Eggplant Books

This book is amazing! The plot is twisted enough to get the reader guessing, the characters are well rounded and well developed and the attention to detail is first rate. I finished it in 2 days! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read interesting books that have unique points of view, which this one does. This book is definitely a great one if a reader wants to be entertained!

I completed 'Traveling with an Eggplant' in a day. This is the first time--in a long time--that a book has kept my undivided attention. The story is seamless and not full of filler-footage. Every word written has revelance. And the writing is smart, which makes you think, but not in an i-have-to-take-an-exam kind of way. More so in the 'Zen and the Art of Motorcylce Mainteance' way. Just not as heavy.

Alycia Ripley also did an amazing job in bringing the reader into Alison's (main character) world. I felt primarily connected to Alison and had a fun time watching the story unfold in my head. As a thespian, I understand how important it is to keep your audience connected with your character and Ms. Ripley displayed that extremely well in her novel. Also, being a child of the 80's and from Long Island, I could easily associate my own life to various references about the 80's the LI in 'Eggplant'.

I highly recommend 'Traveling with an Eggplant' if you're looking for something different. It's a quick read and I believe most will definitely find a connection to the story.

I'm pleased to say that I briefly knew the author of this book while mutually attending Syracuse University. She was a friend of a friend whom I met at a lively campus bar and often went to see perform in the SU comedy troupe. You could always tell what material was hers because it was so on the mark and on the money. The voice she used while making fun of our (oh so visible) campus stereotypes was unique, articulate and fast as bullets. Although that was comedy and this book is more drama, I can still hear her voice in my head and see her when reading some of the descriptions and images. This book is really engaging and fascinating. The characters are so alive and the circumstances so vivid that I sometimes found myself looking around the room I was in to make sure that I was still alone. There are several parts that kept me awake and freaked me out. If you enjoy a good story, some fresh characters, and having to actually use your brain, you will like this book. Congratulations Alycia for succeeding at what you wanted so much to do! It's really great to see someone from SU making their name in the arts.

Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (2/06)

In her stunning debut novel, Traveling with an Eggplant, author Alycia Ripley takes the reader on a wild ride through the life and mind of Alison Olson. Alison finds herself revisiting her past, both literally and figuratively. She finds herself haunting the remnants of her college life, aimlessly wandering around her old campus and apartment. As she haunts her old life, her old life begins to haunt her. She lives with an onslaught of memories, as well as a hallucinatory soundtrack running through her head at random. As she attempts to deal with her past, she struggles with the present; her tumultuous and maddening relationship with Seymour, her friendship with her best friend Tara, and her fight for respect and recognition at her job where she is one of a handful of females working in a male-dominated world.

The characters in this novel are so well developed, it is hard to forget they are not actual people. The writing is so vivid and detailed that you can easily imagine yourself taking this journey with Alison. When she begin hallucinating, your mind is right with hers as she dances the line between what is real and what is our imagination. As you watch Alison deal with finding herself, finding her destiny, and commit an amazing act of heroism, you can't help but cheer her on. Your heart breaks with hers, but she gives you a reason to believe there is hope in midst of the chaos we call life. In the end, you celebrate with her as she faces her demons and realizes that to move forward in life, you have to ultimately deal with your past.

Traveling with an Eggplant is a incredibly bizarre book, yet so beautifully written you are never confused about what is happening. It takes you on a journey from the present to the past to the dream world and back again, but is written so smoothly that never once does the reader feel lost. Alycia Ripley has done a splendid job of writing a novel that not only acts as an escape, but as a catalyst for examining our own lives. Alison Olson is a character that we can all identify with, and can all admire for her strength and heroism.

My favorite thing about this book is its great dialogue. With many books the dialogue just sort of reads and you accept it because you have to but in this book, the dialogue is really alive and once it was done, I wanted the characters back. The main character, Alison, is a music journalist with a problem- she's thirty something and doesn't know why she's wandering her college campus and hanging out near her old college apartment. She has a strange relationship with a guy named Seymour who in college once cautioned her about an on coming storm and from then on, the book takes off to her career in New York, writing for a Rolling Stone type magazine and the difficulties in breaking into the business as a woman and as a 'rock encyclopedia' who desperately wants to achieve her goals. Her relationship/friendship with Seymour, now a neuroscientist, veers from charming and sweet to frustrating and maddening! To top it off, she starts hearing voices and songs in her head and being assaulted by a ghost version of someone she knew long ago....Her best friend becomes sick, Alison begins hallucinating (or not) and all this is happening as she deals with becoming a bit of a celebrity. I loved this book- the ending was such a surprise and the dialogue is realistic, hilarious, and engaging. The character of Seymour has to be experienced to be believed! I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.

Charting New Waters is a funny and gutsy collection of poetry, cartoons, autobiographical essay and political satire. Not always pretty, Chocolate Waters' work is hard-hitting and often side-splitting in it's raw emotion, humor and truthfulness. She is free with her hurt, her lust, her rage, her laughter. For all of you who lived through the birth of radical lesbianism, she guides a nostalgic ride that time only enhances. For younger readers, Waters offers a glimpse of the reality of life for political lesbians in the seventies.

If you're looking for Moon, Spoon and June poetry, try another author. Waters is shockingly real in her open sexuality and alternative cultural lifestyle. If you're looking for wild and wonderful experience through the eyes of someone with the been-there Blues, try tasting Chocolate.

April 18, 2003

I thought I had tried every flavor of ice cream. From Ginger to Green Tea (still my favorite --Oishii desu ne!) But this book introduced me to what has to be the wildest flavor ever... EGGPLANT ICE CREAM!

I grew up in an Italian family where we had eggplant parmagiana once a month. As a child of the 70s, in a world of canned food and frozen veggies, I thought it was exotic. But it started my love of this wonderful vegetable. This cookbook helps fuel the passion.

This is a marvelous cookbook for anyone who is in love with this veggie, for vegetarians who want more eggplant recipes for their repetoir, or for anyone who knows that eggplants come in more colors than just purple! The recipes are easy to follow. The photos are mouth watering.

I was happy to find this cookbook on a friend's shelf. I borrowed it and have yet to return it. I apparently like eggplants more than they do...

Tobacco, Mandrake, Potato, Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, Henbane, Jimpson Weed, Petunia, "Wonderberry", Deadly Nightshade, Woody Nightshade, "Devil's Trumpet", Brugmansia, Chilli Peppers - all are in the same family of plants - the potato/nightshade family. This book tells the story of many of these plants, and ties them all together. The author has a scientific/historical background, and succeeds in painting a fascinating, intriguing picture of these plants, in a way that few authors would be able to do. After reading this book, you may be wondering just what a garden with all of these plants together might look like - certainly a unique phenomenon!

This collection of essays provides a good slice of life for those who crave New Orleans.

This book is as topical today as it was when it was first published.. Bravo Ms. Waters! A must read for women old and young, those who lived through the second wave of feminism, and the young women today who need to know what that struggle was all about. Chocolate Waters has the ability to write in a way that her works will never be "out of style".

The thought of eating alone sits on the soul in a manner of ways. To some, it is a comfort. It may be a quiet time for mother to enjoy her own sublime cuisine, spent away from chicken fingers with ketchup. The gourmand may spend secret alone time devouring a guilty orange pleasure of microwave mac and cheese. For many, perhaps a Wall Street stock broker or a lonely mid-thirties career gal, the idea of eating alone means taking oneself out to lunch, spending money on good food and good wine. Others still find the idea repulsive; a schoolchild with few friends may spend as little time as possible eating lunch, not wishing to face seclusion. The solitary intake of food can be soothing, overwhelming, enjoyable, or even irritating. But no matter how one reacts to the event, dining alone is a simple fact of life. We have all, at one time or another, faced this necessity and reacted in a whole manner of ways.

As for me, dining alone is a bit of all of these things. On a cool night, all alone in my tiny apartment, I'm curled up in a blanket with a grilled PB&J, watching movies on the coach. A much needed day off is usually spent treating myself, sometimes to shopping or a movie, but almost always with a nice meal. Dressing up in fancy clothes and taking myself out for a date always makes me smile after long work weeks. And after a late night, chips, homemade salsa, and a beer is a great way to relax me down. I enjoy the quite time spent sitting at a table dining alone watching others around me, taking in the scene, and the lack of energy needed to eat tacos in front of the TV. Cooking for myself is usually simple but delicious, pasta or rice with salt, pepper, butter, fresh tomatoes. Sometimes a glass of white wine. When plans with friends fall through though, an unexpected dinner alone can turn into frustration and depression. A dinner date gone awry can make dinner for one downright miserable. Being alone in the kitchen indeed has it's ups and downs.

These ups and downs of solo eating are chronicled in 2007's collection of essays, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant. Included are essays from some of the best food writers, each with their own story to tell about the perils and joys of dinning alone. In each story, you connect with the author as they feel happiness, joy, indifference, depression, and despair over simply dining alone. I laughed with Phoebe Nobles as she conquered asparagus in "Asparagus Superheros," all at once wishing to begin an asparagus only diet as she did. As Colin Harrison discussed his many options for going "Out to Lunch," I imagined a solitary meal in the old New York haunts he visited. My salt and pepper white rice, paired well with Anneli Rufus' "White-on-White Lunch for when no one is Looking." I cried out for Haruki Murakami to eat something else as I read " The Year of Spaghetti," and I wished for love to be ditacted by potatoes as Nora Ephron suggests in "Potatoes and Love: Some Reflections."

The book is a terrific read. Jenni Ferrari-Alder has brought together some powerful, insightfully humorous and touching essays on a subject that truly touches everyone. The essays connect with the reader and with each other, in many ways glorifying the art of eating alone, but also showcases it's ability to bring out tears. Reading one, you may laugh out loud, and in the next few pages be flooded with sadness. Overall it is a book full of emotion, the very core of eating alone, and one that will, at the very least make you appreciate your last meal, solitary or not.

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There have been magazine and newspaper articles on dining alone scattered across the last several decades, articles empowering single women, articles with recipes reduced to single proportions, but as editor Jenni Ferrari-Adler discovered, no one had ever pulled together an anthology around the theme. As she also found, there were lots of writers and food lovers out there ready to talk. ALONE IN THE KITCHEN WITH AN EGGPLANT assembles a collection of essays that make for a very provocative conversation on the implications of having to feed oneself most often in the kitchen and occasionally in public.

Before I cracked the spine, I was afraid this would be a screed against what Bridget Jones called "Smug Marrieds" or it would be so much navel-gazing or a lot of well observed details with nothing much to say. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Wrong. There is humor and wit, some wistfulness, a lot of realism, and in everyone's story there are some profound realizations about what is at once a curse and a freedom. The voices span 3 generations: MFK Fisher is here, Mary Cantwell and Laurie Colwin (whose essay bequeathed the book's title), all deceased alas; there are the younger, up and coming generation, like Amanda Hesser, Ben Karlin and Rosa Jurjevics (Colwin's daughter); and there are renown cookbook authors Paula Wolfert and Marcella Hazan. Altogether, there are 26 essays plus the editor's introduction that acknowledge that eating alone, especially dinner, goes against the grain of our collective human nature but it happens, sometimes by choice and sometimes by default of circumstance, sometimes well and sometimes not so fine. But it is when we are alone that the connection between eating and memory, environment and relations with others is thrown into greatest relief.

Some stories were good, others were long and boring. Thought there would be more of an interwine directly with the food and recipes.

What do you cook for yourself when you are cooking and eating alone? This anthology is full of musings, great ideas, and confessions from a variety of writers who spill the beans on their solitary dining habits. It's definitely not a cookbook though there are some recipes included in the essays. Truffled Egg Toast and Single Girl Salmon; Salsa Rosa for One and White-on-White Lunch for When No One Is Looking (egg noodles and cottage cheese); Kippers Mash. See what I mean? Not a cookbook. But if you are interested in the diversity of U.S. attitudes toward cooking and eating, you will find the twenty-six essays in this book entertaining.

Phoebe Nobles, for example, eats fresh asparagus every day of its short season in Michigan, inspired by a bronze Spargelfrau statue in "some famous little asparagus town in Germany." Steamed, roasted, grilled, it's the perfect finger food. Late in the season when you are "flagging," break it into pieces and hide it inside things. In a particularly personal section of this essay, Ms. Nobles advises us that she enjoys the fresh vegetable aroma of the urine of asparagus eaters. Having never seen this fact mentioned in my five decades as a reader, I was surprised to find it referenced in two books within a month (this one, and Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult).

The ever-entertaining Steve Almond cheated a bit on the brief. Pleading Jewishness, he claims to be bound by Mosaic law to feed anyone who comes to call, whether they want to eat or not. He claims that cooking for others is a "tremendous rush" and that writers, forced to work alone, are denied that pleasure of ulteriority in their work. He feels guilty about cooking well for himself and does anything in his power to lure others to eat with him. As a last resort he eats alone but denies himself the extra touches. His recipe contribution may be the most appealing in the book: Grill-Curried Shrimp Quesarito with Avocado Raita.

Several of the writers claim that when cooking for themselves they eat the same thing day after day; beans, or potatoes, or rice. One woman eats in the bathtub, one man changes to a jacket and tie and uses a freshly ironed cloth napkin. The possibilities are endless. Finances, time, and the size and equipage of the kitchen are considerations, but the main consideration is how you feel about treating yourself as an honored guest at your table.

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant is a pleasant read for anyone who enjoys memoirs and food. Recommended.

Linda Bulger, 2008

I am a single passionate cook so for obvious reasons this book intrigued me and thankfully, I was not disapointed. To be clear, this is a series of essays, not an informative book about how to cook for one. What I love about the book is the sheer diversity of writers and the essays themselves. You get a good mix of both seasoned food writers and writers with varying backgrounds. You also get essays that range from celebrating cooking for one, mourning it, and everywhere in between. I think there is something private and interesting about the act of eating alone and the fact that so many writers let us in on their rituals, triumphs, and mishaps is almost like taking a peep into a world you were not expecting to see. Overall I found this to be a very enjoyable read and if anything the only downside was that it was so pleasant and smooth to read that I finished it a little more quickly than I would have liked.

You know her books are going to have happy endings which is the kind of book I want sometimes. This book, which I think is the best Cathy Kelly book I've read, is full of interesting people who are all connected or become connected in some way. It made me want to move to the town of Redlion in Ireland which is where much of the action takes place.

Cathy Kellys' books aren't literary triumphs--they're sort of middled-aged chick-lit. However, they are entetainment triumphs. I don't think many writers can keep readers interested for over 700 pages like Ms. Kelly can.

I have become a big fan of Cathy Kelly's books and have read six of them and enjoyed them all. Her ability to bond women of all ages (from a young aspiring singer, a single businesswoman, a married mother of two, and a widowed woman) all meeting in a small town in Ireland, sharing modern situations that probably everyone can relate to, either in their own life or someone they know. Cathy Kelly can show you that women can make changes in their lives, especially with a good support team!

Cathy Kelly is a most enjoyable author to read. Her contemporary stories feature likeable women facing problems we can easily relate to, and the characters grow with a lot of self-motivation and help from dear friends. WHAT SHE WANTS follows this pattern beautifully as readers meet Hope, Sam, Virginia, and Nicole and are intimately drawn into their lives.

Hope is a young mother with two small children and a handsome husband she never feels worthy of. Hope lacks the courage of her convictions and meekly adjusts her life to whatever Matt decides, even when it comes to uprooting her family, quitting her job, and moving to a strange town where she knows no one so that Matt can "find himself" and become the author he has always dreamed of being.

Her single sister Sam is a career-driven executive at a major record company in London. She has an impressive resume, money in the bank, a designer wardrobe, but lots of fears as her fortieth birthday arrives.

Virginia is a widow with three grown sons. The unexpected death of her husband Bill leaves her alone and depressed. She struggles with finding the strength to face each day and becomes a virtual recluse until a chance meeting sets a new life in motion for her.

Nicole is young, beautiful, and talented. When a colleague of Sam's discovers Nicole at a karaoke bar, the possibilities of fame and fortune open up for her. But does she have the ability to leave her mother, grandmother, and little sister behind?

You will enjoy spending time with these four plucky women and the friends and lovers who enter their lives. Follow them as they each confront a personal crisis and find fulfillment in unexpected ways.

"What She Wants" is Chick Lit at it's finest. Like Maeve Binchy's books, this will leave you feeling like you just returned from an Irish holiday, and missing all the new friends you made. Even before I had finished it, I ordered another one and sent it to my mother-in-law.
Perfect for a rainy day, with a glass of chardonnay.

Open Cathy Kelly's newest novel and you enter a world full of characters you would like living in your neighborhood. They instantly warm the atmosphere around you with fresh cooking aromas, English gardens and pets so adorable you'll ache to cuddle them. Curling up with WHAT SHE WANTS is an ideal way to pass the lazy days of summer. It's a great feel-good book.

Hope Parker has a gorgeous husband, Matt, and two children whom she yearns to spend more time with. But when Matt unilaterally makes the decision to uproot his family and transplant them to Redlion in County Kerry, Hope balks at the idea. He argues that he needs the freedom and atmosphere to write the great novel that is bottled up inside him. Always compliant, Hope bites her lip, smiles and agrees. Writer's block isn't the only problem that faces the couple in Ireland.

Hope's sister Sam lives the life of the high-powered businesswoman in London, pushing herself through a daily grind that constantly assaults her physical and mental well-being. It takes a medical scare and a trip to Redlion to make her step back and see herself as those around her do. A surprising change comes into her attitude and, ultimately, her life. What had at first seemed a pesky new neighbor blossoms into an enchanting new male friend. Their verbal sparring lessens, but there are still rocky roads to travel.

Meanwhile, Nicole --- young, beautiful and talented --- has hopes of becoming the newest pop star. Darius, Sam's business colleague, discovers Nicole at a karaoke bar one night and falls hopelessly in love with her and her husky voice. Nicole, feeling her usual responsibility for her mum and little sis, wrestles with her conscience over her newfound love and freedom. She wants to share any success with all of them.

Widow Virginia Connell, a year out from losing her beloved husband Bill, picks up stakes and moves to Redlion, her goals manifold. She wants to cherish his memory, but without painful everyday reminders. And her three grown children and their families worry about her too much. Being a greater distance away, she hopes, will give her the breathing --- and grieving --- room she longs for. Then along comes Kevin, a Redlion widower, and he and Virginia strike up a friendship. The awkwardness of seeing a member of the opposite sex is quickly apparent to both of them after lengthy, happy marriages. Settling into a rhythm with each other proves challenging.

Mary Kate, founder of the Redlion Macramé Club --- a euphemistically named group organized as an excuse for the ladies to get together and indulge in cocktails and frank talk --- is the voice of reason, dishing out sage advice along with her wild martinis. She is the glue when their lives fall apart.

Cathy Kelly has a Maeve Binchy style about her. There is something so wholesome about WHAT SHE WANTS, yet primly erotic, that it's seductive. Don't try to put it down. Hope, Sam, Virginia, Nicole and the Redlion community will beckon from the pages, drawing you deep into their lives, their problems and their joys.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

I think Death by Eggplant was an awesome book!

Bertie Hooks Wants to be a world Famous Chef. He daydreams of Owning his own Cooking Show, writing a bestseller cook book and all that. But he first has to pass the 8th grade and unfurtunately for him his kooky Mom wants Him to be a dream anylist, his calculator Dad wants him to be an acountant and his teacher just wants him to fail! And poor Berties grades aren't looking so good either.So his teacher just gives him a small extra-credit project to be responsible for 10 days...that turns the whole book into an enormous race to the finish!!!

This Book is really amazing! It is really something to laugh about. If there will ever be a sequel, I will most certianly pechase it!

Thirteen-year-old Bertie is in a bind. For the eighth-grade, wannabe-chef, is at risk of failing the school year, and having to repeat his last year of junior high. However, when his somewhat-psychotic teacher, Mrs. Menendez, comes up with a plan for him to learn some responsibility, as well as earn enough grade points to graduate with the rest of his class, Bertie jumps at the opportunity. Yet he never realized that his mission was to raise a flour-sack baby, whom his New Age Mother promptly names Cleopatra "Cleo," for 10 whole days. Now Bertie must keep Cleo safe from his mortal enemy, Nick Dekker, just long enough to pass the eighth grade. But some things are harder than they seem.

I am shocked to see that I had never heard of Susan Heyboer O'Keefe before I picked up DEATH BY EGGPLANT, for she has quite a knack for writing. Her hilarious, imaginative mind has weaved an enticing story that will please all middle readers, for Bertie is an enticing character, whose quirky personality will win the hearts of all. A must-read book for anyone looking for a quick read with tons of laughs!

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Thorough summary of Pinkwater's writings, along with biographical information.The field of humor philosophy is also covered.