Next time you raise a glass of fine wine or cognac to your lips, stop and thank…a Texan.
 
Released in April 2008, Grape Man of Texas: Thomas Volney Munson & the Origins of American Viticulture, by Sherrie S. McLeRoy and Roy E. Renfro, Jr., Ph.D., is a newly expaned edition of the award-wining biography.  The first edition received several enthusiastic accolades, including the “Best Wine History Book in the World for 2004” awarded by Gourmand International, who dubbed it “a very important book for wine history.”  
 

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Popularity: 17% [?]

A coworker first told me about The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss in November of 2007.  And I began reading it right around Thanksgiving; however, that was also during a time when I was having a lot of difficulty focusing on any book.  I had 3 or 4 or maybe even 5 or 6 lying around my house that I'd started and just never got quite interested enough to finish.  And this one got added to that pile.
 
I finally finished reading it in March of this year.  It's definitely a book that makes you think, and I've been thinking about it and what it advocates ever since I finished it.  Ferriss introduces the idea of the New Rich. 

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Popularity: 17% [?]

More and more often it seems that my book selections are recommendations from friends.  I guess I don’t spend enough time skulking around the shelves at Half Price or Barnes & Noble anymore.  At least I know that I can trust my friends to know what I like, and although I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies): True Tales of a Loudmouth Girl by Laurie Notaro isn’t quite as fabulous as Outlander, it was still pretty entertaining.

To be fair, I Love Everybody isn’t really in the same realm as Outlander.  Notaro writes from her own experiences and is extremely self-deprecating.  She’s a woman after my own heart.  Every time I picked up the 226 pages of sometimes painful honesty, I couldn’t help but sing a few bars from I Hate Everyone by Get Set Go.  Even though the main title is I Love Everybody, Notaro actually kind of hates everyone, so I thought the song was fitting. Continue Reading

Popularity: 9% [?]

Summer is quickly approaching, which means that many of us will be perusing the bookstands for some beach reading. Instead of numbing your brain with the latest grocery store checkout throwaway, why not reach for a romantic classic? It will tug on your heartstrings, as well as enrich your mind. Many of us read these classics in school, but it doesn't hurt to revisit them. In fact, these stories evoke more emotion and inspire more creative imagination than contemporary romance novels.

Below are five love stories everyone should read. Do yourself a favor and check them out.

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Popularity: 13% [?]

The Smart Girl's Breakup Buddy

I came across this book quite randomly at the library and picked it up because it had a cute cover and was written by the same guy who wrote “He’s Just Not That Into You”, and I really enjoyed that book. This book is about the entire process that occurs when you end a relationship. From the breakup itself to the bingeing, drinking, crying escapades that ensue afterward- this book covers it.

The book is written by Greg Behrendt and his wife, Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt, and is based very much on their experiences as well as the experiences of the anonymous people they use for anecdotes throughout the book. Many of the tales are funny, some are sad, and others are plain ridiculous. Whatever you are going through, there is a story in the book that can come close. There is always something to relate to.

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Popularity: 10% [?]

I have never thought of myself, by any means, as a fashionista. However, I do like to keep up with what the latest styles, trends and “it” whatevers are. I never identified with one style icon, but rather took aspects from different women in the fashion and entertainment world that stood out to me. As I have matured, so have my fashion and style sense. I know how to coordinate outfits, add accessories, match shoes and even offer my opinion to whoever will listen; but I am not a professional.

Rachel Zoe, the famous celebrity stylist is. I made a recent trip to my local library and stumbled across her book, Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty & Everything Glamour, purely by accident. The colour of the cover did not jump out at me, but the words “Style A to Zoe” did. I inquisitively picked up the book, leafed though the pages, and saw that it was more than just your regular picture book of celebrities.

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Popularity: 14% [?]

Helen Gurley Brown has been a force of nature in the magazine publishing circles for decades.

Her name became synonymous with the name and success of the Cosmopolitan magazine as its longtime editor. She is the author of many bestsellers, including Sex and the Single Girl.

“The Writer’s Rules: The Power of Positive Prose – How to Create It and Get It Published” is one of my favorite reference books on writing for 2 reasons:

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Popularity: 15% [?]

Just like in Einstein's universe light beams bend while passing around large celestial objects, Marlo Brando was also a giant of American drama, bending all the rules and changing everyone that came into contact with him.

He was a combustible original. He more than anybody else defined what it meant to be an “American male hero” in the post-WW2 era.

Without his volatile acting paradigm and personal example there probably would not be a James Dean, Robert De Niro, or Al Pacino, or perhaps even a Johnny Depp.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

One of the most influential books of the late '50s and '60s was a book called The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by British scientist and novelist C. P. Snow.

It basically lamented the lack of communication between the "two cultures" – Science and Humanities.

I see the same split continuing today.

On the one hand we have the Internet and a Communication Revolution more powerful in its global impact than the "Industrial Revolution" of the 19th century.

We are busy like bumblebees configuring our smart phones and wi-fi networks, setting up our web sites, and leaving behind us as many electronic breadcrumbs as we can.

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Popularity: 19% [?]

It was probably like 4 a.m. You could hear a pin drop in our dark bedroom.

Those were the years when I used to meditate a lot, including early morning meditations at 3 a.m. in our living room.

After half an hour of repeating my mantra in the dark while sitting in a half-lotus position, my legs would start to go numb and hurt a little. When the pain started to get real bad, I would get up and return to bed.

I would lie down. After a minute or so, just before I drifted back to sleep…

It would start…

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Popularity: 8% [?]

I try not to use the adjective "awesome" in vain but folks, TCM (Turner Classic movies) 2008 DVD Catalog is truly an AWESOME reference book for all movie lovers.

First, the size – 830 large 8.5" X 11" pages.

I have no idea how many thousands of DVDs are covered in it. Probably a good ten thousand?

Each DVD is honored by a paragraph summary of the plot, its stars and director, length, DVD format, catalog number and price.

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Popularity: 6% [?]