What We're Reading

It’s been a great summer for books and I wanted to share a few that I’ve especially enjoyed: 

FOODIE READS
I’ve long been a fan of Ruth Reichl (former editor of Gourmet and food critic for the New York Times) and was excited to read her first novel. Her nonfiction is fantastic and the novel was a sweet read. Delicious! is fun—great characters and set in NYC.

I’ve also always enjoyed Molly Wizenberg’s writing. Her first book, My Homemade Life, offers great anecdotes and fantastic recipes. (I’ve made many since buying the book when it came out in 2010 and they're both manageable and really good.) Her new book, Delancey, is about opening a restaurant with her husband. This was an insightful book about a restaurant operation and how insanely difficult the business is. Watching my mom and step-dad go through this nearly a decade ago made this book especially interesting to me.

ALL-AROUND ESSAYS
I have always liked the author Ann Patchett and fell further in love after completing her latest book of essays, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. She is just such an insightful, down-to-earth, wonderful writer. I absolutely loved every last essay included in this book. (Especially "The Mercies" and "Do Not Disturb.") The book includes an essay about the independent bookstore that the author co-owns in Nashville. ("The Bookstore Strikes Back" — You can read it on the Atlantic website where it was originally published.) It just so happened that I went to a conference in Nashville in August and was able to visit the store. It’s as lovely as I expected...such a fun little pilgrimage!

PAGE-TURNING FICTION
We’re all about JK Rowling these days. Eli (age 7) and I have started reading Harry Potter before bed each night. Last night we started Book 2.  Is it sacrilegious that I have not already read the whole HP series? I haven’t, but I’m really enjoying reading it with Eli. I finished her novel Casual Vacancy (fascinating) last spring and moved quickly onto The Cuckoo's Calling, written under the pen name Robert Gailbraith. It was fantastic. I'm in the middle of The Silkworm, the second book in the Cormoran Strike series, and once again am enjoying every page. Just keep in mind that it's slightly disturbing and definitely a book for adult readers. I am amazed my Rowling's insight on human nature and her ability to weave the most interesting, timely, thoughtful, provocative stories.

So...what are you reading?