Tag: garlic

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

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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

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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

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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

The Apprentice by Jacques Pépin

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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

The Face by Dean Koontz

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I've been reading Dean Koontz's books since I was in 7th grade and came across one in the school library at St. Michael's Catholic School, and devoured it in three hours. I was hooked from then on, though his books are definitely hit-or-miss. His style has evolved  over the years, from the straightforward horror of … Continue reading The Face by Dean Koontz

One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights) as retold by Hanan al-Shaykh

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I don't know about you, but when I think of One Thousand and One Nights, or as it's more commonly known, The Arabian Nights, what comes to mind are exotic tents in the desert surrounded by turbaned thieves, camels with tasseled saddles, beautiful dancing girls draped in veils in emerald green, ruby red, and turquoise blue, … Continue reading One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights) as retold by Hanan al-Shaykh

The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp

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I'm a sucker for a good, creepy, scary novel, and this one scared the hell out of me, which was awesome. I hadn't read anything genuinely terrifying in ages, but The Last Days of Jack Sparks fit the bill. In spades. It's kind of like The Exorcist meets Black Mirror, except way scarier and more … Continue reading The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp

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

Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

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In memory of my beloved grandfather Tito Baca, who lived his life to the fullest. Just like Zorba. Zorba the Greek is a man well known to me. This book, as well as the movie, was something I read as a teenager, not really "getting" it, but when I came across a used edition in … Continue reading Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

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Thanks to ET for the photography. Anymore, reading about the experiences of immigrants who come to this country seems to be the norm. It makes sense, after all. We are a country built almost entirely upon waves of immigrants from around the globe. My own family were immigrants from Spain and the Netherlands via Mexico … Continue reading The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri