BOOKS. whatcha readin...?

[ric]

@drizzle
Heat by Bill Buford

it may not be exactly what you want but the guy discusses/researches/lives through a decent array of shit about the industry from an outsiders perspective. also there are a few books that are kind of inaccessible because the general public doesnt really know about them but most every super serious fine dining lifer has read them but....i cant think of them right now....fuck

[drizzle]

thanks ric, that looks like a good start

if you think of those other titles please let me know, I picked up a few from Bourdaine's book and i'm wondering if you mean the same

[ChewbaccaUncircumcised]

[ric]

@drizzle
no not like bourdain. like....almost instructional manuals on food prep and service. those kind of tomes really inform the reader whats going on and then you can look at it differently and appreciate differently and really more genuinely the dining experience. theyre like coaching manuals for food service

@chewbacca
shogun is definitely one of my favorite books of all time and ive only read it once but when i think of sweet epic art that has it all and is masterfully conceived for its audience shogun is way way way up there

[360]

Red Seas Under Red Skies which is the sequel to Lies of Locke Lamora.


I recommend it to all of the fantasy fans here.

Next up are Joe Abercrombie's books.

[PopeyeJones]

on a similar note, anybody got any good rec's for books on history and philosophy of food/the industry of dining? not specific cookbooks, I'm looking for more general discourse on how certain trends and methods develop and catch on, etc

Read way too fucking many of these. Definitely another vote for Heat, though.

Michael Ruhlman's three books (The Making of a Chef, The Soul if a Chef, and The Reach of a Chef) are all pretty good and right in line with what you're asking for. Michael Symon first became famous from being profiled in Ruhlman's book (iirc the third one is the worst, so I'd start at the beginning)

If you want hip hop hipster restaurant industry food porn shit talking Eddie Huang's Fresh Off The Boat came out this year, and is definitely entertaining.

In that same chef memoir vein, Gabriele Hamilton's Blood, Bones, and Butter is really fucking good too.

If you want the critic side, Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires is a fun, quick read.

[Vlad Analogue]

Let me add one recommendation of a far more technical book regarding service. I am working on a book myself, and it's been really influential in tackling some concepts. It's called Kitchens, written by a guy named Gary Fine, who is a sociology professor at Northwestern. It appears to be his dissertation work; the basic premise is that he observes/studies four different types of restaurants in the Twin Cities. His examination is quite thorough, and he is able to formalize a lot of concepts that remain relatively exclusive to those within the industry. Like I said, it's a bit technical, but well worth the read if you want to really explore.

I will take this time also to recommend a book by a friend of mine, ESPN's Christopher Harris. He writes fiction, and had his second novel come out recently. It's called the Big Clear, a contemporary noir set in Austin, Texas. It's worth the 5 or 10 bucks on Kindle if you happen to be in the mood for a brisk, fairly taut read.

*I just noticed Popeye's rec for B,B,&B. I buddy of mine was her boyfriend when she was down here at Hampshire College (I dunno if he has mention in the book, but they still keep in touch), he brought that shit up out of the blue the other day.

Jeffery Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything is also a decent read, though you can hear his pomposity through the pages.

[dustyhands]

I just started Earl the Pearl's autobiography. Interesting book on an underrated forgotten nba player of the 70s.

[zappy]

readin some fantasy novels.

right now is the chaos balance

[Joe Pesci]

Breakfast of Champions

[wizeguy]

I'm hooked on Tom Wolfe lately. I've read 'Mauve Glovers & Madmen, Clutter & Vine' and now I'm reading 'The Bonfire of Vanities'.

[ric]

I'm hooked on Tom Wolfe lately. (...) 'The Bonfire of Vanities'.

yeah this shit is fire. wolfe is a god no question. Electric Kool Aid Acid Test is another great summer read and Man In Full while definitely technically great is a worthwhile read that....well...i dont know maybe youll love it. i dont dislike it i just dont want to say anything

right now im rolling with

Shogun by james clavell (re-read)

in queue:
The Money Culture by michael lewis
Blood Meridian by cormac mccarthy
The Call of Cthulu and Other Tales by hp lovecraft (sort of a barnes and noble combo pack i think)
Catching Fire by hunger games author
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by john lecarre
Getting to Yes by some business professor
Negotiation Genius by some business professor
Monsters by chuck palahniuk

[wizeguy]

I'm hooked on Tom Wolfe lately. (...) 'The Bonfire of Vanities'.

yeah this shit is fire. wolfe is a god no question. Electric Kool Aid Acid Test is another great summer read and Man In Full while definitely technically great is a worthwhile read that....well...i dont know maybe youll love it. i dont dislike it i just dont want to say anything

I've been planning to get these two. His most impressive work for me is 'Radical Chic and Mau Mauing the Flack Catchers'.

[Loki]

aka ancient aliens the book

post/name combo is amazing

[drizzle]

Read the first Ruhlman book, enjoyed it. Dude is not the most exciting stylist but his straight-forward approach works well for describing the school curriculum, and he clearly enjoys talking about it, so it all works.

Started this now:



I was raised on classic scifi but it was more mannered stuff - Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, etc. Somehow I've never come across this one. HOLY FUCKING SHIT

It's like Count of Monte Cristo X Parker in space X proto-cyberpunk (which is most remarkable considering this was written before the concept of personal computers even existed)

where has this thing been all my life

[admiral]

[Echo Leader]

Last two books read:





What I'm currently on:

[drizzle]

Dangerious Liasons is the shit. Writing a letter to seduce a chick on the ass of a side piece you just boned is the truest playa shit

[Y@k Bollocks]

Bought these yesterday...





Been slacking a bit on books lately as I don't get the tube to work anymore.

On holiday I read...

George Orwell - Down and Out In Paris and London 5/5
Simon Reynolds - Energy Flash A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture 1/5
Thomas Maltman – Little Wolves 2/5 (A poor mans Cormac McCarthy)

Been dipping in and out of this for months now. It's amazing. The working lives of scores of Americans. From prostitute to chief executive, coal mine worker to major league ballplayer- a myriad of professions are covered

[907]

Just finished "someone could get hurt", by Drew Magary. I'm a fan of his Deadspin/Gawker writing and considering having kids, so it seemed like the perfect read and was. Smart, well written, and funny as fuck. If you're a fan of his writing, or just looking to laugh at parental failures, it's a great and quick read. I bought his novel, The Postmortal, a long time ago but never read it, I think I'm finally going to give it a shot.

[907]

Got dat Mac Lethal book in the mail today too, but no clue when I'm going to get around to reading it. It's getting surprisingly good reviews though, and the excerpts he's posted online have all been pretty funny.

[Willie B]

just finished mo meta blues.
next up, conversations with myself.

[Dan]

I just finished J-Zone's book, Root for the Villain. I've had the book for over 2 years and just finally got around to starting it earlier this week. It was a little strange to read about his retirement from music after he had come out of retirement and released a new album, but it was still very enjoyable.

I've never been much of a reader and that's the only book I've read this year. Going to try to force myself to read more. Next up is Getting Even by Woody Allen.

[ChewbaccaUncircumcised]

fun cyberpunk book i am currently reading:

[alpha]

Thinking of reading some Steinbeck. East of Eden or grapes of wrath?

[drobizhek]

Dorian Gray

[360]

Chewie, Snowcrash is much more than a fun cyberpunk book! It is a seminal work for that whole genre! Also one of my favorites. Damn good read. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did

[Dan]

Several months ago I found these 3 books by Woody Allen at a used bookstore near where I live. There's no descriptions on the backs of the books, so I didn't know what I was getting.



Yesterday, I finished Getting Even. These books are short stories by Woody Allen, most were previously published in magazines like the New Yorker and Playboy, though, some are exclusive to these books. Some of these were really funny. One of them was basically a precursor to his movie, Midnight in Paris.

Going to take a break from Woody Allen tonight and start George Carlin's book, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?.

[malpractice]

i told myself i wasnt ever going to post in or read this thread, because is my downtime from work, and i wasnt gonna talk about books. buttttt..

goddammit, ive been struggling to get through this book, and im SO bummed, because there was tons of buzz surrounding its release, and i loved her first book ("special topics in calamity physics"). it's not that the book is boring, im just super underwhelmed, and i wanted to love it. has anyone else picked it up?

[Dan]

Finished George Carlin's, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?
Book was funny, but I was expecting a barrage of hate/musings toward organized religion. Instead, it was just a witty title with no real focused topic. Just random observations about anything and everything, much like Carlin's stand-up specials.

Tonight I started on Don't Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin': The Authorized Story of Public Enemy by Russell Myrie.