An interesting mix of history and cooking and history of cooking, but falls flat at the end with its determination to try to draw a conclusion about what is lost and gained when you spend more time in the kitchen. [return][return]I liked the delivery of the historical information, even if it was sometimes repetitive from chapter to chapter. (Often it seemed as if each chapter was mean to stand alone.) It was interesting to learn about Boston of 100 and 200 years ago, and how cooking and available foodstuffs changed since those points. Sometimes it was hard to follow what era we were talking about - I would assume 1900 and then find out later in the period that he meant 1800, the better to explain what changed between 1800 and 1900 before comparing to present-day. [return][return]Repetition was also a problem with the portrayal of Fannie Farmer - over and …
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ansate rated The Severed Streets: 3 stars

Finder (2018, Dark Horse Comics)
Finder by Carla Speed McNeil
There's never been a metropolis, slum, or building that Jaeger couldn't infiltrate, escape, and/or loot-until now! Multiple award-winning creator Carla …
ansate reviewed Fannie's last supper by Christopher Kimball
Review of "Fannie's last supper" on Goodreads
3 stars
An interesting mix of history and cooking and history of cooking, but falls flat at the end with its determination to try to draw a conclusion about what is lost and gained when you spend more time in the kitchen. [return][return]I liked the delivery of the historical information, even if it was sometimes repetitive from chapter to chapter. (Often it seemed as if each chapter was mean to stand alone.) It was interesting to learn about Boston of 100 and 200 years ago, and how cooking and available foodstuffs changed since those points. Sometimes it was hard to follow what era we were talking about - I would assume 1900 and then find out later in the period that he meant 1800, the better to explain what changed between 1800 and 1900 before comparing to present-day. [return][return]Repetition was also a problem with the portrayal of Fannie Farmer - over and over we heard about her floury sauces, her business acumen, her lack of culinary ability. It was a consistent picture, but it seemed to come across in the same words each time. But it was fascinating to see such a successful businesswoman in that era. [return][return]The last chapter seems to have been tacked on to try to give us a moral dimension. Do we judge the author for enjoying the essentially frivolous endeavor of this cooking challenge? The question wouldn't have occurred to me if he hadn't brought it up. We are also made to ponder whether we, as a culture, are better or worse off for spending less time in the kitchen than we did 100 years ago. Of course the author, someone who loves to cook, believes we should spend more time cooking than we (on average) do. This wet blanket of morality was a sad thing to add after the joyous fun of the successful dinner party. [return][return]Overall, it's a quick and fun read - a nice mix of personal endeavor and history. The recipes are made for his particular stove and goal, and most are probably not suitable for a more casual home cook, but it was interesting to see how they came together.
ansate rated Wonder Woman: 2 stars

Wonder Woman (2010, DC Comics)
Wonder Woman by Gail Simone
While Wonder Woman battles Power Girl and the Crows, an Amazon exile hurtles towards Earth with her female warriors to …
ansate rated Catching Fire: 3 stars

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Sparks are igniting. Flames are spreading. And the Capitol wants revenge.
Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. …
ansate rated Razorhurst: 4 stars

Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier
In 1932, in Sydney's deadly Razorhurst neighborhood, where crime and razor-wielding men rule, two girls with contrasting lives who share …
ansate rated This census-taker: 2 stars

This census-taker (2016)
This census-taker by China Miéville
"For readers of George Saunders, Kelly Link, David Mitchell, and Karen Russell, This Census-Taker is a stunning, uncanny, and profoundly …

Finder by Carla Speed McNeil
A young woman trying to find home gets caught up in a hermaphrodite beauty pageant between clans and the search …
ansate rated The reader: 3 stars

The reader (2016)
The reader by Traci Chee
"Set in a world where reading is unheard-of, Sefia makes use of a mysterious object to track down who kidnapped …

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1) by Ally Carter
The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school, that is, if every school taught advanced …
ansate rated On the edge of gone: 4 stars

On the edge of gone by Corinne Duyvis
"In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 2034, a comet is due to hit the Earth within the hour. Denise, who's sixteen …
ansate rated Beyond the Shadows: 4 stars

Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks
A new queen has usurped the throne and is leading Cenaria into disaster. The country has become a broken realm …
ansate rated Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology: 3 stars

Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini
Indoctrinated into the church as a child while living with her mother and sister in New York, Remini eventually moved …
ansate reviewed Down among the sticks and bones by Seanan McGuire
Review of 'Down among the sticks and bones' on Goodreads
2 stars
It's not a sequel :( :( :([return][return]it's a prequel that doesn't tell us much that wasn't covered in Every Heart a Doorway. :( [return][return]I want to know what happens NEXT