Books and Breads Blog

February 4, 2025

Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke *** (of 4)

The Civil War has come to Louisiana. Union soldiers are making advances, but slavery, and its cruelties persist. The experience of war, and its changing...

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January 16, 2025

Dogland by Tommy Tomlinson *** (of 4)

Dogland is a lighthearted romp through the world of elite dog shows. As Tomlinson makes clear from the outset, the relationship between dog and human...

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January 16, 2025

What the Chicken Knows by Sy Montgomery *** (of 4)

The more I learn about animal cognition, the more I realize how ignorant I have been. (I recently read an article, for example, strongly suggesting...

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January 16, 2025

Keeping the Faith by Brenda Wineapple **** (of 4)

What makes this account of the 1925 Scopes trial in Tennessee so compelling--in which a school teacher was arrested for breaking a state law forbidding...

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January 3, 2025

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon *** (of 4)

Athenian soldiers attacked ancient Syracuse (Sicily) in 414 BCE, expecting a quick victory. They lost. Athenian soldiers were captured and held in a quarry on...

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December 18, 2024

The Wager by David Grann *** (of 4)

The Wager is the name of a ship launched by the British Navy in 1742. It was part of a small fleet sent to the...

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December 15, 2024

Farm to Loaf: A Road Trip Through a Short Commodity Chain

admit that I am envious of bakers who make their loaves using fresh, locally raised grains. It sounds like the ideal—for flavor, for community, for...

Sourdoughs and SCOBYs

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December 15, 2024

A Childhood by Harry Crews **** (of 4)

Published in 1978 and reissued in 2022, Harry Crews, an American novelist recounts the first five years of his life. He grew up in south...

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December 13, 2024

Creation Lake ** (of 4) by Rachel Kushner

A left-wing philosopher advocates that it is time for humanity to returning to nature, but sends his diatribes via e-mail. Acolytes reading his emails in...

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