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969 reviews
Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House by Alex Prud'Homme
4.0
I enjoyed learning about how the different presidents interacted with food, both on a personal and political level. I would have liked to have gotten a little more detail on the more modern presidents, but with 46 to cover, it makes sense that some have to be condensed for space. Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit.
The Man Who Tasted Words: A Neurologist Explores the Strange and Startling World of Our Senses by Guy Leschziner
4.0
I loved reading some of these stories of people whose senses are misfiring in some way. The author gives a great breakdown of how the senses work from a neurological standpoint, and how easy it is for the senses to break down. My one quibble was that the title gave me the impression that there would be more discussion of synesthesia, and that part was limited to a very small section. Still, I learned a lot that I'd never thought of before.
The Book Lover's Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature, and the Passages That Feature Them by Janet Jensen, Shaunda Kennedy Wenger
4.0
I really liked seeing the snippets of text that led to the recipes, and having the bits about reading and books scattered throughout gave me some lovely food for thought (no pun intended, but pun intended). There's a broad range of foods which means that there are definitely a few that I'm looking forward to trying.
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 177, June 2021 by Neil Clarke, Neil Clarke, Nancy Kress, Robert Reed
5.0
Craft: An American History by Glenn Adamson
3.0
I appreciated that the author broadened the definition of "craft" to include anything done by hand involving skill, so it covers mechanical workings in addition to the kind of craft that most people think of (ie, fiber arts, jewelry making, paper crafts, that sort of thing). The historical context was interesting, though it seemed a little bit biased towards the end against the hobby craft scene. The discussion of craftivism and the maker movement both came across as a little patronizing, as well as the details surrounding some of the bigger craft supply stores (Michaels and Hobby Lobby). Overall, it was a good look at the historical context for crafting, and I did enjoy that quite a bit.
Not So Stories by Adiwijaya Iskandar, Joseph Elliott-Coleman
4.0
I'm not super familiar with the Just So Stories, but I really enjoyed this collection. This was one of the more consistent anthologies I've read in a while - there were no weak stories, and all of them have me something to think about.
The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites by Libby H. O'Connell
4.0
This was an entertaining historical review of foods that are important to the US palate, going back to the pre-colonial times and ending at the beginning of the 21st century. Some of the profiles seemed like a bit of a stretch (the food itself was chosen so the author could discuss a specific moment in US history, for example), but overall it was a good, light food history that was an easy read since it came in small bits that made the book easy to pick up again and again.