As you can see, it’s going to be a busy month! I’ll be talking about Vianne, VIANNE, chocolate and CHOCOLAT; I’ll be doing readings, scenting books; I’ll be handing out bookmarks and merch, and generally celebrating 26 years of literature’s favourite chocolatiere.
Is there an event near you? Everybody welcome…
Meanwhile, to get you in the mood, here’s a list of great books about food.
Bon appétit!
6 Great Books About Food
- THE DEBT TO PLEASURE: John Lanchester: (A wickedly clever memoir of food, cooking, childhood and murder, with one of the most unreliable narrators in fiction.)
- THE RESTAURANT OF LOST RECIPES: Hisashi Kashiwai (A a father and daughter run a Kyoto restaurant where they recreate meals from their customers’ memories. Quirky, touching and filled with wonderful recipes.)
- THE MISTRESS OF SPICES: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Tilo, a young woman from another time with a gift for the mystical art of spices. Now immortal, and living as an old woman, Tilo has set up shop in Oakland, California, where she administers curatives to her customers. But when she is surprised by an unexpected romance with a handsome stranger, she must choose between immortality and the perils of modern life.)
- LA CUCINA: Lily Prior. (Rosa Fiore is a middle-aged librarian who has resigned herself to a loveless life, and expresses her passionate nature through her cooking. Then, she meets an enigmatic chef, known as l’Inglese, whose research on Sicilian cuisine leads him into Rosa’s library and into her heart.)
- THE VEGETARIAN: Han Kang. (The disquieting story of Yeong-hye, whose decision to stop eating meat after a nightmare about human cruelty leads to devastating consequences in her personal and familial life.)
- PIGLET: Lottie Hazell. (Terrific food writing; marvellous characterization; and wonderful insight into the heart of emotional eating.)
