Food lovers, (and aren't we all? ) rejoice! Our April issue of Beyond the Best Seller List, just off the press today, has a culinary theme. Some of our selections are new, some are classic, and all are enjoyable.
On the fiction side of the list, we have fabulous novels featuring chefs and food. Monique Truong's The Book of Salt is a lovely novel about Gertrude Stein's cook, set in Paris in the 1920's and 30's. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a sensual love story, complete with recipes.
What is it about mystery writers and cooks? There seem to be a lot of mystery writers who have taken up the culinary theme. Our favorite authors in this genre are Diane Mott Davidson and Katherine Hall Page. If you read one, you'll be hooked, and you will have a whole new series to read, as both authors are prolific.
As with all our Beyond the Best Seller lists, we haven't left out the kids.....Eat Your Peas is a picture book about the time-honored tradition of finish-you-vegetables-before -dessert. And older kids may want to read Chew on This by Eric Schlosser. It's an expose of the fast food industry, and it will teach them more than they wanted to know.
On the nonfiction side of the list, we have recommended lots of books about food and cooking, but don't expect a list of cookbooks. Instead we have chosen books about our food, food sources, how it gets to our markets, and some books by and about professional chefs.
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee is a fascinating book about the intersection of science and culinary art. Ever wonder what really happens when you caramelize something? Harold McGee can explain it in wonderful prose. This book, although scientific, can be good armchair reading.
And no, we haven't totally forgotten about cookbooks. We do recommend one: The Silver Spoon from Phaidon Press. It is Italy's equivalent of our Joy of Cooking. A hefty tome, but chock full of great traditional recipes. This book starts out with this statement: "Eating is a serious matter". We agree, and we hope you do, too!
Enjoy your culinary trip Beyond the Best Seller, and please let us know what you think!
On the fiction side of the list, we have fabulous novels featuring chefs and food. Monique Truong's The Book of Salt is a lovely novel about Gertrude Stein's cook, set in Paris in the 1920's and 30's. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a sensual love story, complete with recipes.
What is it about mystery writers and cooks? There seem to be a lot of mystery writers who have taken up the culinary theme. Our favorite authors in this genre are Diane Mott Davidson and Katherine Hall Page. If you read one, you'll be hooked, and you will have a whole new series to read, as both authors are prolific.
As with all our Beyond the Best Seller lists, we haven't left out the kids.....Eat Your Peas is a picture book about the time-honored tradition of finish-you-vegetables-before -dessert. And older kids may want to read Chew on This by Eric Schlosser. It's an expose of the fast food industry, and it will teach them more than they wanted to know.
On the nonfiction side of the list, we have recommended lots of books about food and cooking, but don't expect a list of cookbooks. Instead we have chosen books about our food, food sources, how it gets to our markets, and some books by and about professional chefs.
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee is a fascinating book about the intersection of science and culinary art. Ever wonder what really happens when you caramelize something? Harold McGee can explain it in wonderful prose. This book, although scientific, can be good armchair reading.
And no, we haven't totally forgotten about cookbooks. We do recommend one: The Silver Spoon from Phaidon Press. It is Italy's equivalent of our Joy of Cooking. A hefty tome, but chock full of great traditional recipes. This book starts out with this statement: "Eating is a serious matter". We agree, and we hope you do, too!
Enjoy your culinary trip Beyond the Best Seller, and please let us know what you think!
posted by Ellen @ 8:52 AM
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