BKMT READING GUIDES



 
Fun,
Inspiring,
Informative

1 review

A Reader's Cookbook
by Judith Choate

Published: 2010-11-16
Paperback : 192 pages
1 member reading this now
0 club reading this now
0 members have read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members
The pleasure of reading is enhanced by tasting food of the land where a story unfolds or toasting a hero with the beverage of his choice. Who, when reading Tolstoy or Chekov, might not imagine a cherry-preserve sweetened tea? A novel by Kiran Desai or Jhumpa Lahiri leads to ...
No other editions available.
Add to Club Selections
Add to Possible Club Selections
Add to My Personal Queue
Jump to

Introduction

The pleasure of reading is enhanced by tasting food of the land where a story unfolds or toasting a hero with the beverage of his choice. Who, when reading Tolstoy or Chekov, might not imagine a cherry-preserve sweetened tea? A novel by Kiran Desai or Jhumpa Lahiri leads to saffron-infused basmati. Kathryn Stockett fans will add to their experience by nibbling pralines. Let sophisticates hail Ian Fleming or Jay McInerney with a martini, stirred or shaken. A Reader's Cookbook divides the world into 17 literary/culinary regions, the last covering fictional utopias and dystopias. A reader delving into a world gone awry needs luscious food! Choices allow the word-inspired chef to cook dinner, host a book-club tea or prepare an easily-transported treat. The literary palate is also explored in a smorgasbord of writer quotes on food favorites and other soulful nourishments.

Table of Contents

AMERICAN HORIZONS

Chapter 1 • Heartland Writing and Dining

Chapter 2 • Prose and Plates of the Eastern Seaboard

Chapter 3 • Southland Delights

Chapter 4 • Westward Reading and Vittles

Chapter 5 • Under a Maple Sky—O Canada!

Chapter 6 • Latin American Lovers of the Word

EUROPEAN TASTES

Chapter 7 • Pages and Platters of the Anglo/Irish Isles

Chapter 8 • French Tastes

Chapter 9 • Sun-Drenched Savories and Sweets

Chapter 10 • Northern Literary Lights and Bites

Chapter 11 • Food for Thought in Eastern Europe

Chapter 12 • Russian Reveries and Repasts

BOUND BOOKS, BOUNDLESS SATISFACTIONS

Chapter 13 • Into the Near East and Out of Africa

Chapter 14 • Pleasures of the Subcontinent

Chapter 15 • Scrolling through Asia

Chapter 16 • Literature Afloat

Chapter 17 • The Best and Worst of Places

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

Southland Delights

I can think of no other area of the country that has produced as many delicious dishes or as many soulful writers as the South. The diversity of Southern cooking is as rich as the stories that Southern authors have given us. Hot and spicy, sharp and bitter, warm and comforting, sweet and sugary, smoky and savory— these describe the foods as well as the literature born in the American South. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

No discussion questions at this time.

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

About the Book:

A good book should be savored with an equally fine dish. Ideally, the reader should be able to have a taste or sip redolent of a favorite scene. With A Reader’s Cookbook, the book lover can do just that. This is the literary cookbook avid readers have been waiting for.

Judith Choate is your new best friend. She cooks the world, so to speak, and many of her suggested dishes are portable. Here, she has distilled a lifetime of professional cooking and reading for pleasure. She offers readers delicious (and simple) ways to amplify their understanding of the culture of a novel, memoir or poem. The book brims not only with do-able recipes but also with revelatory quotes about what particular foods and drinks have meant to certain authors or their characters.

The planet, as the author reads it, is comprised of 17 overlapping literary-culinary zones, with the last being the dystopias and utopias of writers’ imaginations. Whether you are planning a literary tea, cocktail hour, supper or beach party (after reading your beach book), there is something between these covers you can serve. When it’s your turn to host your group or contribute a fitting dish, you’ll be set. No need to invest in a guide to Russian cuisine this month, a Mexican cookbook next month and a primer on Chinese or Middle Eastern cooking next time around; Judith Choate has something here, as the world goes round, for your pleasure.

“Judith Choate has masterfully created a delicious road map for a culinary journey around the world. It’s the perfect pairing to any book club.”

– Charlie Palmer, of Aureole, Joule and other restaurants, hotels and wine shops across the country.

“Judith Choate is as passionate about the written word as she is about food, making A Reader’s Cookbook both a pleasure and a terrific blueprint for sharing great writing and great eats.”

– Michael McCarty, of Michael’s restaurants in Santa Monica and New York.

Author Bio:

Judith Choate is an internationally-renowned cooking consultant and teacher, and a three-time James Beard cookbook award winner.

No matter what your book group is reading, A Reader’s Cookbook has an evocative dish.

Book Club Recommendations

Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
  "a reader's cookbook"by kari c. (see profile) 04/14/11

This book is a perfect way to add a delicious element to your book club meetings. The book is filled with enticing photography, quotes from authors,great recipes. The book ranges from international exotic... (read more)

Rate this book
MEMBER LOGIN
Remember me
BECOME A MEMBER it's free

Book Club HQ to over 88,000+ book clubs and ready to welcome yours.

SEARCH OUR READING GUIDES Search
Search




FEATURED EVENTS
PAST AUTHOR CHATS
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

Get free weekly updates on top club picks, book giveaways, author events and more
Please wait...