Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir

Not quite as much fun as [b:Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise 80642 Garlic and Sapphires The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise Ruth Reichl https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436980266i/80642.SY75.jpg 1824603], which was one of my favorite memoirs ever, but then I'm the weirdo who loves reading bad restaurant reviews, even for cities I don't live in. I still enjoyed this, even though not a whole lot really happened, per se, until the end, when everything falls apart really quickly. Reichl is just such an excellent, descriptive writer that this was still something I wanted to keep reading. I think it suffered a little by comparison because her strongest suit (at least in what I've read) is writing about food, and there just wasn't that much of that here, understandably so. Still definitely worth reading, but you should also read Garlic and Sapphires.

Not just food stories in this latest memoir, but also an in-depth look at magazine production from someone new to the publishing world and its culture. I found it fascinating and listened to the audio version almost nonstop.

Ruth Reichl was happily working as a food critic for the New York Times when she was approached to helm the esteemed food magazine Gourmet. She took the job. She saved the magazine. And then, the magazine was lost. Through it all, Reichl shares all the creativity and imagination and zip she brought to the world of food writing.

It's a delightful read.

Ruth's writing is superb. Whether or not you knew or cared about Gourmet magazine, read this book because you will be taken on a journey. Years ago, having arrived way too early at a small airport with nothing to do, I picked up Garlic and Sapphires at a newsstand and have been a fan of her work ever since. I've yet to be let down.