Know Thy Book Self
Book Stack: ‘Freestyle’
Finding everyday me on a bookshelf.
Who takes a sneaky peek at a bookshelf or two when visiting someone’s home? Books can be so revealing about a person’s interests, likes, dislikes, or hidden passions, especially if there is a set of books on the same topic, I find it hard not to.
And recently, in response to a writing prompt from Ellie Jacobson, I revisited my own books looking for titles that either spell my name or express my uniqueness in some way. This is what stood out as quintessentially me.
My Cookbook Self
This stack of cookbooks — with a guest appearance from The Lord of the Rings — only spells my name if you allow me to bend the rules a little.
N — Nigel Slater Appetite — Nigel Slater
I — ITALY — Jamie Oliver
CO — COOK.EAT. REPEAT — Nigella Lawson
L — (The) Lord of the Rings — J.R.R Tolkein
E — (Mediterranean) Escapes — Rick Stein
But it does leave clues about what I might serve for lunch in a shady summer garden on a sizzling hot day. Perhaps a ladle of buttery, parmesan-infused risotto with a lemon-dressed green salad on the side (Jamie p148), followed by a fruity summer pudding with a dollop of vanilla cream (Nigel P 391), washed down nicely with a cheeky glass of ice cold Pomegranate Fizz (Nigella P288).
It also tells you, and reminds me, that cooking and sharing food are close to my heart. Cooking motivates and inspires me. It’s something I do every day in simple ways to look after myself and express my love for others.
Maybe there’s also a hint that I like to rip up the recipe books every so often and throw random ingredients together to create a new thing. Yes, cooking is creative and playful at its best.
So, I didn’t hesitate to mix it up and use the L from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, for the 5th letter in my name. It may be an imperfect choice in a stack of cookbooks, but it is nevertheless, a perfect fit because I know without any doubt Hobbits love their food.
Shining a light on fellow six-word photo story wizards all of whom are invited to bring a dish to share @the virtual garden lunch on a sizzling hot day: David Acaster|Linda Acaster |Ellie Jacobson |Mary Chang Story Writer| Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles|Penny Grubb |B.R. Shenoy |pockett dessert |Shereen Bingham|Hollie Petit, Ph.D.|K. Barrett|Denise Darby |Jason Edmunds
Special thanks to David Acaster for sharing his bookshelf self and the nudge to spell my name using book titles…
& Ellie Jacobson for the original & most illuminating Book Stack challenge.
