Living the Book Life

Book Lists, Reviews, and News Round-up by Juliana Aldous Vol. 3 #1

Is this thing on? I’m thinking of reviving this newsletter so I have somewhere to write.

Book News

The LA Times has a story about how Netflix’s latest hit adaptations have boosted book sales. “No, duh!” says this former bookseller. The article calls out Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley, and Holly Jackson’s Good Gir’s Guide to Murder series. Me, I personally haven’t gotten over the ending in Kristin Hannah’s Firefly Lane.

The only reason I’m currently keeping my New York Times subscription is for their current series on The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. I haven’t voted for my top ten yet—I want to see the full list before committing which released this morning.

Book Reviews

I don’t read a lot of romance, but The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren is a perfect no-brainer little summer romance and confection to entertain you while you beat the heat. I read it for the upcoming Saltwater Bookshop’s Fiction Addiction book club.

I recently read My Life in France, a memoir of Julia and Paul Child's time in France and the creation of her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I dare you to read it without wanting to pack your bags and go to Paris instantly.

Book Lists

Here is my list of Best Food memoirs after adding Julia Child to the mix.

My Life in France by Julia Child
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking by Bill Buford
Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
Hungry Town: A Culinary History of New Orleans, the City Where Food is Almost Everything by Tom Fitzmorris

What I’m Reading

They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms by Mike Hixenbaugh

Nothing Remains the Same: Rereading and Remembering by Wendy Lesser

What to Watch When by Christian Blauvelt

Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond by Henry Winkler