A brash but charming and fact-filled book for increasing one’s wine knowledge.
A cheeky guide to wine that covers basic terminology as well as descriptions of obscure grapes around the world.
In an introduction, certified sommelier Amon notes that he’s a wine obsessive, and he even takes credit for starting the wine industry in Bhutan, “just because [he] thought it would be cool if they made wine there.” He shows off his extensive knowledge in the 52 chapters of wine recommendations in this book, which is intended to turn any reader into the “de facto” sommelier of their social circle. In each recommendation, Amon offers a punchy introduction to clarify the different official appellations of the wine at hand—which is helpful in France and Italy, where wine names and regions are especially complicated—and then offers a section on why, for him, this wine is “Dope AF” (“Why Aglianico is Dope AF,” and so on). Certain wines end up requiring multiple sections, such as the two-part section titled “Champagne. You’re Doing It Wrong…” in which Amon offers some convincing arguments against recognizable but overpriced brands, such as Veuve Cliquot. Rieslings, pinot grigio, sauvignon blancs, and the mysterious term tannins also get double-chapter treatments. Amon uses these expanded sections to take deep dives into common but often misunderstood terminology, but he also provides more advanced readers—“Wineaux,” as he lovingly calls them—with information about several less-known types of wine: Xinomavro from Greece, the Italian riesling Timorasso, the German pinot noir Spatburgunder, and White Riojas, among many others. As he summarizes: “The world doesn’t need another oaky Chardonnay, people.”
Amon’s brief chapters are very informative, as in a quick guide to food pairings, which offers a succinct analysis of acid, fats, tannins, and proteins. He also peppers in bits of history and geography, as when he recounts the story of the Portuguese region of Madeira during the American Revolution in a quick aside. Overall, this light, fast-paced guide gives readers an enjoyable way to absorb wine facts. However, the author’s particular brand of humor may not appeal to everyone. His coarse language and slang do make the subject feel accessible; fans of the late, great foodie and cookbook author Anthony Bourdain will surely see his influence in Amon’s writing: “I am aware that Savennieres has one of those little French accent thingies over the ‘r,’ ” the author notes at one point (although it’s actually over the second E). “But I am not going to try to hunt through the ‘insert character’ function.” However, offhand references to Amon being “a baller” on Lake Como or impressing sommeliers at fancy dinners don’t land as well, and they play into an aficionado stereotype that he otherwise seems eager to challenge. His writing is most enjoyable when he fully commits to his giddy excitement about wine, as in a “freestyle” rap on Riojas: “I’m gonna grab the mic and start to flow and show ya / A Dope AF delicious wine that’s known as White Rioja.”
A brash but charming and fact-filled book for increasing one’s wine knowledge.Pub Date: April 9, 2021
ISBN: 979-8-73-402506-2
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorker staff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
