Tag: olive oil

Food in Films – Dangerous Beauty

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I hadn't done a Food in Films post in quite awhile and I'm sorry for that. These are among the most fun posts I can do, particularly because I enjoy the inherent creativity in recreating food from a movie. You really do have a lot of artistic license, almost more so than recreating food in … Continue reading Food in Films – Dangerous Beauty

REPOST – Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

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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 Wonder Worker by Susan Howatch

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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

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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

Don’t Look Now by Daphne DuMaurier

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Having had a long-time love affair with the books of Daphne DuMaurier, I was especially pleased to find a compilation of stories that included Don't Look Now. The story, set in Venice, which is my favorite city on earth, combines creepy supernatural elements with the gorgeous backdrop of La Serennissima. The basic story is a … Continue reading Don’t Look Now by Daphne DuMaurier

Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres

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No doubt many people saw the mediocre movie made from this book  Corelli's Mandolin,  beautifully filmed but as usual, not nearly as compelling as the book, which is written in lively, colorful prose from the viewpoint of several unique characters. These unique individuals include the main female character Pellagia, a traditionally raised Greek daughter who … Continue reading Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

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You can almost feel the Italian heat baking down, and smell the bougainvillea flowers, as you read this evocative novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Tom Ripley is a young man from New York, struggling to make something of himself. He's approached by Mr. Greenleaf who mistakes him for a close college friend of his son, Dickie, … Continue reading The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin

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I was first given the book Winter's Tale by a woman who worked with me in a law firm,  several years ago. She was an odd woman, claiming to be psychic and in touch with - in her own words - "the universal forces." She was a practicing Wiccan, though it turns out she was … Continue reading Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin

Vaporetto 13 by Robert Girardi

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Robert Girardi is one of my favorite "unknown" writers. He wrote Madeleine's Ghost, which I blogged about previously, and Vaporetto 13 is another novel that combines cynicism, hope, the supernatural, and a gorgeous city as the backdrop. In this case, Venice. You can read about what makes Venice so uniquely gorgeous and special by checking … Continue reading Vaporetto 13 by Robert Girardi

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

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I am a diehard Bond Girl. I've seen all the films, read all the books and of course, have my own opinions about who has been the best Bond of all. Having a major crush on Timothy Dalton, I am biased in his favor, but there is also something to be said for the talents … Continue reading Casino Royale by Ian Fleming