One batch was not enough: here's another baker's dozen of novels which prominently feature sweet treats! Some are guilty pleasures, some are bittersweet tales--but they all have one thing in common: each one features delicious desserts.
Belle in the Big Apple
by Brooke Parkhurst: This novel is kind of like candy--an escapist tale of a southern belle in NYC, and does come with some recipes for sweet treats.
Comfort Food
by Kate Jacobs: This novel has a distinct roman a clef feel, with an aging food tv show hostess battling low ratings and radical rating-boosting ideas; half the fun is picking out who the people in the novel are meant to represent; the rest is the fun of the story and the recipes at the end of the novel.
The Cupcake Queen
by Heather Hepler: A coming-of-age story about a bakery owner's daughter who is struggling with her parents' divorce and the trials of growing up...but with plenty of gratuitous cupcake scenes! (CakeSpy Note: read the CS interview with the author here!)
Entertaining Disasters
by Nancy Spiller: A reclusive food writer battles personal demons in more ways than one as she plots the ultimate dinner party. Complete with many recipes, including a great Opera cake recipe!
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond: An adorable children's book detailing the unforeseen consequences of giving a mouse a cookie. Great illustrations too!
The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd: Honey. Honeycake. You want to read this.
She Flew the Coop
by Michael Lee West: This one is described as "a novel concerning life, death, sex, and recipes in Limoges, Louisiana" -- and it includes cakes.
Spiced: A Pastry Chef's True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen
by Dalia Jurgensen: OK, so this one is fact, but reads as if it were fiction: a behind-the-scenes look at a pastry chef's life in some of NYC's fanciest restarants, by the current pastry chef at Dressler.
Sorcery And The Single Girl
by Mindy Klasky: No recipes, but this novel about a witch in training with a best friend who owns a bakery has plenty of rich descriptions of sweet desserts.
Sprinkle with Murder
by Jenn McKinlay: A murder mystery...with cupcakes!
The Sugar Queen
by Sarah Addison Allen: Magic and bonbons all rolled into one sweet package in this book.
Sweet Treats: Cupcakes for Two/Blueberry Surprise/Bittersweet Memories & Peppermint Dreams/Cream of the Crop
by Various (short story collection): Doesn't the title say it all?
Table Manners
by Mia King: In the followup to Good Things, character Deidre McIntosh is on the road to creating her own gourmet cookie line, but with some bumps in the batter--er, along the road. This book has a selection of recipes at the end, too, including some from CakeSpy buddies Peabody and Ivy Chan!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Reader Comments (8)
I love this list! Oh and don't forget "If you give a mouse a pancake"
Thanks for the Summer Reading list!
Great book list! My daughter is a big fan of the "give a mouse" series, thanks for posting!
The Secret Life of Bees is an amazing and very inspirational book. I came to adore the healing affects of not only honey but everything else around me as well! Excellent suggestion! If you give a Mouse a Cookie was one of My daughters faves! I just bought the Sugar Queen on my last trip to USA! I loved the cover and title next the read I look forward to
Thanks Jessie
Aw maaaan, I was kind of hoping Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe would be on there. Fannie Flagg makes murder and cannibalism seem... kind of okay? Maybe tasty?
have you seen If You Give a Cat a Cupcake? I believe it's by the same people who did the mouse book, and it's totally adorable =).
Also, I loved Like Water for Chocolate.
~Kurious Kitteh
Thanks for this list! I'm always on the lookout for food-inspired fiction.
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