pasta-maker cosmicomics enchantress masterpieces

books:

Olives and Oranges: Recipes and Flavor Secrets from Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Beyond

3 reviews
Sara Jenkins, Mindy Fox

Houghton Mifflin, 2008

Oranges and Olives my number one cookbook
I love this cookbook. From the 30+ recipe books on my kitchen shelf, this has become my # 1 creative source for preparing a delicious meal. The recipes for red onions in orange sauce, warm escarole with hot anchovy dressing, sweet pea and squash blossom risotto are just a few of the inventive, simple, healthy and delicious meals I've prepared.I've given several copies as gifts to other of my ...

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

1714 reviews
Elizabeth Gilbert

Penguin (Non-Classics), 2007

One of the inspiring stories
I don't think everyone will like this book. There's lags in the book. Some parts over dramatic, other parts overly detailed however, this is one book that I will never forget. Elizabeth Gilbert has faced some incredible lows in life. I find her ability to rise above the situation inspiring and for me, I take from it, the realization that life can continue when you've lost it all. I love one ...

Gomorrah

34 reviews
Roberto Saviano

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007

a must read
I've read this book to find out more about the reality of Naples and surrounding areas. I found out instead what happens around all of us no matter where we are. The book helped me understand better what organized crime does (besides selling drungs and racketeering). I had NO IDEA. This is not fiction and it is not narrative. This is information.

Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most

31 reviews
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Tanya Bastianich Manuali

Knopf, 2007

Ahhhhhh, BLISS
Do you know how you can just about smell and taste Lidia's dishes as she prepares them on her show? Well, that's exactly what you'll get when you make her delicious and easy recipes in this divine book. She writes them out so well that it's almost like standing right beside her in your own kitchen. I have many, many cookbooks, as it's one of the things I collect, read from cover to cover, and ...

The Enchantress of Florence: A Novel

56 reviews
Salman Rushdie

Random House, 2008

a little hard to follow, but beautiful poetic writing
To start with, I envy anyone who can put together words in such a beautiful way. But I had a pretty hard time following the story. I really didn't care, though, because the writing was so beautiful. If you're someone who has to understand what is going on in every aspect of the story, you might be frustrated reading this. If you can get over it and just enjoy the writing and the parts you ...

The Monster of Florence

98 reviews
Douglas Preston

Grand Central Publishing, 2008

Murder Under the Tuscan Night
As a rule, I don't care for serial killer books or films -- they just don't interest me the way "regular" crime stories do. Common motivations such as jealousy and greed, when handled well, can be more than powerful enough to sustain a character or drive a plot. The twisted psychoses of serial killers just don't do it for me. That said, this nonfiction account of a real life serial killer in ...

The Silver Spoon

157 reviews
Phaidon Press

Phaidon Press, 2005

Great Italian cooking - not just for chefs or Italian mothers!
This is an incredibly vast and informative collection of Italian recipes, set to make your mouth water and your cooking skills improve. It contains hundreds of traditional recipes at all levels, so even if you're not a chef or properly trained by your mother (or father) in the schools of Italian cooking, you'll find something to your taste. I've just browsed the book and tried out some gnocchi ...

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

113 reviews
Marcella Hazan

Knopf, 1992

An essential book for a beginning chef...
...I've referred to this book over the years for technique and authenticity of Italian cooking...it is a wonderful book. I agree that it is on par with Julia Child's French cookbook. I've made many of the recipes and they are fabulous....the poached shrimp, easy and delicious...the grilled shrimp with flavored breadcrumbs is another favorite, the Lemon, garlic & parsley chicken cutlets is ...

Ansel Adams 2009 Wall Calendar

5 reviews

Ansel Adams, 2008

1st class product & service
This is an outstandong calendar that my daughter asks for and gets from us at Christmas. Over the past two years our UK book stores stopped stocking it. That's where Amazon comes in..........ordered, and delivered well before estimated delivery time from America via Germany AND even with post & packing charges it was cheaper than walking into a book store in the UK. This is where buying on the ...

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (Liberation Trilogy)

85 reviews
Rick Atkinson

Holt Paperbacks, 2008

The Lady Be Good
A lot of information about the end of World War II in Italy & the fight to get as many of the guys out of the dessert.If you know anything about the " Lady Be Good " you will enjoy this book.

Rick Steves' Italy 2009 (Rick Steves)

121 reviews
Rick Steves

Avalon Travel Publishing, 2008

A Must for Travel in Italy
Rick Steves is nerdy but he does his homework. Don't think about planning a trip to Italy without this book. Read the book before going to Italy and keep it in your carry-on when traveling. I'd like even more help with places to stay and to eat but the book still proved to be indispensable.

A16: Food + Wine

3 reviews
Nate Appleman, Shelley Lindgren, ...

Ten Speed Press, 2008

An incredible, beautiful book
I've been waiting for this book to come out and it's finally here! I write a food blog about Italian cooking and I absolutely love this beautiful book. A16 is an Italian restaurant in San Francisco which prides itself on cooking authentic food from the Campania region of Italy. It is named after the highway that connects Naples to Puglia, the "A-16". This is the highway from which the owners ...

Rick Steves' Italy 2008 (Rick Steves)

26 reviews
Rick Steves

Avalon Travel Publishing, 2007

Great Book for Italy Travel
We used this book on our recent trip to Italy and it saved us a lot of Time and Money. Recommend this to anyone planning a trip to Italy.

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting ...

160 reviews
Bill Buford

Vintage, 2007

Apprentice of apprentices
Anyone who has ever worked at a continental-style restaurant should read this book. I picked up "Heat" in the interests of reliving my experiences in two continental restaurants, run by two totally different-in-temperament chefs, one Austrian, one Swiss. Neither one embodies quite the insanity exhibited by Mario Batali, the owner/operator of Babbo in New York City,and known via TV as The Iron ...

Cosmicomics

33 reviews
Italo Calvino

Harvest Books, 1976

A home in Cosmos
Ever since our ancestors started looking into the night sky, the saw patterns and connections between the stars, moons and planets, and used stories and myths to imbue those patterns with meaning and structure. With the big hindsight of the scientific worldview, all those ancient stories may seem quaint and naïve. And indeed, the advent of modern astronomy and astrophysics has greatly enriched ...

Dark Water: Flood and Redemption in the City of Masterpieces
Robert Clark

Doubleday, 2008

This dramatic, beautifully written account of the flood that ravaged Florence, Italy, in 1966 weaves heartbreaking tales of the disaster and stories of the heroic global efforts to save the city?s treasures against the historic background of Florence?s glorious art. On November 4, 1966, Florence, one of the world?s most historic cities and the repository of perhaps its greatest art, was struck by a monumental calamity. A low-pressure system ...

A Stopover in Venice

9 reviews
Kathryn Walker

Knopf, 2008

Delightful!
I just finished reading this wonderful tale of discovery that takes place in Venice. I will probably read it again after I allow a little time to savor it and let it sink in. The writing is wonderful, the characters are multifaceted and interesting; there is also a delightful little dog and, of course, the beautiful city of Venice. I couldn't put the book down, from the minute Nel steps off a ...

Streetwise Rome Map - Laminated City Street Map of Rome, Italy - with integrated metro map including subway ...

22 reviews
Streetwise Maps

Streetwise Maps, 2008

The only map you need
Just returned from eight days of walking in Rome. This is the only map we needed to find our way to everything that was of interest to us. It seems that just about every street and alleyway is listed and shown to scale (which is not the case with the free "tourist" maps). Experienced the joy of just wandering around following our noses to one interesting area after another, always knowing that ...

Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food

1 review
Andrew Carmellini, Gwen Hyman

Bloomsbury USA, 2008

Simple and sooooo good!
I just received my copy of Urban Italian and I couldn't wait to get started. I love the fact that there are lots of glossy photos to show me what I have to look forward to. The recipes are very easy to follow, with step by step directions, and the ingredients used are readily available (even in my small town). My first dish was the Short Ribs Braciole, the meat was so tender and flavorful, I ...

The Arthur Avenue Cookbook: Recipes and Memories from the Real Little Italy

11 reviews
Ann Volkwein

Ecco, 2004

This Cookbook Reeks with Honesty
The Arthur Avenue Cookbook is beautifully put together in every way. The recipes, the photographs, the storyline and the quality of the book itself are absolutely first-rate. The people in this book are completely genuine - there is an honesty about their lives and their livelihoods that jumps from the pages. There are no pretenses here: the recipes do not require a lot of complex sauces or ...

search for books
cosmicomics, dante-quoting, enchantress, masterpieces, pasta-maker

Impressum / about us