Welcome to Litsy!

Anya Von Bremzen, food writer and award-winning cookbook author, was born in the USSR in 1963 and emigrated to the US with her mother in 1974. Great memoir—Soviet history, family history and food!

#FoodOnTheCover #BookMoods
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking was recently recommended by Mayukh Sen in Lit Hub‘s Craft of Writing Newsletter. It sounded so interesting that I immediately downloaded the audiobook. The author cleverly mixes Soviet history, memoir and food writing.
#JoyousJanuary #memoir

I loved this book in so many ways. Funny memoir, great history on the experience of living in the Soviet Union as a whole, plus recipes for some delicious sounding Soviet food. Walking through the decades of that era was a fun way to do it. This was perfect for Read Harder 13 this year, a food book about a food I've never eaten.

#WanderingJune
This memoir is a good mix of history, along with what #Russians ate in the twentieth through twenty-first century. Books about food and food trends always interest me. I read this one a couple of years ago for my virtual foodie book club and paired it with Okroshka (a Russian cold kefir soup) and my take on a buterbrodi (a Russian open-faced sandwich).
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My #bookhaul from last weekend‘s #bookorgy at the #BookBarn in Niantic, CT. A bit of profligacy, but the most expensive was $4, and look at some of those chunksters. 😍😍😍

I loved this book so much. Russian history is one of my favorite subjects. Also, I love memoirs that take place during an interesting historical period. So this book really spoke to me.

Really interesting and detailed. My only major complaint is that the author tends to ramble quite a bit, jumping from topic to topic without giving much sense of timeframe or subject until you're already halfway through the new one. This one was for the #readharder challenge, #5 on the list

I can‘t remember why I requested this one through interlibrary loan, but I‘m certainly glad I did. My knowledge of Soviet history comes mostly from what I absorbed as a child during the Cold War, so it‘s interesting to see it through the lens of someone whose family was part of the story. And also, it‘s told through the lens of food, which is the best part of all.

Absolutely fascinated by this history of food and more in the USSR, as described in this memoir. I'm going to recommend it for #bookclub. Because my dad's parents came to the US from Ukraine, I had to try this Ukrainian fish pie called kulebiaka. Yummy #treat #uncannyoctober @reallifereading #bookanddinner #litsycooks

If you have any sort of soft spot for Russian history you‘ll adore this memoir. Part of the fun in it for me was catching her numerous references to Russian lit and of course her mouth water descriptions of various Soviet dishes. It‘s a unique and compelling way to write a history and I adored it.

I liked this one-a memoir of growing up in the Soviet Union-though I wanted a bit more food description & a little less history, name after name & nicknames for everyone. Still, it was well-written & taught me a lot about Russian food, culture, politics & history. Paired for lunch with Okroshka (Cold Russian Kefir Soup) & my take on an open-faced sandwich-'buterbrodi' for virtual foodie book club. Link to post/recipe👇🏻 #soup #litsycooks 📚🍴👍

#24in48 Swagalicious Challenge. I don't think I ever posted this picture of my bookish swag from a trip to Portland in May. I tend to collect books more than swag but you can never resist a visit to Powell's & some totes, bookmarks & pins.

Took a long break to run my errands & have second breakfast which is a green juice, a guava hand pie, & SBUX Pineapple-Black Tea Infusion (no sweetener). I'll need healthy protein for lunch I think 😆 but the hand pie is worth it--such flakey crust.😋🍴I'm in more of a thriller mood but I want to knock out some of this foodie memoir for book club. Going back into #24in48 mode. Catch you on the next break! 📚📚🤓📚📚📚

The soup is leftovers from yesterday's Asian-Style Cucumber Soup, so not Soviet cooking but it is today's lunch and I'm taking a work break and getting in some pages of this book for my virtual foodie bookclub. It's one of my current reads for @Liberty 'a #BIRTHDAYSPACE Giveaway. Thanks Liberty for the chance to win and for sharing your Birthday love. 🎉🎂📚🎁🎈

"On Sundays Mom invariably ran out of money, which is when she cracked eggs into the skillet over cubes of fried black sourdough bread. It was, I think, the most delicious and eloquent expression of pauperism."
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•I highly recommend this one. Listening to her experience in Soviet Russia was interesting.
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•#BackInTheUSSR #RockinMay #fromrussiawithlove #memoir #cooking #foodie #nonfiction #ussr

I know it's only the end of April but I'm already calling it; this will be one of the best books I read all year. I will read this again. And again. And probably one more time.

Considering I am Polish and Ukrainian, it is sad I only have one book about Eastern Europe. I better get on that! #aphotoadaynov16 #SetInEasternEurope

For #cookbooklove I have a historical-autobiographical-food-memoir-travel account that tells the story of the Soviet Union through Russian food, political history, and Anya's childhood memories. The way she blends each of these genres into one fascinating portrait of Soviet life is just wonderful. Her storytelling voice is warm and highly approachable and I loved this book.

In short, history + food = a killer combo. #photoadaynov16

Through the lens of food, Bremzen paints a vivid (and funny!) picture of her childhood in the USSR, moving to America, and visits back. There's recipes, too!

Absolutely adored this book. A thoughtful #memoir using one fascinating family to tell the foodie history of the #Soviet empire, from tsarist times to today. I learnt a lot, even about periods I'm already familiar with, and there are even recipes to try from each era! Definitely recommend for anyone interested in #Russian life, #politics & #history.

#food #Russia #foodhistory #cooking