Barbara Kingsolver would like to thank you, Miami.

As part of what she calls ``evangelizing for literature,'' the author of the beloved novels The Bean Trees and The Poisonwood Bible told a full house Monday night at Miami Book Fair International that ``the real beating heart of democracy is the place people love books. I salute you for your love of reading.''

She was right to pay tribute: The silent, rapt crowd hung onto every word as she read of howler monkeys, the death of the Mayan civilization and the vibrancy of Mexico City, all part of her latest novel, The Lacuna (an English word, not a Spanish one, she cautioned).

The crowd was excited for Monday night's windy yet wonderful edition of the fair, which also included an early, free appearance by Ruth Reichl, a former New York Times food critic and an editor of the now-defunct Gourmet magazine.

Friends and neighbors Jane Gross and Linda Van Leer of Miami Beach came for different authors but stayed for both.

``I loved Poisonwood Bible,'' Gross said. ``I loved the characters. I think it's incredible. . . . Every year there is such an incredible range of authors.''

Van Leer, the self-described ``foodie'' of the pair, had come to see Reichl but stayed for Kingsolver, too. The friends had been to Sunday's night's ``Evening With Margaret Atwood'' and bought tickets to see Nobel Prize-winner Orhan Pamuk on Friday. They were not deterred by the $10 ticket price.

``To me it's a deal,'' Van Leer said. ``You spend $10 on the movies. And here I run into old friends, former students. It's great.''

Reichl's entertaining chat also proved nourishing to the book-loving soul. She talked about the shifts in the culinary landscape, how the younger generation is intensely aware of ``ethical eating'' and -- perhaps most important -- about the joys of making Elvis' favorite pound cake. (In case you wondered, it involves seven eggs, half a pound of butter and half a cup of cream. Don't make it often.)

Reichl, who signed copies of Gourmet Today: More Than 1,000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen, also wistfully spoke on the demise of Gourmet, a sentiment echoed by many in the audience, including Laura Lafata of Miami Beach, a self-taught chef who operates the website LaDivaCucina.com and teaches a course on making canapés and mixing cocktails at La Cuisine Gourmet in Coral Gables.

``I remember making one recipe; it was some kind of Indian pancake with curried cauliflower. Every time I made a recipe from Gourmet, it turned out perfect,'' she said.

She asked Reichl whether cooking school could help her. Reichl, host of a PBS series in which she visits cooking schools around the globe, said yes.

``I think I might try it,'' Lafata mused afterward.

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