Food and drink inspired by classic and modern literary works.
If you're a Shirley Jackson fan, as so many of us are, you surely are aware of her supernatural (or is it?) masterpiece The Haunting of Hill House. That book, in my humble opinion, is one of the best and frightening novels of all time because it plays with the reader's concept of reality in … Continue reading The Bird’s Nest by Shirley Jackson
If you've read Chocolat by Joanne Harris or seen the marvelous film version with Juliette Binoche, you're familiar with the magical French town of Lansquenet sous Tannes. It's a deceptively calm, quiet and simple place; yet there are always goings-on and drama in this place. It's too bad that it's a completely fictional place, but … Continue reading Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris
The author Italo Calvino is not for all readers, a fact for which I am grateful and for which I love him and his writing even more. Reading this book in particular is like taking a semiotic journey through a vaguely medieval setting in which signs and symbols abound, but that take on multiple meanings … Continue reading The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino
You know a writer is good when he or she writes a villain in such a way that you not only sympathize and empathize with them, you find yourself actively rooting for them and hoping they get away with murder. Patricia Highsmith did it with Tom Ripley. Thomas Harris did it with Hannibal Lecter. Shakespeare … Continue reading A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
Marriage is one of those relationships that, if you've never had one, is likely impossible to understand. Having never been married myself, I'd tend to agree. From an outside viewpoint and from witnessing the many marriages within my own family and circle of friends, it seems to create both a seemingly unbreakable bond and a … Continue reading A Good Marriage (Full Dark, No Stars) by Stephen King
If you haven't read any of the books of Carlos Ruíz Zafón, you're surely missing out on one of the true literary pleasures of this universe. A modern-day Cervantes, Ruíz Zafón spun stories about labyrinths, mysterious figures in black, magical pens, death and destruction and war, the beauty of love, the pain of romance, the … Continue reading The City of Mist by Carlos Ruíz Zafón
"The Anjou Wine" is the first chapter in this rollicking adventure tale reminiscent of Alexandre Dumas, the famous French author of The Three Musketeers saga, and plays a starring role in this week's recipe, too. The Club Dumas, in short, is the tale of Lucas Corso, an antique book dealer who is sent in search … Continue reading The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Being the former Goth girl that I am, I retain my love for all things dark, macabre, creepy, ghostly, horrific, and occasionally gruesome, which explains why I love this book so much. What Moves The Dead is a fantastic re-imagining of Edgar Allan Poe's story The Fall of the House of Usher, which is like … Continue reading What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher
The revolutionary era of Mexico seems to be a popular literary backdrop these days, which I appreciate because it shines a light on an era that I personally know little about. Growing up in New Mexico, the connection with Mexico was of course a significant part of our culture, and I have a vivid memory … Continue reading The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
The essay My Aim is True has to be one of my all-time favorites by the late, great Anthony Bourdain, who I affectionately have always referred to as my future ex-husband. I loved him in life and I love him in death. This essay, part of his collection of essays in the book Medium Raw, … Continue reading My Aim is True (Medium Raw) by Anthony Bourdain
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