Chronicles of Narnia

One thing I am pretty certain about C.S. Lewis, without the benefit of any reference books about him or his life, is that the man clearly loved to eat. Throughout the Chronicles of Narnia there are references to food and eating. Take, for example, the tea that Mr. Tumnus and Lucy have, and the many feasts that are described in detail (such as in The Horse and His Boy), or merely alluded to.

What I like most is his ability to make my mouth water for something I would probably not choose in the "real world". Would I really want to eat sardines on toast like Lucy and Mr. Tumnus? Or snipe stuffed with almonds like Shasta?

Perhaps if I tried it, sardines on toast would become my favorite tea-time snack. On the other hand, perhaps not. It might be more like Edmund's experience:
"They [the moles] began with a rich brown loam that looked almost exactly like chocolate; so like chocolate, in fact, that Edmund tried a piece of it, but he did not find it at all nice." (Prince Caspian, 212).

So, sometimes feeding your imagination might actually be better than feeding your stomach.

Welcome!

Welcome to Nourishing Books (and more)! My fondest memories involve my parents reading to me and my brother, and thus began my lifetime love of books. I have come to realize that I am particularly drawn to the sections in books that talk about food, and sometimes reading about food seems almost the same as actually eating food. And to me, eating and reading have always gone together, so it seemed that I could combine my passion for reading with my passion for food. This blog will mainly focus on books that nourish the mind and the tummy, but I reserve the right to discuss other media, such as movies, and whatever else strikes my fancy. Also, kudos to the latest issue of the Horn Book Magazine for addressing this topic. I guess I'm not the only one!