search-icon

Celebrate Cheese Lover’s Day with These Book & Cheese Pairings

by  | January 18
Cheese Lovers Day
When I found out that January 20 was Cheese Lover’s Day, I was so excited because that is a made-up Internet holiday that I can really get behind since I LOVE cheese so much. In fact, recently, when I was talking to a college boyfriend that I hadn’t spoken to in years and we were reminiscing about the good old days, he stopped mid-conversation and said, “Do you know what I remember most about you?” And I thought he was going to maybe comment on how funny I was, or maybe on my quirky laugh, but no, the one thing he remembered most is that I really liked cheese! In honor of my cheesiness, I thought it would be fun to pair some of my favorite cheesy foods with some books that I love almost as much as cheese.
You Know You Want This

You Know You Want This

by Kristen Roupenian

You Know You Want This & Cheese Popcorn

You know how at the holidays someone always ends up sending you one of those big tubs of popcorn in three flavors: caramel, butter, and the cheese coated one that turns your fingers orange? I am obsessed with that cheese popcorn, and once I start I can’t stop. That’s why it’s perfect to pair with Kristen Roupenian’s You Know You Want This. This collection of short stories about sex, rage, and obsession will keep you turning the pages until the very end. The first story will have you hooked once you start reading about this couple who become turned on with their friend/roommate hearing them have sex, then watching them have sex…until they can’t be turned on without having sex with him too. You will be digging into that bucket of cheese popcorn while reading away, but you will need some serious napkins on hand so you don’t stain the book, because this is one you will be loaning to your friends. You don’t want them to think you are a slob, do you? Better yet, buy them a copy of their own because you will definitely want to keep yours, and that way too, no one will see your orange smudges.

via GIPHY

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
Looker

Looker

by Laura Sims

Looker & Gruyère

Looker by Laura Sims is a debut novel about a woman who becomes maniacally obsessed with the famous actress and her perfectly adorable family who live on the same street as she does in brownstone Brooklyn. What was once a harmless preoccupation with the actress turns into toxic, all-consuming envy after an encounter goes awry at the annual block party.

Now you may be wondering why I picked Gruyère as the pairing because it’s not a Brooklyn artisanal cheese. Well, Gruyère is sweet but slightly salty, and it’s described (according to Wikipedia anyway) as creamy and nutty when young, becoming more assertive, earthy, and complex as it matures. The protagonist in this book is definitely nutty, assertive, and complex, but that’s not why I picked Gruyère. It’s because I live in Brooklyn, and when you raise kids in Brooklyn they come out precocious by osmosis, and this has been my son’s favorite cheese since he was five years old. True story: Sebastien came home from a playdate and his friend’s mom apologized because my son refused to eat the grilled cheese she offered with the only cheese she had on hand (he only eats Gruyère). I was very embarrassed, but I also imagine that this is something one of the actress’s kids in Looker would say too when offered American cheese.

Amazon logoAudible logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoGoogle Play logoiBooks logoBookshop logo
Eight Hundred Grapes

Eight Hundred Grapes

by Laura Dave

Eight Hundred Grapes & Barely Buzzed Cheese

Sometimes I fantasize what it would be like if I left New York City and the world of publishing behind to spend my time at a vineyard in Sonoma or Italy. I would drink wine all day and maybe crush the grapes with my feet like they did on that episode of I Love Lucy. Have you ever been jealous of a fictional character? Well, I am jealous of Georgia, the main character in Eight Hundred Grapes, who grew up in Sonoma and whose family owns a vineyard! Georgia has a dreamy British fiancé who she is about to marry when she discovers a potentially deal-breaking secret one week before her wedding. Georgia leaves her home in Los Angeles and drives through the night to Sonoma to be with her family, who have all gathered at their acclaimed vineyard. When she arrives she discovers that her fiancé is not the only one who has secrets.

If you’re reading a book about vino, you better have some cheese on hand to complement all the wine you’ll be guzzling. And what better cheese to eat than Barely Buzzed, a cheddar-style cheese with a rind that is developed by hand-rubbing a combination of espresso coffee beans, lavender, and vegetable oil. You’re going to need that espresso to help keep you awake when you’re reading Eight Hundred Grapes all night.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
Scrublands

Scrublands

by Chris Hammer

Scrublands & Steak and Cheese Pies

A rural Australian town ravaged by drought is left reeling after a charismatic priest guns down five parishioners right in front of the church and is himself killed during the mass murder. When a journalist, Martin, goes to cover the one-year anniversary of the shootings, he begins to realize that the rumors that the priest had been a pedophile who was on the verge of having his secret exposed may be untrue. While Martin continues his investigation, the bodies of two German backpackers who went missing around the time of the shootings are found. This book will keep you guessing as to the motive behind the priest’s shooting spree and to whether there is a connection between the murders and the missing backpackers. While you’re trying to solve the mystery you should be eating an Australian Steak and Cheese Pie or two. You’re going to need all the sustenance you get can get to help you unravel the secrets in this town.

Amazon logoAudible logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoGoogle Play logoiBooks logoBookshop logo
666 Park Avenue

666 Park Avenue

by Gabriella Pierce

666 Park Avenue & Spray Can Cheese

Five years ago this really cheesy (you get where I am going here) show was on the air called 666 Park Avenue. It was about this fancy, yet haunted apartment building in Manhattan—it was a cross between Rosemary’s Baby and Gossip Girl, and I LOVED it. But, it got cancelled after one season (WHY?), and the last episode was a cliff-hanger! I was so happy when I found out that 666 Park Avenue was actually inspired by a book of the same name, so of course I bought it and devoured it! It’s about an American woman, Jane, raised by her overprotective grandmother in France, who meets an uber-wealthy and charming American guy named Malcolm Doran. After a whirlwind courtship and engagement, Jane leaves France and returns to New York with Malcolm. But before she leaves, she discovers that she has magical powers. Jane is going to need those powers when she meets Malcom’s family, one of the most powerful in New York, with some old magic of their own.

You might be thinking, If this book is about rich people, why should I be getting out my favorite brand of spray can cheese and buttery crackers? Because this book is sooo bad, it’s good, just like that snack!

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logo
Sheridans' Guide to Cheese

Sheridans' Guide to Cheese

by Kevin Sheridan

Sheridans’ Guide to Cheese & All of the Cheeses in the Book

After all of that cheese talk, you might find yourself looking for a book to help you seek out some other cheeses that you might want to eat when reading your favorite books. Sheridans’ Guide to Cheese is like a master class in cheesy goodness and it’s a complete guide for the novice or the expert. The book is written by two brothers, Kevin and Seamus Sheridan, who have been cheesemongers since 1995.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
Love to get lit... erary? Sign up to get the latest delivered to your inbox!