December Book Review

Books for Cooks: short reviews for your reading and cooking pleasure
This month’s review is by Catherine Adde

As the weather turns frosty with nights drawing in, baking goodies replaces reading as a pastime. When in Wales for past holidays, I cooked on a wood burning stove, converting recipes from US measurements to UK metric. This activity would cut in to my reading time, so I thought it appropriate to combine the love of both; providing you with fun books including recipes.

First is A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena di Blasi. This romantic memoir is Marlena’s adventure, i.e., packing up her life in the states to marry a Venetian. She and her man move from Venice to Tuscany, finally settling in Umbria. She was an editor at Bon Appétit, is a serious chef, and sprinkles her passionate memoirs with favourite Italian recipes. Her husband loves the fried Zucchini Flowers best. YUM! Check out the companion volume: A Thousand Days in Tuscany and hopefully the Library will buy her book The Lady in the Palazzo.

Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser is a food lover’s courtship. Amanda is a restaurant critic in New York and food snob; however, her memoir is delightful as she converts her fiancé from regular Joe to “Grand Gourmand.” The recipes are to die for. Follow this book up with Eat Cake!, a novel by Jeanne Ray. It’s the story of one family’s troubles, with cake as therapy. It’s not the best book I’ve read, however, each chapter ends with a delectable cake recipe. ENJOY!

CALL # STATUS:
NON FIC
945.5
FIC RAY

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