Wordless Wednesday 544

It's Fall! 2019

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Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: 5 Short Book Reviews

I'm going to start this post with the obligatory question/exclamation: How can we be just days away from November? I haven't yet cleaned off my deck, I never did finish weeding the garden . . . Sigh.

I don't have a lot of chitchat this week because I'm still catching up from being away. My hope is that by Friday, life will have settled back down, just in time for me to get ready for my annual fall lace-making getaway. You'll hear more about that later.

This week's reviews are extra short because that's all the energy I have. Here's what I read and listened to over the last couple of weeks.

Virga & Bone: Essays from Dry Places by Craig Childs (Torrey House Press, Oct. 1): If you like essays about nature and our connections to it, you'll like this slim volume of a half dozen essays of observations about various places in the American Southwest. Childs writes about all kinds of desert things: temperature variations in Death Valley, the juxtaposition of bleached bones (the end of life) with the occasional rain (the beginning of life), and the layers of seashells found on the dry side of the Colorado Rockies. He talks about the people he meets and his observations on animals and insects. He also discusses the way people have changed the desert, from ancient indigenous populations all the way to the atomic bomb tests and on to twenty-first-century hunters and scientists. Childs gives you a lot to think about. (digital copy provided by the publisher)

The Sweetest Fruits by Monique Truong (Viking, Sept. 3): This is a fictionalized account of the life of the journalist, author, and teacher Lafcadio Hearn (also known as Koizumi Yakumo), as told through the eyes of the four significant women in his life. I have very mixed feelings about this book, primarily because I didn't realize until I finished it that the novel was based on a real person. Thus I was kind of in the dark and didn't connect at all to the story or to Hearn's extensive travels and relationships. Truong's writing was fine, but without the context, I felt lost. I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Penguin Audio; 9 hr, 25 min), read by Cassandra Campbell, Lisa Flanagan, Adenrele Ojo, and Emily Woo Zeller, for a freelance assignment. I enjoyed all four performances. Note that the book has won wide critical acclaim, presumably by people who knew who Hearn was. (audio copy provided for a freelance assignment)

Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen (Audible Studios; 2010; 8 hr, 31 min), narrated by Katherine Kellgren. After that last book I needed something light and fun so I turned to the third installment in the Royal Spyness cozy mystery series, which takes place in England in the 1930s. Our hero is Lady Georgiana, who is 34th in line to the throne and a cousin to the royal family. As with all good cozies, Georgie never seems to be too far away from a murder or two. In this outing, it appears that someone is targeting the royal family, and Scotland Yard hopes Georgie will help them find the bad guy. Meanwhile, in Scotland, Georgie's brother and sister-in-law find themselves with unexpected American house guests, including that Simpson woman who has caught the eye of Edward, the king to be. Lots of madness and mayhem, good humor, great characters, a touch of romance, and a fun look at the royal family. Kellgren does a marvelous job with the various accents and characterizations. (personal collection)

What I Lick before Your Face: And Other Haikus by Dogs by Jamie Coleman (Atria, Oct. 8): Attention all dog lovers: Here's the perfect stocking stuffer, hostess/host gift, conversation starter, and feel-good book for you. Coleman presents life from a dog's perspective as told through haiku. I loved pretty much every single one of Coleman's poems. I was laughing and smiling my through this delightful collection. The poems cover such things as taking walks, curling up on the furniture, begging for food, drinking out of the toilet, and fetching slippers.

Your Things
You keep throwing it
I keep on bringing it back
Look. After. Your. Things.

Each poem is accompanied by a photograph of a dog that perfectly complements the sentiment. This book is so much fun to look through and read. You'll be tempted to recite all the haiku out loud to your family and friends. Put this on your gift list! (digital copy provided by the publisher)

In Oceans Deep: Courage, Innovation, and Adventure beneath the Waves by Bill Streever (Little, Brown, July 2): Streever, a lifelong diver, examines the history, science, and technology of humankind's journey to explore the depths of the ocean. Streever takes a personal approach to this book, telling the story of underwater exploration by introducing us to the people involved. We learn about the various types of submersibles, the discovery of what causes the bends and how to prevent them, the effects of being under pressure, and the different kinds of diving (with and without tanks). I never thought about why space exploration seemed to capture the attention of the government and of people's imaginations more than the exploration of the ocean bottom--even with Jacques Cousteau and the later discovery of The Titanic. Streever has thoughts about this. He not only looks at history but also discusses the future, such as the development of underwater robots. Humans are drawn to the ocean depths for a lot of reasons beyond recreation, and Streever explores many questions, including these: Could we someday have underwater colonies? How can we make it safer for underwater work (for example for building bridges)? What are the consequences of underwater drilling? What's the status of underwater robots or drones? All in all this is an interesting and entertaining book. I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Hachette Audio; 9 hr, 3 min) read by Jay Snyder, who is quickly becoming one of my go-to narrators for nonfiction. He totally blurs that line between performer and author, drawing me solidly into the book. (audio copy provided by the publisher)

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Weekend Cooking: Home Made in the Oven by Yvette Van Boven

You might remember that one of my favorite cookbooks from last year was Home Made Christmas by Yvette Van Boven. Well, one of my favorite cookbooks from this year is her Home Made in the Oven (Abrams, Oct. 15), which I received as part of the Abrams Dinner Party Program.

Home Made in the Oven was one of the cookbooks I took to Maine, and I ended up making two things from this book before we lost power (see posts from this week for more on that). I have bunches more recipes to try, and I will be sure to share photos of the finished dishes over on Instagram.

I love the layout of Van Boven's new book, which contains but three recipe chapters: vegetables, fish and meat, and baking. Of course, you'll also find an introduction, in which Van Boven provides tips about using and oven and buying the ingredients.

Before I even got to the recipes, I fell in love with the matte pages and photographs of the finished dishes. Each recipe is accompanied by cute drawings, some of which outline the recipe directions and others are more whimsical (see the cover and the scan). I also noticed that each recipe is presented with a month label, which indicates the best time of year to make that dish: sometimes because of seasonal ingredients and other times because we usually like something lighter in the summer and heartier in the winter.

Don't miss the recipe blurbs (aka introductions), because they contain personal stories, good information about the ingredients called for, and/or some history. For example, the introduction to the recipe I'm sharing today talks about quinoa: what it tastes like, whether it's ethically okay to eat it, and its nutritional value.

As I expect from Van Boven, the recipes in Home Made in the Oven are flavorful, easy to make, use basic ingredients, and will quickly become family favorites. Some of the vegetable recipes I have marked to try are Roasted Beet Salad with Fresh Spring Herbs (for April), Mushroom Flammkuchen (a kind of pizza for November), and Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes (for October).

Meat recipes include Comforting Meatballs (I made these and we loved them, for January), Chicken Gyro Wraps (for July, but I'm not waiting), and Salmon, Fennel, & Lemon with Spinach Miso-Mayo (for February). I love cookbooks that rely on fruit desserts, and Home Made in the Oven doesn't disappoint. I'm trying to decide between three different apple cakes, but the Clementine Yogurt Cake and Ginger-Orange Pantry-Clearing Cake also look really good.

The subtitle to Yvette Van Boven's Home Made in the Oven is "Truly Easy, Comforting Recipes for Baking, Broiling, and Roasting." I can fully attest to the easy and comforting, and I'd like to add "yummy." Vegetarians will find plenty of dishes to satisfy them, and the recipes are in fact easy enough for almost every home cook. I fully recommend Home Made in the Oven--you might want to add this to your holiday gift list. Here's a spread from the book: both dishes are vegetarian and both are on my try list (click image to enlarge):

I made the following broccoli dish and served it with a simple pan-sauteed meat, but this is hearty enough to be the main course. The leftovers heated up beautifully in the microwave, and we had it for a nice warming lunch. The house we were staying in didn't have the right baking dish, but the recipe came out perfectly. The only change I made was to use cashews instead of walnuts, only because that's what we had on hand up in Maine.

Quinoa & Broccoli from the Oven
Serves 4

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 g) quinoa (any color)
• Scant 2 cups (450 ml) vegetable stock or water (I used chicken stock)
• 1 pound 7 ounces (650 g) broccoli florets (2 heads)
• 4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil, plus extra for greasing the baking dish
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1 1/2 cups (150 g) shredded cheese, such as Cheddar or Gouda (I used white Cheddar)
• About 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (250 ml) vegetable stock or milk (I used chicken stock)
• Handful of shelled walnuts (I used pecans)

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).

Cook the quinoa for 20 minutes in the scant 2 cups of stock until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let evaporate for 10 minutes.

Combine the broccoli with the 2 tablespoons of oil, and salt and pepper to taste, arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 20 minutes.

Toast the nuts in a dry skillet until crunchy; break into pieces.

Lower the oven temperature to 350F (180C). Mix the cooked quinoa with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, two-thirds of the cheese, and the remaining stock until thoroughly combined.

Fold in the broccoli until they're entirely coated. Scoop this into a greased baking dish [I suggest  9 by 13 inch] and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the nuts. Bake the dish for 25 minutes.

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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.
_______

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Off the Shelf; Or What's New in My Corner of the World 5

1. Maine 25; the BRFs 1

October 2019 did not go as planned. I was dreaming of regular workdays, weekends off, and a 2-week working vacation in Maine. What did I get? Way more work that I had planned for (not that I'm really complaining), 5 blissful days working out of pretty second-floor office on an island off the coast of Maine, and a few nights of cooking out of new cookbooks in a rental house kitchen.

The night before I was going to take a day off to visit my friends at AudioFile Magazine in Portland and then go shopping in Freeport, the bomb cyclone came roaring up the eastern coast. It hit us at about 2am and an hour later, with the house shaking and the wind howling, we lost all power, and along with it our heat and water.

I'm sure glad it was really dark out, as we hunkered down to wait out the storm, because in the morning we discovered almost a dozen downed trees, which brought down the power lines and barely missed the house. Yikes! It was scary night.

For reasons too complicated to get into here, we were stuck in Maine for another 4 days before we could load the car and drive back home. It's going to be a dreary slog catching up with work.

Needless to say, I didn't get much reading done and this was the slowest audiobook week I've had in decades. At least we were safe, if a bit cold and stressed.

2. New Books on the Doorstep

I'm still sorting out the mail and packages, but I got some good book mail while I was out of town. Here's what I've unboxed so far. There are a few food books from Abrams, a couple of children's books, and a variety of fiction. You'll be hearing about all the Abrams cookbooks in the weeks to come. Women on Food, a collection of essays, looks really good.

I'm not quite sure why I got two picture books, but one is about all the different kinds of foods being prepared in a city apartment building.

I'm so excited to get a new Peter May, I haven't had a chance to even open the cover, so I don't know where it takes place or what it's about. I also got some speculative fiction from Tor, a fantasy and science fiction imprint I trust.

The new Therese Anne Fowler takes place in current times (I think) and is about a marriage, a community, and racial tensions. This is likely to zoom to the top of the pile. The Nanny is a British thriller full of mystery and family secrets. Finally, I always love the National Geographic encyclopedia books for kids; this one is about North America's indigenous populations.

3. Current Life-Changing Discovery

I've written about bullet journaling several times on this blog and in social media. I love the idea, but several partially used notebooks later, I've come to realize I'm a total BuJo failure. I just never seem to get more than a handful of weeks into the year (once I made it three months!) before I never open the journal again. Even the idea of collections is a failure because if you don't open the book, then you aren't using the information.

I've never had an issue keeping a family wall calendar in the kitchen for appointments, travel, and social events. I've never had an issue keeping a time book for my business. My stumbling block was recording daily tasks and to-dos, habit tracking, and collections -- the heart of the bullet journal.

Then one day over the summer I was wandering around YouTube and came across a bunch of planner videos and I spotted one with a set up that looked perfect for me. It turned out to be the new edition of the Life Planner from Erin Condrin. Although I am totally not into decoration or stickers -- I really, really want a functional planner -- this planner called to me.

I love that I don't have to hand write out all the monthly and weekly setups (one of the down sides of the BuJo), that it has places for my monthly collections, and that each day is divided up exactly how I need it to be. In case you're familiar with the EC Life Planner, I got the neutral vertical.

Here's how I use it. At the beginning of each month is a note page that I use to track incoming books (digital, print, audio) that are publishing that month. On the dotted grid page, I've resurrected my favorite part of my BuJo, my monthly discoveries page, where I record anything new to me that I want to investigate: things to buy, websites to explore, new television shows and music, and so on.

I use the smaller dotted box for habit tracking, and other boxes to track my invoicing and income. Then comes the monthly view, on which I re-create the family calendar, so I don't have to keep running downstairs to see what's going on.

The weekly view, though, is what caught my eye: For each day, I have a section for editing projects, a section for writing projects, a section for personal items, and a small section to track miscellaneous things. I use the side bar for my meal planning. It's perfect (if a little pricey). The most important thing is that I'm using it, and I'm more productive.

If you want to check it out for yourself go to the Erin Condren website. If you use my referral code (or anyone else's), you get $10 off your first purchase. I think I get something too, but I don't know what.

What's new in your part of the world?

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6 Brand New Cookbooks for Modern Cooks and Families

Oh how the gods laugh when you make grandiose plans. I planned to cook and bake my way through heaps of cookbooks during our recent working trip to Maine. The bomb cyclone, including 90-mph winds, downed trees, and no power, turned my plans upside down. Ooops!

Still, I want to write about another batch of awesome cookbooks that have October 2019 birthdays. A couple of these are geared to those of you on special diets (such as keto), one focuses on my beloved cast iron, and others are for shared meals.

I bet you'll find at least one cookbook that calls to you.

Although I don't have kids, I'm a strong believer in the family dinner. Mr. BFR and I sit down at the dinner table--without books, phones, or television--pretty much every single night. Besides the obvious need to nourish ourselves with good food, we look forward to reconnecting after a busy day. If you have the same tradition or wish you did, The Family Dinner Project's Eat, Laugh, Talk: The Family Dinner Playbook (Familus, Oct. 1) is the cookbook for you. As The Family Dinner Project (TFDP), notes, they have "a singular goal: to help families gather for dinner over food, fun, and conversation." There is so much to love about this cookbook, such as (1) an easygoing attitude about feeding the family; (2) recipes that are easy tasty, and affordable;  (3) and the focus on fun. The beginning of Eat, Laugh, Talk gives you tons of tips on how to transform dinnertime into fun family time, even if you have picky eaters and busy schedules. The book provides recipes for 52 complete meals (mostly dinners), including conversation starters and games (geared to different age groups) to encourage participation and to strengthen connections. The menus include vegetarian meals, family favorites, global flavors, breakfasts, hearty dinners, and light salads. For each meal TFDP provides ideas for family fun, such as conversation-starting questions, guessing games, and word games. The cookbook is also full of terrific tips for busy cooks, such as how to get your kids to help, how to use your freezer, how to organize a community dinner, and shopping tips. Recipes to try: African Curry with Coconut Rice, Lightning Fast Lemon Pepper Chicken, and a Taco Bar.

I love Mediterranean flavors, so it's no surprise that Christos Sourligas and Evdokia Antginas's My Big Fat Greek Cookbook: Classic Mediterranean Soul Food Recipes (Skyhorse, Oct. 22) caught my attention. This cookbook is all about the family favorites of a Greek American family. More than a cookbook, though, this is Sourligas's tribute to his terminally ill mother (Antiginas), both preserving her recipes and sharing his love for her with the world. I loved the stories and photographs and, though I'm not Greek, could totally relate to the importance food has had in Sourligas's life: it's comforting, it's healing, it's the center of happy times and sad times. One of the things that makes My Big Fat Greek Cookbook different from other Mediterranean cookbooks is that it contains authentic family recipes, not the spa version of Greek food. Note too the recipes use easy-to-find ingredients, and most of the new-to-me items were available at my supermarket (go Wegman's!). We tried the egg-lemon meatball soup and loved the little hint of mint and comforting flavors. Mr. BFR loves Greek-style green beans, so I was thrilled to see a recipe for them, which I'll be trying soon, along with the roast lamb. I'm thinking the Walnut Cake for dessert. Bring on the cold weather!

Admit it. Sometimes you just want a little something sweet after dinner or with your afternoon cup of tea or coffee. I'm way too lazy to run out to the bakery to satisfy a craving, and I'm often too busy to spend hours in the kitchen. Enter Weeknight Baking: Recipes to Fit Your Schedule by Michelle Lopez (Simon & Schuster, Oct. 29). Lopez is well-known as the writer, baker, and photographer who owns the blog Hummingbird High. Her blog (which was new to me) and her cookbook are all about how to bake even when you don't think you have time to bake. Some recipes can be whipped up--start to finish--after work; others will come together over a couple of evenings. Either way, you really can fit baking into your busy life. The beginning of Weeknight Baking is all about stocking your pantry, but Lopez includes a great section on tons of substitutions, just in case you don't have the "right" chocolate or milk. I think my favorite chapters are the loaf cakes, the sheet (or pan) cakes and bars, and the drop cookies. But the layer cakes, cupcakes, tarts, and rolled cookies look pretty tempting. Especially with Lopez's homemade frosting. Oh, did I mention the muffins and scones? Yeah, they're in the cookbook too. Throughout the book, you'll find lots of tricks and tips and guides, which up the success factor and turn down the stress. I swear this book is going live on my kitchen table. Note that Lopez includes a chapter on vegan and gluten-free baking, so be sure to browse the recipes if you or your loved ones have dietary restrictions.

I don't follow any particular diet, although we are big believers in home-cooked meals and eat plenty of vegetarian dinners. We do, however, have friends and family who follow a vegan, gluten free, or keto diet. When I saw Sarah Anne Jones's The Keto Sheet Pan Cookbook: Super Easy Dinners, Desserts, and More (Skyhorse, Oct. 1), I thought it would make a good addition to my collection. Before reading this cookbook, I didn't know much about the keto diet, beyond the fact that it avoided carbs. I was concerned that it was all meat, all the time, but really it's more diverse than that. The Keto Sheet Pan Cookbook includes meal planning tips, nutritional information, buying guides, and ingredient guides. Now to the recipes. I haven't yet cooked from this book, but I like the looks of the oven-baked fritattas (how perfect for a Sunday morning when you have guests), the Jamaican Jerk Chick with Turnips (we like spicy), Pesto Chicken Tenders with Green Beans (looks like a good weeknight dinner), Kielbasa and Cabbage (another simple dinner), Beef and Broccoli (without the rice), Chipotle-Lime Shrimp (yum!), and more. The desserts interest me less because I'm not a fan of the sugar substitutes, but if you're following a keto diet, you'll probably be happy to have recipes for Texas Sheet Cake, No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars, and Lemon Bars.  I'm not going to argue the benefits (or not) of the diet, and my initial interest was purely to find a way to safely feed my keto friends. But I'm really happy to have discovered another source of sheet pan recipes that we'll use often. There's no keto police, I can go ahead and add rice or quinoa if I want.

Food: What the Heck Should I Cook?: More than 100 Delicious Recipes--Pegan, Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and More--For Lifelong Health by Mark Hyman (Little, Brown Spark, Oct. 22) offers another source of recipes for various modern diets. You may have heard of Hyman from his "Sugar Solution" books and because he is associated with Cleveland Clinic. I've always liked his no-nonsense approach to good food and good nutrition and his practical recipes. First off, I want to thank Hyman for marking the recipes with icons so I can tell at a glance which recipes will fit which diets. Food contains a lot of information about diets, ingredients, the environment, and health before moving along to the recipes. The recipes rely heavily on coconut and avocado oils, non-wheat flours, and other ingredients you might not have in the house, unless you're already following a nonstandard diet. The soups and stews chapter is the one I'm most likely to turn to, although some of the heartier main dishes caught my eye: Slow Cooked Chicken Thighs with Kale and Delicata Buckwheat Bowls. The cookbook ends with desserts, sauces, spice blends, bone broths, and a gluten-free bread. If you are sticking to a specific diet for whatever reason, I bet you find some new favorites in this cookbook. I'm not quite sure it's for me, since I'm more in the Michael Pollan camp; however, I like having resources for feeding others.

As you know, I love my cast iron. I own maybe eight skillets and use at least one of them pretty much every day. Cast-Iron Cooking for Two: 75 Quick and Easy Skillet Recipes by Joanna Pruess with photos by Noah Fecks (Skyhorse, Oct. 1) seemed like the cookbook for me. Pruess jumps right into the recipes, which are divided into familiar chapters from breakfast to dessert. Cast-Iron Cooking for Two offers a variety of dishes to get through your average workweek (Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Beer-Braised Onions) to the little more unusual (Sweet Potato Pancakes with Asian Brussels Sprouts Slaw). Mains range from savory vegetarian bread pudding to game hens and lamb shanks and lots of everyday dinners in between. The desserts are fruit forward (crisps, clafoutis), although there's a skillet brownie recipe too. I love that the meals are on a small scale. Although I have no problem eating leftovers, it's nice to cook something that we can eat in one night. If you have four people to feed, I don't think you'd have any problem doubling up on most recipes, especially the breakfasts, sides, and mains. The cookbook ends with tips on cooking with cast-iron, how to clean and care for your pans, and information on buying skillets if you don't already own one. Like I said, I'm a big fan of cast-iron and will be cooking out of this book often. I especially have my eye on the After Thanksgiving Breakfast Hash . . . what a great way to eat up some of the holiday bounty.

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Weekend Cooking: The Saltwater Table by Whitney Otawka

Happy Saturday. I hope your weekend is starting off well. As I write this post, I'm in a hotel room about 600 miles from my home kitchen and 20 miles from my temporary kitchen.

I had the opportunity to travel with my husband to Maine, where he's working for a week or so. Our trip, however, has been disrupted by Mother Nature. A mega wind storm this week took out our electricity, so we're holed up in a hotel, awaiting news on the power and tree removal crews.

Anyway, besides the power issue, I've been challenged with cooking in a strange kitchen. Vacation houses are equipped with the bare minimum tools and, of course, a bare pantry. Nonetheless, I managed to make some pretty awesome dinners, even if I couldn't find a cheese grater.

I had several recipes marked to try from Whitney Otawka's The Saltwater Table (Abrams, Oct. 22), which I received as part of the Abrams Dinner Party. The two I made were delicious, even though I had to adjust to the equipment on hand.

First let me tell you a little bit about this cookbook. By the title and subtitle (Recipes from the Coastal South), I was expecting a seafood cookbook. Yes, there are plenty of oyster and shrimp dishes, but The Saltwater Table is also full of side dishes, meat mains, vegetable recipes, and desserts, all with an eye to sharing with friends and family.

Otawka offers menu and party ideas (a spring vegetable feast, a Low Country boil), and plenty of great tips: working with herbs and flowers, how to build an outdoor cooking fire, and what to do with hot peppers, for example. The beautiful matte paper and full-page photos draw you in, and Otawka's personal stories give you context.

Some of the recipes I want to make are Pan-Roasted Flounder, Grapefruit Tart, Heirloom Tomato Bloody Mary, Shrimp Rolls, Lamb Meatballs, Seafood Chowder (see the scan), and Asparagus and Green Hill Frittata.

The first recipe I tried was Winter Root Vegetable Soup with Ham Hock and Turnip Green Pistou. My soup ended up being "inspired by" the original because I couldn't find a ham hock in the grocery store up here and the house doesn't have a blender or food processor. I cooked ham plus the leeks, turnips, carrots, rutabaga, and garlic in boxed chicken broth, seasoned it up as directed, and topped it with jarred basil pesto. No matter that I didn't quite pull off the original, the soup was delicious and I can't wait to make it Otawka's way.

The other recipe I made from The Saltwater Table was also fabulous. Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Horseradish and Sea Salt. OMG, this is our new favorite way to make potatoes. I had to do a little adapting here (no cast-iron skillet, so I did that step in the oven and then broiler), but the results didn't suffer. I served these with simple pan-seared chicken breasts and broccoli (see my photo).

One of the most important things I learned about Whitney Otawka's The Saltwater Table is how adaptable her recipes are. I didn't need a fancy kitchen or special pots and pans to make delicious dishes using the recipes in this book. I think many of us can appreciate that. I also love the variety of recipes Otawka included; you don't have to live on the coast to use this cookbook. Even land-locked me found plenty of recipes to dream about making -- once the lights come back on.

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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.
_______

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Wordless Wednesday 543

Maine, 2019

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Today's Read: The Art of Regret by Mary Fleming

Imagine that you have accepted your unexceptional life as a solitary struggling shop owner who lives above his store. How would you react when chance circumstances boost your business? What if you then begin a forbidden love affair? At some point you will have to face the consequences of these life changes. Here is how Trevor McFarquhar's story begins:

For many years, in what might have been the prime of my life, I lived and worked on the rue des Martyrs. This narrow market street, which begins its climb at the northern edge of the banking and insurance district and ends in the skein of streets that wraps around the Sacre Coeur at the heart of Montmartre, is not on the tourist circuit and has no pretensions to Parisian grandeur. Behind and above its modest shop fronts are forgettable lives. Lives like my own, which I had reduced to a box, a one-room apartment on top of a one-room shop. Though the two were once a unit, at some point and for some reason--to make more space, to rent the shop and studio separately--the connecting stairs had been disconnected and my room could only be reached by an enclosed stairway in the courtyard. It's not unusual in  a city with a long history. Buildings change their function and configuration, and one structure is squeezed in front of, behind, or beside another. It's just such quirks that have made Paris Paris, a city of endless layers and perspectives, a city of story upon story.

—The Art of Regret by Mary Fleming (She Writes Press, Oct. 22, p. 10 [ARC])

Quick Facts

• Setting: Paris, mid-1990s
• Circumstances: Trevor McFarquhar was born in America but grew up in Paris after his newly widowed mother moved with her two young sons to France. Now in his late thirties, Trevor is estranged from his family and lives above his bicycle shop, barely squeaking by. His life changes when a transit strike creates a demand for bikes and a long-smouldering romance is given a chance to bloom. The newfound business success comes at the nick of time, but his relationship could cut the last remaining threads Trevor has with his mother and brother. Trevor is forced to set priorities and decide what kind of man he wants to be.
• Genre & themes: fiction; second chances, late coming-of-age, healing old wounds, family, family secrets
• Some random thoughts: Trevor is dealing with many unresolved issues from his past and has conflicted feelings about his family. Thus he finds it difficult to make connections and has been happy with casual hook-ups and uncommitted relationships. His business success has given him a new outlook, but he remains irresponsible when it comes to romantic partners. I'm curious if he has the courage to confront his past and change his present.
• The author: Fleming, herself an American who has relocated to France, fills her novel with insider details of Paris, including prevailing attitudes about families, social class, and politics.
• Acknowledgments: Thanks to Caitlin Hamilton Marketing & Publicity for the review copy of The Art of Regret.

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Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: What I Read Last Week

Last week was interesting to say the least. It started out with a mini-work crunch brought on because I decided to accompany my husband to Maine. He is here for work, and because I work for myself and from home, I was able to temporarily relocate my office. But first I had to work ahead, then we had to get the house ready for the house sitter, and then we had the long drive up to New England.

Despite the hassles, I’m glad I made the trip.

I didn’t have much time to read or listen last week, but I did manage to finish two short books, ditch another one, and start a couple more.

Machine by Susan Steinberg (Graywolf, Aug. 20). A short novel that can be interpreted in a number of ways. In this book, all of the characters and locations remain nameless, but the story takes place over the course of a summer at the shore (which says New Jersey to me) and is told through the eyes of a privileged teenage girl. This the summer the teenager’s perspective shifts, particularly after one of the local girls drowns during a night of partying. Besides obsessing over the circumstances of the death (was her brother involved? was it an accident? did she herself play a part?), she is awakened to her parents’ flaws, her brother’s downhill spiral, and her own place in the world. She begins to sense both the power and limitations of being female, and begins to make deeper connections between wealth, choices, actions, and consequences. That’s a lot to fit into 144 pages, but Steinberg pulls it off. There’s a poetic rhythm to the text, especially as the protagonist’s thoughts spill out and the girl is filled with a jumble of emotions. Machine isn’t for everyone, but it could make my top ten list for this year. Sophie Amoss does an amazing job performing the unabridged audiobook (Blackstone; 3 hr, 34 min); see AudioFile magazine for my audiobook review. (audiobook provided for freelance assignment)


Can You Hear the Trees Talking? by Peter Wohlleben (Greystone Kids, Oct. 1). Both Mr. BFR and I loved Wohleben’s The Secret Live of Trees, and I was curious how the German forester would transform that essay collection into a book for middle grade readers. What I found was a delightful way to introduce children to the wonders of the trees and to the world of the forest. Wohlleben begins each chapter with a question, such as Do trees get thirsty? How do trees have children? Can trees talk to each other? and What makes trees sick? The answers are fun and easy to read and are illustrated with great photos, including pictures of children and animals in the great outdoors. Readers will find quizzes, experiments to try, and observational quests. We learn about the animals, fungi, and bugs that interact with trees, and we discover the benefits of trees in the wild and in the city. The book ends with a look at a forest through the seasons. Any child who is curious about nature would love Can You Hear the Trees Talking?, and it would make a great book for family activities as well as for use in a traditional or homeschool curriculum. For more about Wohleben, see Greystone Book’s interview. (digital copy provided by the publisher)

Call Upon the Water by Stella Tillyard (Atria, Sept. 17). The story of a seventeenth-century Dutch engineer and surveyor who helped with “draining and developing an expanse of marshy wetlands known as the Great Level” in England. After a complicated relationship with a woman he met in the marshes, Jan flees to the New World, where his services are again needed in New Amsterdam. I really wanted to love this book, but despite great period details and the promise of intrigue, betrayal, and maybe romance, I just didn’t connect to Jan or his situation. I tried this book in print, digital, and audio formats, but in the end, I decided to put it aside at just about halfway through. Note that other reviewers have raved about Call Upon the Water, and perhaps I should have read or listened to it during a calmer week. If you like historical fiction that offers a mix of science and drama, you should give it a try. (all three formats provided by the publisher)

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Weekend Cooking: From Scratch by Michael Ruhlman

You'll have to forgive me if I start this post by quoting myself, when I wrote about Michael Ruhlman's book How to Roast, because I can't introduce him any better than I did then:

There are a handful of cookbook authors whose books I just have to own: sometimes because I know the recipes will be foolproof and sometimes because I know I'll learn something. Michael Ruhlman succeeds on both these accounts while providing that magic third element of timelessness.

Michael Ruhlman's newest book is From Scratch (Abrams, Oct. 15), which I received as part of the Abrams Dinner Party program. I was happy to see that Ruhlman included my all-time favorite way to roast chicken (see the cover photo), which I discovered in his earlier roasting book. You may think you know how to roast chicken, but his method is seriously moist and delicious.

Now, here's where From Scratch does something a bit different. Ruhlman doesn't stop with the main dish, he goes on to teach us how to make a couple of sauces, how to brine a chicken (if we're so inclined), and how to add in a salsa verde or other flavors. He tells us how to cook a spatchcocked chicken (another favorite of mine) and how to turn a store-bought rotisserie chicken into a comforting feast after a long day.

But wait, there's more! What else can you do with your chicken? Ruhlman to the recuse: make stock, make soup, make consomme. Serve it with Brussel sprouts or broccoli and take your pick of potato options. Have leftovers? Make a chicken salad or chicken pot pie.

Ruhlman treats omelets, lasagna, steak frites, paella, cassoulet, slow-roasted pork shoulder, curry, the BLT, and the profiterole in the same manner. A base recipe spins and curves and bends into many others (see the scan to the right). So you see, even though the subtitle says "10 meals," the 175 included recipes help you create enough dinners to get you through, say, a half year. Then you can start all over again and continue to perfect your skills.

Ruhlman adds plenty of extras throughout From Scratch, such as notes on specific ingredients (like summer tomatoes), thoughts on a variety of dishes (like risotto), and tips on techniques (like toasting spices). You'll also find a few cocktail recipes and lots of solid good advice.

I love Ruhlman's easygoing attitude about what "from scratch" means. While it'd be amazing to raise your own livestock and grow your own grains, vegetables, and fruit to make a truly from scratch dinner, in the long run:

"From Scratch" is an attitude, not a recipe or a ridgid set of instructions. Take a whole chicken, place it in a skillet, roast it in a hot oven for an hour--dinner from scratch.

Michael Ruhlman's From Scratch is the perfect cookbook for anyone who wants to hone his or her kitchen skills, whether that person is just learning to cook or has been cooking for decades. Besides all the delicious, well-presented recipes, I love how Ruhlman demonstrates just how easy it is to serve from-scratch dinners, even after a jam-packed day at work or school. If you've been in a rut or have lost your cooking mojo or passion, this is the book for you. If you love to cook or wish you knew how to cook or if you're somewhere in between, put From Scratch on your wish list.

The first from scratch dinner I made From Scratch was pulled pork sandwiches. I made the bread from scratch, I cooked the pork (locally produced) slow and low in the oven, I made the BBQ sauce, and I made the broccoli slaw using vegetables from the farmer's market. I did buy the pickles, but, hey, I didn't have weeks to wait!

Ruhlman's Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder was amazingly tender and flavorful for such a simple preparation. The recipe includes quite a lot of extra information and tips on how to speed up the process or slow it down, so I encourage you to get a copy of the cookbook (from the library or the store).

The photos (above and below) are of my own bread baked from Ruhlman's recipe (it looks just like the photo in the book!) and the finished dish. We were in heaven.

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder
Serves 8

• 1 (4-pound / 1.8 kilogram) bone-in pork shoulder or 1 (3-pound / 1.36 kilogram boneless pork shoulder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 275F/135C.

Give all surfaces of the pork a generous coating of salt. Put the pork in a Dutch oven or other large pot, cover it, and put it in the oven for 4 hours (or a little less for a boneless shoulder).

Remove the lid and check to see if it's tender by shredding it with two forks. If it doesn't pull easily, cover the pot and return it to the oven for another hour, or until it does.

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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.
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Still Reading; or What's in My (Virtual) Book Tote

Am I the only one who has more than one style of reading? I bet not. Most of the time, I read books the regular way—starting on page 1 and reading to the end, straight through, in short order. Other books I read piecemeal over the course of several weeks or even months, and not necessarily in order from the first page to the last.

What? Am I crazy? Maybe, but let me explain. The books I’m talking about are collections of short stories or essays, travel writing, food writing, history, some biographies, and other nonfiction. For example, I might be interested in a trade book on, say, dinosaurs. Because I’ve read quite a lot about paleontology, not only in graduate school but also for fun, my approach may be to skim some of the background chapters and then to read carefully when the author turns to newer research or discoveries.

I’m content with my weird reading habits, but I’m often uncomfortable talking about the books I've read unconventionally here on Beth Fish Reads. I can't help but wonder if I should share my thoughts about a book I haven’t read cover to cover or that took me a while to read. It’s silly isn’t it? If I make it clear I’m still reading, then why not let you know what I think so far?

That’s what today’s post is all about. Here are the books in my current slow-read stack. (Print or digital copies provided by the publisher or publicist.)

I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan, which I first read when I was in sixth or seventh grade. Since then, I’ve reread the entire series, starting with The Hobbit, about every five years. It’s no surprise that I was excited to get a chance to read David Day’s An Encyclopedia of Tolkien: The History and Mythology That Inspired Tolkien’s World (Canterbury Classics, Oct. 8). Before I get to the contents, just let me tell you that this leather-bound hardback is simply gorgeous. It has gilded edges, a marker ribbon, and contains close to 200 beautiful black-and-white drawings of Tolkien’s universe. Day includes entries on people and characters, lands, creatures, and events found in the books. Some entries relate to Tolkien’s inspirations and scholarship, and others are about gods and legends from various traditions (Greek, Roman, Norse, biblical). I’ve been flipping through, admiring the artwork and reading the entries that catch my eye. If you are a LOTR fan, then you must have a copy, and if there is a Tolkien lover in your family, then this is the perfect gift.

I’m not sure what triggered my interest in the Middle Ages, but I find it hard to resist novels set during that period, and I also like reading medieval history. Kelcey Wilson-Lee’s biography and history, Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of King Edward Longshanks (Pegasus, Oct. 1) is more than the story of Edward I’s five daughters. Wilson-Lee presents a non-romanticized look at the complex lives of medieval noblewomen. I’m still in the early chapters, so can’t comment on the overall level of scholarship or conclusions, but I like the different perspectives. Women and girls were, of course, used by men for political or economic gain; that didn’t mean, however, they were totally without independence, that they couldn’t be successfully defiant, or that they couldn’t find ways to take full advantage of their circumstances. Far from being demure damsels in distress waiting for their knight in shining armor, women sometimes had the power to save themselves. I’m assuming Edward’s daughters do just that. Other themes are education, childbirth, and court life.

My father was on a lifelong mission to rid our yard and gardens of moles. This was one battle he lost. In How to Catch a Mole: Wisdom from a Life Lived in Nature (Greystone, Oct. 1), Marc Hamer shares his journey from professional mole hunter to mole accepter. This book offers a little bit of everything because Hamer, himself, has had a multilayered life. The essays and poems collected here reveal the hidden life of moles, recount Hamer's own journey to and from his solitary profession, and bring us closer to nature. In the introduction, Hamer tells us,

There is a difference between truth and honesty, so I am going to tell you one of the millions of honest stories that I could tell you that might be good enough to call ‘true’. One of the stories that led me to the point of kneeling in a muddy field in December with a dead mole in my hand and deciding it was time to stop killing.

The book is beautifully illustrated with black-and-white drawings by Joe McLaren. I'm reading this collection, one essay or poem at a time. One thing, though, even if my dad (who really did love animals) had had the chance to read this book, I doubt he'd have given up on his dream of a mole-free property.

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6 New Cookbooks I Love

If you're a reader, then you already know October is an awesome month for new book releases. But did you know October 2019 is turning out to be one of the most amazing cookbook months we've had in a long while?

In fact, I have so many cookbooks to cover, I've run out of Saturday Weekend Cooking space. Still I really need to share all the great new books with you. Thus I'm trying something different this month. Here's the breakdown of what to expect.

• Twitter, Instagram, or Litsy (@BethFishReads): I have already posted some photos and stories of dishes I've made from October cookbooks. You'll see more throughout the month.
• Weekend Cooking: I'm devoting Saturdays to books from the Abrams Dinner Party.
• Today's Read: I have two Tuesdays devoted to individual cookbook or food writing reviews. Last Tuesday was Aaron Sanchez's new memoir, Where I Come From (from Abrams).
• Mini-Reviews: Finally, I plan to write two posts devoted to mini reviews and features (today is the first one).

We're eating really well in the BFR household, and I'm having a ton of fun discovering new favorite recipes.

Now that you have the October cookbook scoop, let's get to the first batch of reviews, presented in no particular order. (Note: print or digital copies of all of these were provided by the publisher)

I love collecting cookbooks with a literary theme and those celebrating favorite novels or authors. It should come as no surprise that Wini Moranville's The Little Women Cookbook (Harvard Common Press, Oct. 1) caught my eye. With this celebration of the 150th anniversary of Little Women in hand, you can re-create many of the foods and drinks mentioned in the story. Moranville took a three-pronged approach. First she made note of the many food references in the novel; then she looked a period cookbooks and archives to find recipes. Finally, she made sure those recipes were doable in modern times and tweaked them to 21st-century tastes. Each recipe is introduced with a quote or a blurb to tie it to Louisa May Alcott's book, and throughout the cookbook, you'll find other information about the Alcotts and about food in the mid-1800s. Marked to try: maple-cornmeal drop biscuits, chicken salad with grapes and almonds, Hannah's cottage pie.

One of the sad, sad things about my late-in-life peanut allergy is that I can't eat Asian food in restaurants. This is really hard because I love noodle-y food like pad Thai. Thank you Maki Watanabe, your new cookbook Asian Noodles (Tuttle, Oct. 29) is just what I needed. Now I can make my own noodle dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, China, Korea, and Japan at home. If a dish calls for peanuts, I can make a substitution. Here are a few things I really like about this cookbook: Each recipe is accompanied by a beautiful photo of the finished dish. I especially appreciate photos when I'm learning new techniques or working with new ingredients. Watanabe includes instructions for cooking the different kinds of Asian noodles to help make her recipes no-fail. I love the variety of dishes, including stir-fries, noodle bowls, soups, and desserts. Finally, you'll find tips and tricks and useful information scattered throughout the book. Recipe I tried: five-spice pork noodles (yum!) Marked to try: Taiwanese chicken noodles, chicken pho noodle soup, stir-fried mi fun with lots of vegetables.

It's really hard to believe that I bought my first Tartine cookbook a dozen years ago. The new Tartine by Elizabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson (Chronicle, Oct. 1) is a pastry and dessert book for today's baker. About half the book features updated versions of older recipes and the other half consists of new delights. Yes, the original recipes work just fine, but the new book includes gluten-free options, more whole grain breads, less sugar, new methods, and new ingredients. The cookbook contains gorgeous photos and recipes for everything from muffins to scones, pies, cookies, and cakes. One feature I really love is the "Kitchen Notes" sections that accompany many (all?) recipes. Here you'll find all kinds of tips, from how to transfer the dough to the pan to how to make substitutions and information on why a certain ingredient is called for. These are the gold mine of the cookbook. Marked to try: black tea blondies with caramel swirl, pecan maple pie with kumquats and bourbon, almond-lemon tea cake.

One of my go-to, totally reliable cookbook authors is Ellie Krieger and her new book, Whole in One (Da Capo, Oct. 15) speaks to me on a lot of levels. Her dishes are always healthful, and I love one-pot cooking (especially because I don't have a dishwasher). The recipes in this book are broken down by main ingredient: plant and dairy proteins; meats, fish, and fowl; and desserts and, as I've come to expect from Krieger, the recipes are straightforward, easy to follow, and use regular ole ingredients. The dishes are also popping with flavor. Here's more good news: most of the dishes can easily be make on a busy weeknight.  I suspect this cookbook will be well used in this house. Krieger starts with a discussion of needed equipment (yay for cast iron!), her thoughts on good food and nutrition, and suggested pantry items. Then come the tempting recipes. I didn't even bother to mark recipes, because, really, I could make everything in the book. Recipes I tried: broccoli Cheddar skillet strata (cast-iron skillet), herbed pork tenderloin with delicata squash and Brussels sprouts (sheet pan).

Long, long ago, I drank the America's Test Kitchen Kool-Aid, and I've been a fan ever since. The newest book from America's Test Kitchen Kids is The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs (Sourcebooks Explore, Oct. 1). This book, like others in their Young Chefs series, is colorful, informative, and sometimes funny. The photos show a diverse group of kids baking up a storm, and each recipe includes notes and reviews from young recipe testers. As you can expect from ATK, the recipes may be suitable for youngsters but there is nothing childish about the results. In fact, although I've been cooking and baking for more years than I'm going to admit here, I learned a few things from the beginning chapter on ingredients, techniques, and tips. The kid testers' notes are really honest; for example, one girl said she hated squeezing the liquid out of shredded zucchini, but because her family loved the bread she baked, she decided it was worth it. Recipes include scones, quick breads, muffins, and a variety of yeasted breads -- even pretzels. If yeast scares you, start with the recipes in this book. Marked to try: cheese bread, pumpkin bread with chocolate chips, fluffy dinner rolls.

I try to stay out of the food world's drama, so I have nothing to say about Christopher Kimball's departure from ATK or Cooks magazine. I still like his recipes and his veiw point on food and cooking (though I don't know much about Milk Street). His new cookbook is titled The New Rules (Voracious, Oct. 15), and its subtitle promises that the recipes "will change the way you cook." I haven't had much time to really delve into this one yet, but each of the 75 chapters takes you through a particular flavor, ingredient, technique, or dish. For example, you'll learn why a sheet pan is better than a traditional roasting pan, how to get the best flavor from garlic, how to use nuts with pasta dishes, and tricks for braising. Kimball presents each rule and then offers a couple of recipes that put that rule into action. There are also informative features, such as one about oils and their smoking points and a super one on spice blends. The recipes are appealing (Roman Braised Beef with Tomato and Cloves) but are omnivore heavy, so vegetarians and vegans might want to look before buying. I haven't marked any recipes in particular, but I'm interested in trying out several of the "new rules."

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Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: A Quiet Reading Week

I know this is a book blog, but the best parts of last week had nothing to do with reading, even though they have a link to books.

The first is bittersweet: I'm so happy that The Durrells in Corfu and Poldark have returned to PBS, but I'm sad because this is the last season for both. I love these series, each based on a book. If you're a Durrell fan, here are two resources you might be interested in. The first is a Masterpiece theater podcast with the series screenwriter, Simon Nye, and the second is a one-hour documentary titled What the Durrells Did Next, which will premiere November 10 (check your local listing for air times).

Here's what I read last week:

Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron (William Morrow, Aug. 6). Professional organizer Emily tries to ignore her hoarder husband's addiction to garage sales by avoiding trips to the basement, which is stuffed full of what she considers junk. Nonetheless, she and her partner, Becca, run a successful business helping others Maria Kondo their possessions. Everything is running smoothly until they get a call from a desperate new client who begs for help now! Becca has other plans, so Emily reluctantly agrees to meet the woman alone. A needy client, a minor business mistake, and a stressed marriage have Emily on edge, but when it looks like someone is setting her up to take the fall for a murder, annoyance turns into fear. This is a light thriller with agreeable characters, including Emily's book-loving mother. The unabridged audiobook (HarperAudio; 7 hr, 46 min) is read by Amy McFadden, who does a fine job highlighting Emily's changing circumstances, from harried business owner to possible victim. Full audiobook thoughts will be published by AudioFile Magazine. (auido review copy for a freelance assignment)

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White with an introduction by Melissa Sweet (Listening Library; 4 hr, 2 min). It's been decades since I last read Charlotte's Web -- I think I was still in grade school -- but I couldn't resist listening to this full-cast production of the beloved children's book starring Meryl Streep (narrator), January LeVoy (Charlotte), Kirby Heybourne (Wilbur) and many other well-known audiobook performers. I was so pleasantly surprised to find I still enjoyed the story and was absolutely delighted with the overall production: the personalities of the geese, the rat, and even the baby spiders shone. Don't miss this fabulous audiobook. You don't need to be a kid to root for Wilbur and fall for Charlotte. (review copy provided by the publisher)

The Sisters of Summit Avenue by Lynn Cullen (Gallery Books, Sept. 10). The story of mothers and daughters coming to terms with family, mistakes, missed chances, and love, told in three time periods. The novel follows three woman: Dorothy and her two daughters, June and Ruth. Each has been damaged in some way and find it difficult to express affection. Dorothy was abandoned by her family and her lover when she becomes becomes pregnant near the turn of the last century. In the early 1920s June and Ruth have a falling out, and June ends up marrying into the upper class of Minneapolis while Ruth marries June's old boyfriend and takes up life as a farm wife and mother. All three women are unhappy but try to put their best face forward. Past betrayals are awakened when June comes to visit Ruth in Indiana, and before the day is out, everyone's lives have changed. The general themes of the novel were appealing, but three points of view plus three time periods were more disruptive than intriguing. The women were hard to connect to, so I wasn't fully invested in their fates. The ending was a little too neat to be satisfying. The best parts of the novel were the early scenes in the General Mills Betty Crocker test kitchen, where June works as one of the Bettys. If I gave ratings, this book would get about a 3.2. (audio and digital copies provided by the publisher)

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