A September to Remember – a Review

A September to Remember, a culinary travel adventure book, is a read I’ll never forget! The descriptions of the villages and the scenery make you feel as though you are experiencing Italy and its beauty yourself. The details given about customs and ways of life allows you to see into the daily lives of those who live there. The food they eat is described in so much detail that you can almost taste it yourself. The last part of the book is filled with recipes from each of the chapters in the book so you can make these dishes and experience them yourself.      

Never did I think that I would enjoy a culinary travel book so much! Food and wine are at the center stage of just about everything in Italy. Their first stop is Lombardy where Carol has some issues with her luggage: it isn’t there. While making the reader laugh over her unfortunate circumstances, we’re also introduced to trying on clothes and buying them in Italy.

They’ve rented a house that turns out to be right in the middle of a festival, which is their introduction to life in Italy and the Italians’ love for food and wine. That evening around 8, they are pulled into the festival taking place at their doorstep to dance, sing, drink, and eat until the wee hours of the morning.

I am all for hanging clothes out to dry in the sunshine, but I’m also scared of heights. The house they rented didn’t have a dryer, so they had to hang their clothes out to dry. That wasn’t bad, but the clothesline was hanging out of the second-story bedroom. Granted, it was a pulley system, but still. Any clothesline I use needs to be firmly rooted in the ground.

Travel along with them as they describe the magnificent architecture they see in the medieval castles. They visit art galleries and museums where they see the works of Michelangelo, Botticelli, Raphael, da Vinci, etc. And yes, they also visited the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately, one isn’t allowed to take pictures or videos once inside.

What did I learn from the book that I remember most? Italians are very picky about their food and the way it was prepared. I was shocked when I read that if a dish is made in a different way than it has always been made, the children will refuse to eat it. It is always supposed to be made the same way. That does assure that if you make the dish the expected way, it will be eaten. But that also does away with cooking creativity and the ability to substitute ingredients if you happen to be out of one.

And I’ll never forget the author’s description of the bus rides! The scenery seen on these bus rides was beautiful and unforgettable, but just reading about the bus ride itself was rather frightening. I was hanging onto my chair as they described the fear of going over the edges of the cliffs that bus traveled along.

I was sent a copy of this book in order for an honest review. If you have never visited Italy but would like to do so from the comfort of your favorite chair or wherever you like to read, I would highly recommend A September to Remember.

Amazon Link: A September to Remember: Searching for Culinary Pleasures at the Italian Table

Recommended Article: Why I Write Travel/Culinary Books – Guest Post by Carole Bumpus

Favorite Sentences:

Questions softly pricked at my semi-conscious mind, but it did not dawn on me then that I, too, might be forced into an imaginary boat to cross this River Styx in order to find my bag.

My hand had gotten entangled in my backpack and I was whirling around like a dervish in the parking lot.

Memories of me screeching through the open train window for a quick panini had yet to fade, but we could see life was improving.

Few faces can launch a thousand ships, but this sweet but craggy face evoked images of characters found only in Dickens.

Most Italian markets have people who will handle these matters for you; you are not to paw through their vegetables, pinch their peaches, or thump their melons.

New Words Learned:

arugula – a yellowish-flowered Mediterranean herb of the mustard family cultivated for its foliage, which is used especially in salads

corbel – an architectural member that projects from within a wall and supports a weight

cortege – a procession, especially a ceremonial one

frenetic – frenzied

funerary – of or relating to a funeral or burial

funicular – a cable railway ascending a mountain

logy – lacking physical or mental energy or vitality; sluggish; dull; lethargic

panoply – a wide-ranging and impressive array or display

reliquary – a repository or receptacle for relics

sibyls – female prophets

About the Author:

Multi-award-winning author, Carole Bumpus is a retired family therapist, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began writing about food and travel when she stumbled upon the amazing stories of women and war in France. Her historical novel, A Cup of Redemption, was published in October 2014, and her unique companion cookbook, Recipes for Redemption: A Companion Cookbook to A Cup of Redemption, was released in August 2015.

Book One and Book Two of her Savoring the Olde Ways series, Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table, were published in August 2019 and 2020; her third book in the series, A September to Remember: Searching for Culinary Pleasures at the Italian Table is due out April 27, 2021. All five books have been published by She Writes Press which is part of SparkPoint Studio, LLC.

Website: https://carolebumpus.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolejbumpus
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaroleBumpus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carole.bumpus/