In case you missed the first round, BookClubSandwich is an online book club hosted by me and Andi at Estella’s Revenge. A few times a year, we’ll be selecting a book to read that has something to do with food. Our inaugural pick was Coop by Michael Perry (Discussion Post and Wrap-Up Post).
For our second pick, Andi and I decided to open up the selection process a little bit with some voting on a few books we’re excited to read. The official poll for voting is over at Estella’s Revenge (on the top right side of the site).
In order to pique your interest, here’s a list of the books we’re voting on. I wanted to go with books that were more “foodie” than “farmie” this time, so we tried to pick books that look at food in a different way.
Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Anthony Bourdain
This is Anthony Bourdain’s second book, after Kitchen Confidential 10 years ago. This book is Bourdain’s memoir that follows his growth from a young cook to professional eater.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
This book is one of the classics in narrative journalism that I’ve always wanted to read but never have. It’s all about the meat-packing plants in Chicago around the turn of the century, and definitely will make you think.
America the Edible: Why We Eat, What We Eat, Where We Eat by Adam Richman
Adam Rickman hosts a Travel Channel show that looks at American Cuisine – the history, regional interests, that sort of thing. I think the way it looks as food and how it reflects our country could be really thought-provoking.
The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution by David Kamp
This book is another history of American food book, but instead this looks as how we went from pretty traditional eaters to a more gourmet society. I love the subtitle of this one, in particular.
Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness by Lisa M. Hamilton
This is the most “farmie” of the books on the list, but I think it approaches farm from a different way that Coop. Hamilton profiles farmers who are choosing to work in a different way than the big business farmers and what that battle means.
When you vote, keep in mind that Medium Raw and America the Edible are both pretty new books, and if you want to buy them they’ll only be available in hardcover. The rest are a little bit older and have paperback versions available.
With that, head on over to Estella’s Revenge for the next pick, and once we know we’ll announce what’s up and when our reading date is going be.
Comments on this entry are closed.
Ooohhhhhh The Jungle! The Jungle! heh
Amy: I’ve always wanted to read that book, so I wouldn’t be disappointed if that’s what we ended up with.
I’ve never heard of an online book club. What a great idea, and I really like your ‘food’ theme. Have fun with it!
Chandra: The online book group still has some kinks, but it’s a lot of fun to get people all reading the same book and have some conversations about it in post and comments. Andi and I both love foodie books, so that’s why we chose the theme.
Woohoo! The voting is really tight right now. The Jungle started out the clear winner, and now two others are gaining! It’s going to be a long week to find out which book we’ll read next.
Andi: I saw that! It’s going to be addictive watching the votes come in 🙂
I also voted for The Jungle !!!
Maphead: Awesome!
The Jungle is one of the few books that I would ever consider rereading. It had such a huge effect on what we eat and how it makes it to our table!
Gwen: I know know the book from what I learned in high school, so I’d be excited to read that one.
I voted for America the Edible, but all of them sound great! Keep us posted on the results!
Marie: I know, they all sound like so much fun! I think any of them will be good choices.