Title: Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Restaurant Reviews, Articles, Memoir, Fiction and More
Author: Dianne Jacob
Genre: Non-Fiction
I got this book as a gift a few years ago but never actually read it because I suck. However, I’ve been writing about food more and more often on Consuming Louisville and this book was still on my shelf so I thought it was more than past time to give it a read.
There are huge sections in this book that were completely irrelevant to me. For example I’ve no interest in writing a cookbook or blindly pitching recipes to magazines. However the parts that are relevant are very relevant and insightful. The chapters on writing restaurant reviews and food memoir pieces are very good. The sections on editing your work is invaluable. After reading this book and looking back over my recent food writing I’ve been cringing a lot. I don’t want to complete change my style, for example I’m not opposed to “telling” instead of always trying to “show” I think sometimes telling is more direct and honest and makes it more accessible to the reader. However I’m lazy when it comes to reusing the same adjectives over and over and don’t give enough detail. There’s a list of adjectives that are excellent for food writing that I’d like to blow up onto a 24×36 sheet of paper and hang in my office. That’s how handy I think it’s going to be.

Title: Company
Author: Max Barry
Genre: Fiction
This book taught me a really valuable lesson. That lesson is that I only like satire if it’s really, really brilliant or in small doses. This book was neither.

Title: The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube
Author: Michelle Goodman
Genre: Non-Fiction
Has there ever been a book title that seems more appealing to me and more apt for this moment in my life? Probably not. A lot of the stuff in this book was old hat to me because I’ve been freelancing either full time or on the side for a lot of years. However I was able to look at both old and new information with new eyes because what I want in work situation(s) has evolved over the years and is very different now than it was 8 or 9 years ago when I wanted to be a freelance copy editor and web monkey full time.
The book talks a lot about being an artrepreneur. That’s a new phrase to me that fits me perfectly. I like business, I love art, I love my passions and want to combine them all. Also there is a do-gooder-preneur dwelling deep in me that wants to get out. One of the books key points is to not be afraid of a patchwork income or what I call a portfolio income. Meaning don’t have all your eggs in one basket. Find some combination of having a part time gig, freelance on the side, temping, volunteering, seasonal work, etc that works for you. There are trade offs (lack of benefits, etc) but a lot of those trade offs are present in 9-5 jobs that driver you crazy. I just spent 3 years working for a “real” company that kept me as an independent contractor all 3 years so they didn’t have to pay taxes or benefits. That’s what the corporate world is really like these days so coming up with your own patchwork income plan isn’t that scary in the light of what corporate culture is really like.
The book is full of personal stories about woman who have left the cube for good, stayed in the cube part time, started non-profits, work 4 months a year, live and work part time in Antarctica and all kinds of other real-life inspiration stories. Those stories and the author’s action plans for each chapters gave me several thinking points. These thinking points are things that I need to really examine and think about to help me move forward with my artistic and work life goals. I’m really glad I read it and I have these things to think about. I think having read it will be beneficial to me moving forward. That’s the best endorsement of a business/lifestyle/advice book I can give.

Title: My One-Night Stand With Cancer: A Memoir
Author: Tania Katan
Genre: Non-fiction, memoir
I enjoyed this book. Even if the writing isn’t brilliant it’s honest and that’s more important to me than brilliance these days. Although the title is a misnomer since the author actually had two bouts with cancer but whatever, who am I to nitpick.

Title: Candy Freak
Author: Steve Almond
Genre: Memoir/humor/non-fiction (?)
Candy Freak is a semi-amusing book about one man’s love of and relationship with candy explored through visiting and researching small candy factories and producers in the US.The author’s style is quite funny and entertaining but the subject matter isn’t adequate for a book. An extended essay would have been better I think.
I much preferred the author’s short story collection, The Evil B.B. Chow and Other Stories.