In the meantime, here is an easily accessible round up of the reviews that have been posted to this site as of October 27. This may help you decide on your next read if you’re undecided still!

If you’ve read something for the challenge and/or if if you’ve reviewed something for the challenge and it is not on this list, please leave us a link on one of the Reviews pages or on this post so I can include you in an “end-of-the-challenge” round up. I tried to get everyone who’d given me a link but I may have missed something! Sorry!

I want to apologize that I haven’t gotten around to your reviews as quickly as I intended. I’ve been a bit overwhelmed this fall and I’m trying now to catch up! You’ve read some great books, and added a lot to my own to read list. If I decide to do this challenge next year, I’d love to have a helper to keep me on my toes. Let me know if you’d be interested in helping me.

Cookbooks

• I reviewed The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.
• Book Psmith cooked a week’s worth of recipes from four different cookbooks, and had lots of fun!
• I loved the cookbook for preschoolers that I read (Pretend Soup by Mollie Katzen) and my son had lots of fun too!
• Margot @ Joyfully Retired read and reviewed a book called Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It. It’s not about cooking a meal, but working on “food projects.”
• Susan reviewed The Medieval Cookbook, which has some fun recipes from Medieval times (and they aren’t too complicated for today).
• Just Books reviewed Paula Deen’s Kitchen Classics.
• Dani in NC reviewed Alton Brown’s book I’m Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking.
• Susan reviewed Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child – and says we shouldn’t be intimidated by it!
• Rose City Reader reviewed of The Silver Palate Cookbook, an old favorite rediscovered.

Nonfiction

• Rose City Reader reviewed of Au Revoir to All That by Michael Steinberger and thought it was a great book.
• mee reviewed Squeamish About Sushi by Betty Reynolds.
• Margot @ Joyfully Retired completed an anthology of the best American food writing over the past 250 years: American Food Writing edited by Molly O’Neill.
• Dani in NC reviewed Gastroanomalies by James Lileks (and unfortunately didn’t like it very much!).
• I reviewed An Edge in the Kitchen by Chad Ward so I could learn how to sharpen my knives (it didn’t really help with that very much but I enjoyed the factoids about knives!).

Memoirs/Essays

• I reviewed A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg. (It is so good!)
• Lily reviewed Spiced: A Pastry Chef’s True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen by Dalia Jurgensen
• claire reviewed Julie & Julia by Julie Powell, as did Book Psmith and Rose City Reader.
• Book Psmith reviewed Julia Child: A Life by Laura Shapiro.
• Susan reviewed Potluck: Parables of Giving, Taking, and Belonging by Kim Thomas.  She says it wasn’t life changing, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.
• Book Psmith reviewed The Sharper the Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn.
  

Fiction

• I enjoyed Like Water for Chocolate.
• Mel U reviewed Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barberry (author of “The Elegance of the Hedgehog”). She says, “to me it is the epitome of everything a Spice of Life book should be. It educates us about food, takes us into the mind of the world’s greatest food critic and makes us think about food in new way.”
• Claire also reviewed Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery. She says, “it was perfect for this challenge. The story isn’t compelling, but the food descriptions are incomparable. The food really is the main focus of the book.”
• Book Psmith read The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton.
• Rose City Reader reviewed The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones.
• Margot @ Joyfully Retired re-read of an old favorite culinary mystery by Virginia Rich: The Cooking School Murders.
• Susan  reviewed Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto and enjoyed it very much.
• Claire also reviewed Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. She says, “The narrator has an affinity towards kitchens. She loves to cook.”
• mee reviewed Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote. The short story inside the same book called “A Christmas Memory” fits perfectly for this challenge, in which the main food is fruitcake!
• mee read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
• Book Psmith reviewed The Guernesey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society as did Claire. Aside from the titular pie, the novel has a roast pig.
• Margot @ Joyfully Retired reviewed The Recipe Club, which was a great novel that also had super recipes in it. She says she “wouldn’t call it a cookbook as it told a very compelling story.”
• I read Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin, in which the cakes Angel bakes are a happy part of post-genocidal Rwanda.
• Just Books reviewed Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. She says, “it has everything you could want in a book.”

Note: A few other people also reviewed books for the challenge but I am unable to access their sites now. If that is you, let me know if you get your site up again, and I”ll link to your reviews for the end-of-challenge round up.

Mini-challenges are a way to enjoy The Spice of Life Challenge beyond reading your selected works. Feel free to participate if you’d like; if not, don’t feel bad skipping it. It’s just for fun.

The second mini-challenge is all about favorites because sometimes the joy of eating, cooking, and living is returning to those favorite dishes and foods and cooking personalities. We can interpret this as favorite foods, favorite dishes, favorite cooks, favorite restaurants, favorite food magazines or favorite books about food. You name it, as long as it’s your favorite.

I thought of this because I like to revisit my favorite foods, my favorite recipes, and my favorite cook books. This month, let’s think about those things related to food that are our favorites.

You can do any of the choices below; there is no need to do all of them if you don’t want to. I’ve included at least one that doesn’t require you to cook or to eat, so that way The Spice of Life Challenge can still be calorie free for you if you choose!

• Cook: Make a favorite dish and share the recipe with us.
• Eat: Eat three different dishes with your favorite food in it, because sometimes variety makes things fun.
• Ponder: Find pictures of at least five foods that are your favorite color. Or find pictures of your favorite foods. For fun, make us guess what they are.
• List: Tell us your favorite food blogs, magazines, cooks, restaurants, foods, or anything else. We want to know about them!
• Write: If these mini-challenge ideas don’t appeal to you, write up your own blog post that somehow relates the concepts of “favorite” and “food” and/or “the spice of life.” I look forward to seeing your results!

Mini-challenge #2 will be active until October 31. If you participate, leave a link to your post(s) below. If you decide not to post about it on your blog, simply let us know what you did in the comments below.

It seems Julia Child is everywhere, thanks to Julie Powell’s memoir. What did you think of the movie? Have you seen it yet?

I’m hoping I may sneak in the book and the movie of Julie and Julia soon. I keep hearing great things!

Keep reading!

The first mini-challenge is all about new because this challenge is a new one. We can interpret that as cooking something new, eating something new, or just thinking about those foods that we’ve never tried before.

I thought of this because I’m sometimes afraid of new foods, whether it’s a recipe I’ve never prepared or a food I’ve never tried before. This month, let’s think about those foods that are new to us or that intimate us.

You can do any of the choices below; there is no need to do all of them if you don’t want to. I’ve included at least one that doesn’t require you to cook or to eat, so that way The Spice of Life Challenge can still be calorie free for you if you choose!

• Cook: Prepare a new-to-you recipe. Perhaps it’s a recipe that you’ve been afraid to try, or maybe you’ve just always wanted to prepare it. It doesn’t have to be a hard recipe; it just needs to be new to you. If cooking a cheese sandwich intimidates you and you’ve never made it before, go ahead and give that a try.
• Eat: Try something you’ve never eaten before. It may be something that intimidates you, or maybe it has an ingredient you have never before liked; sometimes tasting those foods prepared a different way may change our minds.
• Picture This: Find a picture of something edible that you have heard of but have never before eaten. What intrigues you about that food (or drink)?  What would it take for you to try it, or are you just waiting for your chance?
• Write: If these mini-challenge ideas don’t appeal to you, write your own blog post that somehow relates the concepts of “new” and “food” and/or “the spice of life.” I look forward to seeing your results!

Mini-challenge #1 will be active until August 31. If you participate, leave a link to your post(s) below. If you decide not to post about it on your blog, simply let us know what you did in the comments below.

If you’re trying to figure out what to read first, check out the reading ideas lists I created for cookbooks, nonfiction, memoirs/autobiographies/essays, and fiction. You can also check the comments of the sign up post; some people have created their own read lists and left us a link.

Anyone is welcome to join at any time before Decemer 31, 2009.

Happy eating reading!

Any book that has a memorable or significant scene revolving around food, eating, or drinking could count for this challenge. Do you have any recent reads you could recommend?

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• A Feast of Words: For Lovers of Food Fiction by Anna Shapiro
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• Alimentum: The Literature of Food by Issue One
• Blue Plate Special: A Novel of Love, Loss, and Food by Frances Norris
• Bread Alone: A Novel by Judith R. Hendricks
• Chloe Zhivago’s Recipe for Marriage and Mischief: A Novel by Olivia Lichtenstein
• Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
• Entertaining Disasters: A Novel (With Recipes) by Nancy Spiller
• Francesca’s Kitchen by Peter Pezzelli
• Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
• Home To Italy by Peter Pezzelli
• Last Bite: A Novel of Culinary Romance by Nancy Verde Barr
• Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
• Literary Feasts: Inspired Eating from Classic Fiction by Sean Brand
• Pastries: A Novel of Desserts and Discoveries by Bharti Kirchner
• Playing For Pizza: A Novel by John Grisham
• Selected Shorts: Food Fictions (Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story) by Symphony Space
• She Flew the Coop: A Novel Concerning Life, Death, Sex and Recipes in Limoges, Louisiana by Michael Lee West
• The Food of Love by Anthony Capella
• The Food of the Gods by H. G. Wells
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Soc… by Mary Ann Shaffer
• The Jungle: The Uncensored Original Edition by Upton Sinclair
• The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
• The Various Flavors of Coffee by Anthony Capella

Can you recommend any other great memoirs or essay collections revolving around food?

• A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.) by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, and Steven L. Hopp
• As They Were by M.F.K. Fisher
• Between Bites: Memoirs of a Hungry Hedonist by James Villas
• Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey
• Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris by Clotilde Dusoulier
• Comfort Food for Breakups: The Memoir of a Hungry Girl by Marusya Bociurkiw
• Consuming Passions: A Food-Obsessed Life by Michael Lee West
• Don’t Try This At Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World’s Greatest Chefs by Kimberly Witherspoon
• Eating My Words: An Appetite for Life by Mimi Sheraton
• Fair Shares for All: A Memoir of Family and Food by John Haney
• Fork It Over: The Intrepid Adventures of a Professional Eater by Alan Richman
• French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew by Peter Mayle
• Harlot’s Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss, and Greece by Patricia Volonakis Davis
• Heartburn by Nora Ephron
• Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
• In My Mother’s Kitchen: 25 Writers on Love, Cooking, and Family by Various
• Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess by Gael Greene
• It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: My Adventures in Life and Food by Moira Hodgson
• Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
• Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.) by Anthony Bourdain
• Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy by Michael Tucker
• Miriam’s Kitchen: A Memoir by Elizabeth Ehrlich
• Mostly True: A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball by Molly O’Neill
• My Kitchen Wars by Betty Fussell
• My Life in France by Julia Child
• Out of the Frying Pan: A Chef’s Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal by Gillian Clark
• Out of the Kitchen: Adventures of a Food Writer by Jeannette Ferrary
• Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith
• Slice of Life: Contemporary Writers on Food by Bonnie Marranca
• Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
• The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin
• The Art of Eating by M. F. K. Fisher
• The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8 Lee
• The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America by Michael Ruhlman
• The Milk of Almonds: Italian American Women Writers on Food and Culture by Edvige Guinta
• The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love,… by Kathleen Flinn
• The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s most Glorious and Perplexing City by David Lebovitz
• Toast by Nigel Slater
• What We Eat When We Eat Alone: Stories and 100 Recipes by Deborah Madison (Author), Patrick McFarlin (Author)
• Women Who Eat: A New Generation on the Glory of Food (Live Girls Series) by Leslie Miller

I separated nonfiction into a few different categories so you might be able to find what you might be most interested in. There are tons of options out there! You may want to browse through Amazon, which lets you search by category.

What nonfiction books about food have you enjoyed?

Reference/How To Books

• Alton Brown’s Gear for Your Kitchen by Alton Brown
• Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Michael Ruhlman
• Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins
• Conscious Cuisine by Neff
• Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg
• Herbs & Spices: The Cook’s Reference by Jill Norman
• How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition): 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
• How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table by Russ Parsons
• How to Taste: A Guide to Enjoying Wine by Jancis Robinson
• I’m Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0 by Alton Brown
• Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques by Jacques Pépin
• Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book (At Table) by Jane Grigson
• Larousse Gastronomique by Prosper Montagne
• Le Cordon Bleu’s Complete Cooking Techniques: the indispensable reference demonstrates over 700 illustrated techniques with 2,000 photos and 200 recipes by Le Cordon Bleu
• On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
• Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination by Professor Paul Freedman
• Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier’s Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food by Evan Goldstein
• Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Ev… by Michael Ruhlman
• Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making by James Peterson
• Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia: Fourth Edition, Revised by Tom Stevenson
• The 1997 Joy of Cooking by Marion Rombauer Becker
• The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef… by Michael Ruhlman
• The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary C… by Karen Page
• The Oxford Companion to Food and The Oxford Companion to Wine Set: 2-volume set by Alan Davidson
• The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
• The Professional Chef by Culinary Institute of America
• The Professional Chef’s Knife Kit by Culinary Institute of America
• The Way to Cook by Julia Child
• Tools & Techniques by Williams-Sonoma
• Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
• What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea – Even Water – Based on Expert Advice from America’s Best Sommeliers by Andrew Dornenburg

History/Science of Food

• A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
• An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage
• Bananas: An American History by Virginia Scott Jenkins
• Beans: A History by Ken Albala
• Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar by Peter Macinnis
• Black Rice: The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the Americas by Judith A. Carney
• Caviar: The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World’s Most Coveted Delicacy by Inga Saffron
• Citrus: A History by Pierre Laszlo
• Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky
• Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham
• Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingre… by Jennifer McLagan
• Food and Culture: A Reader by Carole Counihan
• Food in History by Reay Tannahill
• Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution by Terence McKenna
• Food, Consumption and the Body in Contemporary Women’s Fiction by Sarah Sceats
• Hunger: An Unnatural History by Sharman Apt Russell
• Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine by George M Taber
• Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal by Margaret Visser
• Nathaniel’s Nutmeg: Or the True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History by Giles Milton
• Near a Thousand Tables : A History of Food by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
• Nectar and Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food In World Mythology by Tamra Andrews
• Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World by Sue Shephard
• Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn in America by Andrew F. Smith
• Pure Ketchup: A History of America’s National Condiment With Recipes by Andrew F. Smith
• Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey–The Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced the World by Holley Bishop
• Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
• Secrets of Saffron: The Vagabond Life of the World’s Most Seductive Spice by Pat Willard
• Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind by Henry Hobhouse
• Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History by H. E. Jacob
• Spice: The History of a Temptation by Jack Turner
• Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History by Sidney W. Mintz
• The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky
• The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine Was Saved for the World by Christy Campbell
• The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
• The Devil’s Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee by Stewart Lee Allen
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
• The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World by Larry Zuckerman
• The Story of Corn by Betty Fussell
• The True History of Chocolate by Sophie D. Coe
• Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World’s Favorite Flavor and Fragrance by Patricia Rain
• What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by Robert L. Wolke

Diet and Health of Food

• Don’t Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America by Morgan Spurlock
• Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, Revised… by Robert C. Atkins
• Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard… by M.D. Walter C. Willett
• Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
• Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with Mo… by Mark Bittman
• Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences… by Marion Nestle
• Food: The History of Taste (California Studies in Food and Culture) by Paul Freedman
• Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the… by Gary Taubes
• In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules by Stacy Perman
• Stuffed: An Insider’s Look at Who’s (Really) Making America Fat by Hank Cardello
• The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Ins… by David Kessler
• The Mediterranean Diet by Marissa Cloutier
• The Omega Diet: The Lifesaving Nutrition… by Artemis P. Simopoulos
• The Sonoma Diet: Trimmer Waist, Better Health… by Connie Guttersen
• The South Beach Diet : The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Fool-Proof Plan by Arthur Agatston
• What to Eat by Marion Nestle
• You: On A Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management by Mehmet C. Oz

• A Man, a Can, a Plan : 50 Great Guy Meals Even You Can Make by David Joachim
• A Real American Breakfast: The Best Meal of the Day, Any Time of the Day by Cheryl Alters Jamison
• Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America by The Culinary Institute of America
• Baking with Julia Savor the Joys of Baking with America’s Best Bakers by Dorie Greenspan
• Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (Better Homes & Gardens Plaid) by Better Homes & Gardens
• Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook by Betty Crocker Editors
• Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham
• Chez Panisse Café Cookbook by Alice L. Waters
• Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All-Occasion Cookbook by Rachael Ray
• Cooking Light Complete Cookbook: A Fresh New Way to Cook (Book & CD-ROM) by Editors of Cooking Light Magazine
• Crepes: Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Home Cook by Lou Seibert
• Emeril’s New New Orleans Cooking by Emeril Lagasse
• Everyday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine
• Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis
• Fannie Flagg’s Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook: Featuring : Fried Green Tomatoes, Southern Barbecue, Banana Split Cake, and Many Other Great Recipes by Fannie Flagg
• Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals That Are Ready When You Are by Robin Robertson
• Frugal Gourmet by Jeff Smith
• How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition): 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
• Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200… by Lisa Lillien
• Jacques Pepin’s Simple and Healthy Cooking by Jacques Pepin
• James Beard’s American Cookery by James Beard
• Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book (At Table) by Jane Grigson
• Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition – 2006 by Irma S. Rombauer
• Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking by Julia Child
• Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World by Madhur Jaffrey
• Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart
• Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One (1) (Fortieth – 40th – Anniversary Edition) (Vol 1) by Julia Child
• Mr. Food Cooks Like Mama by Art Ginsburg
• New Tastes from Texas by Stephan Pyles
• Nobu: The Cookbook by Nobuyuki Matsuhisa
• Patsy’s Cookbook: Classic Italian Recipes from a New York City Landmark Restaurant by Salvatore Scognamillo
• Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book: Her Biggest Ever Collection of All-New 30-Minute Meals Plus Kosher Meals, Meals for One, Veggie Dinners, Holiday Favorites, and Much More! by Rachael Ray
• Rao’s Cookbook: Over 100 Years of Italian Home Cooking by Frank Pellegrino
• Staff Meals from Chanterelle by David Waltuck
• The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook by Alice B. Toklas
• The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook, Vol. 1: More Than 1,700 Crowd-Pleasing Recipes from 500 American Inns by Kitty Maynard
• The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Heavy-Duty Revised Edition by America’s Test Kitchen
• The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recip… by Alice Waters
• The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten
• The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman
• The Big Book of Breakfast: Serious Comfort Food for Any Time of the Day by Maryana Vollstedt
• The Big Book of Casseroles: 250 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food by Maryana Vollstedt
• The Bon Appetit Cookbook by Barbara Fairchild
• The Collard Patch by Mary Lou Cheatham
• The Flying Biscuit Cafe Cookbook: Breakfast and Beyond by April Moon
• The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger
• The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller
• The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen: Delicious and Nutritious Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Dishes by Donna Klein
• The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook by King Arthur Flour
• The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein
• The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet by Vesanto Melina
• The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition by Cook’s Illustrated Magazine
• The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
• The Professional Chef by Culinary Institute of America
• The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking by Rick Curry
• The Silver Spoon by Phaidon Press
• The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids’ Favorite Meals by Missy Chase Lapine
• The Tra Vigne Cookbook by Michael Chiarello
• The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco’s Beloved Restaurant by Judy Rodgers
• Tyler’s Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time by Tyler Florence
• Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
• Weber’s Big Book of Grilling by Jamie Purviance

The Spice of Life Challenge, then, deals with something we all like, at least to some extent: food. Although it crosses over with some challenges that happened in the past, it is a new chance to read some of those books that you love to get to and to share them with others.

I’m most excited to hear what everyone else chose to read, so I encourage you to come back and share your thoughts on the books you’ve read.

• Learn about the challenge and join in
• Add a challenge button to your site
• Read others’ reviews or link to your own

If you don’t have a blog and would like to participate, you can still add your reviews to the comments section.

I’m hoping to have an edible prize of some kind for participants. However, I’m not sure about the logistics of mailing something like cookies internationally, and I wouldn’t want to have a prize that international people can’t participate in. Anyone know the rules? I’m also not sure I have the funds (especially internationally), so I’d happily take a sponsor .

I’m Rebecca and I normally blog about books at Rebecca Reads and I blog about eating (i.e., my attempts to feed my family) at Rebecca’s Cooking Journal.  Contact me at rebecca [at] rebeccareid [dot] com with any questions.