One of the last things I do before leaving for the airport on a trip—whether it’s a business trip or a family vacation—is load my Kindle with books. I can withstand any airline delay, cranky seatmate, or insomnia from jet lag if I have a book to read. Reading transports me to another world; I simply “check out” of my current situation and enjoy what the words are telling me. So, I read lots of books; in fact, several a week. So, today’s blog is about books that you might like to read as well.
Books Make Perfect Holiday Gifts
It’s almost holiday time. Are you making a gift list? Everybody has someone on that list who is hard to buy for. Or, friends and family want to give you a gift, but want your input. Either way, books make perfect gifts.
Here’s what I’m reading; each of these books has some relationship to food. Some are heavy reading and make you think; others are easy reading and just plain fun.
The Complete Guide to Living Well Gluten-Free by Beth Hillson (2014)
Beth’s new book is a great reference guide, especially for people who want a good overview of gluten-free living and related issues …such as choosing a physician, getting tested, setting up a gluten-free kitchen, understanding FODMAP, dating, dining out, traveling, etc.
Beth, a friend and colleague, is extremely well-qualified to write this book: she has celiac disease (in fact, she had it as a child, was pronounced “cured” yet was re-diagnosed later in life). She is also the founder of the Gluten-Free Pantry, food editor of Gluten-Free and More magazine (formerly Living Without), and president of the American Celiac Disease Alliance. I have known Beth for nearly 20 years and together we’ve watched the gluten-free industry grow from just a few of us trailblazers to the huge industry it is now.. and we both marvel at the changes.
I found the whole book extremely useful, but I especially like the section on frank answers to personal questions (the ones you’re hesitant to ask in public… such as “gluten smooching.” ) This book would be a great gift for a newly-diagnosed person because it is such a good overview of the whole gluten-intolerance issue and it has Beth’s great recipes, too. But, frankly, anyone who follows a gluten-free lifestyle will benefit from this book. And, Beth is also the author of another book, Gluten-Free Makeovers, which also makes a great gift.
Delicious by Ruth Reichl (2014)
The author, formerly of the now-defunct Gourmet magazine, writes her first novel about a young woman who takes a job in New York City as assistant to the editor of Delicious! Magazine and gets more than she bargained for….including a cache of old letters written by a young fan to James Beard. I found this novel fun to read and deliciously entertaining. This is the sort of book I save for reading during a vacation because it is so easy to keep up with the plot and doesn’t require deep thought.
The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz (2014)
The premise of this book is that there is no sound science behind the “low-fat” diet that we’ve been told to follow since 1980. In fact, we need fat in our diet and even saturated fat may not be the “bad guy.” Of all the books in this list, read this one for your health. I was stunned to learn about the role of fat in our diet and why avoiding it may be unhealthy.
Delancey: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant, A Marriage by Molly Wizenberg (2014)
The author, writer of the popular Orangette blog, chronicles the struggles she and her new husband endure in setting up a new restaurant in Seattle and the toll it takes on their marriage. If you ever considered starting your own restaurant, read this sobering memoir first. Molly has written previous memoirs, so check those out too because they give you some history on her perspective.
The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber (2014)
Chef of famous New York City restaurant, Blue Hill in Manhattan, and also with the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Westchester, NY, Barber describes how he envisions food (both the growing and eating of it). The “third plate” is his vision of how we will eat in the future. (I would tell you what this plate looks like, but that would be a spoiler.) I found the book to be a fascinating way of thinking about food and his writing style is entertaining and informative. I was actually sorry to see the book end.
Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love, and the Perfect Meal by Ava Chin (2014)
The author is known as the “Urban Forager” in the New York Times which means she eats plants, mushrooms, weeds, etc. that she finds growing in unlikely places in New York City. She describes finding things I didn’t know you could eat and her parallel story is her search for romantic love as well. This book opened my mind to other types of foods, though I won’t be digging up backyard weeds for dinner anytime soon.
The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones (2008)
This novel, by the author of Lost in Translation, focuses on a young widow who travels to Beijing to defend a paternity suit against her late husband’s estate. With that plot as the background, the widow—who happens to be a food writer—explores Chinese cuisine for a future article…only to find love with a Chinese chef. I loved the book and its portrayal of real Chinese food, not the Chinese buffets here in America.
Growing Older: A Chronicle of Death, Life, and Vegetables by Joan Dye Gussow (2010)
Though she in the same league as Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver, I had never read her books so I had no idea of what to expect. Now in her 80’s, this book chronicles her widowhood and how she adjusts to it, especially a garden which provides her food year-round, especially vegetables—despite continual flooding from a nearby river. My take-away from this book was how to look at aging. Gussow defies stereotypes and remains young and vibrant in mind as well as body.
Natural Prophets: From Health Foods to Whole Foods–How the Pioneers of the Industry Changed the Way We Eat and Reshaped American Business by Joe Dubrow (2014)
This is a history of the natural foods movement, with stories about household names such as Whole Foods, Celestial Seasonings, Wild Oats, Sprouts, etc. At one time, each of these companies was a mere start-up trailblazer, struggling for a place in what would become an $88 billion natural foods industry. Though gluten-free isn’t a focus of the book, it helped me understand the larger natural foods industry of which our gluten-free world is a part. This isn’t a novel or memoir and it isn’t light reading, but I’m glad I read the book.
100 Best Quick Gluten-Free Recipes by Carol Fenster (2014)
My new book is the perfect gift: small, very colorful, hardback so it will wear well, and full of quick recipes to make your life easier. All of the recipes can be made in less than 30 minutes (some much quicker than that) and my goal is to help you feed yourself and your family with minimal effort. I’m especially pleased with the gorgeous full-color photos. They make you want to lick the page!
