The Book Lover's Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature, and the Passages That Feature Them Review
A book filled with recipes and the passages from the books that inspired their creation.
Shaunda Kennedy Wenger is a writer and food lover. Her work has appeared in numerous publications. Her first children's book is about to be published by Richard Owens Publishers. She is also currently writing her first novel, which also contains recipes. Although originally from New Hampshire, she currently resides in Utah with her husband and three children.
Janet Kay Jensen is a speech pathologist. She is a published writer and has won numerous awards. She lives in Utah with her husband and is the mother of three children. She is currently working on her first novel.
This book is filled with over 200 recipes, all inspired by passages in books. There are no photographs in this book, as all book lovers need is an imagination! Some of the exciting chapters contained within this book are: Breakfasts; Main and Side Dishes; Soups; Salads; Appetizers, Breads and Other Finger Foods; Desserts; and, Cookies and Other Sweets.
As a person who enjoys cooking first, and then reading, I found the recipes were mediocre. I think this was a difficult task for the authors, but some of the recipes, I didn't quite imagine that their interpretation of the passage equalled the resulting recipe. I feel like this book is really for, as the title indicates, a book lover's cookbook.
There are some interesting recipes, such as "A King's Bean Salad" inspired by "Little House on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder and "Pippi's Orange-Cranberry Muffins" inspired by "Pippi Longstocking" by Astrid Lindgren.
This is a good book that is an excellent gift idea for book lovers that love to cook.
The Book Lover's Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature, and the Passages That Feature Them Overview
THE BOOK LOVER’S COOKBOOK
Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature
and the Passages that Feature Them
Shaunda Kennedy Wenger and Janet Kay Jensen
Wake up to a perfect breakfast with Mrs. Dalby’s Buttermilk Scones, courtesy of James Herriot’s All Things Bright and Beautiful and Ichabod’s Slapjacks, as featured in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. There’s homey comfort food like Connie May's Tomato Pie, created with and inspired by Connie May Fowler (Remembering Blue); Thanksgiving Spinach Casserole (Elizabeth Berg’s Open House); and Amish Chicken and Dumplings (Jodi Picoult'sPlain Truth) . . . Sample salads, breads, and such soul-warming soups as Nearly-a-Meal Potato Soup (Terry Kay’s Shadow Song); Mr. Casaubon’s Chicken Noodle Soup (George Eliot’s Middlemarch); and Mrs. Leibowitz’s Lentil-Vegetable Soup (Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes) . . . After relishing appetizers and entrees, there’s a dazzling array of desserts, including Carrot Pudding (Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol); Effie Belle’s Coconut Cake (Olive Ann Burns’s Cold Sassy Tree); and the kids will love C.S. Lewis's Turkish Delight from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Sprinkled throughout with marvelous anecdotes about writers and writing, The Book Lover’s Cookbook is a culinary and literary delight, a browser’s cornucopia of reading pleasure, and a true inspiration in the kitchen.
Shaunda Kennedy Wenger enjoys creative cooking and writing children’s stories and articles. She is currently working on a novel. Her work has been published in Babybug, Ladybug, Wonder Years, American Careers, South Valley Living, and Short-Short Stories for Reading Aloud (The Education Center, 2000). She is an active member of the League of Utah Writers and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She regards her monthly book club meeting as one life’s essential ingredients.
Janet Kay Jensen is published in Healing Ministry journaland The Magic of Stories. She has received numerous awards for essays, poetry, and short stories, including three ByLine Magazine honorable mentions. A speech-language pathologist, she holds degrees from Utah State University and Northwestern University. She is writing a novel, teaches poetry classes to jail inmates, and is a literacy tutor. Married and the mother of three sons, she is a consultant at Utah State University.
TASTY RECIPES AND THE BOOKS THAT INSPIRED THEM
Jo’s Best Omelette . . . Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
No Dieter’s Delight Chicken Neapolitan . . . Thinner by Stephen King
Extra-Special Rhubarb Pie . . . The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas
Grand Feast Crab Meat Casserole . . . At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
Persian Cucumber and Yogurt . . . House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
Tamales . . . Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Bev's No-Fuss Crab Cakes . . . Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell
Macaroni and Cheese . . . The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
Veteran Split Pea Soup . . . The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Alternative Carrot-Raisin-Pineapple Salad . . . Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Summer’s Day Cucumber-Tomato Sandwiches . . .
Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
Refreshing Black Cows . . . The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
Dump Punch . . . Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Not Violet, But Blueberry Pie
. . . Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Innocent Sweet Bread . . . The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Daddy's Rich Chocolate Cake . . . Fatherhood by Bill Cosby
. . . and many other delectable dishes for the literary palate!
From the Hardcover edition.
Available at Amazon Check Price Now!
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Customer Reviews
Somewhat of a Disappointment - Leslie P. Kelley - Sharpsburg, GA USA
A book lover's cookbook ought to a) contain passages that make one want to eat particular foods, or b) be a handy reference to foods mentioned in books -- ideally both. I found this to be almost, but not quite, either of the above.
For example, when I read Moby Dick, I really wanted to find a recipe for chowder like they served the boarders at the inn. I am still looking; you won't find Moby Dick referenced in this book, or chowder. When I read about gruel in Oliver Twist, I may be curious to read a recipe for the thin, oat-based dish; I would never expect a recipe about "Plentiful Dreamy Fish Stew". Sadly, these are typical examples: really great books with moving passages about food are missing, and there is often poor correlation between the passages quoted and the recipes provided.
Happily, this is not always the case. You will find a recipe for tea cakes and Turkish delight with stories from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
A final point, I would hope a book with "book lover" in the title would talk about books I have read or want to read. While I found a number of those in this book, it overwhelming favors (IMHO) lesser-known volumes and (frankly) books I would probably never read. The non sequiturs, passages lacking, and low quality selections are enough to make one keep looking for a book lovers cookbook.
Book Lovers Cook Book - Esther C. Klein - Mtn. Home, Ar. USA
I received ths book as a gift and loved it at once. I'm 70+ and at this stage don't Really need another cook book, but this book is so original giving excerpts from novels and other works in which recipes are mentioned; then presenting the recipes for us to try.
Along the way, I found myself saying: Why haven't I ever prepare that dish or why is it I never got around to reading this or that book?
It will bring a smile to anyone who enjoys cooking and reading as do I.
My order was a gift to my daughter, a good cook and an avid reader as well.
great gift for the reader who loves to cook - J. Farrell - San Diego, CA
I purchased this book for a friend who's favorite book is Tara Road. I was surprised to see an excerpt from the book in this recipe book so I had to order it. She received it for her birthday and is already anxious to get cooking on some of the recipes. I guess that means it was a good pick!
Outstanding Experience - NAR - Fairfax County, VA
I was incredibly impressed with this product and the service! I will use this vendor again and highly recommend them.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 02, 2010 09:14:11
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