Liz Loves Books
I love to read and to talk about books. I review many of the books I read. I do not accept any author/publisher submissions for reviews. I do not read or review ARCs. I do not enter any giveaways or contests. I obtain the books I review by purchasing them at the same price they are offered to the general public at the time of purchase. My reviews are intended for the use of my fellow readers. They are not advertising or promotion. They are not beta reads or constructive criticism or editing or advice to the author. My only obligation to the author is to pay the price charged for the book at the time of purchase. My reviews are sometimes critical and I will not stop posting critical reviews just to spare delicate authors' feelings. I am happy to make new friends, but friend requests from authors or promoters who have few or no books (and/or friends) in common with me and write or promote categories I do not read (especially new adult) will be ignored. I used to read more self-published books. After recent meltdowns by self-published authors, I now only read self-published authors I've previously read or who have been recommended to me by fellow readers I trust. I also used to read young adult/new adult books but rarely do so now.
I've read Mr. Ruhlman before and follow him on Twitter, so I had a fairly good idea of what to expect from this book and I was not disappointed. This is a recounting of Mr. Ruhlman's experiences at The Culinary Institute of America. He was not a student, but did take most of the courses as if he was a student and he does a great job making the reader feel as though they are auditing these classes along with him. All the frustration, panic, excitement and satisfaction in a job done well come through beautifully. His fellow students, teachers and the administrators are also very well presented. And then there is the food. I was constantly hungry while reading this, but it was worth it.I wish the book had been a a lot more comprehensive, but Mr. Ruhlman would have had to actually attend and write about every single class for that to happen. At the time he started his journey, Michael Ruhlman did not consider himself a cook. By the end, I think he might have wished he could go back and take this journey again as an actual student. It could have been a little more comprehensive and included a bit more material about the restaurants and classes he did not describe. I feel like he also comes off almost like a promoter rather than a journalist at times. But those were my only quibbles.I thoroughly enjoyed this book.