Tag: garlic

Strange Highways: The Black Pumpkin by Dean Koontz

~ foodinbooks ~ 26 Comments

October is such a great month, isn't it? The brutal heat of summer is over and the crispness of autumn is upon us, we're getting ready for the holiday season, and it all kicks off with the creepy fun of Halloween. Being a former Goth chick, I still have a fondness in my heart for … Continue reading Strange Highways: The Black Pumpkin by Dean Koontz

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

REPOST – Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

~ foodinbooks ~ 19 Comments

I originally posted this blog in May 2017.  Today marks two years from the date that my idol Anthony Bourdain died. One of my biggest culinary influences, as well as someone who changed my worldview in general, I loved, respected and honored his work and who he was as a human being. I hope you … Continue reading REPOST – Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell

~ foodinbooks ~ 35 Comments

I found The Fifth Gospel to be quite a great read, fast-paced and adventurous, but with a fascinating historical and Biblical premise as the storyline. It's simple - a Greek Catholic priest living in The Vatican must defend his brother, also a Greek Catholic priest but one attached to the Pope's staff, who is accused … Continue reading The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado

~ foodinbooks ~ 13 Comments

The connection between food and sex is one I looked at in one of my very first blog posts, which you can read here if you're so inclined. That connection is one of the major threads in this book, as well. In 1925 South America, Gabriela is a young woman from a terribly poor background … Continue reading Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado

The Wonder Worker by Susan Howatch

~ foodinbooks ~ 16 Comments

This is one of those books I would want with me if trapped on a desert island. The Wonder Worker has many levels, and is one of those wonderful stories that you return to again and again, always finding something new in the words. On the surface level, it's a story about four everyday people … Continue reading The Wonder Worker by Susan Howatch

The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester

~ foodinbooks ~ 12 Comments

One of the most verbose and least credible narrators I've come across in recent literature, the hero of The Debt to Pleasure, one Tarquin Winot, is a total and complete food snob. He opens the book with the line "This is not a conventional cookbook,” and no, it most certainly is not. Just as Tarquin … Continue reading The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester

Possession by A.S. Byatt

~ foodinbooks ~ 23 Comments

For some reason, I've been feeling rather depressed lately. It comes on occasionally, and I try to overcome it with the comforts of reading, cooking, venturing out to new places, or writing. In poring over my library to find something that hopefully will help shake me out of my low spirits, I came across Possession, … Continue reading Possession by A.S. Byatt

Food in Films – The Godfather Part III

~ foodinbooks ~ 24 Comments

I don't even want to hear it, you Godfather III haters. I happen to think this film is an underrated masterpiece. No, it doesn't come close to the jewels that are the first two Godfather films, but to me, The Godfather Part III it has a dark beauty and pain that makes it its own … Continue reading Food in Films – The Godfather Part III

The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

~ foodinbooks ~ 20 Comments

I can't say enough about Carlos Ruiz Zafón's writing. It's absolutely beautiful, lyrical, lush without being overly purple, and whether describing the sensory overload of a roomful of books, the scent of tobacco, the deeply scarlet hue of a woman's lipstick, or the existential dread and horror of torture and death, the man writes like … Continue reading The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón