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HOW TO EAT PALEO

Name: HOW TO EAT PALEO
Author: Cynthia Spivey
ISBN: 978-0-9968434-1-6

(WHEN YOU DON'T LIVE IN A CAVE)

by Cynthia Spivey illustrated by Joya Rose Groves ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 18, 2016

A brief, useful primer with enough provocative food for thought for newcomers and veterans alike.

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An ideology-free outline of the paleo approach to dining, focusing on why certain foods are invited, or snubbed, at the paleo table.

Spivey is after one all-embracing quality: to be healthy in body and mind. She makes no outlandish claims for the paleo way of eating—to call it a “diet” conveys that it is a weight-loss program, which may or not happen depending on personal circumstances. Rather, she provides a simple introduction to the paleo larder in the fashion of a Q-and-A, with intervening paragraphs that probe modestly into both the paleo way and what feeling healthy leads to. The argument is “to eat unprocessed, whole foods that are rich in nutrients (‘nutrient dense’) and avoid eating foods that can contribute to poor health.” This could easily lead into the great food debates and the various understanding/misunderstanding of proteins, carbs, fats, sugars, and salt, but Spivey sidesteps those issues. She sets a table for readers, giving short explanations why there are plenty of vegetables, animal protein, some fruits and berries, a small square of dark chocolate—and nothing refined, processed, or possessing grain or sugar. The author skims over genetically modified organisms, the balancing of acid with alkaline, and intestinal leakage, but she capably fields questions of constipation, inflammation, vegetarianism, and veganism. Critically, she wrings the zealotry out of the paleo approach, the holier-than-thou attitude that sometimes plagues its devotees. The paleo table is a cloth of many colors, out of which you can fashion bespoke mealtimes; it is a lifestyle, not some guru shilling a diet. “Be consistent, not obsessed,” writes Spivey. “If you feel great ending your meal with some cheese and apple slices, then have it!” Go for nutrients per calorie, and be moderate in your moderation. The author also doesn’t forget about the importance of sunshine, exercise, sex, and sleep.

A brief, useful primer with enough provocative food for thought for newcomers and veterans alike.

Pub Date: July 18, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-9968434-1-6

Page Count: 152

Publisher: Smiling Water Group

Review Posted Online: Sept. 2, 2016

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.