Punching up cocktails with brandy; making soup; gifting books (episode 185)

1:43: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, offers a list of non-fiction titles -- from American history to celebrity memoir to cookbooks -- that could make good gifts for friends or relatives.26:43: Food nerd Henry Hong and restaurateur and cookbook author John Shields have some professional advice on making great soups, including savory Asian concoctions involving noodles.47:31: Baltimore bartender Brendan Dorr of the B----O American Brasserie offers suggestions for cocktails that call for brandy, as well as some holiday drinks and punches, including The Tom and Jerry.Links:http://www.bcpl.info/category/between-the-covers-blogger/paula-ghttp://foodnerd.org/2011/03/03/henrys-well-marcella-hazans-minestrone/http://www.johnshields.com/http://www.bandorestaurant.com/http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/recipes/a3819/tom-and-jerry-drink-recipe/