Friday, February 26, 2010

Do You Devour Books Too?

I love to read and when I am not devouring edibles I am devouring books. I manage to read at least a book a week if not more. I sneak time in whenever I can, especially before I fall asleep. I don't know how many times Justin has found me conked out with a book on my face and the lights still on.  I am 99% sure I learned this skill from my mom, the person who reads more then I do and is always passing along fabulous books to read!

There are very few books I don't like. (Well, except anything scary or mysteries that begin with women getting tortured then murdered. I don't TV or movies like that either.)

There are many, many books which I have adored and felt a little bit of a loss when the last sentence had been read. I do have a special place in my heart for books about food. I feel like when food and life intertwine some of the best stories are created.

Yesterday, I finished reading A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, by Molly Wizenberg, who also writes a beautiful blog called Orangette. I cried at almost every chapter, either because the topic was sad or so sweet. I spent the week teaching poetry to some of my students and we have been talking about that poetry is writing that causes an emotional reaction by choosing perfect words to express a feeling. I feel like the prose of A Homemade Life is like poetry. And the recipes look pretty darned good too!

Here are a few more titles of foodie books I have loved: (Check them out on Amazon or through your local library!)

The School of Essential Ingredients: A cute book about how a cooking school brings together lost souls.

 

 

 

 

 

 Must Have Been Something I Ate: Great stories and recipes! Mr. Steingarten is a hilarious writer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Lost Recipe for Happiness: Romance novel with cooking :) 







Language of Baklava: Food memoir from Diana Abu-Jaber a Portland writer. Fabulous read and recipes!

 

 

 

 

 

Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me with Apples, and Garlic and Sapphires: by my personal food writing hero, Ruth Riechl. I adored all of these books!

 

 

 

 

 

Daughter of Heaven: Chinese Food memoir. 

 

 

 

 

 


The Gastronomical Me: M.K. Fischer one of the first women to write about food and life. If you like Julia Childs you will love this one!

 









I am experimenting with the new Blogger linking and images. Kinda fun! Sorry if it is obnoxious, but they are all good books, I promise.
Do you have any food or other book titles to pass along? What have you read lately that has thrilled you?

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the reading list Jo! I've requested (the only one I could find) 'The lost recipe for happiness' from my library. Can't wait to read it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I liked Bento Box in the Heartland, which is about a Japanese family living in Wisconsin(?) in the 70s. It was pretty neat, and it had recipes at the end of every chapter.

    Under the Tuscan Sun was pretty good too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am going to have to look up the Bento Box, that sounds like a great read. I liked Under the Tuscan Sun. I remember reading it one summer when I was lifeguarding and reading it on breaks drinking iced coffee :)

    ReplyDelete