The food, the funny, the cute, the scary, the past, the hidden, the weird and the quirky… this blog is an interesting mixture of books with unique insights and real-life stories that you won’t forget.
War dogs : tales of canine heroism, history, and love / Frankel, Rebecca
“A US Army handler led a Special Forces patrol with his military working dog at Afghanistan desert. Without warning an insurgent popped up, his weapon raised. At the handler’s command, the dog charged their attacker. There was the flash of steel, the blur of fur, and the sound of a single shot; the handler watched his dog take a bullet. The next week, the handler never left the dog’s side. Author tells the stories of loyal and courageous dogs on the battlefields with personal anecdotes, science and history. (Adapted from the Catalogue)
The 50 funniest American writers : an anthology of humor from Mark Twain to the Onion
“Who makes a very funny person laugh? This book samples the best American comic writing, spanning across Mark Twain to contemporary masters such as David Sedaris, Roy Blount Jr., Ian Frazier, Bernie Mac, and Wanda Sykes. Here are Thurber and Perelman, Lenny Bruce and Bruce Jay Friedman, Garrison Keillor and Dave Barry and Veronica Geng, plus hilarious writers from The New Yorker, and The Onion.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)
Fish, flesh and good red herring / Ellis, Alice Thomas
“From the cooking methods of Ulysses to Victorian nursery fare, from biblical food facts to modern food fashion, from the eighteenth-century banquet to the gossipy literary lunch, author took a gastronomical journey, generously seasoned with anecdote and wit, and garnished with extracts from famous food writers such as Brillat-Savarin, Mrs. Beeton and Elizabeth Craig. We learn that Charles Darwin enjoyed roast armadillo and Elvis Presley adored cooked squirrel.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)
Octopus : Sam Israel, the secret market, and Wall Street’s wildest con / Lawson, Guy
“When the Bayou Hedge Fund was shown to have overstated gains, understated losses, and misappropriated funds, founder Sam Israel leapt off the Bear Mountain Bridge. No, not really, he just faked his death-the way he faked everything else-in an effort to avoid the long prison sentence that was eventually handed down. Rolling Stone investigative journalist Lawson got exclusive access to Israel. Get ready to have your blood boil. (Book summary)
Kauri : witness to a nation’s history / Orwin, Joanna
“One of the largest trees in the world and a New Zealand icon. Today the last remaining kauri forest are reserved carefully. We read about Maori myth surrounding the tree, and about the mariners who sailed up to harvest timber for their own ‘giant birds’: the great naval ships of Europe. The tree’s presence looms over the colonial period and beyond, and is the very stuff from which the flagpoles at Waitangi were carved (as well as some of the country’s fines architectural treasures and modern works of art).” (Adapted from the Catalogue)
