Weekend Cooking: 46th Bookworms Carnival of Book Reviews

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

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Welcome to the 46th edition of the Bookworms Carnival of Book Reviews. The theme for this carnival is food books: fiction or nonfiction and of any genre.

I am thrilled with the number and variety of reviews I got. Sit down and get ready to do some exploring. I've given you a teaser from each review; click through to the blog to read the rest.

Fiction

Shel from The Hungry Readers reviewed Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance, and Cookery by Susan Juby, a culinary mystery for middle school readers: "Humorous and well written, this mystery reminded me of the works of John Green . . ., but a little younger and a little lighter. The book includes quirky characters, many great lines and some social commentary."

Jennifer from Reading with Tequila reviewed three culinary mysteries by Diane Mott: The Main Corpse ("thrilling, emotional and definitely one of the very best books in the Goldy Culinary Mystery series"), Dying for Chocolate ("The mystery itself kept me guessing until the very end"), and The Cereal Murders ("I did not have any clue who the murderer way. I love when that happens.").

Sandy from You've GOTTA read this! reviewed The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. a novel: "Her warm, delicate prose is nearly hypnotizing."

Melody from Melody's Reading Corner also reviewed The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, a novel: "a delight to read, and Erica Bauermeister's writing style is simply beautiful. "

Anna from Diary of an Eccentric also reviewed The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, a novel: "Bauermeister is a master of words, using simple sentences with descriptions so rich you can actually smell, feel, and taste the food along with whatever emotion the character is feeling."

Kay from My Random Acts of Reading reviewed State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy, a culinary mystery: "a real romp of a mystery or maybe caper is a better word. It is very fast paced and fun."

Joanna from A Worn Path reviewed Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs, a novel of a celebrity chef: "All in all, it's a winning combination of pop culture references, well-rounded characters, and good storytelling."

Melody from Melody's Reading Corner reviewed The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Lara M. Zeises, a novel: "a fun, entertaining story about family, friendship and food."

Mel from The Reading Life reviewed Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barberry, a novel of a food critic: "My hopes for this work were very high and they were at least met and maybe exceeded."

Stacie from Simply Stacie reviewed Hungry Woman in Paris by Josefina Lopez, a novel about a woman who goes to culinary school: "The author is very descriptive with the details of the cooking school which I found fascinating."

Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit reviewed Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews, a novel starring a chef: "[A look] at how one woman can dig deep within herself to find the courage to take a hold of her life and her destiny."

Kristen from BookNAround reviewed The Book of Unholy Mischief by Ellie Newmark, a novel of 15th-century Venice: "I couldn't escape the tug of intrigue and I am so very glad I didn't! I thoroughly enjoyed this lively historical fiction."

Food

Aarti from BookLust reviewed Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, the story of one family's year of eating locally: "It might not change your life, but I guarantee that it will make you pause, and to really think, next time you're in the grocery store."

Rebecca from Lost in Books also reviewed Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barabara Kingsolver, a memoir: "a testament to the importance of making a more sustainable living and of the ability of an ordinary family to make these changes."

Heather from Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books reviewed My Life in France by Julia Child, a memoir: "it is a quiet and touching story about a woman with a wonderful appreciation for the world around her and a great sense of humor."

Diana from Rantings of a Bookworm Couch Potato also reviewed My Life in France by Julia Child, a memoir: "it kept me constantly entertained. Definitely a worthwhile and interesting read."

Sandy from You've GOTTA read this! reviewed Larousse Gastronomique by Prosper Montagne: "Larousse would officially be named an encyclopedia/cookbook. To describe it this way, however, is sacrilege."

Luanne from A Bookworm's World reviewed Cleaving by Julie Powell, a memoir: "Powell is brutally honest is describing her penchant for rough sex, over consumption of alcohol and self destructive behaviours."

Amanda from A Bookshelf Monstrosity reviewed Making Toast: A Family Story by Roger Rosenblatt, a memoir: "Rosenblatt is tender in his writing, and although I initially felt his style to be too choppy, I soon fell into the rhythm of his writing."

JoAnn from Lakeside Musing reviewed French Milk by Lucy Knisley, a graphic memoir: "a light, fun look at a Parisian adventure."

JoAnn from Lakeside Musing reviewed Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding, a list of the best and the worst: "browse though it at the bookstore while you sip a Tall Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Latte + Protein (Best Coffee Drink in America)."

Rebecca from Lost in Books reviewed Stuffed: An Insider's Look at Who's Really Making America Fat by Hank Cardello and Doug Garr, a look into food advertising: "This book was an all-consuming, intense read that made me want to keep reading quotes right from the book to others."

Kristen from BookNAround reviewed I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Guilia Melucci, a memoir: "It's entertaining and fun, fluffy and delicious. I don't wish Melucci never finds the man of her dreams but I wouldn't mind reading more of her writings."


Wine

Swapna from S. Krishna's Books reviewed The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, a true story involving a bottle of wine and Thomas Jefferson: "I laughed at the absurdities of rich wine collectors, was surprised at the gall of some of the characters in the book, and was enthralled by the mystery of where this bottle of wine really came from."

Cookbooks / Recipes

Aarti from BookLust reviewed Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets by Deborah Madison: "I love the way the book is organized by season. . . . [I]t allows you to slowly ramp up your cooking, in anticipation of the flood of produce in August and September."

Rachel from Books I Done Read reviewed Julia's Kitchen Wisdom by Julia Child: "Basically what we have here are all these stripped-down recipes, and then infinite variations of 'instead of this, do this,' and suddenly you can cook a thousand things!"

Joanna from A Worn Path reviewed Pat Conroy's Love Affair with Food by Pat Conroy: "rather than simply listing recipe after recipe, Conroy gives us something more. He gives us the story behind the recipe."

Stacie from Simply Stacie reviewed Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms by Jane Doiron: "I was pleased to see that there were a number of recipes for main dishes that I could whip up without making a special trip to the grocery store."

Kathy from Bermudaonion's Weblog reviewed The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond: "I think this cookbook would be great for beginning as well as experienced cooks." (review includes a recipe)

Dawn from She Is Too Fond of Books shares her Butternut Squash Soup recipe: Beth Fish has made it, and it is fabulous.

Phew! Hope you find some new books and have a fun weekend reading all these fabulous reviews. (If you find a broken link, please let know and I'll fix it.)

EDIT: It looks like Mr. Linky is having problems. If he has disappeared, leave your link in the comments, I'll add it later.