BOOKS: My Imaginary Wish List

It may not surprise you that I give and receive a lot of books as gifts. I think books make wonderful, thoughtful gifts; but that's just me! I'm not sure yet what will happen at our house this year. My in laws will get books but Matt, Brian and I have our own library in the form of a store. We just have to be really, really careful with them.

I have a list as long as any other year. There are a few cookbooks I “want”. Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks is full of humor and clear directions for yummy recipes. Beth Dooley's Northern Heartland Kitchen, in part because she's local author. I also like the idea of eating local and in season and its a great book. Beth has so much good information and inspiration included with the recipes. I've made the Hot and Sour vegetable Soup and it was great.

I have always liked cookbooks with lots of pictures and lots to read. Jamie Oliver's Jaime's America: Easy Twists On Great American Classics and More. This book covers one of my other loves, travel writing.

As I'm writing this I realize I have to cut myself off. I could go on and on with cookbooks. (All About Roasting, Splendid Table: How To Eat Weekends.......) Note to self: cookbook blog.

David McCollough's The Greater Journey would be on my list and my father in laws as well. (Don't tell him, he really will unwrap it.) I've always loved non-fiction and memoirs. I haven't had a chance to read this yet, its his latest about Americans like Mark Twain and Samuel Morse who in the 19^th century lived as expats.

Off the top of my head and sitting on my bed (not at the store) I know another I want to get to soon is Irene Caro's Paris To The Past: Traveling Through French History By Rail. From the publisher's blurb:

In one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro invites readers on twenty-five one-day train trips that depart from Paris and transport us back through seven hundred years of French history. Whether taking us to Orléans to evoke the miraculous visions of Joan of Arc, to Versailles to experience the flamboyant achievements of Louis XIV, or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descriptions of architectural splendors and tales of court intrigue. Organizing her destinations chronologically from twelfth-century Saint-Denis to the nineteenth-century Restoration at Chantilly, Caro appeals not only to the casual tourist aboard the Metro or the TGV but also to the armchair reader of Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. Caro's passion for and knowledge of France—its soaring cathedrals, enthralling history, and sumptuous cuisine—are so impressive that Paris to the Past promises to become one of the classic guidebooks of our time. 6 maps

Reading that description puts Caro's book back on the top of my list! The list is full of plenty of fantastic fiction. I've squeezed in a lot of reading lately but some biggies are still waiting. The Art Of Fielding, The Night Circus, The Art of Civility and from last summer, Maine.

I should probably mention books I've actually been given in the past. Matt and Meg are great at picking out books. The Roosevelt Women, A Dog's History Of America, Lindbergh.....I love my kids (and Brian of course). Mark Derr's book about dogs truly satisfies dog lovers and historians. Of course, Saemus, Lewis and Clarks Newfoundland is honored, Derr tells wonderful stories of dogs working side by side with Americans both at home and at war. The Roosevelt Women was a good choice for me because I was teaching US History at the time. I would still like it today because it tells some Roosevelts who are lesser known than Eleanor (Eleanor is included). Alice, and Franklin's mother, Sara Delano R. Betty Boyd Caroli did solid research but I can't help but mention the Roosevelt women's story is a bit like The Real Housewives!

Gotta go read.