I can't believe it's January 7 and we haven't started this thread yet!!! I did look pretty hard, and if there is already one I sincerely apologize.

I just picked up The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollard from the library. CyndiM has always spoken highly of his books and I've always wanted to read them, so I took the plunge and they'll be my first "real" reads of 2010. I'm really looking forward to them! My local library doesn't carry any of the others, but I'm hoping to find them cheap online or on paperback swap soon.

My goal this year is to spend more "me" time and nothing is better than reading for that. I hope I have a lot more books to report on in the future.

So, what are you reading?

I am doing the whole "me" thing too Kim! The first book for me of 2010 is The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (author of The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons). I am about 150 pages in and so far so good. It follows his typical formula thus far, but since it takes place in DC, I have a better time closing my eyes and imagining where it's all taking place (I used to work in the US Capitol!).

Well, I just finished "Heat" by Billy Bsomething. It's a true story about a writer for the New Yorker who took a year to work as an apprentice to Mario Batali. It was a really interesting read - except I kept wanting pasta and wine.

Right now I'm reading John Irving's "Last Night in Twisted River" but am not really into it yet. I also have Margaret Atwood's "Year of the Flood" to tackle. My book club selection for the current period is "The Book of Negroes" which I just got today. Current recipe book is Judith Jones' "Cooking for One".

Jenne: I've been meaning to start reading Brown's books. I may do that after I finish Pollan's. I've never been to DC, but would love to one of these days. DH is a bit of a history buff, so it's on our list of places to go.

Ruth: Heat sounds like a book I could really get into. I'll have to look at that as well.

My current recipe book is So Easy by Ellie Krieger. I'm also reading Small Changes , Big Results by her and applying her 12-week program to the SB WOE. I really love her approach to living well and have recently really gotten into her methods and cooking show.

I'm reading "The Power of NOW". I've personally never been into those self-discovery books but lately I've been needing that motivation and that extra push to remind myself that I can finish the journey I began and maintain a healthy lifestyle for as long as I live.

I love to read! I like escapism fiction. I am very lucky because my mom buys all the new hardcovers and passes them on to me.

If you like thrillers, I recommend "Bad Things Happen" by Harry Dolan. I just finished it; it was very good and not a typical or expected plot. I also recently finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett (for book club) and really enjoyed it.

I have read the Brown book and while just in DC (during the blizzard) saw they now have tours for his plot locations!

I will be interested to see what you think of the Omnivore's Dilemma, Kim. I read it a couple years ago because my son had it as required reading the summer before he started college. It has gotten very mixed reviews from people I know. Did you ever read Fast Food Nation?

So many books; so little time

I'm currently reading "Lavender Morning" by Jude Deveraux, and next on my list is "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Over the holidays I read the first two books in Nora Roberts new series "Vows", and can't wait for the next book to come out in April.

Got about six books for Christmas and just finished reading "My Life in France" by Julia Child. I greatly admire her and cooked quite a few recipes from Mastering French Cooking in my younger years. I can't believe the detailed research she went into. For instance in volume II there is a recipe for French Bread and she used 285lbs of flour before she perfected the recipe. It was a very good read.
Also, before Christmas I read The Elegance of the Hedgehog but right now the name of the author escapes me. Will report more on this book when I find it somewhere in my moutain of books.
take care
Sophie

I just started "The Omnivore's Dilemma". I just finished "The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them". I highly recommend this book if you can find it. Really supports a lot of the SB tenets. It was featured in Prevention magazine a couple months ago. I have a stack of books next to my bed. One of my resolutions is to get through all of them.

I'm loving The Omnivore's Dilemma so far! There are some aspects of it that I don't necessarily agree with i.e., we're creationists who believe in evolution (it's not as oxymoronic as you think ), so some of his assessments are not ones that I can get behind, but the evolution of our food culture in America is astonishing and has really made me think about what I'm feeding myself and DH. I don't want to be a "corn person"!! I'm looking forward to getting further into it.

Sophie: I'd love to read that book. I did a quick search and it sounds like something I'd really enjoy. Thanks for sharing.

Right now I am re-reading South Beach Diet--SUpercharged and I'm hoping to get a copy of In Defence of Food for my birthday. I'm a big comics fan, too, and I'm currently reading Book 2 of the Booster Gold ongoing series. Good stuff

I am halfway through the 13th Hour by Richard Doestch. It has a very unusual premise for a thriller... "A mesmerizing thriller — told in reverse! The 13th Hour is the story of a man given the chance to go back in time in one-hour increments to prevent a vicious crime from destroying his life."

Let's see... my reading lists are usually very short other than med school related reading, but I did read "The Weight of Silence" recently and am dying to start "The Lacuna" by my fave, Barbara Kingsolver. If you haven't read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by her you should... totally blows your mind about the industry behind food products. Also has some great recipes for seasonal eating and some good ideas for learning to home can and make cheeses. Not that I'll have time for either of those things any time in the next few years...

If you get a chance, watch the movie "Food, Inc." that came out last year. Michael Pollan narrates it and it really gets into the production of food in America and the whole corn issue. It really is an eye-opener that everyone should watch.

I just saw Food, Inc a few weeks ago. Even knowing most of it I still found it deeply disturbing. All of the reading I've done has really reinforced the choices SBD makes and the choices we have made in our own life. It isn't necessary to read all this stuff but it really helps me focus on making the healthiest choices I can.

I'm adding a book to not waste your money on for anyone into the Michael Pollan, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, etc type books. It's The Great American Detox Diet by Alex Jamieson. I read a couple of posts about it on 3FC and decided to pick it up (yes, I actually purchased it). With all the reading I've already done I found it very redundant and simplistic. Nothing new here, not even particularly interesting recipes. Second, very poor sourcing which drives me crazy. After reading some of the other books mentioned along with Mindless Eating, The End of Overeating, and Rethinking Thin (yes, I'm a little fixated on books about healthy diet and food issues ) which are all very well sourced and full of interesting studies this book was a big disappointment. She makes lots of pronouncements with almost no research to back it up. I am familiar with the research but from other books. It was very disappointing. All that being said if you haven't read the other books and are looking for a simple summary you might find it a good starter book. I do wish I'd tried the library first though.

ETA - thanks for the recommendation Murph. I've added it to my list