On My Bookshelf

When we made the move from London to Beziers some years ago now, the one important thing I had (or thought I had) organized was my book collection. And now years later I have re-discovered three boxes of books hidden in the back of our garage that I had completely forgotten about including over two hundred cook books ranging from the decadent 1930s through to the truly bizarre Fanny Cradock collection of the 1970s (pink mash anyway?) On top of that, I have over the last five years accumulated a number (an embarrassingly extravagant number actually) of new books that have been piling up messily, not to say dangerously, all over the place.

So I decided to take stock, and this weekend has been designated Operation Overhaul. I have decided it is about time I re-organized the kitchen books as well as the guest library as recently one lovely guest said my collection of books did resemble that of a Blackshirt fan club member (Wallis Simpson, Unity Mitford, Berlin 1939 and others...) I also have decided to catalogue the whole lot as well and decide what to keep and what to sell/give/donate. As the titles are mounting up, I am veering between pride and shame. It is certainly some collection: at close of play today, the total (for now) stands at 1378 books. No wonder the removal men gave up on the last three boxes.

And my book of the day.....

If you hear me roaring from laughter in another room, I have probably picked up my copy Giles Coren’s ‘How to Eat Out’. Of all the Britain-based restaurant critics out there, his witty, sharp reviews are some of my favourites. He has a knack for unpretentiously offering his two cents on British eateries, without an air of haughty superiority that others are guilty of and with hands-down the best sense of humour. And he seems to genuinely really, really enjoying eating. The only thing we really don’t see eye to eye on is the eating of bread baskets and puddings. ‘How to Eat Out’ is a speedy read, perfect for dipping in an out of; although, in my case, I dipped in and couldn’t get back out until I had finished. The title of the book implies that Coren will be offering up wisdom on how to approach menus, treat waiters, and pick a good restaurant. Of course he does pepper the book with dining out tips (i.e don’t eat the bread basket as it will ruin your appetite and make you fat); but this is more of a personal account of his experiences of eating out and also traces some of the changes and developments in Britain’s eating scene.

Some of the funniest instances include how he single-handedly brought down Indian takeaway chain The Bombay Bicycle Club, visited the infamous Goodfellas in Belfast (“The accompanying custard was pleasant only in that it reminded me of a scented pencil eraser I used to enjoy sucking in the hot summer of 1976″) and a disastrous road trip in Italy. All in all, can’t recommend this enough to those who love eating out, travel, food; and most of all, who just like to have a really good chuckle.