Reading Roundup: February - March 2012

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler (4 stars)
A gorgeous, inspiring book about food, cooking, and eating well. It reminded me of Annie Dillard - incisive, funny questions and reflections that cut to the heart of the matter and illuminate things from an angle one had not considered. Just as Dillard makes a walk in the woods an entirely new experience, so Adler does with cooking an egg. Which means, if you find Dillard's writing rambling and annoyingly introspective, you probably won't enjoy this either. I loved it from beginning to end, despite its bordering on food snobbery.

The All of It by Jeannette Haien (4 stars)
A lovely, quick read that resolves so beautifully and happily.

The Brothers K by David James Duncan (4 stars)
I really loved this book. I loved the first 80% so much it was on its way to making my most favorite ever list, but the last 20% was a little too rushed and almost farcical. But oh, the life Duncan breathes into a family - the people, the dynamics, the love, the beauty, and the heartache. I especially loved the arc that each of the brothers took; how they left home in circumstances that might look like failure and disappointment, but it was only to become exactly who they were meant to become. May I remember this when my boys start leaving home. This is a funny, poignant, painful, beautiful story.

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling (4 stars)
There are some very beautiful stories in here. And I didn't know that they aren't all about Mowgli. There are Eskimos, and seals, and elephants, and a monk! But Mowgli and his jungle are classics for a reason. I really enjoyed reading this.