Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Fire, water, wind and earth - the four elements, and four different ways of filling our stomachs. Michael Pollan takes the reader on a tour of his investigation of and experimentation with food, and it is a fascinating and captivating read.

Reading about barbeque, slow-cooking meals, baking bread, and making pickles/cheese/bread through fermentation with the help of some experts in their fields brings some saliva to the mouth. There's a lot to digest (pun intended), and there's a lot of science to back up the many interesting claims and points that he raises, such as the pros and cons of pasteurization.

What I didn't like was the deep forays into his experiments, which made the book a lot longer than it needed to be. While it can be interesting to read some experiences, when they take up more than half the book, it feels like it could be cut down a bit. Limiting that to some extent, this is still a book that is well worth reading and might make you want to try out some recipes and change your eating habits too.



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Have Hope

This year's Ridván message from the Universal House of Justice had a beautiful paragraph, inspiring courage and giving hope to the Bahá'ís around the world:

We wish to address some additional words to those of you in whose surroundings marked progress is yet to occur and who long for change. Have hope. It will not always be so. Is not the history of our Faith filled with accounts of inauspicious beginnings but marvellous results? How many times have the deeds of a few believers—young or old—or of a single family, or even of a lone soul, when confirmed by the power of divine assistance, succeeded in cultivating vibrant communities in seemingly inhospitable climes? Do not imagine that your own case is inherently any different.

I thought a simple picture taken by Shadi Formoso with the words "have hope" would serve as inspiration.

this red cardinal brought much joy to my walk, spring is here!

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1Hdjh79

User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product

User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product by Jeff Patton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Writing stories is simple, but not easy. In User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product, we get the rundown on why doing it is a good idea, and how to do it. While it feels like story mapping is something we can just step up and start doing after hearing about it, having a guideline such as this by Jeff Patton is very helpful.

The first few chapters explain the basics, on how to get the big picture, plan for small releases and quick learning, and are really all that is needed to get started. However, reading through the latter parts of the book help understand some of the pitfalls, and guidelines on how to have a successful process. Of course, story mapping is something that might only come naturally after having done it many many times.

I like the way the narrative is written, although at times it can get a bit too jovial in the narration. Overall though, it strikes a good balance in being informative and entertaining, and is definitely worth reading if you're interested in how to develop better products.



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