Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

I will probably get a barrage of hate mail when I say this, but I kinda thought Wicked by Gregory Maguire sucked. I can't really say why, other than I've never really thought of The Wizard of Oz as a fairy tale. It was, I don't know, too American somehow? For me, the trappings of … Continue reading Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

I suppose this book would fall under the category "chick-lit" which I generally loathe. However, I read Bridget Jones's Diary years ago and remember laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, and the film version with Renee Zellwegger, was similarly hilarious and heart-felt. It's still as funny today and I found myself snickering … Continue reading Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

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

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Do you know what it's like to read a book and have it haunt you, like a whisper or the faint hint of perfume in an empty room? I've always been possessed by the gorgeous Gothic-ness of Rebecca, which has mystery, ghosts, passionate love and a big, haunted house. And then of course, the most … Continue reading Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay

Photography by me. Are you a Venetian at heart? I am, and any book set in Venice has a special place on my bookshelf. Venice is the most beautiful place on earth, because it shimmers. That's the only way I can describe it. The waters surrounding the islands, the lagoons with their sea-green waves, the … Continue reading The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay

Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes

I was lucky enough to have inherited my dad's version of this marvelous treasure of a book, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, and which has notes in his handwriting, making it even more precious. My undergraduate degree was in Spanish, and as part of my graduation requirements, I had to read Part II … Continue reading Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes

Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel García Márquez

I've had a long-time passionate love for Gabriel García Márquez for years now, originally fueled by Love in the Time of Cholera and Of Love and Other Demons, and most especially, Strange Pilgrims. This book, a compilation of twelve surreal and dreamlike tales, tells of a woman who sells her dreams - speaking of which … Continue reading Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel García Márquez