I love a goblin market in fantasy, and I didn't realize this famous poem influenced many later works. Great poem, very engaging, excellent descriptionI love a goblin market in fantasy, and I didn't realize this famous poem influenced many later works. Great poem, very engaging, excellent descriptions of food in a way that relates to lust....more
A very silly, short urban fantasy book based around a magical catering company. It was entertaining. I've heard the series gets better as you go alongA very silly, short urban fantasy book based around a magical catering company. It was entertaining. I've heard the series gets better as you go along, and since they are all so short, I'll probably read the next one or two....more
A biography of Julia Child's later years. Like the previous book My Life in France, there is a lot of detail in here. Some of it was interesting to meA biography of Julia Child's later years. Like the previous book My Life in France, there is a lot of detail in here. Some of it was interesting to me, but some of it was unnecessary and it dragged on a bit....more
The story of a Vietnamese refugee's life and struggle to make a career for herself in America. I think there's just the right amount of food mixed in The story of a Vietnamese refugee's life and struggle to make a career for herself in America. I think there's just the right amount of food mixed in with personal stories. I do think Kathy was quite overbearing in the book, and I assume is the same in life, but obviously I don't know for sure....more
I absolutely love Ruth Reichl's nonfiction books. She's my favorite food writer. The first quarter of this fiction book was excellent. She took a lot I absolutely love Ruth Reichl's nonfiction books. She's my favorite food writer. The first quarter of this fiction book was excellent. She took a lot of her real life experiences and tweaked them, incorporating them into the story. Her descriptions of food were, as always, incredible.
Once the plot really got going, I lost interest. There's a mystery revolving around letters written by a young girl in WWII. There's a romance storyline but the love interest was very boring to me. It was very predictable. I really struggled to get through it....more
This book had a lot of potential but unfortunately it fell flat. It didn't really know what kind of story it wanted to be.
It wasn't light, fluffy or rThis book had a lot of potential but unfortunately it fell flat. It didn't really know what kind of story it wanted to be.
It wasn't light, fluffy or romantic enough to be a fun Chick Lit or beach read. It had a lame mystery about a character's death before the novel started which wasn't interesting or given the time it needed to truly flesh it out. The family drama was really shallow.
I would of loved this book if it went farther in one of those directions. Either focus more on the cafe, the light fantasy, the eccentric birding group and the quirky small town characters, or lean hard into the generational family drama, and have the characters dealing with grief and finding themselves. It kind of fails at both. It's still a 3 star read, but it could've been a 5 star with some more focus....more
I've never eaten at one of Chang's restaurants, but I've seen his Netflix shows, and I was a big Anthony Bourdain fan. I liked the conversations he haI've never eaten at one of Chang's restaurants, but I've seen his Netflix shows, and I was a big Anthony Bourdain fan. I liked the conversations he has about the food and restaurant industry as a whole, along with his personal history and what drives him to find success.
He's definitely underplaying how much his crappy behavior has affected everyone around him, and makes a lot of excuses for it. I've read a few chef memoirs now and they all tend to do the same thing. They list their bad decisions and temper tantrums and explain it away as saying "That's how the industry is. Deal with it." I don't accept that as a reason for being a jerk.
Overall I'm giving this a 4 star rating. I do think it was very well written, even though the author starts off the book by apologizing for how poorly written he thinks the book is....more
For some reason I was very confused reading these stories. I didn't understand what was going on or what the point was. That's a me problem - I'm sureFor some reason I was very confused reading these stories. I didn't understand what was going on or what the point was. That's a me problem - I'm sure other will love this....more
This book was full of interesting facts and stories, but I didn't find it to be very engaging to read. I've read several other non-fiction books whereThis book was full of interesting facts and stories, but I didn't find it to be very engaging to read. I've read several other non-fiction books where the author brought the story to life. This author's writing didn't do that for me. Honestly I was pretty disappointed....more
This book is even weirder than the synopsis says it is - which is good. I just wished the writing was different. It felt pretty juvenile, and almost lThis book is even weirder than the synopsis says it is - which is good. I just wished the writing was different. It felt pretty juvenile, and almost like the author was trying too hard to sound literary.
I don't know what the actual point of the story was. It's clearly trying to say something, but I have no idea what it is. I do think I liked this book. It just could've been much better....more
I will never understand the Enemies to Lovers trope. If someone is an asshole, I don't care how hot they are, I will never be attracted to them. Both I will never understand the Enemies to Lovers trope. If someone is an asshole, I don't care how hot they are, I will never be attracted to them. Both of these characters were awful. The coincidences that kept putting them in the same place at the same time were ridiculous (they were literally sitting next to each other on a 9 hour flight that neither of them was planning to take). There wasn't enough food for a book where the main characters own food trucks.
I literally hated every minute of this book but had to finish it for a book club....more
This is a very detailed history of olive oil and the business surrounding it. It was great. It made me surprisingly hungry considering it was talking This is a very detailed history of olive oil and the business surrounding it. It was great. It made me surprisingly hungry considering it was talking about oil. The amount of fraud that people get away with in the food industry as a whole blows my mind. If you're a foodie, you'll enjoy this book....more
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