Before I get into these book reviews, I want to write a disclaimer of sorts. I am not going to “rate” books on this site. I love reading stories and while some are more successful than others, I love all different types and it would be unfair to compare them when they achieve completely different goals for me. When I read works from an author like Wendell Berry, it can feel like I am eating a delicious, filling, and nutrient-packed meal. Other books are like cotton candy. Cotton Candy is great! I’m never going to malign cotton candy. But I might talk about the other meal more, revisit it in my mind, and maybe try to have it again or share it with friends. Some books are like amazing meal plus dessert. Those are my favorite kind. I like reading literary fiction but sometimes I prefer when it when it has some plot twists or mystery added in. Is that low brow? I don’t know. And at this stage in my life I don’t care. I like what I like and I want to stop overthinking it.
Above is a picture of our meal this past year from Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve. We had ham, a salad with ranch dressing, empanadas I made from scratch, one with a lechón filling and another with a potato filling I made, almost like a samosa, and classic Cuban arroz con frijoles negros, with crema on top like my mom used to have when she lived in Honduras. I also made a really spicy sauce to dip the empanadas in, with cilantro, spinach, serrano peppers, and sour cream. The meal makes no sense, but I assure you, it is so good. It is an amalgamation of the influences in my life. I also had a decent but inexpensive wine to wash it all down with.
Looking at that meal, I realize what I consider good food reflects my taste in books. It’s a mix of everything, but it’s not too fancy.
As an aspiring author, I’m striving to write something good like the meal I just described. As a reader, I’ll try anything, and I like so many different kinds of foods. These book reviews I plan to do on here are like index cards in a recipe box of my ongoing book feast, so I can remember what I ate, and share it with other people too.
Silvia Gisela 