Saturday, February 3, 2024

February/March selection: Relish

For the February / March 2024 edition of our book club, I chose the graphic memoir Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley (April 2013)



In her forthright, thoughtful, and funny memoir, Lucy traces key episodes in her life thus far, framed by what she was eating at the time and lessons learned about food, cooking, and life. Each chapter is bookended with an illustrated recipe—many of them treasured family dishes, and a few of them Lucy's original inventions. 
A welcome read for anyone who ever felt more passion for a sandwich than is strictly speaking proper, Relish is a graphic novel for our time: it invites the reader to celebrate food as a connection to our bodies and a connection to the earth, rather than an enemy, a compulsion, or a consumer product. 
And from the book review on NPR:
Lucy Knisley isn't a food hipster. She's a food nerd. 
Which is to say: she doesn't lecture. She enthuses.
Her knowledge of food isn't an excuse to lord her expertise over others. It's a means to connect with them, to get them to understand why she loves what she loves — and, maybe, to get them to love it, too.

Relish contains a series of stories from Knisley's life in the culinary world, from being toted along as a young girl to her mother's job at the first Dean and Deluca, to her own experiences in the Chicago food scene. These are broken up by some of her favorite recipes, lovingly illustrated and annotated in her bright, cartoony style.
I'm looking forward to reading outside my habits' boundaries. 

Simonabriciole

Deadline for contributing your post: Sunday, March 31, 2024

Leave a comment below with a link to your post or email me at simosite AT mac DOT com

Remember that membership in our book club is open to anyone and we hope you will join us by reading these selections and creating inspired recipes. New participants are always welcome and so are returning ones. For more information about participating, click here.  


20 comments:

Debra Eliotseats said...

Reserved and on waiting list at library!

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I'm looking forward to this one! I hope to participate.

Simona Carini said...

I hope the wait is not too long, Debra :)

Looking forward to seeing what you cook, Deb, and thank you again for suggesting this book :)

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

I have to confess that I am not much of a reader. When I do read , it is mostly historical fiction or a biography.
This sounds interesting especially with a recipe at the end of the chapter.

A Day in the Life on the Farm said...

Thanks so much for hosting. My review and recipe went live this morning at https://adayinthelifeonthefarm.blogspot.com/2024/02/sweet-potato-sushi-and-book-review.html.

Claudia said...

Don't read cartoon books, definitely outside my usual book habitat but, I've now got my library reserve copy, waiting for pickup. We'll see. Thanks for getting us outside our boxes Simona.

Marg said...

This will be a reread for me but I am looking forward to it

Simona Carini said...

I hope you get tempted to read this one, Judee: it's a fun, warmhearted read, and the recipes are quite interesting :)

Thank you, Wendy :)

It was a new experience for me too, Claudia. I enjoyed her drawings and her narrating voice :)

I'm glad you'll be reading it again, Marg :)

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I enjoyed the reread of this so much!

https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2024/02/relish-my-life-in-kitchen-by-lucy.html

Simona Carini said...

So glad you did, Deb :)

Amy said...

Fantastic pick! Here's my post: https://www.amyscookingadventures.com/2024/02/chai-latte.html

Claudia said...

Thanks Simona, my post is now up: http://honeyfromrock.blogspot.com/2024/02/stacked-or-unstacked-enchiladas-for.html

Marg said...

Warning...this post may make you want cookies!!

http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2024/03/weekend-cookingcook-books-relish-my.html

It was fun to revisit this book

Unknown said...

Mine is up (an from Marg's comment above they may be similar)!
http://eliotseats.com/2024/03/25/relish/

Simona Carini said...

Thank you, Amy. So glad you liked the book :)

Thank you, Claudia :)

Indeed, Marg! Thank you :)

Thank you, Debra :)

Simona Carini said...

Here's my contribution: https://www.pulcetta.com/2024/03/recipe-skillet-cooked-asparagus-eggs.html

Thank you all for participating :)

Deb in Hawaii said...

Right at the wire as usual. Here's mine: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2024/03/lucy-knisleys-moms-pesto-cream.html

This was a fun reread for me, thanks Simona!

Simona Carini said...

Thank you, Deb. Glad you had fun reading the book again :)

Delaware Girl Eats said...

I'm a huge fan of asparagus and enjoy those tasty little spears prepareed any number of ways! This dish looks yummy

Simona Carini said...

Thank you, Cathy :)