Reading Recommendations: Bon Appétit
A new month means another batch of reading recommendations! May’s theme is Bon Appétit and we are talking about all food-themed books. Here are foodie reads I’ve enjoyed and recommend to you. And if you’re looking for more recommendations check out a similar list I did in the past here.
A Place at the Table
Sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl meet when they take a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara’s mom.
Sixth-graders Sara and Elizabeth could not be more different. Sara is at a new school that is huge and completely unlike the small Islamic school she used to attend. Elizabeth has her own problems: her British mum has been struggling with depression. The girls meet in an after-school South Asian cooking class, which Elizabeth takes because her mom has stopped cooking, and which Sara, who hates to cook, is forced to attend because her mother is the teacher. The girls form a shaky alliance that gradually deepens, and they make plans to create the most amazing, mouth-watering cross-cultural dish together and win a spot on a local food show. They make good cooking partners … but can they learn to trust each other enough to become true friends?
This middle-grade novel is a beautiful story about family, culture, and food. This novel shows that food has the power to bring people from different backgrounds together and open conversations that can lead to new friendships. This story even though the main characters Sara and Elisabeth face such different obstacles felt like a warm hug. Seeing them bond over a cooking class and become close friends was heartwarming.This novel is full of fun, food, and finding out what it means to belong.
Noodle & Bao
Momo has lived in Town 99 her entire life. She knows all its quirks and rhythms: the best places to buy fruit, practice tai-chi in the park, and, most of all, get the best meal: Noodle & Bao, run by Momo’s best friend, Bao, and their amah, Noodle.
But Town 99 is changing. Rent is becoming unaffordable for Momo and her parents, and even Noodle & Bao has been edged out of its storefront, which was just recently bought out by a new business venture–Fancé Cafe. Fancé is run by the ambitious Ms. Jujube and her henchmen, who claim they’re only beautifying Town 99 with good business.
Momo knows that’s not true, and knows that if she doesn’t do something, she’ll lose everything she loves about her neighborhood. From undercover recon to a cook-off proposal, protest signs to petitions, Momo and Bao are on a mission to protect Town 99. Will they succeed before it’s too late?
If you enjoy food-filled stories of a close-knit neighborhood and lots of delicious recipes, then check out Noodle & Bao. The graphic novel uses monochromatic with red tones used throughout the story, giving the story a comic book feel. It added to light-hearted nature of the story even though it does cover some serious topics. At its core, the graphic novel is a story about gentrification, culture, and identity. . It’s tricky to navigate through and while there’s no one easy solution, I admired how the town works together to stand for their rights.
Recipe For You
Belle Sutton is a little lost these days.
She has a stalled career, a New York apartment she can’t afford, and her sister, Lexie, is more estranged with each passing year. Belle’s one true consolation is her beloved grandmother, who’s powered through her own broken family ties with a tenacious zest for life and a passion for cooking. But when her grandmother suddenly passes away, a grieving Belle feels her only connection to the past is gone forever.
That’s when Belle receives a series of letters, along with a cookbook, photographs of Belle and Lexie when they were young and happy, and her grandmother’s last wish that the sisters mend severed ties before it’s too late. For the love of Gran, a challenge is met that sets Belle and Lexie on a journey of hope, reconciliation, surprising discoveries, and the nourishing power of family, forgiveness, and tradition. All they have to do is follow the directions.
At it’s core, Recipe of Joy, is a story about healing from grief and forgiving mistakes from the past. It shows us all the messiness of emotions that are raw and unfiltered and shows readers the way you can slowly pick up the pieces and move forward. I love the fact that the recipes mentioned in the story are also included in the back of the book. Each recipe holds so much nostalgia and memories which recreate a spark of joy with each meal. This novel at shows readers how food can be such a powerful thing.
My Sweet Escape
When LA-based social media star Mia Daniels’ perfectly curated life implodes after a viral scandal, she escapes to the quaint town of Cider Mill, Ohio. Her plan? To lay low until the storm passes. What she doesn’t expect is to find herself drawn to Jack Miller, a fourth-generation candy maker who creates magic with copper pots and believes some moments are better left uncaptured.
As Mia trades her ring light for chocolate-stained aprons, she discovers there’s more to life than likes and follows. But just as she and Jack begin to create their own sweet blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern flair, her social media past threatens to unravel their budding romance.
With her heart on the line and her career hanging by a thread, Mia must decide what matters more: reclaiming her online empire or pursuing a love that’s anything but virtual.
!My Sweet Escape is a story of savoring life’s small moments, stepping away from the hustle, and indulging in mouth-watering candy recipes. The slow process of creating the confections in the candy shop can also be applied to the larger discussion of putting passion into your craft. So often Mia was trapped in the social media content grind that she loses sight of what made her enjoy sharing stories online with others. It reminds readers not to get caught up in the illusion of what is portrayed online and what people show you on a surface level.
That Prince Is Mine
A love-averse Korean royal court cuisine instructor in search of a perfect-on-paper husband is waylaid from her practical, heartbreak-proof plan when she meets a gorgeous professor—and prince in disguise—who will do anything to prove to her that love and happily ever after can be theirs.
Emma Yoon runs a small business as a culinary instructor in Los Angeles teaching Korean royal court cuisine to young ladies striving to marry into the exclusive upper crust Korean families. She has built her business alongside her renowned Korean matchmaker godmother, which brings her one step closer to her dream of opening up a culinary school on her own. But when her godmother’s fellow matchmakers decide to meddle in Emma’s love life in a bid to sabotage her godmother, and indirectly push Emma’s dream out of her reach, she must go on a series of arranged first dates and find herself the perfect-on-paper husband to help save both, her godmother’s reputation and her dream–even if she’s not ready for love. But when she meets Michel Aubert, a professor at USC, after a series of disastrous first dates, she wonders if she might reevaluate her position on love.
Prince Michel Aubert is bound by duty and responsibility to his country, but an arranged marriage is the last thing he wants. If he is going to spend the rest of his life in service of his people, then he at least wants someone he loves and trusts by his side while doing it. He needs to find a woman who loves him for who he is before his engagement to his handpicked bride is announced. Emma Yoon might be just the woman he is looking for.
That Prince is Mine is a fun take on the Royal Romance trope with a main heroine who loves to teach Korean Royal Court cooking classes and coincidentally meets a prince. What stood out to me the most about this novel was the main protagonist, Emma, and the theme of food in the plot. I loved how her passion for cooking connected the reader to her character on a deeper level. I learned a lot about Korean Royal Court cuisine and its ties to the Joseon Dynasty as well as the cultural significance of each dish. Some of the recipes sounded so mouthwatering and I loved seeing how these dishes brought the characters closer together!
That concludes my reading recommendations for food-themed reads! What books do you recommend or what are your favorites? Comment below!
