Over the Counter #152

What books caught my eye this week as they passed over the library counter and under my scanner? It's been a tiring week, so it seems I was on the lookout for sugar, sugar and more sugar!

First up was Part of a Complete Breakfast by Tim Hollis.

From the publisher, University of Florida Press:

"Butting in every ten minutes to interrupt the exploits of Bugs Bunny, Underdog, or Rocky and Bullwinkle, a very different kind of cartoon series won the affection of viewers on Saturday mornings in the 1950s.

 Breakfast cereal commercials played out their own storylines in time slots of just a few seconds each. Soon, Cap'n Crunch™, the Trix Rabbit™, Toucan Sam™, Count Chocula™, and many more were household names, familiar as the cartoon personalities in regular television programs. Some creatures tried to swipe cereal from their friends. Others showed off the super strength given by their breakfast food of choice. Catch phrases even turned up in everyday talk, from "They're magically delicious!"™ to "They're grrreat!"™

  Rediscover the heyday of these beloved cereal advertising characters in Part of a Complete Breakfast, which includes fascinating information about their origins. Did you know Tony the Tiger™ originally walked on all fours and had claws and sharp teeth? Or that Lucky the Leprechaun™ seemed to genuinely hate the kids who chased after him to take his Lucky Charms cereal? Meet cartoons who never made it into the public eye, including a "lost" Kellogg's character named Nutrina, and a proposed fourth member of the Rice Crispies gang--a spaceman named Pow!
Drawing from his personal museum of pop culture memorabilia, Tim Hollis celebrates the characters dreamed up by mid-twentieth-century mad men when television was an exciting new way to advertise. Vivid pictures give flavors of the earliest cereal commercials aired and the role they played in claiming the loyalties of young breakfast eaters up to the present day."

Next up was America's Most Wanted Recipes: Just Desserts by Ron Douglas.

From the publisher, Simon and Schuster:

"New York Times bestselling author Ron Douglas serves more than 200 copycat dessert recipes from your family’s favorite restaurants!

More than a million home chefs across the country have enjoyed America’s Most Wanted Recipes, More of America’s Most Wanted Recipes, and America’s Most Wanted Recipes Without the Guilt, in which author Ron Douglas uncovers the best of the best recipes from hundreds of popular restaurants, including Applebee’s, Arby’s, Baskin- Robbins, The Cheesecake Factory, Chili’s, IHOP, and more. Within the pages of his fantastic cookbook series, they’ve found the answer to that daily, nagging question: What can I cook at home that will taste just as good and be just as much of a treat as eating out?

America’s Most Wanted Recipes Just Desserts features more copycat recipes, this time for the sweetest treats from some of the most deliciously decadent menus available.

Ron has perfected his versions of recipes from more than seventy-five different billion-dollar establishments. Think Applebee’s Deadly Chocolate Sin, The Cheesecake Factory’s Banana Cream Cheesecake, and Cracker Barrel’s Banana Pudding. Just Desserts will cover what Ron’s rapidly growing fan base craves: inexpensive, easy, and delicious dishes that the whole family can enjoy. Perfect for satisfying sweet tooths—at home and minus the cost of eating out. Holidays, birthday parties, and impromptu dinner parties will be even more fun to prepare and more memorable. Sweet!"

(Over the Counter is a regular feature at A Bookworm's World. I've sadly come to the realization that I cannot physically read every book that catches my interest as it crosses over my counter at the library. But...I can mention them and maybe one of them will catchy your eye as well. See if your local library has them on their shelves!)