Banana Yoshimoto
http://www.yoshimotobanana.com/index_e.html
The author's website.
An Interview with Banana Yoshimoto
http://www.bookslut.com/features/2005_08_006254.php
Interview with the author.
The Question and Answer section for Kitchen is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
Chapter please?
At the beginning of the novella, Mikage, a young woman whose grandmother has recently died, explains her love for kitchens.
I don't think the titles are given. From the text:
I bought three books on cooking— fundamentals, theory, and practice— and went through them one by one. (pg. 57)