Monday, January 4, 2010

Off the top of my head I can think of at least 5 or 6 movies I could watch over and over again. Goodfellas, Love Actually, St. Elmo's Fire, Groundhog Day...you get the point. These do not include the movies that I come across on t.v. and can't pass up. The Godfather, Once Bitten, Stayin' Alive. My point here folks, is that I find it rather easy to pick out movies to watch again and again. Movies are pretty mindless for the most part and it can be relaxing and somewhat comforting to review an old fave. I mean, for God's sake, St. Elmo's is such an all time favorite of mine that I actually refer to it as "my friends"! Really!
Anyhoo....My question to you...oh blogger reader..."Is there a BOOK that you can read over and over again?"
I have found very few. I can count on one hand, albeit I fill that hand, how many books I can/have read more than once. You want the list? You know you do...
Here we go
Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede - I read this book waaaaay back in the day. Apparently it is part of a series (who knew?) and I have never read any other parts of it. All I remember was a very fun, adventure filled fantasy tale of a young man and a fire witch...god, I wanted to be a fire witch! I loved it, I acted it out(!), I read it twice.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson - I am pretty sure that the only reason I read this in the first place was to look badass in the eyes of some guy...but i loved it! It was funny, strange and took me on a crazy ride. I read it twice.
The last three I will lump together. Two words, reader. Ruth. Reichl. She is the editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, was the chief food critic for the New York Times from '93-'99 and could be my new favorite author. I was introduced to the first of her memoirs on my honeymoon by Ty's aunt, Tender At The Bone. I flew through it and on my return to normal life I promptly purchased her next two.
Comfort Me With Apples
Garlic and Sapphires

I am currently reading Garlic and Sapphires for the second time and really that is only because I very recently reread Comfort Me With Apples and I feel that I should not overstay my welcome by reading it for a third time in less than 2 years. Comfort Me With Apples is my favorite out of the three but they are all excellent. She writes about food and traveling, love and loss and she does it all with care and wit. She is funny and self deprecating and I adore her. I want to go where she goes and eat what she eats. She has incredible ways of describing food. 'Translucent', 'The bird tasted wild and funky, with that high, almost electric note you find only in birds that have never been caged', and she has referred to wine more than once as 'the garnet liquid'.
AND(!) every one of her memoirs is peppered with recipes (not that I've tried any...yet). Oh, and you don't even have to read them in order.
I know she has written other cookbooks and introductions to other author's books. She has also written another memoir, Not Becoming My Mother and I have not heard great things. For now I will stick with the three I love. If you love food, as I do, and love really good writing, I encourage you to check them out. Enjoy.

2 comments:

Ben said...

I love the book MONEYBALL. And I also love you.

Jilly said...

Will you still like me if I tell you that I've read the Harry Potter series about ten times? And I'll probably read them again. Yep, I'm a dork!