For the Joy of Good Books —Some of my favorite food and travel books
Two of my favorite genres of writing are travel writing and food writing. Lucky for me, these two genres are often paired, creating what is, to me, a pretty perfect book. In the past year or so, I have read (either physical copies or listened to on audio) a number of these wonderful food and travel books. They have captured my imagination, made me hungry, took me to far off places, and grew my understanding of people whose lives are different than my own. That is the magic of a good book, isn’t it? Gladys Hunt says this about reading good books: “Reading enlarges my vision of the world; it helps me understand someone who is different from me. It makes me bigger on the inside. We tend to see the world from our own perspective; it is good to see it from the eyes of others. Good literature helps me understand who I am in relation to what others experience. Far from being an escape from reality, good literature is a window into reality. I read to feel life.”
In honor of this idea, and because I love almost nothing better than sharing good books with my friends, I am going to tell you about each of these books. I hope that you will read one or all of them and feel alive too. I am already excited to hear which ones you pick to read and how they impacted you. Now let’s get started with the list!
First, one of my most favorite food and travel books, My Life in France, by the incredible Julia Child. This was a re-read for me because I loved it so much it has been worth reading more than once. Julia’s life is fascinating and the book contains not just incredible depictions of French food and life in France after WWII, but also her love story with husband Paul. I also loved her depiction of feeling lost until she discovered a passion for food and cooking at age 37. Her story reminds me to always keep trying new things, keep learning and keep growing.
Those things proved to be even more meaningful to me when I read the sequel to My Life in France, which is titled, The French Chef in America: Julia Child’s Second Act. This book was authored by Julia and Paul’s nephew, Alex Prud’homme. Somehow, I had missed it all these years and didn’t read it until now, at age 49. But it was actually perfect to read it at this point in my life, as I am similar to the age Julia was when she entered new stages in her career and life too. I loved seeing her adapt and change, still learning and growing, walking through heartache, but also never losing her zeal for food and life. She made such an impact on the world of cooking in America, and this book shares that part of her story. Reading about the second half of her life made me love Julia all the more. I’m so glad I discovered this book!
Next up, let’s talk about A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France by Steve Hoffman. Gosh you guys, this book was absolutely incredible. I listened to it on audio first—Steve reads it and is a fabulous narrator—and I did two things as soon as I finished reading it. First, I ordered a hard copy because I wanted a physical copy of the book in my library. The second thing I did was message Steve on Instagram. No, we had never talked or messaged before. But I wanted him to know how much his writing touched me. I didn’t know if he'd ever see my message, but it was worth sending it anyway, because, what if he did?
Here's what I wrote to Steve:
“Steve! I just finished listening to you read your book. I was in tears as you read the last few pages. What beauty! I wanted to tell you how much your book spoke to me. Through your words I understood myself better, my husband better, my marriage, my children, my goals and my dreams. Wow. You did that!
I was inspired and transported and captivated.
I connected with Jo over his love for the Durrells in Corfu, which my 13 year old son has read several times and loves deeply. I, too, loved the people you grew to love during your time in France. I wanted to try foods that sound strange and gross and scary, but also rich and wonderful and delightful. I loved getting to know Mary Jo better through your eyes.
Your writing is beautiful and brave. You're the kind of writer I want to be.
Thank you for pouring your heart into all these pages. I know what a sacrifice that is.
I could go on for much longer, but that might get embarrassing for us both.
So I'll simply end with: so well done.”
This is just a totally normal note and not at all gushy, right? Oh I know it is gushy sounding, but the truth is, it’s not gushy because I meant every word. Steve’s writingisabsolutely beautiful and he doesn’t just take his reader to a new place to try new foods, he takes you on a journey to understand the world and yourself better.
You absolutely have to read this book.
Oh, and Steve wrote me back! What a treat.
The next food and travel book I want to talk about is Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci. I didn’t know much about Stanley Tucci other than I loved when he played Paul Child in the movie Julie and Julia. (I only like the Paul and Julia Child bits in that movie, but that is a conversation for another day.) I rediscovered Stanley when Aaron and I started watching his travel and food show, Searching for Italy. Aaron and I love watching travel shows and this one is so much fun because we also really love Italy. When looking for the show, I found Stanley had written some books. Not surprisingly, they centered around food. I immediately read his first food memoir Taste, and I just loved it.
Stanley is a good writer--funny, interesting and he knows how to write about food. But what I loved even more, was that his book reminded me that it is so easy to make assumptions about people’s lives, but it is not until you hear their story that you know the truth. I admit, I looked at Stanley’s life and assumed it was so easy and so perfect. After all, he’s a movie star and a New York Times best-selling author. He’s married to a well know literary agent whose sister is a famous movie star, married to another famous movie star. And yes, I am sure there are elements of Stanley’s life that are just amazing, but he’s also walked through immense loss and sadness. His first wife passed from cancer at 47, leaving Stanley a widower with their 3 children. The way he writes about her is so tender and beautiful.
Then, just 8 years after his first wife’s death, Stanley was diagnosed with cancer himself. A tumor was found at the base of his tongue and was treated with aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. In Taste, he writes about his fears of both the diagnosis and the treatment after watching his first wife go through cancer. He talked about losing his sense of taste and the ability to swallow, and of having a feeding tube for 6 months. And how, even years after being in remission, swallowing was often incredibly difficult and while filming his show about food in Italy, he sometimes struggled to swallow the bites of food he was given on camera.
Reading these stories of Stanley’s life reminded me that it’s so important to talk to people and hear their stories. Or at least, to read their books. I want to get to know Stanley even better, so I plan to read his latest food biography, What I Ate in One Year, very soon!
Another great food biography I read this year was Ina Garten’s Be Ready When the Luck Happens. I have loved Ina since I was in high school and met her in the pages of Martha Stewart Living magazine. I’ve cooked from her Barefoot Contessa cookbooks for years and always loved the beautiful and delicious food she made. Reading her book showed me so much about the tenacity and incredible hard work it took Ina to become the success she did. She took risks and made so many sacrifices. Some of them I would never make myself, but that is why we read, isn’t it? We read to hear how other people live differently than us and to learn from that. This book definitely showed me a world very different from my own and I really enjoyed it. My favorite parts were Ina and her husband’s trips to France, starting when they were newly married, poor, and camping their way across France! It was so much fun to see them return to France again and again. It truly fueled my dreams of more travel with my own true love.
And lastly, a food and travel book that was a total surprise to me. How to Share and Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love and Plenty by Bonny Reichert was s book I happened to pick up from the new release shelf at the library. The title caught my attention, but when I read that the book was a food memoir by the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, I was even more interested. I love books, fiction and non-fiction, that teach more about WWII. I flipped the book open and read this line, “when you’re raised by someone who once survived on potato peels and coffee grounds, you develop a pretty healthy respect for food.” Yep, I was 100% taking that book home with me.
The book turned out to be such a beautiful read. I learned about a part of WWII history I knew nothing about. I learned about the children of Holocaust survivors, a group I hadn’t thought that much about before. I loved following Bonny as she tries to find her place in the world—a journey takes her from her small town in Canada to the big city, to cooking school and eventually to Poland, where her father lost almost every member of his family in the war. And so much of it centered around food. Reading the book and made me wonder if Bonny is as good a cook as she is a story teller. If so, the recipients of her meals are very lucky. I am so glad I saw this book on my library shelf.
Well that’s the list of roughly a year’s worth of food and travel books. But I am sure there are so many other great ones I haven’t read yet. Will you share your favorites with me? I am always on the lookout for good books! And tell me which of these books you’ve already read or I’ve persuaded you too. I can’t wait for more book talk!
With joy,
Greta