That was my first impression of Chef's Night Out, the latest publication from Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, the same team that brought us Becoming a Chef, Culinary Artistry and Dining Out.

Chef's Night Out serves as a mouthpiece for over one hundred chefs, highlighting their favorite restaurants, what they eat, and why they eat there. The index of contributing chefs reads like a Who's Who of American cooking: Charlie Trotter, Daniel Boulud, Todd English, Rick Bayless and Francois Payard, to name but a few. The restaurant recommendations, however, range from upscale destinations like Nobu, Bobby Flay's choice for inventive Japanese cuisine, to downtown recommendations like Pho Bang, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's house of pleasure of simple Vietnamese food.

What makes the book really interesting is reading why the chefs like to eat at a certain restaurant -- understanding what a great chef thinks makes a great restaurant serves up an unusual learning experience. Additionally, there is a multitude of short educational essays throughout the book -- not all of which come from chefs. Stephen Beckta, sommelier of Cafe Boulud, writes an outstanding piece, unveiling his wine philosophies: Serving Wine to Industry Insiders, Wine and Food Pairing Guidelines, Matching Wines and World Cuisines, and Palate of the People, describing how a client's palate is often based on their geographic origins. His three-page article alone makes the book worth picking up.

So, if you are the kind of food lover who has the money to spare and loves to read easily-digestible short stories -- like Norman Van Aken's snippet on Cooking in Miami, Charlie Trotter's tips on creating a memorable dining experience, or just that Mario Batali likes well-done hot dogs from Gray's Papaya, then this is one for you.

--Jeremy Emmerson

In this outing, set in the Depression, a mysterious young woman alights from a bus in the small Maine town where brothers Cal and Billy live. Her name is Dora March (or is it?). She has beautiful green eyes and horrible scars on her back. The brothers who are completely opposite in personality (Cook beats us over the head making this point), fall hard for the lovely stranger. Cal keeps his infatuation from Billy, as he does not want to hurt him. Later Cal finds out Dora has feelings for him, but she refuses to act on them.

When Billy is murdered and Dora flees, Cal believes her to be responsible and, half mad, sets out on a cross country journey to find her. The only clue he has is a California address he found in a book she left behind.

Cook's writing is poetic and lyrical, sometimes self-consciously so, his characters, especially Cal and Billy's mother, are almost caricatures. They are assigned a trait and spend the rest of the book living up to it. There is a surprise twist at the end--again a staple in Cook's writing. If you are a first time reader it will all seem fresh and exciting. If you're not, it will just be an instant replay.

This is my first Thomas H. Cook novel, but it won't be my last. He has a real gift for getting to the heart of what matters and for telling a story in such a way as to pull the reader right into the middle of his beautiful tales!

In PLACES IN THE DARK, green-eyed Dora March arrives in a small town in Maine in the autumn of 1937, bringing with her a host of secrets and the air of seduction.

She works as a live-in caregiver for the town's richest man, and contrary to gossip, turns down the entire estate after the man dies.

She then begins to work for the town newspaper, entrancing the romantic young editor and confusing his older brother.

While the mystery of Dora and her past is central to the story, the book is actually about the two brothers and their different destinies. The story is reminiscent of 'A River Runs Through It' because, try as he might, the older brother cannot save his beloved sibling from his destiny.

I read this book in one sitting, and was completely blown away by the ending. It's that good.

What puzzles me is why the title isn't on every best seller list in the country.

Enjoy!

As Cal searches for Dora who he believes has murdered his brother the reader is given the story little by little. Billie is presented as a reckless soul who follows his heart but is always flirting with disaster. Cal sees himself as his brother's protector. Cal is an aloof man who has learned to face life without the need for love.

It is a moving story of love and betrayal. As the tale unfolds we begin to learn more about Dora, but she always remains a shadow figure.

This is a recommended book for readers of mysteries and modern fiction

In life we also face obstacles that limit our ability. To overcome each different obstacle, one must use strength, mind, and perseverance to move on and succeed in life.

Odysseus overcame these obstacles by problem solving and thinking ahead. The Odyssey really captures the essences of life lessons through out time. The book was excellent. I mean where else can you find bloody battles, passionate love scenes, giant maelstroms, and the occasional six-headed monster.

I recommend this book to any reader, whether in High School, College, or just the average reader. The Odyssey is a definite classic.

'Darkness is a true tour de force by the master. All the threads come together and weave a wholly unexpected pattern. Quite a trick, as I have read all of his work and talked with him several times and I believed I had good idea how he thought.

If you like the Black Company, you should really try his Dread Empire series. Hard to find but well worth it. I think it might even be a more interesting and complete world than in the Company books.

"The Sorrow of War" is a book that's not so much read as experienced. There is no escaping the intensity and naked reality presented. The author is a survivor of the American War who fought in the North Vietnamese Army, but Bao Ninh is kind to neither the North Vietnamese Army nor the Americans and its allies. There's no romanticism in this novel, only honesty.

Originally banned by the Communist government, the book proved so popular that the government reconsidered and lifted the ban. It's now a national treasure.

In my next life, when I'm a teacher, I will assign this to my class to be read back-to-back with Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried". These books could stop a war.

I own about 60 food and cookbooks. Many are useful for a few recipes and a few are regularly useful, but I would rank The Cook's Bible as one of the top three I own. Recipes are consistently, and authoritatively, first rate -- and delicious.

Subjects include equipment for the kitchen, using a microwave oven, how to use knives, potatoes, steaming vegetables, roasting vegetables, how to build a salad, dried beans, shellfish, pasta, fish and shellfish, frying or roasting a chicken, turkey, stews, stocks and sauces, barbecue, pizza, stir-fry, yeast breads, eggs, cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, souffle, and baked and poached fruits.

Line illustrations and charts augment the text, and there is a comprehensive index.

Highest recommendation for curious cooks.

This book provides not simply near perfect recipes but a guide to both the experienced cook and the novice on how to prepare them. The sections on the selection of kitchen equipment are wonderful. He presents his recommendations on what you need not only in the generic, but the specific.

Some of what he advocates, you may disagree with. I know that I can put a finer edge on a knife with a good steel than I can with the recommended electric knife sharpener. However, the knife sharpener is necessary when the edge no longer responds to the steel.

In no case will you go wrong with his recommedations (except for the waffle recipe). It does need more oil.

For anyone starting to learn to cook or wanting to learn to cook better, this is a priceless resource. I cannot recommend it more strongly. If I had only one cookbook in my kitchen, this would be it. The second would, of course, be James Beard American Cooking.