As a restaurant critic for the New York Times in the 1990s, legendary food writer Ruth Reichl gained renown for her acerbic observations and penchant for donning disguises to maintain her anonymity in restaurants, and she went on to become the editor-in-chief of the now-defunct Gourmet magazine. Reichl has since penned five best-selling memoirs as well as a cookbook and a novel, has won six James Beard Awards, and is known for her warm voice and fierce advocacy of home cooking. In her latest fictional work, The Paris Novel, she tells the story of Stella, a woman who receives a one-way ticket to Paris after her estranged mother dies. Of course, Reichl's cozy ode to the City of Light is full of sparkling descriptions of decadent French cuisine, vintage fashion, and dazzling art, making it a perfect escapist romp for when you're consumed by wanderlust. by Julianne Bell