It's so much work, Andrea. Sure, reading them is fun and easy, but to sort, select, review and recommend? That's a lot. Thank you for this!
The Food of Southern Thailand caught my eye almost immediately. I discovered that the author has a Northern Thailand title as well. Bob and I are planning to go there next year so the timing of your review was perfect for me. I love learning about people and cultures by studying and sampling the food they eat.
It is a lot of work, Evvy. Thank you for recognizing the effort pull this together. I appreciate you extra for that!
Austin's Northern Thailand book is similarly done with a documentarian's eye. You'll gain a lot from reading his book. What a trip you'll have next year.
I appreciate this post so much. I can talk books all day long! First of all, it makes sense that 88% of your subscribers regularly cook for only 1 or 2 people. Busy parents of large families wouldn’t likely have the time to keep up with Substack I imagine.
I often wonder what cookbooks you yourself use and what you recommend. I can also enjoy reading a whole cookbook and never cooking from it. I’m currently reading Hawker Fare. I’m at about page 80 and still haven’t read a recipe, but I’m learning and enjoying it so much. I even came across a mention of Pim Techamuanvivit. Please let us know when we can preorder your book!
I read Slow Noodles earlier this year and then loaned it to my mom. I insisted she return it because of the recipes. I really love the way so many stories and histories can be told through the lens of food. I know very little about Cambodia and appreciated Chantha Nguon sharing her history and experiences.
The most recent book I’ve finished was The Manicurist’s Daughter by Susan Lieu. I’ve already mentioned to you how much I enjoyed it. Today I picked up a book of essays I’ve been reading between novels, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib (found at Verbatim Books if anyone is in the San Diego area).
In the name of brevity, I’ll refrain from mentioning all the books I’ve read this year. 🤓
Smaller households are the reality for many folks, whether they decide to not start a family or their children have moved out. Yup, it makes sense but do hope families get to share a meal all at once now and then. Life can be lonely even in a family!
Oh the book I use and read. It’s hard to say. I cook a lot from my own books but go thru jags where there are certain non-me books that hang out on in my kitchen counter. Let me write a little more on that later, Emily!
Hawker Fare is a well written book. A friend of mine, John Birdsall wrote it. James is a very talented cook and has a great story. Thanks for noting Pim’s name in HF. It’s a small community of Asian food.
The Manicurists Daughter is in my to-read list! Thank you for the IG and PTFS recommendation. I just spend an hour this morning reading the Women and now have to get working!!!!
So many fascinating cookbooks to explore—I can’t wait to take a look at several of them. I highly recommend Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s novel, The Mountains Sing, as well as her second novel in English, Dust Child. She is a celebrated poet as well as a novelist, but her poetry in Vietnamese has not been widely translated. There is one bilingual collection translated by Bruce Weigl, The Secret of Hoa Sen. I did not know about Slow Noodles, but I just bought it.
Ann — Thank you for suggesting The Women. If I wasn’t on a tight deadline for the Thai Cookbook, I’d be reading it cover to cover in a week. Totally agree with you about Que Mai’s Dust Child. It’s such a tender novel.
This looks like an excellent list! I’m hungry just reading it.
I wonder if you or any of your readers have a recommendation for an Indonesian cookbook? I visited the Netherlands this year, and now I’d like to learn more about Indonesian cooking - and there are so few Indonesian restaurants in the US. If not a cookbook, then a website with some real expertise?
Best gift guide that isn’t a gift guide on Substack! Will definitely be gifting Crumbs to my baker niece and the weekday cookbook to my daughters who are living on their own
It's so much work, Andrea. Sure, reading them is fun and easy, but to sort, select, review and recommend? That's a lot. Thank you for this!
The Food of Southern Thailand caught my eye almost immediately. I discovered that the author has a Northern Thailand title as well. Bob and I are planning to go there next year so the timing of your review was perfect for me. I love learning about people and cultures by studying and sampling the food they eat.
We will, for sure, stop in VN on the way! 💕
It is a lot of work, Evvy. Thank you for recognizing the effort pull this together. I appreciate you extra for that!
Austin's Northern Thailand book is similarly done with a documentarian's eye. You'll gain a lot from reading his book. What a trip you'll have next year.
I appreciate this post so much. I can talk books all day long! First of all, it makes sense that 88% of your subscribers regularly cook for only 1 or 2 people. Busy parents of large families wouldn’t likely have the time to keep up with Substack I imagine.
I often wonder what cookbooks you yourself use and what you recommend. I can also enjoy reading a whole cookbook and never cooking from it. I’m currently reading Hawker Fare. I’m at about page 80 and still haven’t read a recipe, but I’m learning and enjoying it so much. I even came across a mention of Pim Techamuanvivit. Please let us know when we can preorder your book!
I read Slow Noodles earlier this year and then loaned it to my mom. I insisted she return it because of the recipes. I really love the way so many stories and histories can be told through the lens of food. I know very little about Cambodia and appreciated Chantha Nguon sharing her history and experiences.
The most recent book I’ve finished was The Manicurist’s Daughter by Susan Lieu. I’ve already mentioned to you how much I enjoyed it. Today I picked up a book of essays I’ve been reading between novels, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib (found at Verbatim Books if anyone is in the San Diego area).
In the name of brevity, I’ll refrain from mentioning all the books I’ve read this year. 🤓
Smaller households are the reality for many folks, whether they decide to not start a family or their children have moved out. Yup, it makes sense but do hope families get to share a meal all at once now and then. Life can be lonely even in a family!
Oh the book I use and read. It’s hard to say. I cook a lot from my own books but go thru jags where there are certain non-me books that hang out on in my kitchen counter. Let me write a little more on that later, Emily!
Hawker Fare is a well written book. A friend of mine, John Birdsall wrote it. James is a very talented cook and has a great story. Thanks for noting Pim’s name in HF. It’s a small community of Asian food.
The Manicurists Daughter is in my to-read list! Thank you for the IG and PTFS recommendation. I just spend an hour this morning reading the Women and now have to get working!!!!
So many good books to read!
So many fascinating cookbooks to explore—I can’t wait to take a look at several of them. I highly recommend Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s novel, The Mountains Sing, as well as her second novel in English, Dust Child. She is a celebrated poet as well as a novelist, but her poetry in Vietnamese has not been widely translated. There is one bilingual collection translated by Bruce Weigl, The Secret of Hoa Sen. I did not know about Slow Noodles, but I just bought it.
I’ve enjoyed The Mountains Sing and Dust Child as well.
Drama and culture-filled books by Que Mai!
Ann — Thank you for suggesting The Women. If I wasn’t on a tight deadline for the Thai Cookbook, I’d be reading it cover to cover in a week. Totally agree with you about Que Mai’s Dust Child. It’s such a tender novel.
I’ll check out Hoa Sen to boot! Thanks!
Wonderful! 📚
This looks like an excellent list! I’m hungry just reading it.
I wonder if you or any of your readers have a recommendation for an Indonesian cookbook? I visited the Netherlands this year, and now I’d like to learn more about Indonesian cooking - and there are so few Indonesian restaurants in the US. If not a cookbook, then a website with some real expertise?
Let me look into that for you!
This is a wonderful selection of books with your thoughtful comments. Thank you for sharing! Your newsletter is terrific.
Slow Noodles is a memorable book from my 2024 reading. I shared it with a book group then we made spring rolls together for our meeting.
Fantastic. Slow Noodles is a heartfelt book. The recipes fit right in the story telling. Yay!
Best gift guide that isn’t a gift guide on Substack! Will definitely be gifting Crumbs to my baker niece and the weekday cookbook to my daughters who are living on their own
You saw right through me, Janet! I got plenty of gift guides too and thought... what would be a little different and helpful?!
It was very helpful
Thanks. Alot of great books in the article and in the comments!
We definitely have points of view here, Nghiem!
These are beautiful suggestions! I’m inspired! Btw I cooked you lunch https://makepurethyheart.com/vegan-one-pot-thanksgiving-mac-cheese/
Thanks, Paolo, for the food and book reading pairing.