The Omnivore's Dilemma

Outstanding, life changing book about the food we eat.  Book is organized in three parts, each documenting in depth the full history of a single meal. 

Part I: Industrial Made Food. Starting with the industrial corn farming business and ending with a McDonald's meal.

Part II: Naturally grown food. Detailing the operation of Polyface Farms and ending with a roast chicken dinner.

Part III: A meal completely hunted and gathered by the author. Mushrooms and wild pig dinner.

Read: 10/1-11/31

Gentlemen of the Road

Author: Michael Chabon

Published: October 2007

Genre: Fiction, Adventure

Read: September 2008

Gentlemen of the Road is an adventure book set in a 10th century wild Jewish land of Khazaria. Two confidence men, a Frank and an Abyssyian, find themselves in the middle of another war. Against their profiteering nature, they involve themselves...

The Greatness Guide

Mavericks at Work

The Yiddish Policeman's Union

American Shaolin

Author: Matthew Pollack

Published: December 2007

Genre: Non-Fiction, Travel, Biography

Read: August 2008

A thought provoking biography of a 20-something's journey to China. As a kid, Matt makes a list of things he needs to improve on. At the top, his ignorance. After getting a degree from an Ivy League school, he moves on to the next item - don't be a coward.

This American's trip to the Shaolin Temple is a delicious string of culture shock tales. Matt doesn't play the clumsy ignorant traveler, which is great because it allows the honesty and real confusion, fear, and anxiety to play through. The idea of Matt's transplanting himself out of every comfort and modern convenience to study kungfu at the birthplace of kungfu is inspirational. Be different, indeed.