Tag: food blog

Heroines of the Medieval World by Sharon Bennett Connolly

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I think I've mentioned my lack of enthusiasm for most non-fiction books before. However, I discovered Sharon Bennett Connolly's amazing blog, History, The Interesting Bits, a few years ago, and her subsequent book, Heroines of the Medieval World, so hooked me into her writing that I immediately ordered the book and was sucked into the … Continue reading Heroines of the Medieval World by Sharon Bennett Connolly

Sexy Sunday! Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

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DISCLAIMER! The following post contains explicit sexual language and profanity. You've been warned! Welcome to the second installation of Sexy Sunday, my monthly collaboration with fellow blogger The Bookworm Drinketh, in which we read a book infamous for its sex scene or scenes; she writes a review and does her usual cocktail-to-go-with, and I write … Continue reading Sexy Sunday! Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen

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I didn't actually intend to blog this book, not that it wasn't enjoyable but because I had actually forgotten I had it on my bookshelves. As fortune would have it, I found some late-summer squash blossoms at my nearby grower's market yesterday morning, along with many other garden goodies. Anyway, back to the book. Set in … Continue reading The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen

The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

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Any book set in Venice is always moved to the top of my reading list. And of course, any book set in Venice about cooking and food is going to have the most special place in my heart. The Book of Unholy Mischief definitely takes the cake here! Luciano is the narrator, a young boy who … Continue reading The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

The Dead House by Billy O’Callaghan

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What I found fascinating about The Dead House is the fact that it's narrated in first person by a character who is not the focus of the story, but whose own story is as much a part of the overall arc as the main character. Mike is an art dealer and his best friend is … Continue reading The Dead House by Billy O’Callaghan

Cuentos: Tales from the Hispanic Southwest by José Griego y Maestas and Rudolfo Anaya

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I'd consider this book of short stories, Cuentos: Tales from the Hispanic Southwest, one of the pivotal books of my childhood. I've mentioned my father and his love of reading, and there were always books around him. In his car, in his house, you name it. As well, being a very strong proponent of civil … Continue reading Cuentos: Tales from the Hispanic Southwest by José Griego y Maestas and Rudolfo Anaya

Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

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Have you ever read a book that you nearly instantaneously fell in love with? My friend Angela recommended Delicious! by Ruth Reichl, which I'd seen on various lists of foodie books, but dismissed as "chick lit." Those of you who follow my blog know of my disdain for "chick lit." Yes, I'm a literary snob … Continue reading Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

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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

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

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Happy New Year! To start off 2018, I take us back to Venice, dear readers. But it's not the Venice of dreams and watery, lyrical descriptions. This 16th-century Venice, elegantly depicted In The Company of the Courtesan, is a hard, rough place, stinking of rotten canal water and fish, and is as often the deathplace of … Continue reading In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

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In terms of medieval books, The Canterbury Tales is right up there with Dante's Inferno as my top favorites. Unless you're a trained medieval scholar, however, I would strongly recommend reading a more modern English translation of the book, since the medieval English of Chaucer is quite difficult to read. The entire book essentially revolves … Continue reading The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer