Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston 5 out of 5 stars.

5 out of 5 stars: The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston

From Amazon.com:  The bestselling landmark account of the first emergence of the Ebola virus. A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "hot" virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truth really is scarier than fiction.



My Review: This is one scary book! Stephen King said that it was the scariest book he ever read and I agree. It is certainly the scariest book I ever read. It's about the Ebola outbreak in 1976. It literally describes in vivid detail about how the body attacks and destroys the human body. What makes it most scary is that it is a TRUE story and so fits the time we are living in now. Did you know that the U.S. kept a monkey house near D.C., and in that house monkeys brought from the Phillipines had Ebola. It is so easy to see why this is a NY Times bestseller. It is a definite page turner. I started reading and couldn't put it down. I read it in a total of four hours.
If you enjoy thrillers, especially those of the non-fiction variety, you'll absolutely enjoy this one and learn a great deal about Ebola along the way. This one is definitely a page turner.
CAUTION: Not for the squeamish of weak of heart. If you're prone to nightmares, don't read this at bedtime. The World governments seem intent to downplay Ebola. I can't figure out why. After you read this book, I'm confident you won't downplay Ebola.

Background on the Reston Ebola Virus: From Wikipedia:

     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reston_virus


Reston virus (RESTV) is one of five known viruses within the genus Ebolavirus. Reston virus causes Ebola virus disease in non-human primates; unlike the other four ebolaviruses, it is not known to cause disease in humans, but has caused asymptomatic infections.[1][2][3] Reston virus was first described in 1990 as a new "strain" of Ebola virus (EBOV).[4] It is the single member of the species Reston ebolavirus, which is included into the genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, order Mononegavirales.[5] Reston virus is named after Reston, Virginia, US, where the virus was first discovered.
RESTV was discovered in crab-eating macaques from Hazleton Laboratories (now Covance) in 1989. This attracted significant media attention due to the proximity of Reston to the Washington, DC, metro area and the lethality of a closely related Ebola virus. Despite its status as a level-4 organism, Reston virus is non-pathogenic to humans, though hazardous to monkeys;[6][7] the perception of its lethality was compounded by the monkey's coinfection with Simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV).

Richard Preston's 1995 best-selling book, The Hot Zone aboe, dramatized this Ebola virus disease outbreak in Reston, Virginia.[27

Until next review, stay safe. Smile! Show compassion to others. Be nice to one another. Read a book and pass it on. Review it. Cheers!
Regards,
S.J. Francis

Regards,
S. J. Francis
 
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.

My Black Opal Books Author Page:

View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM
 
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Copyright 2015 by S.J. Francis. No portion of this blog post may be reprinted, modified or used without written permission of the author.

Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

A Book Review for Down South: Bourbon, Pork, Gulf Shrimp & Second Helpings of Everything by Donald Link

Down South: Bourbon, Pork, Gulf Shrimp & Second Helpings of Everything by Donald Link
4 out of 5 stars.
My Review:
What can I say about this cook book? Plenty. It is more than a cook book. It’s a book about down south and more. Take a trip down south without leaving home. Indulge your senses while taking in a bit of southern history. Most of the recipes can be made by anyone at any time, but not all. Some are a bit more involved and better reserved for a special occasion or dinner party. Think ‘hoity toity’.

Inside, learn how to make some tasty and easy drinks in the chapter entitled, let’s start with a drink. Enjoy some decadent starters with old-school southern cocktail parties. Do a little barbequing in the chapter: Cook It Outside. Roast, Braise, simmer and fry in the chapter of the same name. Indulge in the unusual in Heads, feet, neck and bones with such dishes as Fried fish collars with Chile vinegar or pork trillions. Do you have a taste for seafood, then you’ll find the chapter, Seafood from the gulf and south Atlantic of particular interest with recipes for crab and spinach dumplings, crisp fried frog legs or salt-crusted red snapper. Top off the recipes with Fresh Seasonal Southern sides and Southern-Style Sweets. 

With this cookbook, and most of the recipes, there’s simply no reason why anyone anywhere can’t cook as if they’re down south. A word of warning: This is not a cookbook for Vegans or those with small appetites.  This is definitely a meat lover’s paradise and those with time to prepare the meals.

 

Caveats as to why I give it just 4 stars instead of 5: It is not a healthy cookbook, vegan or everyday simple to make cookbook. If you’re looking to make a simple, quick to eat meal after work, this is not a cookbook for you. Neither is this a true ‘southern food’ cookbook. Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly the cookbook I was expecting. I expected a cookbook on ‘southern food’ recipes. There are some fabulous recipes here, and most are from the south, but not all. I counted at least twelve that originated elsewhere. If you are looking for a true ‘Down South’ cookbook about nothing but ‘southern food’, this isn’t it.  Not all recipes are from down south. Link takes recipes he likes and adds them to the book with a bit of southern flavor. I live down south, in the Mississippi Delta and wanted a ‘real southern’ cookbook and though, this is a fantastic cookbook, it isn’t what this former Yankee hoped for. 

Overall, an excellent cookbook for food lovers, especially meat and seafood, and those who love southern food, or those with a hankering to learn how to do so.
About the Authors:
DONALD LINK is the chef-owner of Herbsaint, Cochon, Cochon Butcher, PĂȘche, and Calcasieu in New Orleans. He won the James Beard award for Best Chef South in 2007 and his first book, Real Cajun, won the James Beard award for Best American Cookbook. 
“Perhaps best known as the James Beard Award-winning chef behind some of New Orlean’s most beloved restaurants, Link also has a knack for sniffing out a backyard barbecue wherever he travels and scoring an invitation to sample some of the best fare around.”
PAULA DISBROWE is the author of Cowgirl Cuisine and co-author of Real Cajun and Susan Spicer’s Crescent City Cooking. She lives in Austin, TX.
 
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for a honest review from Blogging for Books. 


Until next review, stay safe. Smile! Show compassion to others. Be nice to one another. Read a book and pass it on. Review it. Cheers!
Regards,
S.J. Francis
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.
My Black Opal Books Author Page:
View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM
A Book Review 4 U: abookreview4u.blogspot.com
A Consumer's View: aconsumersview.blogspot.com
OnefortheAnimals:    onefortheanimals.blogspot.com