In any event this blog post isn't really about the author. I read and enjoyed a couple of her books several years ago. With this in mind I picked one up to leaf through during one of my all too frequent trips to B&N. This is what I found:
"What the heck is this?", I said to myself, "Some newfangled print designed to further vex sight challenged senior people like me?". I then took the offensive book up to the counter to ask a bookseller if this were some sort of printing error. "I believe so", she said. "I've never seen anything like it before." I asked permission to take a photo and so there it is above with the Ruth Reichl book I eventually purchased that day. As I left the counter I couldn't help but think there are probably more of those misprints lurking unnoticed in bookstores and libraries.
As to the Ruth Reichl book, My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life, it also turned out to be a book boo-boo. I wasn't aware of this until I got it home and started to read. There is nothing wrong with the content. I loved Ms. Reichl's earlier memoirs, Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me With Apples and Garlic and Sapphires. This recent endeavour does not disappoint. The problem is it is actually a cookbook as well with some beautiful accompanying photos, but, the book itself does not open like a proper cookbook should. Very frustrating! I wouldn't be surprised to see this publishing error addressed in future reprints. I still recommend it but perhaps one should wait for a better edition?
Penny