Knocked off ten books this month. A very eclectic mix, but mostly nothing really special.
Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark Harris is a fascinating look at how the movie industry was involved in WWII from the perspectives of both the government and the industry. The narrative is framed around the experiences of five Hollywood directors; John Ford, Robert Capra, John Huston, William Wyler, and George Stevens, all of whom joined the military and were sent overseas. The book was absolutely fascinating and if you’re at all a film buff you should run out and get this one.
Camino Island by John Grisham is a bog standard, garden variety, Grisham except that it doesn’t involve any courtroom scenes. The book is about the theft of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s manuscripts from Princeton’s library and moves through various levels of skullduggery. Not bad, not great, nice way to kill a couple of hours at the beach or on an airplane.
Arctic Drift by Clive and Dirk Cussler and Shock Wave by Clive Cussler were another pair of formulaic Dirk Pitt novels including all the usual trappings; a historical mystery, Al Giordano, an evil villain out to destroy the world, a restored classic car, a damsel in distress, etc, etc, etc. Notably, Dirk’s kids, Dirk Jr and Summer, play a significant role in sorting out the evil in Arctic Drift. I guess they might be the shape of things to come. Anyway, if you like Dirk Pitt, these two are pretty Dirk Pittish. If you don’t like him, these won’t change that. If you’re not familiar with him these are as good a place as any to start.
Can Do! The Story of the Seabees by William Bradford Huie is an interesting little wartime book extolling the virtues of U.S. Navy’s Construction Battalions during WWII. The book was published in 1945, before the war ended, and is chock a block with interesting anecdotes about the experiences and accomplishments of the SeaBees. I was fascinated by it and it made me want to know more about it.
I’ve been a kind of half-assed home brewer for four or five years now using the Mr Beer system, but recently decided to take my brewing to the next level. How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time by John Palmer is the closest thing home brewing has to a Bible, covering pretty much every detail anyone could possible want to know about the nuts and bolts of brewing beer at home. Palmer goes into great detail about the chemistry and biology of beer making. There’s even a lengthy treatment of how to test and amend one’s home water supply to make it more congenial to different beer types. This book is very narrowly focused on the technical details of making great beer but it isn’t a great read. Palmer is an MIT trained metallurgical engineer and he writes like one. On the other hand, if you are even half serious about making great beer, you have to read this book.
CloneBrews: Recipes for 200 Commercial Beers by Tess and Mark Szamatulski is, just as it says in the title, a collection of recipes for a whole slew of commercial beers, a great many of which you’ve never heard of. In addition to the famous beers (Heinekin, Molson Ice, Fosters, Grolsch, etc) there are a slew of beers from regions outside North America and Europe such as; Ngoma Malt Liquor Awooyo Special from Togo, 33 Export from Vietnam, and Bintang Pilsner from Indonesia. Anyway, I don’t know if I’ll make any of these, well, maybe the Heinekin, but it was fun to read.
Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from the Pitmasters by Robb Walsh was a very interesting account of the history of Texas BBQ as it evolved from the various influences of Southern Cotton Culture, meeting Mexican foodways, overlaid with German and Bohemian immigrants, and finally influenced by the rise of beef production after the American Civil War. Interspersed throughout the history, which is generally framed by currently surviving BBQ vendors from that influence, are recipes and techniques to recreate some of the dishes made by legendary Texas BBQ cooks. I enjoyed the book a lot and will definitely try some of the recipes.
Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses by Ricki Carroll is to cheese-making what Palmer is to home brewing. Carroll goes into great detail about the chemistry and biology of making cheese and provides a set of recipes to make a wide variety of cheeses. Having been a home brewer for a while, I’ve decided to venture into cheese-making. I’ve made a few batches of mozzarella and was pleased with the results, so I ordered a basic set of equipment, which is scheduled to arrive Tuesday. Watch this space for updates on the cheese-making. Anyway, like Palmer, if you’re interested in making cheese at home, you need this book. If not, you will probably be bored out of your mind by it.
26 for the year
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