Daffodils at High Meadows: and Other Stories

Book Description

Daffodils at High Meadows is a collection of stories about the residents of a retirement community in a college town in western Massachusetts. These older men and women find liberation in their new lives—liberation from ownership, from responsibilities, from all the cares of maintaining a home and property. They make new friends, and together they experience the many adversities of old age with courage and grace, and with strong wills and a sense of humor.

The subjects of Other Stories are as diverse as a young lieutenant who resolves his fears on the eve of his deployment overseas in WWII, a divorcee who learns that her former husband has changed in the years they have been apart, and a mother who is slow to recognize her grown children's selfishness.

The characters in these stories are all fictitious, but they mirror real people. The reader will find himself, his parents and his children, his friends and his spouse here. He will grieve for them and rejoice with them as he would with his own, and the end he may feel with the residents of High Meadows that, whatever his age, he has found many new friends.

Book Description

It's the wild West, Mellick-style.

A band of hermaphrodite gunslingers fight for their lives in a desert infested with crispy black demons. Along with a motley collection of survivors (including a sex-crazed female samurai modified to resemble a bipedal stegosaurus) they take refuge in the only safe haven left: Telos . . . a strange town near the end of the world, where the citizens have televisions instead of heads.

Customer Reviews:

The Good, The Bad, and The Hallucinated.......2007-10-02

A young man named Random, and his new bride, Typi, are on a stagecoach, being chased through the desert by some evil creatures. Sounds like some unusual kind of Western, right? It gets much more unusual. The stagecoach has been captured by a band of hermaphroditic gunslingers, one of whom is called either "Death" or "Jesus Christ" and he can perform "miracles" in how he shoots, including intentionally dislocating his shoulder, so that he can shoot directly backwards. Oh, and there is a woman named either "Cry" or "Sex" who has full-body tattoos, metallic stegasaur-like spikes on her back, and can catch glimpses of the future, but only during intercourse. Starting to sound pretty weird? The weirdness has only begun! Our little gang of characters jumps from the stagecoach, as the horses are tiring and the evil creatures are catching up. What do they jump on? How about an organic steam locomotive that resembles a giant caterpillar chugging down the tracks, of course. Where does the caterpillar-train take them? To Telos, or Television Town. There, the people all have television sets instead of heads, and express themselves by what kind of television show they display to you. After that, things really get weird, and there is lots of carnage, not to mention carnality.

As with every book by Carlton Mellick III, this book is intentionally, deliberately, and forcefully strange, weird, and so far outside-the-box that the author probably lost the box. Well, on the surface, that is true. Besides the rampant violence and death, and the incessant and flagrant sexuality, there is sadism, masochism, fetishism, and probably several other isms that I do not even recognize. However, all that strangeness is piled into the very traditional framework of an old-fashioned Western, with seemingly invincible gunslingers, drunken brawls, a semi-inept sheriff, a damsel-in-distress, and big, this-town-ain't-big-enough-for-the-both-of-us shoot-up on Main Street. It is almost like John Ford or Sergio Leone made this film while experience a bad trip on LSD or mescaline.

So, what did I like about this quintessentially bizarre book? Despite all of Mellick's forced offensiveness and obsessions with violence and sex, Mellick is still a talented weaver of tales, and "Sex and Death in Television Town" might be his best-constructed tale, of the four I have read (see below for links to the other three). The author also took the idea of people with television-heads and ran with it, to create truly wonderful. By having the Telosians express themselves through what television program they display to you, Carlton Mellick III makes fun of every coach-potato ever born, and he adeptly includes himself as a target of his own lampooning, by showing off his knowledge of television shows, going back into the seventies, at least.

What did not like about this tale? The author seems unable to write more than a few pages without returning to some mention of extreme violence or sex or, whenever possible, both combined into a single act. This extremeness starts looking less like anti-conventional rebellion, and more like obsession or fixation, after the seventeenth or twenty-sixth instance.

And, maybe this shows one of my own obsessions, but I hate that the pages are unnumbered! I like keeping track of my progress in a book, and Mr. Mellick effectively de-rails me on this.

Well, if you want strange, here is the place to look. "Sex and Death in Television Town" is as strange a tale as there is, unless you happen to read:

Sea of the Patchwork Cats (Avant Punk Book Club) (Carlton Mellick's poetic nightmare of a post-Apocalyptic tale)

or

Punk Land (Carlton Mellick's vision of an alternate Afterlife)

or

The Menstruating Mall (Carlton Mellick's anti-consumerism diatribe and commercial nightmare)

High Plains Drifter meets Bizarro Stephen King..........2007-09-26

In the introduction, the author says that he was inspired to write this book after getting interested in Spaghetti Westerns. He then admits that the book came out more like "Hell Comes to Frog Town" than anything else. Well, even though I loved this book, I'd have to disagree.

There's a definite somberness to the story that it evident in many Spaghetti Westerns. That being said, the tone of the book was more akin to the movie High Plains Drifter (which was American made but was probably a loose remake of the Italian film Django the Bastard).

The characters are definitely not out of a western, however. There are hermaphrodites and other such oddities that are comfortably bizarro in nature. These are not characters that the reader is immediately attached but it makes the story all the more creepy. You're watching it from a distance, looking over the soldier of characters that you fear might meet their doom. By the end of the story, however, you do get attached to them which is surely a good thing.

Sex and Death in Television Town is also a great paced book. At times, the action will knock you off your feet (that is, if you are reading it standing up). Some of it is furious and would make for a great movie. Some of the ideas (such as the demon things that are chasing the characters) remind me of Stephen King. The unknown entities coming closer and closer... forcing the protagonists to find a safe haven. Classic.

The Television Town of the title [actually called Telos) is a unique concept that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. Their method of communicating is especially hilarious (though I believe it says a lot about our society and pop culture which is a pretty sad state of affairs).

The only criticism I'd have is that I like reading long books. I like finding out more detail about the world, characters, etc. If the author followed this book up with another in the same world, I'd be very pleased. I'd love for this book to have been about fifty pages longer. Some people, however, may not find this to be a problem.

If you like dark, grotesque westerns that are full of sex and violence, this is for you. If you like weird (and fun!) literature, this is for you.

Oh, and yes.. Roddy Piper is a fine actor indeed.

Crazy Western Horror.......2007-09-16

I've been really getting into books by Carlton Mellick III lately and I have to say that Sex and Death in Television Town is one of my favorites so far. It is hyper sexual, ultra violent and totally strange.

The simple plot involving a gang of outlaws who take over a town is perfectly transformed into one of the weirdest tales you are ever going to read. The townspeople have televisions where their heads should be, trains are giant bugs that crawl across the landscape and one of the main characters obtains clairvoyance through sex.

I would love to see this book made into a japanese animation.

The only action horror adventure western I ever cared to read.......2007-01-24

Let me tell you, I am not a fan of westerns. I hate them. I hate cowboys. I hate the desert. I hate the old west era of American history. I also dislike reading action adventure books. If I want action, I'll watch a Jet Lee movie. All that aside, I absolutely love this book. It is an action adventure horror western, but it is a completely MESSED UP action adventure horror western. The gunslingers are hermaphrodites, the flesh-eating rampaging demons are filled with special prizes just like cereal boxes, the town is populated by a race of people that have television heads, the plot twists and turns into unpredictable directions, and there are babies growing from desert trees outside of town.

PROS: 1) The characters! They are freaky people that I wouldn't want to hang around for more than a minute. Still, they are alive and you can really get to know them in the small amount of pages. There is an obsessive/compulsive Indian, an aggressively sexual samurai girl, a few creepy hermaphrodites, and Jesus Christ as a Clint Eastwood man-in-black style of gunslinger. 2) The ideas! This sucker is filled with tons of interesting concepts that will blow your mind. There's a millipede train, living fruit in the shape of people, a mill that manufactures the world's colors, clothes that are gateways to other worlds, drill farms, television people, bullet spiders, and dozens of other surreal snackies for your brain. 3) The images! This book should really be turned into a graphic novel. The imagery is so interesting. It is the highlight of the whole book. 4) Intelligence! For a book that is mostly about sex and gore, this book doesn't fail to present commentary on consumer culture and the human condition between the lines.

CONS: 1) Brevity. This book is pretty short and should have been at least 100 pages longer. It goes by more quickly than I would have liked. 2) The characters are interesting, but I wanted to know more about them. There doesn't seem to be much history for these people. There are hints here and there, but for the most part their pasts are mysterious. 3) One of the characters dies too cheaply. The deaths of the characters are interesting and unpredictable, but one of the major character just dies out of nowhere for no reason. Maybe this was done on purpose, but it just disappointed me. 4) The ending is really cool, but after the climax the book doesn't want to end. It seems to build up for a sequel, even though there can't be a sequel since almost everyone in the world was killed. If there is a sequel, I'll be happy. But I don't think there will be, so I'm kind of angry the book ended the way it did. Still, the pros far outweigh the cons for me.

This book is one of my favorites by Carlton Mellick III. I highly recommend this even if you don't like westerns.

Purile Childish Garbage.......2006-10-24

Mellick's western novel asks the reader to make two conceits; the first is that anachronistic imagery is a substitute for skilled contruction and the second that Carlton Mellick is so damn underground that if you don't like you don't get it. If you are willing to buy into that then have a ball.

The descriptive language in the piece is spare and jarring and leaves a great deal to the imagination. An example of this would be a living train near the opening of the book that is only touched upon. Several writers like Stewart O'Nan to name one use brief description to great effect but the problem with this piece is that in something that is entirely visual in it's appeal is lost once descriptive language is excised. Dialogue is brief and nonsensical and the whole book reads like a screenplay for an unproduced film.

Steer clear and if you are looking for odd imagery then hook up with Nova Express by William Burroughs or A Feast Unknown by Philip Jose Farmer.

Customer Reviews:

A good character-driven story.......2004-09-28

A worthy addition to the Solar Queen saga. True, there are some differences to the earlier books. In this one, the point of view is not solely Dane's, but we get to see through the eyes of the other characters. As such, more time is spent on each character's view of what is happening. This is a boon for fans of character-driven science fiction, as we get to know the characters better.

The multiple POV format means that, unlike previous books, "Redline" is not Dane-centric. However, we do get to see Dane grow in confidence and competence in his profession, and even act the hero. We also get to see Dane deal with feeling threatened over a new crewmember's competence in his field. Readers will definitely see growth in this character as the book progresses.

The biggest change is the addition of a new crew member, Dr. Rael Cofort, a welcome female addition to the Queen's formerly all-male crew. Her personality shaped by surviving a prolonged disaster, one that as a child she was powerless to prevent, Rael compensates by working hard to be good at everything. Unfortunately, she also tends toward harsh self-criticism when she loses a patient. Rael is a worthy addition to the Queen's crew.

Don't read this book.......2003-10-26

This book is bad. It is very, very bad.

I like the Solar Queen books before this one. The ones after are readable. This one is not.

To start with, the writing is just plain bad. From the looks of it, neither Norton nor Griffin bothered to reread or rewrite; all the characters sound like each other and the narrator sounds like them, too. It's hard to tell who is speaking, and after a while, hard to care.

And then there is Rael. A female character seems like a good idea. But Rael is not a good idea.

To start with, I LIKE Dane. He's fallible; he's earnest, he's growing into his place on the Solar Queen, and he's been the more or less main character from the start. I was looking forward to more of his adventures & those of the rest of the crew.

Instead, I got Rael, who is completely infallible and takes over the book entirely. She solves every problem, dots every i, crosses every t, and wins the Captain's heart. She's the Main Character and the One Who Can Do No Wrong, and what is she doing on this ship?!

Not even the next book, where she's more or less ok, has made me forgive her for her role in this one.

Do NOT read this book. Buy all the others--they're fun reads & worth the time and money, but don't even open the cover of this one.

Spare yourself the aggravation and skip this one.......2002-01-05

I was warned about this book by a friend, but I was so desperate for a new Solar Queen story that I ignored her. That was a big mistake. I wasn't even halfway through the book before I was wishing someone would toss Rael the Wonderful out the nearest airlock. Later I started fantasizing about even worse fates for her. I was masochistic enough to finish the story, but I've been soured on any of the new Solar Queen books as a result.

The introduction of a female character made sense for a book written in the nineties, but why create one so offensive? Why not one better thought out? Why did Rael have to dominate the story, being the miracle cure for all problems, while whining way too much about how tough life has always been on her in spite of all the magical advantages she had?

Nonetheless, awful as Rael is, the book might have been tolerable if the other characters hadn't been pushed into the background and marginalized. The old main character (Dane) spent most of his time as a resentful nitwit. The shipboard niche Rael supposedly filled (medic) was already capably occupied by another character, who got shunted aside in her favor. The others were similarly treated. The only old character that got halfway decent treatment was the captain, and he was reduced to the role of Rael the Wonderful's love interest and sidekick. Gad.

I have to agree with the reviewer who described this book as "someone else's adolescent fantasy." That's exactly what it was. It's rare to see such a blatant case of "self-insertion of the author's fantasy self" in a pro novel. I can only attribute this nonsense to P.M. Griffin (whose other work I am unfamiliar with), since other Andre Norton books that I've read don't display this reprehensible trait.

For all you budding writers out there, this book is a perfect example of what *not* to do, unless you want to alienate your audience.

I grew up reading the original Solar Queen adventures.......2000-07-19

I grew up reading the original Solar Queen adventures - they were my introduction to science fiction (if you don't count the Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars books). I loved Norton's books for their thumping good plots, exotic, yet believable aliens, and most especially for her finely drawn portraits of the crew. Many of the fantasies that got me through a boring English Lit or Government class involved flying off into the wild, black yonder aboard the 'Solar Queen'.

Unfortunately, our library only carried the first two books in the series, but I finally located the two 'Solar Queen' novelettes and read them, too. They weren't quite as good - Norton was concentrating on fantasy by then, and somehow it didn't quite mix with the crew of the 'Solar Queen'. However, I never lost my original affection for the series.

Then, decades after the publication of the original novels, I found 'Redline: the Stars'. I couldn't wait. I bought it in hardback rather than holding out for a cheaper edition. The fact that it had a second author's name on it was worrisome, but I assumed I'd be reading mainly Norton.

Not true.

I read the book from cover to cover, hoping to find at least a trace of Norton and a trace of the original 'Solar Queen', then hurled "Redline: the Stars" into the wastebasket.

I felt totally cheated. I usually give up my non-keepers to the library and loan my keepers to my friends, but I couldn't pass this one on to some other poor, unsuspecting Solar Queen fan.

I am pretty sure that all Norton wrote was the introduction to "Redline: the Stars". The original characters were passive, uninteresting shadows - even the Captain and the Cargo Master!. I felt like I was reading someone else's adolescent fantasy of the 'Solar Queen' and her crew that never should have been published under Norton's name. Nothing seemed 'true to life' (if I can use that phrase about something that was a novel to begin with). It was a horrible reading experience - the literary equivalent of visiting an old friend who has advanced Alzheimer's Disease. I don't recommend this book.

Beach reading for the SciFi crowd.......2000-02-12

If you just want something to read and you do not want to work too hard this is the book for you. I found it a fast read, exciting, but not too challenging. The main characters are never really developed. The minor characters all clump together with no distinct personality so you don't need to worry about knowing their names. The plot was always on the verge of great - but never really got there. The ending was tidy, but not powerful.

I enjoyed this book and went on to read the next in the series. It reminded me of the Star Trek original book series in that it takes reading several books for you to get to know the crew, and several books for you learn about why the Solar Queen is special. That is not immediately obvious in this book. But there is lots of action.

I recommend this book for teen readers who may be new to scifi and need to be "gentled" into it. No radical offworld ideas are set forth here. Good and bad are clearly identified, and sex is nowhere to be found.

Average customer rating:
Redline the Stars
Andre; Griffin, P.M. Norton
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000OSDVTA

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A mystical trail blazer

A Needed Antidote To Extremism.

A Return to Mysticism

One of His Best!

excellent introduction to Watts

Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion
Alan W. Watts
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0394717619
Release Date: 1972-02-12

Book Description

This study of the necessity of mystical religion, also shows how traditional Western doctrine can be reconciled with the intuitive religion of the Orient.

Customer Reviews:

A mystical trail blazer.......2006-04-27

This book explores how traditional Western religious doctrine can be reconciled with the intuitive religion of the Orient.

For more than forty years, Alan Watts earned a reputation as the most authoritative and insightful interpreter of Eastern philosophies for Western readers. Author of more than twenty-five books (everyone a gem to read), he was an editor, Anglican priest, graduate dean, broadcaster, lecturer, and entertainer. He held fellowships from Harvard University and the Bollinger Foundation and was Episcopal Chaplain at Northwestern University during the Second World War. He became professor and dean of the American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco, created the series "Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life" for National Educational Television, and served as a visiting consultant for psychiatric institutions, hospitals, and the United States Air Force. He traveled widely, including such countries as Japan, Burma, Ceylon, and India. Watts died in 1973.

A Needed Antidote To Extremism........2005-07-17

Being quite familiar with Watts and his many books,indeed he was one of the most freshest spirits available in print,and remains so, the basic message of direct experience with G-D never leaves his writing and this book.
The ongoing debate between mystical religion with it's intuitive grasp of direct experience on one side and practicing a code of conduct steeped within theological law on the other hand in essence boils down to a simple debate between using either one's head or one's heart in serving G-D for some,or in loving G-D for others without the extremities of blind practice of customs and rites.
The fusion of both is what Watts seeks to find by not confusing the finger pointing at the moon for the moon itself.
These days in an age where religious fundamentalism in most major religions rules as the only way to salvation,Watts Pluralism is refreshing.
This book is a difficult read and could be used as a theological textbook Yet,how to interpert "in his image" or how to engage in dialogue between dual or non-duality thinking between creator and created is a message that becomes clear and one of practical urgency in this world of religious intolerance,fanaticism,triumphalism and terrorism .

A Return to Mysticism.......2005-03-21

Christianity is, today, in a strange place. While the religion is in steep decline in Europe, conservative, literalist forms are on the rise in an America hungry for some spiritual depth. Yet these forms also invite a great deal of disdain from seekers hungry for a faith that gives deep meaning without insulting their intelligence.

Written almost sixty years ago, Alan Watts "Behold the Spirit" is as relevant today, if not moreso, than it was then. Addressing the acute problems within both Catholicism (which is used loosely, including Orthodoxy and "High Church" protestants such as Episcopalians and Anglicans) and Protestantism, Watts chalks them up to an irrelevancy steming from the periods they evolved out of. As Watts points out, the early Christianity of the bible, Paul, the Church Fathers, the Neoplatonists, and Augustine was the high wisdom of a dying civilization- Rome. The Christianity of the medieval era was the literalist religion of a newly born Western civilization, while the Christianity of the Renaissance and modernity is the stripped-down moral faith of an adolescent civilization rebelling against it's roots. In order to gain a wisdom appropriate for a mature civilization, Watts contends, we must look to the wisdom of other mature civilizations- the Christianity of the ancients, and the mystical wisdom of the Eastern religions.

Watts goes on to discuss what a "nondual" Christianity and Christian mysticism would look like ("we must develop a Christian way of washing our hands"), the problems with philosophical modernity and Protestant moralism, and the issues of spiritual "monkey business"- thinking that we can attain sanctity by imitating forms rather than recognizing the spirit.

Overall, an important contribution to modern theology, and a worthwhile, though quick, read.

One of His Best!.......2003-05-14

_Behold The Spirit_ is one of the most clearly written, profound, and enlightening books on theology I have ever read. This book represents the ideal combination of profundity and readability - never again will you say that a book must be difficult to read just because it deals with extremely complex and deep subject matter. Like most of Alan Watts' books, _Behold the Spirit_ is an absolute pleasure to read, yet competently deals with universal metaphysical questions which have troubled man for many centuries. For instance, Alan Watts talks at length about the problem of what God was doing before He created the universe. Was He just sitting there alone? The answer can be found in the book.

To me, this type of theological question is quite fascinating. I appreciated the unorthodox and critical approach Watts took in examining a wide range of theological and general metaphysical issues. In other words, this is not an evangelical or fundamentalist Christian book; it is a critical and sceptical examination of Christianity and man's belief in God. I highly recommend this work to anyone, and if you only want to read one or two of Alan Watts' most important works, they should be _Behold the Spirit_ and _Psychotherapy East and West_. These two works represent the solid core of Alan Watts' philosophy. They are rigourous, profound, and comprehensive psychological works which are also remarkably succinct, miserly, and readable. With Alan Watts, you can obtain large amounts of elightenment in a short amount of time, with minimal aggravation and headache.

excellent introduction to Watts.......2002-08-15

this is my favorite book by Alan Watts. originally published in 1947 while he was still an Anglican priest, it is perhaps a better introduction to his work for newcomers--not only because the book is written in a readable and accessible style, but also for his clear discussion of basic tenets and flaws in the Western/Protestant framework of theology and religion.

from there, he shows how the mystical aspects of Christianity--in a similar way to traditions such as Zen Buddhism--can help break beyond Western culture's materialist representation of religion.

i found this book useful because of the straightforward writing style, and because it depicts Watts' own thoughts on mysticism, religion, and God at a foundational level, using practical examples from various rites and liturgies. Watts shows us how to be alive, spiritually.

Average customer rating:
Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion
Alan W. Watts
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HHPQSW

Average customer rating:
Behold the Spirit A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion
Alan W. Watts
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JLE8T4

Average customer rating:
Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion
Alan Watts
Manufacturer: Pantheon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXANXI

Average customer rating:
Behold The Spirit: a Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion
Alan W. Watts
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KWI95G

Average customer rating:
Behold the Spirit: study in the necessity of mystical religion
Alan Watts
Manufacturer: See notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SVN9SG

Average customer rating:
Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion
Alan W. Watts
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OYRLRW

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Behold the Spirit; A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion
Alan Wilson Watts
Manufacturer: Random House Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NP0BH4

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One Great Cookbook

What's so carefree?

Simple, reliable recipes

My "Go To" Cookbook

New Category of Cooking: Carefree

The Carefree Cook
Rick Rodgers
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0767914635
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Amazon.com

In The Carefree Cook veteran food writer Rick Rogers confronts the problem of fixing good food fast. He's not alone in this preoccupation, as other, similarly themed cookbooks attest. If The Carefree Cook offers little novel to increase kitchen ease (which may be a tall order indeed), it nonetheless provides 150 tasty, simple enough recipes for everyday meal-making. Some of these, from a broad range of menu options that includes vegetarian main courses, are standouts. Dishes such as Roasted Clams with Peppers and Spicy Sausages, Grilled Chicken Breasts with Orange Jerk Marinade, and Santa Fe Corn Pudding with Year-Round Salsa are real keepers. Desserts, including Pear Pandowdy with Ginger and Five Spices and Peanut Butter and Jelly Pie, are attractively homey and non-taxing. Rogers also provides useful ingredient asides--on the "new" intensely flavored chocolates, for example--and preliminary instructions that will help readers better organize their kitchen lives. Recipes that take 30 minutes or so to prepare are so indicated. With color photos sure to get cooks cooking. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

The Carefree Cook introduces a new, relaxed way of cooking from an award-winning star of the culinary classroom. Rick Rodgers, author of the “101” cookbook series (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Barbecues) and many other cookbooks, presents more than 150 recipes that busy home cooks will love, both for their ease and their flavor.Many home cooks’ palates have reached lofty levels of sophistication, but the amount of time and energy available for cooking has plummeted. With that in mind, Rick Rodgers has come up with a brilliant solution.In his most comprehensive book to date, Rodgers replaces stress and fuss with creativity and ease. While Rodgers has included numerous quick ideas in this collection, he believes “slow food” has a place in the kitchen of the busiest home cook, so many of his selections simmer and roast at a leisurely pace while the cook does something else—or nothing at all. Written in Rodgers’s appealingly irreverent style, each of the 150 recipes in The Carefree Cook draws dazzling flavor from just a handful of ingredients. What’s for dinner? Rodgers has compiled an enticing array of entrées, including meat, fish, chicken, pasta, and vegetarian dishes: Pork Tenderloin with Lime Butter Sauce, Halibut with Herbed Oil, Grilled Five-Spice Chicken, Bucatini Carbonara with Zucchini, and Santa Fe Corn Pudding, to name just a few. Soups, salads, and hot and hearty main-dish sandwiches (Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Carrot Slaw with Miso Vinaigrette, Bistro Skirt Steak Sandwich) can be mixed and matched for satisfying suppers.

To make life even easier he supplies what he calls “bonus recipes.” These are based on making larger quantities of a dish that can serve as the basis for future meals. Thus a meat stew can turn up as a pasta sauce later in the week with the addition of crushed tomatoes and some extra simmering, or a large roast chicken can be the basis of a chicken casserole the following night. He also provides the easiest and best recipes for sweets he has collected over the years, including Rocky Road Chocolate Cake, “Faux” Peach Tarte Tatin, and Banana Streusel Coffee Cake. Every recipe is conveyed in the realistic, detailed format that has won Rodgers so many fans.A down-to-earth approach to fine cooking, The Carefree Cook will give even the most inexperienced novice in the kitchen the confidence to cook well and have a good time doing it.

Customer Reviews:

One Great Cookbook.......2007-09-12

This remains one of my favorite everyday cookbooks precisely because the recipes are so delicious and easy to put together. True, there may be some out of the ordinary ingredients, but since I make some of the recipes calling for those ingredients many times over, I don't mind.

I consider myself lucky if, out of any cookbook, I get two recipes that I'll make with any frequency. I've gotten many more than that out of this book, as well as some new solid stand-bys. The "osso bucco" with chicken thighs (what a great idea!) is amazingly good, as are the salmon cakes and chinese cabbage slaw.

Serving suggestions are a much appreciated inclusion with each recipe in this book, making the whole meal a more easily done deal. I sent this book to my sister and she loves it as much as her Barefoot Contessa books.

What's so carefree?.......2007-09-07

I don't get what's so carefree about this book. The cover states that there are more than 150 hassle free recipes for cooking every day. Most of the recipes in this book would cause me to go shopping for ingredients that I would hardly ever use again every day. That's not carefree or hassle-free. I don't know what this guy keeps in his pantry at home, but a lot of the ingredients in this book would only be found in a restaurant or a restaurant chef's home kitchen. This book is a complete waste of money. Even the front matter doesn't have any good ideas for stocking your pantry (unless you work as a chef).

Do yourself a favor and get the book "What to Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House".

Simple, reliable recipes.......2007-03-23

All of the recipes in this cookbook require minimal active time. While some take longer (such as the Short Ribs-- which, incidentally, are the best I have ever eaten), they are still relatively low-maintenance. Another advantage to this cookbook is that the ingredients are readily available in most grocery stores and are standard items many people stock in their pantries.

This is a wonderful cookbook full of simple, reliable recipes.

Highly recommended.

My "Go To" Cookbook.......2007-01-12

I have worn out my first copy of this cookbook, and can't begin to count how many copies I've given as gifts. I love to cook, but as a busy mom, often don't have time for complicated recipes. This cookbook has gourmet meals that are not difficult to pull off, and they are delicious! Plus he gives great advice, you can see how his years as a teacher have paid off in his writing.

We especially love the barbecued pork chops, lemon rosemary shrimp, chicken pan bagnat, and pork souvlaki...but there are so many other wonderful recipes in here, you will go back to it again and again. Whenever we have people over for dinner, I always serve at least one of Rick Rodges' recipes. He ROCKS!

New Category of Cooking: Carefree.......2004-09-28

Rogers is a prolific cookbook writer, having over twenty already! They range from basic, Christmas 101 to the exotic Kaffeehaus Desserts from Vienna.

This one has unique theme of carefree. Rogers explains that it's not using five ingredients, or cooking in less than 30 minutes or such, but great cooking using fantastic flavors with minimum effort. He relates that when chefs gather to eat they don't shave truffles or elaborate desserts, but rather lavish on well prepared food with maximum flavor and minimum prep. The intro is worth reading about this philosophy.

The recipes which flow from this concept are that: flavor packed and minimize the effort. The likes of "Pork Chops in Creamy Mushroom Sauce"; "Double Baked Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Cremini Mushrooms"; "mangoes Foster"; "Tuscan Roasted Spareribs."

What especially would be good for many home cooks is his writing on knife selection and skills, prep helps and aids throughout. There is some color shots, and the writing is exceptional as all Rogers' works are.

This would make great gift for wedding or just for someone who likes to cook or would like to cook better.

The Carefree Cook's Lighter Side of the Southwest

Average customer rating:

The Carefree Cook's Lighter Side of the Southwest
Margot Ziemer
Manufacturer: Coyote Moon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0964621800

Carefree Cooking with Your Frigidaire Electric Range

Average customer rating:

Carefree Cooking with Your Frigidaire Electric Range

Manufacturer: General Motors Sales Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000CQR3I4

Product Description

Booklet, from 1940, with basic recipes and directions on how to use the Frigidaire Electric Range. Photo illus. & charming cover, of little girl cooking while her doll sits on the stove top watching.

The Invisible Cook: A Book of Recipes--Carefree, Fail-Safe, Elegant

Average customer rating:

The Invisible Cook: A Book of Recipes--Carefree, Fail-Safe, Elegant
Ruth Mellinkoff
Manufacturer: Pangloss Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0934710082

Average customer rating:

First rate

GREAT BOOK!

McDonald Happy Meal Toys from the Nineties: With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Joyce Losonsky , and Terry Losonsky
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Toys | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Manufacturing | Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

McDonalds Collectibles: Identification & Values (Mcdonalds Collectibles)

McDonald Happy Meal Toys from the Eighties

Fast Food Toys (Schiffer Book for Collecton)

McDonald's Happy Meal Toys in the U.S.A. (Schiffer Book for Collectors With Prices)

Ultimate Price Guide to Fast Food Collectibles

ASIN: 0764306731

Book Description

The world of McDonald's*r Happy Meal*r collecting continues to grow! In this third volume devoted to McDonald's toys, you will find a complete listing and updated price guide for the thousands of toys, promotional items, and other McDonald's collectibles distributed in the United States from January 1990 through mid-1998. With hundreds of color photographs, this book lists, describes, and pictures the broad variety of Happy Meal promotions from the 1990s, including boxes, bags, premiums, and advertising materials.The authors have established a definitive numbering system which identifies and distinguishes each of the items, and check-off boxes are provided to help you organize and document your own collection. Brief historical comments from each year chronicle the ongoing growth and success of the world-renowned McDonald's Corporation For the fast food collector and enthusiast, this is the definitive guide to Happy Mealr toys from the 1990s! Be sure to complete your McDonald's library with the Losonskys' companion volumes, McDonald's*r Pre-Happy Meal*r Toys from the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies, McDonald's*r Happy Meal*r Toys from the Eighties, and McDonald's*r Happy Meal*r Toys Around the World.

Customer Reviews:

First rate.......2002-06-22

An essential guide for the fast food promotional toy collector, this fine book lists each and every one of the toys given away with Happy meals in the 90s. If you choked on it, it's in here. It even had listings and recent auction prices for some of that weird "McCrying Game" merchandising. A must.

GREAT BOOK!.......1998-10-01

McDonald's Happy Meal Toys from the Nineties is a great book for collectors. This book goes all through 1998, and includes pictures up to the Mulan and Tomagotchi Happy Meals from 1998, with listings for the 1998 toys to follow! This book includes MANY pictures, complete descriptions, as well as prices for just about everything listed. It includes McDonaldland Fun Times, Plates, and other Generic items! This book is a GREAT reference for McDonald's toys, and will help you to identify your toys along with their values! Great reference for the experienced as well as the novice collector!

Book Description

Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

Customer Reviews:

Best publication I have found on candle making.......2006-08-16

Being a lover of beeswax candles, rolled as well as dipped, I was blown away with this publication which is actually more complete than most of the candle making books I have that cost me way to much money. If you want a down to earth, easy to read and follow publication that covers the basics, troubleshooting problems, safety equipment and procedures, storage tips suppliers etc, this is the only publication you will probably need.

Making Hand-Dipped candles.......2000-06-21

Tired of having several large books for a project when you only use a portion of the info? Than this is the book for you. Small but packed with great information and intruction on how to make beautiful hand dipped candles. This book is a must for the new or experienced candle maker.

Book Description

The Tuscan house, whether a simple homestead or expansive villa, has become one of the most sought-after living environments. Its design is virtually unchanged since the Middle Ages, when landowners in the golden hills of Tuscany built country retreats with gardens, porticoes, and loggias. The landowners often drew upon the natural resources of the region-and it is these materials that give the Tuscan house its unique character. Tuscan Elements brings to life the colors, textures, and aesthetics of the Tuscan house-the magnificent stone and marble work; the hardwoods like chestnut, oak, and elm; earthy terra-cotta and brick; and the all-important water feature, used in ponds, fountains, and pools. This unique, visual sourcebook deconstructs the typical Tuscan home and examines its basic components in dazzling detail, from the tiled roof and floor, thick stone exterior walls, and vine-covered loggia to the exposed wooden beams, luminous frescoes, and the sunny courtyard garden with an ancient well or exquisite swimming pool. Filled with extraordinary photos by world-famous interiors photographer Simon McBride, Tuscan Elements emphasizes living life well with a home that nurtures and comforts, accentuates the importance of family and friends, and entertains with good food and drink. For anyone interested in infusing their present home and garden with a little bit of Tuscany, here is a delightful source of never- ending inspiration.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-05-06

This book is filled to the top with great quality pictures. Wonderful inspiration for me and our new home which we are doing a Tuscan Theme. Will make a good coffee table book as well :)

Too Primitive!.......2006-07-11

The disigns elements were too rustic for my taste. I was looking for more of a casual elegence.

Ótimo livro sobre casa toscanas.......2006-03-17

Recomendo esse livro para quem, como eu, pretende construir no estilo toscano. Claro está que não se encontra mais tijolos de 300 anos, porém, pode-se ter completa idéia de como é o ar de uma propriedade toscana. Ótimas fotos e boas dicas.

Tuscan Elements.......2005-08-19

This is the best book of its kind that I have seen on basic Tuscan home design elements. Concise descriptions, beautiful photgraphy. I would heartily recommend this book.

Tuscan Style.......2004-12-24

I normally don't buy tabletop table books because I don't feel that they represent a value or add much to my understanding of a subject. Tabletop books full of incredible pictures just do not fully capture my imagination or attention. Consequently, most tabletop books get a cursory flipping through before I put them down.

However, `Tuscan Elements' is more than a book of pretty pictures and it is worth more than just a cursory flipping through. The author, Alexandra Black, has organized her effort to capture the elements of Tuscany. The four elements are stone, wood, earth, and water. These four elements are expressed in the homes, furniture, terracotta, and ponds, respectively, of Tuscany. To stand alongside the pictures of these four elements, Ms. Black takes the time to build a supporting story from a historical and literary point of view. Quoting D.H. Lawrence and Pliny the Younger, the story of how these elements have been woven into the ebb and flow of Tuscan life since before the Roman Empire emerges with an impressive clarity and vividness.

As a lover of Tuscany I am drawn to images of Tuscany and its way of life. The seductive beauty of the Tuscan landscape and the romance of the Tuscan lifestyle as expressed in the prose and images of this tabletop book is the stuff of dreams. This tabletop book provided me the fodder for those dreams and never once disappointed me.

Best of American Dream Homes: 30 Outstanding Homes

Average customer rating:

Dreamy homes

Best of American Dream Homes: 30 Outstanding Homes

Manufacturer: Home Planners
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

House Plans | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1931131724

Customer Reviews:

Dreamy homes.......2007-06-13

This gives you a view into the homes of the rich and famous. Some of the homes are just remarkably beautiful. It's fun to dream.

House & Garden Book of Style: The Best of Contemporary Decorating

Average customer rating:

A handsome volume from a classic magazine

House & Garden Book of Style: The Best of Contemporary Decorating
Dominique Browning
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Style | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0609609289
Release Date: 2001-10-30

Book Description

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of House & Garden, this fully illustrated book presents important contemporary decorating trends in stunning homes.

From one-room makeovers to complete renovations, home-decorating projects are flourishing across the country. House & Garden Book of Style explores seven of today's most popular looks, including the rustic charm of Country Luxe, the urban sophistication of New International, and the cross-cultural eclecticism of Bohemian Chic. Interweaving the stories of homeowners and the insights of professional decorators, each chapter features full-color pictures of four to six residences that typify the style, and the do's and don'ts of getting a style right.

The first book from House & Garden in more than 15 years, this is an irresistible combination of inspiration, innovative ideas, and practical know-how.

Customer Reviews:

A handsome volume from a classic magazine.......2002-08-27

Dominique Browning, editor of HOUSE & GARDEN magazine, has a triumph on her hands with "House & Garden Book of Style." HOUSE & GARDEN has long been the sophisticated cousin to the more accessible HOUSE BEAUTIFUL, and that chicness is in evidence here. The HOUSE & GARDEN cool austerity--sometimes sacrificing warmth for hard-edged style, but many times not--is amply displayed throughout.

The book covers a panoply of styles, from "Country Luxe" to "New International" to "Mid-Century Modern" and beyond. The shabby warmth of English-inspired rooms is covered, as is the prissier French look--but as HOUSE & GARDEN so often does, there is almost always a visual wrench thrown into the works to get your attention and make you rethink your assumptions about a particular genre. Perfectly making the point is the photograph on p. 25, which shows an 18th-century settee decorously covered in a taupe damask, above which hangs what appears to be a piece of Spirograph art made with screamingly bright primary oil paints. The effect is jarring--but it works.

The thinking which goes into the decoration of these rooms is explored just as deeply as the looks themselves. Although photographs take up most of the room--as they should, since this is a case when a picture telling a thousand words is not only desirable, but necessary for instructing the reader--the text is informative and enlightening. The end result is that these profoundly individual rooms make their own cases, and what beautiful cases they make.

Average customer rating:
House and Garden's Best in Decorating
House and Garden Editors
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Household Hints | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 039456426X
Release Date: 1987-08-12

Book Description

Acclaimed author, computer graphics guru, and SIGGRAPH 2005 Conference Chair James Mohler brings a laser-sharp, design-driven focus to examining the latest tools and features of Macromedia's industry-standard multimedia authoring program. Exploring Director MX 2004 teaches the must-know software skills needed to author exceptional multimedia products. Innovative examples are expertly woven throughout the information-packed format to drive home key concepts. Readers are shown the way to creating magnificent multimedia experiences through behind-the-scenes contributions from leading developers. Common software pitfalls are explored, as well as valuable tips for working developers that will help readers achieve a thorough understanding of the rich potential of Macromedia Director

Customer Reviews:

IT WAS AWESOME........1999-11-03

I THINK JC IS SO FINE SO THE MINUTE I LAID MY EYES ON THE BOOK I NEW I HAD TO HAVE IT. BOY, OH BOY WAS I RIGHT. IT WAS A SHORT,CUTE,INFORMATIVE BOOK THAT PROVIDED INFORMATION NOT FOUND ELSEWHERE.I LOVED IT, AND ADVISE EVERY GAL AND GUY TO READ IT.

Awesome little book.......1999-06-11

I've read this JC one and the Justin one and they are both awesome! They are short and sweet and have cute pics in them! Also they have just enough info to want to read agian and agian!!

Great for your pocket!!.......1999-05-09

I have this little book and have to admit that it is really pretty neat. There are cute little pictures and a little bit of information not really found elsewhere. All in all it is really cute. All 5 of them are!!

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