I was recently asked by a preeminent literary agent what was on my pile of books to be read. That's actually one of my New Year's resolutions, to read more fiction--I got so involved in research books this last year that I missed several of my favorite authors' releases. And while I don't foresee a big drop off in terms of my need for research, I need to do better about reading in my own genre.

So here's a quick top ten of what's stacked beside my bed, on the ledge overhanging my bathtub, in my Amazon cart, and teetering next to my office bookcases. Some nonfiction, some novels, all eagerly anticipated.

1.) Into the Fire by Suzanne Brockmann (the newest Troubleshooter book, Dark of Night, will be out in less than a week--*1/27, and I already ordered my signed copy, yay*-- so I need to get cracking!)
2.) On the Line by Eric Ripert (an in-depth look at the day to day operations of NY's top-rated restaurant Le Bernardin)
3.) The Reach of a Chef by Michael Ruhlmann (Possibly my favorite food writer, Ruhlmann has access to some of the best chefs in the world and he gets them to spill their guts.)
4.) The Desperate Duchesses series by Eloisa James (I don't even remember where I am in this series, but I want to read it all!)
5.) The Talk of the Town by Karen Hawkins (one of those small-town-good-girl and boy-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks meet up years later books, but this one hit the NYT bestseller list and I want to know why, aside from the searingly adorable cover.)
6.) The Devil in the Kitchen by Marco Pierre White (the memoir by the original screaming Bad Boy Chef)
7.) Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole (This is one series I'm actually caught up on, because I'm super addicted to it. Love those Immortals After Dark!)
8.) Service Included by Phoebe Damrosch (Memoir of a waitress at Thomas Keller's Manhattan outpost, Per Se)
9.) The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter (Because everybody and their mother has been falling all over themselves to recommend the Lords of the Underworld series to me, and I hate being so far behind the curve.)
10.) Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (As if I need a reason.)

What's on your reading list? How do you balance research books with pleasure reading?

Posted by Louisa Edwards at 2:38 PM