Customer Comments

This book feels epic. It almost feels like 3 books in one: before the outbreak, during the outbreak, after the outbreak. It is horrifying in it's accuracy of how something like this would actually happen and creates a very good image of the individual people that would be effected and how groups of people could cope to deal with a new world.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It is romantic and emotion tugging without being sapping or over the top, something that I think would appeal to a variety of readers. It was surreal and dramatic and beautifully slow and I wanted to savor it and draw it out. I have mixed feelings about the epilogue, but have come to terms with it upon reflection, as it is not a typical ending, part happy, part tragic, but it tied things together well. I highly recommend it.

This is my go to book for baking, it has the best recipes for peanut butter cookies, ginger snaps, and fruit crisps. It also is a great cook book to have if you don't want to have 10 cook books (like I do) and it has enough of a variety to be your "only" cookbook, as these are tried and true recipes. The one downfall is that it doesn't have many ethnic or alternative (non-meat) recipes, so you'll have to go elsewhere for that.

This really is the BBQ Bible! It has such a huge variety of recipes, you could make your dinner on the BBQ all summer long! The shrimp recipes are especially wonderful.

A great reference book for anyone trying to detox their house from hazardous cleaning supplies. The ingredients are cheap and mostly around the house already (baking soda, vinegar, dishsoap, etc.) It offered the simple and easy to implement idea to write the ingredients of your homemade cleanser on the container so that as soon as you run out you can easily make it again (without having to find the book, look it up, etc.)

It's about salt. It's long. It is packed with dorky history tidbits, which was the best part. Much of the time it seemed to get off track (of the main subject of salt) and go off on tangents, that sometimes were interesting in and of themselves, but left the book feeling disjointed and random. Did you know that salt played a role in the work of Gandhi? This history lesson was one of the most enjoyable parts of the book. Keep in mind, I am not a history buff (at all) but have come to appreciate learning about it.

Great book to read or listen to. I listened to it, which I think added to the folk storyteller feel of it. It is so cram packed with deep thoughts, engaging stories, questions of faith, and memorable "stick in your mind" quotes. I want to own this book. It's one of my favorites, ever.

I wish I would have read this in middle school or high school! It's a quick read and I found myself wanting it to be longer and dive more deeply into the implications of the "community" and the life that is lead, but then again, it is a young adult book, and for that purpose, I think would definitely serve the purpose of raising questions in a 15 year olds head. I could imagine this could spur lively discussions in a classroom and would encourage young adults, especially, to read it.

I love this book! It is incredibly practical and user friendly. If you have too many onions, for example, you can turn right to the onion section and find recipes and quick and easy food pairings and how to use it (like suggestions for quick salads, side dishes, soups/casserole add ins, etc.) It's a great compliment to a CSA membership and using up (and enjoying!) lots of veggies you may not be too familiar with. Also, it also includes some common herb sections that have given me more ideas to put some of the herbs from my garden to good use!

I enjoyed "Dress your family in corduroy and denim" much more. The Macy's Christmas Elf story had it's great parts, and the Christmas letter one was a hilarious, though dark, idea. But overall, this didn't have me laughing out loud like "corduroy and denim" did... I think I was hoping for more real life stories than this one provided.

I had high hopes for this book, but it didn't do much for me. A similar book I would recommend is "Extremely loud and incredibly close", they are both told by young boys and deal with them trying to solve a mystery, and I found "Extremely" to be much more engaging and had more meat to it. "The Curious incident" is a quick read though, and even though it comes off as a light read, it is an interesting look into autism and can be rather dark at times.

This tiny little book took me months to get through and I could not usually read more than 10 or so pages in 1 sitting. But, it was very worth trudging through. It is dense, but it is so historically packed with info on the history of social services, labor movements, women's rights, immigration, poverty, democracy, grassroots organizing, and Chicago and the mid-west. The "settlement movement" as it is referred to in the book, encompasses the many social services that exist today, but highlights how they started, how needs were identified and how addressed. Seeing these projects start at such an individual level and seeing the compassion and concern that Addams had for her fellow citizens is awe inspiring. As a student of social work and sociology, a college attendee in the midwest, short time Chicago resident and a worker within social services, this was a great read for history info, inspiration, and a reminder of what we can accomplish.

I am in love with this book! I love baking, I love new recipes, I love Grand Central and I love books that cover baking tips and long passed down baking secrets, and this book covers all these areas! So far, I have made Grand Central's famous "Jammers" (similar to a scone with a dollop of jam in the middle...like a giant Jam Thumb print cookie) and the Blueberry muffins. The Jammers are identical to the ones served at the bakery (and super easy to make!), and although the muffins were a little different they are still very, very good blueberry muffins. This book would be great for both the novice and experienced baker. It is not intimidating and has great pictures and really down to earth advice about what kitchen gadgets are worth purchasing vs what is a waste of money and not needed. When I first received the book, I spent an hour reading through their baking tips and was super excited to find out some really useful info on butters (I didn't know the difference between European style butters and other, but the bakery seems to prefer European for most baked goods) and other baking ingredients, as well as how to "stocking the larder" in order to bake at home on a regular basis. Oh yeah, and if all of the above praise isn't enough to convince you: the book gives out Grand Central's baked good recipes!! In addition to the ones I already mentioned: Cinnamon Rolls, a variety of their Tea Cookies, Pie Crusts, Quick breads, Coffee cakes...and on and on!

Beautiful book that you will want to take your time with. Savor it and all the beautiful images it conjures up.