Quick Lit December 2020 Archives

Piranesi

by Susanna Clarke

Susanna Clarke's hotly anticipated second novel is a fantasy novel that plays with fantasy tropes, a mystery but not just a mystery, an altogether weird and extremely compelling book set in a strange house with labyrinthine passageways and just fifteen inhabitants, only two of which are alive. It's decidedly weird and took me a solid 20% to get oriented, but once I did I couldn't stop reading. Our narrator is Piranesi—though he suspects that's not really his name—and while I don't recommend googling the plot before you begin reading, I do recommend those reading with a literary lens google the Italian artist who shares his moniker.

Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South

by Rick Bragg

Rick Bragg has become pure comfort listening for me: I especially love to listen to his stories while I'm cooking. This new collection compiles magazine essays from his decades writing for Garden and Gun and Southern Living. Some are piercingly poignant, like his tales of Harper Lee, Pat Conroy, a talented photographer, and his Aunt Jo (everyone needs an Aunt Jo). Others are laugh-out-loud funny, like his one about Tupperware, or what precisely is wrong with country music these days. While his books would make beautiful editions to any coffee table, I think I will always listen to Rick Bragg.

West with the Night

by Beryl Markham

The publisher calls this a "classic, engrossing memoir—a triumph of the pioneer spirit and an adventure-charged chronicle of a life lived to the fullest." Beryl Markham was an amazing woman, and one of the first people to successfully cross the Atlantic by plane. Yet she's not nearly as well known as others who share her arial accomplishments. In her autobiography, she preserves the moments that meant the most to her—from her childhood, spent in Africa with her British colonial family, to her adult years, when she became the first professional pilot in Africa and successfully crossed the Atlantic, alone. The title refers to the fact that when she flew, she was mostly in the dark.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

by Samin Nosrat

If you enjoy sitting down with hefty cookbooks and reading them like novels, it’s especially easy to do here. The first half of the book consists entirely of enjoyable stories and explanations about the cooking process, as Samin examines how each of the key elements—salt, fat, acid, and heat—affect a dish. I especially enjoyed the way she drew from her experience at Chez Panisse, sharing stories of kitchen disasters that happened because one of these elements had gone horribly awry. Once you understand the essentials, Samin leads you into the recipes held in the book's second half. This book made me want to get cooking, and the gorgeous illustrations and flavor wheels make it particularly fun.

The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design

by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt

This is another book I picked up at my local indie on publication day—I just couldn't wait! It shot to the top of my wishlist when Grettel mentioned it on WSIRN Episode 251: I love books and books love me back. My fascination with urban planning is well documented. I love learning the stories behind sidewalk placement, street signs, or park-building. This well-researched guide to city design includes illustrations, stories, and explanations of the things we usually overlook. Podcast host Mars brings his celebration of big ideas and seemingly small things to the page.

Quick Lit December 2020

Piranesi

Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South

West with the Night

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Quick Lit December 2020

Piranesi

Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South

West with the Night

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations for every mood

100 Book recommendations
for every mood