8 Books That Will Make You Hungry
If there are any two things that make me consistently happy in this world, it’s books and food. I pride myself on being a huge reader and a huge foodie, even previously blogging on how teaching myself how to cook made me a better person. So when a book manages to convey food in a way that makes me hungry for it, it is really the best of both worlds.
Here are eight books I’ve read that made me incredibly hungry and, hopefully maybe, sound delicious to you too.
Crying in H Mart
I’ve read a lot of books, with a lot of those books being about food, so I can confirm that Crying in H Mart, by far, is the best food book of all time. In this nonfiction memoir, Japanese Breakfast singer Michelle Zauner documents her mother’s final days through the connections they made through various Korean dishes they experienced in their life together. It’s a powerful story about immigration, mother-daughter relationships, and the complex feelings of grief as told through the lens of incredibly delicious sounding meals. I swear I could only read this book while eating or else I would’ve lost my mind with all of the hunger cravings it created. The way she describes each dish so that even readers who have never experienced the recipe could practically taste it was a true work of art. I highly recommend this book not only for the delicious cravings it creates, but for the heartfelt story of a second-generation immigrant daughter mourning her mother and their complicated yet authentic relationship.
The Proposal
When I checked this audiobook out from Libby, I honestly didn’t expect for it to be such a secret foodie heaven but boy was it a delicious surprise. This adult romantic comedy by Jasmine Guillory follows Nik and Carlos after Carlos saves Nik from a disastrous public marriage proposal at a baseball game. One of the primary things that brings the couple together throughout this book and allows them to expand their romantic connection is food. It seems like every other chapter features Nik and Carlos on a date where they go out for taqueria street tacos, order in pizza, or, in one iconic scene, make homemade enchiladas from scratch. It’s a delicious low stakes romance following a healthy relationship develop naturally over mundane human interactions, such as eating and cooking food, which makes it a nice, easy time for romance fans to enjoy. As a fair warning, there’s also some spice to this book too and I’m not just talking about the enchiladas, if you know what I mean.
Legends & Lattes
How many times am I going to recommend this book? As many times as I need to until the entire world reads it. It’s not my fault that in addition to being a great audiobook and wholesome LGBTQIA+ novel, this adult low-stakes fantasy is also incredibly delicious. The novel follows Viv, a retired half orc barbarian, as she finds her new path in life establishing a coffee shop in a fantasy realm. Travis Baldree does an incredible job conveying the beautiful scents of coffee for not only the audience reading the book, but for the characters in the book who have never experienced the beverage before. And the descriptions for those cinnamon rolls! Oh man, there should be classes about how he illustrates the cinnamon rolls in this book because I’m still jealous of these fictional pastries and how the characters in the book get to enjoy them regularly. This is a superb masterclass in cozy coffee shop fiction with all of the delicious delicacies to go along with it and will definitely make you hungry for some cozy coffee shop goodies. Did I mention how cozy this book placed in a coffee shop is?
An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace
A non-fiction cookbook making a list about 8 books that make you hungry? Groundbreaking. However, An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler is so much more than a cookbook. This is not only a helpful general guide to cooking and appreciating food to its fullest potential, but it is sheer poetry in its admiration of ingredients and how to make food taste incredible. I stole more than my fair share of recipes from these pages, but it also stole my heart with its captivating descriptions of food and clear reverence for the culinary arts. If you want a read that not only make your tummy rumble with appreciation for the dishes described in it, but also teaches you a thing or two about cooking, this is definitely the read for you.
The Holiday Swap
In this charming, light-hearted Christmas adult rom-com, twin sisters Charlie and Cass are bakers looking for an escape from their current lives. They decide to switch places in their lives and typical Christmas rom-com shenanigans ensue, but what’s fun is that since both sisters are bakers, there’s a ton of sweet goodness in this novel to accompany the light-hearted Christmas antics. One is competing in a cooking competition while the other is busy running their family bakery in time for the holiday rush so readers experience both the big city thrills and small town coziness with the literary baked goods. It’s an easy, and delicious, read for the holiday season perfect for folks who enjoy baking!
Pumpkinheads
Looking for some visually appealing fall food goodies? Pumpkinheads is a YA graphic novel from Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks that captures the final night of two best friends working on a Nebraska pumpkin patch and the fall vibes in this graphic novel are utterly immaculate. Part of those immaculate fall vibes are all of the fall themed treats designed in the book. There’s plenty of kettle corn, candied apples, and, my personal favorite Midwest dish, walking tacos to go around and these food features help highlight the fall atmosphere of this novel so incredibly well. The characters are also able to pause from their final night of work misadventures to enjoy some of the snacks and connect over their love of the food. It’s a very lovely time and a perfect companion for the autumn season.
Crazy Rich Asians
I’ve never been afforded the luxury of enjoying authentic street food in Asia, but Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan seems like a pretty great substitute to me. In this adult rom-com following a dynasty of the uber rich, the characters regularly enjoy incredible sounding delicacies on both the street and in their super rich lifestyles where the family still bonds over shared meals and dumplings despite their exaggerated wealth. I had so much following the antics that can only be accomplished by an unimaginable amount of money mostly in part to all of the food that fueled their dramatic lifestyles. I was starving on every other page and I still have it on my bucket list to enjoy some authentic street cuisine in Thailand thanks to this book. The audiobook also isn’t a bad time if you need something quick and fun to listen to.
Let It Snow
It’s very hard to make American fast food appetizing, but Let It Snow featuring three YA short stories centered around a Waffle House in the middle of a snow storm on Christmas does a very good job at it. I’ve also never enjoyed the luxury of a Waffle House experience (blame my Midwest upbringing making me more inclined to include Runza in my books than Waffle House), but this book definitely made the American cultural cornerstone sound appealing. It’s also very fun that the three YA short stories do manage to connect at the mutual location of the Waffle House while also maintaining their own themes and characters within each story. It’s a very fun and light hearted Christmas collection featuring two of my all time favorite YA authors (John Green and Maureen Johnson) so I highly recommend it!
Have any more books that make you hungry that didn’t make this list? Let me know on Instagram or over email at maddnessbusiness@gmail.com!