Appetite for reading? Here are some books to take to the beach

Beach chair? Check. Beach umbrella? Check.

Beach book? Check these out.

Like Christmas in July, summer brings a slew of fresh books for folks who believe the next best thing to eating and cooking is talking and reading about food.

We've selected some of the best of the breed, complete with recipes, for your summer reading pleasure.

Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life (Riverhead Books) by Kim Severson of the New York Times, is an emotionally mature food memoir in that it doesn't stoop to salaciousness to sell.

Yes, Severson dealt with the confounding question of sexuality and then came out about it. And yes, she is a recovering alcoholic (wino is more accurate but sounds so much more seedy than true.)

But in Spoon Fed, Severson does not ask us to relive the miserable years. But at the same time, she does not treat the past as something done and gone.

Severson's past is not in a lockbox. It's in a kitchen drawer she can easily open and explore for its enduring wisdom. And while her book is an invitation to meet some of the individuals she was fortunate enough to meet in her still-young career (Marion Cunningham, Edna Lewis), it is also a study in using one's past to inform the present.

That perspective, combined with Severson's charm and curiosity, make this one a must.

In Cake Walk (Dial Press), Kate Moses has written a memoir in which the happy times outweigh the twisted moments.

She is the daughter of a repressed Brit raised in Japan, and a mother whose creativity and intelligence are so undervalued in 1950s suburbia that her quirky nature slides into more of a mental morass.

While many children of divorce think they are the root of their parents' problems, Moses becomes her mother's foil - her excuse to escape the marriage. Maybe all concerned really are better off in the long run, but the episode leaves Moses with layers of emotional scar tissue.

Baking saves her soul.

Bred on the sweet cereals and snacks we now know as harbingers of lifelong obesity, Moses learns to bake exquisitely rich and creamy desserts to feed her inner child - and make friends. Each of the book's 35 chapters concludes with a tantalizing and relevant recipe: vanilla birthday cake with lemon curd and vanilla buttercream, linzer torte, coconut layer cake, and the chewy fudge brownies that so impressed M.F.K. Fisher (see recipe).

Moses is a writer of considerable merit. She cofounded Salon's Mothers Who Think website and the subsequent best-selling book bearing the same name. And she won international acclaim for her literary debut, Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath (Anchor, 2003).

Cake Walk showcases Moses' lyric voice, her eye for telling detail, and her ultimate optimism.

"The by-product of suffering, if you're lucky, is appreciation - the savor of chance windfalls," she writes.

Still, we wonder about her blood-sugar levels.

Richard C. Morais, author of The Hundred-Foot Journey (Scribner), who moved to Philadelphia in 2003, has impressive personal and professional creds: An American, born in Portugal and raised in Switzerland; he was with Forbes magazine 25 years. His pals include Booker Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro (Remains of the Day) and the late Ismail Merchant (who put Remains on film).

Morais says he wrote this first novel with a future film by Merchant in mind. The filmmaker died suddenly in 2005, before the novel was completed, but The Hundred-Foot Journey is now in active film development, Morais says.

All that name-dropping will become irrelevant though, when you start reading The Hundred-Foot Journey and find yourself mesmerized by the inventiveness of the story and the writer's ability to cook up tantalizing aromas on paper.

The novel follows the life of a Muslim boy from Mumbai who grows up watching his father serve street food and goes on to create a Michelin three-star restaurant in Paris.

Fans of Slumdog Millionaire should pick this one up without hesitation. Better yet, hear Morais read at 6 p.m. July 8 at Barnes & Noble, 1805 Walnut St., Philadelphia.

Appetite for America (Bantam) by native son Stephen Fried has one of the longest subtitles around: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West.

But it does the job of previewing the thoroughly engaging story of the Harvey Houses - a tale that is part social history and part family saga. From the 1880s to the 1940s, Harvey's restaurants, lunch counters, and railroad dining-car service fed America, hugging the Sante Fe Railroad lines from Chicago to Los Angeles.

The Harvey Girls, the country's first major female workforce, were so popular they became the focus of a 1946 musical comedy starring Judy Garland, Angela Lansbury, Ray Bolger, and Cyd Charisse.

"Fried is a relentless researcher and a gifted storyteller," our reviewer David Haward Bain wrote here in April.

The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship (Harper Collins, 2009) is an easy read of a novel told through an exchange of letters between friends and packed with recipes for dishes that are for the most part more comforting than challenging.

The authors are friends themselves who live in Brooklyn: Andrea Israel, a longtime television producer and writer who won an Emmy for her work on Good Morning America; and writer/editor Nancy Garfinkel.

The characters they've created - Lilly and Val - form a two-person recipe exchange as children. A significant betrayal splits their friendship in their college years. We follow along with their drama and learn of parental entanglements that may forever hamper their ability to trust one another. Fans of Sigmund Freud will have a field day with this one.

Among the more enticing recipes in the novel are Turkish "Cigarettes" (see recipe).

Chef and writer Andrew Caldwell, who bills himself as the History Chef, has written the first volume of an intended trilogy entitled, Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals (Andrews McMeel Publishing).

No heavy lifting here, just an entertaining couple of pages each on 21 legendary souls (the Aztec emperor Montezuma II; comedian John Candy) and lots of recipes for dishes you might consider. Caldwell helpfully updated and pared down the recipes to serve a party of four (assuming you're not into eating Montezuma-sized servings).

Sure, it's a gimmick. But a tasty one. We liked the Grilled Fish with Pepper and Fennel Salad (allegedly enjoyed by Leonidas, king of Sparta, see recipe) and Fresh Asparagus Salad with Champagne-Saffron Vinaigrette (course number 8 in the 12-course menu aboard the Titanic on its fateful night).

The author of The Summer Kitchen (St. Martin's Press), Karen Weinreb, is a former journalist and the daughter of Australian cookbook writer and food columnist Joy Ross. She writes from those perspectives as well as from her firsthand experience as the wife of a white-collar criminal.

Like her fictional character, Nora Banks of Bedford, New York, Weinreb answered a knock on the door one day to find federal officers coming for her husband. Weinreb shows the human side of financial misfortune and the innocent family members that get caught in the aftermath of the crime.

Hint: Don't expect tea and sympathy from the country-club crowd.

There are no recipes in the novel, but look online for Chocolate Truffles, Kumquats in Brandy, and more at www.karenweinreb.com.

In Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life (Harper One) by Thich Nhat Hanh, the world-renowned Vietnamese Buddhist Zen master teams up with nutritionist Lilian Cheung to bring his message of mindfulness to our lives and uproot our bad eating habits.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. nominated Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. His five things to think about when you eat impressed Oprah.

The irreverent chef Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential, A Cook's Tour) returns to assess the current state of the food world and its eccentric personalities in Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook (Ecco Books).

Yes, it is a shame that the classic American hamburger seems to be going the way of the simple cup of coffee - overpriced and designer-branded - but it's fun to hear him tell it.

Makes 24 generous-sized brownies

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1 1/2 cup walnut halves

1 1/2 cup unsalted butter

9 ounces unsweetened chocolate

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

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1. Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, watching carefully and removing from the oven once they start to smell nutty and are lightly browned. Let cool.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter over low heat in a medium-size saucepan, then remove from heat. Add the chocolate, broken into pieces, and cover the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, until the chocolate is melted. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture begins to get a little thick, creamy and lightened in color. Whisk the butter and chocolate until smooth, then add to the sugar-egg mixture, mixing just until well-combined. Add the flour and fold in with a spatula, using as few strokes as possible just until the flour disappears. Fold in the walnuts and turn into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, checking after 22 or 23 minutes: You do not want to overbake these brownies! The brownies will be ready to take out of the oven when the tip of a knife inserted in the center has moist crumbs attached (not liquid, but moist). When done, remove from the oven and let cool undisturbed in the pan for several hours or overnight before cutting into squares.

Per brownie: 334 calories, 4 grams protein, 32 grams carbohydrates, 22 grams sugar, 23 grams fat, 59 milligrams cholesterol, 110 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 8 to 10 servings

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3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cubanelle pepper (long, green Italian pepper) seeded and diced

1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1/2 cup large green olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup black kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1 jar capers (3 ounces) drained

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 medium firm eggplant, diced

Salt

1 can (32 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

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1. Preheat a deep pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic, and crushed pepper.

2. Add the vegetables (peppers, onion, and celery) to the pot as you go.

3. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in olives, capers and raisins.

4. Salt the diced eggplant and stir into the pot.

5. Add tomatoes, both diced and crushed, and stir well to combine. Cover pot and cook caponata 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in parsley and remove pan from heat.

6. Let stand a few minutes (to serve at room temperature) or chill before serving (to serve cold, as a relish).

7. To serve as a main dish, toss with pasta, a bit more oil, and pecorino cheese.

Per serving (based on 10): 137 calories, 2 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams sugar, 6 grams fat, no cholesterol, 861 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.

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Makes about 40 rolls

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8 sheets phyllo dough

1 1/4 cups crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup cream cheese

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 small clove of garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup butter, melted

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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Arrange the phyllo on a separate baking sheet and cover with a slightly damp towel to prevent it from drying out.

2. In a bowl, combine feta, cream cheese, egg, parsley, dill, garlic and black pepper. Mash with a fork.

3. Lay one sheet of phyllo on a clean, flat surface. Brush with some melted butter. With the tip of a sharp knife, slice the phyllo crosswise into 3 strips (each about 3 inches by 10 inches).

4. Place 11/2 teaspoons of filling at one end of each strip and roll up each strip completely, sealing with additional butter if necessary. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets.

5. Transfer the rolls to the prepared baking sheet. Brush with additional butter and bake until brown and flaky, 15 to 18 minutes.

Note: Uncooked rolls may be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month. Transfer directly to a baking sheet and bake according to instructions.

Per roll: 56 calories, 1 gram protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace sugar, 5 grams fat, 19 milligrams cholesterol, 98 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

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Makes 4 servings

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3 pounds fresh sardines with heads on (if they are more than 4 inches long, have the fish cleaned)

4 large chopped garlic cloves

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for dressing

Sea salt and coarse black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons white wine

Juice of one lemon, plus more for dressing

4 tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian parsley

Lemon wedges

Sliced red, green and yellow pepper

One fennel bulb, cut into thin slices

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1. Place the sardines in a large shallow dish and cover with all the other ingredients except for the parsley and lemon wedges. Marinate one hour, turning every 15 minutes.

2. Drain. Put the sardines on a medium hot grill for about 3 minutes on each side, or until they develop grill marks.

3. Serve immediately with wedges of lemon and chopped parsley.

4. Accompany with a salad of sliced red, green, and yellow peppers and sliced fennel, tossed with an olive-oil and lemon dressing.

Per serving: 537 calories, 44 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams sugar, 34 grams fat, 242 milligrams cholesterol, 895 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.

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