Agnes Jekyll’s Kitchen Essays (1922) Persephone No. 30 Persephone Books, 2001 Agnes Jekyll explains in her introduction to Kitchen Essays that these pieces have been published in book form as a result of readers of The Times having requested such a ready reference. These traditional recipes and rituals straddle nostalgia and practicality,
Blindfolded, only hearing the prose, or seeing the opening lines pulled from the narrative, would you recognize these stories to be the work of Alice Munro based on the first few sentences alone? The opening of “Changes and Ceremonies”: Boys’ hate was dangerous, it was keen and bright, a miraculous
Massimo Marcone’s Acquired Tastes Key Porter, 2010 The subtitle of Massimo Marcone’s book gives it all away: “on the trail of the world’s most sought-after delicacies”. After briefly considering what constitutes a delicacy, and how the concept shifts across time and varies between cultures, the author focuses on a handful
When I was browsing the library stacks the other day, looking for the next volume in Maya Angelou’s autobiography, I happened upon this: JoAnn McCaig’s Reading In: Alice Munro’s Archives. And isn’t that just how it happens? How stacks of library books get out of hand? But how could I
One of my favourite times of the reading year! Last year I posted about Orange Prize longlisted works on Mondays and Thursdays throughout Orange Prize Season, but this year I will be selecting specific weeks that will focus on All-Things-Orange. I can hardly wait, though I still need to finish
