The Reader’s Nook - The N&G Book Thread
- Thread starter Joe Mac
- Start date
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
I could never re-read Kitchen Confidential. Bourdain was only shining a light on it, but there was and still is such an absolutely toxic kitchen culture in restaurants. Definitely worth reading though. Having had the pleasure of meeting him several times, his suicide is still very raw with me.
I actually picked up a new Kobo ereader a few weeks ago. I have been reading on my iPhone for several years, but noticed over the last couple of years that it was to easy to read just a couple of pages and then flip over to the news feed from the 9th circle of hell for 30 minutes or so.
Not sure if I am reading more now with the Kobo, but at least now when I do start to read I am doing it for longer stretches.
I actually picked up a new Kobo ereader a few weeks ago. I have been reading on my iPhone for several years, but noticed over the last couple of years that it was to easy to read just a couple of pages and then flip over to the news feed from the 9th circle of hell for 30 minutes or so.
Not sure if I am reading more now with the Kobo, but at least now when I do start to read I am doing it for longer stretches.
TrainFan73
Frothy
I’ve definitely been reading more since I got the kindle.
Bennnnn
Well-Known Member
Oh what? New essays? I have this on kindle, it’s one of my favorite music essay books but I think I should update to this new physical copyOther than a stint in my early twenties of buying any different edition of Brave New World I could find, I'm not generally one for picking up multiple copies of the same book, but I suspect I'll be picking this one up for the new essays.
View attachment 156553
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us
Hanif Abdurraqib is the author of the acclaimed essay collection They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, A Little Devil In America, and more.twodollarradio.com
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Hanif is an absolute treasure, so even though it's not a tremendous amount of new content, I'm sure I'll absolutely love it. I long ago committed to picking up any and everything he publishes, and likely most anything that features him as well. His poetry and music writing are both exquisite and unparalleled. I've enjoyed pieces he's written about things that barely interest me more than I've enjoyed many books about my favourites.
Bennnnn
Well-Known Member
Yes he quickly became one of my favorite authors after I read this one. He's just above so many other music writers out there. I haven't read much of his poetry, so I need to get on that.
TrainFan73
Frothy
I’m usually reading more than one thing at a time. This has lived next to my listening chair the last several months. I really enjoyed it, not as much as Mo’ Meta Blues.
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avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Been wanting to check this one out.
TrainFan73
Frothy
It’s definitely worth reading. He basically highlights history through music for the time he has been on the planet. He’s also asking existential questions about the nature of history along the way.
TrainFan73
Frothy
New listening chair companion:
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Even more wordier!
TrainFan73
Frothy
I mean I worked in restaurants for 20 plus years (was a chef all certified and everything for ten or so of those). So far there is nothing there that wasn't what I experienced.
I miss Bourdain and really only knew him from his shows (I did have a couple of cookbooks and his comics - as well as this and Medium Raw collecting virtual dust in my digital library) ... it's nice to "hear" his voice again.
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
Excited to start this one
TrainFan73
Frothy
I just got to the chapter where he tells you what to and not eat at restaurants and why and I’m in stitches.
To add to his concern about hollandaise, any cream/butter emulsion is gonna have the same bacteria issues at a chain restaurant. Or it will be a powder that is reconstituted, cooled, and then reheated. While making a lemon butter or beurre Blanc to order is completely doable and something that will happen in fine dining, it’s too variable and too complicated for the staff at your local Olive Garden. As such if it is actually cream and butter, it will also sit in the bacteria hot zone for hours at a time. Hell I’ve worked at restaurants where the left over emulsion is cooled down and used to start the new emulsion the next morning like it’s a fucking sourdough starter or something.
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Selaws
Well-Known Member
What makes this even more interesting is that the book came out at a time when many of these practices were not common knowledge to anyone outside of a kitchen. Bourdain basically drew back the curtain, unapologetically, and became wealthy off of it. Pretty badass really.
I have mentioned it before but I read this book once a year and it never gets old for me. He hit the balance of autobiography, guidance in cooking, behind-the-scenes of kitchen life, and humor really well.
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
He was an a wonderful writer. I read his couple of fiction books back when KC came out and enjoyed them. Both were crime/mystery novels. Funny to think if they had taken off before KC he may have had an entirely different, but related, career trajectory.
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
Current reading Never A Dull Moment: 1971 The Year That Rock Exploded by British music writer David Hepworth.
Pretty fun read. Each chapter attempts to cover a month from that year through releases, artist, and events that had a big part in shaping the year. It only touches lightly on certain things while delving deeper on others being as it’s less than 300 pages in length it would be hard to commit to any more in depth without things getting much more bloated. As someone who wasn’t born until 1981 it does a admirable job of connecting a lot of dots from the era.
I am currently to “August” chapter and one of the fun features of the book is each chapter includes a “playlist” of 9 or 10 tracks that represent some of the artist mentioned in the book. I looked on Spotlight and surprisingly didn’t find a playlist there that incorporated all the songs mentioned…
So… I made one last night.
It is missing a few tracks, a Neil Young song and a Joni Mitchell song (of course) and a Bob Marley Acoustic Medley but I think I was able to find everything else.
I figured I would make it available here for anyone who has read, is reading or might read the book in the future.
Pretty fun read. Each chapter attempts to cover a month from that year through releases, artist, and events that had a big part in shaping the year. It only touches lightly on certain things while delving deeper on others being as it’s less than 300 pages in length it would be hard to commit to any more in depth without things getting much more bloated. As someone who wasn’t born until 1981 it does a admirable job of connecting a lot of dots from the era.
I am currently to “August” chapter and one of the fun features of the book is each chapter includes a “playlist” of 9 or 10 tracks that represent some of the artist mentioned in the book. I looked on Spotlight and surprisingly didn’t find a playlist there that incorporated all the songs mentioned…
So… I made one last night.
It is missing a few tracks, a Neil Young song and a Joni Mitchell song (of course) and a Bob Marley Acoustic Medley but I think I was able to find everything else.
I figured I would make it available here for anyone who has read, is reading or might read the book in the future.
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In looking for a good, unique book for my wife for X-mas, I stumbled across this on a list of best-of-the-year.
Has anyone here read it?
Has anyone here read it?
An Immense World by Ed Yong: 9780593133255 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “thrilling” (The New York Times), “dazzling” (The Wall Street Journal) tour of the radically different ways that animals perceive the world...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
ayayrawn
Well-Known Member
Haven't read it but also added it to my list since I saw it in the times. Reviews seem overwhelmingly rave.In looking for a good, unique book for my wife for X-mas, I stumbled across this on a list of best-of-the-year.
Has anyone here read it?
An Immense World by Ed Yong: 9780593133255 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “thrilling” (The New York Times), “dazzling” (The Wall Street Journal) tour of the radically different ways that animals perceive the world...www.penguinrandomhouse.com
I'm sure I'd read it after her...it seems really interesting.