Seven Book-and-Food Pairings [Quick Takes]

[Cross-posted at my other blog, Books for Mom]

While of course the classic is

Remembrance of Things Past (Proust) and a madeleine,

please don't scorn

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis) and Turkish Delight,

2. Jacob Have I Loved (Paterson) and soft-shell crabs,

3. The End of the Affair (Greene) and onions-- maybe onion soup?

4.  Little Women (Alcott) and lobster salad,

5.  The Portrait of a Lady (James) and afternoon tea... "Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable..."

6.  Harriet the Spy and a tomato sandwich,

7.  Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Hardy) and any dairy product....


Can you think of others?  Please comment-- I'd love to hear from you!

[And check out Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!]

[Cross-posted at my other blog, Books for Mom.]

Audiobooks once seemed a little weird to me (uh, listening in the car, or while working out?  I'd miss something important!!!), but motherhood has made me a convert of sorts.  While that fear of "missing something" still makes me hesitate to tackle fresh material via audio, I find that listening to Jane Austen makes the dishes fly and the laundry fold itself.  All right, overstatement-- but you get the idea.

Librivox offers public domain audiobooks for free; and I hear that public libraries lend audio online, too, although mine would require me to download and install a separate application.

The catch to audiobooks, of course, is that you have to find a voice (as well as text) that will agree with you for hours on end.  Weeding through the samples can be frustrating... So far my favorite Librivox readers are Karen Savage and Elizabeth Klett-- each so clear and pleasant!-- who have recorded a great many comfort classics, such as Burnett's A Little Princess, Montgomery's Anne of Green Gablesseries, Charlotte Bronte, and (oh yes!) Jane Austen. 

What is your favorite source for audiobooks?  In your opinion, is an Audible membership worthwhile...?  I've considered it, although the price made me balk.

Here we are! (Quick Takes, February 7)

1.

Me:  "Three-year-old, please help me sweep the floor."

Three-year-old:  "Who's coming over?"

2.

Me (offering two-year-old a bit of candied ginger):  "Would you like to try some?  It's good for your tummy."

Two-year-old (shoving the ginger into her belly button):  "Here you go, tummy!"

3.

Three-year-old (closing the dishwasher door):  "I do ALL your work for you, Mommy!"

One can dream...

4.

Two-year-old (pausing the screamfest): "I upset!  I upset!"

Um, we figured that one out-- and so has the entire church.

5.

Me: "Two-year-old, what kind of cake would you like for your birthday?"

Two-year-old:  "Orange!"

Three-year-old:  "I'm sorry, Two-year-old.  We don't have any oranges.  We just have onions.  It has to be an onion cake."

6.

Three-year-old is currently obsessed with the art-themed storybook Katie Meets the Impressionists-- and so of course, I recommend it!  (Yay, she's chatting to nineteenth-century portraits!  Mickey Mouse, beware.)  We definitely plan to collect the other books in this series.

7.

Me:  "...You'll understand this better when you're driving.  When will you learn to drive?"

Three-year-old:  "Ten."

Me:  "You'll drive when you're ten years old?"

Three-year-old:  "Yes!  And I want a purple car."



Enjoy your weekend!