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Book recommendations please?

Having enjoyed the last book I read so much (thank you Tony) I thought I might throw open the comments here for some books recommendations.  Non-fiction please, and food/drink topics are always welcome.  What have you read recently and enjoyed a lot?

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This entry was posted Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 12:12 am and is filed under Coffee, Opinion. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

13 Responses to “Book recommendations please?”

  1. Tim Styles Says:
    July 16th, 2007 at 12:33 am

    McGee On Food & Cooking (Harold McGee) is providing a nice challenge, as well as a good insight into both the history and chemistry of milk.

    Haven’t had enough time to get properly stuck in, but enjoying it so far.

  2. Jacob Grier Says:
    July 16th, 2007 at 2:36 am

    The Brewmaster’s Table by Garrett Oliver is one of the best food/drink books I’ve read in the past year. Oliver is the brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery and has a real love for the history and brewing of beer. The book covers the basics of brewing, the history of major beer styles and regions, brand recommendations, and food pairings. His writing has an infectious enthusiasm. The one negative side effect of reading this book is that it always made me very, very thirsty.

  3. Mark Says:
    July 16th, 2007 at 6:56 am

    Educating Peter.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743286774/coffeekid-20

    But what I’d really like to know is why I don’t see you on msnmessenger any longer.

  4. Phil Says:
    July 16th, 2007 at 9:18 am

    I’ve read a number of the no-nonsense guides, which i think are great introductions to a new subject you might be interested in.
    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-7753290-1417767?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=no+nonsense+guides

    I’m currently reading the one on islam, thought it might be interesting to find out what it’s really about, given all the crap we see in the news these days about islamic extremists, etc..

  5. Elliott Says:
    July 17th, 2007 at 8:56 am

    I’ll second McGee’s “On Food and Cooking”. Its become quite a bible for some. Phillips’ “Wild Food” is cool if your into that kinda stuff. Dunno though.

  6. Mike Says:
    July 17th, 2007 at 12:18 pm

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Exquisite-Mind-William-Dampier/dp/0552772100/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/202-8073169-4861407?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184670887&sr=8-2

    A pirate of exquisite mind.

    I’ve read a fair amount of nautical history lately…. this is a good book about a fascinating guy.

  7. m'lissa Says:
    July 17th, 2007 at 5:49 pm

    One of my favorite books is:
    Stiff
    The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
    by Mary Roach
    It’s strange, and dry, and witty. I love it. And to add an additional twist, if you read it know that I, myself, have cadaver bone in me!

  8. Hug Says:
    July 17th, 2007 at 9:27 pm

    The Omnivores Dilemma. Michael Pollan.

    Read it and change the way you eat forever. It’s horrific.

    On a lighter note: 1421, the year china discovered the world by Gavin Menzies. It’s intelligent, fascinating and blows the nuts out of most of what you were taught at school about world discovery.

  9. Hug Says:
    July 17th, 2007 at 9:34 pm

    Darn it, just read your footnotes in the previous article and see you’ve already read The Omnivores Dilemma.

    I’ll repeat your recommendation to anyone else watching…. READ IT!

  10. Ron Says:
    July 18th, 2007 at 1:02 am

    a quick little read by Andrew Murray, a South African (educated in Scotland), entitled “Humility”. While not directly culinarily related, it does shed light on being more ‘fruitful’. An easy read for the second hour of your transglobal flight :)

  11. Darren Says:
    July 20th, 2007 at 10:11 am

    I’ve just finished this and I enjoyed it - easy holiday reading, nothing too stuffy. Nothing new on the coffee front, just a interesting approach to history lessons.
    I makes some big leaps though.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-World-6-Glasses/dp/1843545950/ref=sr_1_1/203-1967375-0188736?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184922315&sr=8-1

  12. aaron Says:
    July 21st, 2007 at 12:57 am

    ah, speaking of year/date books, you may wish to check out 1491 by charles mann.

    http://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelations-Americas-Before-Columbus/dp/140004006X

    as in the chinese discoveries book referenced above, there are lots of interesting and perspective enriching tidbits throughout this book. a fascinating subject.

  13. Luca Says:
    July 24th, 2007 at 3:56 pm

    Just finished reading “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” by Christopher Hitchens. Thumbs up.

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James Hoffmann’s coffee blog. I was the World Barista Champion 2007, and am now focused on Square Mile Coffee Roasters based in London.