The Senior News Newspaper----November

For some time now I have been writing a monthly book review column for the Senior News newspaper. The Senior News is aimed to the over 50 crowd with news relevant to seniors regarding various issues, humor pieces, and my review column among other things. The newspaper is a giveaway at doctor offices, stores, etc. and can be received by via a paid subscription.

My column every month focuses on books of interest to the Texas audience. Therefore books selected for the column, fiction or non-fiction, are written by Texas residents, feature Texans in some way, or would have some other connection to the Texas based readership. At least two books are covered each month in the short space I am given.

Since I have not run one of my columns here in quite some time, I thought I would run the current issue column today. I try to cover one fiction and one non-fiction book every month so as to interest more readers. Below is/was my November column with the addition here of the relevant book covers……

Texas Noir: Volume 1

Milton T. Burton

Kindle E-Book

Following up on three very good books including the most recent “Nights of the Red Moon” East Texas Author Milton T. Burton has brought forth an intriguing collection of short stories. These noir stories, seventeen in all, can provide pleasurable reading for those who enjoy noir as well as those who enjoy tales of mystery and science fiction.

Set in Texas and elsewhere while always featuring Texans, these tales are rooted in the past and modern times. They often feature characters that are mistaken for fools because of where they live and their folky ways. The tales often twist back on the reader in unexpected ways and almost always feature a lesson on applying justice to those who deserve it.  Like his novels, this book features good reading well worth your time.

WeightWatchers New Complete Cookbook: Over 500 Delicious Recipes For The Healthy Cook’s Kitchen

WeightWatchers

Wiley Publishing, Inc.

ISBN# 978-0-470-61451-8

Binder Notebook

448 Pages

Featuring “Over 500 Delicious Recipes For The Healthy Cook’s Kitchen” this cookbook comes in a five ring binder with color tabbed and coded sections. Designed to be laid open flat and used while cooking, moving between sections can be difficult due to the quality of materials used indicating that regular use will likely result in torn paper and other issues. This book is designed to be your one cookbook you use while following their trademarked “PointsPlus” concept.

After several introductory sections, the recipes are located in various color tabbed sections such as “Breakfasts and Brunches” and “Soups--Starters and Main Dishes” and “Pizzas, Calzones, and Sandwiches” among many others. Recipes are coded based on degree of cooking skill need with most considered “basic” by the editors. Variety in the recipes is common with many dishes featuring an ethnic or cultural flair.

Two indices bring this 448 page book to a close. Many of these recipes are simply redone ones from earlier books using their new points system. If you already have the materials explaining how the new system works, you can easily modify your own recipes to come up with what they want you to buy in this book.  Beyond that fact and concerns over how well the book will hold up during use, the book features a small typeface that is light in color tone as well as a lack of pictures. This results in a bland cookbook that is hard to read and may not hold up for long term use.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2011