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Creamy and Crunchy cover

Review: Creamy and Crunchy

By Jan
 on September 18, 2016

“Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)” by Jon Krampner
Creamy and Crunchy coverColumbia University Press (2014)
ISBN: 978-0231162333

Did you eat Skippy or Peter Pan peanut butter growing up? Think that’s all there is to the world of this flavorful part of our childhood? You’d be so, so wrong, and Jon Krampner goes the extra mile to prove it in this delightful history of the wonderfood that is peanut butter and the influence it has had on our country and its inhabitants. From the varieties of the legume and how its grown to the early history of the companies who made this spread a staple of American homes, this book covers it all, and in layman’s terms and pace. Highly recommended for history buffs, especially if they’re a little nutty.

 

© 2016 Jan McClintock | We Need More Shelves

In categories Book Review, Non-fiction Tagged with history
Dead Mountain cover

Review: Dead Mountain

By Jan
 on February 10, 2014

I’ve just finished reading “Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident” by Donnie Eichar, and I am very impressed by the quality of the book. I was fascinated by this story and by the explanation the author offers for the mystery.
Dead Mountain cover
In winter, 1959, nine young but experienced hikers set off from their college in Sverdlovsk, south of the Ural Mountains in the USSR. Their destination was a remote area in the snowy mountains, where they hoped to climb a peak. When they didn’t return, searches began, and after their empty tent was found–with all of their supplies intact, including their boots–a desperate search team fanned out to find them.

What was found and the mystery of what might have happened has engaged Russians for decades. Now this story has been brought to English readers by the author, who obsessed over the story so much that he traveled to the same location in the winter to try to duplicate the trip.

Many photos taken by the hikers themselves are included, as are those of the search. The pictures are poignant reminders of the loss of these students in the prime of life.

The writing was very easy to understand and the scientific explanations not too technical at all. The plot device of using alternate chapters for the past and the present worked well. The author’s story of his research was also interesting. I  especially felt it when he wrote of having interpretive difficulties when researching and communicating. Having such an interest in his subject, it must have been very frustrating to misunderstand—and in turn be misunderstood—when writing and speaking. Because I once studied the Russian language and culture myself, I related to this part of the story.

The possible solution seems plausible, and regardless of conspiracy theories, I hope it satisfies all parties.

Highly recommended non-fiction, especially for outdoor enthusiasts.

In categories Book Review, Non-fiction Tagged with history, Russia
The Travis Club

San Antonio Book Lovers: September 2013

By Jan
 on September 15, 2013
San Antonio Book Lovers Meetup holds a Book Swap and Gab Session every second Saturday.

We had a record crowd today as author Mark Louis Rybczyk shared his experiences researching and writing his book “The Travis Club.” He and his guests, including Bruce Hathaway and Steven Sellers, entertained us while speaking about the history of San Antonio and let fall tidbits of fascinating legends about the city. Most of his research for this book was done for his earlier non-fiction work, “San Antonio Uncovered.” This newer thriller, “The Travis Club,” has been called “The Da Vinci Code of San Antonio,” and many of us bought copies and had them autographed in anticipation of a great read. Thank you, Mark, for a fun discourse.

Here are the books that members brought today for the swap:
The Liar’s Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr
The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1) by Patrick Rothfuss
A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or Not” Ripley by Neal Thompson
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
Foundling (Monster Book Tattoo, Book 1) by DM. Cornish
The Goblin Corps by Ari Marmell
The Caves of Steel (R. Daneel Olivaw, Book 1) by Isaac Asimov
Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality by Jacob Tomsky
And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman
The Accident by Elie Wiesel
Echo Park (Harry Bosch mystery) by Michael Connelly
Small Town by Lawrence Block  [ebook]
Paradise Lost (Joanna Brady mystery) by J.A. Jance
The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips are Telling Us by Sheril Kirshenbaum
More of this World or Maybe Another by Barb Johnson (Short stories)
Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin
How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Gamache mystery) by Louise Penny  [ebook]
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong
Swamplandia by Karen Russell
Dragon Keeper (Rain Wilds Chronicles 1) by Robin Hobb
Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen  [ebook]
The Cut (Spero Lucas) by George Pelecanos
Brilliance by Marcus Sakey
Homecoming (The Tillerman Cycle) by Cynthia Voigt
Nine Inches: Stories by Tom Perotta
Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure by Christoper S. Stewart
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language by Mark Forsyth
Signed Confessions by Tom Walker (Short stories)
Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Adrenaline by Jeff Abbott
Femmes Fatal by Dorothy Cannell
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) by George R. Martin
Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
See you all in October!
Meetup logo

© Jan McClintock of We Need More Shelves

In categories Book Club Tagged with author, history