Koncocoo

Best Biographies & Memoirs

Coming Clean: A Memoir
You would never guess that behind the closed doors of her family’s idyllic Long Island house hid teetering stacks of aging newspaper, broken computers, and boxes upon boxes of unused junk festering in every room—the product of her father’s painful and unending struggle with hoarding. A brilliant guy who ended up driving a bus, Miller’s father was an extreme hoarder, and the family’s normal-from-the-outside (at least for a while) Long Island home was a mess (or treasure trove, depending on your point of view) of useless (or fascinating) papers and junk (important stuff). In Coming Clean , Miller, an actor and writer, chronicles her weird childhood and adolescence, but what’s really unusual about this buoyant, winning memoir is that for all that the author describes the familial dysfunction in heartbreaking, copious detail—and for all that she sometimes lost patience with her parents—she never stops showing that she loves them.
Reviews
"For a book about a child growing up in a hoarding environment, I found this to be surprisingly tragic. Like many others, I'm addicted the popular tv shows that feature, and some might argue exploit, this mental health issue. If you look around online, it's not hard to find articles and forum comments that are very judgmental, and often times vicious, toward the people who appear on these shows. She suffers with an extreme spinal condition because her parent's couldn't be bothered to get her a back brace as a child. Their first house burns down in a fire, spurred on by the mounds of paper, killing all the family pets."
"Most often it makes me sick to realize how they live in such a filthy mess."
"Before reading this book, I didn't realize that hoarding was a disorder or the emotional effects it can have on other members of the family."
"This memoir is much more detailed about what it's like to actually live in this situation, and Kimberly does a fantastic job of portraying her parents as interesting and lovable people, despite it all."
"Kimberly Rae Miller has shared an artfully written, painful and revealing account of a life of love and survival."
"Kimberly Rae Miller has penned a memoir detailing a life filled with very similar shame, embarrassment and neglect as those who grew up in homes wracked with alcoholism. Since so little is known about the children of hoarders, this was a fascinating walk through the life of a brave young woman who had the heart to hold onto fierce compassion and understanding for her parents' illness. While her parents were loving and devoted in many ways, there is no doubt they exposed their daughter to great risks, neglected her health, emotionally abused her by keeping her hostage in a putrid home she could neither explain nor understand and later on took great advantage of her by using her to repeatedly pull them out of their mess when it became critically necessary."
"Well written, your voice is so pure and easy to read with great pace and flow."
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Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom
Inspired by the frugality and philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, Ilgunas undertook a 3-year transcontinental jour¬ney, working in Alaska as a tour guide, garbage picker, and night cook to pay off his student loans before hitchhiking home to New York. For recent University of Buffalo liberal-arts graduate Ilgunas, however, the sight of $32,000 printed in black and white on a Sallie Mae loan statement yielded a life-changing epiphany. Instead of remaining shackled to his low-wage job at a Niagara Falls Home Depot and rooming with his parents to better whittle away his debt, Ilgunas struck off to remote Coldfoot, Alaska, to get a taste of wilderness living while working as a cook and sometime nature guide. Many years, odd jobs, and escapades later, including hitchhiking across the U.S., paddling a canoe as a “voyageur” across Northern Canada, and joining a cleanup crew in Katrina-ravaged rural Mississippi, Ilgunas was finally debt-free. Inspired by Thoreau’s example of low-impact living, and determined to minimize housing expenses to avoid another mountain of debt, Ilgunas spent the last of his savings on a used vehicle he variously dubs the titular “Walden on wheels” or “a creepy red van.” Replete with colorful anecdotes and disarming wit, Ilgunas’ account is both a goad for chronic debtors and an irresistibly engrossing true-life adventure tale. --Carl Hays " Walden on Wheels [is] a remarkable memoir that manages to stay light on its feet while saying a great deal about the state of modern American society. "Replete with colorful anecdotes and disarming wit, Ilgunas’ account is both a goad for chronic debtors and an irresistibly engrossing true-life adventure tale." " Walden on Wheels , a remarkable memoir that manages to stay light on its feet while saying a great deal about the state of modern American society. Thoughtful and well-crafted, [and] inspiring to read, Walden on Wheels , reminds one that life is made up of the little things, the experiences gained, the adventures survived, rather than the consumables acquired." "Wrapped in a powerfully told, often self-deprecating travel memoir, Walden on Wheels delivers important, even life-changing, insights into navigating your way to a saner life in a sometimes insane, debt-driven, consumer culture." "Among many other delights, Ken Ilgunas offers a fresh, provocative perspective on the student debt debate in his rollicking coming-of-age memoir—a funny and inspirational debut."
Reviews
"This is an inspiring story, especially for someone with student debt who dreams of travel and adventure but still cares about being responsible."
"A really interesting read."
"I think I can relate to him."
"No,it's not a emotional sob story it is a real,sober,feel good observation of life and what we can achieve IF we set our minds to it."
"And it lead him to experience hardship, hard work under difficult circumstances such as cold, wet, long hours in no mans land. He met many different kinds of people as he worked and traveled across country hitch hiking."
"The writing was excellent and very witty and the echoes of Thoreau's Walden were subtle but unmistakeable, including the charts of what he spent on living in the van and the frequent romantic descriptions of nature that at times seemed just a tad over the top."
"This writer has much to say and I predict a great literary future."
"It's inspirational that the author dug himself out of debt in such a unique manner, but a lot of the challenges faced doing it had to be tough including weather conditions, eating and cleaning conditions, safety and security - even moreso than the author had room to document."
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Jeff Gordon: His Dream, Drive & Destiny
This fully illustrated hardcover biography will allow privileged access to a wealth of exclusive unseen and rare material from Gordon’s personal photo and memorabilia collection. With his seminal work, WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST, he took publishing by storm, selling nearly 700,000 copies and hit the New York Times bestseller list in two consecutive years. His most recent New York Times and USA Today bestseller is 100 YARDS OF GLORY, about the greatest moments in NFL history, with Bob Costas. Gordon and Garner first worked together in 2006 on the multimedia book titled SPEED, GUTS & GLORY, about landmark moments in NASCAR history.
Reviews
"Finished reading this book, what a great story on Jeff's career."
"Great book."
"Nice hardback book about Jeff Gordon's career with lots of pictures and information on the driver during his racing career."
"Of course, Kyle Larson is by far my favorite drive and can't wait until Feb."
"MUST READ BOOK!!!"
"I couldn't wait for the book to come out and when I finally got it I couldn't put it down."
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Best Business & Money

Silent Sales Machine 10.0
Topics covered include: • Selling on Amazon.com & creative uses of eBay. • Finding and growing a loyal audience online. • The latest simple social media marketing strategies. • Automating your online efforts & building systems. • Effective email marketing. • Multiple real life success stories from the ever growing audience of creative and successful online entrepreneurs who have read this book. • And so much more! No fluff, no theory - get ready for hard hitting "do this not that" advice from a trusted leader who has been there.
Reviews
"I'm not one to read internet marketing books, but I completed this one in just a few days."
"Mainly applicable to the US, Canada, UK, Europe or wherever there is an Amazon presence Good ideas for those countries, I wish I could translate the ideas to doing business here in South Africa but we cannot register as an Amazon Seller at all."
"Jim is obviously an expert in this field who is wiling to provide quality content and deliver it with his trademark honesty and integrity."
"This is a fantastic book with practical information about on and offline business."
"I read this through and mostly skipped over the links as the material was straightforward and cut to the chase and I didn't want distractions."
"I'd give it a 5 star rating however i did not receive it and i assume it's because I don't have a kindle and pc must run an upgraded system which would cost me more than it's worth at this point."
"A lot of sound advice given in The Silent Sales Machine to point your mindset into the right direction for success!"
"Jim's book, Silent Sales Machine, is fantastic."
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Best Arts & Photography

The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory
Seabrook takes us into a strange and surprising world, full of unexpected and vivid characters, as he traces the growth of this new approach to hit-making from its obscure origins in early 1990s Sweden to its dominance of today's Billboard charts. The stories of artists like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Rihanna, as well as expert songsmiths like Max Martin, Stargate, Ester Dean, and Dr. Luke, The Song Machine shows what life is like in an industry that has been catastrophically disrupted—spurring innovation, competition, intense greed, and seductive new products. John Seabrook combines a love of music and an appreciation for personalities to take us on a starry journey from Stockholm and London to New York and Orlando showing how creativity gets discovered, polished, and packaged. -- Walter Isaacson, author of 'The Innovators' and 'Steve Jobs'. "In The Song Machine, John Seabrook tells of a cutthroat and fascinating industry, where readers discover the gifted musical maestros who orchestrate hit after hit but rarely get their name in print. John Seabrook has a marvelous ear for language - and perfect pitch when it comes to music journalism."
Reviews
"Fascinating insight into the production of today's hits."
"Good insight into the modern recording industry, but at the same time a little generalized and superficial."
"Great book if you want to read about today's music industry!"
"Great narration, interesting content."
"As a musician I found it vindicating knowing how pop music is really produced I actually gained a new appreciation for some of the artists mentioned, some of them are just part of the larger machine."
"While I'm not a big fan of the process it is a fascinating look into music business as it has evolved."
"Well written, fun insight into the world of pop music."
"Really great insight into the modern music business."
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Best Crafts, Hobbies & Home

The Home Distiller's Workbook - Your guide to making Moonshine, Whisky, Vodka, Rum and so much more!
This eBook is now FREE* with purchase of the paperback version via Amazon's MatchBook service! I wrote this book to pass along the knowledge that was taught to me in the hills of Kentucky over 25 years ago. I’ve developed designs that can be used right in the comfort of you own kitchen or out back in the woods! The truth is that Moonshining, aka “Home Distilling” is a folk art that helped build this country. Cooking up spirits isn’t any harder then properly roasting a Thanksgiving turkey. Open up a whole new world of creativity and step into the hobby that is truly one of the founding traditions of our country. Maybe you are looking for a new culinary branch to explore, maybe you just like the idea of knowing how to do things for yourself, perhaps you just like to keep the old ways alive or maybe you are just tired of our government telling us what we can and can not do! After you read this you will understand just how easy it is to make your own Moonshine, Whiskey, Vodka, Rum or even alternative fuels. So if you are a customer please know that we honor and respect your choice to pay for our content. His father was shortly thereafter discharged from the Army and the family moved back to the Midwest where Jeff spent his early years attempting to recreate Huck Finn's aquatic adventures . From learning the art of Moonshining in the hills of Kentucky to getting lost in the jungles of Central America, fly fishing the Yellowstone river in Montana, white water rafting in the Sierra's or even single handing a sloop through the islands of the Caribbean.
Reviews
"A very excellent primer for those looking for specific information on the theory of distillation."
"The book is very informative, written in a light hearted manner but serious when necessary."
"Easy to read and understand."
"Easy read and simple solutions."
"A great start to distilling and a good read."
"Not much here that cannot be found for free on the net but I still enjoyed it."
"First of all, the book is tiny. Had I read the reviews more thoroughly before purchasing this I would have seen the warnings for everything I've listed here, noted the strange way the author responds to constructive criticism, and gone elsewhere. If you want a short and sweet guide to whiskey and distilling that actually provides all the steps you will need to make your first batch of whiskey or bourbon I recommend How to Make Whiskey: http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Whiskey-Step-Step/dp/1480174408/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1EW7Q3MVSRZ54CEAREJD."
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Best Health, Fitness & Dieting

Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don't Know What You're Eating and What You Can Do About It
“Olmsted makes you insanely hungry and steaming mad--a must-read for anyone who cares deeply about the safety of our food and the welfare of our planet.” —Steven Raichlen, author of the Barbecue! In this entertaining and important book, Olmsted helps us fall in love with the real stuff and steer clear of the fraudsters.” —Kirk Kardashian, author of Milk Money: Cash, Cows, and the Death of the American Dairy Farm. A bona fide gourmand, he travels to the sources of the real stuff to help us recognize what to look for, eat, and savor: genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy, fresh-caught grouper from Florida, authentic port from Portugal. Eye-opening.”. — PEOPLE magazine “Olmsted boldly walks readers through a course in food authenticity that covers olive oil, cheese, Champagne, seafood, steak, coffee, and more. Readers will be inspired by his intensity and clarity, and floored by how far some counterfeiters go to fool consumers and some historic food institutions go to protect their products and their names. It’s unnerving that so many people don't know what authentic olive oil or port wine tastes like because they’ve been undersold on some off-shoot knock off and no one is raising a flag — until now.” —Ming Tsai, author, chef, and host of PBS’s Simply Ming “Larry Olmstead makes you insanely hungry and steaming mad in this provocative account of how fraud threatens not just the world’s great craft foods (think caviar, Kobe beef, and Parmigiano-Reggiano) but our everyday diet. A must-read for anyone who cares deeply about the safety of our food and the welfare our planet.” —Steven Raichlen, author of the Barbecue Bible cookbook series and host of Project Smoke and Primal Grill on PBS. In this entertaining and important book, Larry Olmsted helps us fall in love with the real stuff and steer clear of the fraudsters. Recommended for all consumers along with policymakers, those interested in food science, and marketing professionals.”. — Library Journal “Olmsted gives us the lay of this seedy landscape with momentum and aplomb. He demystifies the process by which fake ingredients end up in your shopping cart, explains why some of these deceitful foods could be a real threat to your health, and sheds a light on the government policies and shortsighted commercialism that landed them there.”. — Mother Jones. ”* “It's unnerving that so many people don't know what authentic olive oil or port wine tastes like because they've been undersold on some offshoot knockoff and no one is raising a flag--until now.” —Ming Tsai, author, chef, and host of PBS’s Simply Ming. “Larry Olmsted’s meticulously researched tour de force is chilling for what he uncovers about the food industry.” —Dan Dunn, author of American Wino: A Tale of Reds, Whites, and One Man’s Blues.
Reviews
"Our household is very careful about the food we buy, which is why I was quite interested in this book by Mr. Olmstead. So I was hopeful this book would not only provide a sort of guide map for selecting high quality foods, but would also either reassure me that the organic brand is worth while, or dissuade me from spending the extra cash on organic labeled products. I think this book speaks more to the food preferences of Mr. Olmstead than a more comprehensive treatment of the thousands of food products you'll find in a typical grocery store. His often long ramblings about regional culture, specific farms and villages, his travels and his food experiences tended to obscure what I was looking for based on the title of the book."
"He covers quite a few different food items, including beef, seafood, cheese, alcoholic drinks--even fruit juice. The frauds are especially concentrated in "special foods which for the first time in 2014 topped one hundred billion dollars in the United States. This category is rife with scams, including many foods viewed as healthier choices, as well as fancy cheeses, meats, oils, and other “gourmet” items." For example, he spends a lot of time documenting how "Parmesan" Cheese sold in the U.S. is so much different than the actual, original product. He notes how he made numerous efforts to try to get the FDA to pay attention--but they refused to even grant him an interview, despite their promises. "Federal regulations require (as in mandatory, not optional) the FDA to inspect less than 2 percent of imported seafood , hardly a rigorous analysis . Still, in 2013, inspectors managed to achieve barely a quarter of that incredibly low threshold—and their poor performance has been getting shoddier annually, down from the year before." For example, he notes that the "big box" retailers do a good job at removing fake products--simply because they have so much clout."
"Only problem now is that I no longer trust what it says on restaurant menus!"
"Great book--really opened my eyes to how bad and tainted our food supply here is."
"Fascinating and informative."
"This book is a real eye-opener about the food we eat and the products that are misrepresented."
"A really important work."
"This is an interesting read."
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Best Parenting & Relationships

Coming Clean: A Memoir
You would never guess that behind the closed doors of her family’s idyllic Long Island house hid teetering stacks of aging newspaper, broken computers, and boxes upon boxes of unused junk festering in every room—the product of her father’s painful and unending struggle with hoarding. A brilliant guy who ended up driving a bus, Miller’s father was an extreme hoarder, and the family’s normal-from-the-outside (at least for a while) Long Island home was a mess (or treasure trove, depending on your point of view) of useless (or fascinating) papers and junk (important stuff). In Coming Clean , Miller, an actor and writer, chronicles her weird childhood and adolescence, but what’s really unusual about this buoyant, winning memoir is that for all that the author describes the familial dysfunction in heartbreaking, copious detail—and for all that she sometimes lost patience with her parents—she never stops showing that she loves them.
Reviews
"For a book about a child growing up in a hoarding environment, I found this to be surprisingly tragic. Like many others, I'm addicted the popular tv shows that feature, and some might argue exploit, this mental health issue. If you look around online, it's not hard to find articles and forum comments that are very judgmental, and often times vicious, toward the people who appear on these shows. She suffers with an extreme spinal condition because her parent's couldn't be bothered to get her a back brace as a child. Their first house burns down in a fire, spurred on by the mounds of paper, killing all the family pets."
"I love the historical format, & really respect how she was able to write about falling apart and losing hope over and over, yet still had such abiding love for her parents."
"I wish I could give Miller's book to every child living with a hoarding parent; I firmly believe it would help keep them from sinking into the despair which almost led Miller to commit suicide."
"How does a child manage to survive yet continue to love her parents who are hoarders."
"Most often it makes me sick to realize how they live in such a filthy mess."
"But this story focus on a hoarder and his family and the serious problems they face because he cannot beat his addiction (hoarding IS an addiction of sorts as the victim literally cannot make himself throw ANYTHING away)."
"This is the story of a girl who grew up with hoarders and what her life was like."
"I came across this book because I follow "A Slob Comes Clean" blog."
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Best Politics & Social Sciences

The Price of Inequality: How Today's Divided Society Endangers Our Future
A forceful argument against America's vicious circle of growing inequality by the Nobel Prize–winning economist. “An important and smart new book... It’s a searing read.”. - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.
Reviews
"I very good read that expanded my understanding of the complex dynamic of economic and political systems."
"Effective and incisive look at the state of inequality in the US."
"Very interesting, changed my entire view of the US economy and the manner in which politicians mold the economy to benefit themselves and the wealthy."
"If my neighbors read it they would stop voting for right wing demagogues."
"I have political economy graduate education and follow these issues regularly, yet it still provide me some new insights and many good examples and ideas."
"Cogent, timely and soundly researched, Stiglitz delivers a very readable and sobering narrative."
"For all us non-economic majors, this is an easy to understand explanation on how our economy got in the financial mess we find ourselves in."
"A vertible tome of what ails our country, and some advice to fix it.A vertible tome of what ails our country, and some advice to fix it."
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Best Education & Reference

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 1)
As Greg says in his diary, “Just don’t expect me to be all ‘Dear Diary’ this and ‘Dear Diary’ that.” Luckily for us, what Greg Heffley says he won’t do and what he actually does are two very different things. Since its launch in May 2004 on Funbrain.com, the Web version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been viewed by 20 million unique online readers. Amazon Exclusive: A Q&A with Jeff Kinney Question: Given all the jobs that you have--game designer, fatherhood, Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie work, etc.,--do you have a certain time that you set aside to write? Kinney: I never any real desire to appear in the Wimpy Kid films, but one day my wife encouraged me to be an extra in one of the crowd scenes. I eventually reached a voicemail of a reporter who said they worked for Time , and at that point I thought it was just a well-planned practical joke. Q: Would you ever consider making Wimpy Kid into a newspaper comic strip or creating another one? Kinney's popular Web comic, which began in 2004, makes its way to print as a laugh-out-loud "novel in cartoons," adapted from the series. Middle school student Greg Heffley takes readers through an academic year's worth of drama. Greg's mother forces him to keep a diary ("I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I specifically told her to get one that didn't say 'diary' on it"), and in it he loosely recounts each day's events, interspersed with his comic illustrations. Greg's journal entry reads, "I do feel a little bad, because it looked like it was gonna take a long time to clean up. Kinney ably skewers familiar aspects of junior high life, from dealing with the mysteries of what makes someone popular to the trauma of a "wrestling unit" in gym class.
Reviews
"granddaughter loved this book."
"Great book for the students."
"With this book there's not a lot of actual "reading," but he had his nose in a book for awhile!"
"It is very funny how the cheese touch became something to scare you about in Greg's middle school."
"Another addition to my collection."
"I bought these for my 9 year old granddaughter and she loves them!"
"This book seemed too young for me but my little nephews loved it."
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Best Sports

Lonely Planet New Zealand (Travel Guide)
Experience Maori culture, be wowed by beautiful glaciers or hike through gorgeous scenery; all with your trusted travel companion. Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - Maori culture, history, cuisine, arts, music, landscape, wildlife Free, convenient pull-out touring map (included in print version), plus over 90 maps Covers Auckland, Bay of Islands, Coromandel Peninsula, Central Plateau, Rotorua, East Coast, Wellington, Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, Fiordland, Southland and more. Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing.
Reviews
"For trip planning, background history, information about the country and important travel tips to know it is great."
"We found this book is pretty heavy on "commercial amusements for tourists", less so on other attractions."
"This book was the end-all-be-all for references and recommendations in New Zealand."
"Or vice versa, make the descriptions link to the point of interest on the appropriate map."
"Very informative, with up to date information and good recommendations on activities, restaurants, etc."
"The book arrived and its amazing how much has changed in it over the copy I already had."
"Incredibly helpful in planning my trip to New Zealand."
"I don't recommend this book for backpackers as the DOC in NZ is highly helpful and locals are willing to tell/help you out."
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Best History

The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler's Atomic Bomb
Mr. Bascomb’s research and, especially, his storytelling skills are first-rate.”— The Wall Street Journal “Weaving together his typically intense research and a riveting narrative, Neal Bascomb’s The Winter Fortress is a spellbinding piece of historical writing.” — Martin Dugard, author of Into Africa and co-author of the Killing series. In 1942, the Nazis were racing to complete the first atomic bomb. All they needed was a single, incredibly rare ingredient: heavy water, which was produced solely at Norway’s Vemork plant. Based on a trove of top-secret documents and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, The Winter Fortress is an arresting chronicle of a brilliant scientist, a band of spies on skis, perilous survival in the wild, Gestapo manhunts, and a last-minute operation that would alter the course of the war. "Weaving together his typically intense research and a riveting narrative, Neal Bascomb's The Winter Fortress is a spellbinding piece of historical writing." –Martin Dugard, author of Into Africa and co-author of the " Killing " series. "Neal Bascomb's The Winter Fortress is a riveting, high-action World War II thriller with nothing less than the fate of Planet Earth on the line. In The Winter Fortress , Neal Bascomb brilliantly tells the extraordinary true story of arguably the most important and daring commando raid of WWII: how an amazing band of men on skis made sure Hitler never got to drop the ultimate bomb." “Brilliantly written, The Winter Fortress cinematically captures a commando team’s efforts to destroy one of the most important secret facilities in World War II. Bascomb’s riveting prose puts the reader into one of the more daring missions of the war and the Allies’ efforts to sabotage a crucial aspect of Germany's nuclear program. "This well-told and deeply researched account sheds light on an aspect of World War II that is little known or remembered, creating a valuable history that will be beneficial for most collections." "Bascomb, a WWII historian and former journalist, thrillingly recounts the commando effort to destroy the Norwegian Vemork hydroelectric plant . A fascinating read about how a small group of Norwegians refused to submit to the brutal occupation of their country and contributed significantly to Allied victory." “Bascomb brings this overlooked tale of wartime nuclear sabotage to life while taking care to explain the science behind the story.” -- Scientific American. .Bascomb interweaves the stories of Hitler’s ‘Uranium Club’ and of atomic chemist Leif Tronstad, who directed the Allied operation, with the thriller-esque tale of the commandos who put the plant out of action in 1943."
Reviews
"I learned a part of World War II history I knew nothing about."
"May freedom loving people always be as ready to sacrifice as these Norwegian patriots."
"This book was a little bit hard for me to get in to but once I did it was a page turner."
"Someone without that might find it a bit dry if they got hung up on heavy water and fission designs and missed the resistance story."
"The book is well written and reading about the hardships they suffered before and during the raid, you almost feel like you are with the patriots."
"Maybe too much detail,but still very interesting."
"Later, allied bombing struck the heavy water plant and limited production of heavy water."
"The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler's Atomic Bomb A great story and well-written."
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Best Cooking, Food & Wine

Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck
#1 New York Times Bestseller Thug Kitchen started their wildly popular web site to inspire people to eat some Goddamn vegetables and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Beloved by Gwyneth Paltrow ("This might be my favorite thing ever") and named Saveur 's Best New Food blog of 2013--with half a million Facebook fans and counting--Thug Kitchen wants to show everyone how to take charge of their plates and cook up some real f*cking food. Thug Kitchen lives in the real world. So, Thug Kitchen, good luck, and keep doing what you're doing.” ― Jamie Oliver The Thug Kitchen crew is an LA-based duo.
Reviews
"I live in Portland, the mecca of all things vegan, and my non-vegan friends have been clawing at my door to eat these recipes instead of eating out. I wish they had prep and cook times listed for recipes, but I have to read the recipe and make an educated guess. The food is delicious, the tone is funny, and I have been talking it up to my friends."
"Most of the reviews ive read before purchasing this book are mostly people complaining about the cursing, that they didn't know it was vegan and that the ingredients are too "fancy". UHM, it isn't literally them supporting thugs.. its like a metaphor.. they are thugs in the kitchen, they toughen you up and motivate you in almost a boot camp sort of way. therefore they're they thugs in the kitchen telling you how to get that sh*t right.. Now as for the fancy ingredient complain.. one guy said smoked paprika was too fancy and hard to find... which is not.. at all.. it should be a staple in any cooks spice rack.. Aminos might be hard to find but i seen those even in low level market places and farmers markets or nurserys or co-ops.. health stores, nutritionists or a damn WHOLE FOODS! with all the gmo and crazy processes they're doing lately its surprising people aren't paying attention to minor details like that and then they complain about it like if the author set them up...*sigh*. Now for my honest review; first Id like to say im Hispanic and raised with ethnic foods. I'm trying to establish a routine where the most used items are already cutup and stored somehow for easy access.. perhaps when i do a week food prep. you don't miss the meat at all... i do wish there were more recipes and more versatile breakfast ideas with more fruit but its still a good way to kick-start a detox or life style.. it weans you and really does motivate you if you don't mind the potty mouth. Their sweet potatoes fried rice is also yummy and they have this peanut dipping sauce yum! Some recipes i feel are missing something but maybe thats just my habits and culture that are used to different sides a big slab of meat."
"Love love love this cook book."
"It's worth every penny if you follow a plant based diet, are thinking about following a plant based diet, or just want a fun, delicious cookbook to add variety to you meals. I've been plant based for about one year now, and I don't crave cheese or any animal products, but every now and then I do like to experiment with some old favorites, like lasagna. Really, mad props to all your hard work, it has made my life a whole lot easier and tastier..."
"Meals are surprisingly fast to make (not sure who's saying they're not unless they're used to HotPockets for dinner) and are super tasty!"
"No reason to throw a cuss word after every word."
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Best Travel

Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom
Inspired by the frugality and philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, Ilgunas undertook a 3-year transcontinental jour¬ney, working in Alaska as a tour guide, garbage picker, and night cook to pay off his student loans before hitchhiking home to New York. For recent University of Buffalo liberal-arts graduate Ilgunas, however, the sight of $32,000 printed in black and white on a Sallie Mae loan statement yielded a life-changing epiphany. Instead of remaining shackled to his low-wage job at a Niagara Falls Home Depot and rooming with his parents to better whittle away his debt, Ilgunas struck off to remote Coldfoot, Alaska, to get a taste of wilderness living while working as a cook and sometime nature guide. Many years, odd jobs, and escapades later, including hitchhiking across the U.S., paddling a canoe as a “voyageur” across Northern Canada, and joining a cleanup crew in Katrina-ravaged rural Mississippi, Ilgunas was finally debt-free. Inspired by Thoreau’s example of low-impact living, and determined to minimize housing expenses to avoid another mountain of debt, Ilgunas spent the last of his savings on a used vehicle he variously dubs the titular “Walden on wheels” or “a creepy red van.” Replete with colorful anecdotes and disarming wit, Ilgunas’ account is both a goad for chronic debtors and an irresistibly engrossing true-life adventure tale. --Carl Hays " Walden on Wheels [is] a remarkable memoir that manages to stay light on its feet while saying a great deal about the state of modern American society. "Replete with colorful anecdotes and disarming wit, Ilgunas’ account is both a goad for chronic debtors and an irresistibly engrossing true-life adventure tale." " Walden on Wheels , a remarkable memoir that manages to stay light on its feet while saying a great deal about the state of modern American society. Thoughtful and well-crafted, [and] inspiring to read, Walden on Wheels , reminds one that life is made up of the little things, the experiences gained, the adventures survived, rather than the consumables acquired." "Wrapped in a powerfully told, often self-deprecating travel memoir, Walden on Wheels delivers important, even life-changing, insights into navigating your way to a saner life in a sometimes insane, debt-driven, consumer culture." "Among many other delights, Ken Ilgunas offers a fresh, provocative perspective on the student debt debate in his rollicking coming-of-age memoir—a funny and inspirational debut."
Reviews
"I related with Ilgunas when I read this book."
"This is an inspiring story, especially for someone with student debt who dreams of travel and adventure but still cares about being responsible."
"It's inspirational that the author dug himself out of debt in such a unique manner, but a lot of the challenges faced doing it had to be tough including weather conditions, eating and cleaning conditions, safety and security - even moreso than the author had room to document."
"Slacker frat-boys don't get to speak at Duke graduations, nor are they capable of conceiving, or finding words for, Ken's powerful appeal for the liberals arts, which brought tears to my eyes in an era in which universities are spending borrowed money to build yet more business schools. I must police and scold such careless reviewers, who lack the insight to realize that Ilgunas really was expressing anger at himself, and questioning his own self-worth, because it was a low point in his journey. But I have to imagine that Ilgunas is looking up toward the next level of the climb, trying to figure out what obstacles the modern world is going to throw in his way, and what insights and philosophical tools it's going to take to go higher."
"A really interesting read."
"And it lead him to experience hardship, hard work under difficult circumstances such as cold, wet, long hours in no mans land. He met many different kinds of people as he worked and traveled across country hitch hiking."
"The writing was excellent and very witty and the echoes of Thoreau's Walden were subtle but unmistakeable, including the charts of what he spent on living in the van and the frequent romantic descriptions of nature that at times seemed just a tad over the top."
"...that this book would be this authors journey based on Walden and like mine living my own experiment."
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