Dinner Made Simple

Oxmoor House

Dinner Made Simple
Real Simple
2016

The Summary
"Think you'll never win at weeknight cooking?  Think again.

"Organized from apples to zucchini, Dinner Made Simple is filled with 350 easy inventive dishes--many ready in 30 minutes or less--to help you get out of your recipe rut.  With 10 ideas for every ingredient, you'll never look at a box of spaghetti, a bunch of carrots, or a ball of pizza dough the same way again."

The Good
Okay, so I know you can't really "read" a cook book in the traditional sense; however, I can say with confidence that I looked at every single page in this book and I examined all the recipes and checked it from cover to cover and even tested out some of the recipes, and it has been "read."

And I loved it.

Now, let me tell you why:

One, I loved the pictures.  They were bright and really very lovely when you're looking at how a dish should have looked.  Granted, reality is never going to be as pretty as the picture (and I never get the portions right), but I think the book does a fine job of showing you what it will look like--and then helping you achieve those results.

Two, I adored the fact that the book has an index; in fact, it has two.  One is similar to a table of contents, which shows you the main ingredient of each recipe in alphabetical order, followed by an easy to read table that show you what's vegetarian, what's vegan, what's family friendly (read:  kid friendly), what's gluten free, and more.  Moreover, it goes on to tell you all the nutritional information and it helps you make healthy choices.

Three, I liked that it has good food that's easy to make within an hour or less.  Most of the recipes only take 30 minutes, and that's including prep time and baking, which I absolutely loved.  As the subtitle promises it has "easy recipes" that are loaded with simple, but wholesome ingredients, and easy-to-read recipes that make cooking so much less of a chore.

For instance, I liked that I could reach into my cupboard and cobble together a delicious meal in just an hour after work.  I tried the Shepherd's Pie (which was delicious), the garlic rolls (equally delicious, but I added some mozzarella cheese and I think it could have used some more butter and parsley), and the sausage and broccoli calzones (or, more accurately, I took the recipe and made it my own with Italian sausage, spinach, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and a little bit of Parmesan cheese).

All these recipes turned out delicious, and they were seriously some of the easiest meals I made throughout my week.  After working until 5 or 6 in the evening, I liked coming home, throwing together a Shepherd's Pie with the leftover hamburger in my refrigerator and pouring on a heaping helping of instant mashed potatoes and cheese.  It was pretty delicious, but I will probably be more careful about following the directions to the letter next time.

The Bad
No complaints.  I found the recipes I loved, and then if I didn't like the recipe I simply didn't make it.  There are more than 350 different recipes that range from gluten-free to Vegan with a spattering of other healthy choices in between decadent recipes like Salted Caramel Cupcakes and Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting, so there's bound to be something for everyone.

I'm still drooling over the marshmallow frosting.

The Ugly
There's really not anything here to complain about.  I mean, unless you just don't like food, in which case you wouldn't even pick it up in the first place, it's a nice little cook book that's good to give you an idea on busy weeknights.

Bonus: Sweeter with You

Harlequin

Sweeter with You
Susan Mallery
2016

The Summary
"Ana Raquel's greatest passion is food:  she's a gifted chef with the experience to prove it.  Armed with an Airstream trailer-turned-mobile-kitchen, she's back in her hometown of Fool's Gold, California, ready to make her dreams of running her own kitchen come true.  There's just one problem--one tall, dark-eyed,utterly exasperating problem:  Greg Clary, her archnemesis.

"Greg has always one-upped her at everything.  he even has a restaurant in Fool's Gold that's wildly successful.  And when the mayor asks Ana to collaborate with Greg on a cookbook, she's forced to confront her unresolved feelings for him.  Ana can craft the most delicate souffle, but can she navigate the desire of her own heart?"

The Good
I've been a fan of Susan Mallery for a long time, and I've come to love her imaginary town of Fool's Gold.  I don't know why, but I've always been enchanted by her stories.  They're short and sweet, but (not often) foolishly romantic.  Sweeter with You is much the same of what I've come to expect.

Except shorter.  Much shorter.

It was fun.  I read it quickly (during lunch, I believe), and I enjoyed a short jaunt back to Mallery's idealistic little town.

The Bad
Honestly, Sweeter with You feels rushed.  I mean, it's only a novella, so I understand that a lot has to happen in a few pages for the story to progress and for the romance to happen.  And yet I still didn't feel very interested in the characters or as invested in the story.

It just wasn't quite the same, like it was missing something.  It probably could have used an entire novel to improve upon the development of the plot and the emotional evolution of the characters.  I might have preferred a longer novel in that regard.

Or I might have like to read it in the original cookbook format.

The Ugly
Nothing really.  It's very mild for a novella, especially for a Fool's Gold story.

Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living

Hatchette Books

Julie & Julia:  365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen:  How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living
Julie Powell
2005

The Summary
"Powell needs something to break the monotony of her life.  So, she invents a deranged assignment:  she will take her mother's dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic, Mastering the Art of Frech Cooking, and cook all 524 recipes in the span of just one year."

Truthfully, the subtitle says it all.

The Good
I read Julie and Julia by Julie Powell as part of my Read Harder Challenge for 2016 (which you can read more about here), and I was absolutely delighted with it.

Amusing, candid, and insightful, I really enjoyed listening to Julie Powell's memoir--or food memoir?  I'm not really sure where it falls in the grand scheme of things, but, regardless, I thought it was a wonderful book.  It's riotously funny, yet strangely poignant.  Oddly enough, it reminds me of Jenny Lawson and her memoir, Furiously Happy--yet just a tiny bit less chaotic.

Not by much, considering Julie Powell undertakes to make 524 different recipes, many of which take hours to prepare, in just one year in a crappy little apartment in Queens.  It's astonishing the things she (and her marriage) manages to survive, including:  biological clocks, frozen pipes, disastrous dinner parties, inane dead end secretarial jobs, break downs, Blanche days, and celebrity crushes.

It's really a pretty amusing book, especially if you decide to listen to it as read by the author (which I did--and which I highly recommend); however, it's not quite the food memoir I expected.  In fact, Julie and Julia is more memoir than food.  Julie is hellbent on recreating all of Julia Child's recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1 and, in her journey, she learns how to make a variety of dishes and confronts some of the most trying times of her life.

While it features a lot of cooking, Julie and Julia feels like it's more about the experiences of cooking and the results, specifically what happens to the author as she slogs through more than 500 French recipes, than the actual cooking, but I can't say I minded.

Julie and Julia is strangely heartwarming and incredibly amusing.  To me, it strikes just the right balance that makes it a memoir worth reading, especially if you have the chance to listen to the author tell her own story.  It makes Julie and Julia that much more memorable.

The Bad
I will note that while I was listening to the audiobook I discovered I borrowed the abridged version.  I don't know if the audiobook had the full text, but I do know I missed a few things that might otherwise have filled in details or fleshed out the characters involved.  It was my only disappointment in a book that was, otherwise, wonderful.

The Ugly
Okay, I'll be honest:  I liked Julie, but, sometimes, I just couldn't handle very much of her.

I mean, I liked her and I liked her style of writing.  I loved listening to the audiobook, because it has this authenticity to it, this genuine emotion that seeps through every chapter.  However, I could only take so much.  She was very dramatic and she stressed out so easily--and, confidentially, she stressed me out when she went on a rant about how cooking was going to ruin her and so on...and, sometimes, it was just a little too shrill, you know?

Happy New Year: Read Harder Challenge 2016

Since I completed my Read Harder Challenge of 2016 and filled in all the categories recommended by BookRiot, I created some of my own unique categories.  As part of my continued challenge, I've decided to:

1. Read a book by or about a librarian (or about a library)
2. Read a medical book (fiction or nonfiction)
3. Listen to an audiobook romance
4. Read a brand new, recently published book (anything from 2016)
5. Read a spin-off from a classic novel and/or fairy tale
6. Read a book about cake (fiction or nonfiction)
7. Read a fantasy book featuring dragons

Gotham Books

I thought it might prove fun to dive into some new books I might not otherwise find.  Some are based on recommendations from co-workers, while others are based on books from my TBR pile--and still others are just ideas that seemed like fun.  And with the countdown to the New Year on, I can't wait to tell you all about the books I've read, starting with a book by (and about) a librarian:  The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne.

If you've never read Josh Hanagarne I highly recommend his memoir.  It's funny, it's candid, it's insightful, and, ultimately, it's uplifting.  Although Hanagarne does discuss religion, his main focus is his family, his battle with Tourette's, his struggles with infertility, and his general love of the library and all things literary.  It's enjoyable to see his passion for his family, his books, and his weightlifting come to the forefront as he learns to balance all the different aspects of his life.  Overall, it's a pretty great read.

Next, I read (or, rather, listened to) a medical book--a historical medical drama, fyi--by Tessa Harris:  The Anatomist's Apprentice.  Narrated by  Simon Vance, The Anatomist's Apprentice was an interesting deviation from my usual reading material.  Thomas Silkstone is a young anatomist from Philadelphia who finds himself in England about the time of the Revolutionary War, caught in the midst of a medical mystery...and a murder  It's dark, rather macabre, but it's ultimately fascinating with the sheer depth of detail and history included.  I enjoyed my time in Silkstone's world, and I found myself quickly gravitating to book number two, The Dead Shall Not Rest.

Bantam

As for listening to an audiobook romance, I decided to check out more by Sarah Addison Allen and picked up The Peach Keeper.  Now, let me give you a warning, I have read almost everything by Allen, except Lost Lake (that one is currently in my TBR), and I have loved almost everything she's written.  The Peach Keeper was no different.  I loved the characters and the complexity of their histories; I loved the little hints of every day magic she weaves into her novels; I even loved the ghost story, which is saying something, as I am not a fan of ghosts.  It was a wonderful visit back to her world, and it was so much fun recognizing an old friend.

I also picked up a brand new book just published this year, a little novel by J. Ryan Stradal called Kitchens of the Great Midwest.  Another audiobook, I know, but it was just as rewarding as any other.  Although it follows a myriad of characters, it focuses on Eva Thorvald and her life as she grows into her own--and all the foods that influenced her in the process.  That's really the simplified version; Kitchens of the Great Midwest is much more complex, much more nuanced than I make it out to be.  It's a recurring cast of characters centered around Eva, but it's quite unlike anything I've ever read.  It's wonderful, and I absolutely adored the narrators, Amy Ryan and Michael Stuhlbarg.

G.P. Putnam & Sons

Speaking of new books, I also discovered Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye, which fit nicely into my category for a spin-off novel based on a classic work or a fairy tale.  There were several options for this particular category, but I decided on Jane Steele because Jane Eyre.  I love Jane Eyre (as is probably apparent here), and I loved having the opportunity to reimagine her story not as the quiet, resolute girl who refused to give ground to anyone or relinquish her personal beliefs, but as the sharp, deadly woman with no qualms whatsoever of killing if it means protecting herself and her own.  It's fascinating the contrasts, and I came to love Jane Steele equally for her unwavering commitment to being bad.  It's a rousing good time.

Next, I decided to keep my love of food alive with a book about cake and sisterhood:  The Secret to Hummingbird Cake by Celeste Fletcher McHale.  While I will admit that I liked Garden Spells and The Glass Kitchen better, I enjoyed reading McHale's debut novel--and I absolutely loved getting to know her characters.  I liked Carrigan and I liked Ella Rae for their bravery, sass, and sheer stubborness, but I adored Laine.  She's the impetus of the story, the reason for it all, and, like Carrigan and Ella Rae, I felt an unexpected affection and wonderful kinship with her.  I enjoyed reading their story more than I thought I would.  For a debut novel, The Secret to Hummingbird Cake was pretty great.

Little, Brown Books for
Young Readers

Last but not least, I read a fantasy book featuring dragons with How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell.  I picked Cowell's novel up because I fell in love with the movie of the same name; however, I was a little disappointed.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading How to Train Your Dragon.  It's fun, it's inventive, and it's a great series for young readers (I especially liked the Hairy Scary Librarian), but, unfortunately, it's not what I expected.  I made the critical mistake of judging the book in comparison to the movie--and they're two very different creatures.  How to Train Your Dragon the book is very different from How to Train Your Dragon the movie, and it's best not to go into either one with the same expectations.

Read Harder Challenge (Part Eight)

This week, I'm just barely eking by with my Read Harder Challenge.  After reading these last books, I have officially finished my list:

1. Read a book that is set in the Middle East
2. Read a nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes
3. Read a food memoir

Little, Brown and Co.

To start off, I finally finished reading I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai.  It only took my 6 months, but I finished it and, honestly, I'm glad I did.  It's a fascinating story that's both heartbreaking and incredibly informative, offering insight into the various cultures and relations of Afghanistan.  Although her story is grim, it's simultaneously uplifting.  Personally, I enjoyed reading about her and her father's endeavors to bring education to local children--and particularly to the young women of the community.

Malala is a skilled narrator.  She's bright, she's hopeful, she's very detailed and she's very intelligent.  Although her book is a translation, which is sometimes apparent, I felt like I could read and relate to her feelings.  She does a fine job of connecting to her readers, detailing her thoughts and feelings--and making her voice heard.  She makes a compelling argument for education, for giving women equal education opportunities.  Truthfully, you can see why Malala Yousafzai is a Nobel Prize Laureate.

I also had the opportunity to read a short (and rather famous) essay by Virginia Woolf:  A Room of One's Own.  As an avid reader and, ahem, English major in college, you would think I'd have taken the opportunity to read A Room of One's Own, but, until this year, I had yet to make more than a cursory acquaintance with Woolf's work.  Unfortunately, I wasn't enamored by her essay.

Harcourt Inc.

A Room of One's Own makes some very valid points.  It's important to read and, after reading it, it's something that all young women should have a chance to read at least once in their life.  However, I had a hard time reading Woolf's essay, because I just couldn't seem to focus on one thing before it jumped to another.  For instance, in the first few pages when Woolf described Oxbridge and her experiences at the esteemed university, I thought it took quite a long time to get to the point--and, confidentially, I found myself growing a little bored as I waited for her to come to a conclusion.  Not that her writing is bad, mind you; I just struggled to stay committed given her style of writing, so I'm not sure if that's so much her failing as my own.

The point is, I finished reading A Room of One's Own and I have a new appreciation for Woolf.  She's a talented writer, but, personally, I'm not so sure she's the writer for me.  I appreciate her work and I appreciate the significance of her essay, but I don't think she's the one and only feminist writer for me.

Last but not least, I read Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.  It's riotously funny, yet strangely poignant.  Oddly enough, it reminds me of Jenny Lawson and her memoir, Furiously Happy--yet just a tiny bit less chaotic.  Not by much, considering Julie Powell undertakes to make 524 different recipes, many of which take hours to prepare, in just one year in a crappy little apartment in Queens.  It's astonishing the things she (and her marriage) manages to survive, including:  biological clocks, frozen pipes, disastrous dinner parties, inane dead end secretarial jobs, break downs, Blanche days, and celebrity crushes.

Hatchette Books

It's really a pretty amusing book, especially if you decide to listen to it as read by the author (which I did); however, it's not quite the food memoir I expected.  In fact, Julie and Julia is more memoir than food.  Julie is hellbent on recreating all of Julia Child's recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1 and, in her journey, she learns how to make a variety of dishes and confronts some of the most trying times of her life.  While it features a lot of cooking, Julie and Julia feels like it's more about the experiences of cooking and the results, specifically what happens to the author as she slogs through more than 500 French recipes, than the actual cooking, but I can't say I minded.

Julie and Julia is strangely heartwarming and incredibly amusing.  To me, it strikes just the right balance that makes it a memoir worth reading, especially if you have the chance to listen to the author tell her own story.  It makes it memorable.  However, I will note that while I was listening to the audiobook I discovered I borrowed the abridged version.  I don't know if the audiobook had the full text, but I do know I missed a few things that might otherwise have filled in details or fleshed out the characters involved.  It was my only disappointment in an otherwise wonderful book.

Bonus: Cinnamon and Gunpowder

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Cinnamon and Gunpowder

Eli Brown

2013

The Summary

"In Cinnamon and Gunpowder, the prizewinning author Eli Brown serves up the audacious tale of a fiery pirate captain, her reluctant chef, and their adventures aboard a battered vessel, the Flying Rose.  As these unlikely shipmates traverse the oceans, intrigue, betrayal, and bloodshed churn the waters.

"The year is 1819, and Owen Wedgwood, famed as the Caesar of Sauces, has been kidnapped by the ruthless captain Mad Hannah Mabbot.  After using her jade-handled pistols on his employer, lord of the booming tea trade, Mabbot announces to the terrified cook that he will be spared only as long as he puts an exquisite meal in front of her every Sunday without fail.

"To appease the red-haired tyrant, Wedgwood works wonders with the meager supplies he finds on board, including weevil-infested cornmeal and salted meat he suspects was once a horse.  His first triumph is that rarest of luxuries on a pirate ship:  real bread, made from a sourdough starter that he keeps safe in a tin under his shirt.  Soon he's making tea-smoked eel and brewing pineapple-banana cider.

"Even as she holds him hostage, Mabbot exerts a curious draw on the chef; he senses a softness behind the swagger and the roar.  Stalked by a deadly privateer, plagued by a hidden saboteur, and outnumbered in epic clashes with England's greatest ships of the line, Captain Mabbot pushes her crew past exhaustion in her hunt for the notorious King of Thieves.  As Wedgwood begins to understand the method to Mabbot's madness, he must rely on the bizarre crew members he once feared:  Mr. Apples, the fearsome giant who loves to knit; Feng and Bai, martial arts masters sworn to defend their captain; and Joshua, the strangely mute cabin boy.

"A giddy, archaic tale of love and appetite, Cinnamon and Gunpowder is a wildly original feat of the imagination, deep and startling as the sea itself."

The Good
Cinnamon and Gunpowder is a strangely compelling novel, yet I'm still not sure what to make of it.  It's a long, winding odyssey that takes our narrator to the edges of the empire and nearly drags him to the depths of the sea.  Like Odysseus, Owen Wedgwood's journey leads him across oceans and into the dens of monsters--and you can think of Mabbot as Calypso.

Alluring and wild, Mabbot is as dangerous and capricious as the sea.  She's just as liable to like you as shoot you, and yet she has a strange moral compass that leads her to punish slavers, opium peddlers, murderers and anyone who crosses her.  She is, as Wedgwood accuses, a red-haired tyrant, but she's not unduly cruel.  She's a strange amalgamation of opposites, which makes her oddly likable.

Like Wedgwood, I didn't know what to make of her.  I mean, is she a villain or is she a hero?  Neither, I suppose.  She's just a woman who has been tempered by the sea and shaped by the unkindness she's endured.  She's human and she's desperately flawed, which makes her compelling--and a bit hard to stomach.

Altogether, Cinnamon and Gunpowder is an intriguing if unusual novel.  It's an adventure story, but it's quite unlike what I've read in the past, especially regarding pirates.  Sure, I had a taste with Pirates! by Celia Rees, as well as the Wave Walkers series by Kai Meyer and Vampirates by Justin Somper.  But those are so mild in comparison to Eli Brown's novel, which is weighed down by tragedy and riddled with the cruel truths of reality.

Cinnamon and Gunpowder belongs in a class of its own, truly.

The Bad
This is not a novel to go into with the expectation of identifying a hero.  Like Wedgwood, we discover that humanity is deeply flawed--that we cannot look upon the world with only one version of right or wrong.  There is no black and white, merely the anticipation of survival.

The Ugly
Death.  Destruction.  Carnage.

(You get the idea.)

Piracy is an occupation that's neither gentle nor gentlemanly.  It can be cruel and completely tragic.

Besides which, I can't say I was enchanted with Wedgwood's unusual concoctions.  The pineapple-banana cider sounds pretty delicious, but I can't say the cooked eel, among other things, sounded particularly appetizing.

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe

Little, Brown and Company

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe
Mary Simses
2013

The Summary
"Ellen Branford is going to fulfill her grandmother's dying wish--to find the hometown boy she once loved and give him her last letter.  Three months before Ellen's wedding to Hayden Croft, her Kennedy-esque fiance, she leave Manhattan for Beacon, Maine.  A high-powered attorney used to success and the fast pace of city living, Ellen is determined to carry out her grandmother dying request in one day.  But what should be an overnight trip is quickly complicated when Ellen falls into Beacon's chilly bay and finds herself saved by a man named Roy, a carpenter in town.

"The rescue transforms Ellen into something of a local celebrity, which may or may not help her unravel the past her grandmother labored to keep hidden.  As Ellen learns about her grandmother and herself, it becomes clear that a twenty-four-hour visit to Beacon may not be enough.  And when Roy reveals himself to be the one person in town who can bring closure to her quest, Ellen must make the most difficult decision of her life--one that will call into question the future waiting for her at home.

"A delicious debut novel about love, purpose, and the seductive promise of a simpler life, The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe will take readers on a rich journey through the main streets and back roads of Maine."

The Good
I'll be honest, I fell in love with the cover of The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe.  Although the title caught my eye (I love anything to do with baking, especially if it involves blueberries.  My stomach sometimes dictates my choices, I know), I primarily picked it up for the cover.  It promises something sticky-sweet, possibly darling, and most likely romantic--and, of course, I couldn't resist.

At first, I wasn't quite taken with the story.  I felt a little distant from the narrative, like I couldn't quite sink into the story.  But, once I did, I was infatuated by Ellen's exploration of her grandmother's hometown and her personal journey to discover herself.  It's a sweet, heart-warming story about finding your own place and knowing your own heart.

Although I'm not a fan of romantic conflict (i.e. "love triangles"), I found I was intrigued by the characters and the unexpected paths Ellen takes.  I was curious to see where her choices--and her heart--would lead her.  Would she marry her knight-in-shining-armor, or would she fall in love with the Maine coast and her unexpected savior?  She faced many of the same romantic troubles her grandmother did, and I was intrigued to see how their lives followed a familiar path.

Overall, I enjoyed it.  It's a nicely written romantic story that's sure to pluck on your heartstrings, if it doesn't appeal to your stomach.  I craved blueberry muffins after I finished reading it.

The Bad
Love triangles.

I didn't like the uncertainty, the trite "am-I-still-in-love-with-him" debates that continued to run through the course of Ellen's narrative.  As a narrator, I liked Ellen for the internal turmoil that sometimes left her reeling and struggling to understand her feelings; however, I really didn't like the fact that she had to choose between two men.  She had to choose between a way of life she vehemently defended, and a new way of life with a new object of affection.

I've never liked love triangles, and I don't think The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe made me anymore charitable toward them.

The Ugly
Losing one's grandmother is a terribly difficult thing; in fact, it's heart-breaking.  For Ellen, it's an emotional dagger to the chest that's made all the more painful by her grandmother's hidden past and her own sudden change of heart.

Honestly, I would not want to be in her shoes.

When in Doubt, Add Butter

St. Martin's Press

When in Doubt, Add Butter
Beth Harbison
2012

The Summary
"As far as Gemma is concerned, her days of dating are over.  In fact, it's her job to cater other people's dates, and that's just fine by her.  At thirty-seven, she has her own business, working as a private chef, and has five steady clients who keep her hands full.

"There's Lex, the fussy but fabulous department store owner who loves oysters Rockefeller and retro party food; Willa, who is morbidly obese and needs to lose weight under doctor's orders but still believes butter makes everything better; a colorful family who may or may not be part of the Russian mob; an überwealthy Georgetown family in which the monstrously spoiled wife is "allergic to everything"; and, finally, a man she calls "Mr. Tuesday," whom she has never met but to whom she feels a magnetic attraction, in part due to his taste for full-on comfort food.

"For Gemma, cooking is predictable.  Recipes are certain.  Use good ingredients, follow the directions, and you are assured success.  Life, on the other hand, is full of variables.  So when Gemma's takes an unexpected turn on a road she always thought was straight and narrow, she must face her past and move on in ways she never would have imagined.  Because sometimes in life, all you need is a little hope, a lot of courage, and--oh, yes--butter."

The Good
I listened to When in Doubt, Add Butter earlier this year, picking it specifically for the evenings I walked my dog.  I originally chose it based on the title--and, if I'm being honest with myself, I probably picked it for the image of cupcakes on the cover--but I was pleasantly surprised by Beth Harbison's novel and Orlagh Cassidy's narration.  Filled with lots of crazy, quirky characters and heart-warming stories, When in Doubt, Add Butter is a truly fabulous novel.

Gemma was an excellent narrator.  Witty and realistic, plagued by all the regular hopes and fears of a normal woman who worries about her professional and/or financial state, she can easily connect with readers on an emotional level--and, more importantly, she's funny.  She's candid and she has a way of recounting her story so that it has an emotional impact and makes you laugh.  Coupled with Orlagh Cassidy's skills, Gemma comes to life in a way that is, simply put, spectacular.

Speaking of Orlagh Cassiday, I absolutely loved the variety and range of characters she could play.  I was suitably impressed by the emotion and changes of tone that signified specific characters, distinguishing particular personalities apart, that allowed her to convey the story to listeners.  When in Doubt, Add Butter seemed to take on a life of its own, and I couldn't wait to return again and again to the story.

Honestly, I can't think of any reason this book isn't appealing.  It features a fun and heart-warming story, oddball characters, food, an excellent narrator and a dash of humor.  I was immediately drawn in from the first chapter--and if I wasn't, I'd certainly have been hooked by the ignominious incident with a peacock in the second.

The Bad
No complaints.

Perhaps the plot was a bit predictable, like I totally called the identity of Gemma's mysterious "Mr. Tuesday," but, otherwise, I enjoyed the entire novel.

The Ugly
Mature themes would probably be the best way to describe some of the uglier aspects of When in Doubt, Add Butter.  It has an underlying seriousness that reflects the doubts and desperation that plague Gemma, and it picks at the financial and professional and emotional uncertainties that all adults face.

Along with the ugly realities of teen pregnancy.

It's a bit heart-wrenching, I'll admit.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Pamela Dorman Books

Kitchens of the Great Midwest
J. Ryan Stradal
2015

The Summary
"Kitchens of the Great Midwest, about a young woman with a once-in-a-generation palate who becomes the iconic chef behind the country's most coveted dinner reservation, is the summer's most hotly-anticipated debut and already a New York Times bestseller.

"When Lars Thorvald's wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine--and a dashing sommelier--he's left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own.  He's determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter--starting with pureed pork shoulder.  As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota.  From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of Eva's journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that's a testament to her spirit and resilience.

"Each chapter in J. Ryan Stradal's startlingly original debut tells the story of a single dish and character, at once capturing the zeitgeist of the Midwest, the rise of foodie culture, and delving into the ways food creates community and a sense of identity.  By turns quirky, hilarious, and vividly sensory, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is an unexpected mother-daughter story about the bittersweet nature of life--its missed opportunities and its joyful surprises.  It marks the entry of a brilliant new talent."

The Good
I was surprisingly enchanted by J. Ryan Stradal's Kitchens of the Great Midwest.  Although it ultimately revolves around Eva Thorvald, it delves into the lives of the people who have helped shape her life--her cousin Brock, her close friend Pat Praeger, her worst enemy Olivia, and her biological father, Lars.  It weaves together their lives, introducing the stories of many characters and developing their individual history, as well as their intertwined lives.

It's truly fascinating to see the connections between them.  I especially liked that each chapter was named for the dish that influenced Eva's life the most.  Each chapter reflects a specific period in her life:  the lutefisk her father used to make, the chocolate habanero peppers she grew in her closet, the sweet pepper jelly her cousin loved to eat, the golden bantam corn she used in one of her dishes when she cooked for friends--and each piece fits into the puzzle so meticulously as to reveal her entire life.

I loved the interconnected feeling of Kitchens of the Great Midwest, like a web that holds Eva and all the other characters together, like separate dishes that come together to form an excellent dinner.  All these ingredients come together to form an exquisite and intricate novel with wonderful characters, excellent storytelling, and fantastic narrators.

And, speaking of narrators, I loved listening to Kitchens of the Great Midwest as an audiobook.  Amy Ryan and Michael Stuhlbarg make excellent narrators, bringing the characters of Eva and Lars and Brock and others to life.  It brings a little something extra to the novel, gives it a singular flavor that left me craving more even as I reached the final chapter.

Overall, I was incredibly pleased with Stradal's first novel.  It was an epic undertaking that mixed together some of the best storytelling and characters to make something positively wonderful.

The Bad
The language is a little strong in some spots (especially Brock's chapters, which are littered with an excess of expletives), and the novel deals with some very mature themes.  While I wouldn't exactly recommend it to younger readers, I don't think that should stop anyone else from reading (or listening) and enjoying Kitchens of the Great Midwest.

The Ugly
Life can be an ugly thing:  losing loved ones, dealing with complicated family ties and decaying marriages, enduring bullies, trying to find one's place in the world.  Eva, despite her many culinary gifts, is not spared these many sorrows--and, as you read, you realize she has a big heart despite the difficulties that conspire against her.

The Glass Kitchen

St. Martin's Press

The Glass Kitchen
Linda Francis Lee
2014

The Summary
"Portia Cuthcart never intended to leave Texas.  Her dream was to run the Glass Kitchen restaurant her grandmother built decades ago.  But after a string of betrayals and the loss of her legacy Portia is determined to start a new life with her sisters in Manhattan...and never cook again.

"When she moves into a dilapidated brownstone on the Upper West Side, she meets twelve-year-old Ariel and her widowed father, Gabriel, a man with his hands full trying to raise two daughters on his own.  Soon a promise made to her sisters forces Portia back into a world of magical food and swirling emotions, where she must confront everything she has been running from.  What seems so simple on the surfaces is anything but when long-held secrets are revealed, rivalries exposed, and the promise of new love stirs to life like chocolate mixing with cream.

"The Glass Kitchen is a delicious novel, a tempestuous story of a woman, washed up on the shores of Manhattan, who discovers that a kitchen--like an island--can be a refuge, if only she has the courage to give in to the pull of love and the power of forgiveness, and to accept the complications of what it means to be family."

The Good
I loved everything about this novel:  characters, story, tone--everything.  The descriptions were wonderful, luscious and full of food imagery that connected with me on a tactile, gustatory level.  Portia likens all her experiences and emotions to food, since that's what she knows best with her knowing--her inexplicable ability to plan and create food for just the right occasion.  I thought the author did an excellent job of connecting the dots and appealing to my love of food, especially Southern food.

I also loved Portia's mysterious family gift, her magical sense of knowing.  It immediately makes me think of Sarah Addison Allen and her style of writing:  vibrant, fun, threaded with magic that makes the novel shine just a little brighter.  Portia's knowing adds an element of adventure and complexity to the novel, adding a special spark that makes The Glass Kitchen that much more enjoyable.  It's a relatable story about turning over a new leaf, starting over, but it has that hint of magic that makes it whimsical without being fantastical.

And I enjoyed watching the progression of the sisters' relationship.  Their interactions seem genuine:  Olivia, Rose, and Portia fight and fuss, but, ultimately, they forgive one another and make up.  They're family, so it's only natural that they disagree, that they're brutally honest and grumpy, but they love one another, regardless of what happens.  It's sweet, which I really enjoyed, because it's just the sort of relationship that siblings can hope to have.

Overall, I loved reading The Glass Kitchen.  It hit all the right notes for me, bringing together all the qualities I love in a narrative and telling it in a compelling, beautiful way that keeps from hooked from cover to cover.  I can't wait to read more by Linda Francis Lee.

The Bad
The Glass Kitchen is a bit of an odd story, but I don't really have any complaints.  I wish Portia's knowing was explained a little better, but even Portia didn't fully understand her gift, so it isn't a surprise it remains undefined.

Otherwise, I loved every bit of Lee's novel.

The Ugly
Loss.  Tragedy.  Betrayal.  Divorce.  Love.  And more betrayal.

I feel bad for Portia, I really do.  My heart goes out to her as she tries to stand on her own two feet, as she tries to get back up after being knocked down, only to have the most important men in her life to a) lie to her, b) betray her trust, and c) deliberately withhold the truth.  It's frustrating and, in some cases, humiliating for Portia.

I couldn't imagine finding myself in the same situation.