book reviews

“In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen”

By Allison Hooper (Countryman Press, 112 pages, $19.95)

Allison Hooper, who co-founded the Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. a quarter of a century ago, was one of the first people to bring artisanal cheesemaking back to the United States. For years, cheesemakers looked to Europe for recipes and methods, but Hooper and her partner, Bob Reese, showed American cheesemakers how to use local ingredients and market their products to local stores and restaurants. Here, Hooper describes the different textures and tastes obtained from various goat and cow species. She describes the cheesemaking process and suggests ways to eat artisanal cheeses, include them in recipes and pair them with wines. The Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. gets its milk from more than 25 family farms, and it is clear from this book that the popular concept of terroir includes more than just ingredients in the soil. The people who raise and care for animals are a vital part of it as well.

Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times

“The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun”

By Gretchen Rubin

(Harper, 302 pages, $25.99)

You may not, like this reader, be a fan of optimism, but you can probably relate to Gretchen Rubin’s realization that she was not as happy as she could be. So in this book, Rubin outlines her own peculiar course of self-torture: a new set of resolutions each month (sing more, quit nagging, make time for friends, don’t gossip). Resolutions, she learns, helped her to feel more in control of her life, a crucial element of happiness. “One of our most pressing concerns,” she writes, “should be to discover the laws of our own nature.” That’s an awful lot of navel-gazing, you might protest, but think of the alternative. You might also sympathize with Rubin’s realization that life is short and there’s only so much time in which to become a decent human being before cutting to the deathbed scene. In January of the year she began this project, she focused on vitality. Resolutions? “Go to sleep earlier, exercise better, toss, restore, organize, tackle a nagging task. Act more energetic.” It’s exhausting just to think about. But it is a start.

“Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History”

By David Aaronovitch

(Riverhead,

400 pages, $26.95)

Did you hear the real story? The Sept. 11 attacks were orchestrated by the U.S. government. President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor. Princess Diana was assassinated. The Catholic Church is covering up evidence of Jesus’ family. Just about everyone has heard at least one of these conspiracy theories. Often, such tales of shadowy dealings bubble up after shocking events, offering a darker explanation to a rattled public. British journalist David Aaronovitch does his best to pop those bubbles in “Voodoo Histories,” an entertaining — if sometimes depressing — tour of modern conspiracy theories.

Michael Hill, Associated Press