Boston

This treasure trove of butter drenched, fried, preserved and heavily sweetened recipes is loaded with practical homemaking advice from the days when "fresh" was only seasonally available per market, and cholesterol was not a vocabulary word. It makes you think about how people "lived to eat" in the Northeastern US at the turn of the century before foreign travel, immigration, mass media, refrigeration, food processors, mixers, nutrition research, etc. made exotic cuisines and "fresh and light" everyday fare.

The recipes are classic, yet loaded with good and creative cooking ideas that might have been overlooked in the 20th century...nutmeg in poultry dressing, etc. They are invitations to create meals that make you think about how economic and scientific considerations influenced how people ate. For example, you'll find more varieties of angel cakes; when you consider that sugar was more expensive than butter and therefore more of a treat, it's not surprising. Canning and preserving, and making out of season foods taste good, were necessary skills of any good housekeeper. Physical labor was a daily necessity, meaning bigger, heartier meals.

This cookbook is as interesting to read as it is a source of good old fashioned American recipes. Adjust them to 1990's dietary considerations, and you've got an enduring classic you can use every day.

My original copy of Fanny Farmer's Cookbook has no cover, pages behave as falling leaves unless handled with care, but I would not give it up for a new one, never never. What would I do without my years of scribbled notes in the margins? The copies I am buying now are for two granddaughters who are college frosh this year. They will get Fanny, Miss Manners, New College dictionary, etc. to start their own home libraries. Every home need Fanny Farmer because it is basic, easy to read and understand and calls for ingredients readily available - if not on the home shelf then at any grocery. FYI, when the grandson goes off to college he will also get a copy of Fanny to take with him, along with his microwave and a covered frying pan.

This book was the first I ever had. My mother bought it for me when I got married. It was a mainstay in our kitchen at home. It teaches all aspects of basic sauces, breads, pastries, meats, poultry, vegetables and soups. It contains hints on substitutions, on how to diagnose a failed cake, on how to create a bouquet garni. It will never go out of date. Surely our eating habits have changed somewhat. We eat more veggies, less meat, but the dessert cart at the restaurant looks as luscious as ever, and we can find all of it or reasonable facsimile in this Classic.

i think this being the fisrt book is the best beginning and it keeps you wanting to read. The books are so good that i have all of them and i think that kate Flora has made herself a gold mine with the Thea Kozak mysteries as i want to know whats going to happen next with Thea.

I luckily discovered Chosen for Death at the library last week. Thea, a loveable heroine, reminded me of Kinsey Milhone and Dr. Kay, two of my favorite mystery characters. The plot was strong, and it took me almost to the end to figure out the murderer, always a plus. If you're looking for something slightly different than the usual suspects, so to speak, give Kate Flora a try.

This novel is Kate Floras first mystery novel. The story centers around a young woman, whose sister is suddenly murdered. She decides to investigate on her own, and in doing so must go to the town where her younger, adopted sister had been murdered to examine the life of her sister, the associates and boyfriends. Not only does she have to work on the mystery, but she also has her own thriving business and a couple of men in her life to deal with. This novel is not merely a mystery novel, for it doesn't merely center on the mystery at hand, but also on the life of the sister left behind in the tragedy. I highly recommend this novel if you want more than just the average mystery! Its gripping at times, humourous, engaging, and has a very unexpected ending that even left me surprised!! The author writes along the lines of Mary Higgins Clark or Gloria murphy...great reads

I grew up in the neighbourhood described in this book. We left in the mid-fifties along with many other families for the near suburbs, but I remember the vitality of the neighbourhood well. We continued to return to the area (just off Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury) until my remaining relatives were driven out.

The authors go into great detail to set the scene of the neighbourhood and to describe the motives and actions of the main participants. I think that there is sufficient evidence to conclude whether any party has a greater share of the blame -- if blame must be attached at all. The authors point their finger at the banks (who always seem to be castigated for being Brahmins). Relying on the authors' own evidence, I conclude that it was the result of the cruel, vicious, criminal and arrogant, posturing blacks who drove the Jews out. Exceptions to this were noted in the book. The authors said that the Irish were tougher and wouldn't give in to intimidation so easily; the Jews were seen as easy marks. How right those harsh characterisations were!.

The book left my mother in tears. Highly accurate, the book will give you something to cry over if you knew the area. It will puncture a liberal myth in any case.

Its easy to believe that the status quo is inevitable, that Jews have always lived in faceless suburbs. But this book shows that this is not so--once upon a time there were Jewish neighborhoods just like there are Chinatowns and black neighborhoods today. And it also shows that the status quo isn't just a natural result of the market -- that government "urban renewal" drove blacks out of older neighborhoods into those Jewish neighborhoods, thus spurring Jewish flight. These sorts of places aren't totally extinct--if you want to see a slightly more upscale version of what Blue Hill Avenue must have looked like, visit Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh sometime (I think the major commercial strip is Murray Avenue, but I haven't visited there from some years).

"This book is must reading for urban planners and elected officials. I cannot recommend it enough" Paul J. Walkowski, Author, "From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court"

preferably aloud, as a kind of modern scherezade, but ten times longer and a lot less one-sided

or maybe it should be set to music

Yeah that's a quote from Milhouse on The Simpsons...

but he's right. Old folks have a lot to say and finally someone took the time to listen and write it all down. I've been a huge fan of Duplex Planet as a zine. It's nice to read a simple, Xeroxed mag with quotes from all kinds of old people who've already pretty much seen it all.

But instead of dwelling on the past, you might be surprised to see that a lot of the questions they're asked regard the present:

"What's your favorite monster movie?"

"How can you tell someone's a genius?"

"What's more important: romance or food?"

The answers are always honest, blunt and sometimes truly hilarious.

Check out this book, then the comics series and of course the zine. ...

'Duplex Planet' can be read all the way through or in a flip-and-read manner. It is the kind of book that makes an excellent coffee table conversation piece. You will want to share it with your friends and family; but, don't make the same mistake I did - don't give your copy away, or you'll end up, like me, having to buy another copy.

Peter Gammons showed America why he is considered the best sportswriter of this generation. Who better than someone born in Massachusetts to write a story about the illustrious Boston Red Sox? He begins with THE SIXTH GAME. For those uniniated, the Sixth Game is possibly the greatest game ever played in a World Series. All the way from Carlton Fisk's triumphant home run to the damning Free-Agency created on Major League Baseball. I know it sounds cliche, but Gammons truly hits a home run with this book. Along the way, from 1975-1985, you meet the Red Sox and learn who they are. Jim Rice, Bill "Spaceman" Lee, and Luis Tiant. Bucky "Bleeping" Dent, Mike Torrez, and Joe Rudi. Everybody important, and some that are not important, are covered in the book. If you are a Sox fan, or simply a baseball fan, and you have not read this book, you are truly missing out.

this is a classic that should go back into print immediately. gammons is probably the finest living baseball writer. this book covers the boston red sox during the decade after their world series appearance in 1975. the heartbreaking 1978 playoff game with the yankees, the beginning of the free agent era, and the wonderful characters like bill lee, george scott, aka " the boomer", bernie carbo, and the great pitcher fergie jenkins, are all covered. in that period, the red sox had a lot of cool characters and also some excellent ball players on the team, like jim rice, fred lynn, and carlton fisk, to name just a few. the team's tough battles with the yankees ( who lee called "fascist brownshirts")are also covered admirably. gammons has a great sense of humor as well. the book flows superbly, and is a fine read for any baseball fan , even yankees fans.

This is an excellent book from at least two perspectives. First, using the Red Sox as a focus, it examines the organizational, financial and legal chaos which arises during the early years of rampant free agency. As a baseball fan since the early 1960s I still remember the new uncertainties and insecurities unleashed when the reserve clause was declared null and void. Almost overnight it seemed all my favorite players were on the verge of jumping the team for more lucrative contracts elsewhere. Baseball has never been the same. In addition it also examines in detail why the Red Sox only won one pennant and NO world series during the 1970s and early 1980s despite having the most talented team in baseball. In addition to the problems of free agency the team had attrocious management and a lack of pitching depth...thus its lack of success despite having such stars as Yazstremski, Rice, Lynn, Fisk, Tiant etc. From a Red Sox fans point of view the book is both heartbreaking and very informative.

Boston, with its many districts, is a city that welcomes exploration by foot. Boston: Mini Rough Guide (though not a walking guide per se) gives you enough concise information to launch your pedestrian journey. Each district highlighted in the guide contains the necessary information to discover all the worthwhile sites. Impressive, are the twelve pages of colored maps at the back of the guide. Accommodations, eateries, drinking, night life, performing arts and other listings normally found in a travel guide are adequate. The uniqueness of this guide is its size and concise and accurate listings.

However, a few noticeable shortcomings need to be mentioned. In this day and age any guidebook should have a listing of the top web sites that are worth viewing prior to your trip. The Boston Mini Rough Guide does not. Also, this Rough Guide tries to be all things to all people, where in today's world, differentiation in audience focus is critical. It states that the Boston: Mini Rough Guide is designed for, travelers of all ages and all budgets. For such a small condensed guide this spreads its coverage too thin. The Boston: Mini Rough Guide has failed to find a distinctive marketing niche.

In SUMMARY: Boston: Mini Rough Guide is an adequate, informative guide that is very a reasonable price and packaged in a convenient size. Conditionally Recommended.

Customers may wish to learn that this book won a prestigious Lowell Thomas award from the Society of American Travel Writers -- I think the only Rough Guide to do so. The writing evokes the city well and the listings are kept current. Good format. A great buy for all those who need a few tips for making the most out of Boston, what the authors say is "as close to the Old World as the New World gets." And how.

I have found more terrific places from this guide,,from the Marliav restaurant to shopping tips. I can tell alot of reseach went into this comprehensive book

This book was basically a rehash of O'Connor's Boston Irish book. The book revolved almost exclusively around the Irish Catholic experience to the almost virtual exclusion of all other Catholic ethnic groups. Still the book is a very interesting portrayal of the evolution of Boston's culture. I would suggest this book to anyone with an interest in Boston history

Thomas O'Connor is University Historian and Professor of History, Emeritus, at Boston College and draws upon his years of scholarship to provide an informative, engaging, splendidly written and flawlessly presented history of the Catholic church and laity in Boston, Massachusetts in Boston Catholics: A History Of The Church And Its People. From the earliest days of immigration when "no Catholics need apply" was a pervasive barrier to jobs, education, and housing, to the years of growth and assimilation spearheaded by an active and involved church, to the social and ecclesiastical changes of recent decades, this remarkable and informative history will be read with interest by Catholics and students of American history and culture.

As a former student of Dr. O'Connor's (B.C. 1960) and as a Bostonian in spirit , when I read this book I felt I was back in his class at Gasson Hall. I was kept interested by the information and down to earth comments that Dr. O'Connor always used to help his students understand the more complex concepts in his U.S. History courses. He was always witty and used his non-threatening personality to get his students to fully appreciate the value of his beloved subject. This book was a revelation to me in many ways. Having grown up in St. Benedict's parish in Somerville, I lived through many of the situations Dr.O'Connor writes about: parochial education, C.Y.O. baseball teams, whist parties attended by my neighbors, the days of Cardinal Cushing and his radio rosary( which I remember saying in grammar school and at Columbus High in the North End), the May Processions, the identifying yourself by naming your parish first and a hogepoge of other simple facts which will get students of the 40's and 50's to reminisce pleasantly about their past. The little known fact about the saying of the first mass in Boston in King's Chapel on Tremont St. by a Franciscan priest for a young French officer bludgeoned to death while on a provisions mission for his ship was particularly informative.It was the type of effort Dr. O'Connor always made to keep his classes interesting. The research done about Cardinal O'Connell and how he went about building the Church in Massachusetts is a blueprint for young executives building the foundation of their own companies. The primary value of the book for me was a look back to my days growing up in Boston and being educated in the Catholic tradition of the time.It gave me a historical perspective of a period which was filled with controversy and strife in many ways and an organization which provided a stabilizing force which was badly needed. Dr. O'Connor's book will be particularly interesting not only to readers who grew up in Boston but also to those who want to fill in their desire to know more about how one organization can effectively serve a large population in a positive manner.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this informative, thought provoking and supremely readable work.

This was yet another flashy novel. The author is too concerned with showing how clever he is to be bothered with a plausible plot or believable characters. The central character in particular was totally unbelievable. As much as I wanted to like it, it grew dull and dissonant about half of the way through. The ending was totally absurd ( and not in a nice way).

Thank goodness this baby came back into print! I echo what the guys below have said, and add only that if you've read other greats in this genre--The Great American Novel, The Celebrant, Shoeless Joe, Sam's Legacy--this will stand proudly along side them, and should be next.

I'm not sure how many people will read this review, since there's only one other one thus far, so I'll make it brief. If you've read all the other "classic" baseball novels, but have never stumbled across this one, you're in for a real treat. This is the ultimate "lost" baseball novel. In fact, it's the ultimate "lost" novel, period. I won't tell you what the story is about, since I don't want to give anything away. You'll just have to trust me on this one, even though you don't have any idea who the hell I am. Highly recommended even if you've never considered reading a baseball novel before! If you're browsing through the baseball novel section at Amazon (which is how I found out about the book), forget about W.P. Kinsella, Mark Harris, Philip Roth, et al. You can always read those guys later. This little gem by Charyn is one of the ones you should read first. The other is "You Know Me Al," by Ring Lardner.

This is very good book about the City of Boston, as it was developed in stages. The Book explains the development and expansion of the city in time and according to location. It is very vivid and especially if you have been a pedestrian offen on the streets of Boston, It starts to make sense and starts to give joy. As I read the book I started to appreciate more and more the efforts of BRA and Back Bay Society.unfortunately before they acted quite a number of beautiful structures has gone.Book has very extensive history from 1700 to 1970's and than it is summary or may be it is a living history for you. There are numerous pictures but the number of pictures is not as much as those you may find in other types of books, like Boston in Pictures, etc. After all it is a narrative book but there is sufficient amount of pictures to help you visulize. I wish a more comprehensive book were to be produces to show in same pages all the developments, similar to "Boston, Than and Now" but with more older pictures and more story as this book has. Read this book and sit across the Charles on Cambridge Side than you start to see Trimont, Mill Dam, Neck. It is great book.

This book is ideal for anyone looking for a general account of Boston history. It acquants one with many of the important stages in the development of the city; covering the period from the colonial to approximately 1970. The information regarding the colonial period is excellent, as is the book itself. It is not specific, but provides an introduction to many great way points for further study.

This book is a fascinating account of how Boston grew and developed. It stays on the point, is concise, and really improves the understanding of this city. A must read for a Bostonian.

The basic writing style and simplistic plot in this small to medium sized book was perfect for my two children, ages 5 and 9, to comprehend. My youngest one, Peabody, would love a Jimmy Streets talking doll! I hope there is an illustrated version of this book on the way.

If you enjoy medical mysteries, then you should give this one a try. Woody Tanger has fashioned a tale that moves crisply and holds the reader's interest. This is an author waiting to be discovered, and surely he will be.

I'll never be able to be comfortable in a relationship or on a date again. . . nor will I ever look at fresh squeezed juice the same way. Where is Det. Street when I need him?