The Natural History of the Rich: A Field Guide by Richard Conniff If you’ve ever wondered about the habits and mores of the rich, look no further than “The Natural History of the Rich: A Field Guide” by Richard Conniff. This is a gossipy, amusing investigation by a long-time science writer who specializes in human […]
Mind Your Manors: Tried-and-True British Household Cleaning Tips by Lucy Lethbridge I’ve always been interested in how people actually live; not just the ones who make the history books. Most people never make the history books. Most people are support staff for history-makers. After all, do you really think that Queen Victoria washed her own […]
A People’s Guide to Publishing: Build a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful, Book Business From the Ground Up by Joe Biel Buy the book from Microcosm Publishing (they make more money this way): Direct Link To learn more about Joe Biel and Microcosm Publishing (they have a very esoteric line of books you won’t find elsewhere): Official […]
Bill here, while Teresa wrote a wonderful book on frugality called “Fed, Safe and Sheltered,” that doesn’t mean it’s the only book on the subject worth reading. While (spoiler alert!) she had some problems with “Meet the Frugalwoods,” she recommends two books at the end of her review that she feels are better. I’ve done […]
Inside Charlie’s Chocolate Factory: The Complete Story of Willy Wonka, the Golden Ticket, and Roald Dahl’s Most Famous Creation by Lucy Mangan I’ve always liked Roald Dahl’s children’s books. Like Doctor Seuss, he had a wonderful sense of the absurd along with more than a touch of the macabre. Nonetheless, I hadn’t given him much […]
One of the few constants across the amazing variety of human culture since the dawn of time is eating. We all eat, sometimes more and sometimes less. What we eat varies wildly depending on location, accessibility, and wealth. Three meals a day — spaced out at regular intervals — is a wonderful, modern invention based […]
Wow. Just wow. “The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage” is a gorgeous, lavishly illustrated history of one of the great, forgotten cover artists of the 1930’s pulp magazines. Artist Margaret Brundage lived an interesting, challenging life but what she is remembered for today are her pulp magazine covers, mainly for Weird Tales. This history reproduces […]
I loved Blood of an Exile by Brian Naslund. He is a new author and this is the start of a great new world in fantasy. His new series is called The Dragons of Terra. This is important not because dragons figure prominently in his new book (although they do) but because of what kind […]
“Aurora Blazing” is Jessie Mihalik’s newest installation in her three-part series “The Consortium Rebellion.” We have to have a rebellion, right? We’re always fighting the evil government, never paying attention to the fact that, if we win, we will become the evil government that good rebels will fight. Meanwhile, the rank and file who die […]
97 Orchard: The Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman is a valuable addition to your library if you’re interested in how normal people lived in the past. Not the aristocracy. Real people. Ms. Ziegelman is the director of the Tenement Museum’s culinary center. Her well-researched book covers […]