I don’t remember much of what my teachers told me in school. But I remember my library teacher telling us read – It does not matter what you read, just read! I remember the love of reading started in school. My mother would take me to the British library to borrow books and I remember the aisles of bookshelves of all types; borrowing them and reading them. I remember acting like I was studying with a novel hidden between my textbooks; I wished they would make textbooks more interesting.

I always had a love for cooking. I could not afford to buy many cookbooks when I was a kid nor were there much choice. I would meticulously copy recipes from books, magazines, and newspapers – days before the internet. I found one recipe book which I may have started in high school and continued much later. I wish I had written dates.

Even today, I love reading cookbooks. Cookbooks are like reading an atlas, a memoir, a travel book and a food chronicle all rolled in. The recipe is important, but the story of the writer that goes with it, the style, the anecdotes, their notes all make it an enjoyable read. The recipes do not have to be made, just getting lost in the book is enough. Read!

I plan to read and write about books – cookbooks, children’s books and others – this year. Here are some images of my recipe book from yonder years.