Category: Non-Fiction

Book Review: Apron Anxiety

Since I attended Mixed last year, I’ve been considering refocusing this blog a bit. Since it’s inception,I have blogged about two of my interests – books and food. But attending the conference made me think about that. The two topics, while I love them both, are a bit disconnected in the current blog format.

Over the past year, I’ve been thinking about how to change this. I’d like to move in a direction where I directly tie in books with menus or recipes inspired by the books. I’ve already done that a few times, when blogging about book clubs that I’ve hosted, but not with the vast majority book reviews (or recipes and menus) published. My intent would be to blog about a book and include at least one menu or recipe inspired by the book.

Consider this post a test drive. I’ve reviewed a book and included a couple different menu options at the end of it. (In the future, I’d post recipes either with the book review or later in the week). What do you think? Would you like to see Books n’ Cooks post more like this? Or are you happy with whatever book reviews and recipes that I share? Please, take a minute and complete the poll at the bottom of this post or leave me a comment with your opinion (or suggestions!)

Apron.Anxiety

Book Review:

Apron Anxiety: My Messy Affairs In and Out Of the Kitchen

By Alyssa Shelasky

Celebrity journalist Alyssa Shelasky  moves from New York to Washington DC to be with her boyfriend, Top Chef contestant only identified as Chef. In a new, unfamiliar city and knowing nobody other than Chef, Shelasky feels lost and uninspired. She has no friends to pass time with and no work to lose herself in. She can’t even connect with Chef’s peers and coworkers because she can’t relate – she can’t even boil water! She continues on this path until her attitude starts to negatively impact her relationship with Chef. In an attempt to fill her time, do something positive, and reconnect with Chef, Shelasky takes up cooking. In the end, cooking not only helps repair her relationship with Chef but also helps Shelasky rediscover herself and her own happiness. 

Review/Recommendation: Apron Anxiety was a quick read but I wouldn’t say that it was anything extraordinary. It followed a format that is becoming increasingly common nowadays: storytelling + recipe. I admit that this is a format I enjoy when I feel like the recipes are unique or add something to the book. In this case, I didn’t feel like the most of the recipes were all that original or added any value to the story.

Shelasky was funny and sarcastic, I’ll give her that. But sometimes she seemed to take the self-pity a bit far. I enjoyed reading about Shelasky learning to cook – reading about her mistakes, her excitement when a meal turned out well, and her discovering the joys of grocery shopping. But I’m not going to lie, my interest in the story might have been heightened by my obsession with Top Chef. I really wanted to figure out Chef’s real identity. (I googled it after finishing the book – Spike Mendelsohn!).

Overall, Apron Anxiety wasn’t bad. As I said, it was a quick read but certainly nothing extraordinary.

Grade: B-

Plan A Meal Around It: From Apron Anxiety

  • “The Pasta” (pasta with olive oil, fresh tomatoes, basil & Parmesan)
  • Neiman Marcus Cookies (my recipe, using espresso powder instead of shredded chocolate, is actually pretty similar to the one in the book)

Plan A Meal Around It: Inspired by Apron Anxiety

  • Your favorite burger + milkshakes (inspiration: Chef’s restaurant, Good Stuff Eatery)
  • Cheese toasts + pastitsio (Greek lasagna)  + baklava or fresh fruit (inspiration: Chef takes Shelasky to Greece)

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Book Review: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

LetsPretendThisNeverHappenedBook Review:

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir

By Jenny Lawson

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened is more like a series of short stories rather than a traditional novel. Blogger Jenny Lawson tells story after story of her life, from her childhood through adulthood. There’s no plot – just a bunch of random stories and a lot of humor.

Review/Recommendation: When a friend recommended this book to me, I thought I’d love it. I thought it would be similar to Bossypants, which my husband and I both enjoyed. I later read that this book would also appeal to fans of David Sedaris, who I’ve also read and enjoyed.

Unfortunately, I found Let’s Pretend This Never Happened to be very different than Bossypants and a Sedaris book. The best way I can describe the writing and style of the book is raw… it’s pretty much 300 pages of unfiltered stream of consciousness. It was filled with cursing, misspellings, and bizarre tangents…. it very much felt like a personal journal or diary, or the blog entries I imagine Lawson writes (I’ve never read her blog). While the stories were funny, this style made it difficult to become and stay engaged in the book. Instead of devouring chapter after chapter, I read only a chapter at a time, with another book or two finished before I returned to this one.

That being said, this book was very funny – I laughed out loud several times. In fact, I’ve told my science fiction-loving husband that he had to read it – I was truly amazed at the amount of mentions of a zombie apocalypse, considering the book was a memoir. I actually had a hard time believing that most of the stories were real. I kept thinking hoping that there was far more exaggeration in the stories Lawson described than she actually owned up to, because she frequently came across as a complete lunatic (at least to someone who had never heard of her or followed her writings).

Would I recommend this book? Perhaps. It definitely has a certain appeal, but it’s certainly not for everyone.

Grade: C+/B-

Book Review: The Sweet Life in Paris

In honor of National Ice Cream Month last month (July), I decided to read The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious – and Perplexing – City written by the author of the proclaimed ice cream cookbook, The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz. I was going to make Levovitz’s Chocolate Ice Cream too. Well, I finished the book but never got around to posting or making the ice cream. I know, shame on me. But, it does mean that National Ice Cream Month lasts just a little bit longer for you. If you missed out on some ice cream, Lebovitz’s vanilla ice cream recipes posted on Annie’s Eats are fantastic (my favorite is the French-style while my hubby loves the Philadelphia-style). I also really enjoy this Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream from Cooking Light.

Book Review:

The Sweet Life in Paris:

Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious – and Perplexing – City

By David Lebovitz

Following the unexpected loss of his partner and months of mourning, Lebovitz needed to rejoin life. He needed a change of scenery, a change of pace from his life in San Francisco. Thus, to Paris he went.

The Sweet Life in Paris is one story after another, chronicling Lebovitz’s everyday life. Every little thing is an adventure – learning to live and cook in a tiny apartment, going to the market or the hospital. He gets to know local shop owners (bribing them with brownies certainly helped) and works in local industry. And one day, he isn’t so much of an outside, but more of a Parisian.

Review & Recommendation: The Sweet Life in Paris feels like a mix of short stories, travel advice, and a cooking show. Stories about living in Paris are peppered with humor and are interspersed with recipes. Lebovitz makes a trip to the grocery store seem like an adventure.

Whether you’re going to Paris soon or not, this is a great book to read. It’s quick; it’s funny. For travel lovers, it’s an unusually honest insight into Parisian culture and attitudes. For food lovers, it’s a glimpse into the life of a cookbook author as he adjust to new ways of shopping, cooking, and living. For everyone else, this is simply a light, witty book worth reading.

Grade: A-

About the Author: Professional cook and baker David Lebovitz is the author of The Perfect Scoop, Paris Pastry Guide, Ready for Dessert, The Great Book of Chocolate, Room for Dessert, Ripe for Dessert, and The Baker’s Dozen Cookbook. He can be found at his website, www.davidlebovitz.com.

Book Review: The Vow

Book Review:

The Vow: The Kim & Krickitt Carpenter Story

By Kim Carpenter, Krickitt Carpenter, & Dana Wilkerson

Just a few months after their wedding, Kim and Krickitt Carpenter were in a near fatal car accident. Kim, a college baseball coach, would suffer sever back pain for most of his life. Krickitt, a former gymnast, survived when everyone was sure she would not.

Following the accident, Krickitt went through months of therapy to recover. She had to learn basic functions such as feeding herself and walking all over again. She also had to struggle with memory loss. There were large periods of time, including her courtship, wedding, and life with Kim, that she would never remember.

The Vow chronicles Kim and Krickitt’s physical and mental struggles to overcome the accident and save their marriage. The two started their relationship over again from the very beginning – first, second, and third dates… they created a new set of memories for Krickitt to remember and fell in love all over again.

Recommendation: While a very short book, The Vow is one of those books that really made me think and reflect. After finishing the book, I immediately started thinking about Kim and Krickitt’s marriage – their strength and perseverance. No marriage is easy, but the challenges they faced are hard to imagine. I found it inspiring, and hope that I have the same strength when I face challenges, no matter how big or small, in my own marriage.

Even more than thinking about marriage, The Vow had me thinking about faith, because ultimately, The Vow is a powerful story about faith and the importance of it in two people’s lives. One of the strengths of this book, in my opinion, is that although the Carpenters wrote this book to share the story of their faith, I didn’t find this book preachy, which would have been a turn off for me. Instead, they wrote about their faith and the strong role it played in overcoming their struggles in a very matter-of-fact way (at least up until the last chapter or two of the book, when they talk about sharing their story in the media).

The one downfall with the book was that parts, particularly Kim and Krickitt’s second courtship, felt rush. It would have been nice if the book was a little longer and spent more time on Krickitt’s recovery and rebuilding her relationship with Kim. Perhaps even a couple chapters from Krickitt’s perspective.

Read The Vow. Even if you aren’t married or very religious, read it. It will only take you an afternoon or so. It will make you think and reflect on your own life. Any book that can do that is worth reading.

Grade: B+

Book Review: Brothel

Book Review:

Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women

By Alexa Albert

In the early 1990s, after three years of letters, medical student Alexa Albert gains access to Mustang Ranch, one of Nevada’s legal brothels. Spurred by allegations that no woman working at the brothels had tested positive for HIV since testing became mandatory in 1986 (and the number that had tested positive for a STD was next to nothing), Albert’s goal was to examine condom use in the brothels.

Albert flew to Nevada and moved into Mustang Ranch for a month to conduct her research. Before long, she was hooked, and her public health study transformed into a long-term study of the brothels – not just the health aspects but the economic and social aspects. What motivated these women to turn to prostitution? How did the women feel about their job? How did the people of Nevada feel about legalized prostitution?

Recommendation: I really enjoyed Brothel. It was well-researched and well-written. It had the perfect balance of personal stories and facts about Nevada’s legal brothels. And while the above questions are very interesting, I was most intrigued with Albert’s personal reflections about prostitution. Her views changed as she got to know the women at the brothel and learned more about the issues. While she remained fundamentally opposed to prostitution throughout her research, she realized that the legal brothels are not a black and white issue. There is merit to prostitution in a legal setting – from the health and safety aspects to the sense of community and family that many of the women gain.

Brothel was a short, quick read but packed with information. I would definitely recommend it!

Grade: A-