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I was going through my recent blog posts and realized that it’s been a while since I’ve done a book recommendation/review. And I read all the time! So before you start thinking that maybe it’s just talk, I am quick to prove with my actions that I have a book for you this month.
And a good one. One that goes kind of with what I am trying to do on this blog a little bit. It is called Life from Scratch, a Memoir of Food, Family and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin.
This book found itself in my home after one trip to the library with my children. We each picked out what we wanted and as we were making our way to the checkout area, I noticed that there was a bookshelf where it had not been before so I stopped by. A sign that read “books, soft cover .50 and hard cover $1” caught my eye. I know, you’re thinking: she’s in the library for Pete’s sake, why would she even look at books that are for sale? But I think some books (like shoes, dresses, pants, you name it) are just meant for you. As if they are calling you by the name in a quiet whisper: get me, it’ll do you good. So yep, I bought this book and one more for my son because he really wanted it.
When I got home, I set it aside for a little bit because the whole reason I had gone to the library was the third book from Adriana Trigiani’s “Valentine” series (I don’t even know if that’s how the series is truly called because the title of the last book does not indicate in any way that it’s a part of the trilogy). But that’s a different post. In the meantime, Life from Scratch was sitting nicely on my side table and waiting it’s turn. Because I do things in order, I guess…
And when it’s turn came, oh boy! I don’t know what I expected. My first impression when I took the book in my hands was that it will be a quick and easy read with interesting recipes inside and that I needed something like that at this particular time. After I scanned through the back cover and saw that the author of the book, Sasha Martin, is not only an award-winning writer but also a blogger (www.globaltableadventure.com), who spent almost four years cooking foods from all countries of the world that seriously caught my attention. Food and culture, hello!
What I didn’t expect was that the book will be anything more than informational text. But it sucked me in. Informational, yes. True, beautiful, alive, poignant and moving – absolutely. It is a story of Sasha’s life, told from her perspective, written in beautiful language, with great insight, the right pauses in the right places and poignant details. Food is an all encompassing factor here that traverses space and time. Recipes that match the mood or a situation at a particular point in Sasha’s life. But more so it’s the journey to forgiveness, to accepting yourself, to becoming and being part of the family and the world.
Without going too much into detail, I will only say that you never know what gem is awaiting you and where. A corner bookcase in the library, a stack of unwanted books on a desk in the front lobby of your child’s school, a yard sale treasure, a humble novel hiding shyly behind glass at a thrift store – these have proven to be the unexpected places that I have found the most soul filling reads imaginable.
Go get yourself Life from Scratch. It will fill you in more ways than one. And for me, this book will go into the special place in my house – a fireplace mantle, which is decorated with my favorite books of all time.
P.S. I also tried one of the recipes in the book, rosemary orange chicken. Oh-em-gee, is all I have to say. The best chicken you will ever have. Just sayin’ 😉
What books have you read recently?
Where do you find your best reads?
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