Bookmarked: Barbara Pool Fenzl

Cookbook author and cooking instructor

Recommends: “The Paris Novel” by Ruth Reichl

Her Take:

“I ordered ‘The Paris Novel’ before it was even released because I knew I would love it — and I wasn’t disappointed! The author, Ruth Reichl, renowned food critic and former editor of ‘Gourmet Magazine,’ writes about food like nobody else, and her descriptions of the delectable dishes in the book are simply mouthwatering.

But this delicious novel is not just about food. It’s a feast for all the senses: fashion, art, beauty and family. It’s a journey of discovery for a young American named Stella that takes place in 1980s Paris. She meets an octogenarian art collector who takes her under his wing and introduces her to a who’s who of the Paris literary, art and culinary worlds. Stella expands her horizons and, along the way, even uncovers a mystery about a Manet painting.

Anybody who’s spent time in Paris will be delighted to read about familiar haunts such as Les Deux Magots, L’Ami Louis, the Marais, Dior, the Jeu de Paume, and Shakespeare and Company. The book captured my attention from beginning to end. C’est magnifique!”