Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Review ~ Forks Over Knives

This book is a companion to the documentary "Forks Over Knives," which makes the claim that the most serious diseases of our time - cancer, diabetes, angina - can be controlled or prevented by not eating animal-based and processed foods. 


Forks Over Knives, and the recipes in this book, promote a plant-based diet using whole foods. The diet is a life-long commitment to minimally processed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, tubers, and legumes. Animal-based foods such as meat (including poultry and fish), dairy, and eggs are excluded or minimized along with refined foods such as bleached flour, refined sugar, and most oils.

The documentary and the diet are based on the research of two Drs. T. Colin Campbell and Caldwell B. Esselstyn, who believe a diet of plant-based food and grains can both prevent and reverse heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and various cancers. Both doctors contribute to this book along with a half dozen other medical professionals. The editor, Gene Stone, authored The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick.

The Plant-Based Way to Health
by Gene Stone
The Experiment, 2011
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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Nature Pages: The Mountain and the Fathers



The Mountain and The Fathers explores the life of boys and men in the
unforgiving, harsh world north of the Bull Mountains of eastern Montana in
a drought afflicted area called the Big Dry, a land that chews up old and
young alike.

Joe Wilkins was born into this world, raised by a young mother and elderly
grandfather following the untimely death of his father. That early loss
stretches out across the Big Dry, and Wilkins uses his own story and those
of the young boys and men growing up around him to examine the violence,
confusion, and rural poverty found in this distinctly American landscape.

Growing Up on The Big Dry
by Joe Wilkins
Counterpoint, 2012





Saturday, June 30, 2012

Now Cooking with The Farmer's Market Guide


Eat fresh, seasonal, and locally-grown produce. That is what a farmers market encourages you to do and so does this new cookbook. With 251 color images, it is filled with lots of traditional, time-tested, and delicious recipes for everything from corn and brussels sprouts to tomatoes and rutabaga.

Small and portable, you can take this book to the market, identify the item by photograph, read a brief description, and see at a glance the most common ways for preparing the vegetable.

With Identification Guide and Recipes
by Jennifer Loustau
Schiffer Publishing, 2012

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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Now exploring Schelling's Game Theory


Now reading with the Outrider Reading Group ~
Schelling's Game Theory: How to Make Decisions by Robert Dodge

Thomas Schelling, who wrote the foreword for this book, won the Nobel Prize in economics for "having enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis." This came after he had taught a course in game theory and rational choice to advanced students and government officials for 45 years.

In this book, Robert Dodge provides in language for a broad audience, the concepts that Schelling taught.

How to Make Decisions
by Robert Dodge
Oxford University Press, 2012




Saturday, June 16, 2012

Reading the History of... Rum


‘Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!’

A favourite of pirates, the molasses-coloured liquid brings to mind clear blue seas and weatherbeaten sailors. But enjoyment of rum spread far beyond the scallywags of the Caribbean – Charles Dickens savoured it in punch, George Washington served it at campaign rallies, Queen Victoria sipped it in the British Navy’s grog, and Kamehameha I of Hawaii drank it straight.

A Global History
by Richard Foss
Reaktion Books, 2012

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Reading the History of... Fear of Food


There may be no greater source of anxiety for Americans today than the question of what to eat and drink. Are eggs the perfect protein, or are they cholesterol bombs?  Is red wine good for my heart or bad for my liver? Will pesticides, additives, and processed foods kill me?

Here with some very rare and very welcome advice is food historian Harvey Levenstein: Stop worrying!

Fear of Food
A History of Why We Worry about What We Eat
by Harvey A. Levenstein
University of Chicago Press, 2012

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Friday, June 15, 2012

The Book Stall Review: Doña Tomás


California chefs Dona Savitsky and Thomas Schnetz showcase dishes from the menu of "authentic Mexican cooking" that has made their restaurant -- Doña Tomás -- a pioneering success in upscale Berkeley.

More than 90 recipes are  included in this volume, divided into chapters on breakfast, lunch, salads and side, and dinner.  The opening chapter -- Básicos -- offers a primer on the ingredients, equipment and techniques of a Mexican kitchen.


Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking by Thomas Schnetz and Dona Savitsky
Ten Speed Press, 2006