Foodie's Reading Challenge for 2011

I am so joining this challenge! If you read my letters often, you'll know I write about food almost as much I write about books, so this is a perfect challenge for me. You may sign up here.

This is what Margot has to say about her challenge:

One thing we all have in common is the need to eat food. Some of us also have a strong need/desire to read about food. I’m one of them, are you? Such people are known as Foodies – people who love to talk, read, watch food tv, or anything else with a food theme.

If that description fits you, I invite you to join me in the Foodie’s Reading Challenge for 2011. Together we’ll explore the world of good food writing. That may take the form of a cookbook or a biography or even a novel centered around food.

Here’s how it works:

Decide how many food books you want to read in 2011 and choose your level of reading. Levels:

Nibbler: 1 to 3 books
Bon Vivant: 4 to 6 books
Epicurean: 7 to 9 books
Gourmet: 10 to 12
Glutton: More than 12

I have chosen the Gourmet level. Some of my books are cookbooks with stories, and I will certainly offer recipes as part of my (cook) book reports. My list in alphabetical order by title:

1. As Always, Julia
The Letters of Julia Child & Avis Devoto
Food, Friendship & the Making of a Masterpiece
edited by Joan Reardon

2. At Grandmother's Table - finished March 22 - book 4
Women Write about Food, Life, and the Enduring Bond between Grandmothers and Granddaughters
edited by Ellen Perry Berkeley
(a gift from a local friend)

3. Consuming Passions - finished January 11 - book 1
A Food-Obsessed Life
by Michael Lee West

4. Joie De Vivre - finished February 20 - book 3
Simple French Style For Everyday Living
by Robert Arbor & Katherine Whiteside

5. Lost Recipes - finished January 23 - book 2

Meals to Share with Friends and Family
by Marion Cunningham
(a gift from Les)

6. My Life in France
by Julia Child
with Alex Prud'homme

7. Perfection Salad
Women and Cooking At the Turn of the Century
by Laura Shapiro

8. The Afternoon Tea Book - finished April 30 - book 5
by Michael Smith

9. The Pooh Cook Book
Inspired by Winnie-The-Pooh and The House At Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
by Virginia Ellison
Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard

10. We'll Eat Again - finished May 10 - book 6
A collection of recipes from the war years
selected by Marguerite Patten
(a gift from Maureen)

Four that were not on my original list: 

 Sunset's Kitchen Cabinet Recipes - finished June 30 - book 7
 On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle - finished August 5 - book 8
 Through the Grinder by Cleo Coyle - finished September 4 - book 9
 Death by Gumbo by Phil Edwards - finished September 25 - book 10

If Margot offers the challenge again next year, I'll try and read the others on my list.