Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 20, 1993 TAG: 9306230276
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: D-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
By John R. Horner and Don Lessem. Simon & Schuster. $25.
The enduring popularity of dinosaurs is rising even higher than usual these days with the release of Steven Spielberg's spectacular "Jurassic Park." For the bright child who can't get enough of the big lizards, this book, co-written by the film's paleontologist consultant, is just the ticket.
Horner and Lessem provide a detailed overview of the fossil evidence that's available on the world's most famous dinosaur. They also set out what seems to be a full discussion of the various theories that scientists hold on the animal's nature. There are considerable differences of opinion within the scientific community as to just what sort of critter T-rex was. Contrary to the popular notion of the saurian as a savage predator, he could have been a scavenger; a really big earth-bound buzzard. Horner makes a good case for that view.
Whatever the truth, the book is fully illustrated with drawings, photographs and maps. The color pages are particularly dramatic. The text is informative but never dry or preachy. It's written in a personable style that makes it easily accessible to interested readers of almost any age.
- Mike Mayo, Book page editor.
Lee Bailey's New Orleans: Good Food and Glorious Houses.
By Lee Bailey with Ella Brennan. Photographs by Langdon Clay. Recipes from Commander's Palace, Mr. B's, and The Palace Cafe. Clarkson Potter/Crown. $30.
Given one word to describe New Orleans, I'd choose "lush." A second might be "decadent," and a third probably would be "tatty."
In short, I love the place. My last visit left me exhilarated, seven pounds heavier, and exhausted - in only three days.
"Lee Bailey's New Orleans: Good Food and Glorious Houses" offers a good sense of the lushness, decadence - and, yes, tattiness - of the Crescent City. Working with Ella Brennan, a doyenne of the New Orleans food scene, Bailey has put together another of his foodie picture books that are to die for.
The photography, lush like the city, captures the glory of the food as well as the genteel decay of some of the houses. The food looks real, unlike cookbooks where food stylists have created perfection unlike anything that comes from my kitchen. The recipes are frequently creative, with traditional New Orleans fare complemented or varied by enough nouvelle twists to make for serious drooling.
And decadent? You better believe it. There's a smoked tomato sauce calling my name, and a bread pudding souffle that looks like a religious experience.
If a trip to the Big Easy isn't in your plans, then try for a long weekend with "Lee Bailey's New Orleans." It should be a satisfying substitute. Laissez les bon temps roulez.
- NAN SEAMANS
Bodies Electric.
By Colin Harrison. Crown. $20.
Colin Harrison is a gifted writer; he's a senior editor at Harper's magazine. "Bodies Electric" is his second novel.
Told from a first-person perspective, this tightly crafted piece of fiction has echoes of "Damage" and another excellent novel, "Last Exit To Brooklyn." Essentially, it is a 20th- century fable set in Manhattan. Jack Whitman, the narrator and protagonist, is a young widower whose pregnant wife was accidentally killed in a driveby shooting. A successful executive with the "Corporation," Jack is involved in a power struggle at work when he rides the subway home late one night and falls in love with a beautiful but battered mystery woman and her young daughter. He invites her into his life and his home, and finds himself at the center of a chaotic and uncontrollable drama that he knows will destroy him.
"Bodies Electric" is excellent, compelling fiction. The characters are brilliantly convoluted and fascinating. Harrison's descriptions of New York, its "rainmakers" and its victims are right on the money. And he's a wonderful storyteller. I predict that we'll be hearing a lot about this book and its author.
-JUDY KWELLER
Nan Seamans is director of the Learning Resources Center at the College of Health Sciences.
Judy Kweller is vice president of an advertising agency
by CNB