Tag: Books

Live Chat on the Future of Food Writing

Live Chat on the Future of Food Writing

If you’re catching this early, tune into the live chat on Twitter for an international discussion of the future of food writing. The handle is #futurefoodwriting with Amanda Hesser of Food52 and countless food bloggers, writers and journalists. Here’s a great link with guidelines for 

“Blood, Bones and Butter” Review

“Blood, Bones and Butter” Review

I read the greatest book just before leaving for New York. Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton was like a woman’s take on No Reservations by Anthony Bourdain, another food writer I adore but with a masculinity I can’t relate to. I found much 

Wanderlust

Wanderlust

It’s the end of the year, time to be reflective and think about improving oneself. Or not! I’m much more interested in only investing my time in good books next year, instead of “trying to give it a chance” for the first hundred pages and then trudging through it because I had invested the time.
Thankfully, this book wasn’t the case at all. Wanderlust, by Elisabeth Eaves combines a travel memoir and romance into a wonderful chronicle on the adventure of … well, travel and romance.

Eaves bravely lives abroad in the Middle East, Egypt and New Zealand, travels though Papua New Guinea and the Inca Trail, and sails the South Pacific. I want to go with her on her next voyage.

I have not had the luxury of romance abroad, but could identify with Eaves’ addiction to freedom and spontaneity that traveling alone provides. I understand the need for independence, and the conflicts surrounding the complexities of the human heart. Navigating the globe is far easier for some than navigating one’s own feelings and instincts.

I think it’s time to start planning a trip.

Cleaving

Cleaving

What amazes me about reading is when you find that perfect book for that perfect time in your life.  Since I’ve been slowly trudging through books ever since I moved here from New York (where commuting gave me over 2 hours a day for reading), 

An Easy Way to Get Happier

An Easy Way to Get Happier

I just read this book, and I couldn’t put it down. A big part of this blog is living a full and happy life, and I needed some reminders on how to improve my outlook and more easily recognize the happiness I do have. This 

A Good Read

A Good Read

Part of being a ravenous woman is having an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, if not through personal experience, then through books.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson has been on my list for ages now, and I’m delighted to have come across it in the library at just the right time to read it. Bryson shares his experience hiking the Appalachian Trail using the perfect mix of dry wit and appreciation for nature. Can you imagine hiking from Maine to Georgia? I will never complain about parking around the corner again.

This book made me nostalgic for my brief foray living in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts a few years back. The trail cuts through my then-neighboring town, and I hiked it one day, but quit after just a couple hours. I worked with a guy who hiked the trails entirety, and I regret that I never got the chance to sit down and talk with him about his adventures.
East Coast hikes feel so different from the west coast mostly in the smell. As trite as that sounds, it feels foreign to me now to hike in a place where I don’t smell redwood or eucalyptus. I was happy to revisit New England through this book, and feel compelled to add some more of the Appalachian Trail under my boots one day.
Go here to learn more and show support for the trail. And read some Bill Bryson, he rules!