When I was young, we used to cut our own Christmas trees with some family friends every year. Since I grew up in Las Vegas, this was a full day event. On one of these excursions, I was introduced to instant ramen. Oh, what joy! It was warm, flavorful and salty. It was fast and filling. Best of all, it was inexpensive and a snack that I could fix for myself. To this day, I keep ramen noodles on hand.
Recently, I had my first experience with a ramen bar. The chef served the noodles and broth, added a soft-boiled egg, and then handed me the bowl - next to a buffet of sliced scallions, radishes, bean sprouts, and half a dozen sauces and chili oils. Wow! My ramen world expanded from 6-8 flavor packets to infinite possibilities. Whether you start with instant ramen, or cook your own noodles, ramen has become a popular soup in the U.S., and there are many cookbooks devoted to this chewy noodle soup. Here are some that the library has to offer:
- “Homemade Ramen” by Sho Spaeth (2025)
- “Ramen Obsession” by Naomi Imatome-Yun (2019)
- “Ramen” by Tove Nilsson (2017)
- “Simply Ramen” by Amy Kimoto-Kahn (2016)
- on order: “Instant Ramen Kitchen” by Peter J. Kim (2025)
Fall and winter are great for all types of soups, not just ramen. The aroma of soup simmering on the stove is as cozy as a blanket, and coming home after work to a crockpot with dinner already prepared is a blessing on these dark chilly evenings. My family’s favorite is Chicken Bacon Corn Chowder, although “refrigerator soup” is what I make most often! If you haven’t eaten all the Thanksgiving leftovers yet, check out some soup cookbooks and see what you can stir up:
- “Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches” by Matty Matheson (2024)
- “Vegan Soups and Stews for All Seasons” by Nava Atlas (2024)
- “Every Season is Soup Season” by Shelly Westerhausen (2023)
- “101 Greatest Soups on the Planet” by Erin Renouf Mylroie (2022)
- on order: “Taste of Home Soups & Breads” (2025)
I sense that there are some doubters out there. Some of you do not believe that soup by itself is a meal. I know, because one of you lives in my house. Okay, okay, you can have sandwiches with your soup. Here you go:
- “Idiot Sandwich: 100+ Recipes to Elevate Your Sandwich Game” by Courtney McBroom (2025)
- “Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich” by Owen Han (2024)
- “Sam the Cooking Guy: Between the Buns” by Sam Zien (2022)
- “The Great Grilled Cheese Book” by Eric Greenspan (2018)
- “The Banh Mi Handbook” by Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen (2014)
Bon appétit! Slurping is optional…
Cookbooks devoted to ramen, other soups and stews, and sandwiches - just right for chilly fall and winter nights in the drizzly Pacific Northwest.
Beth Wood is a senior collection development librarian for Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries. Her column, Check It Out, is published weekly in The Columbian.
New at the Library
This is just a small sampling of the many new titles added each week to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District collection. Visit the district’s 15 locations, our website at www.fvrl.org, or call (360) 906-5000 to reserve titles or find additional listings.
FICTION
“From Cradle to Grave” by Rhys Bowen
“Eldritch” by Keri Lake
“Snake-eater” by T. Kingfisher
NONFICTION
“The Nine Lives of Christopher Columbus” by Matthew Restall
“A Sheepdog Named Oscar” by Dara Waldron
“Just Visiting This Planet” by Neil deGrasse Tyson
CHILDREN
“Fly Like a Bird” by Ol’ga Ptashnik
“Joy to the Whole World” by Sang Miao
“A Little Too Haunted” by Justine Pucella Winans
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