The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

~ foodinbooks ~ 16 Comments

I didn't intend to do a blog post this week for several reasons, the main one being that my dearest and only aunt - my dad's younger sister to whom I am very close - had an unexpected triple-bypass on Friday and that has been weighing on me. She came out of the surgery all … Continue reading The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers

~ foodinbooks ~ 17 Comments

Sometimes a girl just needs an escape, and this book provided one hell of one! It's probably one of the most fun, and possibly my favorite, of all sci-fi and fantasy novels, The Anubis Gates is a wild and imaginative romp through time, space, and history. Basically, a literature professor by the name of Brendan … Continue reading The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

~ foodinbooks ~ 17 Comments

Another fun book about family dysfunction! Woo hoo! Shirley Jackson was introduced into my life many years ago when I discovered The Haunting of Hill House, which is in my top 10 favorite books of all time and also which I blogged about awhile back - here's the link if you're interested. We Have Always Lived … Continue reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

~ foodinbooks ~ 16 Comments

A very magical and whimsical book ostensibly written for children, it also translates beautifully for adults. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is, at its heart, a poignant treatise on the importance of words and stories and language and not censoring either your imagination or your voice. Written by Salman Rushdie, whose seminal work The … Continue reading Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

~ foodinbooks ~ 17 Comments

I remember discovering Angela Carter in my mid-20s and falling instantly in love with her lush, prosaic, luxuriant and very bawdy language. Her writing can instantly evoke palaces filled with plush draperies, languid golden bathrooms, fairylike woods filled with magical creatures.......and also be as basic and raunchy as humorously describing a cat licking his bottom, … Continue reading The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

~ foodinbooks ~ 4 Comments

This is the third Neil Gaiman book I've blogged, loving as I do his writing and the way he so smoothly moves his characters between reality and the shadowy, mythic "other" world where things are never quite what they seem. Gaiman's books are universal no matter your age because he treats childhood with the same … Continue reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

~ foodinbooks ~ 17 Comments

I was going to avoid any type of love story for Valentine's Day this year, but I decided that was rather cynical of me, since expressing love for someone is one of the best and bravest things anyone can do in this world. That being said, I loathe and despise mush. I love genuine gestures … Continue reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

~ foodinbooks ~ 4 Comments

This book was previously blogged about by a fellow food blogger, Cara Nicoletti, whose page Yummy Books was one of the inspirations for starting my own food and book blog. The Vacationers is about a family's secrets and dysfunctions that come out over two weeks when they are vacationing in their house in Mallorca. I … Continue reading The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

~ foodinbooks ~ 16 Comments

This book, Little Women, has an incredibly special place in my heart, for many reasons. The first is that my edition, shown here, was bought for me by my father David, for my 12th birthday many years ago, in which he wrote me a deeply loving message, which I still read when I am feeling … Continue reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Apprentice by Jacques Pépin

~ foodinbooks ~ 15 Comments

There are three celebrity cooks  - Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson and Emeril Lagasse - whom I love, but who are as much shrewd self-marketers as they are cooks. Then there are the three honest-to-God gourmet chefs whose writings have heavily influenced my own cooking and writing. Julia Child, the Goddess; Clarissa Dickson Wright, of Two … Continue reading The Apprentice by Jacques Pépin