I am surrounded by stacks of books. ย Well… stacks of books, semi sweet chocolate chips, and bobbypins.
I really wanted to share my books with you… mostly because reading aloud is lost on my cat. ย New and old, these are the pages that currently surround me.
With the season getting more grey and brisk, I find myself sitting with these books even more. ย Working out is sooooo summer. ย It’s time for sweaters, slippers, and cozy book worming.
I was recently gifted Good Meat. ย Gorgeous Gorgeous book! ย I now know that I can make a French-style hamburger with salted herb butter. ย I’m reading this book like a novel and dreaming about steaks and stews.
The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook inspired this perfect chocolate cake. ย It’s a beautiful seasonal cookbook with umcomplicated recipes that inspire communal table dining.
Heidi wrote such a dreamy book. ย Super Natural Every Day. ย It’s full of health and quinoa. ย In my dream life I eat as well as Heidi. ย In my real life I just keep eating butter.
Do you have the Organic and Chic cookbook? ย I’ve been talking about this book for a while now. ย I love the cupcakes in this book. ย The decorating is simply pretty and organic as heck.
There’s totally more…
I have a relationship with Dorie Greenspan’s Baking book. ย My friend Michael bought me this book when I was such a poor student that the best I could do was daydream about this book while sitting with it at the bookstore. ย I’ve made every single recipe.. at least twice. ย Dorie’s a hero in my heart.
Food Styling is serious. ย It’s no joke. ย This book will tell you how to make pies and cookies and salads look right. ย On the real.
Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating makes me sound like I know a thing or two about food. From coffee to aged Parmesan cheese, to balsamics, and chocolate. ย This book will teach you why good vinegar is expensive, and why why why to splurge on an aged cheddar. ย It’s good brain food. ย Smartypants!
Steinbeck… I love you. ย You write for my heart. ย How kind of you.
Dave Eggers. ย You infuriate and inspire me. ย It’s strange and invigorating.
My Mom got me this Kitten Taming book. ย Um… I think this arrived too little too late. ย The Act Like a Woman, Think Like a Man book was much more topical and poignant when it arrived in my life last year.
Jilly’s book, Party Like a Culinista is filled with post-it note bookmarks.
JayZ wrote an uh-mazingly major book. ย Decoded was the most inspiring book I’ve read this year. ย It’s gorgeous. ย It’s beautifully written and visually… everything. ย Find your way to this book.
Eugene O’Neill. ย You take my heart and break it.
OhMyGod Wuthering Heights. ย Heathcliff. ย Oh you.
Book of Dreams… for when I super stress dream about work stuff and such.
Be a girl who reads and cooks. ย Come on… totally dork out with me.
129 Responses
I am a total dork too. Nothing brings me more pleasure than reading a good book and cooking. I prefer reading a good book after I have cooked something delicious to snack on, like cookies. Thanks for sharing your reading list.
I have found myself wanting to add to the ever growing collection of cook books being sold in the bookstore by writing my own. I just wonder if there is much of a market for new books…then again every time I hit the local bookstore I am reminded…sure there is.
I love seeing what cook books fellow bakers use, I go through cook books like water. I think I could be content reading them all day long. Right now I am enjoying the “encyclopedia of pasta” by Oretta Zannini DeVita. Soooo good!
Joy! This cookbook is phenomenal. Lots of vegetarian recipes that I’m sure you would enjoy. I found my book at Anthropologie, then I hibernated for a good week staring at all of the beautiful, delicious pictures. Check it out: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1452101248/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0091922348&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0ZJHNVX85EFAMYKM5S8Y
I think you’ll find a strong following of cooking and reading here. ;)
– LOVE Steinbeck, especially East of Eden.
– Never understood the appeal of Wuthering Heights. Though I don’t understand the appeal of bad boys either. Maybe there’s a correlation there.
– JayZ wrote a book? That’s good? I may have to check it out.
– I’m re-reading the Game of Thrones series before I start the 5th one, since I only read it once years ago and forgot who all is what.
– Just think, pretty soon it’ll be YOUR cookbook on our book stacks. YAY!
I love the printed page. I love that you love the printed page. And I love Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day and Dorie Greenspan’s Baking… so very very much.
I really hope you’ve heard the song or seen the video for Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights”. OMG.
Love for cooking and love for reading must be a popular combination. I’m totally ready to dork out with you! Getting to teach kids about reading everyday, then coming home to make great things in the kitchen makes me a very lucky girl.
Joy, I LOVE YOU!!!!! (not in a sappy or creepy way, but in a way one nerd deeply appreciates the honesty of another nerd embracing her nerddom)
OMG I was SO EXCITED when I saw East of Eden in your stack!!!! That is my ALL TIME FAVORITE book. There is just something so incredible about the way Steinbeck creates the most perfect, beautiful sentences that I have ever read. Every time I crack open that book, I discover something new that is totally poignant for that time of my life. John Steinbeck, you can have my heart.
I ordered the Zingerman guide when I saw it on your blog; it arrived today. Can’t wait to begin reading!
Omg, I love it! Cooking and reading are for sure my favorite hobbies!
A few weeks ago I have at least 15 books stacked on my nightstand. I finally had to dust and moved them all, accepting the fact that I wasn’t going to get to them. I do have to pick up Withering Heights and read it in the next week as I am totally visiting England soon!
You speak to my heart here. I am, after all, a librarian. I’m on a major cookbook bender right now. I have The Heart of the Artichoke and The Splendid Table sitting on my end table, and am going to pick Tender up at the library today. I’m also reading Best Food Writing of 2010 right now, and I love it. I sometimes read things that are not food related, too. I have Grapes of Wrath on my bookshelf, but haven’t read any Steinbeck yet. You’ve inspired me to pick it up.
Joy, this is a wonderful stack of books. I can’t wait to add your cookbook too.
We were just in California for vacation this past week and stopped at the Big Sur Bakery on our drive down the PCH to San Francisco. I contemplated getting the cookbook when I saw the breakfast pizza which looked amazing. Instead, we just settled for a delish turkey sandwich and vanilla cream donut. :)