I'm definitely going through a "reading-time," as evidenced by the four library books filling my mantle. (Alright, so, one is a giant cookbook, but still- that's four books, for me, from the library!)
First up: The Romantics by Galt Niederhoffer:
I was watching a movie recently (don't remember now what movie it was), and saw a preview for a movie called "The Romantics." At the end of the trailer, it said it was based on the novel, and I instantly went online to see what the book was really about- bc, that's what you do when you're home alone, your husband is away (endlessly) for a trial, and you have your laptop literally on your lap while watching a movie on the tv. :)
Anyway, it's not great, it's not terrible, it's just...an entertaining novel. It's a bit sad, too, that it's so entertaining, considering that it's about "best" college friends who all start turning on each other, abandoning loyalties, abandoning marriages, commitments,...hmm. I don't know- I read it in the tub, at short spurts- maybe that makes it easier to deal with!
Next, there's The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn:
This one was from a recommendation on Flashlight Worthy Books, a site that offers book recommendations based on lists- for instance, there are lists like "Books Set in NYC," or "Some of the Best Modern Japanese Fiction." Love this site!
Anyway, it's about a woman who, after finding herself suddenly jobless and scrambling, decides to fulfill her dream of attending classes at Le Cordon Bleu while she has the chance. Love the idea, in theory, bc it sounds truly terrifying to be unemployed, facing a termination of one's work permit (she was an American living and working in London), and then deciding to just go to cooking school in Paris w/your savings!
Still, the bits about the classes, and the yummy-sounding recipes make it a really fun read!
Then, there's Life is Meals by James and Kay Salter:
This is actually one of the most interesting books I've read in awhile. It's "interesting" bc it's in a kind of journal-entry format, and most of the entries have very little to do w/food, though it's a common theme, I guess. For instance, one entry told about how Balzac would daily drink about 30 cups of coffee (yikes!) when writing. Another included a story about a dinner w/Lord Byron. It's set up w/an entry per day, which is fun, bc there's a weird story/recipe for each day of the year!
And finally, the massive cookbook- La Cucina from the Italian Academy of Cuisine:
This idea came from a site called One Kings Lane, and they were having a sale on kitchen items, cookbooks included. I browsed through a few, for ideas, and after looking at this one on Amazon, decided that it might be fun- from the library. We don't need any more cookbooks around here, and for 9 weeks or so, we can enjoy it for free, thanks to the library!
I had no idea how big it was going to be! I picked it up today and...sheesh, what a bad time to have to walk home! It's 928 pages, and the librarian said that I should be happy that there were no pictures, bc then it would have been even heavier. I was not happy, however, that there were no pictures- how will I know what things are supposed to look like?? Eesh.
I don't know too much about Italian cooking, but from what I've learned today while skimming through the book, it involves lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano added to things! ;) I did get pretty excited about the idea of making handmade ravioli- didn't sound too tricky. (Famous last words?) Anyway, it's a pretty fun book, bc it gives lots of tips, lots of info on the recipe, its background, its placement in the country by region...pretty interesting.
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So, that's the tour of "what-I've-been-reading"! Hope you enjoyed that! ;) OH, and I also just ordered the new book for the Bloom Book Club- it's called Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller. Add that to the list! :)
Now that I've spilled my guts about all the millions of pages I'll be staring at for the next month or so, what are you all reading??
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