Do you have recommendations about books (novels) with foodies as main characters?

And one more on Amazon today for your foodie middle-grade kids who like to read, 99 cents: Evertaster By Adam Glendon Sidwell

Eleven-year-old Guster is an Evertaster — a legendary being with taste buds so picky that he must set out on a quest for the most miraculous recipe in the world! A hilarious adventure with “wonderfully talented writing” (Orson Scott Card).

Two bargains on Amazon Kindle today: The Language of Baklava (non-fiction food-filled memoir that I highly recommend), and a cookbook, Eugenia Bone's The Kitchen Ecosystem, $1.99 each.

My favorite books as a foodie: Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser, The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten, The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken by Laura Schenone, and Confections of a Closet Master Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. . .

Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford. The Inn at Lake Devine and The View from Penthouse B by Elinor Lipman. Heartburn by Nora Ephron.

Soy Sauce for Beginners by Kristin Chen

Since we've already strayed from Phil's desire to hear about fictional foodies, here are a few food-related books I've really enjoyed, in no particular order:
-An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler (Such fine writing! I own both the print and Kindle versions so I can dip into it and reread whenever I want.)
-Stir by Jessica Fechtor
-Poor Man's Feast by Elissa Altman
-My Life From Scratch by Gesine Bullock-Prado
-The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken by Luara Schenone
-The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn
-The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber

Try Martin Walker's chief of police Bruno series, set in the Dordonge region of France www.chiefofpolicebruno.com

It's a kid's book, but my daughter and I loved "Everything on a Waffle" by Polly Horvath. Much of the action takes place in a small-town restaurant, the youthful main character is a foodie, and each chapter ends with a recipe. I came home from work one day to discover my then-12 year old daughter had made the cinnamon buns from the book....not bad for her first attempt at a yeasted dough!

Any of the Corinna Chapman series by Kerry Greenwood who gave the chic and adventurous Phryne Fisher. Corinna is a baker (an unapologetic full-figured woman who adores bread and cats) who runs a bakery below her flat. The series are mysteries, though not murder mysteries. Some recipes too. You'll love all the characters.

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, by Anne Tyler

The Last Chinese Chef
The Peculiar Sadness Of Lemon Cake

All of the Murder On The Rocks series - light and silly but, well, BROWNIES

I am reading Jacques Pepins autobiography right now, it's great!

OH well Animal Vegetable Miracle of course!!!

Thanks, Nancy, I would like to read it. While I subscribe online to the LA Times, I hadn't heard about Russ Parsons leaving, Too bad, he's my favorite of the three.

In my previous post, I misspelled Marlena de Blasi--it is 'de', not 'di'.

This book, which I came across over the weekend, is non-fiction, but it looks like a good read, and it is only $2.99: http://www.amazon.com/Fannies-Last-Supper-Re-creating-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B0043EV5AS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1451915552&sr=8-1

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Marlena di Blasi, who was a chef then food writer, has written fiction and non-fiction in which food plays a major role. Her books include A Thousand Days in Venice, A Thousand Days in Tuscany, The Lady in the Palazzo. . . .

Delicious by Ruth reichl

All books from Martin Walker about Bruno - chef de Police. Set in Southern France, Bruno is a real gourmet and fantastic cook as well. Link for first book in series is below:
http://www.amazon.com/Bruno-Chief-Police-French-Countryside/dp/030745469X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451908387&sr=1-1&keywords=martin+walker

Wow! Thanks a lot for all the recommendations!! I'm going to check at my library to see what can I find

One more-

Chocolat

Like Water For Chocolate
A Year in Provence

Ha, cookbookchick! Precisely my reaction to the endless PBS murder dramas - extraordinary number of murders in these small picturesque English villages, not to mention irascible, yet lovable inspectors to be forced out of retirement to investigate them!

Like water for chocolate.

I've enjoyed Diane Mott Davidson's series featuring Colorado caterer/sleuth Goldy Schulz, at least partly because she has a walk-in refrigerator in her home that fuels my kitchen fantasies! :-) Ms. Davidson published an autobiography/cookbook in September that contains most of the recipes from her mystery novels. Because the story and characters develop, over time, I'd suggest starting with book one.

Or where food & drink play a prominent role, even if the characters are not what we now call foodies?
For Victorian England, Dickens and Conan Doyle (for the latter, see especially Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle)
For Regency England, Jane Austen & Patrick O'Brian (shipboard hard-tack non-cuisine included).
For 20th century France, the Maigret detective novels by Simenon
For contemporary USA, there are many books featuring chefs, caterers or restaurant proprietors with, like the "Midsomer Murders" tv series, very high mortality rates in the neighborhood. One of the best series is by Julie Hyzy, set in the White House.

Not necessarily fiction about foodies, but where eating/food plays a big role: Like Water for Chocolate (Laura Esquivel); The Flounder (Gunter Grass); The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd); Babette's Feast (Isak Dinisen) - really a long short story....those come to mind, but others will probably pop into my head, now that I'm thinking about it! There's also Balzac's Omelette (Anka Muhlstein) - not a novel, but a fun book about food in Balzac's novels, where everyone is always eating!

Heartburn, by Nora Ephron
The Cookbook Collector, by Allegra Goodman (I am stretching slightly on foodie as main character but very good food writing)

The Epicure's Lament by Kate Christensen.

Nero Wolfe by Rex Stout

Donna Leon's commissario Guido Brunelli series takes place in Venice. Besides the occasional banquet or other food event, each book has at least one incredible lunch cooked by his loving wife. And Brunelli is always on the lookout for a good snack. Death in La Fenice is the first of the series, probably available in your library. There is even a cookbook with recipes for all the meals described in the detective stories. Mouthwatering!

What a great question. Can't wait to see the answers.