Staff Picks

Delights and Prejudices by James Beard. Drawings by Earl Thollander [Book]

view/request

This American culinary icon began life on the Oregon coast, where his mother ran a high-class boarding house renowned for the quality of its food. Beard’s was not a happy childhood, but it was a feast for all the senses, since the raw ingredients were incomparable and the dishes were international in flavor and epicurean in quality. Beard would learn to transform these experiences into the basis of a long and successful career writing cookbooks, teaching at his own cooking school and, later, on his own television shows, and helping establish notable New York restaurants.

The man who ate everything by Jeffrey Steingarten [Book]

view/request

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann [Book]

view/request

This entertaining mystery, in which a flock of Irish sheep search for their shepherd’s killer, delivers more than it promises. As you’d expect, it’s funny, charming, and imaginative… but it’s not just a lighthearted cozy. The sheep are real, fascinating characters with as much tragedy as comedy in their lives, and the author never forgets that they aren’t simply humans in woolly coats.

By turns hilarious, mysterious, and lyrical, this fine debut novel transcends its genre and should appeal to a broad range of fiction readers.

Beautifully translated from the German by Anthea Bell.

Lulu’s Provencal table by Richard Olney [Book]

view/request

No one writes about French cooking in English as well as Richard Olney, and this collaboration with Lulu Peyraud offers a rare delight—quality time spent in the kitchen in the company of an extraordinary Provençal cook. She chatters as she cooks, Olney listens and observes, and the result is perhaps the best description ever given of a cook who works not from recipes but from instinct, years of practice, and hands-on familiarity.

Home cooking by Laurie Colwin [Book]

view/request

Although Laurie Colwin is best known for her novels, she was also a gifted food writer, perhaps because her novelist’s sensibility provided a lively and unusual perspective on the trials and joys of “ordinary” home cooking. To name just three of the essays—Stuffed Breast of Veal: A Bad Idea; Repulsive Dinners: A Memoir; Easy Cooking for Exhausted People—is to show that here is a writer staking out her own delightfully opinionated territory. And the recipes are as rewarding to make as the prose is to read.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett [Book]

view/request

This bestselling debut novel has become one of my favorites. Skeeter, a new college graduate of Ole Miss, returns home in 1962 dreaming of becoming a writer. She takes a columnist position giving household cleaning advice to housewives. Knowing little on the subject, she asks advice of her friend’s black maid, Aibileen. Each week, Skeeter learns more about Aibileen’s life and her stories as a maid. She then meets Aibileen’s friend, Minny, a sassy and outspoken maid with equally interesting stories. Together the three women come together on a risky project that will bring change and awareness to their community.

An Omelette and A Glass of Wine by Elizabeth David [Book]

view/request

This collection of essays originally published in British newspapers and magazines allows easy entry into the writing of one of the greatest food writers of all time. Her books are glorious but dense; but here she touches deftly and lightly on all manner of culinary topics, from what makes a true sardine to the pleasures of cooking French food in your own little holiday kitchen in France. There are recipes throughout, but read this book for its witty, evocative, clear-eyed prose.

Hungry planet : what the world eats by Peter Menzel and written by Faith D’Aluisio [Book]

view/request

A photo-chronicle that visits families in twenty-four countries in every inhabited continent, each photographed amidst their weekly food purchases. The accompanying text details food-intake lists with costs noted; provides typical family recipes; and draws on this data to produce such illuminating essays as “Diabesity,” about the worldwide epidemic of obesity and diabetes.

American Food Writing : An Anthology with Classic Recipes by Molly O’Neill [Book]

view/request

This wide-ranging collection of essays, journal entries, excerpts from novels, and selected recipes spans three centuries of American eating, in prose that is often as appetizing as its subjects. Even dedicated readers of food writing will find much here that is completely unfamiliar, and those new to the genre will put the book down with a fresh respect for and delight in our astonishing culinary largess.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender [Book]

view/request

Rose has a magical gift; she is able to taste people’s emotions in the food that they prepare. Rose views this gift as a curse. She is able to feel the emotions of her family and friends and learn their deepest secrets. With solid writing and an original storyline, this new novel is quickly working its way up the bestseller lists.

Stay by Allie Larkin [Book]

view/request

A heartbroken woman, Van, tries to get on with her life after the man she is in love with marries her best friend. During a late night Rin Tin Tin marathon, she accidentally buys a Slovakian German Shepard while under the influence of vodka. With the dog’s help, Van works to rebuild her life and meets a handsome veterinarian.

The Art of Racing in the Rain : A Novel by Garth Stein [Book]

view/request

The art of racing in the rain is one of my favorite books this year. The novel is narrated by a dog, Enzo, who observes and supports his family going through a crisis. His insights are spot on. This book made me rather emotional: I laughed out loud when Enzo attacked the “dancing zebra;” I cried when a loved one died; I got mad, really mad at the “evil twins.” This novel is touching and meaningful in so many ways.