After homeschooling my son for eight years, I love to discover books like this one from National Geographic. This book is a treasure for homeschooling families that is useful for children of all ages. Yes, all ages. Four-, five-, and six- year olds will love paging through The Science Book, and I can guarantee that their interest will be piqued! One child may be fascinated by space travel; another by the story of dinosaurs. Of course a five-year-old may not understand the fine points of these subjects, but she (or he) will be curious, delighted, and very willing to have Mom or Dad read out loud from this book as she looks at the pictures. Homeschooled high school students will find the sections on Chemistry (Organic and Inorganic) and Physics/Technology to be comprehensive, with enough detail and explanations for a firm grasp of the subject.

The Science Book includes a substantial section on Mathematics, including Classical Mathematics, Analytical Geometry, Calculus, Probability, and Pure and Applied Mathematics. The inclusion of mathematics, the science based on abstract ideas “created by logical thought processes” emphasizes the interdisciplinary approach that is intrinsic to the study of science in the 21st century.

The Science Book makes fascinating reading for anyone, not just students learning at home. In The Science Book, students in school will find the very same concepts they study in science class, but this book offers a clear overview and in a concise, easy-to-understand layout. This book can enhance understanding of the sciences taught in middle and high schools.

If you have a curious mind and want a quick yet full answer for your science questions, then The Science Book should be on your bookshelf. For me, science always has made fascinating reading, and I find this book to be as informative as it is enjoyable.

Renee’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5

The book you need to understand and enjoy Science.

The editors distinguish between cooking with a gas grill and cooking with charcoal grills. Neither method is favored, but each is explained, along with the associated terminology. Indirect and direct cooking methods are clearly explained. A list of grilling tools and how to use them, grilling times and grill temperatures round out this straightforward, informative introduction to outdoor cooking.

Each recipe includes a mouthwatering one or two-line description in italics. I enjoyed each description on its own merits — those alone make for delightful reading. There are introductory pages to the sections on grilling beef, poultry, pork, and lamb which list grill times and temperatures. The nutritional information for the recipes are found at the bottom of each recipe page: proteins, fats, carbs (and fiber), sodium, cholesterol, and calories per serving.

The recipes are true to taste and full of flavor. My favorites include Grilled Shrimp, Pink Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad (I love the combination of shrimp and grapefruit), Lime-Marinated Halibut with Tomato Salsa (a fabulous melding of flavors), and for a creative cocktail to enjoy outdoors, try the Watermelon Cooler which calls for whirring up frozen chunks of watermelon in a blender: not to be missed!

Are we going to use this as an everyday cookbook? Not likely, especially for those of us who suffer long, cold, snow-laden winters. Even those living in sunny climates may not use this cookbook everyday. But Country Living’s Eating Outdoors will inspire you when you are ready to fire up your grill to experiment with new flavor combinations and inspiring pairings of meat, fruit, and veggies. Make sure you enjoy all of them “alfresco”!

Renee’s Rating:

3 out of 5

A handy “Go-To” book for Outdoor cooking.

Steven Johnson never tells a story in a vacuum. If you ask me to describe this latest book , I would not describe it as a biography of Priestly. Yes of course it is, but it is much more than that. To understand Priestly more fully, Johnson details the relationship Priestly had with Franklin, and in the process, the reader comes to understand Benjamin Franklin the Scientist much more fully than common knowledge allows. Neither would I readily describe Joseph Priestly as merely a scientist — not after finishing this book. Priestly was as much a minister as a scientist, as much a political writer as a published scientist.

The multidisciplinary approach that Steven Johnson brings to his writing makes his each of his books a must-read. You learn ever so much more than the subject of his book. Though “The Invention of Air”, like his previous books, is no light read, it is worth the effort of reading. Johnson keeps the element of interest very high through the whole book, so even the scientifically dense parts are understandable — and enjoyable. “The Invention of Air” closely follows Johnson’s method of weaving together various and seemingly disparate disciplines into a coherent, readable, and most important, a fascinating true story.

I presently am reading “Everything Bad is Good for You“, written by Johnson and published in 2005. The subtitle is “How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter.” I have serious doubts about the validity of that statement, and  I’ll need quite a bit of scientific fact, studies, and other fact-based evidence to convince me that television, video games, etc., makes people smarter. I’ll let you know if Johnson actually convinces me in a coming book review.

Renee’s Rating:

4 out of 5

Steven Johnson succeeds in teaches us history, science, and sociology — again.

Get beyond all that negativity, my friends! The recipes from “The Eat Well Cookbook” are delicious; you won’t feel as if you’re substituting healthy for delicious. Case in point: “Butterfly lamb with roasted red vegetables & warm mint sauce“. How about “Greek-style roast chicken with avgolemono sauce”?  These recipes are very elegant and full of flavor. You can choose to make healthy dinners with meat — not always present in “healthy” cookbooks. Trying to incorporate more meatless meals to your culinary repertoire? Try my favorite in this collection, “Moroccan lentil soup”. This soup ends my search for the delicious spicy lentil soup that I enjoy at a local Moroccan restaurant (since the owner resolutely refuses to part with the recipe).

Though the front cover proclaims “lose weight and feel fabulous”, this cookbook addresses other important health issues such as food sensitivities and allergies, how to live well and feel great, and of course, ways to reduce weight. To me, it all comes down to the question: Are the recipes in “The Eat Well Cookbook” delicious? Though I have not tried all the recipes, out of the two dozen or so I’ve tried, I am impressed with the up-front, well melded flavors of the recipes. You will not feel as if you’re eating just to get healthy.

There are two more reasons I have made room for this cookbook on my shelf. The recipes are dairy-free and gluten-free. Now keep reading, please! First of all, I have no allergies or sensitivities to either dairy or gluten products, and I am not on a dairy-free/gluten-free diet. But like many other health-conscious people, lately I have heard about the positive effects of reducing (if not completely removing) gluten and/or dairy products from our everyday diet. There is some scientific evidence indicating that removing dairy and gluten products is beneficial for people with autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis. A friend of mine who has multiple sclerosis has experienced increases in strength and dexterity of her extremities, which is what got me thinking that possibly the general population can benefit from cutting down on dairy and gluten products. I have not eliminated these products completely from my diet, but I am enjoying the delicious recipes from this cookbook and reducing the overall amount of dairy and gluten in my family’s diet. I’m betting that further scientific studies in the coming years will bear out the wisdom of reducing these products, at least to some degree, in our daily diet. “The Eat Well Cookbook” is such a great place to begin this journey.

Renee’s Rating:

3.5 out of 5

A Good start on the journey to eat healthy and lose weight.

1. Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky. The title cracked me up, but the book is seriously wonderful. This is a pick by the book discussion group I attend that reads recently published books. As with Steven Johnson’s Ghost Map, Salt: A World History is a marvelous, painless way to learn world history and culture. Since salt is so pervasive in most parts of the world, its history is a long and fascinating one. An absolute delight to read.
2. Emma by Jane Austen. I actually read this novel (for the second time) not for my Great Books Group, but for a discussion group I joined that normally reads recent fiction and nonfiction. One book a year is a classic, and we read this novel. I enjoyed the leisurely pace, but most other readers strongly disliked it. Austen is an artist when it comes to crafting characters, and on that level, this is a classic to be savored
3. Socialism is Great! by Lijia Zhang. I’ve written an article about this book, so I’ll write no more. Well worth reading, especially if, like me, you enjoy reading memoirs.
4. The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith. If you need comfort, gentle humor, and a little escape, you MUST read McCall Smith’s series, The No. 1 One Ladies’ Detective Agency. Miracle is the latest and ninth of the series. I feel I know Mma Ramotswe, proprietor of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, and she makes me care about her life and her beautiful and noble country, Botswana. If you have not read this series, start with the first book, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. See if you do not fall in love with Botswana and the marvelous characters of this series.
5. The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama. Not a new book, I realize, but I read it again because — well you know what happened! Obama writes with enthusiasm; hope, indeed, pervades every sentence. This book is not pablum, however — Obama gives hope a framework and map to achieve it. May hope become reality!

My Great Books Discussion Group has not followed the Great Books Foundation’s reading list since 1954. For the first eight years (1946 to 1954), our group used the the printed paperback excerpts for the reading assignments which were published by the Great Books Foundation. When the printings stopped in 1955, a subcommittee of two or three members from our local Great Books Group developed our annual reading list.  This subcommittee of three members chose the readings until 1996, when I was asked to take over. I chose two other members for the committee, and as of 2006, there are only two of us who now develop our annual GB list. Though the Great Books Foundation has resumed printing reading assignment excerpts for a number of years now, the subcommittee of two continues to generate our group’s reading list.

I joined the group in January 1984 (Macbeth) at the age of 24 and  began leading sessions four years later. From 1993 to 1995, I was “apprenticed” to Lois (who was 90 at the time and needed help) and learned how to develop the  annual reading list. She passed the torch to me in 1996, and I have been in charge of the group ever since. My mentor and dearest friend, Lois,  died in 2004.

The guidelines for a Great Books discussion explained below will work well for any serious book discussion. The book does not have to be a “great book”, such as Homer’s Iliad, Machiavelli’s The Prince, etc. Use these guidelines for a discussion of any worthwhile book — any work of fiction or nonfiction which you would like to further explore.

Some of the information comes from a booklet entitled, A Guide for Leaders of Great Books Discussion Groups, (Preliminary Draft), published by The Great Books Foundation, Chicago, 1951.

Great Books discussions can be defined as making contact with ideas, ideas about law and society,  justice and equality, the types and methods of government. We will discuss ideas about the relation of the individual to the state, to other individuals, to the universe.

We are here not just for argument and discussion, but for argument and discussion of the issues in the great book. In order to make contact with ideas, we shall each have to learn to read more carefully, to express ourselves more effectively, and to listen with more tolerance and understanding.

The discussion leader will ask three types of questions:

• Fact: What does the author say?
• Interpretive: What does the author mean?
• Opinion: What do you think about the reading?

The majority of the discussion time should be spent on what the author writes and what he or she means to make sure we understand the text before we agree or disagree with the author.

Great Books members come from diverse educational backgrounds; indeed, the more diverse our backgrounds, the more stimulating will be the discussion. But we must emphasize our one known educational similarity — the fact that we have all read this particular book. If one of you is going to tell us what some authority or critic said that Plato said, or what Plato meant, you are leading us to believe that you don’t know what to think about it yourself. We are not interested in the information from textbook authorities or the latest anthology of criticism. Feel free to quote — but quote from the book we’ve all read.

Remember also that this is a group discussion and everyone has a right to speak. If one member monopolizes the discussion, there won’t be time for the others. So please don’t be insulted if the leader interrupts you after several minutes of solo work.

Leaders in Great Books discussions are really moderators, not instructors or authorities on the assignment. They do not lecture, but are ready to ask a question when there is a lapse in the discussion. And finally, members are welcome to pose their own questions to the group.

To the above information from the Great Books Guide, I would add a few more suggestions. One of our original Great Books members, Lois,  told me she believed the success and longevity of our group is due to several factors:

• Meet in a public library meeting room. The Great Books groups that convened at members’ homes either died out or were reduced to social events.
• Keep the day and time consistent. (Our schedule roughly follows the school year:  from September to May, meeting the first and third Tuesdays of the month from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., with a holiday break of six weeks.)
• Do not serve refreshments. People will get up and down during the discussion, taking the focus away from the reading.

Since our group is in its 63rd year, I have come to the conclusion that Lois was correct.

Keep the discussion impersonal and keep it on the subject matter; discuss the assignment without personal reminisces or life stories. Members, if they choose, certainly can speak socially before and after the Great Books discussion — just not during the discussion. In our particular group, a number of members now meet socially outside of Great Books discussions to see plays, do readings at the home of various individuals, etc.

Our discussion lasts for an hour and a half, an adequate amount of time for discussing most readings. When I am leading, I plan to spend about 40 minutes on the reading itself, that is, answering the question, “What did the author say?” The next 30 minutes or so are spent discussing what the author meant. I use the remaining time for our opinions of the work. This formula can’t always be followed exactly, but it provides a framework for a thorough discussion and keeps the discussion from deteriorating into “well I thought the reading wasn’t very interesting…”

Many leaders of discussion groups make the mistake of emphasizing the opinions of the members. In a Great Books discussion, what is important is your attempt to glean understanding of, for instance, Aeschylus’s play Agamemnon. Less important is whether you liked or disliked Agamemnon. In fact, there have been numerous occasions when I did not enjoy reading the assigned book, but after the Great Books discussion, I appreciated the value of that book and had a greater understanding of it because I discussed it with other people.

I would emphasize that a Great Books member must listen carefully to the input of other members. One’s ability to speak clearly and succinctly will develop over time with regular attendance of serious book discussion. Carefully chosen words, spoken sparingly, carry much more weight than rambling thoughts with no real beginning or end. Follow the advice of Polonius (Shakespeare’s Hamlet): Brevity is the soul of wit.

In future articles on Great Books, I would like to discuss what has changed since our group’s inception: which books have been added, which have been dropped — and why. I’ll talk about the perils and advantages of a Great Books Group open to the public (like our group). I’ll list some sample questions I have used to get a discussion off the ground. I’ll talk about our Great Books’ shift from exclusively great writing of the western world to adding African, Asian, and Middle Eastern writings. And I certainly will let you know what our group is reading. Our group has 63 years of lists, but I’m unsure how many years I can make available to the public. Also, if you have any questions about the Great Books Discussion — I would like to help. The more Great Books Groups out there, the better the world will be.

I came across The Ghost Map at the top of a pile of books in my parents’ living room. The cover was boring, but the subtitle nabbed me: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic — and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World.

I wish this book was out when I was homeschooling my son. For a homeschool family, the holy grail of books is the one which treats several disciplines simultaneously. Author Steven Johnson accomplishes a miracle by weaving history, science, sociology, and the history of big cities into a can’t-put-it-down mystery. In another brilliant stroke, Johnson beautifully reconciles religion and science through the book’s two main “characters”: Dr. John Snow and Henry Whitehead, a clergyman. The life of either of these two individuals would be fascinating enough, but their interwoven paths, coupled with London’s disasterous cholera epidemic of 1854 produces a remarkable work of nonfiction that reads more like fiction.

A warning here: the subject matter necessitates an understanding of how big cities like London dealt with raw sewage. To understand cholera and how it works, I’m afraid one must… follow the fecal matter. Don’t let this deter you! Johnson manages to tell the stories of many cholera victims with unerring sensitivity and poignancy while at the same time following the horrific course of the epidemic. You will never read another Charles Dickens novel without thinking of Victorian London’s sewage system and its drinking water.

It is fascinating to learn just how difficult it was for the scientific world and Victorian society to shift prevailing attitudes about disease transmission. How are people getting cholera? Even in the face of scientific proof, many experts in science and medicine rejected Dr. Snow’s theory about how cholera was transmitted from victim to victim. The final triumph is, of course, the genuinely creepy ghost map that helped to prove Dr. Snow was correct. The need to shift scientific theory regularly occurs in our modern world. Early in the understanding of AIDS, people living with this disease were shunned because it was thought one could contract AIDS from casual contact such as a simple handshake.

Parents of homeschool teens (16 and up, I would think): read this with your kids! People who don’t homeschool or don’t have kids: read The Ghost Map, too! This is a worthwhile book from which you will take away much fascinating knowledge. My reading list now includes other books by Steven Johnson: Everything Bad Is Good for You and Mind Wide Open.

Note: Cholera should be relegated to the history books, but in the last several months, over 1,000 people have died as a result of a cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe. The international community is condemning Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe for this epidemic and other evidence of his government’s paralysis. It is appalling that this disease can thrive in the 21st century when, sadly, it can be easily cured. My heart is with the suffering people of Zimbabwe.

Renee’s Rating:

4 out of 5

A history & science course in one book.

1. Ulysses by James Joyce. It is easy to get lost in this stream-of-consciousness novel, and my only comfort is that I am not alone in my struggle. All of our Great Books members seemed baffled by this breakthrough novel published in 1922. (The annotated version of Ulysses can be found below. I’m going to get that one; maybe a little help along the way will make a difference.)
2. (Many of) The Dialogues of Plato. As a 26 year member of a venerable Great Books Group, this admission pains me deeply, especially considering Plato is on the reading list every year. But there it is. This guy would flummox me about one minute after his first launch into, “Let us suppose..”; I would not have stood a chance if Plato chose to engage me in a dialogue. I do, however, enjoy and understand Plato’s Republic, Apology, Crito, so I’m not a complete failure in the Plato Department.
3. Aquinus (On God), Spinoza (On God), and basically any other philosopher who attempts to “prove the existence of god.” I’ve not encountered a single “proof” of god that satisfies me. Come to think of it, I’m not sure this means I do not understand these works!
4. Fyodor Dostoevsky, Notes from the Underground. This has something to do with my overall lack of enthusiasm for Russian literature. But this rather short story should not be too complicated; nonetheless, I get mired in it.
5. Nietzsche. Anything by Nietzsche. I feel as if I am reading a foreign language. And yes, I am reading the English translations.

There you go. I have bared my intellectual soul… to my embarrassment. And to heap it on, the above list  represents five writings for which I have very little understanding, but there are many writings for which I have only some understanding.

Why did I write this article? Why did I embarrass myself? Because reading the classics often brings one face to face with confusion. And that is okay. Discussing these readings with other people who also have read them and have struggled through them will bring you more understanding than if you only read it on your own.  Discussions with other readers brings clarity to what we read. You will not understand all classics perfectly, but I promise you this: you will understand the classics better if you discuss them with other thoughtful readers.

I first heard about Rahghavan Iyer’s 660 Curries when my sister sang its praises after receiving it for Christmas. Iyer, who also wrote The Turmeric Trail: Recipes and Memories from an Indian Childhood, is an award winning teacher of cooking and the recipient of the 2004 IACP Award for Cooking Teacher of the Year. Iyer’s gift for teaching illuminates every recipe, giving the reader who is new to Indian cuisine the needed boost of confidence to jump in and try it.

The structure of the recipes is perfect: a small introductory paragraph that personally links the author with this dish; the list of ingredients and step-by-step cooking process; and occasionally a Tips section which provides information that assures a successful recipe outcome (the cooking teacher at his best). More tips are sprinkled throughout the book, pointing out uses for leftovers, a description of an unusual vegetable or  cooking method, etc.

After a fascinating introduction and history of Indian cuisine, you will find recipes for the “basics”: spice blends and pastes (most can be made in five minutes or less) used in the curry recipes that follow. The curry recipes are divided into various food groupings: “beef, lamb and pork curries”, “fish and seafood curries”, “legume curries”, “vegetable curries”, and more. The author gently reminds us that Indian food is not one homogeneous cuisine: it is made up of cuisines from different geographical areas as well as from diverse religious and cultural populations. Especially helpful for cooks new to Indian cuisine is the section entitled “mail-order sources for spices and legumes”, as some of the ingredients may not be readily available from the local grocery store. Note: Preparing and measuring ingredients before beginning any recipe –  recommended by most cookbooks — is absolutely key to successful Indian cooking.

Indian cuisine has been steadily gaining in popularity over the past several years. Like Mexican cuisine’s rise in popularity which began over 30 years ago, I’ll bet in a few short years, many an Indian meal will be cooked at home as a matter of course. If you wish to begin your journey into Indian cuisine, 660 Curries should do the trick. At a list price of $22.95, it will be one of the best investments for your dining table.

Renee’s Rating:

4 out of 5

A very good primer for newbies of Indian cuisine.

The trilogy, consisting of Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street spans three generations of an Egyptian family whose fortunes shape each marvelously drawn character. We truly are immersed in early 20th century Egypt, because Mahfouz is a master storyteller who keeps the reader mesmerized. The reader becomes intimately familiar with the characters — those beloved and those derided. How is it that readers from Europe, North American, etc. can identify not only with these characters but with their experiences? We see ourselves in this world so different from ours. This is the mark of the great writer.

Mahfouz wrote classics differing greatly in style and story from The Cairo Trilogy. But you will enjoy these works every bit as much. Among his many works I suggest the mythic tale of The Harafish, the novel of a the historical pharaoh, Akhenaten, and the parable The Journey of Ibn Fattouma. It is my belief that all of Mahfouz’s works — including The Cairo Trilogy — should be on our shelf and read more than once.