Delicious!: A Book Review

I am a lover of the written word, in so many different forms. Magazines, books, blogs, etc. I'd rather read my news than watch it. I don't get to read quite as much as I used to, pre-toddler days, but I still squeeze it in. It helps to keep me sane. As kids, Grandma used to take us to Hastings to pick out books every month that we came to visit, and even more often over the summer. Most people would think, as Grandma did, "they're kids! What a nice way to encourage them to read, while not spending a ton of money. Kids books are cheap!" Well... we weren't exactly your average every day kids. Ever heard of Robin Cook? He writes medical murder mystery thrillers. I had read all his books by the time I completed middle school. Michael Crichton? I wrapped up his books in the sixth grade. We were pretty young when we stopped shopping for the Boxcar Children (my favs!) and started shopping the New York Times Bestseller list. As Kate recently reminded me, I used to bargain with Grandma, as she set a number of books limit as opposed to a price limit. I'd find three books off the bargain table, which together would total the cost of one regular priced book. Those days were essential in starting our love affair with reading. Kate loves to read as much as I do, although she has even less time for fun reading than I do. My daughter currently has an extensive library and I anticipate it will only continue to grow. We read her first chapter book to her shortly after her first birthday. I think reading is so important and I hope to instill a love of books in Merideth as well.

Now to my most recent read. Last week I finished Delicious! by Ruth Reichl. I read a lot of food magazines and this book has popped up in several of them as recommended reading. It was a wonderful story with vibrant words and descriptions that transported me directly into New York City, standing on the street along with the main character. The book took a hard look at grieving and loss, and how you cope with it and carry on, without being overt about it. The main character's story was one of transformation and growth that seemed almost textbook for a novel, but had you rooting for her to be happy every step of the way. The supporting cast was full of colorful, interesting people, that accented the story perfectly. Every page made me hungry, both for food and for friendship, and even more so to delve farther into the story. I finished this book in only a few days and quickly decided it is one of the best books I've read. It delighted me, it made me tear up, and most of all, it made me feel hopeful.

If you're interested in reading it, you can find it here on Amazon, or my personal favorite, your local library. Tell me what you're reading, I'm always looking for suggestions!

xx

Jamie