I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you, dear reader, that I’m a woman who loves food. I mean, half of my blog is devoted to sweet and savory recipes, whether I’ve concocted them myself or borrowed them from my culinary idols.
So, it should also come as no surprise that I love books that revolve around food. I have lots of fun coming up with book-inspired recipes, and some books definitely make dreaming up recipes easier than others.
With my favorite food holiday rapidly approaching this month, I thought it only fitting that this month’s Quick Look Books focus on novels that use food, cooking, recipes, and general deliciousness to drive their storylines.
1. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen. This is book #2 in the Waverley Sisters series, but I actually read it before book #1, Garden Spells. First Frost immediately lured me in with its story about a woman who is quite magical in the kitchen (à la Sarah Michelle Gellar in Simply Irresistible). Mouth-watering descriptions abound of candies and other delectable morsels that make people fall in love, feel joy, or feel jealousy — feelings that all run rampant in the charming town of Bascom, NC as the Waverley women navigate love, loss, and family. This cozy and enchanting novel is also a perfectly seasonal read since the characters are all gearing up for the “First Frost” party as autumn rolls in. Read First Frost, then go back and read Garden Spells, and then join me in not-so-patiently waiting for Allen’s next installment in the Waverley Sisters series.
2. The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green. Green’s novels have long been a favorite of mine for encouraging my love of domestic bliss; Lucy’s creations in Bookends have my tongue lolling out, and I love that Alice Chambers stays true to her catering roots in To Have and To Hold. Green herself loves being in the kitchen and has even released her own cookbook, so I was very excited to see that youngest sister Lizzy in The Sunshine Sisters is a foodie taking the culinary world by storm. In a timely career movie, Lizzy organizes farm-to-table feasts served at extravagant pop-up dinner parties throughout NYC. I loved reading about Lizzy’s ideas for what delicacies to serve next, pairing this with that, and how to pull it all together for her high-paying guests. It’s especially fun when her sister Nell comes on board to provide the “farm” in “farm-to-table.” Jane Green’s novels are always a lovely indulgence, but The Sunshine Sisters is a particularly tasty addition to her repertoire.
3. The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert. Although I adore the Coconut Cake recipe from Reichert’s first book, The Simplicity of Cider is my favorite novel of hers. I instantly fell in love with awkward, stubborn Sanna, who makes delicious craft ciders from the apples in her family’s small-town Wisconsin orchard. Sanna can pair the right cider with any meal or dessert, but she has a little more trouble finding a match in love — until Isaac and his son wander into her life. Sanna’s love of cidering is infectious, and Reichert does a great job of bringing the finer points of the hobby to life. By the end of the novel, not only was I cheering for Sanna and Isaac to finally hit their stride, I was wondering what cider would go best with what I was making for dinner — and I’m not even someone who drinks hard cider! The Simplicity of Cider is a sweet and captivating read, with characters who are real, likeable, and full of personality. Sink into this refreshing read with an equally refreshing glass of cider — hard or otherwise! (Bonus: two surprise characters from another of Reichert’s novels find their way into Sanna’s life! I love when authors have crossovers between their books.)
4. Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan. The main character in this novel, Polly, basically fulfills the dream I am too scared to pursue — she packs up her life, moves to a remote and beautiful English seaside town, and spends her days baking bread and other treats for the good townspeople. Sure, her life has hardship and struggle, but it just seems so cute. And, she gets to bake every day! What could be better? Um, how about the descriptions of everything Polly makes in her tiny little kitchen on Beach Street? Polly eats, sleeps, and breathes flour, yeast, and sugar, and so will you as you crave her sweet desserts, delicate cheese twists, and homemade, crusty bread that scents the salty air each morning. Oh, did I mention she also befriends a puffin? A PUFFIN. Throw in a little romance with some local hotties, and you’ve got the best guilty pleasure you can imagine. There are several books in the Little Beach Street Bakery series, but this first one is my favorite.
5. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. I admit, this book is a bit of a cheat since the main plot is not about food. However, I’m including it in this list because the food Rachel encounters in Singapore sounds so amazing. Noodles! Dumplings! Delicious sauces! Descriptions of Singaporean cuisine are peppered throughout the story, but the best is when Rachel, Nick, Araminta, and Colin gleefully eat their way through a hawker center, which apparently is famous for its afforable and delicious food. This novel has recently come further into the spotlight because of the movie adaptation, and I was pleased to see that Hollywood did justice to the street stalls scene. Apparently, I’m not the only one who was excited at all these exotic dishes — Bon Appetit (plus a slew of other magazines) wrote an article about them, which you should def check out if you want deets on what kind of scrumptious dishes you can eyeball in Crazy Rich Asians, either the book or the movie. Just make sure you have your local Chinese delivery on standby.
[Note: I am aware that while Singaporean and Chinese cuisines are similar, they are not exactly the same. I am just mentioning Chinese food here because Chinese food seems about as close as I can reasonably get in the mountains of New Jersey to satisfy the Singaporean cravings stirred up by this book.]
What are your favorite “food in fiction” novels? I’m always looking for more recommendations, so feel free to share below!
And, be sure to check back in for my book-inspired recipe: Fig and Pepper Bread!
Ohhhh, I thought The Simplicity of Cider was going to be a cookbook LOL!!!!! You’ll see my comment to your tip on my post lol. What a sweet and cute idea for a novel, though. I love it. Maybe you should post some recipes. Hint hint… P.S. I also loved the Crazy Rich Asians series WAYYYYY before it became popular ; ) We just watched the movie, and surprisingly, I loved it just as much.
I was disappointed with the Crazy Rich Asians movie; I felt like they changed so much from the book. I am a purist, though, who would sit through a 5-hour movie that is true to every detail in a book, lol.