Not only for the snobs
355431
A depth analysis of the Israeli wine industry + reviews of more than 1500 wines.  Written by a real pro who thinks not only about what the snobs will like but what the average drinker will enjoy.  A great guide for buying.
795067
Though I thoroughly enjoyed it, this book is not for everyone. A slightly warped sense of humor, a strong stomach, and an affection for the strange would be prerequisites, I would say, for an appreciation of Katherine Dunn's perverse and bizarre little tale of a carny family named the Binewskis. And the moment I stumbled up this little gem I knew I had to read it.

The "geek" in the title, by the way, has nothing to do with the way we understand that term today, as in "he's a computer geek," or "she's a Star Wars geek." No, this use refers to the turn of the century meaning, of a carnival freak who would bite the heads off of live chickens as a warm up for the main freak or sideshow to follow. So now you know what you're in for.

The novel is about the Binewski family, Lil and Al, the "normal" parents; the oldest, Arty the Aquaboy, born with flippers instead of arms; daughter Oly, the albino hunchback; daughters Iphy and Elly the Siamese twins; and the youngest, son Chick, outwardly normal but with a hidden and dangerous talent. These "normal" parents bred their own human oddities through the deliberate ingestion of amphetamines, prescription drugs, insecticides, arsenic, and radioisotopes, among other things. The story is told through the eyes of Oly, the little hunchback.

"When your mama was the geek, my dreamlets," Papa would say, "she made the nipping off of noggins such a crystal mystery that the hens themselves yearned toward her, waltzing around her, hypnotized with longing. 'Spreak your lips, sweet Lil,' they'd cluck, 'and show us your choppers!" [3]

Like any family, the Binewskis have their internal issues: Arty, the oldest, is resentful of his siblings if they draw more attention than him, and he someday expects to inherit and run the show, "Binewski's Fabulon," himself. He is not fond of Chick. Iphy and Elly oftentimes fight, having as they do quite different personalities. Chick, the youngest, was nearly abandoned at birth at a quik-mart due to his apparent lack of "uniqueness." Oly, the narrator, is perhaps the most even-tempered of the clan. She is the peacemaker.

And then there is the mysterious Miss Lick, who carries on a horrifying mission, and crosses paths with Oly.

The novel is structured as a series of vignettes, both in present time and in flashbacks, though there are plot threads that drive the narrative along. Dunn said when she finished writing the book, "It was sad and terrible. I mourned for a long time. I loved those people and their world." I'd say her sentiments come through clearly in her writing. Despite the demented subject matter, the characters come through as full fledged human beings.

A strange and wonderful read.

Informative WIRED article about the book, with comments from the author, Dunn.
http://www.wired.com/2014/03/geek-love/
1444986
Not a book for everyone , more for serious readers to see if they've miss anything worth their time
2919795
This book is a compilation of several issues of the British 'zine of the same name, which is dedicated to the fine and subtle art (well, all right...down and dirty fetish) of thrifting, aka charity shopping in  Britslang.  It contains interviews and advice from die-hard thrift  shoppers, pics of unique finds, tales of humorous collections and lots of  funny photos, including shots of now-famous, then-obscure models/actresses  Chloe Sevigny and Sophie Dahl.  If you'd rather hit the Goodwill than the  Gap or at least like to troll garage sales or rummage at church bazaars,  this is the book for you!
1915303
Lets face it, black folk have contributed greatly to our culture. Do you listen to the blues? Enjoy jazz? Play the banjo? Have a teenager that is into Hiphop? (OK, that last one is a bad example)All of these art forms are uniquely American. They were all invented in the U.S. by black folk and the rest of the world loves them. Black people aren't all great, neither are all white people, or Mexicans. But, I really like the blues, nice cars, and good Mexican food. Doesn't everybody? So I say: Thank you, black folk, Whitey, and whoever invented the taco. Oh yeah, don't but this book, it sucks.

CB
2632798
Although one could quibble about the style, there's a lot of very important and worthwhile stuff here. Try it-- carefully!
446155
The English snobs in my company hated this book when I showed it to them so much that I knew I was on to something.

It's funny I think.

Quite.
1769764
Maybe nobody else has quite realized it yet, but this book isn't really about Martin Popoff's taste in heavy metal.  It's meant to allow the Reader to engage in formulating their own taste--you're supposed to engage in a running dialogue with Popoff's opinions, and this forces you to think deeply and clearly about how Metal affects you, why it gets under your skin and why (when the day is over) it's important to you.  Along the way, Popoff (who has a copious amount of knowledge about all things hard and heavy) acts sometimes as your ally, sometimes as your enemy, and sometimes as a Court Jester.  Fact is, genuine metal obssesives are a microscopic minority subculture.  I'm glad I bought Martin's book, because I finally have someone to talk to.
1692162
As a Brit married to a Yank, I had to laugh at a few of the customer reviews below.  Some people seemed to be very seriously expecting a guide about how to avoid horrible breaches of business etiquette.  Just because it has 'Survival Guide' in the title..... lighten up!
Admittedly, it probably is a little dated. I was given my treasured, tattered copy a number of years ago by an Anglophile Yank, and laughed my head off at the very accurate observations.  I suddenly understood why my American friends thought I had a 'poor self-image' - they take all that self-depracating humor seriously!
4603066
Much Better and more informative than copy cat "nourished kitchen".  Humble author whose intent is to help others not make a buck like the happy hipster mcgruther
2969837
This book is obviously not for everyone, but if you are interested enough in the topic to be reading the reviews, then you will be happy with the purchase. The Author tends to ramble a bit at times, and he makes repeats a few points more than needed, but so far I have gotten a lot out of this, and it has change the way I think about buildings, evolution, and how to judge the merits of a building's design.

I would strongly encourage anyone thinking of building a house to get this book.
3169038
This book has some great suggestions for those who would like to make a difference and leave this world a better place than they found it.
2211904
Raw foods are an often misunderstood thing. Ignorance, uncertainty and plain unfamiliarity stand in the way for most people it seems, yet the self-same people will often eat salad without a second thought...

This book aims to correct things and possibly introduce the purported benefits and delights of raw cookery to a wider public. The authors own and operate raw food caf&eacute;s in Los Angeles and New York so they start with a good base of experience. Even if you don't sign up to the "fashionable chic" of raw food as a whole concept, nonetheless it is interesting to read what it is all about and there will be many dishes that you could still enjoy without going all the way.

The book demolished some preconceptions this reviewer had without being hectoring or overbearing. For those who are already signed up to the programme, a lot of the introductory and explanatory material might be safely skipped over, but the curious beginner will be able to fully try things thanks to the comprehensive, thoughtful nature of this book. You can certainly sense the authors' enthusiasm for their business, their opinions, their lifestyle.

Looking through the recipes quite a few caught this reviewer's eye, even though many of the ingredients are not exactly commonplace in many non urban centres. The recipes might require a little more investigation and planning, allowing also for the fact that some ingredients may be known by different names in different countries. Unfamiliar ingredients that are possibly harder to source might become familiar friends, ordered economically by mail order or through specialist outlets you never knew existed in your home country, after spending time with this book.

Each recipe is written in a clear, easy-to-follow style and this is particularly important when you are trying a possibly entirely new style of food. You might feel overwhelmed, confused and stressed but the book tries to do as much as it can to alleviate these things. Where there is a choice, this reviewer is probably quite a traditional meat-eater, yet many of the recipes presented did, thanks to the excellent photography and descriptive writing, get stuck in the mind for future consideration. Even a thing like a simple breakfast burrito or a chia porridge looks absolutely scrummy.

A small niggle is the clear U.S.-centricness and the sole use of imperial measures but this book is sufficiently different to make these little things pale into relative insignificance. Should you be sufficiently intrigued or impressed to try raw food on a more regular basis, then you would be advised to read through the book sequentially at least once in order to soak up the various hints, tips, advice nuggets and general feeling. The book ends with a comprehensive glossary and index (the index was not included within this review copy so an opinion cannot be presented as to its breadth and depth).

This reviewer was, to be honest, a little sceptical at the start as to whether he would enjoy this book. It was a pleasant surprise just how enjoyable and interesting it became over time.
1549118
Every now and then a book comes along that helps not just men but women as well realize what is possible for them in the kitchen. Why should the professionals have all of the fun? In his new book THE MODERN GENTLEMAN, actor Sean Kanan gives us a glimpse into a world that is not only attainable for all of us, but is easier than we might think.

This is not just a cookbook. I repeat: this is nto just a cookbook! It is almost like a trust friend or guide leading us through torrain that might seem foreign to us but with a little practing and planning we are able to become not just familiar but master it as well.

I have tried a few of the recipes myself, and I can say that they not only work but taste delicious as well. Coupled with the photos we are given the ultimate experience and though it might take us a little time to read and prepare, it will be well worth it not just for ourselves but those we choose to entertain as well.

Written with the beginner in mind but definitely has something for all of us no matter what level we might see ourselves when it comes to the kitchen, THE MODERN GENTLEMAN provides instructions and recipes for success.
3062476
I downloaded this mainly out of curiosity that I might be missing some hidden gem in my Kindle Fire HE 8.9". I'm not.

If you're like me and head straight to the Settings icon whenever you buy a new gadget, there's nothing here that you haven't already learned by following your own nerd impulses. This is not to say this isn't a valuable resource... it's probably just a lot more valuable for someone who's never spent time with a smartphone, iPod or other bit of consumer electronic candy.

The writing is very clear, congenial, and (as advertised) jargon-free. I did pull a few good tidbits off the bone - splitting the keyboard and forcing stop on frozen apps, to name a couple - but for the most part, this is meant chiefly for tech newbies.

Lesson learned, and since I've already recommended the new Kindle Fire to my mom, I'll be sure to include this too.
1502578
This book is well-written and very nicely designed. Beyond that, it's hard to see what the fuss is about.

First of all, and on the one hand, the book isn't the torrent of Machiavellian amorality you may have been led to believe. The author does go out of his way to make it _sound_ as though he's presenting you with sophisticated, in-the-know, just-between-us-hardheaded-realists amoral guidance. But as a matter of fact almost every bit of this advice _could_ have been presented without offense to the most traditional of morality.

(For example, the law about letting other people do the work while you take the credit is made to sound worse than it really is. Sure, it admits of a "low" interpretation. But it's also, read slightly differently, a pretty apt description of what any good manager does.)

Second, and on the other hand, the advice isn't _that_ good; it's merely well-presented. How it works will depend on who follows it; as the old Chinese proverb has it, when the wrong person does the right thing, it's the wrong thing.

And that's why I have to deduct some stars from the book. For it seems to be designed to appeal precisely to the "wrong people."

Despite some sound advice, this book is aimed not at those who (like Socrates) share the power of reason with the gods, but at those who (like Ulysses) share it with the foxes. It seeks not to make you reasonable but to make you canny and cunning. And as a result, even when it advises you to do things that really do work out best for all concerned, it promotes an unhealthy sense that your best interests are at odds with nearly everyone else's. (And that the only reason for being helpful to other people is that it will advance your own cloak-and-dagger "career.")

No matter how helpful some of the advice may be, it's hard to get around the book's rather pompous conceit that the reader is learning the perennial secrets of crafty courtiers everywhere. Even if only by its tone, this volume will tend to turn the reader into a lean and hungry Cassius rather than a confident and competent Caesar.

In general the book does have some useful things to say about power and how to acquire and wield it. Unfortunately its approach will probably render the advice useless to the people who need it most. Readers who come to it for guidance will come away from it pretentiously self-absorbed if not downright narcissistic; the readers who can see through its Machiavellian posturing and recognize it for what it is will be the very readers who didn't need it in the first place.

Recommended only to readers who _aren't_ unhealthily fascinated by Sun-Tzu, Balthasar Gracian, and Michael Korda.
3503638
Tokyo Precincts has an interesting selection of things to see and do in particular neighborhoods. To be clear, this is not a typical guidebook in that you won't expect to find typical tourist spots here such as temples and viewing decks. Instead, this is for the wandering flaneur who likes to step inside a store that's a little out of the ordinary, or treats retail shopping like a museum excursion -- like someone on the hunt for unique Japanese finds. This is a great guidebook for a typical millennial, who's looking to complement their Japanese experience with something a little extra. It also features interviews Tokyoite creatives on their favorite spots in the city.
My only complaint is the binding, which is disappointingly low-quality. I've only cracked open the book once and the middle section already started to come loose. I purchased this book off of Amazon but I also found copies in my local bookstore, and the opened ones have the bindings falling apart as well.