also, also
Jan. 12th, 2009 03:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
verbicideCould I be more post-y today? (Probably.)
Anyhow--I am really inspired by people who do the reading books challenges (*waves to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
margotheangel*). I used to read a fuckton of books, but over the last few years it's sort of peetered off into cyclical re-reads of Harry Potter and things on the Internet.
So, I would like to do the 50 book challenge for 2009! Whee!
To wit, these are the first three books for the year. And I'm counting the Ruth Reichl books, dammit even though they were at the tail end of last year.
1. Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl—I loved this memoir. I am curious about the recipes, but I have to say that I envied her all the rich experiences she had. I know I would have been equally traumatized to have been shipped off to a French boarding school, but I think those types of terrifying changes can provide for some awesome experiences. As my passion for cooking continues, sometimes I wish it were a vocation as well as an avocation.
2. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl—I also loved this one, but I thought it was marginally less awesome than Tender at the Bone. It was interesting to read about her choices of restaurants and the reaction to a NY Times critic reviewing Asian hole-in-the-walls. It was hilarious to read about her descriptions of getting into disguise. I could never be a food critic. I think it would make me a little insane.
3. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield—So far it's been a great year for books. I should let my friends dictate all my reading. This was obviously incredibly different than the food critic books, but it was just what I needed. The story is so richly woven and dusky and has the faint perfume of old books. I usually read this sitting in front of the fire in a dimly lit room. I was worried it would be too scary for me, but it wasn't scary --there were lots of creepy people, but there wasn't anything threatening to me about it.
Next: Book 4 is Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark, the first of the Sookie Stackhouse novels that True Blood is based on.
Anyhow--I am really inspired by people who do the reading books challenges (*waves to
margotheangel*). I used to read a fuckton of books, but over the last few years it's sort of peetered off into cyclical re-reads of Harry Potter and things on the Internet.So, I would like to do the 50 book challenge for 2009! Whee!
To wit, these are the first three books for the year. And I'm counting the Ruth Reichl books, dammit even though they were at the tail end of last year.
1. Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl—I loved this memoir. I am curious about the recipes, but I have to say that I envied her all the rich experiences she had. I know I would have been equally traumatized to have been shipped off to a French boarding school, but I think those types of terrifying changes can provide for some awesome experiences. As my passion for cooking continues, sometimes I wish it were a vocation as well as an avocation.
2. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl—I also loved this one, but I thought it was marginally less awesome than Tender at the Bone. It was interesting to read about her choices of restaurants and the reaction to a NY Times critic reviewing Asian hole-in-the-walls. It was hilarious to read about her descriptions of getting into disguise. I could never be a food critic. I think it would make me a little insane.
3. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield—So far it's been a great year for books. I should let my friends dictate all my reading. This was obviously incredibly different than the food critic books, but it was just what I needed. The story is so richly woven and dusky and has the faint perfume of old books. I usually read this sitting in front of the fire in a dimly lit room. I was worried it would be too scary for me, but it wasn't scary --there were lots of creepy people, but there wasn't anything threatening to me about it.
Next: Book 4 is Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark, the first of the Sookie Stackhouse novels that True Blood is based on.
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no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 01:15 am (UTC)But wow, that's almost a book a week. I don't think I could finish nearly that many in that span, unless I started going with short books.
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Date: 2009-01-13 01:24 am (UTC)I don't know that I'm going to make the whole 50, but I don't even care because it's not like I'll feel that bad if I only read 30 :)
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Date: 2009-01-13 01:46 am (UTC)When I had a book club, I was doing around 20 or above, because I tried to make a point of reading my own books as well, but eventually I had to give up on some books because it was taking so long.
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Date: 2009-01-13 04:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 03:16 am (UTC)And you've reminded me that I meant to check out that second Reichl book, although I did wait a bit on purpose because my patience with NY Food Critic Stories is at an all-time low - for reasons that are not her fault but have to do with me reading a couple of books about people in the NY food scene who are total dicks. ...not Bourdain, even. ;)
If you like Stackhouse, I can probably come up with a list of a half-dozen or more "paranormal romance" novels that lean heavily towards kick-ass female heros and go light on the romance angle. Should you so desire.
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Date: 2009-01-13 04:12 am (UTC)But here's hoping I can make at least a passing stab at it!
And what about NY Food Critics pissed you off, I'm all intrigued now!
And finally, I'll let you know what I think about Stackhouse! Though another goal is to work through the Stonehenge formation of unread books that I've acquired over the years!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 01:16 pm (UTC)I just checked the list I keep of books I've read (otherwise I forget!) and one was called _Service Included_ and the other _Waiter Rant_. Neither is technically written BY food critics, but both had rather extensive discussions of them, and of the NYC fancy-schmancy restaurant scene. (The author of _Waiter Rant_ is one of the dicks in question.) I needed a break from that whole topic for a little while.
Ha, true! I have my own Stonehenge; no matter how much one reads, I think they breed just a little bit faster.
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Date: 2009-01-13 03:05 pm (UTC)And I don't blame you for needing a break, frankly. And what I'll say is that I enjoyed the food-criticky one less. So if you wanted, you could read Tender at the Bone which is just a memoir about growing up and liking food--she's not a food critic in that one!
And you're right--I swear there's multiplication going on!!
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Date: 2009-01-13 03:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 04:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 04:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 05:13 am (UTC)Even if you don't get to 50 (I only read 20-something in 2007, I think), it's just fun to work towards the goal. I really enjoyed Ruth Reichl's books - unfortunately, I really don't cook recipes out of books like that because I forget about them too quickly. I think they might give me subconscious ideas sometimes, though. My mom and I have always loved Ruth's little essays for Gourmet, so I bought her all of the books one year and read them myself, too.
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Date: 2009-01-13 05:18 am (UTC)But you're right--it's just nice to have the goal, something to work toward. Even if I read 20, it's going to be about 10-15 more than I would have read otherwise!
(I swear I'm going to give that Kingsolver book another try.)
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Date: 2009-01-13 05:21 am (UTC)I rarely give up on books, but I've done it. My brother-in-law gave me Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon and Ratner's Star by Don DeLillo. I managed to finish one of them, and it was the worst book I've ever read - and I never managed to finish the other. I don't even care enough to go back and figure out which was which. Anyway, I don't blame you if you give up. :)
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Date: 2009-01-13 05:23 am (UTC)But I appreciate that you won't blame me--I'll give it one more try, but if it's not going to happen, I'll return it to you!!
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Date: 2009-01-13 10:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 03:02 pm (UTC)