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The Joy of Snacks
This book is a celebration of snacks in all their glorious forms, guaranteed to fill your day with snacking joy.
It's full of lists, essays and recipes to take you from your morning coffee (cinnamon crumble cakes and cherry-marzipan hand pies) to your evening wine (oeufs durs mayonnaise and mushroom pate) via salsas, hot dips, crispy bits, crab nachos and frozen piña coladas in the sun. The Joy of Snacks will lift your spirits while satisfying your deepest snacking desires, helping you squeeze the joy out of life's big and small moments, whether it's party time or Monday morning.
It's full of lists, essays and recipes to take you from your morning coffee (cinnamon crumble cakes and cherry-marzipan hand pies) to your evening wine (oeufs durs mayonnaise and mushroom pate) via salsas, hot dips, crispy bits, crab nachos and frozen piña coladas in the sun. The Joy of Snacks will lift your spirits while satisfying your deepest snacking desires, helping you squeeze the joy out of life's big and small moments, whether it's party time or Monday morning.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published September 15, 2022
16 people are currently reading
331 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 30, 2024
Actual rating 4.5
Did I frown when I read the last chapter‘s title - „You are now leaving Snacktown“? Yes of course I did.
I don‘t want to leave snacktown (ever) and I don‘t want to leave this book.
This spoke to me on all the (snack) levels and I‘ll be even more grateful for every salt and vinegar pringle, every prawn cocktail walkers crisps pack, choc digestive, custard cream, crisps in general, orange marabou choc, kinder bueno, kinder cards, pickled onion monster munch, white buttons, maltesers, etc etc that I‘ll ingest in future.
I love them all so much it‘s a little bit pathetic.
Finished this as a part of a bank holiday readathon, so no time for cohesive thoughts.
Did I frown when I read the last chapter‘s title - „You are now leaving Snacktown“? Yes of course I did.
I don‘t want to leave snacktown (ever) and I don‘t want to leave this book.
This spoke to me on all the (snack) levels and I‘ll be even more grateful for every salt and vinegar pringle, every prawn cocktail walkers crisps pack, choc digestive, custard cream, crisps in general, orange marabou choc, kinder bueno, kinder cards, pickled onion monster munch, white buttons, maltesers, etc etc that I‘ll ingest in future.
I love them all so much it‘s a little bit pathetic.
Finished this as a part of a bank holiday readathon, so no time for cohesive thoughts.
July 28, 2023
Right up my street. Love snacks. Love the random thought trains about snacks. Love the recipes. I squealed when I realised someone else agreed with my theory about McDonalds being a snack - and even better had come up with a name for it.
August 31, 2023
Lovely little book to SNACK on, I might even try one of the recipes (I am notoriously bad at trying new recipes)
August 23, 2024
I think I have found my icon in life. 😍
I love snacks, they're one of the great joys in life (and this is no exaggeration) and to have a book that pays tribute to them is the dream. Better than that though, RECIPES! I took so many screenshots on my Kindle, ready to put my culinary talents to use in pursuit of snack haven because, frankly, a bagel-base pizza sounds like bliss.
God I love snacks.
I love snacks, they're one of the great joys in life (and this is no exaggeration) and to have a book that pays tribute to them is the dream. Better than that though, RECIPES! I took so many screenshots on my Kindle, ready to put my culinary talents to use in pursuit of snack haven because, frankly, a bagel-base pizza sounds like bliss.
God I love snacks.
March 18, 2025
Sometimes when I’m working I just want someone chattering in my ear that I don’t pay any attention to and this lady basically just listing snacks was ideal. 5 stars!
April 20, 2023
An easy yet delightful read...all about snacks, snacking in different continents (deep diving into Scandinavian fika and UK snack culture), and just overall making me hungry and happy.
Yes, it's about food, but it's actually about noticing delightful things and letting them viscerally impact you. I read the chapter on coffee curled up in my favorite cafe with a maple brown sugar latte. The chapter on chips, I read with a bag of crispy sun chips. I stood in the kitchen reading the cheese chapter with a hunk of aged Dubliner cheese smothered in mango jalepeno jam.
*Sigh* I'm glad food is so easy to love and that Goodman's writing about it is so engaging. Who knew a whole chapter about chips and the history of crispiness could be so entertaining?
Yes, it's about food, but it's actually about noticing delightful things and letting them viscerally impact you. I read the chapter on coffee curled up in my favorite cafe with a maple brown sugar latte. The chapter on chips, I read with a bag of crispy sun chips. I stood in the kitchen reading the cheese chapter with a hunk of aged Dubliner cheese smothered in mango jalepeno jam.
*Sigh* I'm glad food is so easy to love and that Goodman's writing about it is so engaging. Who knew a whole chapter about chips and the history of crispiness could be so entertaining?
March 11, 2025
Who doesn't love snacks? Who doesn't snack? This book is what it says on the cover: the joy of snacks. What they are, why we at them, the different types of snacks, the appeal of snacks, etc. In a mix of recipes, essays, commentary, scientific facts, etc., Goodman goes through all kinds of snacks.
I liked the approach and the topic because I'm not sure how many books there are dedicated to the concept of "snacks," not meals, not appetizers, not "junk food" necessarily, etc. but snacks. And in a way, this book was a "snack" in itself: not a cookbook, not a social commentary, not a microhistory, but rather bite-sized bits in itself.
That's pretty much it. It is not comprehensive and it does not try to be. You have foods from chips (or crisps) to coffee cake to cheese snacks, etc. you'll probably be at least somewhat familiar with the snacks that are covered in the text. But do not expect anything comprehensive and no pictures (and to be fair, it isn't a cookbook or history book, etc.)
Overall it was okay. I needed something a little different and enjoy books about food and the like. If you want anything more comprehensive or a deeper look at snacks, this is not your book. If you are looking for something light-hearted that you can put down and pick it up again, this might be a fun read.
Bought as a bargain book since it wasn't available at the library and that was fine for me.
I liked the approach and the topic because I'm not sure how many books there are dedicated to the concept of "snacks," not meals, not appetizers, not "junk food" necessarily, etc. but snacks. And in a way, this book was a "snack" in itself: not a cookbook, not a social commentary, not a microhistory, but rather bite-sized bits in itself.
That's pretty much it. It is not comprehensive and it does not try to be. You have foods from chips (or crisps) to coffee cake to cheese snacks, etc. you'll probably be at least somewhat familiar with the snacks that are covered in the text. But do not expect anything comprehensive and no pictures (and to be fair, it isn't a cookbook or history book, etc.)
Overall it was okay. I needed something a little different and enjoy books about food and the like. If you want anything more comprehensive or a deeper look at snacks, this is not your book. If you are looking for something light-hearted that you can put down and pick it up again, this might be a fun read.
Bought as a bargain book since it wasn't available at the library and that was fine for me.
February 8, 2025
Light, fun, frothy and has left me very hungry! Some of the snack discussions were interesting little drabbles (why do we love crunch? Why does coffee cake work? How does food connect us during life changes?) but some felt a little too "in joke" from time to time (lots of lists of food memories which sometimes felt like when other people try to describe their dreams to you, a gazillion mentions of LA). I feel a great affinity with the joy and love for snacks expressed throughout though! Very dairy-heavy so not sure how many I'll realistically be able to make (just leave it off, I hear you cry, but surely that changes the flavour profile/balance too much??). Now I must go buy lots and lots of crisp flavours, farewell...!
September 12, 2023
I stopped and started this so many times, but it was a 'right place right time' kind of book - and it was a very comforting little read once I'd struggled through the first 10 days of September. Honestly, made me want a snack, and isn't that the whole point?
January 4, 2025
Really enjoyed reading this! As a snacks person, her writing reminded me a lot about my own snack journeys - recipes and anecdotes mingle with laugh out loud moments! Highly recommended even if you don’t like snacks
October 2, 2022
This book is delicious and left me famished. Fortunately it’s full of recipes for that.
January 22, 2023
The Joy of Snacks by Laura Goodman was a delight to read! Part ode to Laura’s favourite snacks, part recipe book, the book is broken into different sections, with each chapter focussing on a different category of snack food, such as X The Joy of Snacks by Laura Goodman was a delight to read! Part ode to Laura’s favourite snacks, part recipe book, the book is broken into different sections, with each chapter focussing on a different category of snack food, such as Carby Things, Cheesy Things or A Cup of Coffee. Within these chapters, there’s little vignettes with stories around foods and recipes. Most of the recipes are quite simple and not overly complex. There’s no photos but I didn’t feel like it was lacking because of this
If you’ve read Eat Up: Food, Appetite and Eating What You Want by Ruby Tandoh and liked the fun, whimsical parts of that, then you may like this. Good man’s writing is witty and it was a joy to read this, especially in a gloomy January!
or Y. Within these chapters, there’s little liars, vignettes with stories around foods and recipes. Most of the recipes are quite simple and not overly complex. There’s no photos but I didn’t feel like it was lacking because of this
If you’ve read Eat Up! by Ruby Tandoh and liked the fun, whimsical parts of that, then you may like this. Good man’s writing is witty and it was a joy to read this, especially in a gloomy January!
If you’ve read Eat Up: Food, Appetite and Eating What You Want by Ruby Tandoh and liked the fun, whimsical parts of that, then you may like this. Good man’s writing is witty and it was a joy to read this, especially in a gloomy January!
or Y. Within these chapters, there’s little liars, vignettes with stories around foods and recipes. Most of the recipes are quite simple and not overly complex. There’s no photos but I didn’t feel like it was lacking because of this
If you’ve read Eat Up! by Ruby Tandoh and liked the fun, whimsical parts of that, then you may like this. Good man’s writing is witty and it was a joy to read this, especially in a gloomy January!
February 9, 2023
The recipes throughout are excellent, but I felt like the rest of the text just went on weird tangents at times and had nothing interesting, witty, or profound to say about snacking. The parts where she talks about snacking rituals and the history of snack foods were really good. There are parts where the author just talks about random things she likes.
For example, in the earlier part of the book the author talks about crunch and why it's really satisfying. Then she talks about the history of coffee cakes and the concept of drinking and eating coffee with cake. That makes perfect sense and was really interesting.
In other parts of the book she talks about a restaurant she likes. Okay, but that's not necessarily snacking, is it?
For example, in the earlier part of the book the author talks about crunch and why it's really satisfying. Then she talks about the history of coffee cakes and the concept of drinking and eating coffee with cake. That makes perfect sense and was really interesting.
In other parts of the book she talks about a restaurant she likes. Okay, but that's not necessarily snacking, is it?
September 23, 2024
A thoughtful and witty meditation on life, love, parenthood, and so many other things, all told, as all good stories should be told, with the help of snacks.
February 13, 2024
Love snacks, loved this wee book
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews