The most recommended lemon books

This wonderful, engaging book will change the way you think about food. Margaret Visser unpicks an “ordinary meal” in North America, digging beneath the surface of everyday ingredients such as butter, lettuce and chicken to reveal fascinating stories. Visser – who writes with a shrewd and perceptive intelligence - weaves together history, science and social observation to great effect. The ‘ordinary’ meal proves to be no such thing.

What spoke to me the most was the concept of innate magical talent, and that power can be unlocked in an individual.

I liked how Bender’s constructed world made sense to me—a contemporary reality that could also contain the imaginative. Rose discovers her talent at an early age, tasting people’s emotions by their food; I loved the brilliance and simplicity of this idea. I also appreciated the layered story beyond the magic as I got to follow Rose’s emotional growth journey.   

I loved this book because I really learned something new - in this case, the origins of the many different citrus fruits (who knew there were so many?) and how they crossed the world and ended up being cultivated in Italy.

I loved the way the author really took us to the citrus groves and those who manage them, as well as sharing some fascinating history along the way (such as how the Mafia originally formed to protect Sicilian lemon farmers). But mostly, I loved this book because the writing is just as mouthwatering as the subject matter it relates to.

This novel totally swept me away.

Often while I was reading, it felt like I was right there, in the Australian town of Ballarat, a part of a small community as everyone’s lives are being reshaped by a war raging across the world.

Connie Starr is a watchful misfit of a child who lives in a dream world. But this is as much a story about the people who surround Connie – parents and siblings, neighbours and friends – and the way their lives intertwine. We rarely witness any violent acts of war in this novel.

Instead, it is focused mostly on the people left behind at home, on their heartbreak and loneliness, the friendships that sustain them, and the determination that gets them through the toughest times.

What I love about this book is the journey it takes you on, from despair to hope. At the start of the book, Mark is at the height of anguish with his depression. You read about what he did to start his recovery process; what worked and what didn’t, what he did wrong and what he got right. It gives you hope that you can make a similar journey and hope is the antidote to depression because it’s the main thing it takes from you, so it’s the main thing you need to find and cling on to; even the smallest amount of hope helps.

I couldn’t leave out this second collection of stories from Karen Russell. Similar to her debut collection but wholly unique, Vampires in the Lemon Grove is the darker, haunted sibling of St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. Even though many of the stories lean more toward horror than fantasy, there remains a sense of wonder, magic, and humor throughout. The story about the rules of Antarctic tailgating for the Food Chain Games pitting Team Whale against Team Krill is one of my favorites.

As a recovering perfectionist, it took (and still can take) a long time for me to appreciate an unexpected development. Like my younger self, Farmer McPhee has a clear vision for every one of the perfect yellow lemons growing in his orchard. They will be used for sweet cakes, zingy sherbets, ice-cold drinks, and — [gasp] — he discovers a glaring glitch that could ruin all of his plans. Luckily, not everyone sees things like Farmer McPhee and a glitch for one person is pure inspiration for another.

As a writer of mystery novels, I know that a story needs a lot more than a good plot, and this delightful tale of an eccentric Bavarian woman who moves to Sicily to drink herself to death and instead finds herself investigating the murder of her handsome young handyman fulfills that requirement in spades with colorful characters; vivid descriptions of her adopted country’s culture, history, and cuisine; and a powerful sense of place.

The solution to the mystery is somewhat obvious, but what really mattered to me was the fact that after reading the book, I felt that I had actually been on a trip to Sicily.

This book was given as a gift by the author at a local network gathering. It was a privilege to meet Patricia and to learn about her connection to Louise Hay.

This book is an essential guide with positive affirmations and visualizations energizing the reader to achieve their dreams. The affirmations are practical so the reader can practice loving ways to nurture oneself. Placing orders from the cosmic kitchen and using the law of attraction makes for a great recipe in life that fulfills one's heart and desires to support one's own personal journey to reduce stress, increase balance and discover the meaning and purpose in life.

The affirmations are powerful and the techniques shared are positive, the ingredients are all essential for everyday life and tailored for each individual to become your own Masterful Chef.