Do you want to be depressed? Read this book.

The Greek myth The Odyssey, re-done as a 17th-century story of a family of whalers. The plot doesn't work well, as all the raping, pillaging, and magic that is at home in an ancient Greek tale of gods, goddesses, and wars ends up making the 1800s-era peacetime fisherman story feel like a Gothic horror story in places. The heroine has an engaging voice and the settings are lovely and imaginative, on the upside. I was intrigued enough to finish the book to the end, but it won't be a re-read for me.

Excellent and moving. This book is about faith born of action, not simply of intentions. I enjoyed it so much that I finished reading it the day I got it.

This book takes the listing of ingredients on a Twinkie, and goes right down the list, explaining what, exactly, every ingredient is, where it comes from, and how it is made. The writer includes some interesting historical information on the ingredients, too. This book is written for a general audience, but it is pretty much a firehose of information - I'll admit to getting bored in the middle of the book and putting it aside for a few weeks before I finished it. And I'm not sure I've retained much of what I've learned since it packs so much information into a reasonably-sized book.

Recommended for people who want to know what's actually in processed foods.