Buyers' Choice
November 2009
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Movida Rustica by Frank Camorra.
"Following the multi-award winning title MoVida, chef and restaurateur Frank Camorra returns to his native Spain in this companion book. In it Frank delivers many traditional as well as innovative recipes that are inspired by his travels but perfected for the home cook. Their origins lie in the authentic cuisine of the Spanish cities, towns and countryside. From the nation's bustling capital Madrid and Basque seaside towns to rustic Andalusia with its Sherry Triangle, MoVida Rustica highlights the pillars of Spanish cooking, and the culture in which the food is grown, prepared and eaten." (Amazon UK)
Paris times eight: finding myself in the city of dreams by Deirdre Kelly.
"Over eight visits to Paris, Deirdre Kelly has found herself — first as a 19-year-old and then later as a budding writer, a dance critic, and a fashion reporter. Subsequent visits — with her mother, her future husband, and later as a mother herself — have shown her that while some parts of Paris remain constant, her life is always evolving. More than just a beautiful and romantic backdrop for her self-discovery, Paris itself contributes to that discovery, emerging as a principal character in Kelly’s life, an influence that inspires, guides, and teaches as she ages. A terrific gift for budding travelers, Francophiles, and women on their own path toward growth, this book reminds readers of their own favorite place." ( Amazon US)
Swedish country interiors by Rhonda Eleish.
"Swedish Country Interiors showcases homes that have a wide spectrum of interpretations of Swedish country style-rustic, rural, urban, comfortable, family friendly, elegant, simple, complex, grand, humble, and eclectic. Also found are numerous examples of Swedish country living that the homeowners have embraced and derived inspiration from, including wall decorations, functional furnishings, natural upholstery materials, light, and indoor-outdoor living." (Amazon.com)
City Boy: My Life in New York During the 1960s and '70s by Edmund White.
"An irresistible literary treat: a memoir of the social and sexual lives of New York City’s cultural and intellectual in-crowd in the tumultuous 1970s, from acclaimed author Edmund White.
In the New York of the 1970s, in the wake of Stonewall and in the midst of economic collapse, you might find the likes of Jasper Johns and William Burroughs at the next cocktail party, and you were as likely to be caught arguing Marx at the New York City Ballet as cruising for sex in the warehouses and parked trucks along the Hudson. This is the New York that Edmund White portrays in City Boy: a place of enormous intrigue and artistic tumult. Combining the no-holds-barred confession and yearning of A Boy’s Own Story with the easy erudition and sense of place of The Flaneur, this is the story of White’s years in 1970s New York, bouncing from intellectual encounters with Susan Sontag and Harold Brodkey to erotic entanglements downtown to the burgeoning gay scene of artists and writers. I t’s a moving, candid, brilliant portrait of a time and place, full of encounters with famous names and cultural icons."(Amazon.com)
Fierce Style by Christian Siriano.
"In 2008, Christian Siriano made headlines as the youngest designer to win the hit reality series Project Runway. But the now twenty-three-year-old is bigger than a TV celebrity. From his prodigious fashion talent to his one-of-a-kind personality, Christian is the embodiment of fierce style. Now in his first book, he helps readers discover how to look, feel, and act fierce in everyday life. With tips from some of fashion and Hollywood's biggest names -including Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Vanessa Williams -- along with gorgeous original sketches by Christian, never-before-heard stories, and behind-the-scenes photos, he tells his journey of developing his own fashion sense and overcoming obstacles to success." (Amazon US)
The great cities in history by John Julius Norwich.
"From the origins of urbanization in Mesopotamia to the global metropolises of today, great cities have marked the development of human civilization. The Great Cities in History tells their stories, from Uruk and Memphis to Tokyo and Sao Paulo. A galaxy of distinguished contributors evoke the character of each place its people, its art and architecture, its government and explain the reasons for its success. Richly illustrated with photographs, paintings, maps and plans, this volume is nothing less that a portrait of world civilization." (Amazon UK)
Something to declare: good lesbian travel writing by Gillian Kendall.
"Editor Gillian Kendall has brought together in Something to Declare a collection of impressionistic, literary travel essays that explore the sense of place and the pull of wanderlust, and reveal what happens when a traveler follows her heart. On these pages, established and emerging lesbian travel writers present accounts ranging from the poetic and internal to the exhilarating and life-altering.
Rather than reporting on places to stay, local fare, or politics, these women share personal stories of exploration and adventure. Lucy Jane Bledsoe and her partner camp out and negotiate their way through the Tierra del Fuego in “Fruits at the Border.” Lesléa Newman’s “Bashert” tells the retrospective journey of a college graduate undergoing a simultaneous awakening of her sexuality and artistic talent while working on a kibbutz in Israel. Lori Soderlind’s “Hot Springs, Montana” describes her return—with the help of a native woman—to the place in Montana where her family once made their home.
Whether set in Italian changing rooms, a Cadillac hearse, an ashram, a medieval labyrinth, a wheelchair, or a kayak, and whether amid Japanese typhoons, Caribbean rain, or rare Irish sunshine, Something to Declare offers stories of reflection, challenge, and growth." (Amazon US)
The Secret History of Georgian London by Dan Cruickshank.
"Georgian London evokes images of elegant buildings and fine art, but it was also a city where prostitution was rife, houses of ill repute widespread, and many tens of thousands of people dependent in some way or other on the wages of sin. The sex industry was, in fact, a very powerful force indeed, and in "The Secret History of Georgian London", Dan Cruickshank compellingly shows how it came to affect almost every aspect of life and culture in the capital." (Book Description, Amazon UK)
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