Tag / Kate DeVivo

by jim

2015: The Year In Books

2015booksWith another year coming to an end, it is time to take a look back at the 31 books I read over the past year, an increase of 8 from last year and my highest total ever, surpassing the 27 books I read back in 1992.  Of those 31, 11 were non-fiction and, of the 20 novels, only 3 were TV show tie-ins.  Only 4 of the books came from the “to-read” drawer, and 11 were e-books.  I read a nearly 9200 pages, the most in 1 year since 1992 and my second straight year reaching the 9000 mark.

Once again, a majority of the books I read this year were by authors I’ve never read before. The 19 authors that I read for the first this year were:
Kurt Vonnegut
Jim Bouton
Melissa Joan Hart
Patton Oswalt
Erle Stanley Gardner
Doug Sohn
Kate DeVivo
Paula Hawkins
Jayson Stark
Scott Reifert
Oscar Wilde
Jeff Katz
Felicia Day
George Carlin
Max Allan Collins
Ann Brashares
David Lagercrantz
Graham Greene
Mary Kubica
Martin Short

The ghost writer for Richard Castle was the only author I read multiple titles from during 2015.

Ten books I read were released this year, while 3 of them were released prior to 1980, with one, The Picture of Dorian Gray, dating back to 1890.

Finally, the breakdown by month.  Vacations in March, November, and December certainly helped pad their totals a tad bit. Continue reading →

by jim

Book 8 (of 52) – Hot Doug’s: The Book

Hot Doug's: The Book - Doug Sohn with Kate DeVivo

Hot Doug’s: The Book – Doug Sohn with Kate DeVivo

Back in 2001, Doug Sohn opened a hot dog stand that focused on one thing: encased meats.  Over the following 14 years, until its closing in October of 2014, Hot Doug’s became a cultural landmark in the city of Chicago.  In 2013, Sohn, along with co-writer Kate DeVivo, chronicled the history of his restaurant in book form.

The book tells the tale of the restaurant, both from Doug’s point of view and from testimonials from friends and customers.  Starting with the germ of an idea at his previous job, the book follows the evolution of Hot Doug’s, from its original location, to the fire that forced it to shut down for 6 months, and the eventual move to its final location.

While light on actual content, the book is a love letter to a restaurant that captured the imagination of a city and more.  My last visit was in the summer of 2012, waiting an hour in line when I should have been at work.  Reading the book was a nice trip back in time.