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Tender at the Bone
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table | Ruth Reichl
42 posts | 56 read | 40 to read
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFor better or worse, almost all of us grow up at the table. It is in this setting that Ruth Reichl's brilliantly written memoir takes its form. For, at a very early age, Reichl discovered that "food could be a way of making sense of the world . . . if you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were." Tender at the Bone is the story of a life determined, enhanced, and defined in equal measure by unforgettable people, the love of tales well told, and a passion for food. In other words, the stuff of the best literature. The journey begins with Reichl's mother, the notorious food-poisoner known for-evermore as the Queen of Mold, and moves on to the fabled Mrs. Peavey, onetime Baltimore socialite millionaress, who, for a brief but poignant moment, was retained as the Reichls' maid. Then we are introduced to Monsieur du Croix, the gourmand, who so understood and yet was awed by this prodigious child at his dinner table that when he introduced Ruth to the souffl, he could only exclaim, "What a pleasure to watch a child eat her first souffl!" Then, fast-forward to the politically correct table set in Berkeley in the 1970s, and the food revolution that Ruth watched and participated in as organic became the norm. But this sampling doesn't do this character-rich book justice. After all, this is just a taste.Tender at the Bone is a remembrance of Ruth Reichl's childhood into young adulthood, redolent with the atmosphere, good humor, and angst of a sensualist coming-of-age.BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Ruth Reichl's Delicious!
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CleverGirl
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Carline reading.

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Dragon
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Mehso-so

Finally finished this memoir. It was in the car and I read it very intermittently over years. It took so long I can‘t remember much about it - except I found it a bit uneven and it didn‘t hold my interest.

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suffisaunce
Pickpick

Touching story, good writing, and lovely recipes. I enjoyed.

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KCofKaysville
Pickpick

Very readable story of the author's younger years, including surviving a manic depressive mother. All is centered around food and a number of recipes are put in the book too. She lived quite a life, and it makes me want to appreciate and try interesting dishes !

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KCofKaysville

I started this one and it looks good. I'm not really a foodie though but interested.

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KCofKaysville
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Local bookstore has reopened!😲

bibliothecarivs Marissa's is amazing. I came home with a box full of books the one and only time I have been there. 4y
34 likes1 comment
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

An incredibly well written memoir which centres around her food but also deals with what she had to deal with in her life e.g. mental health issues. Have made note of a couple of the recipes in the book. If I ever do cook, will try them.😬

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Smarkies
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What goes better with lunch than a food memoir? 😁

paper.reveries Looks delicious!! 4y
26 likes1 comment
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Julsmarshall
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Pickpick

A heartwarming coming of age foodie story. I loved this peek into her odd upbringing and interesting family. And there are some great recipes I can‘t wait to try thrown in!

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Julsmarshall
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rachaich
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Pickpick

Very readable.
It was interesting to see how her upbringing influenced not just her career but also her life choices. A very thoughtful memoir. 😊🍽🍴🥄🔪🥢

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rachaich
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Starting the last of my borrowed books.

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AutumnRLS
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Read 50 pages of Know My Name and now I'm going to take a break for the night. Hoping this will be a bit lighter off a read before bed.

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Centique
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Pickpick

This book is just delicious. A series of anecdotes about family and food memories and all so beautifully, tantalisingly described. You learn a lot about Ruth‘s childhood and early adulthood, and although she has a privileged start in life, she goes through a lot and has her eyes wide open throughout. It amazed me to read about the recycling and environmental concerns she had in the 60s - a flash forward to the things we‘re still talking about now!

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Dragon
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#7days7covers #covercrush - Day 7 - post a favourite cover each day for 7 days and tag someone new each time. Any Litten interested in playing please consider yourself tagged 💜🐉

Centique Awww that is a lovely one! I‘m so keen to read her memoirs soon as well 😍 5y
Dragon Thanks @Centique this is my first of her memoirs that I‘ve started reading ( I‘m about halfway and enjoying it so far )😀🐉 (edited) 5y
60 likes2 comments
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UnabridgedPod
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Pickpick

Ruth Reichl's narration of her memoir Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table brings to life one of my favorite types of audiobooks: authors reading their own work, their own lives. The book, which covers Reichl's childhood through the beginning of her career as a food critic, provides a brilliant focus on her family, particularly her mother, who suffers from manic depression; her more distant father; and her amazing partner. ⬇️

UnabridgedPod In the midst of these stories, Reichl shares the gradual development of her love for food and cooking, and we see the way all of her experiences move toward her career. Funny, poignant, thoughtful reflection on her early life. 5y
14 likes1 comment
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Suelizbeth
Pickpick

I listened to this one because I love Ruth Reichl's voice and her narration of her own books adds so much to her fascinating story. I gave this one a 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, even though I later found out that it was abridged. I'll have to read the book to see what I missed. I would recommend any Ruth Reichl audiobook, but especially this one and Save Me the Plums. (No picture as I am having extreme difficulty uploading them to Litsy.)

tammysue I‘m looking forward to Save Me the Plums (on library hold), I‘ll have to check this one out. :) 5y
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JacqMac
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I‘m going to see Ruth Reichl on Monday. So excited! I think I need to reread one of these next. Start at the beginning, perhaps?
#24B4Monday
@TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65

BeansPage What a wonderful idea!!! Be sure to post pics for us!! 😍😍😍 6y
Andrew65 Perfect timing. 6y
kspenmoll Have a wonderful time!!!! 6y
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JacqMac @TheReadingMermaid I will do my best. They moved the location last week to “a more intimate setting”. 6y
BeansPage Ooooo 😗 exciting!!! Maybe that means you'll have more one-on-one time with the author! 🤩 6y
Fridameetslucy Would you be interested in a group that read a good book ... say every 3 months? What books would you put on a TBR list ? I‘m new here so I don‘t know how it works but it could be fun 5y
JacqMac @Fridameetslucy Welcome to Litsy. It‘s a wonderful place! I hope you like it. I often participate in group reads here. They are usually called buddy reads. There is always a #BOTMbuddyread hosted by @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks and I love the #maevebinchybuddyread hosted by @Andrew65 You just jump in if you find one that interests you. Everyone is welcome. Or host one of your own. They are really fun and a great way to connect with other Littens. (edited) 5y
56 likes7 comments
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Laura317
Pickpick

Enjoyed this food memoir. It was a library ebook, and I forgot to take a second photo. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Laura317
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I adore a good food memoir. This is one of my favorites. With recipes, too!

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SamanthaMarie
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Pickpick

4/5 Stars! I enjoyed this immensely. It recalls the author's life from a young age to her early twenties. Full of nostalgia and Ruth's journey toward food (her parents were wholly uninterested in food and down right awful cooks.) Tender moments, good recipes, and also some fun laughs. Would read again and recommend to anyone who loves memoirs or food writing.

Zelma I had highly recommend her latest book. It‘s a memoir/cookbook/art book. Very original and just wonderful. A lot less text than this one but full of beautiful photography and emotion. 6y
SamanthaMarie @Zelma I read that one first!! It made me want to read the rest of her books. SOOO good. I sadly read it on Kindle though so I really want to get a hard copy of it. My Kitchen Year is definitely my favorite so far. 6y
ErikasMindfulShelf I really like her novel 6y
SamanthaMarie @irre I want to read that one too! I need to add it to my TBR stack. Good reminder :) 6y
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Tomigirl44
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Pickpick

@ErinSueG @WhiskeyMistress #agameoffavorites

I have a lot of favorites in life, including female authors. Madeleine L‘Engle is certainly one (as I posted yesterday), but Ruth Reichl is also wonderful. I‘ve read every book she‘s written and never been disappointed. Part memoir, part cooking, food and recipes, her subject matter as well as style of writing draw me in to her world. The above book is the first of her memoirs.

Tomigirl44 Most recent memoir-style cookbook of sorts. 6y
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Tomigirl44 Fiction/novel. 6y
Tomigirl44 (Someone please help me if there‘s a way to post a comment with multiple tagged books and I just don‘t know how to do it.) 6y
Erinsuereads We haven‘t been able to find a way to tag more than one. I don‘t Litsy is set up to do it 😭 6y
Tomigirl44 @ErinSueG thanks for letting me know 👏 6y
68 likes7 comments
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Books_Wine_Repeat
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...because I didn‘t have enough unread books in my house. 🤷🏻‍♀️💅🏽 In my defense, two of these are book club picks, the other two magically appeared. ⚠️Also, if anyone is a Savers shopper (where I bought these babies), every Monday during summer is 50% off everything including books! 🤑📚📚📚

Librariana Such a smart shopper you are! 😄😊💜 6y
Books_Wine_Repeat @Librariana You know me just trying to buy ALL the books. 😉🤓📚📚📚 6y
Dolly I loved Reichl‘s older books. The tales about her mother are priceless. 6y
53 likes4 comments
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seebiscan
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Pickpick

I love Ruth Reichl's writing and this book was no exception! I picked it up this morning and haven't put it down. It covers her childhood through early adulthood and all of her early food experiences. My only regret is that I read this after reading Comfort Me With Apples--I need to remember my own rules about reading things in order! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Zelma I love her books too. One of my absolute recent favorites is My Kitchen Year. It's more like a work of art than memoir. (edited) 7y
seebiscan @Zelma That one is next on my list! Glad to hear it's good. 👍🏼 7y
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seebiscan
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I'm starting a new job on Monday, so I have a couple days off to relax! Definitely time for a book + bath bomb type of morning.

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amyrabbitt
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"The first dish was a clear consommé that tasted as if a million chickens had died to make it."

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mrp27
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LeslieO Love her memoirs! 7y
mrp27 @LeslieO Me too! 7y
LeslieO @mrp27 I'm slowing reading My Kitchen Year 7y
19 likes3 comments
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ChrisM
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Pickpick

I love reading about people that work with food & this was 1 of the very 1st memoirs I read and ever since I read every chef/foodie memoir I can get my hands on. #giveawaythetruth

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MarticaMustRead
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🤧🏡🤧🍵🍯🍋😩 #BlanketFort #HomeSweetHome

Current status & mood the past 3 days. I hear it's not worth going outside anyway, (37°) so I'll just stay in my blanketfort with my sniffles. Haven't had the energy to read much but going to see if I can finish up my current read so I can start something new. Starting a new book is always exciting don't you agree? Surely the fun in deciding & picking out what to read next will perk me up a bit.

Chessa Hope you feel better soon! (edited) 8y
Librariana Stay cozy warm and get your rest! Enjoy your books, current and future 😉 8y
Luv2readbookz Yes, a new book will make you feel better! 📚 8y
21 likes3 comments
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MarticaMustRead
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🤧👃🤧👃🤧....🍲❤ #CurrentRead #FoodieBooks

When my nose feels like it's about to fall off, nothing beats a steaming hot bowl of pho to accompany my runny stuffed nose & current read. 😩🍲📖👍

merelybookish You have my sympathies. I feel I've been battling a runny nose since November. 8y
Jillsandypants Oh no! Get better soon! 8y
23 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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emtobiasz
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12 books this month! Most of these were for school, directly or indirectly, and while none of them were terrible, I'm looking forward to having a little more freedom in my free reading next month! #feistyfeb #bestoffebruary

Cinfhen Great month💗💗 8y
39 likes1 comment
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MarticaMustRead
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🤓😋 #CurrentRead #LibrarianLife

Getting in a few pages before this meeting starts....food always makes meetings go over better and faster! Yum!😋

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emtobiasz
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#whereiread #riotgrams Olive and I camp out here pretty much every night, usually with my laptop and/or a book for grad school. This lovely memoir was at Nancy Pearl's recommendation (and for a readers' advisory project)!

Bookchipmunk Hi Olive! 8y
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AuthorSheri
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Pickpick

This book is fantastic and it makes me want to be a better cook. I only picked it up because it met one of my reading challenge slots, but I'm so glad I did. It was a fun, quick read.

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Keyoung
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Pickpick

I didn't think that food memoirs were my thing, but I guess I was wrong! Great book to end this year's challenge on. Now I want Book Riot to post next year's categories so I can start planning!! #readharder

Librariana Me too!! But I still need to finish this year's challenge! Ack!! I'm like 3-4 books shy... I think 😁 8y
Keyoung @librariana You can do it! What categories do you have left? 8y
Librariana I'm rebuilding/recreating/remaking/all the re- words my Bingo card spread... but if my memory serves me right: 1st book in a series by a POC, set in the Middle East, Historical Fiction before 1900, and one other that escapes me! Thus me reading Persepolis and 8y
Librariana But I also got 8y
LindsayReads Hurray! I had the same thought and went back to check when they might be releasing the new challenge. I think we have about a week of free reading. 😀 8y
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DanaKristine
Pickpick

Fabulous memoir.

lynneamch Love ALL Ruth Reichl's books! 😊 8y
54 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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DanaKristine

I adored this memoir. Former New York Times Food Critic and Editor of Gourmet Magazine, Ruth Reichl takes you back to her quirky New York childhood, through her food obsessed formative years and then early culinary career working at Chez Panisse while living in a commune. So cool! A real page turner for food lovers.

Sapphire Garlic and Sapphires is even better! 8y
Sapphire I also have her new cookbook and there are some amazingly yummy recipes in it. 8y
DanaKristine I read Garlic and Sapphires too! You're right. It's amazing! I haven't purchased her new cookbook but thanks for letting me know that it's great. Buying it this weekend! 8y
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ValerieAndBooks Have you read Comfort Me With Apples also? Her second memoir. 8y
Zelma I love Ruth Reich. And like @ValerieAndBooks mentions, Comfort Me With Apples is worth a read too. I didn't care for Garlic and Sapphires as much but I am so excited about her cookbook. I know it is full of stories and reflections with each recipe. 8y
Zelma *Reichl (autocorrect 🙄 ) 8y
chlobee I'm thinking of getting this for my mom as a Christmas gift! 8y
DanaKristine Yes I also read Comfort Me with Apples. Loved it as well. 8y
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SuziQoregon
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Pickpick

Finished this one last night. Interesting goodie memoir

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SuziQoregon
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Started this last night. Loving it already.

Gulfsidemusing Read this with my book club years ago.... a popular choice! 8y
BethFishReads Love 💗💗💗 I may need to do a reread 8y
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shereensamimi
Pickpick

I love Reichl's conversational tone of talking, and much like "Garlic and Sapphires," this didn't disappoint!

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BlueNoodleFritz
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Fun Friday Photo post....Fritz and Noodle contemplate the next book from the Cookbook and food related shelves.

Liberty 😂♥️🤘🏻 8y
Gezemice Adorable! 8y
5 likes2 comments
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jessicabrazeal
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Spree.