Top Ten Tuesday -Books Featuring Food

Topic: Top Ten Yummy Foods Mentioned In Books (Does a character eat something you’d love? Or maybe the book takes place in a bakery/restaurant that makes yummy things?

Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

I have to confess, I’m not really much of a foodie in my real life. Food in general is a lot of work; meal planning and preparation, cooking, eating and then the clean up afterward.

Although, I do appreciate good food when prepared by someone else, in my daily life I tend to go for convenience. I will often eat the same thing for days, even weeks in a row. Or turn cereal, popcorn or chips and salsa into a full meal to avoid cooking.

So, originally this topic had me stumped. I couldn’t think of a single food experience in any of the books I have read. And then I went back through my book history and found I had read many stories which either featured food or food related occupations.

This week’s list highlights characters with food related careers such as chefs, bakers, restaurateur, cooks and even a food critic.

Series

 

Two Blue Door Series -Juliette D’Alisa is a food writer with quite the foodie pedigree. She comes from a line of food lovers and chefs on both sides of her French-Italian family. Each chapter ends with the recipe of whatever item was made and eaten by the characters.

 

French Twist Series -It’s been a while since I read this one, but I enjoyed the story of Lexi Stuart whose desire to become a pastry chef takes her to France and then back to Seattle. I do love me some pastries! Plus, when you read about them, you can avoid the accompanying calories.

 

Potluck Club Series – A group of women in small town Colorado meet together once a week to pray and eat. Eventually, their culinary skills evolve into a catering business. But it’s their unique personalities and antics which are the real joy of this series.

Stand Alone Titles

Bride in the Bargain -Anna Ivey thinks she has contracted to become a cook out west, but the man she thinks is her employer actually paid for a wife. Still, until he can convince her to marry him, Anna serves as the cook for his logging crew.

Unrivaled -Lucy and Charlie are drawn to each other, but there is a hitch. Each one of them are loyal to their fathers and heir apparents to their fathers’ competing candy companies. If the descriptions of making chocolate don’t make you drool, then maybe their sweet romance will.

Jane of Austin -The most recent release from the author of the Two Blue Doors series is a reimagined Sense and Sensibility. Only these sisters own and operate a tea shop and Jane makes the bakery items that complement their tea. Each of Jane’s chapters begins with a quote about tea and ends with a recipe.

All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes -Fans of reality television competitions will enjoy this story of Kat Varland, whose best friend Lucas, signs her up for a bake-off competition with a job at a New York bakery as the prize. In the course of the competition, Kat and Lucas true feelings are revealed as the work together dreaming up some pretty scrumptious sounding cupcakes.

Miracle in a Dry Season -Perla Long is hiding out in rural West Virginia during a drought. But her special gift of feeding people brings her unwanted attention. Fans of the film Babette’s Feast will like this book.

Five Days in Skye -A hospitality consultant butts heads and falls in love with a British celebrity chef, all on the gorgeous island of Skye. Um…James is utterly yummy, even without the food. And his patience and compassion towards the reserved and gun-shy Andrea is remarkable.

Lizzy and Jane -A story of two sisters named after the famous Bennett Sisters. Elizabeth is a chef who is losing her inspiration. She decides to move home to care for her sister Jane who has been diagnosed with cancer. There may or may not be a Wentworth inspired letter that makes an appearance at the end.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake -Described as You’ve Got Mail meets How to Eat a Cupcake, this is a charming little story. When Lou’s French restaurant receives a harsh review from an anonymous food critic, she is incensed. Little does she know that the food critic is the man she recently met and spent an entire happy day with.

Dining with Joy -Fans of the classic film Christmas in Connecticut will like this story about the host of a television cooking show who can’t actually cook! When Joy’s show goes national she is matched with a failed restaurateur and chef. Joy must find creative ways to hide her shameful little secret.

When I Fall in Love  -Neither of the main characters are in a food profession, but they bond over a vacation cooking school competition while in Hawaii.

Kiss the Cowboy – A highly trained chef is forced to partner with a former ranch hand turned self-taught cook to cater a wedding. At the same time, they are both in competition to be chosen head chef at a local restaurant.

The Wishing Season -PJ McKinley has lived for the moment that she can open her own restaurant. She enters a contest which is awarding a local building to the winner. But it turns out the owner can’t make up her mind who to award the prize to. So PJ must share the house with a man who wants to use it as a transitional home for foster care children.

What are some of your favorite books featuring food?