Recommendations based on Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chefby Gabrielle Hamilton

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

    by Ruth Reichl
    A restaurant critic's journey to understand the art of food and dining, while hiding her true identity.

    Ruth Reichl, world-renowned food critic and editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, knows a thing or two about food. She also knows that as the most important food critic in the country, you need to be ... (Goodreads)

  2. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

    by Anthony Bourdain
    A humorous and unflinching account of life in restaurant kitchens, exploring the culture and camaraderie of the culinary world.

    A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute ... (Goodreads)

  3. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook

    by Anthony Bourdain
    A journey through the culinary world, exploring the chefs and cultures that inspire its cuisine.

    A lot has changed since Kitchen Confidential. For the subculture of chefs and cooks, for the restaurant business as a whole—and for Anthony Bourdain. Medium Raw explores those changes, taking the ... (Goodreads)

  4. Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table

    by Ruth Reichl
    A memoir of a food critic's childhood, filled with eccentric characters and culinary adventures that shaped her love for food and writing.

    At an early age, Ruth Reichl discovered that "food could be a way of making sense of the world. . . . If you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were." Her deliciously crafted ... (Goodreads)

  5. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

    by Barbara Kingsolver
    A family's journey to eat locally grown, sustainable food.

    Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they'd only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it ... (Goodreads)

  6. Yes, Chef

    by Marcus Samuelsson
    Autobiographical account of a chef's success, from childhood in Ethiopia to the pinnacle of the culinary world.

    It begins with a simple ritual: Every Saturday afternoon, a boy who loves to cook walks to his grandmother’s house and helps her prepare a roast chicken for dinner. The grandmother is Swedish, a ... (Goodreads)

  7. Just Kids

    by Patti Smith
    Chronicles of two young artists in New York City, finding friendship and inspiration in each other.

    In Just Kids , Patti Smith's first book of prose, the legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal ... (Goodreads)

  8. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

    by Cheryl Strayed
    Collection of heartfelt advice from a wise and compassionate storyteller.

    Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills - and it can be great: you've had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the ... (Goodreads)

  9. My Life in France

    by Julia Child
    A memoir of Julia Child's life in Paris, cooking and exploring French cuisine.

    The bestselling story of Julia's years in France–and the basis for Julie & Julia , starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams--in her own words. Although she would later singlehandedly create a new approach ... (Goodreads)

  10. Modern Romance

    by Aziz Ansari
    A humorous exploration of contemporary love, using the latest research and personal anecdotes.

    At some point, every one of us embarks on a journey to find love. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with the hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection. ... (Goodreads)

  11. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

    by Barbara Demick
    Exploration of the lives of North Koreans during the famine and repression of the 1990s.

    Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the ... (Goodreads)

  12. The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City

    by David Lebovitz
    A journey of culinary exploration in Paris, uncovering the secrets of its food culture.

    From the, New York Times, bestselling author of, My Paris Kitchen, and, L'Appart,, a deliciously funny, offbeat, and irreverent look at the city of lights, cheese, chocolate, and other confections., ... (Barnes & Noble)

  13. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

    by Michael Pollan
    Exploration of the modern food chain, examining the impact of food choices on our health and the environment.

    What should we have for dinner? The question has confronted us since man discovered fire, but according to Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Botany of Desire , how we answer it today, at ... (Goodreads)

  14. Life

    by Keith Richards
    A personal journey of a legendary rockstar, reflecting on the highs and lows of his life.

    With the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the riffs, the lyrics and the songs that roused the world, and over four decades he lived the original rock and roll life. Now, at last, the man ... (Goodreads)

  15. Naked

    by David Sedaris
    Collection of humorous essays exploring the absurdities of everyday life.

    Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked , Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, ... (Goodreads)

  16. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage

    by Elizabeth Gilbert
    A candid exploration of marriage, examining its ups and downs with a humorous and skeptical eye.

    At the end of her bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love , Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who'd been living in Indonesia when they met. ... (Goodreads)

  17. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen

    by Harold McGee
    A comprehensive guide to the science and history of cooking, exploring the fascinating world of food and flavors.

    Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and ... (Goodreads)

  18. Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity

    by Andrew Solomon
    An exploration of how parents and children adjust to extraordinary differences, and how it affects their dynamic.

    Andrew Solomon’s startling proposition in Far from the Tree is that being exceptional is at the core of the human condition—that difference is what unites us. He writes about families coping with ... (Goodreads)

  19. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

    by Mindy Kaling
    Humorous memoir reflecting on Mindy Kaling's life and career.

    Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck - impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

    by Isabel Wilkerson
    An exploration of the life-changing journeys of the millions of African-Americans who migrated from the South to the North, Midwest, and West from 1915 to 1970.

    In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black ... (Goodreads)

  21. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

    by Haruki Murakami
    Reflections of a runner, exploring the physical and mental challenges of the sport.

    In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such ... (Goodreads)

  22. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual

    by Michael Pollan
    A guide to mindful eating, exploring the connection between health, environment and culture.

    A DEFINITIVE COMPENDIUM OF FOOD WISDOM Eating doesn't have to be so complicated. In this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, Food Rules brings a welcome simplicity to our ... (Goodreads)

  23. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  24. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

    by David Sedaris
    A humorous collection of autobiographical essays reflecting on family relationships.

    David Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters. He goes on vacation with his family. He gets a job selling drinks. He attends his brother’s wedding. He mops his sister’s floor. He gives directions ... (Goodreads)

  25. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto

    by Chuck Klosterman
    An exploration of pop culture and its influence on contemporary life.

    Countless writers and artists have spoken for a generation, but no one has done it quite like Chuck Klosterman. With an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and an almost effortless ability to ... (Goodreads)

  26. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

    by Alison Bechdel
    An autobiographical story of a daughter's complex relationship with her father and her own journey of self-discovery.

    The narrative of Fun Home is non-linear and recursive. , Incidents are told and re-told in the light of new information or themes. , Bechdel describes the structure of Fun Home as a labyrinth , ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

    by Eric Schlosser
    An exploration of the industrial food system and its effects on U.S. society.

    Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list ... (Goodreads)

  28. Half Broke Horses

    by Jeannette Walls
    A novel based on the life of the author's grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, a resilient and adventurous woman who overcomes numerous obstacles in the American West.

    Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly). Now, in Half Broke Horses, she brings us the story of her grandmother, told in a first-person ... (Goodreads)

  29. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

    by Vincent Bugliosi
    A detailed account of the Manson Family and their brutal murders, as well as the trial that followed.

    Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the twentieth century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca ... (Goodreads)

  30. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence

    by Amy Sedaris
    A hilarious guide to entertaining and living with style, grace, and a generous spirit.

    The inspiration for the TV show, At Home with Amy Sedaris,, here is a hilarious, helpful, and informative guide on how to entertain.,Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swanky soiree for ... (Barnes & Noble)