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Jim's Picks

JimJim Olson, Nancy's husband and partner in the bookstore, is a connoisseur of fine wines and European travel.

If you've ever made it to our evening Book Bash events, where Jim's choices in wine are served, you know the man knows his wine!

Matt Kramer on Wine: A Matchless Collection of Columns, Essays, and Observations by America's Most Original and Lucid Wine Write (Hardcover)

By Matt Kramer
$19.95
ISBN-13: 9781402771644
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Sterling Epicure, 9/2010
Fantastic new book on wine from a renowned West Coast expert.  Kramer shoots straight from the hip and has a vast assortment of stories, opinions and thoughts on the wine industry as of now.  A must read for the novice or expert.

Fine Wines: The Best Vintages Since 1900 (Hardcover)

By Michel Dovaz
$50.00
ISBN-13: 9782759404155
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Assouline, 9/2009
Dovaz has paired fascinating world history and stunning photographs with stories of a century of outstanding wines. For example,1961: As the Berlin wall was being erected, one of the world's great vintages was being produced. The clarity of the writing is superb – you'll be glad you read it.

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life (Paperback)

By Alice Schroeder
$20.00
ISBN-13: 9780553384611
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Bantam, 10/2009
Other Editions of this Title
This is an excellent book--the story of a guy who stayed in Omaha his entire life while becoming the richest man in the world.  Not only does it explain his business acumen, it delves into a fascinating personal life.   He has very complex personality traits--honesty, integrity, shrewdness and compassion.
In 2006 he gave away 85% of his Berkshire Hathaway stock--worth $37 billion at the time--mostly to the Gates Foundation for the betterment of the world. 
Truly a fascinating story!

A Hedonist in the Cellar: Adventures in Wine (Paperback)

By Jay Mcinerney
$15.00
ISBN-13: 9781400096374
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Vintage, 11/2007
Other Editions of this Title
McInerney is a gifted writer and his travels with the food editor, Lora Zarubin, of House and Garden magazine, are wonderful experiences of marrying food and wine throughout the world as explained in this book.

I especially liked his experiences with wine gurus such as Kermit Lynch from California/France, Angelo Gaja, from Italy, and Jancis Robinson, British wine critic. -- Jim

Secrets from the Wine Diva: Tips on Buying, Ordering & Enjoying Wine (Paperback)

By Christine Ansbacher
$14.95
ISBN-13: 9781402730368
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Sterling, 9/2006
Very practical tips on how to care for wine -- what wine goes with what foods --
Chilling wine is not a bad idea - reds at 60 degrees instead of room temperature for example.
I like the tips the author provides on ordering wine in a restaurant and what wines go best for special occasions or everyday drinking!

Three Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager (Paperback)

By Buzz Bissinger
$14.95
ISBN-13: 9780618710539
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Mariner Books, 4/2006
Other Editions of this Title
If you enjoy baseball strategy, this is a great read. Tony LaRussa is considered one of the best managers in major league baseball. When he matches wits with the Cubs manager, Dusty Baker, it is a wonderful experience to behold.

The author really gets the reader into the game and the behind-the-scenes strategy.

I've been a baseball fan for over 60 years and this is one of the best books about baseball I've read!

The Reluctant Tuscan: How I Discovered My Inner Italian (Paperback)

By Phil Doran
$16.00
ISBN-13: 9781592401895
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Gotham, 3/2006
Other Editions of this Title
Adjusting to Italian culture from the fast pace of So. California was a formidable task for our author.
With his humor and loving guidance from his wife he became a wonderful RELUCTANT TUSCAN!

Robert Kennedy: His Life (Paperback)

By Evan Thomas
$17.00
ISBN-13: 9780743203296
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Simon & Schuster, 9/2002
Other Editions of this Title
Fascinating story! The "Good Bobby" - extremely caring for the downtrodden, a man with a tremendous heart - and the "Bad Bobby" - also tough and suspicious of power; devious when be had to be.

Excellent portrayal of a complex person. Had no use for J. Edgar Hoover or Lyndon Johnson; big supporter of Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez.

What if???? - Jim