BOOKS

A home doesn’t feel furnished to me without at least one bookcase groaning with favourite novels, reference books, books on food, flowers, history, and atlases. I couldn’t possibly remember everything that I want to know – having a book on hand, that is the authority on whatever the current interest is, reassures me. When my first child was a baby, I didn’t travel anywhere without the What to Expect - The First Year’ book – insurance against anything happening that I couldn’t deal with.

Novels are the icing on the cake, offering companionship and entertainment, wherever you are – if you carry one with you, there is no need to be bored if stuck in traffic, queuing at the tax office, waiting for a train and there is always something to look forward to in the evenings, when the children are in bed: the sofa, a hot drink and your book.

Here are lists of my personal best books – completely subjective, all books I’ve read and couldn’t do without. I’d love to hear other people’s recommendations too.

Cookery Books

How to Eat by Nigella Lawson
My copy of this it now worn and spattered with food, testimony to it being an essential part of my kitchen. Enjoyable to read, it contains lots of practical advice as well as excellent recipes. A chapter on cooking for children is a mother’s lifesaver and the section on basics gave me the confidence to try my hand at pastry again.

Feast by Nigella Lawson
A joy to read, with Nigella’s inimitable style combining personal anecdotes with historical research on the various festivals, as well as loads of new recipes for luscious celebratory food. This is food to celebrate life with on any occasion.

Appetite by Nigel Slater
Another of my favourite food writers, for his no-frills robust approach to food. This book is written more as a guide to cooking rather than a series of recipes. There is a basic recipe for each type of dish, with suggestions for variations and he encourages you towards getting your own feel for the food and making alterations and innovations according to your taste and mood.

Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater
I don’t actually have this book though I recommend any of Nigel’s books - see the Amazon review for more details.

30 minute Cook by Nigel Slater
A whole range of tasty meals that can be cooked in half an hour or less, all quantities given for two people, so it’s great for weekday suppers or busy people everywhere.

Marcella Cucina by Marcella Hazan
The supreme authority on authentic Italian cookery, Marcella presents her recipes in a very straightforward, easy to follow way. Useful advice on how to put together a suitable menu to go with each dish. If you follow her recipes to the letter, you will be able to transport yourself gastronomically to a trattoria in the Italian countryside in an instant.

Fruit Book by Jane Grigson
The definitive book on cooking with fruit, well researched and written in a companionable and knowledgeable way that is enjoyable to read. Every fruit known to the western world is included, with its history and traditional recipes as well as innovative ones. Jane Grigson’s love of good food emanates from the pages and communicates her enthusiasm, so that you can’t wait for each fruit to come into season to try out her recipes.

New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel
All the info on first foods and baby nutrition and lots of imaginative recipes to try, progressing from first solids through to toddler meals. First time mothers will love it and use it lots, those on their second or third baby are more likely to throw it back at you, with a kind request to go cook all that yourself and deliver it to them ready made!

Food Fiction

The Food of Love by Anthony Capella
A well-written, sparkly novel set in Rome: an American art-history student discovers food and love. Wonderfully evocative of Rome and its food – the way to this woman’s heart is definitely through her stomach, or palate if we’re going to be refined about it! Fun.

Blessed are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch
Quirky, idiosyncratic, off-the-wall and very human – a wonderful novel with romance and suspense in equal measure. The cheese making is at the heart of the novel – the best cheeses have to be made with milk, milked by hand by pregnant dairymaids.

By Bread Alone by Sarah-Kate Lynch
Sour-dough rye bread holds this plot together – its making interwoven with the emotional well-being of the main character. Tugs at the heartstrings of parents. Don't read it if you are feeling paranoid about accidents befalling your child – otherwise well worth the read.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris
A chocolate for each personality, it speaks to the inner passion. A hint of magic to the mixing of people and chocolate in small-town France. A classic.

Through a Glass Darkly or any others of the Brunetti series by Donna Leon
Set in Venice, a police detective, Guido Brunetti, is the main character. The crime investigation is the framework to a larger picture of Italian life. Food is central to most Italians and the food his wife Paola cooks, in between her work as a university lecturer, leaves me feeling inadequate and hungry for a taste.

The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
A beautifully crafted story weaving the magic and properties of the spices into tales of life in the Indian community in California. A warm mystical ambience that wraps around a very human story.

Parenting Books

What to Expect - The First Year
A comprehensive guide to everything your baby will throw at you, answering almost all of a new parent’s concerns in a helpful, easy to read way. The health advice comes from a conventional medicine point of view, but even if alternative health is your goal it is useful to have this as a reference point. I took it everywhere with me when I had my first child.

How to Talkso Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Very insightful book on how to change the way you talk to your children, to avoid unnecessary confrontation and create a more harmonious family life. Just rephrasing a request or question can make all the difference, as does working on unhelpful patterns of speech inherited from ones parents or society in general. There is also a workshop series based on this book. For any parent of children who have begun to talk!

Toddler Taming by Christopher Green
Lots of common sense on all aspects of child-rearing – I may not subscribe to all his ideas, but this is definitely a helpful book to guide you through the morass of conflicting theories around child behavioural issues. He also writes in a clear sympathetic fashion, as a father himself.

Why Babies do That by Jennifer Margulis
Explanations of baffling baby behaviour in a simple and humorous format, with beautiful photos of cute babies throughout. Recommended as a gift for baby showers or just to get you through the first months as a parent with equanimity.

Child Signs by Dodie and Allan Edmonds
It may seem strange to include an astrology book in this category, but ever since a friend lent me a copy, it has helped me figure out my children. More than just their Sun signs, the Moon and Rising signs are also important to consider. It is often the moon sign that is most apparent in babies and small children. This book interprets the signs specifically for children, explaining how they show up at different developmental stages. Out of print but worth tracking down a second-hand copy through Amazon or abe.com.

Alternative Health Books

Tissue Salts for Healthy Living by Margaret Roberts
A very readable, user-friendly guide to tissue salts, by our South African herb and alternative health expert, Margaret Roberts, with helpful anecdotes from her own personal experience. This book has become my indispensable reference book for my family’s health matters and I give a copy to any friends starting a family too.

Children’s Books

Impossible to choose just a few of my children’s favourites, but here are some that have stood the test of time and been read again and again for each of my three children

Trouble with Trolls (3-10)
Exquisitely illustrated story about a girl and her dog outwitting the trolls on her mountain, who wanted her dog as a pet. An extra picture story unfolds in the roots underground at the bottom of each page.

Herb The Vegetarian Dragon by Jules Bass and Debbie Harter (2-10)
A different take on the dragon and knights tales. Herb is a peaceful vegetarian dragon, shunned by his meat eating kind but eventually brings about peace between dragons and people. This book appealed to my son so much we had to read it every night for about three months.

Dogger by Shirley Hughes (2-10)
A story that resonates with every child, about an indispensable toy being lost. Beautifully detailed illustrations of everyday home life.

The Lion who wanted to Love by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz (1-6)
The story of a lion who didn’t fit in with the pride, but finds a place for himself and wins back respect by showing love to all the animals he meets. Told in rollicking rhyme with a light touch, it is fun to read aloud too.

I Don't Want to go to Bed by Julie Sykes and Tim Warnes (1-6)
One of the Little Tiger series. Bright, colourful pictures, the story tells of Little Tigers experiences in the jungle at night when he refuses to go to bed.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (1-6)
A must for every toddler. Follows a small caterpillar and what he eats on the way to becoming a beautiful butterfly. Irresistible finger-size holes in the board book version.

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd (1-6)
Hairy Maclary and his dog friends encounter the terrifying cat Scarface Claw and scamper home to bed. Written in rhyme, it reads well, with appealing illustrations.

Stories of Real Life

Family Life by Elisabeth Luard
Autobiographical account of life with four children in the sixties, first in London then moving to Southern Spain, accompanied by recipes from each major occasion in their life. A knowledgeable and entertaining food writer, Elisabeth Luard shares her family with us and the pivotal role of food in their life.

Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen
Life affirming stories from a physician, whose long experience has taught her that there is more to curing illness than medicine. Rediscovering the human side of healing and the indomitable human life force behind it all, she tells warming stories that reconnect us with the spiritual side of ourselves.

Search For Food Books

Nigella Lawson's celebration of good food!

ADVERTISE| LINKS AND RESOURCES| TERMS| SITEMAP| ©Copyright 2006-2009 PALEBLUESKY