MADreads

Delicious delicacies and delightful disguises

When I finished listening to the audio version of Ruth Reichl’s Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise I wanted to start from the beginning and listen to the whole delicious book again.  Reichl tells the story of her years as the restaurant critic for the New York Times with such sensuous food descriptions that I actually wished I could taste a watermelon, avocado and calamari salad that she described (as well as other, less bizarre concoctions).

Mouth-watering restaurant reviews are woven together with humorous stories of the disguises she created to elude recognition and the (sometimes terrible) treatment she received at restaurants when working undercover.  The book also explores some deeper realms—describing how she felt like (and behaved like) a completely different person when she went out in disguise, social justice issues (is it morally irresponsible to enjoy extremely expensive meals in a world filled with so much hunger and poverty?)—but never gets too heavy or bogged down.  The audio (which is also available as a download for your MP3 player) is well-read and ends with a short interview with the author herself—an unexpected treat!

Add comment July 23rd, 2007 Carissa - Alicia Ashman

Attention Armchair Travelers!

If you love to live vicariously through the books you read, and you’ve always wanted to travel to exotic locations, read Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert.  This is the travel journal of a woman who has just pulled herself through a painful divorce and decides to find healing by living abroad for a year.  When I listened to the author reading her book on CD, I stayed in the car for a few minutes after I’d reached my destination just to hear a little more.  Before the end of the book, it felt like she was a close (and beautifully articulate and honest) friend of mine, confiding to me all the details of her fantastic trip around the world.  Along the way she includes descriptions of the luscious Italian food and language, her journey deep into her soul in an Indian Ashram, and her efforts to find the balance between indulgence and austerity in Indonesia.  Beware!  You may have a strong urge to visit Bali when you finish the book.  Or at least take a few lessons in Italian.

Add comment May 24th, 2006 Carissa - Alicia Ashman