Comically Delicious: Adventures in Cooking

Etymological history told in whimsical tales of how hundreds of foods, such as graham crackers and lettuce, have been named.

Julie Powell is 30 years old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens, and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life. So, she invents a deranged assignment: She will take her mother's dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and will cook all 524 recipes...in the span of just one year.

"Easy, tasty recipes for those who know how good food looks and tastes but never before had a clue how to make it themselves. Kevin Crafts demystifies the kitchen in 21 mouth-watering, easy-to-prepare menus, all spiced to perfection with his engaging sense of humor."

"Life in the city, love, and unforgettable meals--can a food writer find happiness with a man who has an empty refrigerator? This is a food lover's courtship, with recipes."

"Under the aegis of the Goddess of Love, Isabel Allende uses her storytelling skills brilliantly in Aphrodite to evoke the delights of food and sex. After considerable research and study, she has become an authority on aphrodisiacs, which include everything from food and drink to stories and, of course, love. Readers will find here recipes from Allende's mother, poems, stories from ancient and foreign literatures, paintings, personal anecdotes, fascinating tidbits on the sensual art of food and its effects on amorous performance, tips on how to attract your mate and revive flagging virility, passages on the effect of smell on libido, a history of alcoholic beverages, and much more."