Book Talk - The rest of July

My Air Conditioned Happy Place

If you live somewhere within the continental USA, chances are you are melting at the moment when not in air conditioning.  It is sweltering outside...  I've been thinking of going to the library today but so far sanity has prevailed and I've stayed inside.  Although the deck flowers will need a drink of water this afternoon so the need to do more than peek out the door becomes necessary.

I've been chipping away at July reading and got caught up in a reality TV series as a result of it.  I'd been curious about the show called The Last Alaskans on Animal Planet but when reviewing Braving It, I found out the cousin the author and his daughter stay with through much of the book is one of the families on The Last Alaskans.  So, of course, there was a connection to the people and the land already. 

The series is so interesting and a hot summer day was a perfect time to watch a few episodes.  You have to be made of strong stuff to live off the grid in Alaska... or perhaps anywhere.  It makes me thankful for indoor plumbing and not having to be concerned about bears in the forest.

I finished Joanne Weir's memoir/cookbook called Kitchen Gypsy after slowly perusing it for weeks.  It was so enjoyable and it is fascinating, how one decision after another that seemed insignificant at the time led to where she is today.  For instance, while on a visit to California she had lunch with her sister at Alice Water's Chez Panisse and loved the experience so much she later moved to the state and eventually became a chef there.

I want to do a quick reread some day, perhaps this Autumn.  The section of the book where she travels and cooks in different countries begs for more attention than I could give at the time.  Her writing is as enjoyable as her cooking shows on PBS.

I am slowly rereading An Everlasting Meal, there is a reason it is one of my all time favorite books... ever.  Not only about cooking but especially about cooking.  Does that make sense?  She causes me to think of ways to use veggies that I didn't know was possible in the chapter about vegetables.  I need to reread this book at the beginning of every season for inspiration.

It is quite by accident there is a food theme in my reading because Summer is the one time of the year I don't enjoy cooking. My favorite meals lend themselves more to cooler temperatures.  Having said that, I have been pulling cookbooks off the shelves in the kitchen and looking for ideas.

August will most likely continue to be a month of mostly summer rereading.  I haven't accepted any new review books in the past two weeks, so at least for awhile I'll have time to reread old favorites.  I already know I want to reread Christy, it has been ages since I reread that and I'm thinking cool mountain air sounds very good right now.

I adore the Smoky Mountains... even if the visit is vicariously appreciated.  We honeymooned in the Smoky Mountains and have driven through them a couple times since then.  They are beautiful and Christy is also one of my most beloved books.

Until August...

Further information about books mentioned in Book Talk this post:
Braving It... here.
Kitchen Gypsy... here.
An Everlasting Meal... here.
Christy... here.

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