for some Yerba Mate and a pizza. As he mentioned beans get can get a little boring, but I am not hungry AT ALL and it takes the power away from food. I was so sick of weighing and consulting my calorie books and websites, so this is a great alternative. Thank you, Tim Ferriss, for your hard work and OCD!
2534200
I like this book. Its pervading flavour is of having a lot of fun - and it's nice to be put at ease and invited to come and play. It's much easier to glean insight when you're at ease, rather than wrestling with the zillion imaginary things the anxious mind wrestles with.

The book's only potential stumbling block could be a compromising of nondualistic precision in favour of all-inclusiveness (the book covers a very broad, eclectic spectrum of narratives - Shakespeare, Einstein, Lao Tzu...). However, as it happens, this stumbling block doesn't materialise, because whenever slight imprecisions are indulged - the over all strongly nondualistic message of the text re-appropriates the deliberate "slur" in its real precise terms. And anyway, the hole in the centre of the book (which in keeping with the all-pervading playfulness of the text re-constitutes the book as a sort of board-game!) is the ultimate expression of this text: forget the words... fall into the void - it says!

And, along the way, the dipping into all manner of cultures and forms creates a warm, affectionate feeling of communal intimacy - which is its own appeal and beauty.

All in all, it is a lovely, imaginative, gently informative read. "Hillig" never gives the impression of being high-and-mighty, superior, he just sounds like he likes to play and make friends - friendships constituted in ecstatically sharing truth. The narrator-reader relationship in this text IS a friendship - and that's so valuable when trying to share something ineffable.

Thanks for the lovely book Chuck,

With love to you and anyone else who cares to read this meandering, relaxed, happy, summery review,

Guy xxx
2083497
Mark Epstein helps make two seemingly weighty subjects -- Buddhism and psychotherapy -- quite accessible.  Easy, even fun, to read, and personally quite impactful. Much of the book is short, powerful stories about experiences of the author and his patients.
2157539
Loved the book, thought it was easy, accessible, and not guilt inducing.
4070414
There have been a lot of books written about the religious intentions of the Founding Fathers and the proper role of religion in American life. Jon Mecham (editor of Newsweek Magazine) offers an examination of the issues and the history that argues for the middle road between a church-dominated political arena and a "Godless" public square. The book is both easily accessible and highly enjoyable. While he cites contemporary writings extensively, Meacham does not clutter the text with footnotes; all his citations are documented in the back of the book. In fact, the text itself takes up only about 2/3 of the entire volume; the rest is devoted to an appendix of key historical documents, the documentation for citations, an extensive bibliography, and the index.
4205626
One of the things that makes Cooper's Swingset podcast so wonderful is the astonishing balance its hosts manage to strike among being informative, relatable, vulnerable, and sexy. It's extraordinarily welcoming to listen to, and this book performs the same delicate balancing act. It's a quick, accessible read that is fun and hot, but also honest in a way that makes it richer than eroticasometimes awkwardly and painfully, but that is what makes this novel feel real. This was refreshing to read, and I would love to read more.
4424947
This is not one of those arty, existentialist short stories that presents a mundane series of people or events, but never really seems to go anywhere or make any point. This story definitely has a point, and it's one I think just about any adult can appreciate. I don't say "adult" because it has any material that would be inappropriate for someone younger, but because it will resonate much more strongly with people who've been around the block a few times.

The characters are simply but effectively drawn, and interact with one another in very natural ways. It's a warm and welcoming story, and it will make you think. There's a philosophical bent to this one, but it's still very accessible.
3847790
Handbook is another thoughtful and thought-provoking entry into Caravan's series of essays, observations and conversations. It goes two step further, underscoring ideas graphically and offering practicable suggestions for changing your world, if not *the* world. The slim book is a quick read yet not. It's accessible and friendly so easy to be lulled into flying through. You'll need to, and should, go back and re-read to appreciate the weight and depth of what he's saying.
4151583
I'm having a terribly difficult time not letting myself try to compose this review in Joycean - but here goes. This book is a lovely, lighthearted romp through a bit of the Wake. It's mostly quite clever, filled with fun and anecdotes, and quotes the Wake quite extensively - but in a context that actually makes sense. Any Joyce fan (or literature fan in general) who has any sense of humor (and if you read the Wake without a sense of humor, have my condolences) ought to at least give this a read-through. It is lighthearted, and certainly isn't a serious critical piece, but is accessible and enjoyable.
1956414
Christopher Bryan's modest, probing reflection on how to read Scripture was a fun read -- that sounds flippant, but I found his prose style entirely accessible and his witness welcome. The book doesn't go into a lot of depth; it's aimed at a general Christian reader. But his words lend assurance to those of us who search Scripture for truth and for a guide to our faith journey -- a journey that tries to navigate between the contortions of literal readings and the iconoclasm of liberal theology. He is especially cogent when he proposes how the Lambeth Conference should have approached searching for meaning in Scripture -- a love-inspired, serious approach other denominations grappling with issues of the day could learn from. I look forward to reading more of his work.
2098689
How much one likes this probably depends on whether one was expecting an integrated narrative--which this book is not, and does not purport to be--or a collection of largely self-standing pieces that were illuminating in their own right.

I was expecting an anthology, and I think that this one is both highly accessible and, by and large, first rate.  I like the fact that there are a lot of different voices, different understandings of the project at hand, and different writing styles.  The net result is that this is both an enjoyable collection (insofar as pieces about the national disaster that was the Civil War can be described that way) and a powerful one.

Those who are less-versed in writing about the Civil War and more interested in a single volume might gainfully begin with Drew Gilpin Faust's work.
2912960
Though I don't own a Kindle, I do have the app on my iPad and was pleased to find this novel offered. I find most Kindle e-books to be easy to navigate and this one was no exception. The straightforward interface means you can look past the technology and do something so many of us enjoy: get lost in the pages of a good book, whether it's an electronic copy or not.

In terms of content, Oliver Twist is one of Dickens' most accessible novels. Hard Times and The Pickwick Papers might be weightier tomes and A Christmas Carol might be a better start for younger readers, but Oliver Twist is simply classic. On the surface engaging story with vivid characters that draws you in to the streets of London, Dickens uses his plucky little hero to paint a lurid portrait of the underbelly of society and the abject misery of living in poverty. By following Oliver through his meager workhouse existence and onward to life as a street urchin and budding criminal, we can see through the author's eyes his take on the cruel truths of child labor and the pitiful lives of the unwanted.

If my admittedly dry assessment of the underlying theme depresses you, please do realize that the Dickensian dark humor and wit are very much at play in this novel. He gets his points across with sometimes heavy-handed sarcasm and characters that may seem more like caricatures in their absurdity. Oliver Twist remains an entertaining read, one that lends itself easily to popular culture and a number of film adaptations.