Required Reading
Four new ways to expand your mind.
My crystal ball says we might be spending some more time in isolation this winter. To help fill your time, here are four recommendations of books to help you pass the time. I’m a big fan of print, especially for cookbooks, so I can make notes in the margins. Got a suggestion of something you recently read? Leave a comment below. Meanwhile, enjoy these books and stay safe.
The Man Who Ate Too Much
by John Birdsall
Newsflash: James beard (yes, the guy whose name is synonymous with quality food and dining) was a homosexual. I had no idea. I just assumed he was a jolly uncle who was the life of the party. What this book captures so well is a giant cultural divide between an older (mainly white) generation that was complacent with life in the closet and a younger (black, transgender) generation tired of bars being raided and life in the closet. The book also explores Beard’s huge impact on creating and appreciating American cuisine. His books, teaching, and many television appearances helped set the course for what is on your plate at this very moment. This book is meticulously researched and can sometimes veer a bit too much into details of the mundane, but overall it is a fantastic read about an era filled with so much change.
Four Thousand Weeks
by Oliver Burkeman
If you are lucky and live to 80 years old, you will be blessed with 4,000 weeks. That’s it. Kind of terrifying, right? With that big of a clock ticking, I was expecting Oliver’s book to be filled with ‘time hacks’ to help you get the most out of your limited time. What he delivers, refreshingly, is the opposite. This book is a fantastic reminder that we can’t control time, no matter how many ways we try to divide up our day. It is a great reminder to keep things simple and to never sweat the small stuff. Best quote:
“The average human lifespan is absurdly, terrifyingly, insultingly short. But that isn’t a reason for unremitting despair, or for living in an anxiety-fueled panic about making the most of your limited time. It’s a cause for relief. You get to give up on something that was always impossible— the quest to become the optimized, infinitely capable, emotionally invincible, fully independent person you’re supposed to be. Then you get to roll up your sleeves and start work on what’s gloriously possible instead.”
Wintering
by Katherine May
“I’ve hit a wall” is a phrase I heard multiple times this week. Maybe it’s the neverending negative news cycle. Or that we’re learning the pandemic is far from over. ‘Wintering’ by Katherine May is the balm you need right now. This is an excellent read and I learned lots about slowing down. I think you will, too. Put this at the top of your Must Read list.
NYT Cooking: No-Recipe Recipes
by Sam Sifton
Do you really need a book that has a recipe for a pickles and peanut butter sandwich with sriracha? Not really: I just gave it to you. However, what is so fantastic about this book is it got the wheels turning in my head to use the stuff that might already be in my pantry (see this lunch recipe). The print edition is softbound and comes wrapped in red cloth that feels fantastic in your hands. Other standout non-recipes include pot stickers with tomato sauce, pizza without a crust, and ham and radicchio toast. See what I mean? Now I bet your wheels are turning to see what you can come up with.
