Round about 100 years ago, a gentleman by the name of Marcel Proust wrote a not-short novel called, In Search of Lost Time, which was published in seven volumes (you know, like you do). Early in the beginning of the first volume - Swann’s Way - Proust famously mentions a madeleine, which is a delightful French cookie/cake hybrid, that triggers an involuntary memory of his. Food can be powerful like that. Today for your Thanksgiving reading, I’m offering you books about magic foods - things that make you feel certain emotions based on flavors or can remind the eater about the past. 

I was curious about the lemon pie aspect of this. I’m not the biggest fan of lemon pie, but I do enjoy a good lemon drop. So the basic premise here is that Lolly is stuck making her mother’s famous lemon drop pie at the family diner. She wasn’t able to realize any of dreams when she had to start taking care of her family after her mother’s death. But when her aunt gives her three magic lemon drops, she gets to relive three different days to see what might have been hers. This kinda twisted my brain around a little, but once I got it, the story was good. It reminded me a little of Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune (by Roselle Lim) with a little Groundhog Day thrown in for fun. Please continue to the next blurb if you’d like to read more by this author.

Chef Georgia is on her way to a fabulous career as a famous chef in Paris, until she catches her French superstar chef boyfriend in the walk-in fridge with the pastry chef. In retaliation, she somehow manages to blow up her job, her living arrangement, and her relationship with an ill-thought out plate of overcooked fish. When an auspicious email arrives from her estranged mother, Georgia figures now is as good a time as any and she travels back to the States to reconnect. Hopefully the time away from the kitchen will rejuvenate her spirit. While not a direct sequel to The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie, this is a related story. It really pulled me in and made me want to eat her food. I chose audio but print is also available. 

As all good food shamans are, Neely is a pastry chef. Different flavors tell her different things about her clients. This allows her to craft treats that help people celebrate, overcome, or mourn. When her life falls apart, she heads to her hometown to open a bakery and do what she does best. But before the food can be the best, she’s going to have to deal with her own issues. I liked this one. I’ve never been to therapy, but if I did go, I’d love it to be a cake therapist. Who wouldn’t want to solve their problems with chocolate? If I was nearby, I’d go to her bakery.

This one continues the story started in the last book. Neely has settled her life a bit - although her stupid (ex)husband won’t give her a divorce. But her bakery is up and running and each month she picks a seasonal flavor to feature - in April, it’s lime and coconut (had me at lime, lost me at coconut). In May, strawberry and rhubarb (what?) June was apricot and lavender. (Um…no. How about something chocolate?) Anyway, Neely gets booked to do the cakes for a wedding that turn into pies. Along the way, she uncovers part of her family history that she’d never known. I really enjoyed this one - apart from the insane monthly flavors. It was a quick read, but I highly enjoyed it. The author has some cookbooks, but this seems to be the extent of her fiction. Too bad, because I’d love to read more about Neely and her gift of magical food.

One of my personal food stories features cherry Kool-Aid. When I was growing up, my grandma would make me and my cousins cherry Kool-Aid for lunch. She would only ever put about half the sugar in it, partially because of cost and partially because it wasn’t good for us. To this day, I cannot drink cherry Kool-Aid because I can’t get it sweet enough to satisfy. What are some of your food memories? Check out these books to get inspired and then go deeper.

Happy magic fooding…
:) Amanda