Favorite Food fiction
I've recently gotten into mystery novels that have recipes or feature food-themes. I've been reading books by Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, Nancy Fairbanks, and JoAnna Carl. Any other writers or novels of this type that I should look up?
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25 Comments:
Wow - are you in for a treat. Rex Stout wrote Nero Wolfe mysteries in the 30's into the 70's. Nero Wolfe is large and likes his food, and sometimes this figures in the mystery, complete with recipes. There's even a Nero Wolfe Cookbook. One of his best mysteries (and one of the best mysteries ever by anyone) is The Doorbell Rang, and food is involved in that. It would sort of be a pity to read it without having read some of the others along the way, but it will surely hook you. They are period pieces now, of course, but I reread them from time to time anyway.
lemonfair at 4:53PM on 09/02/09
These don't have recipes but the protagonists love to eat, and/or cook:
Any of the Andrea Cammilleri novels (great mystery/suspense series set in Sicily. Not in the cozy category, though.)
Reinhart's Women by Thomas Berger
Some short stories by Laurie Colwin (her non-fiction essays about food are the best).
any novel by Barbara Pym
The Debut by Anita Brookner
Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton Paterson
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Ortolan at 5:04PM on 09/02/09
Several years ago I came across a book titled "Feeding Harry" at my local library. But, for the life of me, I can't remember the author. It was fiction with great characters and made you want to run into the kitchen and cook, cook, cook. It was a great read but I don't remember there being any recipes. Also, "Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant". Short essays by various foodies. The one by Jane & Michael Stern was hillarious. Also can't remember the author.
2fussie at 5:31PM on 09/02/09
Forget that last book, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant - it was "Death By Pad Thai" that had the Jane & Michael Stern article. Had great recipes.
2fussie at 5:32PM on 09/02/09
I just sent a message stating "Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant" had the essays including one by Jane & Michael Stern. Jane & Michael Stern's essay appeared in "Death By Pad Thai" which was much better than the "Eggplant" book. Also, I seem to remember a novel entitled "Eat Cake" and a non-fiction "100 Years Over a Hot Stove". My two favorite hobbies are reading and cooking - not necessarily in that order.
2fussie at 5:53PM on 09/02/09
Not a mystery novel, but one of my favorite food-themed novels is "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel. The food preparation and recipes are intertwined with the narrative, and it has a wonderfully surreal feel to it.
magtured at 6:03PM on 09/02/09
@ magtured -- "Like Water for Chocolate" is, by far, the best food fiction I've ever read. I hated for that book to end!
That having been said, I used to also like the Robert Parker "Spenser" novels. Spencer was a detective that could cook, and he did it a lot in those books... with dishes that would make my mouth water. Those books were my literary "junk food" in the 80's.
Brownie at 6:32PM on 09/02/09
My favorite food book was Anthony Capellas "Food of Love". It takes place in Italy and is so descriptive- it was great! Watch out, though, it gets racy- but, hey- who doesn't love that?!
bethsbites at 6:41PM on 09/02/09
Thanks for all the great recommendations! Heading to the library tonight.
AnnieNT at 7:26PM on 09/02/09
I love Cooking for Mr. Latte. It's a fluffy chick-lit novel, but it's a fun read and filled with great food details. Amanda Hesser (formerly of the NYTimes food section) is the author, and it's a great guilty pleasure.
In fact, I think I'll pick up a paperback copy for an upcoming long flight!
cyberroo at 7:48PM on 09/02/09
Maybe not mystery but I enjoyed "Bone in the Throat" and "The Bobby Gold Stories" by Anthony Bourdain.
climbhighak at 10:24PM on 09/02/09
I loved Cooking for Mr. Latte also. Check out American Cookery: A Novel by Laura Kalpakian (not really mystery, but a very good fiction book). A fun food-centered fiction book is How to Cook a Tart, by Nina Killham.
AlkiGirl at 12:56AM on 09/03/09
If you want food writing that's not novels, Calvin Trillin is mouth-wateringly good. Even when he's writing about food I ordinarily don't like I want to run right out and find it.
lemonfair at 7:49AM on 09/03/09
I'm reading The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones and she mentions Anne Tyler's Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.
jbeach at 10:09AM on 09/03/09
I also 2nd Bethbites' reccomendation of Anthony Cappella's "The Food of Love."
Ortolan at 10:33AM on 09/03/09
There's a wonderful little book I read once...I have it here somewhere....It was about a woman who baked cakes. Well. For her family and herself...I don't remember any recipes specifically in it, but it was a fictional story...and really enjoyable. Before I became a 'foodie' I just...loved how she described the cakes and the ritual surrounding them.
Ah. Here it is. 'Eat Cake' by Jeanne Ray.
eggyzhe at 8:04PM on 09/03/09
Oh jeez. I totally glazed over the 'mystery' part. Sorry, it's not a mystery novel. One of those homey-feel-good ones. :
eggyzhe at 8:05PM on 09/03/09
Someone Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe by Nan and Ian Lyons was a fun read back in the day. They made it into a movie with Jaqueline Bisset and George Segal.
dhorst at 8:47PM on 09/03/09
Here's a clip from the movie Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe.
dhorst at 9:04PM on 09/03/09
I'm thinking the movie came first and then the book. I loved the movie - the naked nethers of Phillipe Noiret are a particularly appetizing sight - and bought the sound track as music to cook by. Thanks for the link. The role of the editor, by the way, was written specifically for Robert Morley.
lemons at 9:56PM on 09/03/09
I also agree on Like Water for Chocolate... , but if you can read in Spanish, I encourage you to read it in its original language (Como Agua para Chocolate). Forget about the movie... the book is outstanding.
I also highly recomemend Eat, Pray, Love... it's a true story of a writer that takes a year of her life to find herself by eating in Italy, meditating in India and finding true love in Indonesia. A truly inspirational book...
MadelynRodriguez at 10:33PM on 09/03/09
@lemons~the original copyright was 1976 for the book. The movie came out in 1978. There was a reprinting of the book with photos from the movie in the '80s. Robert Morley was terrific in it, and from what I understand, they tweaked it just for him. Great fun.
Oh, and from what I understand, Warner Bros. is doing a remake of the movie set in Las Vegas rather than Europe and Oliver Platt is playing the role of the editor/critic. It's supposed to be done by the guy who does the Family Guy and Futurama so it ought to be loads of fun.
dhorst at 10:34PM on 09/03/09
Silence of the Lambs.
bobbob at 11:02AM on 09/04/09
I went a bit nuts a few years back and read 25 of the series "The Cat Who"
by Lilian Jackson Braun and they were always going to one of the restaurants in town and eating wonderful stuff since the main human character didn't cook at all. There is a cookbook, which I have. If you like cats and food (and I do), these are really cute fluff mystery books.
queenbleu at 3:24PM on 09/04/09
@bethbites and @ortolan: After Food of Love, Anthony Cappella went on to write The Various Flavours of Coffee - completely different timeframe and setting but equally steamy and atmospheric.
mother91 at 5:34AM on 09/05/09