So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: Books that Make Me Hungry (They could have food items on the cover, foods in the title, be about foodies or have food as a main plot point… they could be cookbooks or memoirs, etc.)
Ooh, this is an interesting prompt and it’s one that I don’t think I’ve ever done for any of my weekly memes, so yay for something new! I’m a big foodie and can wax poetic about my favourite foods but I don’t think I’ve ever searched out a book because of food. Though I’ll admit that when there’s food on covers (especially if they’re bold/colourful illustrations/images) I’m much more likely to pause and read the blurb 😂
The books I chose aren’t 100% about food but they all made me hungry at some point, whether it’s craving something specific that a character eats or makes in the story, or other random dishes from the same cuisine. Just writing this out now and thinking about the scenes in the books I chose is actually making me quite hungry (and I’m now really looking forward to my next snack/meal) 😂

that secret crush – our hero is a chef who’s opening his own restaurant. he cooks for the girl he wants to woo. i was swooning and hungry while reading this book.
soudrough – yes, this book is about sourdough but it does go beyond that. the cravings for sourdough and delicious soup was so strong i think i ate this combo for a few days after i finished reading! so good.
wicked as you wish – the big scene with the filipino feast did me in. of the countries we’ve lived, we stayed in the philippines the longest (9 years) and for me, comfort food is synonymous to filipino food. the food scenes in this book are guaranteed to make you just as hungry as i am now!
pumpkinheads – this whole book was a big adventure through a pumpkin patch and it was chock full of delicious fall foods that had me literally drooling. i also blame the amazing artwork by faith for making the food look even MORE delicious. i swear i could taste and smell everything!
summer at swallowtail bay – there’s a lovely summer food fest in this book and reading about the various (food and drink) vendors really had me craving some of my favourite comfort foods from when i lived in the UK. Like pork pies, scotch eggs, bacon butties, pork baps with apple sauce… 😭
the ingredients of us – this was a bittersweet story that really tore at my heart. but the baking/food was a definite bright point of the story and well, it kind of made me want to eat my feelings 😂 i loved that recipes were included in this one!
the astonishing color of after – the descriptions of the food in taiwan were so drool worthy and made me incredibly hungry. i’m pretty sure that i ordered my favourite taiwanese street food snacks (thank goodness it’s a popular thing here) immediately after i finished bawling at the end of this book.
the particular sadness of lemon cake – yes this starts with cake and there are plenty of food mentions in the story but the lemon cake at the start got me. i love lemon everything!
the little wedding shop by the sea – this one had me craving the rich decadence of wedding cakes. the really fluffy, buttercream covered wedding cake goodness that i love.
harry potter – i know, i know… but i can’t not mention this book because the feasts! the feasts were mind-blowing. i still remember how awed and a lottle envious (and hungry) i felt about all the delicious foods that would pop up during the school feasts. just… UGH. i still want it! 😂

Do you ever get hungry while reading a book where food plays a big role (or even when it doesn’t)? What are some of the books that made you hungriest? Did you feel the same about any of these?

Great list! I’ve tried to stay away from The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, even though it sounds interesting, just because I think I’d eat my weight in lemon cake if I picked it up.
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Oh yes, from the start it had me wanting to eat some lemon cake 😂 I might’ve baked one after reading this! LOL
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Sourdough is delightfully quirky and I enjoyed The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, too.
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Sourdough is about as quirky as they get and Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was oddly touching.
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I absolutely agree! Sourdough was so delightfully quirky and it’s what had me adding Sloan as an auto-buy author for me. I want more from him! 😂
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The Harry Potter feasts are the best – Mrs. Weasley’s cooking too, I love all those descriptions.
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Omg yes. The descriptions had me drooling. I remember reading the books as a child and feeling so envious of these feasts 😂
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The biggest reason I wanted to go to Hogwarts was THE FOOD. I have no idea how anyone remained healthy with that free for all.
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YES, same! The food and drinks in that book… Haha I guess it was okay that they ate such decadent things when they had to a castle to roam 😅 That’s a lot of walking in a day! LOL
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I was so tempted to include Harry Potter in my own list cause the feast descriptions are always incredible, but I feel like I include it in all of my lists! 🙈 I also really need to read Pumpkinheads, it sounds perfect for fall!
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Haha fair enough. The feast descriptions are just so delicious *drool* Also, YES! Please read Pumpkinheads. It’s such a cute sweet story full of so much delicious food (and adventure of course) 😍
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OMG I can’t believe I forgot to include That Secret Crush in my list. That whole series makes me hungry because of their shop! I haven’t read many of these but I’ll have to check them out since I’m a sucker for food in books.
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YES. Omg, every time I read all of the books I find myself getting hungry because they mention so many delicious dishes… And the fudge shop 🤤🤤🤤 So good! It’s such a fun series as well 😍
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Wedding cakes are the best for sure.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
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I feel like wedding cake icing is too good! Lol
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The food in Harry Potter did always sound delicious!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2020/09/01/top-ten-tuesday-279/
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The feasts filled my young reader’s heart with so much joy. It made such an impact on me that I still remember how I felt reading it all these years later 😂
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Now I’m craving sourdough bread. Ha!
My post .
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Haha now that I’m back to this post I’m kind of wanting some too 😂
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O, Sourdough! I really enjoyed that one – and Mr. Penumbra’s 24-H bookstore as well.
Really nice prompt this week!
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I love Sloan’s books and I feel like they’re so underrated? They definitely deserve much more love imo! 😀
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Yes, absolutely!
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That Secret Crush is on my TBR. Great list!
Here’s my TTT post.
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I hope you enjoy That Secret Crush! It’s a bit different in tone than the first two books but just as enjoyable for me. I might be biased coz I love this series and the brothers 😍
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Summer at Swallowtail Bay looks tasty!
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I definitely got hungry reading it!
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Sitting in on a Harry Potter feast would definitely be epic! I can’t remember which book it was, but I once read a book where the couple was obsessed with mint chocolate chip ice cream, and I don’t think I had ever wanted some mint choc chip so bad! LOL!
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I wouldn’t even hold back with how much I’d eat during those feasts 😂 Omg… I love mint chocolate chip and now I’m thinking about it and want some too LOL! I love and hate it when a book leaves me craving something that I can’t immediately get my hands on! Haha
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How did I forget That Secret Crush? All that food and the fudge!!!
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The food and fudge!!! Definitely the fudge! Gosh, how I wish that little town and that restaurant and that shop was real 😜
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Ohh, great post!! Yummy! I really want some cake now. Strawberry shortcake sounds so good right now. The cover with the strawberries and cake is to blame. haha.
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Haha I have to admit that the cover was 99% of why I stopped in my tracks to check that book out 😂 I now really want some cake… This prompt is too dangerous for the foodie in me! Haha
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hahaha… Covers really know how to get us, don’t they?!?! Yeah, totally.. I had to have a snack after all this blog hopping on TTT! lol
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I still need to read Sourdough. I liked Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookshop.
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Yes! It’s so so good 😍
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Great list and same with Wicked as you wish! The filipino food scene made me salivate. 🙂
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Yeees all those Filipino foods laid out like that had me salivating so badly haha definitely had me miss living in the Philippines and having easy access to all the goods 😂
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Yup, The Astonishing Colour of After sounds delish! I love it when a book makes me hungry — but also hate it to because MUNCHIES!
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It was a wonderful book! I totally agree, I think I love a book more when it can bring foods to life and make me hungry 😂
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I’m not a huge foodie, but I’ve read some of these books, and yeah, I can see how they’d make you hungry. So much yes to the Astonishing Color of After! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it haha. I still need to read some of these. I still need to read Pumpkinheads, and it sounds like that would be a great fall read! Perfect for this time of year.
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Pumpkinheads is soooo cute. No backstabby morally gray characters but still sooo cute and definitely the perfect fall read. Maybe good as a ‘palette cleanser’ if you’re shifting genres in the fall (you know, from the darker murder-y, ghosty reads to… ones less so)! 😂
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Whoa, hey. Not *all* the books I read have backstabby morally gray characters. I can do cute. Sometimes. Sheesh. xD
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Great choices! I’d love to attend a Hogwarts feast, and the pumpkin patch food in Pumpkinheads is amazing!
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Oh, to attend a feast like they have at Hogwarts! It would be amazing 😍 Pumpkinheads also did a great job convincing me that I need to get my hands on these fall treats at some point in my life 😂
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Oh my goodness. Just looking at Pumpkinheads makes me ready for all the yummy fall food. It’s such a cute book! Great list!
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YES! I don’t even live in a country where we have four seasons but it made me wish so desperately that we did (and that I could get my hands on all these delicious treats)! 😂 Such a fab read!
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Ha! We barely have four seasons here in Texas. Every year our winter gets shorter and warmer. Which means we have a long fall, though! 😃
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Besides HP I haven’t read any of these! I would like to go to one of the great feasts though. Yummy!
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Omg, right?! I remember the first time I read HP as a kid and was just blown away by the food descriptions and wishing they were real 😂 It obviously made a lasting impression! Hahaha
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Love your take on this haha. I do often think about food when I think about Harry Potter–there is so much food associated with those books.
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There is just soo much deliciousness, and obviously, it made a big impression on my little kid heart because I still remember the awe I felt all these years later! 😂
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Look at all of these great reads! The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake has been on my TBR pile for ages. And always nice to see Katie Ginger and Jane Linfoot books getting a little love.
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That book wasn’t what I expected, but I did enjoy it! It made me quite sad but also made me want to eat my feelings a la lemon cake! 😂
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Ah its great that Wicked as You Wish did that. I’ve heard great things about the book.
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