2022 Reading List

Forgot to post my reading list from last year! I can’t tell you the number of times I can’t tell you the number of times I will start reading a book, and make it all the way through the intro or first chapter to discover that yes, I’ve read it before. So these lists are helpful, not only to discover personal reading trends and figure out what to read next, but to keep me from rereading the same things over and over.

2022 had lots of great books about history, science fiction, music, social justice, essays – and of course, FOOD! I can’t stop reading cooking memoirs and similar books because of how differently people remember specific dishes and how they are tied to memories (also a lot of them contain recipes too). Pretty proud of myself for averaging 4 books per month for the entire year, and I’m already making great headway on my 2023 list.

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2021 Reading List

Food, memories and emotions are closely linked in our brains. A taste of something can transport you to another time and place, or maybe you avoid certain foods based on past experiences or connections. In addition to cooking, I also enjoy reading about cooking because everyone approaches it in different ways: through passion, survival, nostalgia, or luck. My friend taught a culinary writing course at Portland State University recently, and many of the food memoirs I read in 2021 are included in the course reading.

food memoirs

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2020 Reading List

Whatever grand plans I originally had about the books I was going to read in 2020 went entirely out the window about halfway through March, along with many other plans. I still tried to focus on authors who were Black, indigenous, immigrant, queer or part of other marginalized groups, but when the libraries unexpectedly closed, my reading options was suddenly limited to whatever I bought from my local bookstore or was already in the house. These 42 books span 81 years, from 1939 to 2020. Several of the books link to comparisons of the original texts and film adaptations.

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