Laurie Colwin’s Home Cooking and More Home Cooking are two funny, comforting volumes of food writing. Colwin intends to show that cooking is fun aLaurie Colwin’s Home Cooking and More Home Cooking are two funny, comforting volumes of food writing. Colwin intends to show that cooking is fun and easy to do at home, but sometimes the recipes themselves are a little vague or casual, so I might not recommend actually cooking from them unless you’re already a relatively experienced cook. The real reason to read these books is the writing itself. This new edition contains a lovely introduction by Ruth Reichl, herself a food writer extraordinaire. If you like food writing, these books are for you....more
My sister, who has always been a fan of food writing, lent me Laurie Colwin’s two volumes on home cooking many years ago, and I was just alright with My sister, who has always been a fan of food writing, lent me Laurie Colwin’s two volumes on home cooking many years ago, and I was just alright with them. I think this is probably because, at the time, I was somewhat inexperienced in both cooking and life and therefore did not appreciate the wisdom the books impart on both. Colwin’s brand of gentle humor seemed to land better this time around, too. I decided to read these again because I was drawn to the beautiful redesigned paperback editions; I started with More Home Cooking because I remembered preferring it last time, and because it had a new introduction by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen fame. Having reread both books in quick succession, though, I think it would be better for the new reader to read them in order (Home Cooking followed by More Home Cooking). She does refer to the first volume occasionally in this one, and some concepts from the first book go unexplained here because she figures you already know. If you like food writing, though, both books are recommended....more
As she did in her other books, Mindy delves into some serious topics in this short essay collection, including her "kind of Hindu" faith and her life As she did in her other books, Mindy delves into some serious topics in this short essay collection, including her "kind of Hindu" faith and her life as a single mother. For me, though, the most enjoyable essays were the ones where Mindy just tells funny stories about things that have happened to her in L.A. Definitely recommend this for any reader looking for some fun....more
Why would I, a person who has read all of David Sedaris's books at least once and owns most of them, need a copy of The Best of Me? Well, because it'sWhy would I, a person who has read all of David Sedaris's books at least once and owns most of them, need a copy of The Best of Me? Well, because it's an excuse to reread David Sedaris, of course! This volume contains David Sedaris's personal favorites of all the essays and stories he's published, and while not all of them are my own personal favorites, they were still a pleasure to (re)read. Recommended!...more
At this point, Joan Didion doesn't need my stamp of approval or anyone's, but I'm happy to say this collection did not disappoint. Of course, what disAt this point, Joan Didion doesn't need my stamp of approval or anyone's, but I'm happy to say this collection did not disappoint. Of course, what distinguishes Let Me Tell You What I Mean (and her previous book, South and West) from her earlier collections is that, although these pieces are mostly decades old, they've been chosen with an eye toward what would still resonate now. Don't get me wrong: most of the essays in Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The White Album still resonate, but it's inevitable that each of those collections contains some pieces that read as dated today. Not really the case here, although some of the earliest, shortest ones did feel a little slight. My favorites were her essays on writing, the lovely piece on Hemingway, and the incisive look at Martha Stewart's enterprise. Really my only gripe is that this book is tiny; I suspect Didion's publisher has a few similar volumes up their sleeve and is parceling the work out accordingly. But let's not kid ourselves—when those volumes come out we're gonna buy them and read them and be grateful for them, as well we should.
P.S. When I read The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free earlier this year, I learned that Didion had written an article about one of Helen Gurley Brown's early book tours, and I hoped it would appear in this collection. It doesn't, but it's available free online and it's just as fun and biting as you'd expect—an early precursor to the Martha Stewart piece. Read it here: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2......more
That I started reading Eat Joy on the first full day of pandemic lockdown was no coincidence. In those days of raw uncertainty (as opposed to these daThat I started reading Eat Joy on the first full day of pandemic lockdown was no coincidence. In those days of raw uncertainty (as opposed to these days of weary uncertainty) what could be more appealing than the idea of a joy so present, so tangible, you could eat it? The contributors to Eat Joy are mostly acclaimed authors (including Carmen Maria Machado, Colum McCann, Nick Flynn, Mira Jacob) and their excellent essays portray sorrow, fear, ambivalence, hopelessness—until, of course, food and cooking swoop in to save the day. Some of the recipes aren't legit—see Anthony Doerr's brownie mix plus water, which he ate with a spoon while on a camping trip—but most of them are, and many of them sound delicious. The illustrations are beautiful and my only complaint is that there aren't more of them. There's something about food writing that's so comforting; maybe it's just the acknowledgment that something that's so necessary can also be the source of so much pleasure, "self-care" in both senses of the term. If that's what you're craving these days, I definitely recommend Eat Joy.
Thanks to the excellent publisher Catapult for the review copy. As always, my opinions are my own....more
It pains me to say that this wasn't great. After loving (and laughing my face off at) Irby's first two collections, I was sure the awesomely titled WoIt pains me to say that this wasn't great. After loving (and laughing my face off at) Irby's first two collections, I was sure the awesomely titled Wow, No Thank You. would be the perfect spirits-lifting quarantine read, but for me it just wasn't. First, it covered a lot of the same ground as her previous two books; her rough past was really interesting to read about the first two times, but three was too many. She's also just as self-deprecating as ever, and while self-deprecation is usually great for some laughs, she needs to stop centering it in the idea that she's a loser who will never have her life together. Hello? She's had two (now three) bestselling books, her first book was optioned for TV by one of the Broad City stars (the series never actually got made, but just being optioned is more than most writers get), and she was handpicked by Lindy West to be a writer on the Hulu series Shrill. On the personal front, she got married and now seems to co-own a house. She's a success by so many measures! I understand she might still feel like a loser, but going forward she needs to find a more convincing way to write about it. On the plus side, I did enjoy reading about how she got her first book deal and about her experiences writing for Shrill in L.A. But I just didn't laugh as crazy hard as I did at her first two books, and it's a shame, because I could have really used some crazy hard laughing at the time that I was reading this.
What do we have here? It's the last book I finished before we abruptly locked down in March! Although I myself read it before things in the U.S. went What do we have here? It's the last book I finished before we abruptly locked down in March! Although I myself read it before things in the U.S. went completely batshit, it's still one of two books I would recommend for this particular moment in history (the other is The Book of Delights). Here for It doesn't turn a blind eye to the many (many, many) things wrong with this world, but its humorous and ultimately hopeful tone is a balm for the soul....more
Things started off really well between Alexander Chee and me. I loved reading about his childhood and family issues, how he decided to go into writingThings started off really well between Alexander Chee and me. I loved reading about his childhood and family issues, how he decided to go into writing, his early class with Annie Dillard, his experiences with an AIDS activist group after college. The writing was spectacular, intelligent and engaging. But then things got a little iffy: I thought some of his observations about class and about the power of [extremely conventional] female beauty were too simplistic, and I, a long-lapsed Catholic, was not feeling the fascination that Chee, a non-Catholic, had with the Church. But really the problem was me: I should know by now that I can't read an essay collection straight through; eventually all the stopping and starting annoys me, and I take it out on the author. I wisely put the book aside for a while, and when I picked it back up I was once again in Chee's thrall—I truly loved all the pieces on writing and publishing his first novel. The last essay, on whether making art matters when the world is a complete shitstorm, had me in tears by the final page. I was more than moved: I felt unspeakably lucky, to be alive, and to be alive in a world where this book exists. Every author wants to have that effect. Add Alexander Chee to the short list of authors who can achieve it....more
So what's a trick mirror, anyway? Seriously, what is it? I googled three different ways and all I found was references to this book. (If you know, pleSo what's a trick mirror, anyway? Seriously, what is it? I googled three different ways and all I found was references to this book. (If you know, please tell me in the comments! Edit: Thanks, Marchpane!) I'm assuming a trick mirror is a mirror that shows you something different depending on how you look at it, blurring the lines between what's real and what isn't. If I'm right, it's an apt title for the book as well as an apt description of the experience of reading it.
When I began Trick Mirror, I was quickly impressed by Tolentino's writing, so unlike previous essay collections I'd read by people around her age. She wasn't just speaking off the cuff; everything she said was backed up by copious secondary sources. And yet, eventually all those secondary sources made me feel like I was reading a series of term papers. So much synthesis of other people's work! Haven't we covered a lot of this ground already? Haven't we been debating "girl power" feminism since the Spice Girls? Didn't we go just go over whether feminists need to support all women's choices back when Sarah Palin was hunting wolves by shooting them from a helicopter (or whatever the hell it was)? Rape culture on campus; the commercialization of weddings—these are worthy topics, as evidenced by the fact that they've already been written about over and over again.
But every time I thought my skepticism would torpedo my experience of this book, Tolentino would express something in a way I'd never heard it expressed before. Ultimately, her fluency is in the contradictions, the way the mirror shows us different things from different angles. It's true that in some ways women are in a better position than ever before: We can get a credit card or loan without a man's permission; we can hold virtually any job and attend virtually any university; it's now illegal to beat or rape us even if you're married to us, and more people than ever seem to get that sexual harassment is a thing. In this atmosphere, Tolentino worries that by discussing sexist sentiments we're actually helping to perpetuate them. On the other hand, the fact that we keep discussing them seems to imply they still hold quite a bit of significance, and of course they do. On paper, we have most of the same rights as men (save reproductive rights), yet things still seem pretty bad out there, in any number of ways. This is a murky, murky time, and the only way out is through it. I applaud Tolentino for being willing to wade into these muddy waters, and I hope she continues to do so. She's a serious thinker, and we've got a lot to think about....more
I'm not going to lie, I have stacks of books in pretty much all of my closets (come at me, Marie Kondo!), and I was looking for something else last weI'm not going to lie, I have stacks of books in pretty much all of my closets (come at me, Marie Kondo!), and I was looking for something else last week when I found my copy of A Broom of One's Own and inexplicably got a strong feeling that it should be my next book. Clearly my hunch was right, because I flew through this in a day—a day, I feel compelled to add, that included 7 hours of sleep and an 8-hour workday. I just loved everything about this.
A Broom of One's Own is a memoir of Nancy Peacock's life as both an acclaimed novelist and as someone who cleans houses for a living. Although the book is 10 years old, it's quite timely in this age when it's hard for any writer to make a living from their writing. So Peacock dusts bookshelves that contain copies of her own books. She deals with people's reactions to the fact that a published novelist is cleaning houses to support herself. She muses on what she could do instead that would support the writing life she wants to have. She addresses a lot of issues of class and creativity and writes movingly about some of the households she worked for. I loved Peacock's voice and thought this was such a great antidote to all of the MFA holders the publishing industry is always telling us are amazing because they have MFAs. This book was pretty short, but I could have read many more pages of this sort of thing. I'm so glad I found this book and listened to my own imperative to read it. It definitely came along at exactly the right time....more
![Nothing Like I Imagined [Except For Sometimes]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601998649l/55581591._SY75_.jpg)
Loading...
