I have a confession to make. I am now 53 years old and I never gave up reading comics (or graphic novels, if you will). That is a drive I have come to understand as they present a world where good always triumphs over evil, which is markedly different from the real world. Reading comics in the Silver Age (late fifties to mid seventies, for non comic readers) was what sparked a life long love of science and especially Physics. Which caused me to get both a B.S and M.S. in Physics in the  mid seventies. The Physics Of Superheroes by James Kakalios pretty much combines the two things that I love into one book.  This book is the second edition, which has been expanded and somewhat revised from the first edition published back in 2005. Professor Kakalios wrote both books as an extension of a course he teaches at the University of Minnesota entitled “Everything I Needed to Know About Physics I Learned From Reading Comic Books”.  Which basically is a beginning Physics course using comic books and comic book characters to explain the principles covered in most Physics 101 courses.

Professor Kakalios writes with wit, and clarity, and obviously loves the comic books and heroes of his youth. While there are formulas involved and they are complex, he always explains them thoroughly and concisely. And anyone who can understand 1/2 + 1/2 = 1 can understand any of these formulas.  So there’s no need to fear them. He mainly focuses on the Silver Age, which for non comic readers is from the appearance of the Silver Age Flash in Showcase #4, which basically ignited the Silver Age renaissance. To the tragic death of Gwen Stacy, Spider Man’s fiancee at the time.  Back in those days both Marvel and DC had a much more decided scientific bent. On DC’s side it was due to long time Editor Julius Schwartz’s prior history as an agent for many well know and legendary Sci Fi writers. The books back then were filled with science references that the plots frequently turned upon. And little tidbits of science facts. I think a lot of us were educated in science by them, and they at least in my situation caused me to study science in college.

Anyway, the book uses such things as Superman leaping over tall buildings as a mechanism to explain force and gravity. The Flash to demonstrate many principles such as the necessity of friction and it’s relationship to traction as being vital for us to  be able to walk. To how Flash vibrates through walls, and how Kitty Pride of the X men can walk through walls. To using Iron Man to explain the principles of solid state electronics. To using physics to explain how Krypton exploded, and why it’s higher gravity would explain Superman’s superstrength and invulnerability, and also questions the explanation of him getting his powers from Earth’s yellow sun.

The Second Edition is proof that sometimes, in rare situations you actually can improve on as good of a thing as the first edition.

The Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios is Highly Recommended and is a favorite of mine that I reread several times a year.

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Some of you may remember that Alan was born in New Orleans, and I lived there for ten years. And this book brought up a lot of memories for both of us. And made both of us very hungry for the cooking we remember from when we lived there.  Cooking In Cajun Country by Karl Breaux and Chere`Dastugue Coen is a wonderful collection of REAL, HONEST Cajun cooking as you’d find in the homes of Cajun’s both rural and urban. And Cajun/Creole doesn’t mean loading it down with hot sauce so that either you can’t eat it nor taste any other flavors. The spiciness in Cajun Cooking is balanced to bring out all of the flavors of the varied ingredients. One of my favorite parts is them quoting legendary Cajun Chef John Folse’s remarking to Paul Prudhomme about his Blackened Red Fish recipe. “At my house if Grandma burned the fish, she threw it out, “

The book is divided into profiles of the Cajuns in several regions of Louisiana, and the recipes that are prevalent in each region. The recipes are simple, and only occasionally  call for ingredients that might be difficult to find in your local area. The authors also include in the back of the book web sites and contact info for most of the ingredients you might not find easily. I’ve copied several of the recipes (it is a library book and must go back, however reluctantly) to use for everyday cooking from now on. Most of the recipes use the abundant seafood prevalent in Louisiana. But there are other great recipes, one for instance, for the easiest, tastiest French Onion Soup recipe you’ll ever see. Also recipes like Vacherie Chicken Creole, Montegut Crab Stew, Port Fouchon Crab and Shrimp Rice,Galliano Eggplant and Shrimp Cornbread Dressing,and several Gumbo, Jamalaya, and Etouffee recipes. There is also one of the easiest Bread pudding recipes.

To say I recommend Cooking In Cajun Country is an understatement. It’s got my highest recommendation and should be in the home of any seafood lover.

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Lobel’s Meat Bible: All You Need to Know About Meat and Poultry From America’s Master Butchers by Stanley, Evan, Mark and David Lobel, who run a world famous New York butchers shop, really lives up to it’s title. The book is full of information about all different types and cuts of meats and poultry. Which includes what each cut is, how it’s best cooked and used, and how to properly stored to keep it fresh and edible. Plus each of seven sections focuses on a particular type of meat, with informative tips, a breakdown on the various cuts, and also includes recipes for the cuts. The seven sections of the book ae Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb, Poultry and Rabbit, Game Birds and Game, Variety Meats, and Sauces,Chutneys, Condinments, and Stocks.

The info sections are concise and really cover a lot of ground. They help take some of the mystery out of the many myriad cuts of meat we find in the meat case in our local supermarket. Almost a decade ago, when I was with my ex, we used to go to a local butcher shop. It was not as cheap as our local supermarkets. But the meat was so much better, in fact if anyone has a good local butcher shop, and can afford it, that they patronize it. The quality of the meat is more than worth it.

The recipes are wonderful if a bit nouvelle. I think that if anyone can’t find at least five or six recipes in this book that they love, that they’re vegetarians at heart. Recipes such as           Chinese Chicken Salad, and Spaghetti with Italian-Style Bacon, Onion, and Tomato, and especially Carbonade of Beef in Belgian Beer. The recipes are easy, with notes at the end that will let you know if you can substitute things or why things in the recipe need to be done like they are.

This book is a useful reference that belongs in the kitchen of any Carnivore and/or Omnivore.

Lobel’s Meat Bible is Highly Recommended.

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Several years ago, Ms Corriher wrote a great Cookbook/Food Science book, called Cookwise. It was an extremely useful book. Both Cookbook with recipes and helpful, insightful sections on different foods, and recipes and explaining the the science behind the proper cooking of each type of food or method of cooking. This book should be in the homes of anyone who considers themselves a good or great cook. Ms. Corriher has authored another masterpiece in Food Science/Cookbooks specifically for Baked Goods.  Bakewise : The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking . It’s every bit as good as Cookwise is.  I’ve been cooking and baking for 48 years now, and the book taught me a lot about baking. I’ve always been considered a better than average baker, though I’m only an average home cook outside of baking. As I used to bake things to take for work, especially when things in the Intensive Care Unit had been more stressful than usual. Just the sight of good homemade baked items will brighten up almost anyone, no matter how crappy their day had been up til that point.

Ms. Corriher has included over 200 good recipes and goes into great detail about what makes them successful, and what principles the recipes demonstrates. These recipes are concise and easy to follow. And darned good too.  Some may have seen Ms Corriher on the Food Network. She was a  frequent guest on the old Cooking Live with Sara Moulton program, and she’s been a fun and frequent guest on Alton Brown’s Good Eats, also on Food Network. She has a witty but expert attitude and knows so much about food and cooking.

The book is divided into 5 sections.  Cakes,Quick Breads, Muffins nd the like. And then Baked Goods leavened with Steam, such as Souffles and meringues. Next is Pies.And then Cookies. And finally Yeast Breads.  Each of these sections is divided into sub sections about specific and common cooking methods for the baked goods in each section. These sections have recipes, and the recipes have an entry on what principle the recipe is demonstrating. The recipes are easy and make for successful baking, without requiring a lot of background and previous experience in Baking. The nice thing about the book is that you can read it as you want. If you don’t want to read the whole book, then you don’t have to. Just read the sections that interest you. But it makes for one of the best Baking references, jsut as much as Cookwise makes for a great general Cooking reference.

To say that I recommend this book is an understatement, as in my opinion this book belongs in the kitchen of anyone who does any kind of baking.

Bakewise by Shirley O. Corriher is Highly Recommended.

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Why Sh*t Happens : The Science of a Really Bad Day by Peter J. Bentley is a basically the sort of book I’ve been waiting all of my life for. A literate and funny look at how things go wrong and why, using the example of one person having what has to be the World’s worst day. As someone who has a M.S. in Physics I am always fascinated by the science behind everyday life. And Bentley lists 39  bad events and the science behind them. The reasons why things happen and the rules that make them happen. Or the rules we’ve violated that makes these day wrecking events happen.

It covers things such as why we slip on soap or shampoo. Which ironically I read the day before I slipped on a bar of soap in the shower and bruised my back.And goes on to such things as how superglue works and how it has an affinity for bonding skin, To why electronic devices, such as I pods get ruined by being immersed in water and how you might be able to fix them if they do. Also things like the amazingly complex, unconscious maneuvers our bodies use to keep us upright and walking and what happens when we trip.

The examples and explanations are witty and very concise and understandable to anyone. The sort of science you don’t need a science degree to fully comprehend and use. In the end, not only will you have learned a lot about how things  work in  everyday life, but you’ll be grateful that the day Dr. Bentley describes isn’t happening to you.

I not only like the book, and the way Dr Bentley writes, but am actually looking for the other books he’s written. The fact that he gives such concise yet accurate descriptions of the ways the world around us works is why I like the book.

Why Sh*t Happens by Peter J. Bentley is Highly Recommended.

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