What the hell are you reading?

Some of my all-time favorite books, my go to cookbooks, and some new books I am in the middle of reading. I will share with my readers the books I love.

Holy Hell! Is 2020 over yet? Only one other time in my life have I had the opportunity to read as many books as I wanted to, and I ended up reading 180 books in 240 days. Let’s just say I had some free time on my hands.

I was sent to WFH in March, and got the pink slip in April. I am now on DAY 270 of this government-imposed lockdown. I rearranged all of the closets. I reimagined the kitchen. I remade the garage into a woodshop. And I started to re-read some of my favorite books of all time.

Just as eating a bowl of homemade mac n cheese does something good for my soul, re-reading one of my “comfort books” causes peace to return to my troubled heart.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

Published: 2002 | Pages: 973

This book is not a bowl of mac n cheese, it is a whole stockpot full!

A story about a priest, a builder and a cathedral, set in the years 1123-1174. I read it in three days. I still could not put it down. I would wake up at 2 am and read a hundred pages. It is so sweeping, and so full of intense character studies. It is my all-time favorite fiction book.

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Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

Published: 2016 Pages: 261

A completely different physical environment than one I grew up in but a completely similar emotional environment. The personalities, struggles, successes, and love of hope resonated with me. I grew up in a childhood with many of the same issues, although I lived hundreds of miles away from Kentucky and Ohio. It tells me that we all have the same demons and angels inside of us.

This book had a monumental effect on my psyche during this pandemic lock down. I read it in a day. I always knew intuitively that my childhood was not unique, but this book really drove that point home.

I do not understand the current criticism surrounding the movie made from the book. The main thrust is that the author is blaming his kin for their station in life. I feel that is a shallow and lazy interpretation. I feel this way because I did in fact blame my kin for my station in life, and grew up to learn that families make choices, and those choices are not always perfect. But more times than not, those choices were between bad and worse, and family did the best they could with what they had. I didn’t know that until much later in life. This book validated that feeling for me.

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Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer

Not just how to cook, but how to enjoy cooking. This book proves that everyone can cook, and anyone can love to cook.

I inherited this cookbook from my maternal grandmother, Grandma Ces. First printed in 1931, this particular edition was reprinted in 1964, the year of my birth. It is full of handwritten notes and recipes cards. My grandma was one of the best cooks I have met in my life. She cooked real food. I learned that the value of a well-cooked meal is not on the plate, it is in the sharing of the experience.

I love to teach and demonstrate cooking. I love helping someone discover that they do like vegetables, and that they do like to cook, and that they can make really good food. What stops most people is the excuse “ I don’t have time”. Well, enjoy your bowl of cold cereal while you binge-watch four hours of some meaningless sit-com from the 80’s.

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Cooked by Michael Pollan

Published: 2014 Pages: 467

The subtitle “A Natural History of Transformation” is absolutely spot on. The author drives home the point that cooking IS culture. Modern society has lost track of what exactly food is, and the deep satisfaction one gets from preparing, serving and sharing it, and the results have been disastrous.

My cooking, and my writing about cooking, is premised on this point. I just started this book, and am excited to read a kindred soul.

Food is a necessity. Good food - responsibly grown, safely prepared, artfully served, and lovingly shared. That is my passion.

My Belief: Everyone Can Cook, and Anyone Can Cook Good.

Complete review to follow.