Two (Very Different) Bands of Brothers

"Badasses, the Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death and John Madden's Oakland Raiders" by Peter Richmond Harper Collins 353 pages $25.99

The Raiders were my favorite football team, back in the day. As I preferred the dirty, nasty Rolling Stones to the meek, wimpy little Beatles, so I preferred the Raiders to any others.

The book doesn't disappoint.

On John Matuszak (aka "The Tooz") first day with the Raiders, he was found in the training room hot tub with his girlfriend. During pre-season camp, they built and raced miniature cars and then planes they had built. Then they'd peel out and drink all night in a variety of bars. There was none of this home pub silliness.

Coach John Madden and owner Al Davis treated them like men, capable of making their own decisions (bad or good) and not like the children many of them really were. As a result the players bonded into a band of brothers.

It was an interesting read. Richmond is gifted at inserting an anecdote or a conversation that keeps the action rolling.

"The Pure Joy of Monastery Cooking" by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette The Countryman Press 271 pages $335

This is a beautiful book! It must have a color photo on every page! And it's a big book, feels like it might weigh as much as five pounds.

The monastery is Our Lady of the Resurrection and it's a St. Benedict order that lives on a hilltop in upstate New York. The monks tend their gardens and look after their goats, sheep, chickens and ducks. They sell artisanal vinegars that they make to top chef s all across America.

It's a book for vegetarians and runs from appetizers, soups, a lot of egg dishes (the good monk likes his eggs) to crepes, casseroles, side dishes, salads, sauces, breads and (pant, finally) to desserts.

What interested me was that there was no mention whatsoever of what life is like in a monastery, what their hours are -- nothing. He wrote nothing personal about himself. Not how long he'd been there or why, nothing. I wonder if he's undercover with the CIA...