Teaser Tuesday: Joker One

. "Five minutes later, Noriel and I hit the large dirt road that signaled the approach to the cemetery. But no sooner had I breathed a sigh of relief than headlights appeared around a road bend some one hundred meters away, moving rapidly towards us." Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood by Donovan Campbell. I was worried that I wouldn't like this book because, well, to be honest, I'm a chick and this is a war book. But the story is riveting and the writing snappy, so I am tearing through it. Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday

. Last week was a book bonanza at my house, although none came in the mail. It was the annual Friends of the Multnomah County Library book sale -- my favorite book event of the year. We got too many books to list them all for Mailbox Monday, but my favorites include: Not Now But Now by M.F.K. Fisher (a reprint of her 1947 novel) The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies (the first book in his Cornish Trilogy and on the Anthony Burgess list of favorites) And three volumes of John Galsworthy's Forsyte Saga, in nice vintage Scrivener's editions: Maid in Waiting, Flowering Wilderness, and One More River (also called Over the River). I'm working on a New Year's resolution to read the Forsyte Saga, so I am excited about these. Unfortunately, these are the last three volumes of the nine volume set, so now I am going to obsess on finding the others in matching editions.

Review: The Silver Palate

Before there was a Food Network, Iron Chef, or even a Martha Stewart magazine, there was The Silver Palate. Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins may not be classical chefs, and they did not revolutionize restaurant cooking like Alice Waters or Thomas Keller, but they did more to change the way Americans cooked in their homes than anyone since Julia Child first trussed a chicken on t.v.

While much of the text and many of the recipes seem dated, it bears remembering that The Silver Palate was in the vanguard of America’s food revolution. This book was first published in 1979, which explains why the authors had to advocate the use of olive oil and explain things like raspberry vinegar, Gruyere cheese, and pesto.

Silver Palate recipes are not wildly innovative. Rosso and Lukins used a lot of old-timey, Junior League-type recipes and gave them enough New York City gloss to appeal to a new generation of home cooks. They simplified classics, gussied up gloppy casseroles, and tapped into the trend for high-quality fresh ingredients, creating a collection of recipes that are the kitchen standards of today.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.


NOTE

This was my cookbook choice for the Spice of Life Challenge and my "silver" choice for the Colorful Reading Challenge.

State of the Blog, Part One: The Lists

It is that fall-is-in-the-air, back to school, get things done time of year that always gives me a jolt of energy. So I am doing a little autumnal assessment of my year in reading -- so far -- to decide whether there are any bookish goals or projects I can make progress on before the end of the year. Note, I did not say "finish" by the end of the year, although there are, hopefully, one or two I can wrap up by then.

This is a two-part assessment. This first part addresses the various book lists I am keeping track of. Part Two, coming soon, will deal with the author lists.

THE LISTS

1899 Top 100
Books read so far: 7/100
Books read in 2009: zero (but I just added the list a few days ago)
Books on my TBR shelf: 11

All-TIME Top 100
Books read so far: 73/100
Books read in 2009: one-third (I read The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Scant progress, but progress still.)
Books on my TBR shelf: 15

Anthony Burgess
Books read so far: 25/99
Books read in 2009: zero (too bad, because I respect his picks)
Books on my TBR shelf: 18

BBC's Big Read
Books read so far: 52/100
Books read in 2009: 5+

1. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham(reviewed here)
2. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens(reviewed here)
3. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
4. Crime and Punishment
5. I Capture the Castle
6. plus another one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 11

Book Club
Books read so far: 14/15
Books read in 2009: 5

1. Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Keysey
2. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
3. Davita's Harp by Chiam Potok
4. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
5. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
   

Books on my TBR shelf: zero

College Board
Books read so far: 75/101
Books read in 2009: one (Treasure Island)
Books on my TBR shelf: 13

Costa Book of the Year
Books read so far: 1/24
Books read in 2009: one (Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson, reviewed here)
Books on my TBR shelf: 3

Easton Press
Books read so far: 54/100
Books read in 2009: 2

1. Great Expectations (reviewed here)
2. Treasure Island
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 25

Edgar Award
Books read so far: 4/55
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 5

Erica Jong
Books read so far: 29/100
Books read in 2009: one (The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley)
Books on my TBR shelf: 18

French Connection
Books read so far: 42/107 (and counting -- there are more books to add to the list)
Books read in 2009: one (Au Revoir to All That by Michael Steinberger (reviewed here)
Books on my TBR shelf: 20

LT Early Reviewers
Books read so far: 17/23
Books read in 2009: 3

1. The Amish Cook at Home by Lovina Eicher (reviewed here)
2. Blackbird, Farewell by Robert Greer (reviewed here)
3. American Rust by Philipp Meyer (reviewed here)
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 6

Man Booker Prize
Books read so far: 21/42
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 14

MLA's 30
Books read so far: 21/30
Books read in 2009: one and 1/3

1. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2. one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 4

Modern Library
Books read so far: all of them!
Books read in 2009: zero ( finished this list a couple of years ago)
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

National Book Award
Books read so far: 24/62
Books read in 2009:4

1. The Echo Maker by Richard Powers
2. The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
3. The Fixer by Bernard Malamud (reviewed here)
4. Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth (reviewed here)
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 11

NBCC Award
Books read so far: 15/33
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 6

Nobel Laureates
Authors read so far: 19/105
Books read in 2009: 3

1. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
2. The Beggar by Naguib Mahfouz (reviewed here)
   
3. The Plague by Albert Camus
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 31 (but most by authors already read)

Observer's Top 100
Books read so far: 55/100
Books read in 2009: 3+

1. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (reviewed here)
2. Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway
3. The Plague by Albert Camus
4. plus another one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring

Books on my TBR shelf: 19

Orange Prize
Books read so far: 1/13
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 4

Oregon Books
Books read so far: 3/20
Books read in 2009: one (The River Why by David Duncan)
Books on my TBR shelf: 2

Pulitzer Prize
Books read so far: 38
Books read in 2009: 3

1. Advise and Consent by Allen Drury (reviewed here)
2. The Fixer by Bernard Malamud (reviewed here)
3. March by Geraldine Brooks (reviewed here)

Books on my TBR shelf: 19

Radcliffe's Top 100
Books read so far: 86/100
Books read in 2009: one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
Books on my TBR shelf: 11
RCR Top 10
Books read so far: 10/10 (it's my list)
Books read in 2009: zero (the list did not change this year -- so far)
Books on my TBR shelf: zero
Well-Stocked Bookcase
Books read so far: 35/60
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 14
I would not have guessed that the BBC list would be the one I made the most progress on so far this year. Thank goodness for The Fellowship of the Ring that gave me a toehold on my slow climb up some of these lists. I am thinking of concentrating on the Radcliffe list in 2010 because I have a shot at finishing that one once and for all. The books remaining also overlap with several other lists, so I could really make hay.
.

Opening Sentence of the Day: Joker One

. "I found myself fascinated by the interesting geometric designs of the twisted iron rebar in front of me." Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood by Donovan Campbell How did I end up with a military book? I have got to learn to click that LibraryThing "Request Now" button more judiciously! This is an Early Reviewer book and the one that has been languishing the longest on my Guilt List. It is supposed to be really good, so even if it is not my cup of tea, maybe it will keep my attention. .