Foodie Reads Challenge

A few years ago I jumped into a reading challenge hosted by Heather at Based On A True Story. I had so much fun, I've been signing on every year. If you're local to me (Monterey Peninsula, California), be sure to check out the newly-opened The Friends of the Marina Library bookstore.

Food. Books. What's not to love?

I hope you'll enjoy following along. I will post the titles I've read, on this page, as well as linking to the monthly lists at Based On A True Story. You should gain some great titles to add to your own shelf - or use as gifts for your favorite foodie bookworm. Heather has five Foodie Read Challenge Levels...

• Short-Order Cook: 1 to 3 books
• Pastry Chef: 4 to 8 books
• Sous-Chef: 9 to 13 books
• Chef de Cuisine: 14 to 18
• Cordon Bleu Chef: More than 19

She also says that you can opt for an a la carte option and just read a book about food anytime you can fit it in. But I like the accountability and a year-long goal. Any genre of book qualifies for the challenge if food is a major part of the plot; it can even be a cookbook! This makes it easy for me to embrace the challenge level of Cordon Bleu Chef. In all the years I've participated, I have logged over 30 books; I am going to try to do that again in 2019!

This year's links are below. You'll see my 2016, 2017, and 2018 links at this tab. I hope you'll be inspired to join the fun.

2019

Click on the title to go to my blogpost about the book.

January 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in January 2019: here.

The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

February 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in February 2019: here.

Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie
Circe by Madeline Miller
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan [2nd post]
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

March 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in March 2019: here.

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman

How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics by Eugenia Cheng
Cucina Tipica: An Italian Adventure by Andrew Cotto

April 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in April 2019: here.

Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine
by Edward Lee
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

May 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in May 2019: here.

The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk
Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors: A Novel by Sonali Dev

The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook: 125 Organic and Farm-to-Fork Recipes from the Green Mountain State by Tracey Medeiros
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

June 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in June 2019: here.

Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
The Deepest Blue: Tales of Renthia by Sarah Beth Durst
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Lost Letters of William Woolf by Helen Cullen
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly by Jean-Dominque Bauby

July 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in July 2019: here.

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

 The Island of Sea Women: A Novel by Lisa See

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim [first post]

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim [second post]

August 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in August 2019: here.

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas

My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and Food by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

September 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in September 2019: here.

Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals by Andrew Caldwell

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Chronicles of a Radical Hag (with Recipes): A Novel by Lorna Landvik
The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats by Daniel Stone
Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly

October 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in October 2019: here.

The Temporary Bride: A Memoir of Love and Food in Iran by Jennifer Klinec
Mini Donuts: 100 Bite-Sized Donut Recipes to Sweeten Your "Hole" Day by Jessica Segarra
The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate
At the Wolf's Table: A Novel by Rosella Postorino
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
Around the World in 80 Dinners: The Ultimate Culinary Adventure by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison

November 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in November 2019: here.

Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin

South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations by Sean Brock

The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel

We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

December 2019

Click to see what everyone else read in December 2019: here.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris