i’ve got 26 books and a horror flick out on loan. this is most of what’s at home…
I got a little ahead of myself.
Months ago, I started thinking about chronicling what an amazing resource the Los Angeles Public Library is and hopefully, will continue to be.(♥: Shade to the Mayor and City Council, intended.) It’s given me the opportunity to really spend time with books instead of being swayed by aesthetics and a discount at my old house of worship, Barnes and Noble.
I still ache a little when I think about all the books I sold when I packed up and moved west. Okay, I ache a lot. The cookbooks took the biggest hit because they’d cost the most to ship. So, slowly, I’m re-building my collection, using LAPL for research. Mindfully, looking at the books for more than just a recipe.
The Obvi and Superficial…
Ummm, The Good Stuff Cookbook. Spike’s cute, I watch Top Chef and he kinda had me at Old Bay Mayonnaise. There, I’ll admit that. But, I’m probably a little more critical of the book because of it as well. Eh, on cursory glance, the photographs don’t grab me at all. I don’t know why the pictures of the salads and anything with corn annoy me, but they do. Otherwise, it looks fun. We’ll see.
Because I Can Can…
Took a bit of a canning/putting up break over the holidays. Still building my canning library. Spending time with Putting Food By, The Joy of Keeping a Root Cellar, Urban Pantry, Preserve It!, Canning for a New Generation. It’s so different reading them for pleasure/information and not looking for Can Jam inspiration.
I Like The World At My Table…
I am so lucky that my mom introduced us to the world when we were kids, even if I HATED IT. (♥: Tofu and Bulgur, still not feeling you) The flavors that I loved make the global culinary adventure exciting and familiar. I think this year is going to be a serious South Asian exploration. I wish it weren’t all from books, though. There was that guy who… Oh, you don’t know that story. I might have to actually read Ginger and Ganesh. It’s more a memoir with recipes.
Still trying to feel my way around Japanese cooking without much luck. Simply Japanese went back to LAPL pretty quickly.
I’m working on an In Bed With | Momofuku. I can’t remember if this is the second or third time it’s made it home.
On Your Recommendation…
For a minute there, I thought I was losing it. I couldn’t remember why I wanted to check out Rose’s Heavenly Cakes. Then, it hit me. My favorite librarian thought I might like it and held it aside for me. J’adore her.
I always check out the book section on the Anthro site and cross-reference with LAPL to see if I can’t get my hands on the curated goodness. It tends to take a while after release, but I’ve become patient. I first saw The Commonsense Kitchen and Sweety Pies there.
The Odd Man Out…
I’ve been taking out fewer doing books lately. Sometimes, I like to give up on the illusion that I’m going to make something. It’s easier that way. And since I’ve always had a penchant for buying expensive yarn that tends to pill like crazy, I thought it was time to take a few steps back and learn more about it with The Knitter’s Book of Wool.
Time to dig it before this batch of books comes due.
N♥
