If you enjoyed “Sideways,” the wine movie that swept the nation in 2004, and you crave another book with the fast-paced thrill of the “Da Vinci Code,” then David Baker’s “Vintage” is for you.

This quick-paced novel follows our bumbling hero, Bruno, a failing food writer with two long-ago successes, now falling victim to his own alcoholism, in a search for a lost French World War II vintage and a journey to regain the trust of his estranged wife and family and his talent as a writer.

“Vintage” employs Bruno’s second book, a guide to wooing lost loves with food, as a primary source. Wherever Bruno is and with whomever he is talking — a Chicago cabbie, a long-time customer of his Alsatian mother’s food shop, even a convicted Russian mobster — he is always able to give them the recipe they need. If he is our superhero, this is his superpower.

The food elements ring true in the writing; recipes are described in great detail and truly bring the story on the pages to life.

The book does have its faults. With its quick-paced nature, the characterization of the different people in the story is sometimes confused, a flaw that is not helped with point-of-view transitions that can prove sloppy and disorienting. Bruno’s view of his family and his relationships, for instance, is often a bit trite. We are left starved for emotion — it’s hard to know what the navel-gazing Bruno really feels, as he is a fairly hedonistic and very unreliable narrator. Who is he really attracted to? Who is he really in love with? Is he a pure hedonist, as it sometimes feels, or is he really a family man? The pace of the novel occasionally allows for ellipses on these problems, but they also mean that the ending, which wraps up some of these emotional and personal questions for us, gives us a bit of a ‘too little, too late’ impression.

Aside from these characterization flaws, the novel is quite unique, particularly in its form. I have never before seen a food-based adventure, a fast-paced thriller that leaves time for picnics and excellent bottles of European wine. The vision of Europe portrayed in the book, filled with parties that strangers are invited to and impromptu train picnics, may be highly romanticized, and yet this is forgiven: this is, after all, how Bruno actually sees it and lives it.

If you’re still on the lookout for a quick end-of-summer read, pick up “Vintage.” It’s a surprising book that’s lots of fun and may even leave you a bit hungry.

Related on Eco Salon

‘Edible Memory: The Lure of Heirloom Tomatoes and Other Forgotten Foods’ by Jennifer A. Jordan

‘Eating Rome: Living the Good Life in the Eternal City’ by Elizabeth Minchilli

Book Review: Most Good, Least Harm

Image care of Touchstone Publicity

The post David Baker’s ‘Vintage’ is a Sideways Novel with a Mystery Twist appeared first on EcoSalon.

Column You don’t need another cookbook. You need a book about food. Yes, there’s a difference.

In the last year, I bet you have bought at least one cookbook. But how many books about food have you read? Cookbooks are inspirational, but books about food are informative. Certainly there are cookbooks and general food books that fall somewhere in the middle, but I happen to love food-themed writing that doesn’t come with recipes.

Be it political, investigative or simply a beautiful travel narrative about a tasty meal, here are 9 different books that any food lover should put on their reading list. They are in no particular order, and there are certainly many more amazing books out there, but these in particular are some of my favorites.

1. “Great Food” by Various

Ok, so this one is actually a collection of books. Pulled from across the ages, the Great Food series gives you a taste of the best food writing from the last 400 years. Everything from M.F.K. Fisher to Brillat Savarin to Alice Waters. Plus, their cool design makes them look really great as a full set.

2. “A Fork in the Road” Edited by James Oseland

If you believe that traveling is a way to discover new foods, then this is the book for you. A collection of essays on food and travel, “A Fork in the Road” is a Lonely Planet title, edited by former Saveur editor-in-chief, James Oseland.

3. “My Life in France” by Julia Child

It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t know who Julia Child is (or know a good Julia Child quote or two), and with good reason: she was a revolutionary. The book is a retrospective on her life, looking back at the path that took her to cooking fame.

4. “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan

You haven’t read this yet? Get yourself to a bookstore immediately. If you have read it, read it again, or pick up a copy of Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food”. These are essential titles for anyone interested in food politics and the food movement.

5. “Cooked” by Michael Pollan

Ok, ok, I know I am putting several Michael Pollan titles on this list, but that’s because he’s a talented journalist with good things to say. In the day and age where we watch more and more food television shows, but in fact, cook less, “Cooked” is a kick in the pants to get back in the kitchen, not just because it allows us to eat better, but because it’s what helps define us as human beings.

6. “Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health” by Marion Nestle

To think that “Food Politics“, written by Dr. Marion Nestle, was published all the way back in 2002 is pretty incredible. As one of the most powerful voices in the food movement, this is a primer into the crazy maze that is the food industry.

7. “The American Way of Eating” by Tracie McMillan

Sure, you know what the average American eats, but do you know all the complexities of the realities of our food system? For “The American Way of Eating“, Tracie McMillan went undercover in three jobs that feed the general American population to discover the true realities of our food system, and the people working within it: on a California farm, in a Walmart produce aisle and in an Applebee’s kitchen.

8. “An Everlasting Meal: Cooking With Economy and Grace” by Tamar E. Adler

This book is more like a cookbook than any of the other ones on here, but while Tamar E. Adler may explain in depth how to poach an egg in “An Everlasting Meal”, it’s more of a reflection on food than an instructional book on how to do it well.

9. “Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat” by Bee Wilson

Ever wonder how we ended up in a world of fancy cuisine and numerous kitchen gadgets? What we eat isn’t just about the ingredients; it’s about the tools that helped us prepare them. In “Consider the Fork“, Author Bee Wilson takes us through the compelling history of food, and how specific tools (the fork is just one of many), revolutionized how we eat and got us to where we are today.

Related on EcoSalon

5 Cookbooks for People With a Vegetable Garden

Foodie Underground: The World of Cookbook Porn

Foodie Underground: For the Love of Roots and Cookbooks

Image: Katrin Morenz

The post 9 Must-Read Books About Food that Aren’t Cookbooks: Foodie Underground appeared first on EcoSalon.