reading + eating
August is finally here and it feels like it. My part of Michigan has finally gotten the memo that it’s summer — it like soup out there. Hot and wet. Blech. But, I guess, more time to read indoors! I actually had a pretty good reading month. Six books including two that pretty much everyone should check out. (See the 4-star section.)
If you’re looking for a powerful coming-of-age story about a fiercely resilient girl, look no further than Tiffany McDaniel’s Betty. Based on the life of her mother and crafted out of a series of Q&A sessions with her family members, it is a gritty read that doesn’t shy away from abuse or violence. It’s also inspiring and hopeful.
Betty was born in 1954 to a Cherokee father, Landon, and a white mother, Alka. Though many of her siblings favored their mother, Betty had the dark skin of her father. Growing up, she was witness to terrible acts of racism toward her father and experienced the same prejudices herself. Rather than turning inward, Betty continues to be curious about the world and takes pen to paper to record real-life stories alongside her imaginings.
[Read more…] about Betty + Jewel Pudding PieToday’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is an interesting one. And, actually, it’s next week’s topic, but I’ll be doing my reading recap then, so I thought I’d get ahead of it. Anyway, I’ll be sharing my list of 10 books I’ve loved but never reviewed.
There are a few reasons I haven’t reviewed the books on this list, mostly that they didn’t have a food tie-in, and I always pair my reviews with recipes. Some, though, I read before I started blogging and haven’t gotten around to re-reading… and will I? It’s hard to say. For others, life got in the way. Still, all of these books are great and I suggest you check them out.
Without further ado:
[Read more…] about Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’ve Loved but Never ReviewedI cannot believe four whole years have gone by since my first Hungry Bookworm post. When I couldn’t consistently find a resource for book-inspired food to accompany the books I was discussing at my book clubs, I decided to do it myself. I had no idea that it was something I would still be doing four years down the road, but, here we are! To date, I’ve posted 280 times. I’ve reviewed, in some capacity, almost 300 books. I’ve made 188 recipes. I’ve blogged elsewhere, and hosted a few guest bloggers here as well.
I’ve also had some obstacles along the way — my pregnancy last year left me too nauseated to read or cook most of the time, severely limiting my usual post output; my attempt at a cute little online Blind Date with a Book shop received a lot of love and compliments but not much business (and I “closed” it earlier this year) — but I’ve continued on. I’m so proud of myself for taking the leap to start this blog in the first place, but then to be able to keep it going week after week, month after month, and year after year is more than I would’ve thought myself capable of.
[Read more…] about 4th Anniversary: A Look BackSue Monk Kidd’s latest novel The Book of Longings is one that I was very much looking forward to reading. I loved The Secret Life of Bees and I also enjoyed The Invention of Wings, though not quite as much. In both of them, her writing and storytelling completely drew you in and held you through until the end. I was expecting much the same in this story, which is about Jesus’ wife, Ana. (Yes, that Jesus.)
And, aside from the writing, the subject of the novel intrigued me immensely. I adored The Red Tent, which is also a Biblical retelling, focusing on women in the Bible who are named but otherwise overlooked in the story. Obviously, in the Bible, Jesus doesn’t have a wife, so this was entirely outside of that scope. But, still I was expecting The Red Tent’s essence — a female-focused story set in Biblical times. I was left a little disappointed.
[Read more…] about The Book of Longings + Marinated Goat Cheese Spread with OlivesRita Mae Brown’s novel Rubyfruit Jungle was quite revolutionary when it was first published in the 1970s. I had never heard of it until recently when I was searching for books to include in my office’s book club poll for Pride Month reads, and certainly now, the content isn’t what I would call groundbreaking, but I can see why it was at the time.
Rubyfruit Jungle is a coming-of-age lesbian novel based somewhat on Rita Mae Brown’s own experience growing up and becoming an author. The main character, Molly, is an easygoing, independent thinker — even from a young age (we meet her around 12) — and, in many ways, her narration reminded me of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. She doesn’t want to become a housewife and gets scolded for playing doctor because, after all, men are the doctors. She wants nothing more than to leave her small life and become a filmmaker.
[Read more…] about Rubyfruit Jungle + Baked Strawberry Donuts