Lots to see and do at the 830 N. Michigan Avenue Borders in Chicago in the next couple of months.

On November 8th at 7 pm, Bobby Flay will be signing copies of his book Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook .

Anthony Bourdain will sign copies of his new book Anthony Bourdain: No Reservationson November 28th at 7, and Charlie Trotter will sign My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes, a compilation of famous chefs’ ideal last meals on earth, at 7 pm on December 13th.

I *heart* Anthony Bourdain’s writing, as I have stated here before. I have also said that he’s probably one of the few writers I would stand in line to see. The Czarina supposes she should make good on this statement.

Now, here’s something that everyone thinks is easy. If you’re picking out a cookbook for yourself, you go to Border’s or Barnes and Noble, pick one out of the shelf, and start paging through it until you find recipes you like, and then you buy it, right?

Great in theory, not so good in reality.

The Czarina gives her Citizens this example: I was in the Barnes and Noble on Webster and Clybourn a couple of weeks ago. I was excited to see that there was one – ONE – signed copy left of Charlie Trotter’s Spa Cuisine from the One and Only Palmilla resort. Without a second thought she picked it up and placed it in the “to buy” pile.

Luckily, that pile got too large for the Czarina’s pocketbook, so it needed to be thinned a bit. I started going through all of the cookbooks I had collected that day, including a few from the Culinary Institute of America.

While “Spa Cuisine” contained absolutely stunning photographs, as well as Chef Trotter’s scrawled signature, upon closer review it became apparent that most of the recipes were completely over the top. One of the items that had originally attracted my attention was the cold Watermelon Soup. How hard could that be?

Apparently, it was awfully hard.

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How can you not love a guy who writes something called “A Commencement Address Nobody Asked For” and parodies Hunter S. Thompson’s writing style while eating his way through Vegas? Love him (I do) or hate him (there are many), Anthony Bourdain, of Top Chef, the Travel Channel’s No Reservations, and Kitchen Confidential fame, is well known for his cynical commentary and sharp wit.

There are very few authors today that I would stand in line to meet, but Tony’s one of them. I have no idea how a guy who seems to be lucky to have survived his adolescence and young adulthood gained such an amazing ability to connect with the reader. Plenty of slightly crazy people have lots of charisma when you meet them in person; it is more rare that someone who is just a little nuts can convey his personal magnetism through the written word. Perhaps it is as simple as the fact that he has an extraordinary passion for his subject. He makes no secret of the fact that food and cooking likely saved his life.

If you are only going to buy one book of Tony’s, I recommend The Nasty Bits (2006) over Kitchen Confidential for a few reasons. First, it’s an collection of shorter articles he’s written over the years on several different topics, so it’s great if your attention tends to wander or if you read in short spurts. Second, it’s interesting to watch as his writing style evolves. Third, this book increases the likelihood you will find something personally relevant in his anthology. I like “Warning Signs” – I’ve often wondered about and felt the same thing in certain restaurants (I won’t ruin it for you). Finally, his commentary at the end of the book on old articles is hilarious and occasionally self effacing: “What a *&^^(@ I was when I wrote this.”

It’s not a book for those with delicate sensibilities, just as Tony himself is not for the faint of heart. It’s refreshing that an excellent writer with something to say has an avenue to say it – not something to take for granted in today’s conglomerate publishing environment.

I can’t recommend Tony’s writing enough. Since I’m not nearly as erudite as he is, you’ll have to take my word for it: he is probably the best food writer out there now.

See you in line, Citizen.

I love Bridal Bargains. The authors, Denise and Alan Fields, make no secret about the fact that they are staunch consumer advocates. They have researched the ins and outs of the bridal industry for over 17 years(!), and their ultimate goal is to enable brides to have the wedding of their dreams while saving money in the process. From page one the authors begin debunking common misperceptions about the Bridal Industrial Complex, including the idea that bridal shops and their ilk are staffed by nice, Belgain lace doily-infatuated, elderly ladies who just want people to be happy and in wuv.

The parts I personally found most helpful while planning my own wedding were the sections about bridal dresses and getting quality invitations for less. In the dress section, the authors grade the designers on the quality of the product and the service associated with that product’s delivery. Other tips are especially helpful in avoiding the Shadow Side of wedding planning. After all, who really expects that their bridal salon will go bankrupt?

Saving on your invitations is wise, because, no matter how much a bride doesn’t want it to be true, invitations to someone else’s wedding wind up in the trash with coffee grounds dumped on top of them. Tossing will happen whether the invitations are engraved or “merely” thermographed. Only your mom keeps them. Really.

A bonus: there is no advertising in Bridal Bargains, and the authors and the publishers make money solely through book purchases. The Czarina wholeheartedly supports such endeavors.

I found What To Drink With What You Eat in the retail section of the Peju Winery in Napa Valley.

What makes this book great is that the people providing recommendations are contemporary sommeliers from the East Coast, the West Coast, and everywhere in between, and they aren’t afraid to push the limits a bit. The interviews are very informative.

Not only does this guide have wine recommendations for artichokes – a famously nearly impossible pairing – it has recipes and what to avoid as well as what to select.

If you tied me to a chair I don’t think I could think of a better book than this. Buy it to sound very very suave, or, alternatively, to sound like His Royal Sommelier, Stephen Aspirino, from Top Chef Season 1.