Foodies Read 2013 Challenge Wrap Up

I signed up for the  Foodies Read Challenge 2013 at the Pastry Chef level (4-8 books) and finished reading 6 books that met the criteria. 

Two novels: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder and the Bordeaux Betrayal (which was in my original list of books I planned to read)
Two books about food companies: Stirring it Up and Bitter Brew
One food history: Soul Food
One cookbook: United States of Pie

I like reading foodie books and hadn't done it as much as I used to in recent years, so I enjoyed this challenge. I only finished one of the 3 I set out to read though, so there will be more foodie books on the reading list for 2014. The Foodies Read Challenge is on for 2014 and I will probably sign on again.

Review: Soul Food

Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time by Adrian Miller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a scholarly, yet accessible, look at the evolution of specific foods that make up what the author defines as "the soul food plate." He makes it clear though that other dishes could have been chosen as well (a second helpings sequel perhaps?)
A lot of research clearly went into this book (there is a huge bibliography) and numerous viewpoints are presented on various questions. What makes the book really enjoyable though is the strong voice of the author. He is opinionated and clearly LOVES the food he is talking about. This is a fascinating look at a plate-full of American food culture.

As I read this book I was surprised by some of the things that were identified as "black." Macaroni and cheese (homemade, not that box stuff) is a part of the food culture I grew up with, as is KoolAid. This led me to think about the lens of history writing (not just here, but in general). Who you are, and where you come from, can really change the way you view the world. This adds richness to historical writing, but it also means that as a reader you need to understand the point of view the author is taking and what other perspectives are being omitted from a given narrative. I was conscious of this issue in reading Civil War history, but hadn't considered the implication for food history before.

This book counts toward the Foodies Read Challenge and is part of Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads. 

Review: The Bordeaux Betrayal

The Bordeaux Betrayal by Ellen Crosby

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The history of Virginia wine country that Crosby mixes into these novels makes them more interesting than the light-weight mysteries would otherwise be. The main character is a bit flaky, but generally appealing. The Hawaiian-shirt-wearing wine maker is developing into a more interesting character as the series goes along.

This book counts toward the Colorful Reading Challenge and the Foodies Read Challenge.

Challenge Update - May 2013

I am doing well with most of my challenges. I participated in the Bout of Books Readathon which was really fun and encouraged me to read a lot toward my challenges.

I have one more book to read for the Canadian Book Challenge which ends on July 1. I am currently reading a book of Robertson Davies essays which will be book #13. In May I finished Twenty Six, Speaking from Among the Bones, and Anne of Green Gables. Anne was a hat-trick as it also counted toward the  Colorful Reading Challenge (4/9) and Classics Club.

To meet my Classics Club goal of 50 books over 5 years I need to read 10 books each year (September to September is my "year" for this). I have read 8 books since last September and have 2 that I have committed to read in June as part of  Classics Spin and 18th Century English Literature in June. I think I am going to plan to read at least 12 books each year so that I can spend a whole year on a huge book (probably The Decameron).

I have completed at least the minimum number of books committed to for the Vintage Mystery Challenge (11/8), the Foodies Read Challenge (4/4-8), and the Books About Books Challenge (6/6-10 books). I really like all three of these challenges and may move up to a higher level in each of them, but I have decided to focus on my other challenges first.

I have read 3/6 books in the What's in a Name Challenge. I still need to find books with "something you'd find in your kitchen," "a party or celebration," and "fire" in the titles. Suggestions would be welcome.

I need to read one more chunkster for the Tea & Books Challenge and am working up to taking on a huge biography of Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge has kind of disappeared from the blogosphere, but the Reading with Tequila blog which hosted it recently reappeared so I am going to hold off on abandoning this challenge.

I am a few books ahead of schedule  (at 50%) with my Goodreads goal of 101 books in 2013.

Challenge Update - April 2013

My main reading goal for this month was to make progress on the Canadian Book Challenge which I did. I have now read 9/13 bringing me to the Nanaimo Bar level. This month I finished reading Generation X, The Beautiful Mystery, and Alias Grace. I am currently in the middle of Twenty Six and have several more Canadian books in my to-read pile so I may actually get 13 Canadian books read by Canada Day.

I read, and really enjoyed, The Chinese Orange Mystery which completes 8 books for the Vintage Mystery Challenge. I am considering whether to push on to the 16-book level. This book also counts toward the Colorful Reading Challenge for which I have read 3/9 books.

Bitter Brew brings me to 3/6 in the What's in a Name Challenge. This book also counts toward the Foodies Read Challenge. I also finished Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder which brings me to 4 books for that challenge. I signed up at the Pastry Chef (4-8 books) level, so I have met the minimum book count for this challenge. I have more foodie books in my to-read pile however, so will probably have more read by the end of the year.

Crafting a Life in Essay, Story, Poem was my 6th book for the Books About Books Challenge. I signed up at the short story (6-10 books) level, so I have met the minimum book count for this challenge.

I didn't finish anything during April for the Tea & Books Challenge,  the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge, or Classics Club.


I am on track (at 39%) with my Goodreads goal of 101 books in 2013.

Review: Bitter Brew

Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer 
by William Knoedelseder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a combination of business analysis, brewing history, pop culture retrospective, and gossip column. It worked. The Busch family was, for the most part, a train wreck in their personal lives and how that intersected with running one of the worlds largest and most successful companies is a fascinating tale. I found the discussions of brewing formulations, which were a small part of the book, particularly interesting. For example, to get Bud Light (which they were pushed unwillingly into by the success of Miller Lite) to have any taste at all, they had to increase the IBUs on the beer to well above the normal Budweiser levels. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in US business or brewing. I will warn you that you may get really thirsty while reading. 

This book counts toward 2 of my current challenges, what's in a name 6 (an emotion) and foodies read. 

Review: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
by Joanne Fluke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the character of Hannah Swensen, and her various friends and family, but I found the premise that she was doing all the investigating for her brother-in-law the cop more completely ridiculous. The mystery in this book was reasonable, and the solution was fairly believable, but I found it very difficult to suspend disbelief enough to accept the basic setup. Several of the recipes did sound delicious. The edition that I read also included a novella about a runaway which was less outrageous in its basic set up. I might give another of these a try.


This book counts toward the Foodies Read challenge.

Review: Stirring It Up

Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World
by Gary Hirshberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found Hirshberg's tale of eco-minded business and the bottom line both entertaining and informative. There was information about the development of Stonyfield Farm (though not as much as in For Better or For Work: A Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs and Their Families), but the best part of this book was the profiles of other companies Hirshberg thinks are doing things right. Honest-T, the guys making worm-poop fertilizer, and New Belgium Brewery were my favorite profiles. I learned a lot about packaging issues, cows, and the importance of mission statements.

This book counts toward two of my current reading challenges: Foodies Read and What's in a Name 6.

Challenge Update: February 2013

I made a lot of progress on one challenge this month and not much on the others.



I finished A Discovery of Witches which counts towards both the What's in a Name 6 Challenge and the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge. This is a total of one book completed for each of these.

For the Vintage Mysteries Challenge I finished Enter a Murderer (category: staging the crime), Why Shoot a Butler? (the butler did it, or not), The Black Mountain (colorful crime), and The Plague Court Murders (things that go bump in the night). This brings me to 5 out of 8 categories completed.

I didn't finish any books in February for the Tea and Books Challenge, Foodies Read Challenge, or the Classics Club. Nothing got finished for the Canadian Book Challenge 6 either, but I read a good chunk of A Short History of Canada, so there was progress on that one. During March I hope to finish the Short History and to read at least 2 books for Classics Club (my spin title and a book for Modern March).

I am on track (at 17%) with my Goodreads goal of 101 books in 2013.

I signed up for another challenge this month as well, The Books About Books Challenge. I committed to reading between 6 and 10 books for this. In Janurary I read 3 books about books and Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore so I have already finished 4 out of the 6.

Challenge Update: January 2013

I have undertaken quite a few reading challenges this year, so rather than do updates on each one my plan is to write a monthly update on the whole endeavor.  I feel like I am off to a good start.

For the Tea and Books Challenge I read The Woman in White which counts as one of the two books I need for the "chamomile lovers" level I signed on for. This book also counts toward the Colorful Reading Challenge (book 1 of 9) and is one of my Classics Club titles. For Classics Club, thanks to the readathon, I also finished Murder in the Cathedral and The Phantom Tollbooth.

For the Vintage Mysteries Challenge I finished Cat Among the Pigeons (1959) which I am counting toward the "Dangerous Beasts" category (1 category down, 7 to go).

For the Foodies Read Challenge I read United States of Pie (1 out of 4).

I didn't finish any books in January for the Canadian Book Challenge 6, the What's in a Name 6 Challenge, or the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge. I am currently reading books that will count toward these, so February will have some progress on these.

I am on track (at 8%) with my Goodreads goal of 101 books in 2013.

Review: United States of Pie

United States of Pie: Regional Favorites from East to West and North to South
by Adrienne Kane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My husband loves pie, which is why he got this book for Christmas. It is full of out-of-the-ordinary pie recipes many of which sound delicious. It also includes background info on the various pies and essays about regional pie makers to start each chapter. The directions for making the pies are clear and the sidebars on unusual ingredients and how to make component parts of the recipes (if you want to render your own lard, or make your own pumpkin puree, this book tells you how) are informative. The chapter about making pie crust makes it sound do-able. I liked Kane's philosophy that even a less-than-perfect pie is a learning experience and probably still going to be delicious.

The first pie I baked from this book was Chipmunk Pie, which was delicious. It is a recipe from Delaware and my pantry included all the ingredients for it. I didn't make my own crust, I used a Pillsbury ready-make crust from the freezer. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of chopped nuts and I used 3/4 cup. I only had pecans on hand, but I think this recipe would be a great use of the little bits of various nuts (hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.) that I sometimes end up with after holiday baking.

Chipmunk Pie, recipe from United States of Pie

Challenge: Foodies Read 2013

The Foodies Read Challenge 2013 asks you to commit to reading a certain number of "food books" during the year. A "food book" is "a book which is centered around food and/or drinks. That could be a cookbook, a food biography or memoir, a non-fiction book focused around a specific food, wine, chef or restaurant. Also allowed is a fictional story in which food plays a major role." I have decided to sign up at the Pastry Chef level, so I will be reading between 4 and 8 books for this challenge.


I have quite a few unread foodie books on my GoodReads shelves, and several lying around my house waiting to be read. I have tentatively planned to begin with these 3 books, 2 of which I own:

• An Omelette and a Glass of Wine by Elizabeth David
• Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz (my Mom read it and recommended it)
• The Bordeaux Betrayal (#3 in the Wine Country Mysteries series) by Ellen Crosby

This challenge is being hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be Reading At The Beach!  Trish at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity (great blog name!) pointed out that Beth Fish Reads hosts Weekend Cooking, which is open to anyone writing food-related posts. Weekend Cooking seems like a great way to add another foodie element to 2013!