Photograph: Nick Himmel

Foodies who like to read have had an abundant year: They’ve been able to sink their teeth into the likes of David Kamp’s The United States of Arugula, Julia Child’s My Life in France and, of course, Bill Buford’s Heat. Those books are great at capturing food trends and superchefs, but they don’t have the personal touch or accessibility of Food & Booze, a collection of 25 pieces harvested from the literary journal Tin House, in which a group of mostly superb authors reflect on the pleasures of cooking, drinking and sitting down to eat.

The topics range from poisson (Lydia Davis’s deliciously neurotic piece “Eating Fish Alone”) to poison (Lisa Grossman’s disjointed “Dinner with the Borgias,” which, unfortunately, goes down like a dry cracker). Many of Tin House’s usual gang are here, including Grace Paley, who pens an endearing poem about eating and mortality, and Francine Prose, who sends a mash note to the Czech liquor Becherovka.

Editor Michelle Wildgen’s piece “Ode to an Egg” is particularly delectable, as is her recipe for eggs with mushrooms and truffles (most entries here are followed by a recipe, so readers can replicate the author’s experience). Here, again, is an example of this anthology’s refreshingly democratic approach. Wildgen’s recipe begins with a note on ingredients and cost: “As for the truffles, many food lovers insist that truffle oil should be shunned in favor of the real, precious fresh fungi at all costs. Such people fill me with rage and envy, but not, sadly, with truffles. I say find a good truffle oil and pay your rent on time.” Spoken like a true writer. — Kelly McMasters