Hungry Hearts edited by Elsie Chapman - OPTIONAL

Hungry Hearts edited by Elsie Chapman, 368 pages. Simon Pulse, 2019. $19.                        

Language: R (7 swears, 3 “f”); Mature Content: PG (off-page sex); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Take a walk down Hungry Hearts Row and be prepared to have your appetite wet with some delicious stories. Thirteen authors come together to share tales of love and romance, betrayal, anxiety, grief and so much more. Each author uses food to weave together stories of how food connects us, heals us and defines us.  Step into a convenient store, restaurant, bakery and cafe and be prepared for your reading taste buds to tingle.  

This is a delightful book using food as the main theme for storytelling.  There are so many different genres that it was nice to pick it up each day, not knowing what to expect.  The stories can be read alone but they are related either by location or a few characters.  I enjoyed reading the different perspectives on certain characters.  The authors describe the food and smells is such detail I found myself hungry throughout the book.  I especially loved the chapter "Kings and Queens".  It has a twist in the end you won't want to miss. If you are a "foodie" this book is for you!

Jessica Nelson Media Specialist