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 50 and over 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. There are multiple
editions across the state of Texas and therefore there is some fluctuation in
content in each area.
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.
Below is/was my April 2012 column with the addition here of the
relevant book covers……
Southern
Living: 2011 Annual Recipes
Southern
Living Food Staff
Oxmoor
House
2011
ISBN
# 978-0-8487-3487-9
Hardback
370
Pages
With a delectable chocolate cake with white icing and strawberries on the cover (yes, the cover above is very different), this book jumps right out at you. Featuring “Every Single Recipe from 2011-Over 750” this book theoretically has something good to eat for everyone. Featuring very few color photographs, lots of tips and suggestions, this book celebrates southern cooking as well as the magazine’s 45th birthday.
After a brief introduction, the multi-page table of
contents, and brief excerpts of their favorite columns with page number
citations, it is on to the recipes. The recipes are divided by the months of
the year and, excluding holidays, have very little to do with the given month.
The pictures are almost always black and white and the typeface is poor giving
the pages a washed out appearance. Nutritional information is only rarely present.
The various indices are the best part of the cookbook.
While this book is
helpful in the sense that it pulls together literally hundreds of recipes and
tips published in the past year in the magazine, the book overall is a
disappointment in terms of information and visual appeal. Producing a book as
cheap as possible, as it appears was done here, does have serious consequences.
One hopes that next year they will do a better job in all aspects.
The
Blacklin County Files: 5 Sheriff Dan Rhodes Stories
Bill
Crider
Kindle
E-book
Long familiar to readers via the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series novels Texas author Bill Crider has assembled a short collection of previously published stories featuring the good sheriff Dan Rhodes. The Blacklin County Files: 5 Sheriff Dan Rhodes Stories read just like the good novels in that the stories feature humor, mystery, and the extensive cast of folks that populate the town of Clearview and the surrounding East Texas County of Blacklin.
Containing the previously published stories titled
“Buster”, “Gored”, “The Man on the Cross”,
“Choclate Moose”, and “Who Killed Cock Rogers” the five are all good tales
featuring Sheriff Dan Rhodes, his wife Ivy, Deputy Rudy Grady, Jail Dispatcher
Hack Jensen and numerous other good and no so good local residents. Solidly good, just like his novels, award
winning author Bill Crider provides yet more good reading.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2012
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