The Cephalopod Coffeehouse: March 2016

Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the works they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.  If you wish to add your own review to the conversation, please sign on to the link list at the end of my post.

Title: Third Helpings
Author: Calvin Trillin

via Goodreads

Once again, I offer you the work of Calvin Trillin.  Third Helpings is the third and final installment of The Tummy Trilogy.  Trillin takes us to Asia this time: Japan and Hong Kong.  He shares his attempts at historical research into chicken wings in Buffalo and baked duck in Louisiana.  We tag along for a bar hop in Reading, Pennsylvania.  Throughout, he is as humorous and gluttonous as ever.

Obviously, Trillin has loomed large for me of late, even turning up in unexpected places.  When we watched Sleepless in Seattle for Mock Squid Soup, a familiar face turned up at the dinner table at Annie's parents' house.  Sure enough, Uncle Milton was played by Calvin Trillin!  Evidently, he and director Nora Ephron are friends.  My wife explained to our daughter, "You know those books Daddy's been reading and giggling over?  That's the guy who wrote them."

I was reminded, too, that I have seen Calvin Trillin interviewed many times on The Daily Show as well.  The following is from an appearance in 2012.  Be forewarned, it is terrifyingly prophetic regarding our current presidential election kerfuffle:

Trillin is loads of fun.  I have enjoyed the trilogy thoroughly and hope to read more of his work in the future.

Please join us and share your own review of your best read from the past month.  This month's link list is below.  I'll keep it open until the end of the day.  I'll post April's tomorrow.  Meetings are the last Friday of each month.  Next gathering is April 29th.