Cork Dork


Book Description

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' PICK “Thrilling . . . [told] with gonzo élan . . . When the sommelier and blogger Madeline Puckette writes that this book is the Kitchen Confidential of the wine world, she’s not wrong, though Bill Buford’s Heat is probably a shade closer.” —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times Professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker didn’t know much about wine—until she discovered an alternate universe where taste reigns supreme, a world of elite sommeliers who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of flavor. Astounded by their fervor and seemingly superhuman sensory powers, she set out to uncover what drove their obsession, and whether she, too, could become a “cork dork.” With boundless curiosity, humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism, Bosker takes the reader inside underground tasting groups, exclusive New York City restaurants, California mass-market wine factories, and even a neuroscientist’s fMRI machine as she attempts to answer the most nagging question of all: what’s the big deal about wine? What she learns will change the way you drink wine—and, perhaps, the way you live—forever. “Think: Eat, Pray, Love meets Somm.” —theSkimm “As informative as it is, well, intoxicating.” —Fortune




Original Copies


Book Description

A 108-meter high Eiffel Tower rises above Champs Elysées Square in Hangzhou. A Chengdu residential complex for 200,000 recreates Dorchester, England. An ersatz Queen’s Guard patrols Shanghai’s Thames Town, where pubs and statues of Winston Churchill abound. Gleaming replicas of the White House dot Chinese cities from Fuyang to Shenzhen. These examples are but a sampling of China’s most popular and startling architectural movement: the construction of monumental themed communities that replicate towns and cities in the West. Original Copies presents the first definitive chronicle of this remarkable phenomenon in which entire townships appear to have been airlifted from their historic and geographic foundations in Europe and the Americas, and spot-welded to Chinese cities. These copycat constructions are not theme parks but thriving communities where Chinese families raise children, cook dinners, and simulate the experiences of a pseudo-Orange County or Oxford. In recounting the untold and evolving story of China’s predilection for replicating the greatest architectural hits of the West, Bianca Bosker explores what this unprecedented experiment in “duplitecture” implies for the social, political, architectural, and commercial landscape of contemporary China. With her lively, authoritative narrative, the author shows us how, in subtle but important ways, these homes and public spaces shape the behavior of their residents, as they reflect the achievements, dreams, and anxieties of those who inhabit them, as well as those of their developers and designers. From Chinese philosophical perspectives on copying to twenty-first century market forces, Bosker details the factors giving rise to China’s new breed of building. Her analysis draws on insights from the world’s leading architects, critics and city planners, and on interviews with the residents of these developments.




Dork of Cork


Book Description

When Frank, an Irish dwarf, writes a personal memoir, he moves from dark isolation into the public eye. This luminous journey is marked by memories of his lonely childhood, secrets of his doomed young mother, and his passion for a woman who is as unreachable as the stars.




Friends Forever Wherever Whenever


Book Description

Happiness expert Karen Salmansohn presents a colorful friendship gift book that celebrates the very best things about friends—from the silly to the supportive—all with her patented brand of humor and wit. There are millions of reasons to appreciate your friends, and this adorable gift book covers the top 50 of them! Inspired by self-help guru Karen Salmansohn’s popular illustrated witty sayings, this humorous and stylishly designed book illustrates the sweetest, craziest, truest, and most memorable things about friendship. It’s the perfect way to let favorite friends know how much they are loved and to inspire them with words of encouragement—while making them laugh so hard they snort their Caramel Macchiato out their nose. It’s a fun and loving gift to give besties for birthdays, holidays, or when you feel they need some cheering on or cheering up! Friends Forever Wherever Whenever lets your friends know they're priceless, whether you've known each other for years or just recently met. This is a wonderful friendship gift book for women or teens, or even as a gift for yourself. Each friendship appreciation reminder is sweet—and not too feisty—so it will appeal to friends of all ages.




Welcome to Wine: An Illustrated Guide to All You Really Need to Know


Book Description

From food pairings to the art of wine tasting, this charmingly illustrated guide makes the world of wine more welcoming than ever! Calling all wine newbies and wine nerds: This illustrated guide is refreshing as a rosé and flavorful as a merlot. Growing up in a family that’s been in the wine business for five generations, Madelyne Meyer would be the first to tell you, you don’t need a book to enjoy wine . . . but knowing more about your favorite glassful can be a pleasure all its own. In Welcome to Wine, Meyer pairs her expert knowledge with 200 witty, whimsical illustrations that make all the essentials crystal clear—so you can get to the good part sooner! Food pairings and the art of wine tasting Serving temperature (without getting hung up on precision!) Key wine regions and exactly how wine is made From choosing wine fora date night to training your nose to pickup “notes,” this is the friendliest guide to wine.




Adventures on the Wine Route


Book Description

Kermit Lynch's recounting of his experiences on the wine route and in the wine cellars of France takes the reader through the Loire, Bordeaux, the Languedoc, Provence, Northern and Southern Rhone, and the Cote d'Or.




The Cork Jester's Guide to Wine


Book Description

From choosing a bottle of wine to bring to a dinner party to ordering from a restaurant wine list, many Americans are intimidated by the unpronounceable names and highbrow image of wine. Jennifer Rosen arms readers with the knowledge necessary to approach wine with confidence rather than fear. Through entertaining anecdotes, readers learn how to order with ease; what terms like "oak" and "earth" mean; what to expect from a sommelier; how to tame the red wine headache; how to cook with wine; storage and glassware tips; making wine at home; and much more. Witty and irreverent, Rosen sets novices at ease while delighting connoisseurs with her adventures and sophisticated palate.







The Winter Hexagon


Book Description

For Paige Moore, a rising sophomore at Kew College, everything begins the morning she steps outside her Boston apartment and observes a construction site accident. When she attempts to interview witnesses for her summer internship at the Patriot Lodestar, Paige becomes the target of an underground operation. And that’s when things turn bizarre. Paige had never heard of Bauhaus or the Winter Hexagon, but she is soon on the radar of aggressive thugs who harass her for what the accident victim told her. She gets drawn into a zodiac quest to find the Winter Hexagon Salon before Bauhaus destroys the Boston Public Library, Trinity Church and other significant early American architecture throughout Boston. Meanwhile, Paige shares her impressive internship perks with her college friends: Thalia, an exchange student from Greece, Melissa and Jill, high-maintenance fashionistas, Sheila, the dancing queen, and Axel, her new love interest. But are all the perks and college antics distractions from what’s really going on around her? The Winter Hexagon — the sequel to The Eye in the Ceiling — is a fast-paced and humorous thriller that accelerates through Boston and beyond in a race to find the mysterious Winter Hexagon Salon.




VD


Book Description