It's That Time of Year Again...

Submitted by Becker on December 15, 2011 - 3:39pm

I enjoyed doing a nontraditional favorites of the year list last year, so thought I'd compile my favorite reads of 2011, in various categories, as the year comes to a close.

Favorite Cookbook:
Martha Stewart's New Pies & Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites.
Everything I've done from this book so far has been wonderful. The Brie & Apple Tart will be Christmas morning breakfast at our house, and later we'll have the Rocky Road Pie!

Favorite Chef Memoirs:
Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat, Grant Achatz & Nick Kokonas

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef, Gabrielle Hamilton

Four Kitchens: My Life Behind the Burner in New York, Hanoi, Tel Aviv, and Paris, Lauren Shockey

Favorite Books by Colorado Authors:
The Source of All Things: A Memoir, Tracy Ross

After the Golden Age, Carrie Vaughn

I had the pleasure of meeting both of these authors through the Fresh City Life My Branch Colorado Authors Series, too!

Favorite Book by a Former Cheerleader:
Pink Boots and a Machete: My Journey from NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer, Mireya Mayor

Favorite Road Trip/Kidnapping:
The Borrower, Rebecca Makkai (and yes, the kidnapper is a librarian!)

2 Interesting Explorations of Gender:
Annabel, Kathleen Winter

Nina Here nor There, Nick Krieger

Memoir that Inspired Me to Cook at Home More:
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Turned Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks, Kathleen Flinn

Favorite Young Adult Novels:
Huntress, Malinda Lo