Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts

Sunday 8 May 2011

Social Business

Muhammad Yunus got famous with his micro credits for poor people, which helped them to become mini-entrepreneurs and to establish some financial independence. He developed this idea a big step further and invents the term "Social Business" - which is a model for companies to improve the world and the life of thousands and thousands of people. He explains in detail why big companies should invest in "Social Businesses" and how to do it. These businesses operate on the market, but in opposite to traditional companies, they reinvest 100% of their profits. Therefore they are able to really improve local infrastructure, provide valuable goods and to generally correct social problems. Great book!!




Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit (small loans to poor people possessing no collateral) to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus himself has received several other national and international honors.

He previously was a professor of economics where he developed the concepts of microcredit and microfinance. These loans are given to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. He is the author of Banker to the Poor and a founding board member of Grameen America and Grameen Foundation. In early 2007 Yunus showed interest in launching a political party in Bangladesh named Nagorik Shakti (Citizen Power), but later discarded the plan. [wikipedia]



author: muhammad yunus
publisher:
hanser
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Sunday 13 February 2011

Der Koch

Martin Suter manages to not only deliver a tense thriller, but also makes the reader aware of delicious food prepared by a cook from Sri Lanka - recipes included as well. The storyline evolves around a small catering business called "Love Food", and covers all the ingredients a good book should have (love, life, death).

Enclosed you also find a nice cookbook from Heiko Antoniewicz, with amazing fingerfood. Also some recipes of the novel are based on the book - and here you can find additional information and great tutorials how to prepare the different meals.




Martin Suter
(b. February 29, 1948, Zürich) is a Swiss author. He became known for his weekly column Business Class in the Weltwoche newspaper (1992–2004), now appearing in the Tages-Anzeiger, and another column appearing in "NZZ Folio". Suter has published several novels, for which he received various awards. He is married and lives in Spain and Guatemala. (Wikipedia)


author: martin suter

publisher:
diogenes






The 'Catering Inside' magazine calls Heiko Antoniewicz "the magician of molecular cooking". As multiple award-winner (for example: Chef of the Year 1990) he took care of the culinary well-being of Queen Elizabeth II and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (IMI University Centre)

author: heiko antoniewicz

publisher:
matthaes
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Sunday 19 September 2010

Investment Punk

Investment Punk is a book about the basics of successfully investing - in the long run. It has been written by an investment banker who wants to open the eyes of the "common people", which are working as employees. Beside some quite well-known ideas it also offers some interesting strategies, which might potentially influence your investment behaviour and your usage of money. To what extent you can identify with the quite overbearing style and the "life script" of the author, every reader has to decide for him-/herself.



192 pages

author: gerald hörhan

publisher:
edition a (german)

available @ amazon
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Friday 30 July 2010

Irving & Walker

Two exciting and intelligent books written by John Irving and Martin Walker. Recommended either for your holidays or for "regular" reading...





Last Night in Twisted River
A trio of tragic events (though the prize for most hell-shocking goes to the third) exiles widower and camp cook Dominic Baciagalupo and his son Danny from a mid-century logging outpost called Twisted River. They leave behind the Bunyan-esque lumberjack Ketchum--a gruff, eccentric, dyed-in-the-wool Yankee--who remains their sole connection to the past. What's next neither father nor son knows: their rootless existence moves swiftly in and out of New England, tied ostensibly to jobs for Dominic and schools for Danny, but it seems one foot is always back in those New Hampshire woods. Theirs is a restless, richly observed journey, crowned by a reckoning no one could predict. Few writers can match John Irving's knack for denouement, and in Last Night in Twisted River, his extraordinary ending is made all the more powerful by a story that feasts on language, life, and love (Anne Bartholomew)



author: john irving
publisher: diogenes (german)






The Dark Vineyard
Romance, intrigue, and many a fine glass of wine await in Walker’s charming second mystery set in idyllic Saint-Denis, in the southwest of France. As the novel opens, Chief of Police Bruno Courreges investigates a fire that’s destroyed a research station for genetically modified crops. Local environmentalists top the list of possible perpetrators, but they’re only the beginning of Bruno’s problems. Fernando Bondino, a wily young American wine magnate, is eyeing Saint-Denis’ fertile vineyards. His investment would be a boon for the area, which has had its share of hard economic times. But locals (including Bruno) are dubious—with good reason. Bondino has displayed bad behavior, including punching out Max, a likable local lad, over a woman. When Max turns up dead, Bondino is the prime suspect. Alas, Bruno is all too aware of what Bondino could do for his village (his boss, the mayor, sees much promise in the possible influx of funds), so the police chief must tread carefully. Walker serves up wry wit, suspense, and a host of captivating characters, from a comely, manipulative Quebecois to an auburn-haired Brit who captures Bruno’s heart. Oenophiles and armchair travelers alike will enjoy spending time in this lovely, lively part of France. (Allison Block)


author: martin walker
publisher:
diogenes (german)


available @ amazon

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Sunday 28 March 2010

Meine Küche der Gewürze

If you like cooking you should have a basic idea of spice. A basic idea of the different kinds available, how to use them for delicious meals and a clue of the positive effects they have on your health.

All this information is provided by the well-known cook Alfons Schuhbeck in a great manner. In the first part of the book a lot of spicery are described in detail, in the second part you will find instructions for preparing your own tasty spice mixtures and last but not least the book comes with fine recipes where the spicery described before can be used.

Bon appetit!



Alfons Schuhbeck was born on 2 May 1949 in Traunstein, Upper Bavaria, Germany. He is one of Germany’s top chefs, as well as being a writer, restaurateur, TV cook and businessman. (Wikipedia)


author: alfons schuhbeck
publisher: zabert sandmann verlag
(german)
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Monday 28 December 2009

Ancient Mayas and Egyptians

Discover the great civilizations of ancient Mayas and Egyptians - by reading the books mentioned below. It is an exciting journey to read about these amazing ancient civilizations. And it is often unbelievable what has been achieved by them thousand of years ago.


Sunken cities in the jungle and towering temple pyramids reflect only a small portion of our knowledge about Mayan culture. These fascinating people achieved the landmarks of an advanced civilization in the classical period (AD 300-600), earning them a place among the greatest civilizations in the world. The contributions included in this magnificent volume range from the origins of the Mayan culture all the way to modernity, giving insight into everyday life and religion as well as the artistic accomplishments and intellectual abilities of this important culture.


author: nikolai grube
publisher: ullman


From our vantage point ancient Egyptian civilization, with its strictly hierarchic organization, can appear static through its three-thousand-year history. In his concise and authoritative introduction to that distant culture, a renowned Egyptologist reveals the turbulent events beneath the rigid facade. Erik Hornung begins his account by taking a brief look at the prehistoric era in Egypt. He then focuses on political events during the period beginning with the reign of "Menes" and closing with the conquest by Alexander the Great. Building on insights drawn from the civilization's surviving texts and monuments, he also describes significant cultural developments, such as changes in burial customs and the building of the Great Pyramids and Sun Temples. Originally published in German, this important and highly useful survey has been revised throughout for its publication in English. In addition, the English version features over fifty illustrations, an updated bibliography, a glossary, and a chronological table.

author: erik hornung
publisher:
primus (german), cornell (english)
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Monday 1 June 2009

Homeopathy

"Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine that treats a disease with heavily diluted preparations that are thought to cause effects similar to the disease's symptoms." (Wikipedia)

If you are interested in Homeopathy you should check out the books shown below. Two of them are written by Walter Glück, whereas one time he concentrates on things to do in case of an emergency (including a proposal which homeopathic medicine should be available at home). In the second book (which is also accessible easily) he writes about soft and alternative medicine for children - a very informative work, which I already consulted a couple of times.



If you are looking for a "Encyclopedia of Homeopathy" you should check out the book of Andrew Lockie. In there you find not only general information about the history and key principles of homeopathy, you also can read about how remedies are made and of which material they consist, and how homeopathic self-help could work.

Even if the books help to get a first impression about the topic, I strongly recommend to always align a treatment with a doctor.
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Homöopathische Notfallapotheke (Walter Glück)
Publisher:
Orac
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Sanfte Medizin für Ihr Kind (Walter Glück)
Publisher:
Orac

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Encyclopedia of Homeopathy (Andrew Lockie)
Publisher:
Dorling Kindersley
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Sunday 15 March 2009

Lighting Design

If you are convinced that a good lighting concept definitely makes a change you should have a look at the books shown below. In my opinion lighting is a very valuable and versatile way of making a room, a house or a garden outstanding. It is often simple to create stunning effects and moods, and make you feel more comfortable in a certain space.

These two books offer a lot of inspiration how lighting can be used effectively by describing certain projects and showing wonderful photos. Additionally you can also find information on the planning process and some technical details as well. Enjoy!



176 pages

author: michele osborne
publisher:
knesebeck (german)






Drawing on experience gathered from working with renowned architects of 250 projects, the authors have produced a handbook of all aspects of lighting, from the first designs to the completion of projects, charting examples from the US, Europe and the Far East. There are chapters on basic technical details and necessary instruments.



256 pages
author: ulrike brandi, christoph geissmar-brandi

publisher: birkhäuser (german)
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Wednesday 11 February 2009

Modern Family Houses

If you are looking for some kind of inspiration concerning architecture of modern family houses, you should check out these books published by Callwey. They introduce a lot of different and stylish houses - each article coming with a couple of pictures (including a plan), some background information about the concept and some details about the technical solutions.

Great books for everyone interested in stylish architecture.


publisher: callwey (german)

buy the books online @ amazon.de
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Sunday 11 January 2009

Measuring the World

This audio book tells the truly amazing story of two of the greatest scientists of the 18th/19th century - Carl Friedrich Gauss and Alexander von Humboldt. Daniel Kehlmann manages to write about their opposing way of doing research in parallel and in a very entertaining manner - Humboldt travels around the world to measure it, Gauss measures the world in his head. This seemingly contradiction makes this book so special, beside the valueable information about the discoveries of these great men. This audiobook can be recommended without reservation.


Loosely based on the lives of 19th-century explorer Alexander von Humboldt and a contemporary, mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss, Kehlmann's novel, a German bestseller widely heralded as an exemplar of "new" German fiction, injects musty history with shots of whimsy and irony.

Humboldt voyages to South America to map the Orinoco River, climb the Chimborazo peak in Ecuador and measure "every river, every mountain and every lake in his path." Gauss is the hedgehog to Humboldt's fox, leaping out of bed on his wedding night to jot down a formula and rarely leaving his hometown of Göttingen. The two meet at a scientific congress in 1828, when Germany is in turmoil after the fall of Napoleon. Other luminaries appear throughout the novel, including a senile Immanuel Kant, Louis Daguerre and Thomas Jefferson.

The narrative is notable for its brisk pacing, lively prose and wry humor (curmudgeonly Gauss laments, for instance, how "every idiot would be able to... invent the most complete nonsense" about him 200 years hence), which keenly complements Kehlmann's intelligent, if not especially deep, treatment of science, mathematics and reason at the end of the Enlightenment. [amazon.com]


author: daniel kehlmann
publisher: universal music (audiobook in german)
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Friday 19 December 2008

The Minimalist Garden

"Less is more." (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1959)
This is the basic principle presented in this fine book (adopted to gardens of course). As minimalistic design is very popular right now, and more and more people begin to enjoy the beauty of simple things the author did the right thing by analyzing and explaining a lot of stunning minimalist garden designs around the world. You will find not only amazing photos but also valuable information about the philosophy of minimalistic gardening. This book will definitely provide a lot of inspiration for redesigning your garden.


Product Description
Minimalist gardens, with their emphasis on clean lines, pure form, and a strong sense of space, are closely related to contemporary architecture and lifestyles. This book draws together a wide variety of minimalist gardens from around the world - large and small, urban and rural. The projects are grouped into thematic chapters, and the designers represented include Vladimir Sitta, John Pawson, Luis Barragan, Seth Stein, Jacques Wirtz, Tadao Ando, Martha Schwartz, Shodo Suzuki, and Isamu Noguchi; the book looks at the inspiration behind each garden and the frequent use of unusual materials and imaginative planning. The author also explains the philosophy of minimalism in gardens and related arts, as well as parallel trends in relaxed and ecologically aware planting. Also included are directories of materials and suitable plants for the minimalist garden.




About the Author
Christopher Bradley-Hole was trained as an architect and received a graduate degree from the Architectural Association in London in the study and conservation of historic gardens and landscapes. His own garden designs range from small city courtyards to immense country estates.


208 pages
author: christoper bradley-hole
publisher: knesebeck verlag (germany), mitchell beazley (uk)
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Sunday 19 October 2008

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Renee is 45 years old and she is working as a concierge in a house where just rich families are living. She plays her role according to the expectations of society, even if she loves literature and art films - which is rather unusual for a concierge. Paloma is the 12-year old daughter of one of the families in this house, and she is very intelligent - widely above the average of girls of her age. She wants to commit suicide on her 13th birthday - as from her point view her life is determined, an she definitely doesn't want to end up like her mother or her older sister. The book tells the story of these two charcaters in a likeable and very appealing way, questioning the meaning of life as well as exploring the beauty of small things. Recommended.



author: muriel barbery
publisher: dtv (german), central books (english)
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Saturday 30 August 2008

Hiking in Austria

In my opinion hiking is a really underestimated leisure activity, it is not as risky and exciting as paragliding and maybe not as hip as well, but if you have a closer look you will find tension, beauty and in the end probably a glimpse of your pure self. For the beginning I want to introduce two promising areas in Lower Austria offering a lot of possibilities for nice day trips, and also some recommendations for longer trips taking a couple days.

In the first two books about the Wachau (an area located near Krems about 40 km west of Vienna, also known for their delicious apricots) and the area around Vienna (Rax, Wechsel, Semmering, Ötscher,...) you find at the beginning a detailed description of the respective region to get a first impression what to expect. The second (and main) part of the books consists of extensive explanations of beautiful day trips, including maps as well. You can find hiking tours in different lengths and difficulty in there, offering something for every taste and need.



The third book is a collection of well-known and even famous hiking tours in the eastern region of the Alps - most of them lasting a couple of days, recommendations for places (mostly huts) to stay at night are in there, too. Also you will find a broad spectrum of possibilities, offering something for beginners as well as for experienced hikers. The descriptions (and also the pictures) of the routes make you want to start the first trip shortly after reading them - the sooner, the better...



publisher:
rother
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Saturday 9 August 2008

Johann Lafer

Johann Lafer is a well-known and widely accepted cook, who appears often in some german tv shows. If you want to get an impression of his skills, I recommend these two of his books:

In "Meine Kochschule" he gives an introduction to cooking in general, writes about valueable ingredients and offers a complete course on cooking. Next to a lot of recipes you can find interesting and convenient hints, which will make your career as a hobby cook much easier.


Focusing exclusively on "Desserts", in the second book he recommends recipes which have accompanied him through his life. From simple desserts he got to know when he still was a child, to his award-winning and extraordinary creations from the later periods. Not only delicious, but also very likeable.



Celebrity chef Johann Lafer was born in Styria, Austria in 1957. He's the author of numerous books on cooking and the pleasures of good food. Johann Lafer now lives in Germany, at Stromburg castle in Rheinland-Pfalz, with his wife and two children. In 1980 he was named Germany's best pastry chef and a year later he was awarded his first Michelin star. A passionate helicopter pilot, Lafer also operates a gourmet cooking school near his home. But Germans only need to turn on the television if they want to get some tips from the master chef. Lafer is on air in his own cooking show around 180 hours per year.


author: johann lafer
publisher:
bassermann verlag
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Wednesday 16 July 2008

Casper

Casper (or Pharmakon) is the latest book written by Dirk Wittenborn, who might be already well-known for his successful book "Fierce People". Now he portrays a family living in the second part of the 20th century, struggling with a tragic incident. The youngest son dies in a homicidal rampage, committed by a patient of Mr. Friedrich (the father), who is working as a psychopharmacologist. The book is about drugs, about sadness and happiness and about expectations - family life with its ups and downs. All this told in an exciting but unagitated way, which made me read this book pretty fast.


In this ambitious but flawed novel about drug makers and drug takers, Wittenborn (Fierce People) unfurls the cautionary story of Dr. Will Friedrich, a psychopharmacologist at Yale in 1951, who teams up with a female psychiatrist to test an experimental mood-enhancing drug extracted from a leaf used by New Guinea witch doctors. Will tests the new med on a suicidal freshman, Casper Gedsic, and Casper's resulting homicidal outbreak will trouble Will for the rest of his life. Zach, the narrator and youngest Friedrich boy (conceived in the wake of Casper's freakout), comes of age during the tail end of the '60s, has a truncated brush with writerly success and cops a crippling habit. He and his three siblings end up disappointing Will as their lives run counter to his ambitions for them: daughters Fiona and Lucy forgo lucrative careers for more fulfilling lifestyles (Fiona becomes a painter, Lucy an aid worker), and Willy drops out of prelaw to study art. Unfortunately, the fates of the Friedrich children are of much less dramatic interest than that of their father, and as the novel shifts focus to their travails, this dysfunctional family narrative disappointingly peters out into irresolution.


author: dirk wittenborn
publisher:
du mont (german)
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Sunday 22 June 2008

Japanese Gardens and Teahouses

I like to enjoy beautiful gardens, as well as I'm interested in Zen Buddhism and Japanese culture in general - so if you add up these preferences, sooner or later you will be dealing with Japanese gardens. What I like most about the book "Shaping Japanese Gardens" is the comprehensive view, so you won't learn only how to shape a Japanese garden and which plants you should grow, additionally you will be familiarized with the tradition and the culture behind, which mustn't be missing in that context and was (at least for me) very interesting to read about


If it's the case that you also love tea - especially green tea (as I do), then you should definitely follow-up on the topic checking out the book "The Japanese Teahouse". It's full about details (and amazing pictures) on the architecture as well as facts about the tea ceremony as such, held in unadorned teahouses built in Japanese gardens. Beside the huge knowledge offered by this book, it is also of high quality in terms of production and layout. Even browsing through the pages makes you want to participate in a tea ceremony.




japanische gärten gestalten
author: charles chesshire
publisher:
christian verlag (german)

das japanische teehaus
author: wolfgang fehrer
publisher:
niggli (german)
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Wednesday 14 May 2008

Self-supply Gardening

If you are interested in gardening in general and maybe planning to build your own fruit- and vegetable garden, then this is your book. You will find information about planning the garden, as well as building it and growing your own stuff there. A lot of vegtables- and fruit plants are described in detail (including what they like and what they don't like), and you also find instructions how (when) to finally harvest them and how to conserve them (if you want to).

A great and comprehensive guide to natural gardening.

256 pages

author: john seymour
publisher: urania (german)
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Thursday 1 May 2008

Shobogenzo

The Shobogenzo is one of the most important writings in Zen Buddhism, done by Zen Master Dogen in the 13th century. This translation by Nishijima Roshi has been praised often for being very accurat and meaningful. I started reading in it - understanding just very small parts (at least I think that I got some points), in fact I'm convinced that the only way to understand more is to actually practice Zazen. I am sure that the Shobogenzo will accompany me for the rest of my life, and I am happy about this. In my opinion a must-buy for everybody wholeheartedly interested in Zen.


This translation, supported by the Japan Foundation, makes a strong claim to be the definitive translation of the 95 chapter edition of Shobogenzo, the essential Japanese Buddhist text, written in the 13th century by Zen Master Dogen. Following Shobogenzo Books 1 and 2, the third book in this four-volume set contains chapters 42 to 72 from the 95-chapter edition, including: Tsuki (The Moon); Kuge (Flowers in Space); Mujo Seppo (All Things and Phenomena Preach Dharma); Kajo (Daily Life); and Zanmai-O-Zanmai (Samadhi, King of Samadhis). Book 3 maintains the highest standards of translation, with a clear style that rigorously follows the original words of Master Dogen. 'The first Patriarch, the Venerable Bodhidharma, after arriving from the west, passed nine years facing the wall at Shorin-ji temple on Shoshitsu-ho peak in the Sugaku mountains, sitting in Zazen in the lotus posture. From that time through to today, brains and eyes have pervaded China. The lifeblood of the first Patriarch is only the practice of sitting in the full lotus posture.'




publisher:
angkor (german), book surge (english)
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Sunday 6 April 2008

The Frog King

"The Frog King" by Adam Davies is an entertaining novel about a young man, working for a lousy salary as an assistant editor at a well-known publishing house. Beside failing at his job, he is also constantly working on failing in his life in general... which makes the reader feeling sad for the main character most of the time, as he navigates himself deeper and deeper into problems as the story goes on. Nevertheless it's amusing to see this young man struggling, who is so self-absorbed that he might also lose the woman he truly loves.

The novel will be adopted by Bret Easton Ellis to serve as a script for a movie.





A mediocre book leaves you cold. But an almost-great book--that's enough to make you gnash your teeth. In his debut novel, The Frog King, Adam Davies maddeningly fails to recognize and develop the terrific material he has at hand. Harry Driscoll, raised in privilege and Ivy League-educated, is a peon at a prestigious New York publishing house--in fact, the house is called Prestige--and he hates it: hates the menial labor, hates the intellectual pretension, hates the political jockeying necessary to advancement. Driscoll is terrific on the disappointment peculiar to the overeducated and underemployed: "All those years of schooling (Yes I speak Old English!) and resumé building. (Yes I interned on Capitol Hill!) didn't pertain at all to the life that was waiting for me." The insider peek at New York publishing is terrific, too, if scant: "There's a joke at Prestige that The New Yorker will publish any story that ends with the word 'home.'" Davies devotes most of his energy, however, to Harry's somewhat mystifying relationship with his girlfriend Evie. He loves her madly, but he's sleeping around. When he loses her, he continues to lie to her even as he tries to win her back. Davies may have some kind of emotional profile in mind for Harry, but he fails to put it across to the reader. Fortunately, the well-observed social comedy and nicely exaggerated workplace farce more than make up for the rest of the novel's shortcomings.


author: adam davies
publisher: diogenes, penguin

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Tuesday 25 March 2008

Thomas Kammeier - Das Kochbuch

If you like cooking and eating, if you like beautiful food and ambitious recipes - then this is your book. It has been written by the Michelin-starred and well-known cook Thomas Kammeier, who takes care of the chic restaurant Hugos in the Hotel InterContinental Berlin as a master chef.

The book has 320 pages and contains at about 100 stunning recipes, and although some of the meals don't seem to be so easy to prepare for a hobby cook, all of them are based on the high quality of the products - with the goal of simply pointing out the special character of the food which is used. Thomas Kammeier really suceeds in this, with great ideas and without any knick-knack.

Even reading this book, or just running through the pages, is a fine experience as well, as the pictures are amazing, too. You either start cooking a challenging meal afterwards, or you decide to go to an expensive restaurant. Believe me.


author: thomas kammeier

publisher: collection rolf heyne

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