Got Some Books for Christmukkah
What do you do when you're stuffed full of pasta and bread, have already slept 15 hours, and your husband is spending ever waking moment playing World of Warcraft? How about reading three books in 2 days? (Full disclosure: two of the books had pictures.)
Book 1: Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine
I read about this "graphic novel" on AngryAsianMan.com, where it was hotly anticipated by the blogger-at-large. It deals with issues of Asian-American identity, especially as they relate to interracial romances. I wish it was a bit longer... like with chapters or something... because it was so true-to-life and engaging that it felt like I was watching a docu-drama on AZN; not reading a [comic] book. If you have ever had a romantic interest in an Asian or Asian-American dude (you know who you are), then you might appreciate some of the insight here. Also has some funny film festival in-jokes (for Carrie).
Book 2: No Reservations by Anthony Bourdain
When I first flipped through this glossy photo diary, I thought "oh, no; Tony's gone and made a coffee table book." But after reading it cover to cover, I can honestly say it has got to be one of the greatest coffee table books ever compiled. Even though I've seen every episode of the Travel network show of the same name, I was totally rapt by the photos and their accompanying anecdotes. I thought Gordon Ramsay had eclipsed Tony in my heart as favorite chef/TV personality, but after reliving some of his travails and precious moments abroad, Tony's stock went up a few points. Oh, and it desperately made me want to travel... waaah...
Book 3: Gordon Ramsay The Biography, by some bloke named Neil Simpson
Not to be confused with G-Rams's recently published auto-biography, this name-dropping rag reads more like an extended entry in the The Daily Mirror. Still, if you find the chef a compelling character (which I obviously do) it's worth looking past the gossipy portions to get a glimpse into what makes the man: from his "council estate" upbringing, to his unconventional but clearly successful family life, to what motivates his manic pursuit of perfection. And with my appetite whetted for more, I plan to check out his auto-biography as soon as I finish all the other books I got for Christmas.
posted by Sandy @ 4:22 PM
4 Comments:
My brother bought Bud and me tickets to a dinner with Anthony Bourdain in November! So I got to talk to him! And he signed this book for us! But, lo, we haven't read it yet. Anyway, he was very sweet in person, oddly. And funny. And he swore a lot. That is all.
Oh, and we rode in the elevator with him because my brother held the door for some other people and he followed behind them. My bro said, "Oh, I guess you can come up too." And Tony laughed and made some joke in return. For buying the tickets in the first place, and making it possible for me to share an elevator with Tony Bourdain, my brother is MVP of 2007.
I can't believe I'm just learning of this now. WTF, Uute? Next you'll tell me you found Gordon Ramsay's jock strap in a taxi back in September and forgot to mention it to me. Your crazed fan skills are severely lacking! And you're supposed to give me a verbatim play-by-play of A. Bourdain's witty repartee with your awesome bro. Ante up.
Agreed, Carrie deserves your wrath. I can't believe I sent you guys a text message instantly when I saw boring old Billy Zane in the airport, but Carrie can't remember to even casually mention that she shared an elevator with one of your top celeb obsessions! For shame!
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