Spring Reading List

It's that time of year when I start feeling the urge to get out and explore, so I'm gravitating towards books that will transport me to far-away places...


The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski. I picked this book up secondhand a few years ago, but I just never got around to reading it. Kapuscinski, who died in 2007, was a renowned Polish journalist who traveled extensively in the developing world and wrote about war and unrest in places like Angola (Another Day of Life), Ethiopia (The Emperor), and Iran (Shah of Shahs). The Shadow of the Sun, which is described by one reviewer as a "personal and political travelogue of one man's rocky love affair with a continent of nations," covers more than three decades of Kapuscinski's experiences in Africa.





A Passage to India by E.M. Forster. From Amazon: "A masterly portrait of a society in the grip of imperialism, A Passage to India compellingly depicts the fate of individuals caught between the great political and cultural conflicts of the modern world." British manners, exotic adventures, and cultural conflict? Sign me up! I just hope this one delivers more than Howard's End and A Room With a View.






Memoirs by Pablo Neruda. This is another book that I bought a long time ago and haven't managed to read yet. I'm a fan of Neruda's poetry, and I enjoy a well-written memoir, so I have high hopes for this one. Though he was born in Chile, Neruda traveled extensively, spending time in Burma, Ceylon, Java, Spain, Mexico, Russia, and Eastern Europe. Along the way, he made friends and acquaintances with artists, politicians, and other luminaries, including Federico Garcia Lorca, Pablo Picasso, Che Guevara, and even Gandhi--how could this possibly be boring?

You're a Superstar, Yes That's What You Are

Have you seen Tina Fey on the cover of the March issue of Vogue? She looks so fresh and pretty! Take note, Elle...no more awkwardly-posed waifs, please.

(Photo by none other than Mario Testino.)

Yes, I Judge Books by Their Covers

I was just browsing Amazon for books, and it looks like the first few titles from the second series of Penguin clothbound classics designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith is set for U.S. release on March 10th...woohoo! Keep an eye out for Emma, The Odyssey, Treasure Island, and Lady Chatterley's Lover to hit bookstores in the next few weeks. We will have to wait until September 28th for the remaining titles, which include Oliver Twist, Little Women, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I'm practically giddy!

Winter Reading List

I typically gravitate towards classic fiction in the winter months, and this year is no exception...



The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. The description of Wilde's only novel makes it sound like a cross between the myth of Narcissus and Faust. A young man has his portrait painted by a friend, falls in love with the image of his own beauty, and bargains his soul for eternal youth. Sounds dark and moody...in short, a perfect winter read!








A Room With a View by E.M. Forster. I just finished this one, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected. I don't know why I'm surprised, though...I wasn't particularly enamored of Howard's End, either. Forster's prose too often reads as though it was translated from another language. I do, however, like the message that something does not have to be delicate to be beautiful.







Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. Though it is long and by many accounts depressing, I am determined to give this book a go. I read Return of the Native in high school, which I hated (but then again I also hated Pride and Prejudice when I was forced to read it in high school). I freely admit that I primarily bought this book because it was recently re-published as part of a lovely series of clothbound Penguin classics...I feel no shame for judging books by their covers.




...and I still haven't read The Custom of the Country, which was on my fall reading list. So many books, so little time!

Lucky Peach

I received my Momofuku (which is Japanese for "lucky peach") cookbook in the mail today, and I am pretty excited about it. I admit that there are many complicated dishes in the book that I am unlikely to ever attempt, but I could not resist the packaging (I love the feel of a jacket-less cookbook) and the originality of the recipes. I have already bookmarked some of the easier-sounding recipes that I hope to try my hand at soon, including the ginger-scallion noodles (p. 57), the fried chicken (p. 89), and the shrimp and grits (p. 110). And if I'm really lucky, maybe I'll have a chance to eat at one of the Momofuku restaurants sometime in the near future...

Hot Off the (Panini) Press

Over the past couple of years, I have become obsessed with buying cookbooks. I love books of all kinds, but cookbooks have a special place in my heart because...well, you know. They're about FOOD! And they usually have photographs depicting delicious foodstuffs that I can salivate over when I'm hungry or bored or eating lunch (yes, I like to look at pictures of food while I'm eating...it's an illness). As I do with my non-cookbook books, I keep a Word document list of my cookbooks as well as those I would like to purchase (again...illness), so even though all of my cookbooks are currently in boxes in my mom's attic, I can tell you that I own 18 cookbooks and have 28 more titles on my wish list. Every month or so, I troll Amazon for new cookbook releases, and my wish list grows and grows. These are the books that have most recently made it onto my must-have list:

1. My Bread by Jim Lahey - Jim Lahey became a household name (well, not really) when the New York Times published his recipe for no-knead bread in 2006. Three years later, he has published 224 pages of no-knead bread wizardry...I can't wait to try it!

2. Simple Fresh Southern by Matt and Ted Lee - Simple Fresh Southern is the much-anticipated follow-up to the Lee brothers' highly successful debut cookbook, The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook. Their second effort promises updated takes on classic Southern flavors and techniques and is sure to be just as big of a hit as their first.

3. Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum - Rose Levy Beranbaum is the undisputed queen of cakes. According to Amazon.com, her Cake Bible is one of the best-selling cookbooks of all time. Her latest contribution to the world of baking offers her most decadent and jaw-dropping recipes yet, sure to make your dinner guests swoon (and rush out to buy their own copies of Heavenly Cakes).

4. Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson - I own two of Nigella's other cookbooks (How to Eat and How to be a Domestic Goddess), and it seems to me that where Nigella really shines is in creating festive yet simple holiday menus. This book would surely be useful for anyone who enjoys entertaining.

Man, I really need to have my own kitchen again!

An Ode to Gourmet

(A sampling of Gourmet's lovely photography)

I received my very last issue of Gourmet in the mail yesterday. I know I have already told all of you how heartbroken I am that the plug was pulled on such a wonderful magazine, but I am not quite ready to let go just yet. Browsing through the November issue (the annual Thanksgiving issue no less...thanks for nothing, Condé Nast!) was bittersweet. As always, the photos were gorgeous, the narratives inspiring, and the recipes mouthwatering. There was even a holiday menu featuring Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired dishes, which, as a born-and-raised Pennsylvania girl, made me proud. The recipe that I was most excited to see was for my all-time favorite holiday dish--corn pudding made with Cope's dried sweet corn (click here for the recipe). While I was in college and later in law school, I would call my mom every year in mid-November to make sure she had a box of Cope's in the cupboard. I simply could not imagine coming home for Thanksgiving and not having that sweet, creamy pudding on the table. It is a simple dish, made with just six ingredients: dried corn, eggs, milk, butter, sugar, and flour. The end result, however, is incredibly delicious and deeply satisfying--which is exactly what I want from a Thanksgiving meal. It also happens to be what I want from a food magazine. Gourmet, thank you for making me feel grateful to flip through your pages every month. You will be missed.

Photo Credits (clockwise from top left): Martyn Thompson, Romulo Yanes, Sang An, Henrik Knudsen, Marcus Nilsson, Romulo Yanes

Fall Reading List

Now that fall is officially here, it is time to put my summer reading list aside (in the end I made it through eight out of ten books--not bad) and make a new one. I'm still on a bit of a foodie book kick, but I tend to read more fiction than non-fiction in the cooler months, so I'm starting to make that transition. Here is a peak at what I'll be reading this season...



The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones. Those of you who saw Julie & Julia may remember Ms. Jones as the young spitfire editor responsible for finally getting Mastering the Art of French Cooking published. And that was just the beginning of a brilliant career in the food world.









The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth. This has been on my reading list for, oh...six years. Finally tackling it is #4 on my list of 28 things to do before I'm 28. At 756 pages (and narrow margins), this will be a challenge. I'm feeling up for it, though!








The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. A leftover from my summer reading list. I have read The House of Mirth (loved it) and The Age of Innocence (didn't love it), so this could go either way.









Sadly, what I will not be reading (after next month) is Gourmet magazine. The news broke yesterday that Condé Nast is shutting down the veteran publication after a nearly 70-year run. Honestly I don't know what they are thinking. Gourmet is an institution, and I will be heartbroken to see it disappear from newsstands. I guess nothing is sacred in this economy.





*****

What is on your reading lists this fall, my dears?

Becoming an Experiential Traveler

While perusing the magazine racks at the bookstore yesterday, I came across the premiere issue of brand-new (as of three days ago) travel magazine Afar. As a subscriber to Budget Travel and National Geographic Traveler (and occasional purchaser of such shamelessly affluent-centric publications as Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler), I don't really need another travel magazine in my mailbox or on my coffee table--especially one that costs $20 for six issues. But considering I read almost the entire first issue with a big smile on my face, I think this one just might be worth the extra clutter and the relatively hefty price tag.

Afar's tagline is "where travel can take you," and its target audience is the "experiential traveler"--the one who "travel[s] the world seeking to connect with its people, experience their culture, and understand their perspectives." The first issue contains a poignant editor's note, in which co-founder and CEO Greg Sullivan talks about the purpose of travel being more than just to "acquire" a place, like we acquire so many other things in life. This struck a real chord with me. As Zach can confirm, I often become manic when I travel, trying to cram as much doing and seeing into as short a period of time as possible. I am also obsessive about taking photographs, as if capturing enough images of a place will somehow make it mine. But is this really why I travel--simply to check a destination off of a list and bring back proof that I was there?

As some of you already know, I am heading to Europe in a few weeks for a somewhat spur-of-the-moment 20-day trip. I will be traveling to London (and hopefully a few other places in England) for the first time and Paris for the second time. Though I know I will spend a good amount of time visiting and taking snapshots of the major tourist sites in London (and to a lesser extent in Paris), I hope that I will also slow down and try to feel these places. This will mean putting my camera down once in a while and picking up a pen. It will mean overcoming my fear of people and striking up conversations with locals. It might also mean going to one less museum and participating in the creation of art instead. Though it probably won't be easy for me, I know that letting go of my check-list mentality will, in the end, make for a much more meaningful and memorable trip.

Afar is on newsstands now, so check it out--and have a great weekend!

Summer Reading List

For the past eight years, I have been in the habit of making a reading list for myself each season (and keeping track of it in the same Clairefontaine pocket notebook that I have had since my freshman year of college). These lists are sometimes overly ambitious, and I rarely manage to check off every item, but I have been doing pretty well this summer (thanks to my current state of unemployment). With more than a month to go before fall arrives--and with it, a new reading list--I have made it through six of the nine books on my list, and I am currently working on #7. This summer, interspersed amongst the usual classic and contemporary novels, I have read a few books on my favorite subject--food:



David Kamp is a self-described humoriste, and it shows in his entertaining account of America's culinary revolution. From James Beard to Julia Child, Alice Waters to Wolfgang Puck, Kamp covers all of the major contributors to the American food landscape over the past seven decades without ever coming across as dull and encyclopedic. A very enjoyable and informative summer read! (Thanks for lending it to me, Chabes...you will get it back soon!)





Unlike David Kamp, Barbara Kingsolver is less interested in how Americans prepare their food than she is in where their raw ingredients come from. Increasingly concerned about the low quality and high overhead costs of industrially-produced food, Kingsolver and her family set out to live for an entire year off of what they can produce or procure in their immediate vicinity in Virginia. For anyone with even a slight interest in growing their own food, this book will definitely inspire.






Named a "must-read" by just about everyone since it was published in 2006, The Omnivore's Dilemma hardly needs my recommendation. All I can say is that if you haven't read it yet, please please do. You will never look at food the same way again. It is simply no longer ethical or wise to eat without thinking about where our food comes from, because as Pollan says, you are not only what you eat, but also "what what you eat eats".