Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater ,by Frank Bruni, published by The Penguin Press

Restaurant critic for The New York Times is, for those of us who love food, one of those dream jobs: getting paid to dine out all over the country. I, for one, am still trying to find someone - anyone - to agree that the perfect date would begin in one place for cocktails, move to another for a main course, and move yet again for dessert.

Over the years, reading the Times reviews of Frank Bruni, who has held the position since 2004, I could feel the profound pleasure he took in his work - both the dining and the writing.

No matter whether he was covering slow food or fast, fancy or fraught or both, he seemed to want to invite everyone to the table with him or to spare his readers the pain. His writing has always been muscular and clear.