Some book recommendations....
1) I can’t stop paging through this cookbook discovered in my parents' house and hoping someone will make me everything in it....
Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.
Our chef, Ms. Greenspan (no relation to Alan... whew.), had me at the cover photo of poulet roti, and I was putty in her hands 15 seconds in (upon discovering that she has three different kinds of rillettes described lovingly in the apps section). Her photos are mouth watering, the recipes look delicious, clearly directed and practical, and before each recipe she has a paragraph or two of context (which I appreciated heartily as a non-cook) where she expands enjoyably- describing a region, featuring commentary on general French culinary philosophies, or noting how the particular dish is served in a favorite Parisian bistrot, etc. Delightful! Gen please get over your prejudices asap put your fine booty in gear and whip me up a lil je ne sais quoi (ok I do sais quoi... please see the dessert section) from the motherland.
2) I've also really enjoyed paging through Verses and Versions: Three Centuries of Rusian Poetry selected and translated by Vladimir Nabokov
It's basically a collection of Nabokov's translations of prized Russian poetry (alongside the original Russian), featuring both his amusing and insightful backgrounds on the various authors (e.g. on Afanasiy Fet, "Fet - the spirit of the air a wispy cloud, a butterfly fanning its wings." and on Fet's critics, "Fet was harried, spat at, spanked, mocked, insulted in such a thorough fashion that it is a wonder he never lost his head..."), and also a small collection of his notes on translation and poetry. I'm always fascinated by translation and the question of what is lost from the original language (and of course also what is gained from the translator ... particularly when it's someone like Nabokov).
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