The Book Shelf in Sewtopia, Jane Austen and New Cookbooks!

 

After the long weekend of food and festivities, friends and family, my favorite pastime is to find a comfy spot and cuddle up with a good book, or two. In the last week several of my ordered books arrived and I have been burning the midnight oil finishing some casual reads. Lets talk books, ok?

First, the Kindle. I chose years ago to download light reading to my Kindle. I have a few, in strategic places in the house, and that provides instant access to my reads or a quick look up of a recipe. I only purchase special cookbooks in hardback now. Why, well, they are taking over, the shelves are full and bulging, the stacks on tables are threatening to topple, and I may be on the verge of an epiphany, I really like to read cookbooks, the cooking part, not as much as I used to. 

I finished another Jane Austen focused novel. I mentioned this before, I really like the book, the ending, not so much. I can think of two specific scenarios that I would have explored instead. But again, I was not the author. Godmersham Park, by Gill Hornby, is a fine example of tomes mimicking the style of Miss Jane. I may have lived in another century, I can relate to the plight of women in that time. While not my experience, I can still see examples of this in our lives today. 

 I read this one before Godmersham Park, it also describes the life of an unmarried woman, in her dotage, and how she navigated her times, her family, and her frailties. Cassandra Austen was a strong and sensitive woman, not much was written about her specifically, but the historical accounts of her life draw a picture of her decisions and why she chose to remain unmarried.  

Now to the Cookbooks. Ina Garten just released her newest book. I probably would not have bought this one if I had not seen an NBC interview with her about the origins of this selection of recipes. Ina said that during the pandemic she found herself making food that she thought would be very good selections for anyone isolated and tucked away with their immediate family. W-E-L-L, I don't know. I truly see some updated recipes, some rather unusual selections that I am sure the average family would not choose, and some recipes that I found to be nothing I would ever choose. Now, Ina states clearly that she tests, and tests, every recipe over and over before publishing and I believe that. However, in the early days of her publishing, I found her work to be typical of food that I made for my family and guests. I always found many recipes that I would reproduce and the quality of her books from photo's to writing style exceptional. On review ( I haven't made these yet) there are two, maybe three selections from this book that I will make.   I still love Ina, I will study this one a little more, I may be missing something. I did not pay full price for this book because I get credits from Amazon because I buy so many books. (I said I may have a problem, but that will be our little secret.) 

And then there is Deb Perlman. You know I was smitten by her first two books. Her style is middle European mixed with NYC Jewish. I have made this food my entire married life. Her take, from her itty-bitty New York kitchen, is family friendly and inclusive. While I just received this one last week, I already have pages ear marked and notes in the margins. I'll be busy all winter with this. 

 Her You Tube videos are full of personality and content, HERE. Smitten Kitchen is a go-to for me. Love this young woman. 

• As a reminder, I receive absolutely NO compensation from anybody about anything. The purchase of the books and my reviews are entirely my own.
• Quite frankly, not everything I cook is a WOW meal. Husband eats it whether he likes it or not. He will be hungry or open a can of Chef Boy-ar-dee ravioli sometimes. I struggle to find chicken recipes that he will actually "like." This is the result of a bad experience in basic training when they were forced to eat very under-cooked chicken in the field. He was traumatized. 
• I also know that not everyone is a reader. I find the escape in books to be a life blood. Television has become something of  a wasteland and a long evening with a book is my entertainment.  
   

*as an aside on the sewing front, see the scarf Ina is wearing, I have that fabric in the stash. I have not been totally sure what to do with it, now I know.