Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Blood, Bones and Butter

Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton 2011

This memoir proves that sometimes what we learn when we’re young stays with us for our entire lives. This is true, not only for Gabrielle Hamilton’s inevitable path into making food for others, but also her troubling inability to maintain healthy relationships. As Hamilton’s once idyllic childhood comes to an abrupt end with a divorce and subsequent abandonment, she sets her life on a course of hard living and independence. This no-holds-barred, quickly moving narrative allows the reader an uncensored view into the complex world of the author - from her lesbian relationships, to her heterosexual marriage, and from her low-paying kitchen jobs to owning her own restaurant.

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Day of Honey

Day of Honey by Annia Ciezadlo 2011

Love can bring us to places we never expected. Annia Ciezadlo is a New York reporter who falls in love with a fellow American reporter with Middle East origins. When he gets a job as a Middle East bureau chief, Annia goes with him and spends the next several years in Iraq and then Lebanon. Trying to make a home in war torn countries, Annia turns to food for comfort. She explores the history of both Iraqi and Lebanese food and looks at how food is intertwined with family, nationality, love, power, and war. This fast moving account offers both personal stories of Annia’s time abroad, as well as political snapshots that give readers insight into the lives of those who must live in a world of political upheaval.

Readalike: Peace Meals by Anna Badkhen

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: The Sweet Life in Paris

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City by David Lebovitz 2009

Pastry chef, Chez Panisse alum, award winning cookbook author, blogger extraordinaire, David Lebovitz has just about done it all. And now he’s living in Paris, cooking for friends, writing _more_ cookbooks, and has published one of the most entertaining, funny, acerbic and well-written guides to Paris and Parisians that I have ever read. And it has recipes too!
To get a sense of Lebovitz’s writing style, take a look at his blog: www.davidlebovitz.com

Fiction Pick of the Week: Apple Turnover Murder

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke 2010

Apple Turnover Murder is the 13th book in the Hannah Swenson mystery series and Fluke is brilliant yet again! This is a great cozy mystery series set in Lake Eden, Minnesota. Hannah is the owner of The Cookie Jar, a cookie bakery, and seems to always stumble across a dead body somewhere in town. As an amateur detective she is on the case with her sisters Andrea and Michelle. This time they are trying to solve the murder of college professor and womanizer Bradford Ramsey. As well her ongoing romances with both the town dentist Norman and one of the town’s police officers, Mike, seem to be running into some difficulties. As in all her books there is the added bonus of the wonderful recipes included in the book. After reading Apple Turnover Murder last weekend we made Wacky Cake and it was delicious. Although this book is part of a series, it is not necessary to read the books in order, but if you want a real treat start with Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder and read your way through the entire series, you won’t be disappointed!

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Ratio

Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman 2009

For someone who dislikes cookbooks almost as much as cooking, this book was a delightful surprise. As the author notes, it is actually an ‘anti-recipe book’ because understanding the basic ingredient weight ratios underlying various doughs, batters, stocks and sauces is like knowing thousands of recipes. While one still needs to appreciate the other variables that affect the end result, understanding the kitchen science of why varying proportions of flour, liquid, eggs, sugar and fat can have such different outcomes should lead to more confidence and independence in cooking and baking. Give this book and its approach a try because, particularly in this case, the proof will be in the pudding!