Audiobook Review: Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

As a child, Gabrielle Hamilton fondly remembers the grand parties her parents used to throw and the luscious dishes her mother would prepare in the family kitchen. It was the very foundation for her love of food. This of course, was all before her family fell apart and Gabrielle spent many years adrift, trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Feeling like the kitchen was the place she most belonged, after getting her MFA in creative writing at the University of Michigan, Gabrielle moved back to New York City and stumbled upon the opportunity open her own restaurant. But having never been a chef, let alone the owner of her own business, she wondered if opening a restaurant in one of the most breakneck cities in the world was a fool's errand.

I don't often say this about writers because in general I find them to be wonderful people, but Gabrielle Hamilton comes off as such a self-important snob that it was difficult to stomach listening to her drone on in this audiobook. Since I am a teacher, I try to refrain from using expletives in my public online persona, but I am curbing an intense desire to swear while writing this review. I don't like to write negative reviews. I write critical reviews, but negative I try to steer clear of. I can't steer clear of being negative in this review because Gabrielle Hamilton made it personal. Here is someone who is so uppity that she had the audacity to describe people Ann Arbor as unsophisticated (if you live in Michigan, you know what a slap in the face this is since if people from Ann Arbor are accused of being anything it's pretentious and snobby) and then uses the euphemism "Harvard of the Midwest" to describe The University of Michigan in a painfully condescending tone. Her basis for her assessment of Ann Arborites? The fact that she wasn't able to cater events with Russian Imperial table service like she did in New York and also because everyone in the city wears maize and blue. IT'S A COLLEGE TOWN! Ever hear of a little thing called school spirit Ms. Hamilton? Basically anything Midwestern she appeared to find reviling and too "down home" for her tastes. So sorry we're not sophisticated enough for you here in the Midwest Gabrielle.

In addition, I thought her pompous and downcast attitude toward her colleagues in the MFA writing program at U of M was rather presumptuous and insolent given the fact that she frequently described herself as feeling like she didn't fit in with the group of writers because she didn't know the vernacular. Despite admitting to not knowing what the word trope meant (a word even my unsophisticated self from Michigan could figure out in college using CONTEXT CLUES), I'm a little confused by her brazen attitude that she is the superior one just because she's from New York.

I honestly considered abandoning this audiobook prior to the section on her move to Ann Arbor. I couldn't take her insipid attitude and monotone narrating, but once I realized she'd be writing about a place that is close to my heart, mere minutes from where I live, I decided I wanted to hear what she had to say. All I can say is that you just messed with the wrong reader Ms. Hamilton. I am a proud Michigander and I will let no review go unscathed that befouls the name of people who live in it.

But insults to Michigan aside, this book was just odd. When writing about food, Hamilton is a master. She manages to help us see her passion and talent when describing those dishes that allow her to reminisce about the past. When it comes to writing about her personal life however, it was awkward and uncomfortable. All of her personal relationships are bizarre at best, dysfunctional at worst. The basis for which she married her husband alone is strange enough, but then continuing to live apart despite having two children together? She honestly gave me nothing for which I could empathize with her. But maybe that's just because I'm an unsophisticated Michigander who doesn't understand the complicated lives of cosmopolitan New Yorkers.

The audiobook is narrated by Hamilton herself and this made it yet another reason to dislike the book. Her style of  narration was so deadpan and monotone that this only enhanced and emphasized her unlikeability - it was like she had no emotion whatsoever. There wasn't a shred of humor or lightheartedness in her voice; it may as well have been narrated by a robot.

If you're looking for a heartfelt, feel-good memoir, put this one back on the bookshelf. If you're someone who enjoys watching a trainwreck, perhaps this is the book for you.



Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
Published: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 304
Audiobook Length:  10 hours, 8 minutes
Genre: Memoir
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Library Download

It's Monday! What are You Reading? 6-11-12

 

Originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts host a kidlit version of It's Monday! What are You Reading?

Books I finished last week:

Picture books:

Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon

 
Me on the Map by Joan Sweeny

Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A First Book of Manners by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Tim Bowers
The illustrations in this book were absolutely adorable. They make the story even more endearing than it already is.

I'll Save You Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

Cookbooks:
 
Fresh Mexico and Mexican Made Easy by Marcela Valladolid
Not only are both of these books visually stunning, but they make you HUNGRY. A longer, more thorough review of both these books is coming soon.

Audiobooks:
 
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Wow! When you hear "dystopian retelling of The Scarlett Letter" I'm sure your first thought is "Well that's going to be a trainwreck of a book." But surprisingly, it was enthralling and held my attention much more than the original ever could.

Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
I have never wanted to swear so much writing a book review in my life. But since I like to remain professional, I will refrain. In this book, Hamilton comes off as one of these snobbish people from NYC who thinks everyone else in America is uncivilized. She had the NERVE to call the people of Ann Arbor (a city in my home state and a mere 15 minutes from where I live) unsophisticated. Oh no. You don't mess with Michiganders. I'll show you how unsophisticated we can be: with a scathing review of this book (coming soon).


Currently (still) reading:
 
From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

Currently Listening:
 
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Since I'm getting LASIK today, I have been advised to not read,watch TV, or use the computer for the next few days (well, at least 24 hours, maybe longer) *sad face* so I stocked up on audiobooks at the library:

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn


Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm
A Wind in the Door by Madeline L'Engle

Oh, and I just got this from Harper Audio:
 
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
I was not a fan of Divergent (I think I'm probably the only person who wasn't) but I'm going to give the series another try with this new installment. I didn't like Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver series at first, but decided to give the second book a try and ended up loving it.

Baconfest Michigan Recap

Given the crazy success of Baconfest Chicago in recent years, Michigan decided to get on the bacon bandwagon and thus Baconfest Michigan was born. The very first Baconfest Michigan was held on June 2nd at the Royal Oak Farmer's market and regular, non-VIP tickets were $45 a piece which entitled you to three drink tickets and all the bacon dishes you could sample.

The event started at 6:00 but people started lining up by 5:00

It is well documented here on my blog my love for bacon so I was like a kid at a candy store at this event.

 I was trying everything in the beginning, leaving no stall un-sampled.

Some of my favorite dishes were:

Bacon caramel apples from The Root

Bacon & grit cake topped with thick-cut smokey maple & black pepper bacon in bacon-scented redeye gravy from The Rattlesnake Club

Pork belly slider on a pretzel roll with pickled red onion, bacon jam and grainy mustard from Cork Wine Pub

Oh yeah. Bacon jam baby!

My breakfast the next morning: bacon, caramel, and cashew corn

Some of the more interesting dishes were:

Bacon Fat Truffles from The Root

Braised bacon, mac & cheese, and a chocolate chip and bacon cookie (the restaurant escapes me)

Bacon-banana cupcakes topped with a bacon-chocolate buttercream from Cliff Bell's

 Probably the best thing I ate I wasn't able to get a picture of because I was getting so full that I was lapsing into a bacon coma but Treat Dreams in Ferndale is an ice cream parlor that specializes in interesting and unusual ice cream flavors. At this event they had two different bacony flavors:
The Sunday Breakfast: vanilla swirled with maple syrup, waffles and bacon
The Boss Hog: Bacon fat, puree'd bacon, and bacon pieces
I have eaten at Treat Dreams prior to this event but never got to experience any of their bacon flavors. This event just reminded me how much I love their ice cream. They had two of my favorite things in one dish: bacon and ice cream.

Despite not eating lunch that day, I still was a lightweight and barely made it around the whole venue. By the time we got to the last side of the building, I was getting so full that I knew I'd be sick for the rest of the night if I ate much more. So after about an hour and a half, my husband and I decided to head home with full, happy tummies.

This event was tons of fun and I loved sampling all the creative dishes all the restaurants came up with. I'll definitely be going again next year.

It's Monday! What are You Reading? 6-4-12

 

Originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts host a kidlit version of It's Monday! What are You Reading?

Books I finished last week:

 

Who Was Dr. Seuss? by Janet Pascal, illustrated by Nancy Harrison

Just Behave, Pablo Picasso! by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

Audiobook I finished last week:

 

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor

This book is a fascinating look inside the mind of a woman having a stroke... a woman who was a brain scientist at the time. It had a tendency to get a little too science-y and then new-age-y for my taste but overall I found the idea of a brain scientist documenting her own experience with having a stroke incredibly insightful and provocative.

What I'm currently reading:

From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas
Upon the recommendation of Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts, I'm giving this book a try. I'm not very far because I haven't had much time to read in the past few weeks, but I'm looking forward to a fun romp with this book. 

What I'm currently listening to:
 

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

This is a fascinating story. Not only is it a dystopia but it's a modern retelling of The Scarlett Letter which I shamefully admit I've never read. But giving classics a modern spin is a great way to get readers to reconsider the classics.

What I reviewed last week:
 

 See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

I never felt like the special youngest child before Charlie was born. Only that one day when I was sick. Most of the time I felt like the extra kid to clothe or take to the dentist. But when Charlie came along, my parents totally changed. They doted and coddled and adored. They filled a baby book with all of Charlie's firsts, while my own baby book remained mostly blank.

 Fern has always felt like the neglected child in her family. Her dad is always coming up with some new scheme to bring more customers into to their restaurant, her mom is always meditating somewhere private, her sister, despite taking a year off after high school, does minimal work at the family restaurant, and her brother is too busy running away from his problems whenever things get too real for him. Of course, there's also Charlie: the baby of the family and the child whom Fern feels is the most loved by her parents despite the fact that she seems to play a major role in helping raise him. If it weren't for her best friend Ran, Fern would be alone in the world. Which is exactly how she feels one unassuming morning when her family's lives are changed forever...

See You at Harry's is my first experience reading a Jo Knowles book but it will certainly not be my last. This book is special. And Fern, despite her resentment toward her family at feeling like a neglected child, does not come off as unlikeable in the least bit. She's a character you immediately empathize with and wish you could wrap your arms around to make up for all the affection she's missed out on from her self-centered mother and oblivious father. We get a sense of Fern's resentment at being the neglected child from the very first page when she declares that the best day of her life was the day she "threw up four times and had a fever of 103 degrees." Why was that such a special day for her? Well, it was because her mother actually spent time with her and doted on her. Until that moment and every moment after, she has felt ignored and unloved.

Normally when the main character of a book is in middle school you can usually bet that it is categorized as middle grade, but because it deals partially with the main character's brother struggling with his sexual identity,  I have to say that it straddles the line of middle grade and young adult. Right or wrong, there will obviously be people and parents out there who won't like the idea of their middle grade child reading about any character struggling with their sexuality and so it is bound to cause some controversy. But just as divorce has become a societal norm, so too has it become the norm to find families with children who are struggling to deal with their homosexuality. Again, whether or not you think it's right or wrong should not be the issue here. We need to put our own morals and prejudices aside for a moment and recognize that this is becoming a part of our society and we can't just ignore the fact that families are dealing with these issues.

This is a book that you will struggle with because it deals with a family that is slowly falling apart. It contains a great deal of sadness within its 300+ pages, but have faith in Fern. She makes it worth your while to keep turning the page to the very end.

I recently finished this book in a weekend. With my frantic schedule as the school year is quickly winding down, I haven't had time to sit down and devour a book in this way in quite a few weeks (maybe even months). But that speaks to what kind of book this is. It's one that, as Kate Messner said, "will break your heart and put it back together again."


See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
Published: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Candlewick
Pages: 311
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Middle Grade/Young Adult
Disclosure: Library Copy

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

Baconfest Michigan is tonight and I'm skipping lunch to save room

A few weeks ago I purchased tickets to Baconfest Michigan that will be taking place tonight at the Royal Oak Farmer's Market. I almost missed out on the opportunity because their Facebook page mentioned they were almost sold out. I think I was one of the last people to get my hands on a general admission ticket  because one of my friends tried to buy tickets a couple hours later and she was out of luck. Thankfully I WAS able to score two tickets to tonight's event and will be ecstatically feasting on all sorts of porky goodness.

It's no secret that I am a bacon fiend. My students know this. My family knows this. Even my friends on Facebook whom I haven't seen in years know this.

So when I saw the food lineup for tonight's event, I was like a kid on Christmas moring (and this is BEFORE I've actually SEEN any of the food). As someone who is always looking for new and creative ways to add bacon to dishes, this event will be like going to Disney World for me. Here are just a few of the mouth-watering bacon dishes they are offering at tonight's event:

• Bacon ravioli
• Pork belly slider on a pretzel roll with pickled red onion, bacon jam and grainy mustard
• Bacon & grit cake topped with thick-cut smokey maple & black pepper bacon in bacon-scented redeye gravy.
• Applewood-smoked bacon Cotswold grilled cheese
• Bacon fried rice w/Honey bbq sauce 
• Plantain-fried in bacon with mustard maple panchetta
• Bacon jam and goat-cheese toasts
• Bacon Cashew Carmel Corn
• Cvarci. (deep-fried pork belly crisps)
• Wasabi bacon chocolate pops
• Chocolate-covered candied bacon
• Butterscotch pudding with bacon
• Bacon cheesecake
• Apple + Bacon Caramel

 Are you hungry yet? I know I am. Heck, I'm going to skip lunch just to save room for all the bacony goodness I will be partaking in later! Expect a post later this week with a full report on how it went down (that is, if I don't suffer a heart attack first :p)

Cover Reveal: Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

I don't often do cover reveals on my blog but I feel like this one deserves some special attention as it is for someone I consider a friend. When I found out the Lenore Appelhans received a book deal with Simon & Schuster I was so elated for her. She has one of the most quality book blogs in the blogosphere and I have always respected her opinion with every book she has reviewed. Now that she is a soon-to-be published author, she has cut down the number of reviews she does and I have missed them dearly. My only consolation from regularly reading her book reviews is knowing that I'll be able to read her book soon.

Check out this amazing cover that was revealed this afternoon on her blog:

I love how the girl looks so fierce and determined. This is definitely a cover that will stand out on bookshelves!

From Goodreads:

Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow prisoners, Felicia passes the endless hours downloading memories and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and the boy she loved, Neil.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber disappears, and nobody but Felicia seems to recall she existed in the first place. Something is obviously very wrong. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, she learns the truth: a rebellion is brewing to overthrow the Morati, the guardians of Level 2.

Felicia is reluctant to trust Julian, but then he promises what she wants the most—to be with Neil again—if only she’ll join the rebels. Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself in the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.

Put Level 2 on your to-read list now!