Book and Sandwich Pairings

Here at Quirk Books we love a good lunch. And if we’re being honest, we really mean we love a good sandwich. So to celebrate National Sandwich Day – yes, it’s a thing – here are some of our favorite books paired with the food that makes us want to read right through lunch.

Pastrami on Rye + Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

We know Holden Caufield hates everyone and everything, but we’re pretty sure that he’d be all over a delicious pastrami on rye. He’s human, right? Tuck that well-worn orange paperback under your arm and waltz into your neighborhood deli. Holden might call you a phony, but that’s a risk you’ll have to be willing to take. Still can’t get enough of this food pun? Take your reading party all the way to happy hour with some rye whiskey. Neat.

Chili Dog + The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Baseball season might be over, but this is prime The Art of Fielding weather. The changing leaves are reminiscent of the beautiful Westish campus and there’s no better way to enjoy this gorgeous novel than with a mouth-watering chili dog. If you’re looking to add to the sensory experience, take your lunch break on a patch of grass. Soon enough you’ll be thinking about every baseball game you’ve ever attended. What’s that? A hotdog isn’t a sandwich? Well that’s a curve ball.

Lobster Roll + The Folded Clock by Heidi Julavits

Just thinking about Heidi Julavits’ part-time Maine home conjures images of ocean piers and sand and 4th of July picnics. Dive into her non-linear memoir with a pencil because you’re going to want to underline something on every page. And then dive into a lobster roll from your favorite seafood joint because this book begs for that. And if you start bookmarking seaside Airbnbs for next summer, we won’t tell anyone.

PB&J + Wonder by R.J. Palacio

As a ten-year-old venturing into private school for the first time (goodbye homeschooling!), it’s almost a given that Auggie would have an expertly packed peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his lunch that first week. Join Auggie in the cafeteria with your own brown-bagged lunch and daydream about trading your apple for a chocolate chip cookie or a bag of chips. (Why is it that everyone else always has the best snacks?) Whether your style is crunchy or smooth, you’re sure to feel right at home with this truly incredible novel about what it means to fit in.