Hungry readers like me are constantly in search of another powerful story to read. I always have about 20 books patiently waiting my attention and then am disappointed when a book proves less-worthy than it could have been. So I thought I would share a few different kinds of novels that I have come across - novels not written in the traditional form. If you know of others, please share!
"In these linked stories, Mark Kurlansky reveals the bond that can hold people together, tear them apart, or make them become vegan: food. Through muffins or hot dogs, an indigenous Alaskan fish soup, a bean curd Thanksgiving turkey or potentially toxic crème brulee, a rotating cast of characters learns how to honor the past, how to realize you're not in love with someone any more, and how to forgive. These women and men meet and eat and love, leave and drink and in the end, come together in Seattle as they are as inextricably linked with each other as they are with the food they eat and the wine they drink."
I am not a short-story reader, but I was fascinated by this colelction of 16 stories that I stumbled across in the library last week. The author carefully crafts 16 entirely unique stories, but each one has a character or prop or location that is somehow connected to each other story. You have to pay very close attention to catch some of the connections. The individual stories are beautifully written considering they span such a wide range of topics and settings and the entire collection is pieced together perfectly. What a nice surprise!
"As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a
spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all."
LIFE ON THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR"Heartfelt, touching, and unforgettable, Life on the Refrigerator Door is a glimpse into the lives of mothers and daughters everywhere. In this deeply to
uching novel told through a series of notes written from a loving mother and her devoted fifteen-year-old daughter, debut author Alice Kuipers deftly captures the impenetrable fabric that connects mothers and daughters throughout the world. Moving and rich with emotion, Life on the Refrigerator Door delivers universal lessons about love in a wonderfully simple and poignant narrative."
LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE"Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit.
The number one bestseller in Mexico and America for almost two years, and subsequently a bestseller around the world, "Like Water For Chocolate" is a romantic, poignant tale, touched with moments of magic, graphic earthiness, bittersweet wit - and recipes. "
There is an endless stream of novels which include recipes in each chapter in the last few years. However, Like Water for Chocolate actually crafts the recipe language to reflect upon the content in the chapter, and this is an element I think most food-related novels lack. The usual tendency is to write about seafood (for example) and then leave the reader with a seafood recipe at the end of the chapter. I think that's fine. It's not neat, moving, exciting, or thought-provoking; it's just fine. But if colorful food narratives pique your interest, then you will enjoy this novel.
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