Nepenthe

I had a gift card for Books Inc. given to us as our Christmas present from the board, so during an afternoon alone I picked up my photos from my new camera and walked over to the bookstore to spend over two hours indulging in pages of biographies, fiction, magazines, and cookbooks. I wanted to make sure I got something special with this money, something I wouldn't buy normally. I hate when my cheapskate-ness gets the best of me, so I decided to splurge.
I had a pile of books in my hand and started a list of summer reads: The Vagrant by Li Young-Lee, The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich, Just Kids by Patti Smith, and the Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse, Viva Vegan by Terry Hope Romero, but then I happened upon what I think will be a very important book.


My summer project (among many others) is to write an oral history cookbook. My nana passed on her recipes to my dad, and I don't think that I've absorbed the food or the stories well enough to recreate and retell, so I want to make it a story of our family with essays, letters, food and photos.

I was mesmerized by My Nepenthe right away because not only did author Romney Steele, granddaughter of the original family, accomplish exactly what I have in my head, but this cove in Big Sur is full of family history, legend, and really good food. The photos are beautiful, rustic, and the stories are personal. She did her research. I'm already plotting a day this month to get out there, even if it is a three hour drive away, to sit on the patio, take in the view, and get a start on my own book.