I don’t often recommend books. That’s because I don’t often read them. My eye-streaming day at the news screen doesn’t invite that kind of relaxation. But for Lara Vapnyar I make an exception. Particularly as she’s such a riveting, easy read, short story writer.

In ‘Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love‘ you can taste the lives and longings of Russian emigres in America. If you’ve ever lived abroad, you can relate to the theme easily. We are what we eat. National dishes, our love of certain foods, the correlation between food and hospitality and sensuality . . well, they’re all part of our identity.

So Lara’s romances include the tale of Sergei, who visits a prostitute for a borscht job. Then there’s Luda and Milena, who compete for another emigre’s attention in a passionate cook-off. While Nina’s husband has to deal with a broccoliholic . . .  If you’re booky and cooky, you’ll find the reviews here and here quite appetising. I’m sure.