Recent Reads

I told you I've been busy reading!

And this stack was mostly pretty enjoyable.

The books all revolve round two of my most favorite topics.

Food.

And living vicariously through armchair travel.

So, let's begin.....

"The Olive Farm"  by Carol Drinkwater was a great read if you enjoyed books such as Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence"  and "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mayes.  Which I did.  Carol, an English actress, and her French husband-to-be, Michel, pour all their savings into the purchase of a rundown, overgrown olive farm.  This is the story of their trials, tribulations and triumphs.  The sub-title, "A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil in the South of France"  pretty well sums it up.  Excellent!

"Toast"  by Nigel Slater was...well...interesting.  I had never heard of Nigel Slater before I picked up this book---turns out he has written quite a few cook books and a popular London newspaper column.  I just bought it because I liked the title.  And the cover.  A memoir of Slater's childhood and growing up years through the viewpoint of food, it covers everything from milk to eggs and what happens when he eats them.  Let's just say he was a picky eater.  Of course, not being English, I didn't know most of the brand names mentioned or the foods he was telling about, but still, I got the basic idea.  Not a must read, but entertaining on a cold winter evening.

I bought this next book at a rummage sale for the title alone.  "French Women Don't Get Fat"  by Mireille Guiliano.  While this is pretty much a diet book, there are lots of interesting ideas presented on the differences in eating between the French and Americans, eating seasonal and fresh foods, plus tips for eating as you get older to name a few.  Lots of recipes if you are inclined to cook.  I'm not.  I did enjoy this book---I'm glad the title reeled me in.

"Julie & Julia"  by Julie Powell.  I suppose everyone else has either seen the movie or read the book by now....I'm just slow.  Plot:  Julie is cooking her way through Julia Child's classic "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".  365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen says the tag line.  That should also include a sailor's vocabulary.  Julie starts a blog to chart her progress and some of her bleaders  {as she so lovingly calls her readers} comment that she uses the word f**k  too often.  I agree.  While I loved the idea  of this book, I was actually disappointed.  Sorry.

"True Confections"  by Katharine Weber was probably my favorite of this stack.  I had a little trouble getting into things at the beginning, but it didn't take long and I was hooked.  Alice Tatnall goes to work at Zip's Candies straight out of high school, marries the owner's son by October, eventually ending up running the company.  Covering the history of the Ziplinsky family from the early 1900s, this tale also tells much about the candy industry in America.  Ooey gooey, full of love, betrayal, family bickering, and, of course, lots of chocolate.  I enjoyed this one!

Have you read any of these?

What did you think?

What has caught your attention lately?

I'm already well into my next stack.

Once again all from authors I've read and enjoyed.....

Comments

[Linda @ A La Carte]

I always enjoy your book reviews. I've not read any of these and none have made me want to run out and buy them. I've got such a stack of books right now that I dare not add more. hugs, Linda

[Bobbi]

The Olive Farm sounds really good! I have to differ with you on Julie & Julia though; the language was one of the things I liked about it;) I read it at a time when I was feeling really repressed in the culture I found myself in, so reading f*** every other sentence felt freeing to me:) I read most of French Women Don't Get Fat, but think I put it down to go eat some cheese and pastry and forgot to finish reading. Ha ha!