Finished

• Number 10 by Sue Townsend

  Rating: ***
  
  Very British. It took me a little while to get into that whole dry humor that is so prevalent in Brit writing. Townsend seems to revel in the absurd of daily, modern British life. First she takes on the Queen and now it's the Prime Minister. She's a very clean, evocative writer, who creates mental pictures. Number 10 is primarily a buddy book, but makes some social commentaries without becoming wrapped up in the secondary mission. The characters aren't endearing or relatable, but are distinctive. Probably will read more of her work.
  

• What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke

  Rating: ***½
  
  I love this chem prof! I wish I had had one like him. I may have stayed a chem major. Well, probably not, unless my college had offered a minor in culinary arts...Anyway, Wolke is charming and fairly down-to-earth. His explanations are a lot of fun to relate to my own cooking experiences. Good advice, but not really a reference since you can't really look up specific topics as needed. He covers a broad range since, I believe, the sections were all originally questions he answered for his column in a newspaper. It's just a very interesting read if you like to cook.
  

• Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen by Alton Brown

  Rating: ****
  
  Fun stuff, literally. Electric appliances, gadgets, pot and pans, tools, and even storage. His advice is a little biased because he usually only highlights things he uses after some trying a few test options, but by no means is it scientific or comprehensive. There are a few areas where he has exhaustively researched, experimented, and chosen, but that is occasional in a book that covers as much this tries to. I love his style, though, and I respect his opinion since I've learned a lot from him previously, so I found it a helpful reference for the kitchen.