Venetian Vespers by John Banville

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It is always a pleasure to read a book narrated by an unreliable storyteller, and Venetian Vespers does not fail to please. It's in the same vein as The Talented Mr. Ripley, We Have Always Lived In The Castle, Lolita, The French Lieutenant's Woman, and The Debt To Pleasure. Evelyn Dolman (apparently there was a … Continue reading Venetian Vespers by John Banville

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire

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A belated Happy New Year to you all. Sorry I've been out of commission so long. I had horrendous back pain all through November until early January. I was also in New Orleans for awhile, and then promptly got the flu when I came home. Fun times! But I am revived (more or less) and … Continue reading Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

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Diving into a book by the late Rosamunde Pilcher is akin to wrapping yourself in a thick, soft sweater on a freezing cold day and watching the snow fall while sipping a nice warm cup of mulled wine. Her books are the literary equivalent of comfort food. They take you into a world that maybe … Continue reading The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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There is a trend that I greatly appreciate in modern horror literature nowadays - witches and witchcraft. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's take on this theme, The Bewitching, is her best book yet, IMHO. It's the story of three strong-willed women in three different timelines. In 1908 rural Mexico, we meet Alba Quiroga, whose father has just died. … Continue reading The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Epicure’s Lament by Kate Christensen

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I love a good unreliable narrator as much as the next avid bookworm. My favorite will always be the criminally charming, self-aware yet clueless Tom Ripley, anti-hero of Patricia Highsmith's classic novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, which I blogged about awhile back. However, in The Epicure's Lament, Hugo Whittier is not only unreliable, he is … Continue reading The Epicure’s Lament by Kate Christensen

The Pink Agave Motel by V. Castro

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I don't normally like short story collections, mainly because dislike disjointed narratives, although if the short stories are interconnected, that keeps my interest because I like seeing a main character in one story being part of the background in another. Two books that come to mind are When In Florence by Richard Cortez Day (and … Continue reading The Pink Agave Motel by V. Castro

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

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For a supposedly haunted house ghost story, the most terrifying thing in this book was the Pace family. Seriously. Hoo boy were they a big ol' mess. I mean, I have a dysfunctional family. You have a dysfunctional family. Hell, who doesn't have a dysfunctional family? But the Pace family puts the "fun" in dysfunctional. … Continue reading Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

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Being a former Goth, I love me a good vampire story. Dracula, of course, is the big bad granddad of all bloodsuckers, IMHO, but he was preceded by that chest-biting lesbian vampire Carmilla; her eponymous book written by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu and published in 1872. Carmilla was unique to its time when it … Continue reading Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

Updated Facebook Page!

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Hi all! For some very strange reason, my original Food In Books Facebook page got deleted. I have no idea what happened or why. So I created a new Facebook page and I sincerely hope that you give it a follow and like if you can. You can click the link below to follow, or … Continue reading Updated Facebook Page!

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

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I think in most cultures, women are expected to be a certain way, even if it isn't consciously expressed or even consciously thought. The concept of women being the gentler, kinder sex, that women are soft, feminine, sweet, motherly, domestic goddesses whose ultimate life goal should be marriage and children, is as strong today as … Continue reading Butter by Asako Yuzuki