Cara Nicoletti grew up in a family of butchers who had a love for good food, but "the truth is that I fell in love with cooking through reading, and I learned quickly that being in the kitchen offered me the kind of peace that settling in with a good book did." By combining her extensive knowledge of cooking with her love of great books in which food often plays a role, Nicoletti has compiled a comprehensive series of mini-essays that reflect her favorites in both departments. She skillfully gives a quick synopsis of each book and explains how a certain dish most reflects that particular piece of writing and then provides readers with a recipe to make that same dish.
Nicoletti's childhood favorites, like Little House in the Big Woods (breakfast sausage) and The Secret Garden (currant buns), lead readers into beloved adolescent books such as Lord of the Flies, complete with Porchetta di Testa (roasted pig's head), and To Kill a Mockingbird, featuring its biscuits with molasses butter. Her friendly tone and easy-to-follow recipes encourage readers to dust off old books and break out the cooking utensils, so that they may also enjoy a delicious bite of chocolate éclairs while reading Mrs. Dalloway. Nicoletti offers a deeper appreciation of the way descriptions of food are incorporated into a variety of stories, providing subtle layers of characterization and atmosphere to each book, as well as a variety of delicious recipes. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer