Death By Chocolate
A Savannah Reid Mystery
By G.A. McKevett
Private investigator Savannah Reid is a big fan of chocolate, so when none other than "the Queen of Chocolate" herself, TV cooking-show personality Lady Eleanor, hires her to be a bodyguard, Savannah is thrilled. But when the queen dies, on camera, after eating one her own confections, Savannah's job takes on dangers well beyond high calories.

Chocolat
By Joanne Harris
Vivianne Rocher moves to the tiny French town of Lansquenet to open a chocolate boutique, and, suddenly, strange things start to happen. The townspeople begin to eschew the self-righteous gossip of small-town life, and they find the courage to break the rigid codes of provincial behavior. In short, they start enjoying life-all because of the sensual power of chocolate. But the hidebound local priest does not approve of Vivianne, and soon, a power struggle shapes up between the two of them.

The Debt To Pleasure
By John Lanchester
Tarquin (formerly Rodney) Winot, an impeccably correct English Francophile, journeys not just to his cottage in Provence, but through a forest of sensual description as he offers the story of his life through food. It is only gradually, as the novel assumes some of the qualities of a highly suspenseful thriller, that we begin to realize that Tarquin Winot is not merely the witty voluptuary he seems to be. John Lanchester is-unsurprisingly-a former restaurant critic; this is his first work of fiction.

Crescent
By Diana Abu-Jaber
Arab-American Sirine, a 39-year-old chef in a Lebanese restaurant in Los Angeles, has never been married-or even particularly interested in men. Then a handsome professor falls in love with her, and as their romance develops, Sirine finds that she must confront questions of her national identity and family background that she has been ignoring for years.

Candyfreak
A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
By Steve Almond
Longtime candy-lover Steve Almond investigates the candy business, visiting factories, interviewing candy moguls and fans, reminiscing about Halloweens past, and waxing nostalgic on the subject of his personal favorite, the Caravelle bar (r.i.p.). He also bemoans the fact that three giant manufacturers (Mars, Hershey, and Nestle) have a corner on the market, and have forced many smaller ones out of business.

The Man Who Ate Everything
And Other Gastronomic Feats, Disputes, and Pleasurable Pursuits
By Jeffrey Steingarten
Urbane, informative, and highly entertaining essays by Vogue food columnist Steingarten, about bread, choucroute, barbecue, fat farms, the wonders of red wine, and French fries cooked in horse fat-among other things. A winner of a 1998 award from the Association of Culinary Professionals. A New York Times Notable Book for 1998.

The History of the World in Six Glasses
By Tom Standage
Exploring six beverages over the course of the history of civilization, Tom Standage shows how each one influenced its society, sometimes in surprising ways. He covers beer in prehistoric times, wine in ancient Greece, distilled spirits (particularly rum) during the rise of the British Empire, the coffee craze in 17th-century Europe, tea in the 18th century, and soda pop (particularly Coke and Pepsi) in the 20th.

Fashionable Food
Seven Decades of Food Fads
By Sylvia Lovegren
Describes the food customs and fashions of each decade from the twenties to the nineties, discusses how they reflected technological and social changes, and shares typical recipes from each period.

The True History of Chocolate
by Sophie D. Coe, Michael D. Coe
Delicious indulgence or cause of migraines? Aphrodisiac or medicine? Religious symbol or Mesoamerican currency? Written by a pair of anthropologists, this delightful book tells the complete history of everyone's favorite indulgence, including the real facts of the pre-Spanish history of chocolate.

Spice: The History of a Temptation
by Jack Turner
Jack Turner writes knowledgeably and entertainingly about the spice trade, reaching back to Magellan and Vasco da Gama and forward to today, and the ritual grinding of pepper offered by your waitperson. In between, he looks at magic, sex, religion, haute cuisine, and much more.

Fast Food Nation
by Eric Schlosser
Eric Schlosser's extremely compelling, unnerving attack on America's fast food industry is done with care and precision as he addresses different aspects of restaurants like McDonald's-from the meat-packing industry to how flavorings are chemically created in the lab. Sharing a history of the birth of fast food, Schlosser goes on to prove how this industry has radically transformed the country's health, cultural machinations, and more. This is a must-read for anyone interested in factory farming, the food industry, and the continuing transformation of America into a mono-culture.

Aphrodite
A Memoir of the Senses
by Isabel Allende, Margaret Sayers Peden
Allende wrote this book as a way of reconnecting with the world after the death of her daughter. An infectious celebration of life, lust, and food, it provides recipes for aphrodisiacs, as well as poems, stories, personal anecdotes, and tips on how to attract a mate.