There have always been cookbooks around our home. My mom had quite a collection of them. In fact, I even had an uncle, Harold Knapik, who wrote one. Back in 1971, Harold, who was an excellent amateur French style chef, came out with Haute Cuisine… Read More
Recently we watched the first two seasons of the British television mysteries Shetland, set on the Shetland Islands. I thought the show was very good, although I found I had to be very attentive because I wasn’t used to the accents, and as well, the… Read More
There are some excellent titles available for free in right now in the 27th Street Book Box. These include a collection of stories by songster Steve Earle, called Doghouse Roses and the new biography of one of Mr. Earle’s pals, Guy Clark, called Withour Getting… Read More
I came across Marrow Island on somebody’s list of best books of 2016. I read a brief description of the book and was drawn to the unusual premise. Imagine an earthquake in the Pacific Northwest destroys an oil refinery on a remote island, causing really… Read More
I’ve read one final book for 2016. I know, because I looked at my Goodreads list of books I read this year, that it happens to be my 12th for the year. This latest book is Yiddish for Pirates by Gary Barwin – one of… Read More
At this time of year, we’re bombarded with heavy-duty retail marketing. Sale, sale, sale. Buy now. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Holiday Sales, Boxing Day sales and on and on and on. Stop shopping for a few minutes and grab a free book at the Twenty… Read More
The 27th Street Book Box has been stuffed full of books the last few days. There are some excellent selections. If you’re in Long Branch and you want a good book to read, stop by. You can take some books – to borrow or keep.… Read More
I just finished reading Tamara Saviano’s biography of Guy Clark, Without Getting Killed or Caught – the life and music of Guy Clark. Guy Clark passed away earlier this year, leaving behind a fantastic songwriting and performing legacy. I should say before writing about this… Read More
I came to read this book through an unlikely coincidence. I was walking to a restaurant to meet up with some folks I worked with before my retirement from the workaday world. I was a little early, and along my walk came across a “fiercely… Read More
I just finished reading Bad Singer – the surprising science of tone deafness and how we hear music – by Tim Falconer. The book describes the journalist’s quest to understand why he’s a bad singer. He subjected himself to loads of scientific tests, talked to… Read More
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