The Paris Review Book: of Heartbreak, Madness, Sex, Love, Betrayal, Outsiders, Intoxication, War, Whimsy, Horrors, God, Death, Dinner, Baseball, Travels, the Art of Writing, and Everything Else in the World Since 1953 (Hardcover)

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
While this volume's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink title may seem to imply an odd combination of editorial insecurity or pretension, it only takes one spin through the table of contents to know why the editors felt the need for such a busy, bursting name. This astoundingly diverse anthology, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Paris Review, is jam-packed with resonant and provocative work from some of our greatest writers, past and present: W.H. Auden, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, Elizabeth Bishop, Truman Capote, William Burroughs, Susan Sontag, Joyce Carol Oates, Toni Morrison, Jonathan Franzen, Ian McEwan and Alice Munro, to name just a fraction. Rather than relying on critics to illuminate the craft of writing secondhand, the founders inaugurated a series of interviews with the authors themselves, creating what Plimpton, in his introduction, refers to as "a DNA of literature"; several excerpts from those interviews are included here. A look at the eras and themes represented shows that the journal's only abiding mandate has been an evolving brand of artistic humanism, which has morphed and adapted to the changing times. How else can one explain being able to jump with such joy and ease from a hilarious and poignant story by Lorrie Moore to an interview with Ted Hughes about his first meeting with Sylvia Plath, then to Allen Ginsberg's loving, sexually charged poem about the life and death of Frank O'Hara? It is a tribute to Plimpton and his cofounders that the entries in this wonderful book can be read in any order, for the reader will be able to see his or her life reflected on every page.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details
* Hardcover: 752 pages
* Publisher: Picador; 1st edition (May 3, 2003)
* Language: English
* ISBN: 0312422385
* Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 2.0 inches
* Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds.

Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior

by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson

One of the most revealing, readable books about the mind to come along in years. A simply fascinating glimpse into animal behavior — on the farm, at home, and even in the mirror.
Recommended by Kyle, Powells.com

Review:
"Philosophers and scientists have long wondered what goes on in the minds of animals, and this fascinating study gives a wealth of illuminating insights into that mystery. Grandin, an animal behavior expert specializing in the design of humane slaughter systems, is autistic, and she contends that animals resemble autistic people in that they think visually rather than linguistically and perceive the world as a jumble of mesmerizing details rather than a coherent whole. Animals — cows, say, on their way through a chute — are thus easily spooked by novelties that humans see as trivialities, such as high-pitched noises, drafts and dangling clothes. Other animals accomplish feats of obsessive concentration; squirrels really do remember where each acorn is buried. The portrait she paints of the mammalian mind is both alien and familiar; she shows that beasts are capable of sadistic cruelty, remorse, superstition and surprising discernment (in one experiment, pigeons were taught to distinguish between early period Picasso and Monet). Grandin (Thinking in Pictures) and Johnson (coauthor of Shadow Syndromes) deploy a simple, lucid style to synthesize a vast amount of research in neurology, cognitive psychology and evolutionary biology, supplementing it with Grandin's firsthand observations of animal behavior and her own experiences with autism, engaging anecdotes about how animals interact with each other and their masters, and tips on how to pick and train house pets. The result is a lively and absorbing look at the world from animals' point of view. Forecast: Anyone who's enjoyed the work of Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson — and especially those who liked it but felt it a bit warm and fuzzy in spots — should appreciate this valuable, rigorous book." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Product Details
Subtitle: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior
Author: Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson
Publisher: Harvest Books
Subject: Animals
Subject: Life Sciences - Zoology - Mammals
Subject: General
Subject: Autism
Subject: Animal behavior
Subject: SCI070030
Edition Description: Harvest
Publication Date: 20060102
Binding: TP
Language: English
Pages: 372

State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration

by James Risen

State of War is an explosive book, filled with revelations, about the secret scandals of the Bush administration and a national-security bureaucracy run amok. With relentless media coverage, breathtaking events, and extraordinary congressional and independent investigations, it is hard to believe that we might not know some of the most significant facts about the presidency of George W. Bush. Yet beneath the surface events of the Bush presidency lies a secret history — a series of hidden events that makes a mockery of many of the stories on the surface.

This hidden history involves domestic spying, abuses of power, and outrageous operations. It includes a CIA that became caught in a political crossfire that it could not withstand, and what it did to respond. It includes a Defense Department that made its own foreign policy, even against the wishes of the commander-in-chief. It features a president who created a sphere of deniability, in which his top aides were briefed on matters of the utmost sensitivity — but the president was carefully kept in ignorance. State of War reveals this hidden history for the first time, including scandals that will redefine the Bush presidency.

Under the guise of wartime secrecy, the CIA, the Pentagon, and the White House have trampled on all checks and balances. In the wake of the WMD scandal, of George Tenet's departure from the CIA, and of the reorganization of our intelligence agencies, an unprecedented number of current and former employees of the CIA and the White House have been willing to talk to the author. The book will reveal criminal scandals, far worse than anything previously reported. The author's unparalleled access to the intelligence community has uncovered stories that are guaranteed to dominate headlines for many weeks, including: The CIA knew there were no WMDs. The author tells the unknown story that the CIA had incontrovertible proof that Saddam's WMD programs had been abandoned. He also shows that careers were made or broken based on enthusiasm for the war effort. In frightening, specific detail, the author reveals the leads to terror in Saudi Arabia that have been overlooked or suppressed by the CIA and other investigators.

Product Details
Subtitle: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration
Author: Risen, James
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copyright: 2006
Binding: HARDCOVER

Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking

by Anthony Bourdain
This book is all about demystifying classic bistro cooking — with the right direction, you can do as well as any newbie-professional cook working in Tony's kitchen for the first time. If you've ever had reservations about cooking foie gras aux pruneaux or wanted a fun lesson in preparing escargots aux noix, this is the book for you. Andrew, Powells.com

Product Details
Subtitle: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking
With: de Meirelles, Jose
With: Lajaunie, Philippe
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Subject: Cookery, french
Subject: Regional & Ethnic - French
Subject: General Cooking
Copyright: 2004
Edition Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Publication Date: October 2004
Binding: Hardcover
Language: English
Illustrations: Yes
Pages: 304
Dimensions: 9.56x7.34x1.35 in. 2.44 lbs.

The New Best Recipe (Best Recipe)

With The New Best Recipe, we invite you into America‛s Test Kitchen where you will stand by our side as we try to develop the best macaroni and cheese, the best meatloaf, the best roast chicken, the best brownie, and nearly 1,000 more best recipes for all your favorite home-cooked foods.

Behind this book is a deeply felt understanding of how frustrating it can be to spend time planning, shopping and cooking only to turn out dishes that are mediocre at best. With The New Best Recipe in hand, you will have access to a wealth of practical information that will not only make you a better cook but a more confident one as well. In fact, as long as you follow our instructions, we guarantee that these recipes will work the first and every time.

We have also included 800 illustrations showing you the best way to do almost everything from how to carve a turkey and beat egg whites properly to how to frost a layer cake and set up your grill. Also, get valuable information on how and when to splurge on that expensive knife or baking pan and when the basic model will do just fine. We also explain the science of cooking since understanding the science of food can help anyone become a better cook.

Complete with recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts, The New Best Recipe promises to be a classic and timeless kitchen companion.


Product Details

Manufactured: Burgoyne, John
Author: Tremblay, Carl
Publisher: America's Test Kitchen
Subject: Reference
Subject: Holiday - General
Series: Best Recipe
Publication Date: October 2004
Binding: Hardcover
Language: English
Illustrations: Y
Pages: 1028
Dimensions: 11.26x8.58x2.24 in. 5.30 lbs.
Locator: 511A4

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

by Eric Schlosser
"What we eat has changed more in the last forty years than in the last forty thousand," Schlosser observes, yet most Americans know very little about how that food is made, where, by whom, and at what cost. Fast Food Nation traces the industry's phenomenal growth from its birth fifty years ago in southern California to its global reach today, from the feedlots and slaughterhouses of America's new rural ghettos to the high school kid handing you milk shakes at the drive-thru window. The book's revelations are shocking. About half the pages of my copy are covered with underlined passages and exclamation points in the margins. Dave, Powells.com

Review:
"While cataloguing assorted evils with the tenacity and sharp eye of the best investigative journalist, he uncovers a cynical, dismissive attitude to food safety in the fast food industry and widespread circumvention of the government's efforts at regulation....Schlosser establishes a seminal argument for true wrongs at the core of modern America." Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Product Details
Subtitle: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Author: Schlosser, Eric
Publisher: Perennial (HarperCollins)
Subject: Convenience foods
Subject: Fast food restaurants
Subject: Industries - General
Subject: Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism
Subject: Economics - Theory
Subject: Corporate & Business History
Subject: Social history
Subject: Corporate & Business History - General
Subject: Food industry and trade
Edition Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Publication Date: January 2002
Binding: Paperback
Language: English
Illustrations: Yes
Pages: 400
Dimensions: 8.06x5.28x.98 in. .79 lbs.

Million Little Pieces

Intense, unpredictable, and instantly engaging, A Million Little Pieces is a story of drug and alcohol abuse and rehabilitation as it has never been told before. Recounted in visceral, kinetic prose, and crafted with a forthrightness that rejects piety...

Review:
"A Million Little Pieces is this generation's most comprehensive book about addiction: a heartbreaking memoir defined by its youthful tone and poetic honesty. Beneath the brutality of James Frey‛s painful process of growing up, there are simple gestures of kindness that will reduce even the most jaded to tears. Very few books earn those tears — this one does. It will have you sobbing, laughing, angry, frustrated, and most importantly, hopeful. A Million Little Pieces is inspirational and essential. A remarkable performance." Bret Easton Ellis

Author: Frey, James
Publisher: Anchor Books
Subject: Non-Classifiable
Subject: Specific Groups - General
Subject: Substance Abuse & Addictions - General
Subject: Personal Memoirs
Subject: Minnesota
Subject: Rehabilitation
Edition Description: Paperback
Series: Oprah's Book Club
Publication Date: September 2005
Binding: Paperback
Language: English
Pages: 430
Dimensions: 8.22x6.34x.98 in. .70 lbs.