Category: Books

A Sweet and Spicy Memory: Biscochitos in New Mexico Culture

~ foodinbooks ~ 4 Comments

I am very pleased and proud to share this article I was asked to write on the cultural significance of biscochitos in New Mexican culture. It is the first (but hopefully not last!) article for which I got paid, and so I feel like a real, true writer now. 🙂 I hope you enjoy reading … Continue reading A Sweet and Spicy Memory: Biscochitos in New Mexico Culture

Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp

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A day after Halloween, I am rereading some classics from my childhood and I thought it would be fun to focus on one of my favorite scary books from when I was quite young, and one that still has an effect upon me to this day. Childhood fears are less insidious than those we learn … Continue reading Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp

The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice

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Being the horror aficionado that I am, and having read so much horror literature in my life (good and bad), I feel pretty comfortable in my own literary criticism and analysis of the horror genre. Any horror writer worth his or her salt is going to prove their worth when they take on the typical … Continue reading The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice

Circe by Madeline Miller

~ foodinbooks ~ 19 Comments

Western culture is by definition patriarchal. You see it in our art, our music, our religion, our family genealogy, our rituals, our language, and of course, in our literature. Much of our culture is predicated on what we learned from ancient cultures such as the Hebrews, the Romans, the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons; and particularly, the … Continue reading Circe by Madeline Miller

Food in Films – Moonstruck

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I grew up watching the film Moonstruck over and over and over again. The sense of romance, of the adventure of being set in New York City - a city which has fascinated me since I was a very small girl - the hilariousness of the characters and that overall sense of family all combined … Continue reading Food in Films – Moonstruck

Zia Summer by Rudolfo Anaya

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Those of you who have followed my blog since its inception know of my great and abiding love for the works, and for he himself, the late, great Chicano author Rudolfo Anaya, and particularly, today's literary choice of Zia Summer. Rudy, as he was affectionately known, was not only someone I admired greatly, he was … Continue reading Zia Summer by Rudolfo Anaya

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

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I will probably get a barrage of hate mail when I say this, but I kinda thought Wicked by Gregory Maguire sucked. I can't really say why, other than I've never really thought of The Wizard of Oz as a fairy tale. It was, I don't know, too American somehow? For me, the trappings of … Continue reading Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García

~ foodinbooks ~ 16 Comments

I'm as guilty as the next person of judging. I judge wine by the label on the bottle, musical artists by genre, and of course, books by their covers. In this case, can you blame me? The cover for Mexican Gothic is stunningly beautiful and hits me on all my levels: aesthetic, moody, mysterious, and … Continue reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García

The Heartbreaker by Susan Howatch

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You wouldn't normally think that the Church of England would make for scintillating reading, but you'd be sooooooo wrong if you start reading the "Church of England" series written by British author Susan Howatch. I stumbled across one of them going on 15 years ago now, and was hooked. The series is broken up into … Continue reading The Heartbreaker by Susan Howatch

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

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This is one of those epic books that feature a cast of thousands, exotic locations that span the globe, stories within stories within stories............and Count Dracula. I mean, how can it possibly get better than that? Being a former Goth girl, I still have a fondness for the darker side of things. Vampires, crucifixes, ghosts, … Continue reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova