Jeffrey Toobin - The Nine - a review

I don't usually write about, or recommend books. Even though I "read" or at least begin, three or four books a week, The sad truth is my ability to "buy" books far exceeds my ability to "read" them. I rarely give any book enough time and thought to feel that I can fairly comment about it.

At least one third of the books are what I call "bubble gum" - thrillers or mysteries that are absorbing, but slide down smoothly without making much of an impression. About a third are "literature" that sounded interesting after reading a review in the Times or Bookmarks magazine. The last third are non-fiction books across a wide range of subjects ranging from Greek and Roman times to the Reformation and on to current times. It is this last category that has the highest drop-out rate. Frequently, I just love the introduction but then get bogged down in the meat of the book. Some day, the list of non-fiction books I have started will serve as a great resource to a psychiatrist. Some recent examples taken from books piled around my desk

Marco Polo - from Venice to Xanadu - Laurence Bergreen

Godel, Escher, Bach - an Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas Hofstadter

The Shia Revival - how conflicts within Islam will shape the future - Vali Masr

America at the Crossroads - Democratic power and the neoconservative legacy - Francis Fukuyama

Fair Game - my life as a spy - Valerie Plame Wilson

Curveball - spies, lies, and the con man who caused a war - Bob Drogin

This is Your Brain on Music - the science of a human obsession - Daniel Levitin

As you can see, I am somewhat unfocused in my selections. Every one of these books was something I just HAD to read. What I have learned is that the people who write introductions and the people who write reviews, are more interesting than the people who feel compelled to write 600 pages on some obscure but fascinating, to them (and me, I guess) topic!

On the other hand, I have come across some fascinating and enlightening books that delight me. One of these is "The Nine" by Jeffrey Toobin about the Supreme Court. I read a lot about the Supreme Court (most recently Supreme Conflict by Jan Crawford Greenburg). Most of these books are interesting; if you are moderately informed about the topic, but pretty dry for more casual readers. The Nine is the exception. It tells the "inside" story of the Court, focusing on the interactions between the members and the current political environment. He doesn't pull any punches in describing the Justices. I don't usually like books that seem to be pushing a point of view but this the exception. It reads like a "page turner". You can't wait to find out what's going to happen next.

The Nine

Jeffrey Toobin

James Rollins - Excavation

Book description:

High in the Andes, Dr. Henry Conklin discovers a 500-year-old mummy that should not be there. While deep in the South American jungle, Conklin's nephew, Sam, stumbles upon a remarkable site nestled between two towering peaks, a place hidden from human eyes for thousands of years.

Ingenious traps have been laid to ensnare the careless and unsuspecting, and wealth beyond imagining could be the reward for those with the courage to face the terrible unknown. But where the perilous journey inward ends—in the cold, shrouded heart of a breathtaking necropolis—something else is waiting for Sam Conklin and his exploratory party. A thing created by Man, yet not humanly possible. Something wondrous . . . something terrifying.

Ridley Pearson - Killer Weekend

Book description:

Bestseller Pearson's workmanlike thriller, the first in a new series, has all the right ingredients: a down-to-earth hero, sheriff Walt Fleming; a neatly focused venue in the form of a weekend business conference at an Idaho resort; and a sense of impending danger in the form of a threat on the life of Elizabeth Shaler, the New York State attorney general, who's about to announce her candidacy for U.S. president. Shaler knows what it's like to be a victim. Eight years before the killer weekend of the title, she was attacked in her Sun Valley, Idaho, vacation home and saved by Fleming, then a patrolman. Fleming takes the present threat very seriously, but Shaler's handlers and the event's organizer, billionaire Patrick Cutter, won't cancel her speech. Fleming doggedly struggles to identify the assassin, who cleverly (if incredibly) overcomes massive security to infiltrate the event, but the motive for the threat is never satisfactorily explained. Pearson (Parallel Lies) tries hard to give his characters depth using an inventive array of backstories, but only the capable Fleming really comes across

Tony Hillerman - The Shape Shifter

Book description

A picture cut from a glossy magazine, Luxury Living, draws retired Navajo tribal policeman Lt. Joe Leaphorn into a hunt for a soulless killer in bestseller Hillerman's enthralling 18th Leaphorn/Chee whodunit (after 2004's Skeleton Man). The picture's sender, Mel Bork, another cop retiree, wonders if the distinctive Navajo rug shown in the picture is the same one Leaphorn described to him long ago, a rug supposedly destroyed in a fire the two officers investigated that took the life of a person identified as among the FBI's most wanted. Bork's subsequent disappearance and murder herald the dangers awaiting Leaphorn from a most formidable enemy. As Leaphorn searches for evidence to confirm his suspicions, he enlists the aid of Sgt. Jim Chee and his bride, Bernadette Manuelito, just back from their honeymoon. Only Hillerman could so masterfully connect such disparate elements as an ancient cursed weaving, two stolen buckets of piñon sap and the Vietnam War. The conclusion is sure to startle longtime fans of this acclaimed mystery series.

Lawrence Block - When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes

James Lee Burke - The Tin Roof Blowdown

Book description:

In Burke's meticulously textured 16th Dave Robicheaux novel (after 2006's Pegasus Descending), Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath provide the backdrop for an account of sin and redemption in New Orleans. When Detective Robicheaux's department is assigned to investigate the shooting of two looters in a wealthy neighborhood, he learns that they had ransacked the home of New Orleans's most powerful mobster. Now he must locate the surviving looter before others do, and in the process he learns the fate of a priest who disappeared in the ill-fated Ninth Ward trying to rescue his trapped parishioners. Burke creates dense, rich prose that draws the reader into a web of greed and violence. Each of his characters feels the hands of both grace and of perdition, and the final outcome of their struggle is never quite certain. Burke showcases all that was both right and wrong in our response to this national disaster, proving along the way that nobody captures the spirit of Gulf Coast Louisiana better.

Laura Lippman - In a Strange City

Book description:

Edgar, Shamus, Anthony and Agatha award winner Lippman (Charm City; Butchers Hill; The Sugar House) pays homage to the inventor of the mystery form in this masterly contemporary mystery, set in Baltimore and replete with her trademark dry, sardonic wit. Every January 19th, in honor of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, a loyal clique waits in the small hours for the "Visitor," also known as the "Poe Toaster," to approach Poe's tomb. He wears a formal cape and carries three blood-red roses and a bottle of cognac as tribute. For some reason the press keep their distance, as do bystanders. This year, for the first time, PI Tess Monaghan is present, too, along with her boyfriend, Crow. Having been roped into attendance by a would-be client, Tess awaits the coming of the Visitor in the freezing winter night. Suddenly, two caped men with roses and cognac show up. A shot rings out one man lies dead, the other runs off. A deliciously complex story follows that brings Baltimore center stage and delves anew into the mysteries surrounding Poe himself. Tess finds her own life in danger, and becomes a primary player in a story she'd intended to view only from the periphery. The author offers a host of Poe-esque thrills, from multiple murders to a woman buried alive. In the denouement, the clock ticks rapidly while Tess matches wits with the killer in order to rescue the victim from her tomb before her air runs out. Lippman shows in this, her sixth novel, that she's indeed deserving of all the kudos she's received. (Sept. 11)Forecast: With national print advertising, a 15-city NPR campaign and a six-city author tour, this novel will be well positioned to climb the genre bestseller charts

Ian Rankin - Bleeding Hearts

Not really worth it. A dissappointing effort from a first rank author.


Book Description


First published in the U.K. in 1994 under the pseudonym Jack Harvey, this routine thriller from Edgar-winner Rankin tells the story of Michael Weston, a fastidious British assassin whose life gets complicated when Hoffer, an American PI, starts to close in on him. The novel opens with Weston's carefully choreographed hit on London TV journalist Eleanor Ricks, but Hoffer is chasing Weston for another assassination, in which the antihero mistakenly shot a young girl. The plot takes a convoluted journey to the United States, to a weapons dealer in Texas and on to a quasireligious cult near Seattle. The nonstop action, copious violence and arcane details about weaponry and forensics will please thriller junkies, but fans of Rankin's masterful John Rebus series (Fleshmarket Alley, etc.) may not find this pre-Rebus book to their taste

Laura Lippman - Baltimore Blues

Book Description

Downsized ex-reporter Tess Monaghan spends her days working part-time at the bookstore owned by sexy Aunt Kitty and trying not to fall into the disgustingly polluted Patapsco from her city-owned boat. When rowing buddy Rocky pays her what looks like a fortune to follow his fiance, the trail leads to murder with Rocky the prime suspect. "Uneven" is the word for this first novel-hometown and newspaper backgrounds are alive from page one, but characters are cartoons until chapter 15 (out of 30) when Tess investigates the victim. Suddenly the story perks up to a believable pageturner. If Lippman continues the promise of the second half of Baltimore Blues while adhering to advice attributed to Elmore Leonard to cut out the parts people won't read, mystery fans can anticipate an engrossing series.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc

Lee Child - Echo Burning

Laurence Bergreem - Marco Plo

Book Description:

As the most celebrated European to explore Asia, Marco Polo was the original global traveler and the earliest bridge between East and West. A universal icon of adventure and discovery, he has inspired six centuries of popular fascination and spurious mythology. Now, from the acclaimed author of Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe (“Superb . . . A first-rate historical page turner”—The New York Times)—comes the first fully authoritative biography of one of the most enchanting figures in world history. In this masterly work, Marco Polo’s incredible odyssey—along the Silk Road and through all the fantastic circumstances of his life—is chronicled in sumptuous and illuminating detail.

We meet him as a callow young man, the scion of a wealthy Venetian merchant family, only seventeen when he sets out in 1271 with his father and uncle on their journey to Asia. We see him gain the confidence of Kublai Khan, the world’s most feared and powerful leader, and watch him become a trusted diplomat and intelligence agent in the ruler’s inner circle. We are privy to his far-flung adventures on behalf of the Khan, living among the Mongols and other tribes, and traveling to magical cities, some far advanced over the West. We learn the customs of the Khan’s court, both erotic and mercantile, and Polo’s uncanny ability to adapt to them. We follow him on his journey back to Venice, laden with riches, the latest inventions, and twenty-four years’ worth of extraordinary tales.

And we see his collaboration with the famed writer Rustichello of Pisa, who immediately saw in Polo the story of a lifetime; enlivened by his genius for observation, Polo’s tales needed little embellishment. Recorded by Rustichello as the two languished as prisoners of war in a Genoese jail, the Travels would explode the notion of non-Europeans as untutored savages and stand as the definitive description of China until the nineteenth century.

Drawing on original sources in more than half a dozen languages, and on his own travels along Polo’s route in China and Mongolia, Bergreen explores the lingering controversies surrounding Polo’s legend, settling age-old questions and testing others for significance. Synthesizing history, biography, and travelogue, this is the timely chronicle of a man who extended the boundaries of human knowledge and imagination. Destined to be the definitive account of its subject for decades to come, Marco Polo takes us on a journey to the limits of history—and beyond.

Sue Grafton - T is for Trespass

Book Description:
The 20th Kinsey Millhone crime novel (after 2005's S Is for Silence), a gripping, if depressing, tale of identify theft and elder abuse, displays bestseller Grafton's storytelling gifts. By default, Millhone, a private investigator in the small Southern California town of Santa Teresa, assumes responsibility for the well-being of an old neighbor, Gus Vronsky, injured in a fall. After Vronsky's great-niece arranges to hire a home aide, Solana Rojas, Millhone begins to suspect that Rojas is not all that she seems. Since the reader knows from the start that an unscrupulous master manipulator has stolen the Rojas persona, the plot focuses not on whodunit but on the battle of wits Millhone wages with an unconventional and formidable adversary. Grafton's mastery of dialogue and her portrayal of the limits of good intentions make this one of the series' high points, even if two violent scenes near the end tidy up the pieces a little too neatly.

Robert LIttell - Vicious Circle

Book Description:
Veteran espionage writer Littell, whose 1973 debut, The Defection of A.J. Lewinter, prompted critics to compare him to such British masters as Eric Ambler and John le Carré, stumbles a bit with his take on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, set in a near, post–George W. Bush future. An unnamed woman, who will remind many of Hillary Clinton, is president of the U.S., while, less plausibly, the Palestinian Authority is led by Arafat's successor, who's also nameless. Given Hamas's electoral victory in early 2006, the plot, which centers on yet another U.S.-brokered effort to create a lasting Middle East peace, has already been overtaken by events. The relationship between a terrorist leader and his hostage, a right-wing rabbi and agitator, may intrigue those who can overlook the dated scenario.

Jeffrey Toobin - The Nine

Book Description:
It's not laws or constitutional theory that rule the High Court, argues this absorbing group profile, but quirky men and women guided by political intuition. New Yorker legal writer Toobin (The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson) surveys the Court from the Reagan administration onward, as the justices wrestled with abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, gay rights and church-state separation. Despite a Court dominated by Republican appointees, Toobin paints not a conservative revolution but a period of intractable moderation. The real power, he argues, belonged to supreme swing-voter Sandra Day O'Connor, who decided important cases with what Toobin sees as an almost primal attunement to a middle-of-the-road public consensus. By contrast, he contends, conservative justices Rehnquist and Scalia ended up bitter old men, their rigorous constitutional doctrines made irrelevant by the moderates' compromises. The author deftly distills the issues and enlivens his narrative of the Court's internal wranglings with sharp thumbnail sketches (Anthony Kennedy the vain bloviator, David Souter the Thoreauvian ascetic) and editorials (inept and unsavory is his verdict on the Court's intervention in the 2000 election). His savvy account puts the supposedly cloistered Court right in the thick of American life.

A great night at Bouley

We went to Bouley last night to commemorate Chris birthday. Unlike me, she is still having them. I decided, at age 50, that I had had enough birthdays. Fortunately, Scott's plane back to SF was cancelled so he and Jory were able to join us. We really look forward to having them around because they get as excited and enjoy 'good eats' as much as we do. Not having had any children, I'm really enjoying the Step-Father experience! Scott is at an exciting age where the opportunities and risks are at a peak. It really brings back memories of those years. Fortunately, in many cases, Scott seems to be making better decisions than I did.

Bouley has always been one of my favorite restaurants - food, service and ambiance are all extraordinary. For example, I was struggling with the choice for appetizer between the "Seared whole Foie Gras" and the "Panache of Three Salads" which included Scallops and Shrimp with a Foie Gras Pate. I much prefer the whole Foie Gras and had this discussion with our server. When I chose the Panache because it seemed more interesting than the "simple" seared Foie Gras, the dish came with the Foie Gras I preferred. I called the waiter over to point it out, thinking he had made a mistake - but rather he had seen my hesitation and switched it in the kitchen. I was delighted.

Chris started with the small Kumamoto Oysters that she loves and was not disappointed.

Jory had the "Return from Chiang Mai" which included Lobster and Serrano Ham with Mango.

For the main course, my "Baby Pork Loin was so tasty, I was reluctant to share. Chris's "Squab stuffed with Foie Gras wrapped in savoy cabbage a top some artichoke puree was truly unusual. With all that Foie Gras we were equally 'artery' challenged.

Scott and Jory shared the "Breast of LI Duckling with turnips, porcini mushrooms and Lima beans" and the "Rack of Lamb with ricotta gnocchi". This all worked well with a very nice 2004 Cote Roti.

Normally, we (Chris and I) avoid desserts. But this was a special occasion and Scott and Jory's combined sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chocolate, influences us both. It's a good thing we didn't all order dessert because our server also brought a sampler of every dessert we hadn't ordered plus the typical Petit-Fours with coffee. It was dizzying--but when all was said and done, the plates were clean.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening and I thought the prices were reasonable for what we got. My only complaint was the $20 cab ride from our apartment. We discovered that parking is generally available in the neighborhood so my advice would be to drive!

120 W. Broadway (at Duane St.)

212-964-2525

Minnette Walters - Fox Evil

Book Description

Walters (The Ice House; The Sculptress; Acid Row) is considered by many to be the preeminent crime novelist writing in England today. This psychological thriller, her ninth novel, should satisfy both aficionados of the traditional English cozy and readers who prefer mysteries with a grimmer edge. Walters's dark drama unfolds in the tiny Dorset village of Shenstead, where Col. James Lockyer-Fox's wife, Ailsa, dressed only in flimsy nightclothes and boots, has been found dead on the terrace of Shenstead Manor. A coroner's jury declares James not guilty, but a telephone harassment campaign by unknown persons accuses him not only of the murder but other heinous crimes as well. This unrelenting pressure drives the colonel into a deep and debilitating depression. London solicitor Mark Ankerton steps in to prove his friend James innocent and to clear up the question of just what Ailsa was doing locked out of the house on a freezing night in her underwear and Wellies. His investigation leads him to a nearby group of Travelers-modern-day gypsies who roam the countryside in converted buses-who are squatting on unclaimed land, attempting to seize the property. The Travelers are led by the monstrously evil Fox, whose own agenda is much more complicated than a simple desire for free real estate. Award winner Walters rounds out her novel with several subplots, including confrontations between fox hunters and hunt saboteurs and other small scandals of rural life, all tied in the end to the resolution of the story. The writer's many fans will thoroughly enjoy this hefty, stand-alone mystery, but psychological thriller readers who are more interested in thrills than psychology may find the going a bit too slow and the eventual denouement too complicated by half.

Donna Leon - Quietly in Their Sleep

Book Description

Donna Leon’s mastery of plot, her understanding of Venetian manners and mores, and above all her philosophical, unfailingly decent protagonist have made the Commissario Brunetti mysteries bestsellers around the world, including an ever-growing American audience. In The Death of Faith, Brunetti comes to the aid of a young nursing sister who is leaving her convent following the unexpected death of five patients. At first Brunetti’s inquiries reveal nothing amiss, and he wonders whether the nun is simply creating a smoke screen to justify abandoning her vocation. But perhaps she has stumbled onto something very real and very sinister—something that puts her life in imminent danger.

Vikram Chandra - Sacred Games

Book Description
Sacred Games is a novel as big, ambitious, multi-layered, contradictory, funny, sad, scary, violent, tender, complex, and irresistible as India itself. Steep yourself in this story, enjoy the delicious masala Chandra has created, and you will have an idea of how the country manages to hang together despite age-old hatreds, hundreds of dialects, different religious practices, the caste system, and corruption everywhere. The Game keeps it afloat.

There are more than a half-dozen subplots to be enjoyed, but the main events take place between Inspector Sartaj Singh, a Sikh member of the Mumbai police force, and Ganesh Gaitonde, the most wanted gangster in India. It is no accident that Ganesh is named for the Hindu god of success, the elephant god much revered by Hindus everywhere. By the world's standards he has made a huge success of his life: he has everything he wants. But soon after the novel begins he is holed up in a bomb shelter from which there is no escape, and Sartaj is right outside the door. Ganesh and Sartaj trade barbs, discuss the meaning of good and evil, hold desultory conversations alternating with heated exchanges, and, finally, Singh bulldozes the building to the ground. He finds Ganesh dead of a gunshot wound, and an unknown woman dead in the bunker along with him.

How did it come to this? Of course, Singh has wanted to capture this prize for years, but why now and why in this way? The chapters that follow tell both their stories, but especially chronicle Gaitonde's rise to power. He is a clever devil, to be sure, and his tales are as captivating as those of Scheherezade. Like her he spins them out one by one and often saves part of the story for the reader--or Sartaj--to figure out. He is involved in every racket in India, corrupt to the core, but even he is afraid of Swami Shridlar Shukla, his Hindu guru and adviser. In the story Gaitonde shares with Singh and countless other characters, Vikram Chandra has written a fabulous tale of treachery, a thriller, and a tour of the mean streets of India, complete with street slang

My Own Book Fund

Over the past year, we've been looking for a way to get more involved in a community project that was both meaningful and fit in with our busy schedule. We've finally found something that we can not only do together, but are totally enthralled with - My Own Book Fund The program was designed to foster reading among kids who don't have access to their own books. This new initiative funds the purchase of books for third grade kids in Manhattan and the South Bronx. Volunteers are assigned to identified schools and meet the third grade students on three different occasions over a period of about six weeks. The first visit is to introduce the program and talk about book ownership and the joy of reading. The second meeting takes place at a local Barnes & Noble store where each child gets to purchase $50 worth of books. About two weeks later, there's a return visit to the classroom to hear reactions of the children about the experience and the books that they purchased. The program is funded primarily by its founder, Burt Freeman, who had the original idea and currently serves approximately 30 schools.

Before we were assigned our "own" school, we shadowed an experienced couple at a school in Mott Haven in the south Bronx. This past week we completed our final visit and are hooked. Seeing 18-25 3rd grade students let loose in a Barnes & Noble is quite an experience. Both Chris and I love books and are really excited about getting these kids started. Watching an intense 8 or 9 year old's eyes open wide as they look at the huge selection is an incredible experience. Deciding between "Captain Underpants" or "Junie B. Jones" and a biography of Rosa Parks or Mohamed Ali can be tough!

Chris really has a way with the kids. Watching her get them organized and talking about their experiences was a revelation! The other couple called her the model for all the volunteers. They just called me Paul.

When we went back to the school to debrief the kids it was really exciting. Each class was unique, ranging from hyper-articulate and involved to shy and struggling to read simple picture books. It was clear that the teachers set the tone and had an impact in the kind of experience the class had. We heard so many great stories a chuckled over some of the 'creative' thank you notes that we received from the kids. Who could not love a note that starts with....."you are so giving, you break my heart with your kindnes...its an oner for you to come to my house for chrtmes..just kiding, I'm being sarkastik.. but if you will come to my house, my address is......."

Steve Coll - Ghost Wars

Must reading for anyone who has any interest in how these things developed. Offers triking insights into how Bin Laden developed into who he is and how we missed opportunities to stop him. Reletively fair and well balanced. Not a hatchet job.

Book description -


Steve Coll's Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 offers revealing details of the CIA's involvement in the evolution of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the years before the September 11 attacks. From the beginning, Coll shows how the CIA's on-again, off-again engagement with Afghanistan after the end of the Soviet war left officials at Langley with inadequate resources and intelligence to appreciate the emerging power of the Taliban. He also demonstrates how Afghanistan became a deadly playing field for international politics where Soviet, Pakistani, and U.S. agents armed and trained a succession of warring factions. At the same time, the book, though opinionated, is not solely a critique of the agency. Coll balances accounts of CIA failures with the success stories, like the capture of Mir Amal Kasi. Coll, managing editor for the Washington Post, covered Afghanistan from 1989 to 1992. He demonstrates unprecedented access to records of White House meetings and to formerly classified material, and his command of Saudi, Pakistani, and Afghani politics is impressive. He also provides a seeming insider's perspective on personalities like George Tenet, William Casey, and anti-terrorism czar, Richard Clarke ("who seemed to wield enormous power precisely because hardly anyone knew who he was or what exactly he did for a living"). Coll manages to weave his research into a narrative that sometimes has the feel of a Tom Clancy novel yet never crosses into excess. While comprehensive, Coll's book may be hard going for those looking for a direct account of the events leading to the 9-11 attacks. The CIA's 1998 engagement with bin Laden as a target for capture begins a full two-thirds of the way into Ghost Wars, only after a lengthy march through developments during the Carter, Reagan, and early Clinton Presidencies. But this is not a critique of Coll's efforts; just a warning that some stamina is required to keep up. Ghost Wars is a complex study of intelligence operations and an invaluable resource for those seeking a nuanced understanding of how a small band of extremists rose to inflict incalculable damage on American soil.

Robert Strassler - The Landmark Herodotus

Book Description:

From the editor of the widely praised The Landmark Thucydides, a new Landmark Edition of The Histories by Herodotus, the greatest classical work of history ever written.Herodotus was a Greek historian living in Ionia during the fifth century BCE. He traveled extensively through the lands of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and collected stories, and then recounted his experiences with the varied people and cultures he encountered. Cicero called him “the father of history,” and his only work, The Histories, is considered the first true piece of historical writing in Western literature. With lucid prose that harks back to the time of oral tradition, Herodotus set a standard for narrative nonfiction that continues to this day.In The Histories, Herodotus chronicles the rise of the Persian Empire and its dramatic war with the Greek city-states. Within that story he includes rich veins of anthropology, ethnography, geology, and geography, pioneering these fields of study, and explores such universal themes as the nature of freedom, the role of religion, the human costs of war, and the dangers of absolute power. Ten years in the making, The Landmark Herodotus gives us a new, dazzling translation by Andrea L. Purvis that makes this remarkable work of literature more accessible than ever before. Illustrated, annotated, and filled with maps, this edition also includes an introduction by Rosalind Thomas and twenty-one appendices written by scholars at the top of their fields, covering such topics as Athenian government, Egypt, Scythia, Persian arms and tactics, the Spartan state, oracles, religion, tyranny, and womenFrom the editor of the widely praised The Landmark Thucydides, a new Landmark Edition of The Histories by Herodotus, the greatest classical work of history ever written.

Herodotus was a Greek historian living in Ionia during the fifth century BCE. He traveled extensively through the lands of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and collected stories, and then recounted his experiences with the varied people and cultures he encountered. Cicero called him “the father of history,” and his only work, The Histories, is considered the first true piece of historical writing in Western literature. With lucid prose that harks back to the time of oral tradition, Herodotus set a standard for narrative nonfiction that continues to this day.

In The Histories, Herodotus chronicles the rise of the Persian Empire and its dramatic war with the Greek city-states. Within that story he includes rich veins of anthropology, ethnography, geology, and geography, pioneering these fields of study, and explores such universal themes as the nature of freedom, the role of religion, the human costs of war, and the dangers of absolute power.

Ten years in the making, The Landmark Herodotus gives us a new, dazzling translation by Andrea L. Purvis that makes this remarkable work of literature more accessible than ever before. Illustrated, annotated, and filled with maps, this edition also includes an introduction by Rosalind Thomas and twenty-one appendices written by scholars at the top of their fields, covering such topics as Athenian government, Egypt, Scythia, Persian arms and tactics, the Spartan state, oracles, religion, tyranny, and women

David Baldacci - Stone Cold

Book Description

The modern-day paladins of the Camel Club are back in their third exciting adventure (after 2006's The Collectors). Justice-seekers Milton, Caleb, Reuben and honorary member Alex Ford, a Secret Service agent, are led by feisty Oliver Stone, aka former CIA assassin John Carr. Their associate, Annabelle Conroy, is a slick con artist on the run after stealing $40 million from lunatic casino owner Jerry Bagger, who killed her mother. Oliver's CIA past distracts him from Annabelle's cause: his old unit, Triple 6, was responsible for the death of Raymond Solomon, branded a traitor during the Cold War, and now Solomon's son, DHS security expert Harry Finn, is picking off Triple 6 members. Oliver could be next if Carter Gray, his former boss, reveals that John Carr isn't really dead. Gripping, chilling and full of surprises, Baldacci's latest reveals the anarchy that lurks under the slick facade of corrupted governments.

Lawrence Bergreen - Marco Polo

Book Description

Even in his own day, the famed 13th-century travel writer Marco Polo was mocked as a purveyor of tall tales—gem-encrusted clothes, nude temple dancing girls, screaming tarantulas—in his narrative of his journey to the Chinese court of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. In this engrossing biography, Bergreen (James Agee: A Life), while allowing that mere facts... were never enough for Marco, finds him a roughly accurate and perceptive witness (aside from the romantic embellishments and outright fabrications concocted with his collaborator Rustichello of Pisa) who painted an influential and unusually sympathetic portrait of the much-feared Mongols. Bergreen follows Polo's disjointed commentary on everything from Chinese tax policy to asbestos manufacturing, crocodile hunting and Asian sexual mores—Polo was especially taken with the practice of sharing one's wife with passing travelers—while deftly glossing it with scholarship. Less convincing is Bergreen's attempt to add depth to Polo's lurid taste and over-heated imagination by portraying him as both a prophet of globalization and a pilgrim and explorer of the spirit. Polo's spiritual trek didn't take him very far, since he ended his days back in Venice as a greedy, litigious merchant. Still, the result is a long, strange, illuminating trip. 16 pages of photos, 3 maps. (Oct. 25)

Alta - in the Village

We haven't been writing much since we came back from France. No real reason, we just seem to periodically fall into a funk--maybe a little writer's block! But, last night we went to a new restaurant that had an interesting menu that focused on "small dishes",

We have never been fans of Tapas. We enjoyed it in Spain when we were at bars that offered a wide variety in conjunction with drinks or wine--it was certainly an improvement over nuts, fried calamari and chicken fingers; but as a whole meal it didn't appeal to me.

We tried this place because Chris was at a fundraiser for "Just Food" in the Village and we couldn't get anything else at the last minute. It turned out to be a lucky choice.

The restaurant is on 10th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues in a delightful space with a fireplace, a really nice bar and a small dining room with exra seating on the balcony that looks down on the main room. The spots up there were very romantic and quite private compared with the main room which was packed but had a nice buzz. The wait friendly staff is informative and well versed in the menu, suggesting we just start with a few dishes. This is a really smart idea, because things come out quite quickly given that the menu is all "small dishes". The price range is from $6 to $14 with most items in the range of $9 to $11. They had a good wine list which was reasonably priced.

As you can see from the list we didn't limit our selves to just 3 or 4 dishes. Several of the dishes were quite wonderful; the Crispy Brussels Sprouts outstanding and a favourite with both of us! Beyond that, each of us favored different things. Chris the Mushrooms, Fried Goat Cheese and Pork Ribs; me the Calamari and the Cauliflower. There was only one dish we really didn't like, the Potato Gratin.

Lamb Meatballs spiced butternut squash foam, toasted sesame seeds and lebne

Crispy Brussels Sprouts fuji apples, crème fraiche, pistachio nuts

Caramelized Cauliflower manila clams, chorizo, golden raisins

Royal Trumpet Mushrooms sauteed with garlic and thyme, sea salt and fresh lemon

Marinated Bella di Cerignola moroccan cured and arbequina olives

Wok Seared Baby Calamari fideos vermicelli, chinese sausage and cherry tomatoes

Paprika-potato Gratin oloroso carmelized onions, piquillo, manchego

Fried Goat Cheese with lavender infused honey

Danish Pork Ribs roasted with kecap manis & coriander

For wine we had a nice Cotes de Nuits-Villages, (Denis Bachelet 2004).

The wine must have been good because we then shared a dessert, a wonderful Bananas with a Crepe (it reminded me of that Mid-West favorite Bananas Foster).

Alta

64 West 10th Street

(bet 5th & 6th Aves)

212-505-7777

Robert Harris - The Ghost

Book description:

Displaying enviable versatility, Harris, who first achieved acclaim with his alternative history, Fatherland, and who more recently showed his mastery of the historical novel in Pompeii, hits one out of the park with this dark paranoid thriller. Former British prime minister Adam Lang (clearly modelled on Tony Blair) is up against a firm deadline to submit his memoirs to his publisher, and the project is dangerously derailed when his aide and collaborator, Michael McAra, perishes in a ferry accident off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. To salvage the book, a professional ghostwriter is hired to whip the manuscript into shape, but the unnamed writer soon finds that separating truth from fiction in Lang’s recollections a challenge. The stakes rise when Lang is accused of war crimes for authorizing the abduction of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, who then ended up in the CIA’s merciless hands. As the new writer probes deeper, he uncovers evidence that his predecessor’s death may have been a homicide. Harris nicely leavens his cynical tale with gallows humor, and even readers who anticipate the plot’s final twist will admire the author’s artistry in creating an intelligent page-turner that tackles serious issues.

Howard Dully

Book description:

At age 12, in 1960, Dully received a transorbital or ice pick lobotomy from Dr. Walter Freeman, who invented the procedure, making Dully an unfortunate statistic in medical history—the youngest of the more than 10,000 patients who Freeman lobotomized to cure their supposed mental illness. In this brutally honest memoir, Dully, writing with Fleming (The Ivory Coast), describes how he set out 40 years later to find out why he was lobotomized, since he did not exhibit any signs of mental instability at the time, and why, postoperation, he was bounced between various institutions and then slowly fell into a life of drug and alcohol abuse. His journey—first described in a National Public Radio feature in 2005—finds Dully discovering how deeply he was the victim of an unstable stepmother who systematically abused him and who then convinced his distant father that a lobotomy was the answer to Dully's acting out against her psychic torture. He also investigates the strange career of Freeman—who wasn't a licensed psychiatrist—including early acclaim by the New York Times and cross-country trips hawking the operation from his Lobotomobile. But what is truly stunning is Dully's description of how he gained strength and a sense of self-worth by understanding how both Freeman and his stepmother were victims of their own family tragedies, and how he managed to somehow forgive them for the wreckage they caused in his life

Minette Walters - Disordered Minds

Book Description:

Bestseller Walters (Fox Evil, etc.) delivers another complex tale of murder and deception. In 1970, 20-year-old Howard Stamp is convicted of brutally killing his 57-year-old grandmother with a carving knife; three years later, he commits suicide in prison. In 2002, London anthropologist Jonathan Hughes includes the Stamp case in his book, Disordered Minds, which examines infamous miscarriages of justice. The mentally slow Stamp may have been coerced into confessing to the murder. George (Georgina) Gardener, an elderly councilor living in Stamp's hometown of Bournemouth, has come to believe in Stamp's innocence herself and asks Jonathan for help in clearing the young man's name. The two get off to a rocky start, but they form an uneasy alliance that gradually grows into a deep friendship. Watching this relationship develop is one of the novel's more entertaining aspects. Walters uses to good effect the multiple viewpoints of her numerous characters, as well as flashbacks, letters, newspaper articles and e-mails to reveal the truth behind the decades-old murder. However, as in life, there are no easy answers, and although the ending may disappoint some, it caps perfectly all that has come before it.

Bob Drogin - Curve Ball

Book Description:

In 1999, an Iraqi refugee, soon code-named Curveball, told German intelligence agents of his work on an ongoing Iraqi program that produced biological weapons in mobile laboratories. His claims electrified the CIA, which had little good intelligence about Saddam Hussein's regime and was fixated on the threat of Iraqi WMDs, which later became a centerpiece in the Bush administration's case for invading Iraq. It was only after American occupation forces failed to find any mobile germ-warfare labs—or other WMDs—that prewar warnings about Curveball's heavy drinking and mental instability, and the nagging gaps and contradictions in his story, were taken seriously. In this engrossing account, Los Angeles Times correspondent Drogin paints an intimate and revealing portrait of the workings and dysfunctions of the intelligence community. Hobbled by internal and external turf battles and hypnotized by pet theories, the CIA—including director George Tenet, whose reputation suffers another black eye here—ignored skeptics, the author contends, and fell in love with a dubious source who told the agency and the White House what they wanted to hear. Instead of connecting the dots, Drogin argues, the CIA and its allies made up the dots

Valerie Plame Wilson - Fair Game

Book Description:

On July 6, 2003, four months after the United States invaded Iraq, former ambassador Joseph Wilson's now historic op-ed, "What I Didn't Find in Africa," appeared in The New York Times. A week later, conservative pundit Robert Novak revealed in his newspaper column that Ambassador Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, was a CIA operative. The public disclosure of that secret information spurred a federal investigation and led to the trial and conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby, and the Wilsons' civil suit against top officials of the Bush administration. Much has been written about the "Valerie Plame" story, but Valerie herself has been silent, until now. Some of what has been reported about her has been frighteningly accurate, serving as a pungent reminder to the Wilsons that their lives are no longer private. And some has been completely false--distorted characterizations of Valerie and her husband and their shared integrity.
Valerie Wilson retired from the CIA in January 2006, and now, not only as a citizen but as a wife and mother, the daughter of an Air Force colonel, and the sister of a U.S. marine, she sets the record straight, providing an extraordinary account of her training and experiences, and answers many questions that have been asked about her covert status, her responsibilities, and her life. As readers will see, the CIA still deems much of the detail of Valerie's story to be classified. As a service to readers, an afterword by national security reporter Laura Rozen provides a context for Valerie's own story.
Fair Game is the historic and unvarnished account of the personal and international consequences of speaking truth to power.

Walter Moseley - Blonde Faith

Book Description:

Set in 1967, Mosley's brilliant 10th Easy Rawlins thriller finds the middle-aged Easy still fighting some of the same battles he fought in his first outing, Devil in a Blue Dress (1990), as an angry young WWII vet trying to make his home in postwar Los Angeles. His family has grown from none to many over the years, and now Easy is dealing with the loss of the love of his life, Bonnie, and his decision to make her leave him. Despite Easy's vulnerability and anguish, he's a staunch friend and a fierce protector of those he loves. Easy's two most dangerous friends, Raymond Mouse Alexander and Christmas Black, have both disappeared and both are being hunted. Easy must find them before those who want to destroy them do. Mosley knows his territory as intimately as a lover knows his beloved, and Easy's tortuous progression from man-child to man may have reached its climax in this searing and moving novel.

Gotham Bar and Grill

We went Gotham Bar and Grll this weekend after a long hiatus (over 15 years for me!). Alfred Portale had pioneered the concept of tall. "architectural" presentations of food. I thought it was too gimmicky and never went back.

However, we were meeting Scott and Jory late Sunday night after they returned from San Francisco and I remembered they had a very nice bar and East 12th Street is convenient to both of us.

The bar is along one wall of this long restaurant. While we were waiting, we enjoyed a Gin Gimlet and some bar 'treats'--wonderful tiny oysters and an order of 'Grilled Octopus' with roasted cherry tomatoes and chick peas. It was as good as any Octopus I have had anywhere - delicate but with good "mouth feel". Chris's 'Raw Oysters' served with onions and vinegar were just like in Paris.

After Scott and Jory arrived we continued with our 'second' starters. I had the excellent 'Yellowfin Tuna Tartare' and Chris had the 'Baby Organic Mixed Green Salad" with Sherry and olive oil. Scott enjoyed the same grilled octopus and Jory opted for the Gotham soup of the day which was a creamy cauliflower. For our main course we both had the 'Heritage Pork' on spinach with a puree of fava beans and plums. We eat a lot of pork. In most restaurants I find they do a better job than with beef (the exception being Sparks and Peter Luger). The chicken on Jory's plate looked great and Scott had a serving of Duck with was perfectly done. We acoompanied the meal with a nice Australian grenache.

Overall, a very pleasant meal. We'll be back.

Gotham Bar and Grill

12 East 12th Street

212-620-4020

Jason Goodwin

Book Description:

Goodwin, the author of a well-received history of the Ottoman Empire, Lords of the Horizons (1999), makes a welcome shift to fiction with this impressive first of a new mystery series set in the empire's declining decades. In 1836, though the corrupt elite troops known as the Janissaries were crushed 10 years earlier, there are ominous signs that their influence still persists in the twisted alleys and secret places of Istanbul. A series of crimes, including the barbaric murders of several soldiers and the theft of some precious jewels, leads eunuch Yashim Togalu to delve into the past in an effort to separate legend from truth. With special access to all areas of the sultan's royal court, Yashim uses his network of contacts to try to solve the crimes. The author, no surprise, does an excellent job of evoking his chosen locale. While his sleuth's character may be less developed than some readers might wish, no doubt Yashim will emerge as a more rounded figure in future entries of what one hopes will be a long-running series.

Minette Walters - The Ice House

Book Description:

Ten years ago, Phoebe Maybury's hateful husband David disappeared from Streech Grange after his wife caught him in bed with their traumatized daughter Jane. Now a naked, unidentifiable corpse has been discovered in the icehouse on the Grange, and Inspectors Walsh and McLoughlin have to decide whose it is, whether he was murdered, and who killed him. The cozy British setup is countered by an unremitting ferocity of tone, as Walsh--who planted the story years ago that Phoebe killed her husband--and McLoughlin slug it out with Phoebe and her aggressively lesbian companions, interior designer Diana Goode and magazine writer Anne Cattrell. For good measure, McLoughlin, stung by Anne's accurate taunts that he's fallen for her, also tangles with unblushing liar Maisie Thompson, whose husband has done a bunk (could that corpse be his?); with his long-unfaithful wife; with the village queer- bashers; and finally with Walsh himself. Unholy passions seethe inches beneath a proper surface: a brutal, literate debut--especially welcome to fans of Ruth Rendell

Minette Walters - The Devil's Feather

Book Description:

British author Walters's harrowing 12th psychological chiller spotlights violent suffering and hard-won triumph for Connie Burns, a 36-year-old Reuters war correspondent who crosses a sadistic mercenary alternately identified as John Harwood, Kenneth McConnell and Keith MacKenzie. When she finds MacKenzie training Iraqi policemen in Baghdad in 2004, she links him to serial killings in Sierra Leone two years earlier. An enraged MacKenzie kidnaps, tortures, rapes and releases Connie, who is then too traumatized to coherently divulge details of her abduction. She retreats to a country house in Dorset, where she puzzles over the troubled past of the house ("a place of anguish") and hesitantly befriends her neighbors, the handsome Dr. Peter Coleman and Jess Derbyshire, a reclusive young woman who helps Connie heal from her ordeal. While she gradually recovers, she also lives with the surety that MacKenzie will come after her again. Walters (Disordered Minds) delivers an intense, engrossingly structured tour de force about survival and "the secret of freedom, courage."

Jack Goldsmith - The Terror Presidency

Book Description:

A central player's account of the clash between the rule of law and the necessity of defending America.Jack Goldsmith's duty as head of the Office of Legal Counsel was to advise President Bush what he could and could not do...legally. Goldsmith took the job in October 2003 and began to review the work of his predecessors. Their opinions were the legal framework governing the conduct of the military and intelligence agencies in the war on terror, and he found many—especially those regulating the treatment and interrogation of prisoners—that were deeply flawed.Goldsmith is a conservative lawyer who understands the imperative of averting another 9/11. But his unflinching insistence that we abide by the law put him on a collision course with powerful figures in the administration. Goldsmith's fascinating analysis of parallel legal crises in the Lincoln and Roosevelt administrations shows why Bush's apparent indifference to human rights has damaged his presidency and, perhaps, his standing in history. 8 pages of photographs

Alan Kramer - Dynamics of Destruction

Book Description:

On 26 August 1914 the world-famous university library in the Belgian town of Louvain was looted and destroyed by German troops. The international community reacted in horror - 'Holocaust at Louvain' proclaimed the Daily Mail - and the behaviour of the Germans at Louvain came to be seen as the beginning of a different style of war, without the rules that had governed military conflict up to that point - a more total war, in which enemy civilians and their entire culture were now 'legitimate' targets. Yet the destruction at Louvain was simply one symbolic moment in a wider wave of cultural destruction and mass killing that swept Europe in the era of the First World War. Using a wide range of examples and eye-witness accounts from across Europe at this time, award-winning historian Alan Kramer paints a picture of an entire continent plunging into a chilling new world of mass mobilization, total warfare, and the celebration of nationalist or ethnic violence - often directed expressly at the enemy's civilian population.

Ruth Rendell - The Water's Lovely

Enjoyable, but just a bit too "crazy" for me. A little too neat.

Doris Lessing - Time Bites

Paul's comments...
I don't like her politics but her writing and commentary are wonderful -sharp and insightful while a delight to read. Her essays show what good writing can be like. It makes me want to erase everything I ever wrote as inadequate.

Book Description
Arguably the grande dame of English letters—the list of her published works comes to 60-plus—Lessing has always been outspoken about literature, politics and social issues. The 65 essays and book reviews collected here range over those topics and others, all declaimed in Lessing's brisk, wry voice and articulated with pragmatic intelligence. Her literary reviews always amplify the book at hand; the pieces on Virginia Woolf, Leo Tolstoy and Jane Austen resonate with fresh insight. Her enthusiastic reconsiderations of authors who are little read today, including Olive Schreiner, George Meredith, A.E. Coppard and Walter de la Mare, may pique readers' curiosity. Another obscure book, about an American prostitute, comes to light in the fascinating "The Maimie Papers." Six essays discuss the writer Idries Shah and his books about the mysteries and consolations of Sufism, which, Lessing claims, were "like a depth charge" and fulfilled all her philosophical and spiritual needs. Not every reader will be convinced. There's a tirade against Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (Rhodesia was Lessing's homeland) and a coruscating indictment of American complacency before 9/11. The main theme, whether addressed overtly or underlying her literary criticism, is the indispensable place of books in the life of an educated person and an enlightened culture. Hers is a clarion call

Minnette Walters - The Chameleon's Shadow

Lawrence Block - Hit Parade

A clever new genre - hitman as "hero". Keller is well drawn. Brings new meaning to the banality of evil. Really a series of short stories more than a novel.

Book description
Block's assassin, John Keller (Hit Man; Hit List), returns in these loosely linked, well-crafted vignettes of the protagonist on assignment, blithely but expertly eliminating a grab bag of targets: a philandering pro baseball player, a jockey in a fixed horse race, two women who hire him to put down a neighbor's dog, a Cuban exile and more. Manhattan-based Keller works through his agent, Dot, who assigns murders from her home just north in White Plains.Keller, a loner by temperament and trade, has an easy camaraderie with Dot. The two entrepreneurial colleagues strike a casual tone in conversation—but they're discussing death (sometimes in gory detail). With dry wit, Block tracks the pursuits of the morally ambiguous Keller, who hunts rare, pricey stamps for his extensive collection when he's not "taking care of business." Four-time Shamus- and Edgar-winner Block has the reader queasily rooting for the killer as well as the victims, unsettling the usual point of identification and assumptions about right and wrong

Dennis Lehane - Darness, Take My Hand

Pretty good, but the heavy focus on Boston neighborhoods is off-putting for a NYer.

Book description
In his outstanding second novel, Lehane (whose debut, A Drink Before the War, won a Shamus award) explores horror close to home. Boston PIs Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro agree to help psychiatrist Diandra Warren. Her patient, using the name Moira Kenzie, has said she was abused by Kevin Hurlihy, a sociopathic Irish Mafia henchman who grew up in Angie and Patrick's neighborhood. Hurlihy may have threatened the doctor, who fears that her son, Jason, may be in danger. While Patrick and Angela shadow Jason, another former neighbor, Kara Rider, is found crucified. Sensing a connection, Patrick seeks out a retired cop turned saloonkeeper who recalls a hushed-up crucifixion murder in the neighborhood 20 years ago. The suspect in that killing is in prison, so he can't be murdering again, can he? As Patrick probes painful memories, he faces losing the woman he loves, Grace Cole, who is appalled at the brutality invading their lives. By the time Patrick and Angie realize how the murders relate to their own youth, they are the next targets. The showdown is unpredictable, like the New England autumn which, in Lehane's depiction, is informed by a wind "so chilly and mean it seemed the exhalation of a Puritan god." The story is densely peopled with multidimensional characters; there are no forgettable, walk-on roles on Lehane's stage. Lehane's voice, original, haunting and straight from the heart, places him among that top rank of stylists who enrich the modern mystery novel

Postcards from Paris, another first!

One of the things that has really improved since I first came to Paris in the 70's is the public bathrooms. Back then, 'pissoirs', outdoor urinals, were the preferred venue for Parisian men (I don't know what women did). They were large, round, dark green, steel contraptions not unlike the familiar round advertising locations common now, only larger. Men (up to 10 at a time) would enter and pee against the center wall and it would drain to the sewer. Bathrooms in Cafes were co-ed and featured urinals along one wall and commodes along the other for men and women. Less elegant locations would have neither urinals nor toilets, but rather co-ed 'squatters 'with two raised footprints in the center of a tiled drain.

Today, public bathrooms in Paris are a joy, located in every cafe, restaurant and public facility. There are also high-tech pay toilets located on busy streets. These are well designed commodes that self-clean and disinfect after every use. There's also a mechanism which causes the doors to fly open after a respectable time period. They've been in use for about 5 years and NYC recently agreed to purchase a number of them for use in Manhattan.

As one of his first initiatives, the new Mayor of Paris made all city museums and pay toilets free of charge. This does not include the major museums that are national. To date, we had enjoyed the free museums, but not the toilets. I'm happy to report that they are not to be shunned

- they are clean and well equipped with toilet paper, towels and running water. This is probably more then you ever wanted to know about this topic, but suffice it to say that any remaining hesitations about coming to Paris should now be eliminated.

Postcards from Paris #3

We're eating at home tonight after visiting a great exhibition at the Centre Pompidou all about the sculptor and painter "Giacometti". It was wonderful with over 100 pieces of work beginning with his earliest painting at age 15. You'll recongnize him as the artist who did "Walking Man"--tall skinny sculpted figures that have a 'pinched' look to them. It was particularly interesting as we thought his work was familiar to us but found he had evolved significantlym over the years. He had even been briefly part of the Surrealists, but they threw him out after a few years for unspecified reasons - maybe his work was understandable!

Walking home along rue Rambuteau, we picked out goodies for the evening meal which included stuffed bread and little calimari from an Italians place, pate and some cold salads from the French place and then of course there was the usual cheese, wine and chocolate to round things off!

Yum, wish you were here, Chris and Paul

A Postcard from Paris

A postcard from Paris . . .

I took a French cooking class with Scott and Jory/ We enjoyed experimenting with new ingredients we bought at a local market. The result, at the end of a morning in the kitchen with 'chef Eric,' was a sumptuous lunch of sauteed shrimp on ratatouille and winter veal stew. We finished with cheese and a molten chocolate cake (served with a "surprise" sauce of banana and avocado). All were served with the appropriate wine. All in all a fine morning! Paul was happy to be invited to share the meal even though he did not participate in the preparation.

Wish you all could have been there,

Postcards from Paris

Postcards from Paris: An Unusual Visitation. . .

Christina and Christine went to visit Pere Lachaise Cemetery this week where the line-up of illustrious corpses date back to the 1700's! Here lie Proust, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and almost anyone French, talented and DEAD that you can think of. They don't discriminate against creed or nationality but space is now at a premium, in fact since 2003 they have introduced 10, 30, and 50 year leases. If you have an existing lease, it buys you about a century and those in 'perpetuelles' may stay until abandoned. Of the one million originally buried here, approximately 200 thousand remain--now that's a lot of souls!

The grounds are beautiful, and you need a minimum of half a day here. Here's just a little snap shot of some of the gravestones we found interesting.

Ooh la la

We have never visited Reims, the Champagne region, just outside of Paris. So we decided that it would be a perfect trip to take when Scott and Jory joined us in Paris this year. Several people had recommended a particular chateau that offered a one day, all inclusive lunch with a champagne tasting menu and a visit to Veuve Cliquot, our favourite 'cave'. Sounds perfect--right????

The day started badly... We had to leave the house at 8:30 am to catch the train. That was aggressive planning on Chris's part since Scott and Jory were still somewhat jet-lagged and not not stirring before noon. I'm normally grumpy about doing anything before I've read the paper. The short train ride put us in Reims at about 9:45 am, giving us what Chris said, would be enough time to explore the city before the designated pick-up by the Chateau. I had been thinking about our visit to Burgundy and the lovely little towns like St. Emilion that we enjoyed so much. Unfortunately, Reims is more New Haven than St. Emilion. As we headed out from the station, Chris was looking for the Cathedral, I was looking for a nice Cafe or tea house for breakfast; Scott and Jory were just groggily following along -- we were hopeful! Quel domage! We were too cold to walk all the way to the cathedral and didn't have enough time to visit the town and still satisfy the need for coffee so..... we stopped at the least offensive place and managed to get warm and raise our blood sugar enough to head back to the station for our designated pick-up.

Eh bien, at the station, with no pick-up in sight there was a certain degree of anxiety. Chris began her efforts to call the Chateau while Scott was looking at the timetable to see the earliest he could get back to Paris - not a good sign! I was thinking about the Rolls Royce that the hotel in Hong Kong had sent to pick us up. Forty-five minutes later with still no car in sight, there was some brief talk about lynching our travel arranger (Chris). Instead we took a cab to the chateau.

As we pulled into the drive, things began to look up. The chateau was lovely. In the garden room the mood quickly changed with our first glass of champagne and a discussion of the menu.

The menu was too complicated and required too many decisions so Scott suggested they just "surprise us". There were four courses. All had a champagne accompaniment except dessert (according to Veuve Cliquot, you "don't drink champagne with chocolate"). Each course had a dominant theme but was broken into 4 or 5 flights, each one presented separately in a dish or cup or bowl or goblet. I couldn't begin to describe them all so I'll just stick to the basic theme. Assume that fresh truffles, foie gras and seasonal mushrooms were

abundant.

Aperitif

1998 Veuve Cliquot Brut

Assorted nuts, flat breads, olives, salmon cake and faux french fries made from whipped potatoes. Not to mention the little glass of deviled egg that was outrageous.

The 'amuse bouche' was a little ball filled with warm champagne, presented atop the neck of a cut champagne bottle. We were told to pop the entire thing in our mouth because there would be a burst of liquid--a surprise!

Fish Course

2002 Veuve Cliquot Rose

Salmon tartare et al for the ladies

Scallops et al for the men.

Meat Course

1999 Veuve Cliquot Brut

Veal for the women on a bed of crisp veggies

Chicken rolled in truffles for the men (Bresse, of course - it is the most prized chicken in France where the markets carry, at least, Cock or Hen for 'traditional', 'farm raised' and 'Bresse') .

Dessert Course

Believe it or not, this was the course where they really outdid themselves. It came in three waves, each having 3-5 components. The first wave was a light puff pastry with cream and fresh raspberries, Next came the chocolate sensations: molten cake, mousse, puddings and ices. The third wave was delivered on a cart, like a cheese selection! At this point we all groaned--it all looked so good and was one of the most interestingly presented carts (Sheila-we were thinking of you!) We declined all but the smallest of tastes.

Coffee course

Served back in the garden room with brandies and chocolate truffles. We could barely finish the coffee--just wanting to be left alone to sleep it off. But no!!! There was more to come. We couldn't believe we were heading off to the caves and MORE CHAMPAGNE!

Our private tour with Fanny as guide, made this a truly deluxe experience. We went through the museum, which had a fascinating discussion of champagne forgery over the years and then went down into the chalk caves to look at the wine. It was interesting to hear about the process and the stories and innovations of Mme Cliquot. There were bottles that dated back almost 100 years. Back in the tasting room, they opened three bottles, all vintage a Brut, a Sec (slightly sweeter) and the flagship of the brand La Grande Dame (at least $150 a bottle retail). They were delicious but we were probably a little over-champagned by that point and not as appreciative as we might have been before lunch. Each couple was sent off with a bottle of the non-vintage Brut and a book of the history of Veuve Cliquot and an invitation to return.

The train ride home was quiet with all of us wishing that we could have gone back to the that lovely garden room for a nap. What an experience!

Paris Notes: 2

The past week and a half has been filled with friends and visitors. It's great to have visitors when we're in Paris, because it brings a new rhythm to our days and it's fun to share the experience with others. So far, it's been really great--highlights include:

• An invitation to the home of a French couple who call Paris their home. Their warm welcome and willingness to put up with my less then perfect French won't be forgotten.


• Participation in "Nuit Blanche" with friends Narissa and Tony. Without them we would probably never have gone Cafe hopping to watch the final minutes of the Rugby match between France and New Zealand (France won) nor gone walking at the Tuilleries which were lit up with hundreds of open torches, and burning sculptures.


• Spending time with Scott and Jory eating great food, touring Champagne country and going to a cooking class.

Paris Notes

This is the fifth year we've come to Paris since we retired. We thought we'd share some observations at the end of the 2nd week...

We still love Paris.

• On average, we walk about 5 miles a day (based on Chris' pedometer). Paris is an outdoors city where people are on the street, walking, bicycling and cafe-ing . Sometimes the whole city feels like Central Park on a Fall weekend. On every corner there are one or more terraces open all year long with large gas heaters for the colder weather. The good ones are full all year. It may be the small, dark apartments but people don't seem to entertain at home; instead congregating in the cafes and Bistros around town where you can meet friends or simply spend the day people-watching. New York is trying to increase the number of sidewalk cafes but the city just isn't set up that way. Paris has a "Place" every hundred yards - hell on traffic, but wonderful for sitting around.
  
• There are more museums in Paris than in New York - there seems to be a museum to celebrate everyone and everything, but on the whole we prefer the ones we have in New York. They're more people-friendly and less crowded; one seldom finds a line to get in. On the other hand, the Musee d'Orsay may be the best all around museum I've ever been to, based on content and its manageable size.
  
• Everybody has a dog and they seem to be welcome most places. The stoop and scoop law is often ignored, so it's imperative to keep at least one eye on where you're walking!
  
  
  

Staying on our diet is very difficult!

• we love bread and cheese
  
• salad is hard to find
  
• the ice cream and gelato shops are along our daily route--we sometimes choose to miss a meal so we can indulge
  
• It sometimes feels like we walk from cafe to bakery to creperie to gelato shop to chocolate shops. Every one having a favorite that is calling to us.
  

The Euro is strong, the Dollar is WEAK!

• especially painful with the cost of restaurants. It can cost $50 for salad and club soda for two at a cafe and $600 for two at a nice (1 star) restaurant.
  

Chris is frustrated learning the language

• She spends hours every day doing "homework" and in a conversation group
  
• She talks to every cab driver, dog owner and waiter we see.
  
• She is making progress despite what she thinks
  

To be continued...

It's All About the Food!

Part of the fun in coming to Paris each year is not only the street markets, but also some of the most wonderful specialty stores that carry the foods we've come to enjoy and sometimes can't find in the same abundance at home. In New York we have places like Zabar's and Citarella that have beautiful selections of food, but here food is a living thing. Everything has a story, where it was made (or grown) and by who, how it was made. Our local cheese store has a dozen types of Tomme cheese - Cow, goat and sheep; mountain or valley, raw or pasteurized; and the producer. Every one of these decisions is passionately debated by the customers. I didn't know I could feel so inadequate. Last year we "discovered" a new store near the Madelaine called Hediards (it's a little bit like "discovering" the Bergdorf's of food unknown only to us). Paul is poised in the section devoted to 'drink' and from the smile on his face you'd think that he'd sampled extensively--NOT! This, like the food halls at Galleries Lafayette and Bon Marche that are chock full of top quality products both from France and afar. In the area where thay sell prepared foods there are series of vendors that also serve every imaginable food to be eaten there - for example, Petrossian serves caviar and salmon to be eaten right at the counter. We've also noticed more and more imports, probably to satisfy the palates of the many travellers from Europe, Asia and the US.

Each department here has products so tempting and beautifully displayed that it's pretty difficult to leave without something. We left with the cutest little dried sausages in a jar, incredible strawberries (here bigger is NOT better) and reasonably priced bottles of Cote du Rhone. We managed to march right past the pastry counter!
Hediards 2007