February 7, 2012
Books have been a primary passion and comfort as long as I can remember. In my youth and teens, all I had to do was put my nose in a book to be transported out of suburbia into a completely different place and time.
In the midst of the daily hustle, I rarely have the luxury of stolen hours to lose myself between the pages. But I do indulge every night in bedtime reading. At all times I have a rotating stack of books on my nightstand. This is the little luxury I look forward to all day. Clean face, minty teeth, crisp white sheets, (hopefully) content sleeping children and a book.
Admittedly, I’m a slow reader, but I cover vast territory from biographies, novels, nonfiction and yes, cookbooks. I’m not opposed to disregarding any book at any time if I don’t like it – with time a precious commodity, I sever the relationship with a quick and clean break-up.
But I have a long-standing love affair with Ruth Reichl. Her memoirs, Comfort Me With Apples, Tender at the Bone, and Garlic and Sapphires are dog-eared, highlighted and flagged with post-its. She writes about life, food, love and eating in a way that speaks to my soul. Her insights are a huge inspiration to me, I feel connected to her energy and passion every time I make a recipe buried within her stories or search for that sushi restaurant she once mentioned.
As an author, she does what the best books do— not only transport us to another place and time, but also help us discover a deeper, truer part of ourselves, one page and plate at a time.
