List price: $12.95 (that's 20% off!)
It all came back as I breezed through my new copy of The Biker Code. Was it the fear of getting on the bike or was it just something that I just never got around to doing?
Every page brought me closer to that memory so very long ago. Did I just see my old man on one of the bikes or was I just looking for him? Why did I run away from it? Is it not to late? My God, how I just love all of those free spirited souls on every page. Is it not too late to go back to those memories?
A great book. An emotional journey. Maybe a dream that can be lived again.
List price: $29.95 (that's 30% off!)
From Roosevelt Island to Cuban Ledge, the authors give a very thorough and well researched book on the many islands inhabiting the New York archipelago. Many islands which were once islands, but have long since been connected to the boroughs by artificial landfills are also covered here (e.g. Coney Island-Brooklyn, Hunter Island-Bronx, Battery Park area-Manhattan, etc..) are also covered here.
If you live in the city or plan on visiting, please make sure to pick up a copy of this guide, and make sure to visit the many hidden treasures found in this city.It makes an excellent companion book while aboard a plane or even in the subway.
Besides Manhattan Island, Roosevelt Island, Staten Island, etc., there are a host of tiny lesser-known islands all around the waterways of the city, and this book describes them all. Each and every one of them has a unique history - most were settled at one time or another, most are abandoned now - as well as a unique ecosystem. The book does a great job exploring all these aspects, in prose that has just the right level of detail to inform and excite. The histories it relates are miniature, fractured reflections, serving to both highlight and contrast with the mainstream narrative of NYC history.
Here are a few islands you may never have heard of before - North Brother Island, Swinburne Island, Shooters' Island, and - my personal favorite - U Thant Island, named for a late U.N. diplomat. Yes, there really is a place within New York City limits called "U Thant Island!" Reading this stuff makes you want to go to these places. Most of them are illegal to visit, and unfortunately the authors are responsible, law-abiding individuals who won't tell you how to get to them. Too bad :)
For urban historians, this book is like a collection of lost pottery shards of NYC life. For ecologists, it is a testament to the resilience of wildlife in some of the busiest waterways in the world. And for aspiring urban explorers, it is a temptation to buy a raft, flashlight, and wire cutters....
The second half, which to my mind is the real essence of the book, presents 100 recipes of soups, starters and main dishes using alcohol such as Pastis, Cognac, Gin, Sherry, Calvados, Vermouth, Whisky, and cakes and desserts using Kirsch, Malibu, Apricot brandy, Curacao, Rum, Port, Coffe liqueur etc.
I have tried about 20 of the recipes, and I must say that almost all have resulted in very delightful food experiences(and the few ones that have not, may well be better explained by my occasional clumsiness as a cook instead of there being anything wrong with the recipe). The most striking thing is that the alcohol really contributes a lot to the taste and is not just some hardly noticeable thing in the background that only works as an impressive addition to the name of the recipe.
For these reasons, and also because I know of no other book that cover this field as broadly as this one, I warmly recommend it, especially if you happen to have a collection of spirits and liqueurs at home anyway, but only used it for other purposes so far.
What Miller demonstrates in this book is that the Philippines wanted independence and not American government. The revolt which followed the Spanish American War was long and devastated the islands. Thousands lost their lives, and American troops showed no mercy in putting down the revolt. The revolt lasted for over three years, and cost the U.S. much in men and treasure.
America won, but lost seventy years later in Vietnam.
articulate their "wisdom for the ride", accompanied by some great
pictures. All this in an elegantly designed package small
enough to put in your pocket or saddle bags. A timeless "big"
little book that really gives you your moneys' worth. 'Two
thumbs up, way up"