Beth Fish Reads: Weekend Cooking: A Bowl of Olives by Sara Midda

27 December 2014

Weekend Cooking: A Bowl of Olives by Sara Midda

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

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Sara Midda's A Bowl of Olives is one of those books that makes me wish I were more artistic. This mix of memoir, thoughts, journal, and sketchbook is such a sweet, pretty book that I'm sure everyone who pages through it ends up smiling.

In this small tome, Midda tackles all manor of random foodie topics, such as eating outside, olives, figs, food memories, dinner plates, and visits to the market. Each page is copiously illustrated with hand lettering, photographs, watercolors, and/or black-and-white sketches. Before you even start to read, you'll want to take some time just to look at the artwork.

But don't forget to read the text. Midda's prose is charming, whether she is reminiscing about food in Italy, describing some favorite picnics, commenting on how to set a table, or thinking about salads.

Pick up two copies of A Bowl of Olives: one for yourself and one to have on hand for a spontaneous gift.

The scans that follow give you an idea of what to expect inside A Bowl of Olives. At the left, Midda muses about finding a mug (p. 43), and at the right is a pretty page of herbs (p. 122). Click the image to see the pages full size (all copyrights remain with Midda).

10 comments:

bermudaonion, 12/27/14, 10:05 AM: I read that a few weeks ago - it's gorgeous!
Katherine P, 12/27/14, 11:37 AM: This looks lovely! I love the idea of a book reading almost like a scrapbook. I think this might need to be my after Christmas gift to me!
rhapsodyinbooks, 12/27/14, 11:41 AM: I wish I could do that too. Such a pretty book!
Belle Wong, 12/27/14, 1:15 PM: I thought I had this book in my stash but I don't - and now I definitely have to get it! It sounds lovely.
Jackie McGuinness, 12/27/14, 2:13 PM: Sounds good except for any reference to olives! I hate them!!
rhonda, 12/27/14, 3:27 PM: I have it it's a a wonderful lovely book.
Carole, 12/27/14, 4:56 PM: Happy New Year from Carole's Chatter
Laurie C, 12/28/14, 8:51 AM: Sounds like a great gift book! I can empathize with her search for the perfect mug! We have a ton of Christmas mugs out for the holidays, but my daughter and I like the same mug best, so whoever gets up first, grabs it!
Bree, 12/29/14, 1:09 AM: I want this book. looks lovely.
Melissa, 12/29/14, 1:57 PM: This book looks so pretty and sounds like something I'd enjoy.