Books and Breads Blog

July 30, 2025

The Slip by Lucas Schaefer **** (of 4)

Nathaniel Rothstein, a high schooler in Newton, Massachusetts, beats up a student even dorkier than himself. His mother, beside herself, ships him off for the...

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July 30, 2025

Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes *** (of 4)

Istanbul, the city, sits at the junction of Europe and Asia, literally and metaphorically. Istanbul, the book, moved my perception of history eastward, away from...

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July 3, 2025

The Breads of Uzbekistan

I have always wanted to see important trade stops on the ancient Silk Road, and observe firsthand how a Former Soviet Republic is finding its...

Sourdoughs and SCOBYs

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June 17, 2025

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka *** (of 4)

An expertly crafted introduction to the people that swim laps with the author. Lap swimmers, she makes clear, forego daylight and nature in exchange for...

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June 17, 2025

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys **** (of 4)

There is no shortage of books describing the horrors of war, which makes this novel of World War II refugees so remarkable for its riveting...

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June 2, 2025

The Lock-Up by John Banville ** (of 4)

The remarkably prolific Irish writer, John Banville, gives his take on Jews in Ireland soon after the end of WW II. Rosa Jacobs is a...

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June 2, 2025

A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid (***) of 4

Jamaica Kincaid's second book (1988) expands the vision of a theoretical tourist vacationing in Antigua. The tourist soaks up deliciously sunny skies, gazes at unbelievably...

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June 2, 2025

Red Scare by Clay Risen *** (of 4)

Clay Risen's thorough recounting of the Red Scare, which began well before Joseph McCarthy's rise to infamy, makes clear that right wing opposition to progressive...

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May 5, 2025

Eating Invasive Weeds: New On-line Exhibit

The Museum of Food and Culture Launches Virtual Exhibit on Eating Invasive Weeds and Food Sovereignty Katherine Hoehl and I worked on this exhibit for...

Environment/Nature/Ag

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May 5, 2025

Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson *** (of 4)

This is Kate Atkinson’s sixth in her series of Jackson Brody novels. Brody is former British police, now private investigator, called upon to look for...

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