Kaseys Korner

The Art of Beautiful Tables

I've always been a huge fangirl of everything Victoria publishes ~ magazines and books ~ so perhaps that makes me a biased reviewer? However, this is the 1st time I'm not giving 5 stars and I can't really put my finger on why. I'm re-reading it again to see if I can figure it out.  Maybe I'll come back and revise my rating. Gorgeous photography, table settings and inspiration but we wouldn't expect anything less!  Is there such a thing as getting jaded by looking at so many beautiful images??

Homecoming

Another wonderful read from Kate Morton. At this point her books have the same effect as slipping on a pair of beloved slippers. Instant comfort. Everything I've come to love & expect from her writing can be found inside these covers. Not one but two fabulous old houses, a twist at the end (that I never see coming!) and complex characters. The setting of Australia is fantastic.

Nora is a larger-than-life character in this book. I'm still parsing out how I feel about her. A driven, controlling and not particularly nice person is where I've landed at the moment but even that is complicated.

Kudos to Kate Morton for consistently serving up stories that are beautifully written and gratifying to read.

Kitchen Confidential

 

Wow. Eye opening book on what it's like to live the life of a chef. Closer to a rock star than I ever imagined with the drugs, drinking, unconventional hours, etc., but the long days & endless prep work (let alone the actual cooking) involved in this profession ~ so much harder.

I never knew who Anthony Bourdain was until I happened upon his show "Parts Unknown" on CNN and he immediately charmed me. It was impressive how he would eat anything, converse comfortably with anyone in any country/culture, no matter their social or economic status and basically was game to try whatever came his way. A truly open, curious, adventurous soul. It was so shocking to me when I learned he'd committed suicide and I couldn't stop wondering "why??" After reading this book (published in the early 2000's) it seems he had achieved his dream job and was at the pinnacle of his career when he made that fateful decision. This autobiography offered some insight into his inner person but it's still sad that he isn't wandering this earth, being an ambassador for the connectivity of people and countries thru the fantastic medium of food.

I never read autobiographies, this was an exception. My favorite part of the book was what I learned about eating in restaurants or maybe better said, what to order and when not to eat specific things. I'll remember Anthony's advice about ordering fish and "specials" for the rest of my life.
Otherwise, as interesting a person as Mr. Bourdain was, the book bogged me down and took way longer to read than it ever should have. If you've ever worked in the food industry, I imagine you would find a lot of relatable material in the pages. I certainly ended the book with an enlightenment about what is going on (unseen) in the kitchen while I nonchalantly order my meal. It's an understatement to say it's a LOT!