Wordless Wednesday 538

Peaches & Apricots, 2019

Click image to enlarge. For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Click for more

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: A Good Reading Week

Thank goodness I had a much quieter week than the one before. The new washing machine is installed, and although it's a little bit louder than the old one, it's faster and better, so all is good.

The temperatures moderated enough that on Saturday I spent a couple of hours on my deck reading. I loved being able to read outside for a change. I really should have been taking a walk, but it felt so good to just relax at home that I let my lazy streak take over.

I lucked out in my reading too. All three books were enjoyable and kept my attention, and today I find myself in that rare spot of getting to chose a new audiobook and a new print/digital book. I'm already looking forward to the end of the workday.

Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough (Poppy, May). This is a fun teen rom com with LBGTQ+ themes set in Australia. Will and Harriet may go to the same all-girls snooty prep school, but that's where they think their similarities end. Will is artistic, a little clumsy, middle class, and leans to the liberal side. Harriet is academic, a star athlete, rich, and definitely conservative. After their male swim coach makes yet another inappropriate comment, the two girls find themselves on the same side: something has to be done; this is the age of the #metoo movement, and despite coach's credentials, enough is enough. Worried about getting kicked out of school during their final year, Harriet and Will come up with a plan. They invent student activist Amelia Westlake. As the two girls give Amelia a social media presence and more things to protest (such as unfair grading practices), the students and faculty are abuzz with questions. Meanwhile Will and Harriet discover a growing mutual attraction, but is their shared secret enough to help them overcome their differences? Amelia Westlake Was Never Here follows a classic rom com plot line and is told in alternating perspectives from Harriet's and Will's viewpoints. Gough ties in themes of friendship, feminism, and economic privilege. The lesbian aspects are handled matter-of-factly, and both the primary and secondary characters are easy to envision. Fun summer escape reading. The unabridged audiobook (Hachette Audio; 9 hr, 5 min) is read by Candice Moll and Jaye Rosenberg, who both sounded believable as the teenagers. The performances were well matched in terms of characterizations and pacing, and I loved their Australian accents. (audio copy provided by the publisher)

Chances Are . . . by Richard Russo (Knopf, July 30). Russo is one of my go-to authors, so it was a no-brainer that I was going to read his latest. The story revolves around three college roommates reuniting on Martha's Vineyard forty years after graduation. The three were close as brothers in college, but this is the first time they've been together since a similar weekend in 1971 when their other best friend, a girl, left the island, never to be seen again. Despite a police investigation, Jacy's fate was never discovered. The reunion weekend shows just how much the guys have changed while also staying just the same, including their undying love for the long lost Jacy. The story is told both in the present and through flashbacks, revealing the men's secrets, the strength of their friendship, and ultimately, what happened to that beautiful girl after she stepped off the ferry. Chances Are . . . is a little bit character study, a little bit mystery, and a whole lot period piece. There's a strong focus on what it was like to be in college in the late 1960s to early 1970s, thoughts on the Vietnam War, and relationships between parents and children and husbands and wives. Russo also explores the differences between the ways we present ourselves to the world and the realities of our private lives. You won't want to miss this one. I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Random House; 11 hr, 17 min) for a freelance assignment. My thoughts on Fred Sanders's excellent performance will be available through AudioFile magazine. (digital copy provided by the publisher; audio copy for a freelance assignment)

Bethlehem by Karen Kelly (St. Martin's Press, July 9). This is a family saga set in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, when the steel mills were still running strong. The Parrish and Collier families have been intertwined since the post-World War I steel boom in eastern Pennsylvania, and the novel follows the two families, mostly in flashbacks from the 1960s, after Frank Collier and his wife, Joanna, move into the Parrish estate to live with his widowed mother and grandmother. Joanna, a South Philly native, isn't used to life on the nicer side of tracks, but tries to make the best of it. While walking her young children through the local graveyard, she meets an elderly couple and their grandson. As Joanna's friendship with this family deepens, she is confronted with choices and begins to suspect that her in-laws may have more complicated pasts than they let show. This was a fast read, ripe with family secrets and a few surprises. Bethlehem is light on period details but strong on the women's options, the consequences of their decisions, and their bonds over common issues. This is an enjoyable story that reads quickly. The twists weren't that hard to figure out and the world-building was a little scanty, but I was caught up in the women's lives. Recommended for beach or poolside reading. (finished copy provided by the publisher)

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: My New Favorite Salad

I think you already know that I really love Michael Schwartz's Genuine Pizza, which I received for being a member of the 2018-2019 Abrams Dinner Party.

We've made a number of pizzas using Schwartz's crust (with its secret ingredient of beer), and I love the simple pizza sauce, which uses only 4 ingredients.

If you recall from my overview, one of the fantastic things about Genuine Pizza is that it includes recipes that move beyond just pizza. Schwartz includes desserts, drinks, soups, and more.

I've had my eye on one of the salads since this cookbook first entered my kitchen, and it's finally time to try it. I've been waiting for all the ingredients (well, most of them) to show up at our local farmer's market. That time is now.

Behold a perfect late summer salad. It's easy to put together and is easily scalable. For example, the recipe calls for one beet, but the photo (scanned from Genuine Pizza) definitely shows two--one red, one yellow. I'm good with that and followed suit.

The recipe notes suggest using any leftover dressing for another salad, for chicken or fish, or as a sandwich spread. You can even use it as a dip for veggies or French fries.

Kale Salad
Serves 6

• 1 large beet, trimmed and scrubbed
• 8 cups rough-chopped Tuscan kale
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped dill, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons hulled raw sunflower seeds, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup Sunflower Seed Dressing
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425F. Wrap beet in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes, until soft when pierced with a knife. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely before peeling and cutting into large dice.

In a large bowl combine the beet, kale, onion, dill, and sunflower seeds. Toss with the dressing until ingredients are coated, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among four plates and garnish with dill and sunflower seeds. Top with goat cheese before serving.

Sunflower Seed Dressing
Makes 1 1/4 cups

• 1/2 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup packed dill
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon tahini
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, combine everything except the oil. Using an immersion blender, process until smooth. With the blender motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until the dressing is emulsified. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (I used a regular blender.)

_______

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
_______

Click for more

5 July Books for Teens and Kids

I'm in denial. It's not the last Friday in July. It can't be! I still have a lot of July books left to read. I wonder if I'll ever catch up. Probably not.

Today's round up is all about books geared to middle grade and young adult readers. Two are a little young for good adult cross-over appeal, but they're cute books nonetheless. All you gamers out there will want to read the Mindcraft book. The remaining books are perfect for adults looking for good fiction to read on their own or with their kids or for teens to read on their own. Let's take a look.

For Young Readers

Awesome Dog 5000 by Justin Dean (Random House Children, July 2). This debut illustrated book is geared to kids 8 to 10 years old. Ten-year-old Marty Fontana is gearing up to survive his first day at new school. Things were going fine until lunchtime, when he learns he is already at the bottom rung of the coolness ladder. Fortunately, Marty meets the other two "zeros," Ralph Rogers and Skyler Kwon, and discovers all three of them love to play video games. One day while playing at Marty's new home, they knock over a box the previous owner left behind. Inside is a robotic dog. But this isn't any old robot, it's a supersonic, Awesome Dog! Antics, humor, mayhem, and mischief ensue and there's even a mad scientist called Dr. Crazybrains. The story is told through a combination of text, fun fonts, and black and white illustrations--perfect for reluctant readers or light summer reading. The book is filled with just the kind of total silliness and fast action that makes reading fun. Don't forget to try to crack the secret code at the back of the book. Some good news: Awesome Dog 5000 is the start of series, so there's more zaniness to come.

Babymouse: School Tripped by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House Children, July 9). This is the third in the Tales from the Locker series by a best-selling sister-brother team. In this adventure Babymouse is starting middle school and is excited to learn the class is going on a field trip to the big city. This has to be better than humiliating herself on the sports field. Plus the teachers are going to let the students explore the museum unchaperoned, if they stay in pairs and stay in the museum. But what if Babymouse and her best friend explored the city all on their own? Who would know, just as long as they got to the bus on time. Besides, Babymouse sneaked her cellphone into her bag, despite the school rule against taking it, so they'll be safe, right? Of course, after they leave the museum, they realize they aren't really prepared for city life, and after Babymouse drops and breaks her phone, the girls are pretty much on their own. Will they make it back to the museum before the bus leaves without them? It turns out the friends are fairly resourceful and level headed and learn some good lessons about independence and making poor choices. Although this Babymouse story is not told as a graphic novel, there are plenty of illustrations to bring the adventure to life. Readers who haven't read the first Locker books can jump right in. Can't wait to see what Babymouse does next.

For Gaming Fans

Minecraft: The Lost Journals by Mur Lafferty (Del Rey, July 9). I'm not a big gamer, but I sure have heard of the very popular Minecraft game, which is, apparently, the highest-selling PC game ever. In this official Minecraft novel, friends Max and Alison find an old journal that reveals how to create a portal into another world. The journal was written by someone called the Enchanter, and the world it describes sounds dangerous. The kids decide to give portal construction a go, but success leads to a dilemma: stay home where it's safe or travel to Nether where they'll be on their own. Fate chooses for them, and the pair find themselves in a scary place. Will their new friend and the clues in the journal help them find the Enchanter or help them get back home. Max and Alison's friendship is stretched to near breaking as the kids escape danger and learn to survive in Nether. The book includes a few black and white illustrations of pages from the journal, which is a cool touch. Reviewers have almost consistently given The Lost Journals five stars, and if you're into Minecraft, put this adventure story on your list.

For Teen Readers

The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World by Amy Reed (Simon Pulse, July 9). This young adult novel is billed as being a little bit different. When two Washington State high schools from competing towns are merged into a single school, everyone has an opinion. Billy Sloat is eternally optimistic, even though his life has been hard: he's poor, lonely, and lives with his grandmother. Lydia Lemon is lonely by choice: she doesn't much like people and generally doesn't see much good in the world. When these two teens form an unlikely friendship, they begin to change each other and maybe even the world around them. The closer the pair gets, the stranger things become: a tornado comes through the area and a dense fog covers the town--is it the end of the world? As far as I can tell the major themes have to do with family, accepting those who are different from you, and above all the power of friendship. Other issues involve drug abuse and maybe child abuse. Every single review and the publisher mention that the book is weird, surreal, very different, and/or strange. But this doesn't seem to be a negative . . . even Kirkus liked it. I'm still on the fence about reading it, but I think I'd like to give it a try.

My Ideal Boyfriend Is a Croissant by Laura Dockrill (Delacorte Press, July 16). This young adult novel focuses on real-life issues but addresses them through the voice of a seventeen-year-old girl who loves food. Bluebelle (aka Big Bones or BB) is a big girl who loves to eat and especially loves her work as an apprentice in a local cafe. But after a particularly bad asthma attack leads to the discovery that she's pre-diabetic, BB reluctantly agrees that she needs to lose weight. Her doctor suggests that she keep a food diary, which soon becomes BB's outlet for many observations about life. BB is a bit sarcastic and doesn't shy away from putting herself in tough situations, but she also prides herself in being brave. Set in East London, this is a funny, smart, body-positive story about a teen trying to balance health, societal expectations, home life, and school against her self-image, obvious passion for all things food, and zest for life. There's a touch of romance and a plot line involving BB's relationship with her petite younger sister. I love the cover and the title, but more than the superficial, I really like the messages. This novel was previously published in England under the title Big Bones.

Click for more

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: An Eclectic Reading Week

Happy hot Monday. I know I haven't written a review post in two weeks, but I just haven't been reading all that much. First was July 4, then I took another long weekend (off the grid and with friends), and then had to somehow get all my work done in between.

Oh, and in the meantime, I found a tick embedded in my arm and had to take antibiotics (hope we stopped any Lyme in its tracks) and my washing machine suddenly decided it wasn't going to move past the *fill* cycle. Fortunately, I was in the other room, and the ensuing flood (in my kitchen!) wasn't too horrible.

It took us a couple of hours to clean up the mess. Then we had to research a new washer and run around town trying to find someone who could deliver our top-choice machine this week. Success, and the new washer will be here Wednesday. In the meantime, we had tons of soaking wet dirty laundry (the stuff in the washer, plus the stuff on the floor waiting to go into the washer). It's all dry now and will be washed in a few days. Oh and did I mention it was almost 100F and we don't have central A/C?

Enough of that. No major damage (except to our wallet), so all is fine -- more or less.

Age of Legend by Michael J. Sullivan (Grim Oak Press, July 9). This is the fourth book in the Legends of the First Empire series. In three related series, Sullivan has created a complex, believable world with fully realized characters and a consistent history. I absolutely adore his books, his ability to write a compelling plot with a good mix of action, character interactions, descriptive prose, and flowing dialogue. Sad things and rough things happen, but there's always a touch of humor to keep readers buoyed. In this entry, the war between the humans and elves continues. We see a glimmer of hope for resolution, but can we trust that the plan will end in success? One thing I really loved about Age of Legend is that the story revolves around one of the (up to this point) minor characters, so we get a little different perspective on the greater political, magical, and spiritual aspects of the changing world. What didn't I like? The book ended on a cliff-hanger! Argh!!! The good news is that next installment should be out before the year is over. I need to know what happens to some of my favorite characters. I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Recorded Books; 14 hr, 34 min), read by the fantabulous Tim Gerard Reynolds. Reynolds is THE voice of Sullivan's books and his characterizations are not to be missed. I can't say enough about his sense of pacing, his smooth delivery of the dialogue, his comedic timing . . . Reynolds has it all. (print copy and audiobook copy from my personal library)

Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball / Amelia Fang and the Unicorns of Glitteropolis by Laura Ellen Anderson (Delacorte BYR, July 30). I love middle grade fiction, though I'm normally drawn to books written for a tween audience. The Amelia Fang books are geared to somewhat younger readers, but I loved the premise and put them on my review list. Amelia is a young vampire who has a pet pumpkin. Her best friends are Florence Spudwick (a rare breed of Yeti) and Grimaldi Reaperton (a grim reaper in training). In Barbaric Ball Amelia has to be nice to the young prince of Nocturina, but Tangine isn't very nice back. The underlying message of the story is about friendship and how we shouldn't judge others' behavior until we know their background. In Unicorns, the four friends must travel to the terrifying land of light (with its unicorns and fairies) to try to set things right for Tangine and his family. The underlying message here is trying new things, being brave, and learning that different kinds of beings are scary only because we don't know their true nature. It's not all that sappy because there really are some bad guys in Glitteropolis.

Here are some other things that make the Amelia Fang books such fun to read. First and foremost is Anderson's laugh-out-loud sense of humor. For example, in Amelia's dark world of vampires and goblins, insults are terms of endearment. In fact, Amelia's father lovingly calls his wife "Dearest belch-breath." Each book begins with a map and then black and white portraits of the main characters. Each portrait includes the character's likes and dislikes (Tangine hates an empty stomach). Throughout the chapter books, readers are treated to Anderson's expressive illustrations: We see the emotions on the character's faces, drawings of scenery, and busy action scenes. Anderson also uses different fonts to convey different types of text: noises, Florence's dialogue, notes, signs, and so on.

The Amelia Fang books star a girl vampire, but she has female and male friends of different creatures, making it easy for all kinds of readers to find plenty to love in these stories. I'm looking forward to the next books in the series. (Thanks to the publisher for finished review copies)

Burn the Ice by Kevin Alexander (Penguin Press, July 9). In this well-researched book, Alexander takes a look at the American foodie boom, especially in the early twenty-first century. He looks at the role of social media, the "spicing" of American foods, the rise of celebrity chefs, important food cities, the rediscovery of cocktails, the #metoo movement, the #blacklivesmatter movement, NOLA and Katrina, and much more. To tell this story, Alexander focuses on a handful of important restaurant chefs and their establishments: how they came to cooking, what they brought to the scene, and where they set up shop. Some of them you may have heard of--like Tom Colicchio from Gramercy Tavern and Top Chef--and others are much less well known--like Anja Mitra and his wife, Emily, who brought Indian food to the Bay Area. Some people we meet in depth, like Portland's Gabriel Rucker, and others are given short bursts of background info (Guy Fieri and Ree Drummand). I was particularly interested in the history of hot chicken and the story of Indian food in California, both of which reflect on business competition, different levels of personal ambition, and what happens when diners and chefs sense a trend. Be warned: Burn the Ice jumps around a bit and doesn't hold back on adult language. Alexander's examination of the rise and fall of the new millennium's food scene will be most appealing to those of us who are interested in food movements and the interplay between the food world, the economy, and cultural trends. My review of the audiobook edition will be available via AudioFile magazine.

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: Every Day Is Saturday by Sarah Copeland

I freely admit it: One of the things that attracted me to Sarah Copeland's Every Day Is Saturday (Chronicle Books; June) is the subtitle: "Recipes & Strategies for Easy Cooking, Every Day of the Week." Even though I love to cook and am never stressed out by the question, What's for Dinner?, I'm always open to new ideas for easy cooking after a long workday.

Once I started looking through my e-galley, though, I lost some of my enthusiasm. First the good: the photographs (both the beauty shots and the food photos) are gorgeous. Everything looks appealing, and you really do want that food on your own table. You also get the feeling that Copeland has met her goal of being in a "weekend state of mind more of the time."

Copeland wants you too to live an easygoing life. She details steps for helping you set up your kitchen for stress-free cooking, gives you time-management tips, and even has suggestions for using up leftover ingredients. Almost every recipe comes with tips, make-ahead advice, added information, and recommended variations.

In today's world, everyone can appreciate the vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options Copeland includes for many of the recipes. In fact, Every Day Is Saturday contains targeted indexes, so you can easily find the recipes that fit your own dietary needs.

Those of you in smaller cities and towns, will be happy to know that the ingredients are easy to find at most stores, even the gluten-free flours and vegan swap-outs. In addition, the recipe directions are clear yet are written in a way that shows off Copeland's personality: friendly and accessible. Finally, the recipes come with her personal stories, so it's a fun cookbook just to read.

I do, however, have an issue: I can't figure out the target audience for Every Day Is Saturday. On the one hand, the recipes fall into the good for beginners range, but on the other, the lifestyle feeling is for, well, the summer home kind of crowd. So for many (most?) young people fresh out of college, starting a family, and/or just getting the hang of adult entertaining, the cookbook may give off an intimidating vibe, whereas for experienced cooks, the recipes are just too basic.

Need examples? Copeland includes a recipe for fruit salad (!) and a very traditional fruit crumble. Mains include pork shoulder braised in beer, grilled skirt steak, sheet pan pizza, and tacos. Everyday recipes, yes, but they're so gorgeously staged that most people couldn't even imitate Copeland's version of a family picnic, as shown in the scan above--click to enlarge. (Where are the ants and the wind, and how come her very young children haven't knocked over that drink?)

Note, though, that all kinds of famous chefs and cooks and critics love Sarah Copeland's Every Day Is Saturday, including The New York Times and Dorie Greenspan. So what do I know? My galley was stamped in the manner shown in the scans, so I was unable to cook from the book (ingredients and instructions were blotted out, often in crucial places), but I'm curious about the lemon polenta slab cake. I bet it's really good (see the scan).

Thanks to Chronicle for the review copy of Sarah Copeland's Every Day Is Saturday. Both scans were used in the context of a review and all rights remain with the original copyright holders. For more on Copeland, visit her website Edible Living, where you'll find some of her recipes (click "journal").

_______

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
_______

Click for more

8 New Audiobooks for Summer Listening

Summer is here with a vengeance (at least in my part of the world). Hot, humid, and horrible . . . except for the sun-ripened fruit, the abundance of farm-fresh veggies, grilling most nights, ice cold rosé, flowy sundresses and strappy sandals, long evenings, good friends, and—of course—audiobooks. Hello oppressive heat, I won’t let you get me down.

That introduction has pretty much nothing to do with this roundup of 8 audiobooks that caught my eye, all releasing next Tuesday. Some are already in my queue and some I'll be reviewing for AudioFile Magazine. I hope to get to them all. What else is there to do when hanging out in front of the A/C unit? Give me an engaging audiobook, a cold drink, and maybe a jigsaw puzzle and I'm a happy camper.

Bring on the Thrills and Chills

Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman, read by Susan Bennett (HarperAudio; 10 hr, 17 min). Do you really need to know anything at all about this audiobook besides the Lippman–Bennett pairing? I don’t, but here goes: Set in Baltimore in the 1960s this mystery is based on a real-life cold-case of the drowning of an African American cocktail waitress. Besides the details of the murder, we see the workings of a big-city newspaper office, meet an ambitious woman reporter (with at least two strikes against her: female and Jewish) and a host of shady characters, and get a taste of life during the civil rights era.

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham, read by Joe Jameson (Simon & Schuster Audio; 11 hr, 30 min). Jameson is a relatively new narrator on my go-to list but I so loved his work on the Spellslinger series that I had to add this audiobook to my list. Here’s the premise: a young girl without a known past, a psychologist who works on criminal cases, a chief inspector in charge of a murder cases, converge to figure out who raped and killed one of Britain’s rising star female figure skaters. Reviews of the thriller have been terrific, and I’m looking forward to hearing Jameson perform this gritty story.

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campell, read by January LaVoy (Macmillan Audio; 10 hr, 29 min). I’m not familiar with Campbell’s writing but I am a huge fan of LaVoy’s; whenever I see her name on an audiobook cover, I’m pretty much in. Here's the story: For Caroline, having a dream beach house (think Martha’s Vineyard, not Ocean City, NJ) didn’t come with a dream life. After she discovers her husband’s cheating, lying ways, she may have made some poor choices, but killing the bastard wasn’t one of them. Or was it? Stalking, passion, adultery, power, murder, and a new man—who can any of us trust?

Take Me to the Past

The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green, read by Anthea Greco (Hachette Australia; 11 hr, 29 min). It’s true that I haven’t read anything by Green and have never even heard of Greco (though I did hear a sample of her easy-to-listen-to voice), but when I learned about this book from Shelleyrae at Book’d Out, I knew I had to track it down. Set in 1982 in New South Wales, Australia, it’s the story of four women in different places in their lives (and of different ages) who meet serendipitously on the beach and end up offering each other healing and hope and friendship. I’m thinking this could be the perfect summer listen.

Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler, read by Karissa Vacker (Random House Audio; 14 hr, 24 min). This is another take-a-chance audiobook for me, seeing as this would be my first time with both Kibler and Vacker. The dual-time-period story takes place in Texas. One plot line is set in the early 1900s and follows two young mothers who, for various reasons, find themselves without resources or husbands. Choices were few in those days for single mothers, but together the two women just might find a way to survive. In contemporary times, a recluse librarian finds evidence of their existence and seeds of hope for her own redemption. I’m attracted to the themes.

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, read by Nancy Peterson and Jeremy Arthur (HarperAudio; 9 hr, 32 min). I don’t often fall for celebrity fever, but I do have a thing for Grace Kelly and have read a couple of nonfiction books about her life and the choices she made to marry her prince. Thus it was a no-brainer that “A Novel of Grace Kelly’s Royal Wedding” was going on my list; that it was written by Gaynor and Webb is a much-welcome bonus and I’m confident Peterson and Arthur will bring the story to life. This well-researched fictionalized version follows the Kelly, her family and friends, and reporters from America to the Mediterranean.

Let Me Escape

The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem, read by Ariana Delawari (HarperAudio; 8 hr, 33 min). Thanks to my friend Swapna Krishna I was introduced to South Asian literature more than a decade ago, and I haven’t ever looked backed. This is Raheem’s debut novel, but I’ve enjoyed Delawari’s performances over the years, especially on the Wrath and the Dawn books. In modern times, the immigrant parents of Lelia—an LA-born twenty-something Indian Muslim woman—will call in the matchmaker if she can’t find her own Muslim husband in the next three months. After, bad dates, soul-searching, and a trip to India for a family wedding, Lelia’s time is up. What happens?

The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal, read by Judith Ivey (Penguin Audio; 11 hr, 13 min). This audiobook calls to me on so many levels: It is set in the Midwest and written by Stradal and has themes of family, food, and drink and offers a realistic view of women in their sixties. I was introduced to Ivey through her work on a Sue Miller novel and again through the Ya-Ya books. This audiobook is about estranged sisters, a decades-old inheritance, a family business, second chances, and the younger generations. Oh, and there’s plenty of beer and pie! Absolutely refreshing on a hot July day.

Click for more

Today's Read: Gravity Is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty

What if, over the years, you were mailed unsolicited random chapters of a self-help book? What if the manuscript started showing up soon after your brother disappeared? What if you were only sixteen when you began reading the book that promised you every good thing? Now imagine time passing and you have a young child and a failed marriage. Would you accept an invitation to visit a small island to find out what it all means? This is Abigail Sorenson's story, and it starts like this:

A tall man at the airstrip took my suitcase.

He was tall in a long, lean, bony way, which he had tried to disguise with loose clothes. But at each gust of wind, the clothes clung fiercely, so that mostly he was out there on his own. A long, narrow flagpole of a man. He had a headful of curls, and these were unafraid. Crazed and rollicking, those curls.

"Snow," he said, smiling, as he took my suitcase form me. I stared.

—Gravity Is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty (Harper, July 23, p. 1 [ARC])

Quick Facts

• Setting: Australia, Sydney and beyond
• Circumstances: Abi is still grieving for her lost brother, who went missing just before her sixteenth birthday. Although she's a business owner and has a law degree, she struggles with everyday life, including accepting her divorce and caring for her young son. A mysterious and steady thread of her life is the periodic packages that include parts of The Guidebook, a book that promises to have all the answers. When she gets the chance to meet the other people who have been reading the guidebook all those years and to hear what the son of the book's author has to say about life, she says yes. But does she find the answers she's looking for and will she ever be able to accept herself and find a way to enjoy life?.
• Genre & themes: contemporary fiction; quirky premise; grief, relationships, human connections; humor
• Why I want to read it: I find it hard to resist book set in Australia and I like the idea behind the novel. There are the the mysteries of The Guidebook and what happened to Abi's brother. There's promised humor and spoofing of the self-help industry. There's the hope that Abi can heal and can find happiness in herself and in her relationships.
• Extra things to know: The novel is told through Abi's eyes but also includes text from The Guidebook as well as her internal dialogue. The novel doesn't unfold chronologically as Abi ages from teen to adult, but is more circular, as she remembers her past and is experiencing her present. The novel won much praise and some starred reviews. Goodreads gives it 3.9 stars, and most reviewers mention that the humor tempers the deeper, more serious themes.
• Acknowledgments: Thanks to Harper Books for the print galley of Gravity Is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty.

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: Neat: The Story of Bourbon (film)

Thanks to the holiday last week and a women's weekend right now, I've had two short weeks in a row. That means I haven't been doing any fun cooking at all. No time to try new recipes, so nothing new to share.

Fortunately, I spotted an interesting documentary on Hulu that fits Weekend Cooking perfectly. Before I get into my thoughts, I wanted to let you know that I won't be able to read your posts until late Sunday, but I promise I'll come around to see what you've been reading or cooking or to get a look at where you've been traveling.

Neat: The Story of Bourbon (written and directed by David Altrogge) introduces us to some of the history of the great American spirit. At one point in the film someone says (and I'm paraphrasing), "The history of bourbon is the history of the United States itself." Another person says, "Bourbon is history in a glass." (You'll hear these quotes in the trailer.)

From the moment the Mayflower anchored off the eastern shore of America, we've been brewing something: beer, moonshine, whisky, cider, and wine. As Neat points out, because colonists weren't under obligation to send their surplus grains and harvest off to the king, they had the foundations for making a home brew.

Bourbon is the only completely American whiskey. If a similar whiskey isn't distilled here in the States, it cannot be called bourbon. What else makes bourbon unique? First, it relies on a New World plant and, by law, must be distilled from at least 51 percent corn. It also must be aged in brand-new charred oak barrels. That creates an unbreakable chain connecting the forests, the farmers, and the producers.

Neat introduces us to distillers, bartenders, tasters, and more. We learn about purity laws, the effects of climate change, the microclimates within the aging sheds, small-batch and single-barrel bourbon, and archaeological digs. We also learn how sociocultural norms affected bourbon sales in the 1970s and 1980s. We even learn about cocktails (see the still) and what goes on in a tasting room. Warning: you'll want to pour (and drink) a shot of bourbon . . . neat.

The filming itself is well done, with plenty of beauty shots of bourbon in a glass, with the light streaming through. I liked the peek inside distilleries, seeing the barrels being charred, and especially meeting the variety of people who have a passion for all things bourbon.

I really enjoyed Neat and recommend the documentary to anyone who is interested in the history of bourbon. If I have a complaint, it is this: I would have liked to have seen more about the effects of Prohibition on the industry. But, really, that's a minor point.

Take a look at the trailer. I watched the film on Hulu, but it may be available via other streaming services too.

_______

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
_______

Click for more

6 Coming-of-Age Stories to Read in July

I have a soft spot for coming-of-age stories (don’t we all?). They tend to tease out those strong emotions, as our protagonist comes hard against the end of childhood (or new adult) innocence. As I was looking through my eReader for my next book, I spotted a half dozen novels coming out this month classified as coming-of-age. I’m not completely sure which one I’ll read first, but here are my choices.

I was attracted to Lara Williams’s Supper Club (Putnam, July 9) because it’s the coming-of-age story of a twenty-something woman who is facing body image issues, loneliness, and a love of cooking and eating food. When Roberta meets her new best friend—who’s as outgoing as Roberta is introverted—they start an after-hours, eat-till-you-drop, women-only club in which members are encouraged to lose themselves in their passions. It’s wild, it’s fun . . . until, for Roberta, it isn’t. What happens when she truly faces herself? Set in contemporary London, the novel tackles eating, bodies, indulgence, women’s friendship, and (of course) hunger.

I like the way Bianca Marais focuses on tough, real-life issues in her novels. Her newest book, If You Want to Make God Laugh (Putnam, July 16), is about three very different women looking for healing and redemption in post-Apartheid South Africa. Two middle-aged white sisters—one an ex-nun, one an ex-free spirit—reunite on their failed family farm, each running from her past. Meanwhile in a camp for the homeless, a black teenager is trying to find a way out of her pregnancy. When a dark-skinned baby boy is left on the sisters’ doorstep and the girl later shows up seeking a job, the women’s complex emotions surrounding motherhood, choices, the future, and race converge.

I could not resist Alexi Zentner’s Copperhead (Viking; July 9) because it combines two of my favorite fiction elements: how life can change in the second it takes to make a decision and a coming-of-age experience for a teen. Jessup, a high school senior and star football player, has one dream: accept a football scholarship and escape his small-town, white-trash life. Even though his brother is in jail for killing two black men and his stepfather is being released from jail for the same crime, he has hope for his future, until he’s in a car accident and turns to his family’s white supremacist church for help. Just how much can the liberal teen take and can he be pushed far enough to stand up for himself and his own mistakes? Set in upstate New York.

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells (Simon & Schuster BYR, July 30) takes a different tack. In this new epic fantasy, a quiet young girl must find the strength and wherewithal to rescue her kidnapped girlfriend. Although she’s never seen herself as a fighter, Maren comes up with a scheme to steal one of the emperor’s dragons, but first she must apprentice herself to the dragon trainer. Mixed with familiar fantasy elements (dragons, prophecies, rebellion) are themes of love, growing up, and facing our demons. Set in a fictional world with LGBTQ+ characters. This novel is an Indie Next pick for July, though not every reviewer was enthusiastic.

I love the cover of Goodnight Stranger by Miciah Bay Gault (Park Row, July 30), but that’s not the only reason I want to read this book. This is another novel that mixes some of my favorite themes: family story, thriller, and coming-of-age. A brother and sister live a fairly isolated life in their beach-side home on a fictional island off the coast of Massachusetts. Their parents are gone and a brother died in infancy, but the pair is doing okay, even if ultra-shy Lucas seems incapable of taking care of himself. When a stranger arrives on the island who seems to know way too much about the siblings and their family, twenty-something Lydia has questions: Who is this man, what does want, and can he be trusted? His presence forces Lydia to reassess the past, risk her relationship with Lucas, face her long-held fears, and confront the stranger with what she learns before it's too late to save herself and her brother.

Now for something a little more traditional in a coming-of-age story, take a look at Sarah Elaine Smith’s Marilou Is Everywhere (Riverhead, July 30).  Cindy and her brothers have, once again, been abandoned by their mother. Although the boys keep half an eye on her, Cindy's mostly on her own. So when her brother’s middle-class girlfriend goes missing, Cindy slips into her place, tending to the girlfriend's ailing and delusional mother, who mistakes Cindy for her own daughter. At first, the teen loves having a stable home, feeling a mother’s love, and discovering how the other half lives. But even at only fourteen, Cindy soon realizes she must take stock of what she’s doing and assess the pull and meaning of her birth family. Set in rural Pennsylvania, this is the story of a neglected girl who finds a home, but at what cost?

Click for more

Wordless Wednesday 537

Coneflower, 2019

Click image for full effect. More more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Click for more

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Summer Reading

Hope everyone in North America had a great holiday last week, whether you celebrated Canada Day or Independence Day. We lucked out weather-wise. It was fairly rainy in the late afternoon, but all cleared up in time to host our cookout. Phew!

Because of work deadlines and short workweeks, I decided to give myself a break, so I wasn't a very active poster or blog visitor last week. Next Saturday I have a women's outing, so that will also cut into my reading and social media time. But, as I've said here many, many times, being with friends and family in real life is always worth the trade-off.

Bunny by Mona Awad (Viking, June 11). I'm not quite sure why I was looking forward to reading Awad's newest novel. I guess I had forgotten my mixed feelings about her 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl (link is to my review). Anyway, this one is about Samantha who is in her last year at Warren University working on her masters in fine arts as a writer. Her cohort is all women, and the others have bonded into a tight-knit group; in fact, they call each other "Bunny." Warren is in New England (maybe near Boston), and Samantha keeps getting lost when she walks the winding streets. Yes, you got it: Samantha gets lost in the warren surrounded by bunnies. Besides the running pun, this novel is utterly weird. The Bunny women finally invite Samantha into their clique, and the deeper she gets into their ritualized social gatherings, the more she becomes alienated from herself and the only people who seem to care about her. Will she be lost forever? How about that graduate degree? The fairy tale and folk legend elements should have been more of a draw for me, but they weren't. Just as with Awad's previous novel, I was left wanting more? something totally different? In any case this one wasn't for me. I stuck with it because I listened to the audiobook (Penguin Audio; 11 hr, 44 min) for a freelance assignment with AudioFile Magazine. Narrator Sophie Amoss did a fabulous job channeling Samantha's inner dialogue and capturing the personalities of the Bunny women. Regardless, I can't really recommend the book. Note, however, that the book won some starred reviews and was an Indie Next pick.

What Kind of Quiz Book Are You? by Rachel MacMahon (Atria, July 2) This fun book is written by a poplular Buzz Feed quiz writer. Admit it, you love taking those quizzes, don't you? Well, I do: Can they guess my Zodiac sign based on the appetizers I like? Can they tell me what kind of smoothie I am? Can they reveal my favorite season of the year? Probably not, but it's still fun to answer the questions and check out the score sheet. This book is filled with tons of short quizzes that you can answer by yourself, bring to a party, try out on your partner, or even play with your kids (you might want to pick and choose). I learned that I'm hamburger, not a cheeseburger, which makes me an easygoing person. I also discovered that my summer fun should include going to a fair. And I now know I'm a mix of panda and cat, which means I'm lazy at times but always stand my ground. Ha! I haven't taken all the quizzes yet (I've been picking them at random), but Mr. BFR and I have had a good time giving them a go. If you're looking for great hostess gift or stocking stuffer for Christmas, this book is your answer! Enjoy, and be sure to tell me which color of the rainbow you are (I'm yellow: all about optimism and cheer). (Digital review copy provided by the publisher)

The Reunion by Guillaume Musso and translated by Frank Wynne (Little Brown, July 9): This is a thriller set in the Côte d'Azur, France. When a group of old friends and acquaintances gather at a private school for their twenty-fifth reunion, old scandals resurface. The prettiest girl in the school, Vinca, had an affair with a male teacher and both went missing, never to be seen again. Where they are now and what happened then are at the core of the story. What's different here is that we learn early on the fate of the teacher and who might be responsible for that fate. Can that secret be kept? And if not, what will happen when it hits the papers? Musso deals out other clues and twists at a slower pace, and it's very easy to get caught up in the story. Thomas, now a world-famous author living in New York, has had a lifelong crush on the missing girl. His return home and reconnection with his friends stirs up old feelings and buried memories. This time, he's determined to find out the truth about Vinca, but what he discovers is not exactly what he expected. Be careful of what you wish for. Pop culture references are a fun addition to this thriller/mystery mashup. I highly recommend it. The unabridged audiobook (Hachette Audio; 8 hr, 3 min) was nicely read by Samuel West, Cassie Layton, Clare Wille, and David Rintoul. The different voices blend well and together increase the tension and surprise of the thriller. (Audio review copy provided by the publisher)

Bone Deep by Sandra Ireland (Gallery, June 11). This thriller is set in a small village in Scotland. Lucie moves into the miller's cottage when she takes a job as an assistant to Mac, an author who lives alone in the big house with her dogs. Mac's son, Arthur, is a baker and owns the local cafe. The book is set up as stories within parallel stories: Lucie moved out of her family home after having an affair with her sister's boyfriend, Mac is writing a book based on a local legend of two daughters of a nobleman, Arthur is getting over a lost love, Mac remembers her late husband's infidelity. The story is told by Lucie and Mac in alternating chapters that reveal each woman's inner thoughts and emotional turmoil as well as their shared reclusiveness and distrust of others. The beauty of the countryside, the damp cottage, and the creaking of the millstones create an almost Gothic atmosphere, as folk story and contemporary life clash and enmesh. I was pulled into the book from the first chapters and loved the richness of Ireland's style. Although I found a couple elements of the plotting hard to believe (I can't tell you what without spoiling the story), I was completely invested and recommend this as a decent summer thriller. (digital review copy provided by the publisher)

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter (Orbit, July 16). This is the first in an epic fantasy with a strong African (and #ownvoices) foundation. For generations, the Omehi people have had one focus: fighting their enemies using the peasants as foot soldiers in support of the magically powerful "gifted" class. A handful of women have been chosen by the goddess to control dragons and channel power to the chosen men, transforming them into unbeatable fighters. Tau is not one of the chosen, but his heritage and skills make him a good fighter with decent prospects, until his father is killed mercilessly and the girl he loves shows signs of being gifted. Leaving his village for the city and a military training camp, Tau is determined to be the best swordsman the world has ever seen, doing what it takes to have his revenge for the death of his father. Gods, demons, the dark world, legends, class conflicts, African setting, nightmares, revenge, love, friendships, betrayals: this book has it all. Winter does a good job setting up his world, and the characters' choices and conflicts are believable. I'm sure this book is fantastic in print, but Prentice Onayemi's performance of the audiobook (Hachette Audio, 16 hr, 15 min) is simply stunning. His accents and characterizations place the story in Africa; his sense of pacing and the emotional level he brings to the action and to Tau's journey are perfect. If you're an audiobook fan, pick this! (audio review copy provided by the publisher)

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: Steak and Cake by Elizabeth Karmel

I love the premise of Elizabeth Karmel’s newest cookbook, Steak and Cake (Workman, April 2019). Let’s face it, if you eat meat, you probably like steaks—at least every once in a while. And after you’ve savored a lovely T-bone or porterhouse or flank steak dinner, you might as well go all the way and have a piece of cake to top off your meal.

Karmel wrote Steak and Cake because, for her, these two dishes are almost always better when made and eaten at home. In addition, they're easy to cook (grill, bake), and they form a strong foundation for a dinner party or any special meal with family and friends.

Your success with steaks and cakes is pretty much guaranteed thanks to Karmel's excellent advice; in fact, she devotes a chapter each to the meat and the dessert. In the beef chapter, you'll find tips on how to buy steaks, tricks for proper cooking (indoors and outdoors), and a temperature chart for doneness. In a similar chapter all about cakes, you'll learn about equipment and the proper way to measure ingredients. Here too is where Karmel provides the basic batter and icing recipes you'll use throughout the cookbook.

The bulk of the cookbook contains Karmel's steak and cake pairings. The dishes run from fancy to casual:

• Downhome: Cowboy steak with whiskey butter paired with whiskey buttermilk Bundt cake
• Celebration: Steak and truffled eggs paired with latte loaf with hazelnut glaze
• Fall feast: Beef tenderloin kebabs with bacon, shallots, and mushrooms paired with pumpkin palooza cake walk
• Saturday lunch: Luck of the Irish flank steak sandwich with charred red onions paired with double-dutch chocolate Guinness Bundt cake

Each steak recipe is matched up with a cake that complements the flavors of the meat or that otherwise makes a good pairing. Karmel, however, suggests alternative desserts and encourages you to create your own combos.

The recipes in Steak and Cakes are easy for almost every home cook. Except for the truffles and the lobsters (for the surf and turf), the ingredients are easy to find no matter where you live. Don’t miss the many recipe notes and information boxes, where Karmel shares her knowledge and experience, such as how to safely flambe and how to turn a layer cake into a sheet cake.

The cookbook also contains a couple of features on adult beverages and a chapter for side dishes.

Because Steak and Cakes is published by Workman, you know it’s beautifully put together. I love the rust and French blue color scheme and the fun, but easy-to-read, title fonts. The photographs by Stephen Hamilton are gorgeous and make you want to head for the kitchen to start grilling and baking.

Recommendations: Elizabeth Karmel’s Steak and Cake is perfect for summer entertaining, but because many of the steaks can be made indoors, you’ll turn to this book all year round. The cake flavors are amazingly hard to resist, and you'll be inspired to bake no matter the season (make the berry cake in summer, the carrot cake in winter) or occasion (try a Texas sheet cake for graduation).

Whether you're hosting a birthday party or holiday celebration, you'll find a steak and cake matchup to suit you and your guests.

For obvious reasons, vegetarians won’t find any main dishes in Steak and Cake, but I encourage you to check out the dessert recipes; there are so many desserts here to love. Note too that the side dishes and cocktails will fit comfortably on your table.

Recipes: For a sampling of Elizabeth Karmel’s recipes (including vegetarian and poultry mains and non-cake desserts), check out her website.

Credits: Thanks to Workman for providing a finished review copy of Steak and Cake. The photos are used here in the context of a review, and all rights remain with the original copyright holders.

_______

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
_______

Click for more