Weekend Cooking: Good Taste by Jane Green

Let me say right off the bat that this was a difficult review to write. Although I've never met her, I like Jane Green and I respect her culinary background (some training at the International Culinary Center) and her fiction-writing skills.

Green's beautiful cookbook, Good Taste, was originally published as a Kickstarter project but was later picked up by NAL for sale and distribution to all of the author's fans. As the introduction says, not every recipe is Green's, and she has done her best to properly credit the recipes she discovered online or that were given to her.

Let's start with all the good. The photography (by Tom McGovern) is stunning. Not only do we see the finished dishes but we're offered a window into Green's kitchen, home, and property. From gorgeous place settings to mouth-watering food to beautiful landscapes, I enjoyed just looking through Good Taste.

The recipes are geared to family and friends and relaxed entertaining. I was attracted to the warming soups, an easy curry, and a variety of savory tarts and quiches. The desserts include a number of chocolate treats and few are even gluten free.

Many recipes are introduced with a personal story from Green: a family trip to the Bahamas, the origin of a grandmother's braised chicken recipe, a quick main dish that her kids love, and how a delicious soup was created out of what was left in the refrigerator. I felt like I got to know Green better through these short pieces.

But what about the recipes themselves? Ah, well, here is where I begin to have issues. I am a good cook and an experienced cook and can figure out how to make almost anything from the scantiest of directions. But, of course, the bulk of today's home chefs need a little more help. Unfortunately, they aren't going to find it in Good Taste.

For example, most recipes don't mention heat levels or pan sizes. "Heat olive oil in pan and add onions, softening." Am I sauteing, sweating, or stir-frying these onions? Should I make sure they don't take on any color? What kind (and size) pan? Skillet or saucepan? On high heat or medium heat?

In other cases, the ingredient list is vague, calling for a bag of frozen vegetables (what size?) or "8 sausages, preferably pork" (links or patties? how many pounds? plain or seasoned?). Some ingredients are oddly listed: Are "2 cups ground beef" equal to a pound? Most people buy meat by weight rather than dry measure.

Finally, doneness tests are often missing. Cooking "until done" isn't very helpful if you aren't experienced enough to simply know when a dish is done. "Bake 10 minutes" isn't helpful if your oven temperature is a bit off. Again, if you're not a veteran in the kitchen, you might not see success by blindly following the given time with no other hint (such as until brown or until bubbly).

Back to the good and a recommendation. If you are confident cook and don't depend heavily on recipes, you'll find a lot to love about Jane Green's Good Taste. I made and liked a chicken dish and have my eye on a tomato tart and a crustless quiche. I heard good things about the chocolate banana cake, but I haven't tried it yet (no pan size given, no doneness test; though I suspect from the photo it's an 8-inch cake pan and a toothpick test should tell me it's done).

If you're a Jane Green fan, Good Taste will be a must-have for the stories and photos alone. But if you're an unsure home chef looking for a reliable cookbook that will help you put together a successful meal for casual entertaining, I suggest you give this one pass or at least check it out from the library before buying. Note too that pretty much everyone on GoodReads loved Good Taste, though I'm not sure how many people actually cooked from it.

A note on the photos: The images in this post were scanned from Good Taste by Jane Green and were used in the context of a review. All rights remain with the original copyright holder.

Published by NAL, 2016
ISBN-13: 9780399583377
Source: review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

_______

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.

_______

Click for more

6 Thrillers to Read in August

How can it be August already? Time to pack the bags and head off on vacation to escape the summer heat. Along with your bathing suit, sun block, and beach chair, don't forget a stash of books. Here are a half dozen new thrillers; look for them at a bookstore near you.

• The Darkness Knows by Cheryl Honigford: After the murder of a radio star, an up-and-coming actress helps a handsome private detective solve the crime. Set in 1930s Chicago, this debut sets the stage for a new series and introduces a likeable duo. (Landmark, August 2)
• The House between Tides by Sarah Maine: I'm just past halfway in this atmospheric Gothic mystery set in the Outer Hebrides. Alternating between the early 1900s and modern times, the story has pulled me in totally--crumbling mansion, a skeleton beneath the floor, and closed-mouthed islanders. (Atria, August 2)
• Watching Edie by Camilla Way: Set in England, this psychological thriller focuses on two childhood friends who are reunited in their thirties. One is a single mom; the other moves in, saying she can lend a hand, but what are her true motives? (New American Library, August 2)

• The Couple Next Door by Sheri Lapena: I just started to listening to this thriller about a parent's worse nightmare. After a night of celebrating with their neighbors, Anne and Marco discover their infant daughter has been taken from her crib. The police aren't buying the couple's story. (Pamela Dorman, August 23)
• Unknown Caller by Debra Spark: When Joel goes to the airport to pick up the teenage daughter he's never met, she fails to get off the plane. Is this a cruel joke played by his ex-wife, or has something really happened to the girl? (Louisiana State University Press, August 22)
• Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris: This sounds like a pretty creepy psychological thriller. Everyone wants to be Jack and Grace. But if they are really the perfect couple, how come Grace is never seen out and about on her own? (St. Martin's Press, August 9)

Click for more

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Odds & Ends

A personal note: Life has taken a crazy turn, and it seems as if I haven't had a free weekend for months on end. Not that anything bad is going on, we've traveled, we've camped, we've had holidays, we've socialized. I'm ready for a few days of just relaxing at home.

That isn't likely to happen until next weekend, but at least I have something to look forward too.

Last weekend was our annual camping trip with good friends. I loved getting a chance to catch up on gossip, congratulate new parents (and grandparents!), celebrate up-coming weddings, and enjoy being in the great outdoors.

Although not a lot of reading took place I spotted a handful of books: The City of Mirrors, Voyager (Diana Gabaldon), The Boys in the Boat, Woman in Cabin Ten, 11/22/63, and Flags of Our Father. I'm sure there were many more books, but I didn't notice . . . the beer and wine and good food and good people held my attention.

Listening and reading: I'm currently listening to The Bourbon Kings by J. R. Ward. It's a little soap-opera-y, but the audio is a good match for my current mood. It's a family saga that takes place in Kentucky: whisky, horses, and a whole lot of money. When I finish that one, I'll be back to listening to books for freelance reviews. I'm (as always) in the middle of a handful of print books, but The Hike by Drew Magary is at the top of my list. I started it Wednesday night and hope to have finished it by the time you read this. It's so weird -- but I mean that in a good way. A guy goes for a short hike in the woods and strange things happen. I'm not sure how this is all going to end up, but I have to find out!

Coming up: I've fallen behind with my reviews but plan to catch up with a series of quick takes, so look for those next week. I also have some themed lists in the works and a look at books you won't want to miss. As for the  weekend, I'll be working Saturday and Sunday mornings, but I do plan to participate in the 24in48 readathon as much as I can. It's not too late to sign up (I jumped in at 5pm last night!) and you don't need a blog to join in the fun. Click the link and check it out.

What are you reading (or listening to)? Anything I must add to my list?

Click for more

5 Books for June: A Look at My eReader

June is more than halfway done, and the official first day of summer is fast approaching. Here are five books that are waiting patiently on my eReader, all good choices for a warm evening reading on the deck or a sunny day at the pool.

Sleeping with the Lights On

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf: The manager of a California luxury hotel is working hard to get everything in place for the grand opening, when her long-lost childhood foster brother comes for a visit. As they begin to explore the vast, empty resort, something sinister begins to make itself known: employees are being killed off in the plain sight of the numerous security cameras. Someone is watching . . . and setting up the murders in very particular ways. What's the message and who is behind the night of bloodshed? A clever design allows readers to feel as if they were in several places at once in this heart-thumping thriller. This debut has already earned several starred reviews. Out June 7 from Algonquin.

Since She Went Away by David Bell: Jenna shows up late for an appointment only to find that her best friend has disappeared with almost no trace--a single diamond earring is found in the park where the women were supposed to meet. No amount of searching digs up any clue to what has happened. As the media sensationalizes the case, Jenna is having trouble coping with her guilt. When her son's new girlfriend also disappears, the mystery begins to unravel, pointing to deep secrets and long-ago lies and proving that the past never truly stays in the past. Reviews promise a complex, fast-paced plot with well-wrought characters. This thriller is set in small-town Kentucky. Out June 21 from New American Library.

Take a Step Back in Time

The Gilded Years by Karin Tanabe: In 1897, a senior at Vassar college is on the brink of seeing all her dreams come come to light; if only she can keep her secrets to herself. She is no ordinary student; she's a descendant of slaves and the daughter of a janitor, passing for white among the rich and privileged. When she befriends her high-society roommate, she's pulled into a world she could have scarcely imagined. This sets off a series of events that threatens to expose her true background and force her to choose between living a lie or embracing her heritage. This novel is based on the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first black woman to graduate from Vassar. Out on June 7 from Washington Square Press.

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams: This story transports us to the 1920s where we go from a Connecticut court room and "the trial of the century" to the streets of Manhattan, the playground of the rich and famous, with their scandals, romances, and Jazz Age partying. In the years after the Great War, everyone seems to be letting down their guard, shedding established conventions and ignoring Prohibition. Inappropriate affairs, new money vs. old, secrets, and betrayals are at the core of this retelling of Strauss's De Rosenkavalier, as lovers bungle their romances and set ill-fated schemes into action. This book looks like it's classic Williams, with excellent period details and easy to envision characters. Out June 28 from William Morrow.

Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford: In 1926 London a secretary at the newly formed British Broadcasting Company radio station gets caught up in office politics and government secrets as she climbs the corporate ladder. Conflicts of artistic vision and gender issues underlay the excitement of cutting-edge technology and new opportunities. Several aspects of this novel attract me, including the BBC's debates on where the future (and the money) of the new medium was headed: educational (talk shows), news, drama, music, or sports? In addition, I'm interested in the idea that radio offered a place for women to rise in the business world. Finally, this novel presents a view of the 1920s that we don't often see. Out June 14 by New American Library.

Click for more

Today's Read: Stars over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner

Have you ever been friends with someone who seems almost your polar opposite? When outgoing Audrey agrees to let a room to reserved Violet, neither woman thought they'd ever be close. But shared adventures and shared secrets during the filming of Gone with the Wind solidify their friendship, even when men and ambition threaten to tear them apart. Here's Violet's first impression of Audrey:

A brilliant California sun bathed Violet Mayfield in indulgent light as she neared the soaring palm tree and the woman seated on the bench underneath it. Legs crossed at the ankles, the woman rested her back lazily against the skinny trunk. She held a cigarette in her right hand, and it was as if the thin white tube was a part of her and the stylish smoke that swirled from it an extension of her body. The woman's fingernails, satin red and glistening, were perfectly shaped. Toenails visible to Violet through peep-toes winked the same shade of crimson. The woman wore a formfitting sheath of celery green with a scoop neckline. A magazine lay open on her lap, but her tortoiseshell sunglasses hid her eyes, so Violet couldn't tell whether the woman was reading the article on the left page or gazing at handsome Cary Grant, whose photograph graced the right.

—Stars over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner (New American Library, 2016, opening of chap. 1; egalley)

Quick Facts

• Setting: 1930s and modern times; California (Hollywood)
• Circumstances: In the 1930s, Violet and Audrey meet at Selznick International Studios as filming begins of Gone with the Wind. Each has her own ambitions and harbors secrets from her past. The two bond, but their friendship is strained by a potential love triangle. In modern times, vintage clothing store owner Christine is asked by a distraught client to return a green velvet hat, which bears an intriguing label: "Scarlet #13." The hat sparks long-buried memories, and Christine begins to search for the truth of her own past.
• Genre: historical fiction 
• Themes: women's friendship, loyalty, love, dreams, classic Hollywood
• Characters: Violet, an Alabama native; Audrey, a California native; Bert, a costumer, an old friend of Audrey's, and a potential love interest; Susan Myrick, friend of Margaret Mitchell and film adviser; various studio employees, stars, family, and friends
• What's happened so far: I'm a quarter of the way through and have just gotten past the basic setup of the novel. I've learned why Audrey ended up in Hollywood, but I haven't discovered what motivated Violet to leave home and move out west. I bet there's more to it than the promise of a job in the studio typing pool. The women's friendship is deepening, and Violet has been asked to assist to Susan Myrick on the movie set. So far, I don't know much at all about the modern-day story or how Christine is connected to Violet and Audrey.
• Gone with the Wind: I'm a big fan of the movie and the book, so reading this novel about the filming and the costuming is a lot of fun. I'm also learning how the Selznick Studio worked (not all of it pretty) and the obstacles hardworking young women faced. 
• Two random thoughts: I hope the potential love triangle is sorted out before it becomes a triangle. I hope the two time periods are pulled together in a believable way.
• Recommendations: If you like historical fiction, old Hollywood, Gone with the Wind, and/or stories about women's friendships, you'll probably like Stars over Sunset Boulevard. Because I haven't finished the book, I can't promise that Susan Meissner delivers, but for now I'm on board. This is a light novel, perfect for a Saturday afternoon or a daily commute.

Click for more

Thanksgiving Thoughts and Reading Plans

To all my friends in the United States, I wish you a happy, healthy, and relaxing holiday weekend. Hope you find time to read a book or two between tending the turkey and visiting with friends and family.

To everyone else, pardon our many photos of food over the next twenty-four hours and may your upcoming weekend be filled with all things good.

We're planning a quiet weekend at home. Besides cooking and eating, I'm looking forward to reading, walking, and doing some book culling. I may even get around to watching Jessica Jones.

Here are some the books I have at the top of my reading list. I may read these or pick up something else entirely. I'm going to see where my mood takes me.

A couple of years ago I read and liked Paolo Giordano's The Solitude of Prime Numbers, so when I was offered a copy of his newest novel, Like Family, I didn't hesitate to say yes. According to the publisher's description, this is a story of a young family and their housekeeper. The themes seem to be marriage, parenthood, family, facing personal setbacks, and negotiating adulthood. I have high hopes. First sentence:

On my thirty-fifth birthday, Mrs. A. abruptly gave up the determination that in my eyes characterized her more than any other quality and, already laid out in a bed that by then seemed too big for her body, finally abandoned the world we all know.

I'm giving away a copy of this next week.

Even though the second volume of The Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon entered my house in October, I haven't had time to sit down and read it. I don't plan to read this book front to back all in one go. Instead, I'll flip through, reading the essays (on language, on writing, on the television show, etc.), browsing the maps, and skimming the synopses of the more recent Outlander books. Good fun ahead. Here's the first sentence of the first chapter:

The Outlander series includes three kinds of stories: The Big, Enormous Books, which have no discernible genre (or all of them).

It's true: It's damn near impossible to describe the Outlander books by genre.

Also high on my list is the novel by Robert J. Mrazek. I can't resist a mystery / thriller that stars an archaeologist. The first book in the series, Valhalla, involved a discovery of Viking ruins in Greenland. The Bone Hunters concerns hominid fossil remains found in China. The premise promises politics, the military, religious beliefs, and science combined with a twisty and action-packed plot. Good escape reading. Here's the first sentence of the prologue:

It was one of the two darkest nights Corporal Sean Patrick Morrissey could ever remember.

The opening scene is set in China in 1941, but chapter one takes us to Boston in modern times. I'll be giving away copies of both Mrazek books in a couple of weeks.

I have a gazillion other books on my plate, so we'll see what I really get around to reading over the next few days. Enjoy the weekend, and see you Saturday for Weekend Cooking!

Click for more

Reading on Topic: 8 Books That Transport You to Paris

Writers and readers around the world have always had a fascination with Paris--city of lights, love, food, fashion, and history. This year has been no exception, and there are dozens of ways for you to visit Paris from the comfort of your own favorite reading spot. This list of recommended titles published this year includes something for everyone: From fiction to history and thrillers to memoirs, the following books will let you see Paris through a variety of lenses.

A Fiction Trio

Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop (Crown, June) is part adventure, part self-discovery and a whole lot of charm. Follow Jean Perdu's adventures as he unanchors his Paris barge bookstore and opens himself up to life's possibilities. The Paris Key, by Juliet Blackwell (NAL, September), is the story of how Genevieve Martin uncovers family secrets and finds her true home when she moves to Paris to take over her late uncle's locksmith shop. You never know what you'll find on the other side of a locked door. M. J. Rose's latest paranormal thriller, The Witch of Painted Sorrows (Atria, March) transports readers to the Paris underworld of the 1890s. Sandrine Salome escapes her cruel husband, seeking refuge in the City of Lights, but what she finds is the darkness of the city's occult and a fight for survival.

True Stories

Based on extensive research and firsthand accounts, Alex Kershaw's Avenue of Spies (Crown, August) introduces the world to one of the real-life heroes of the Nazi resistance in occupied Paris. American Dr. Sumner Jackson risked his life and that of his family to help Allied soldiers and French Jewish citizens escape the city, barely surviving his own forced exodus. Kate Betts lived the life that many of us can only imagine: hobnobbing with the greats of Paris fashion. In her memoir My Paris Dream (Spiegel & Grau, May), Betts talks about how she became at home in the city during her rocky transformation from a recent Ivy League graduate with no prospects to the associate bureau chief for Women's Wear Daily.

20th-Century Paris in Historical Fiction

The story of Coco Chanel's rise from a poor country girl to one of the world's most recognized Paris fashion icons is documented by C. W. Gortner in Mademoiselle Chanel (William Morrow, March). Told from Chanel's point of view, as she recalls her sacrifices, lovers, and achievements, this novel provides insight into the origins of the little black dress with pearls and the famous No. 5 perfume. Meg Waite Clayton's The Race for Paris (Harper, August) is inspired by the harrowing true experiences of women journalists who covered World War II and the liberation of France. Set in 1944, the story focuses on two American women determined to document the events unfolding in Paris as Allied troops made their way inland after the invasion of Normandy. Dana Gynther's The Woman in the Photograph (Gallery, August) takes place in Paris in the years between the wars. When New York model Lee Miller moves to the city in 1929, she struggles to keep her sense of self as she navigates the avant-garde world of artists, writers, and photographers.

Just can't get enough of Paris? Here a just a few more recently published novels that feature the City of Lights within their pages:

• 750 Years in Paris by Vincent Mahé (Nobrow, October): an illustrated history as witnessed by one building
• Wherever There Is Light by Peter Golden (Atria, November): a family saga featuring star-crossed lovers
• Murder on the Champs de Mars by Cara Black (Soho Crime, March): an exciting mystery/thriller
• It Started with Paris by Cathy Kelly (Grand Central, August): a Paris marriage proposal and its wide-ranging effects
• The Sisters of Versailles by Sally Christie (Atria, September): a luscious tale of the women in Louis XV's court
• The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman (Simon & Schuster, August): the life of the mother of Impressionist artist Pissarro
• A Paris Affair by Tatiana de Rosney (St. Martin's, July): short stories about love, marriage, and infidelity

Originally written for a September issue of Readerly magazine.

Click for more

Today's Read: Stones in the Road by E. B. Moore

What if your father treated you so horribly that you'd rather your mother and sisters think you were dead than take even more one minute of the abuse? Although only eleven years old and raised in an Amish community, Joshua sees an opportunity and runs away from his Pennsylvania home, with dreams of California filling his head.

Joshua urges his horse through the iron gate. Hoping to find his father's headstone, he dismounts at one slab not yet covered with lichen and reads the name. It's not Father's. He reads it again. Hand to his beard, he compresses his lips. The name is his own.

He never imagined this welcome, or the chiseled inscription: Beloved Boy, 1872. The year he ran from Father and the farm.

—Stones in the Road by E. B. Moore (Penguin Random House / New American Library, 2015, p. 3)

Quick Facts

• Setting: late 1800s, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and the way west to California
• Circumstances: The book opens as twenty-one-year-old Joshua returns home for the first time in ten years after he headed west in the midst of a fire set after a tussle with his alcohol-fueled father. The story of his youth and journey are told from his point of view, while life on the family farm is told from his mother's.
• Characters: Joshua and his mother (Miriam), father, and siblings; members of the Amish community; many people Joshua meets on his travels.
• Genre: historical fiction; coming of age
• Themes: family, faith, culture clash, abuse, independence, survival
• Some early thoughts on the story: Joshua's journey has an Odyssey-like feel to it: he is both helped and hindered as he flounders in the world of the "English." His mother remains at home, the only one who still believes her son could be alive. Although Joshua was young when he left home, his Amish upbringing stays with him and informs his life on the road.
• Thoughts on the style: The story is told in alternating viewpoints: Joshua's and Miriam's. Each of them undergoes a transformation. For Miriam, it's assuming a position of power in her family, generally unheard of for an Amish woman. For Joshua, it's finding himself in the outside world. Moore doesn't romanticize either world--English or Amish--showing the good and the bad as well as the difficulties of surviving in the late nineteenth century, whether on a farm or on the Overland Trail west. The period details reveal the novel's well-researched foundation, and the plot is well balanced in terms of inner contemplation, action, faith, and sin.
• Something else to know: The book is based loosely on the story of the author's own grandfather, a member of the Old Order Amish, who ran away from home, returning to his family about ten years later. Moore herself was raised Quaker.

Click for more

Today's Read & Giveaway: The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg

What if you were looking forward to a couple of weeks in the wilderness by yourself but your live-in, non-outdoorsy boyfriend insisted on coming along too? Would you easily adjust or be put off? Liz Kroft, who had wanted to hike the John Muir Trail alone, had mixed feelings.

Liz hopped from foot to foot and hugged herself against the cold. She glanced at the porch of the Yosemite Valley Wilderness Office, where Dante stood with his back to her, chatting with some other hikers. His shoulders shrugged and dropped, and his hands danced this way and that. He was telling a story--a funny one, judging by the faces of this audience--but not a backpacking story because he didn't have any. His idea of a wilderness adventure was staring out the window during spin class at the gym. Not that it mattered. . . . Liz had know him for over two years and still couldn't decipher how he captured strangers' attention without apparent effort. Dante was black velvet and other people were lint.

—The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg (Penguin Group USA / NAL Accent, 2015, p. 1)

Quick Facts

• Setting: Mostly Yosemite National Park and the John Muir Trail; modern times
• Circumstances: Liz and Dante's rigorous but peaceful backpacking trip turns into a terrifying nightmare as they begin to suspect someone on the trail is determined to harm them. Meanwhile, their relationship is as rocky as the terrain. Liz has secrets and Dante has family issues. Will they be able to work out their differences?
• Characters: Liz, 29, a medical engineer; Dante, her boyfriend of 2 years; Paul & Linda, 50-somethings, hiking the trail for fun; Brensen, an upcoming actor, hiking the trail to prepare for a part; Rodell & Payton, brothers, hiking the trail with no particular plan; day hikers, rangers, and other peripheral characters.
• Genre: outdoor adventure; thriller
• Themes: honesty, relationships, parenting, nature, trust, survival
• What I liked: The descriptions of the park, the outdoor scenes, and life on the trail. The story took a little time to develop, but the creep factor was there. I had a bad feeling from the beginning and was wondering about whom to trust. Would both Liz and Dante make it out of the park alive?
• What I didn't like: I thought maybe there was a tiny bit too much foreshadowing, but that absolutely didn't take away from the spooky, scary parts. Because I'm an experienced backpacker, the camping scenes held my attention more than the flashbacks to Liz and Dante's life back home and the parts about their relationship issues. But that's just me; I wanted to get back to the action and the trail!
• Something to know: The author hiked the entire 200+-mile trail herself, so her rendering of what it's like to be on the John Muir Trail and in the national park is authentic and personal.

The Giveaway

Thanks to NAL Accent, I'm able to offer one of my readers with a USA mailing address a copy of The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg. All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is to fill out the following form. I'll pick a winner on October 1, using a random number generator. Once the winner has been confirmed and I've passed the mailing information on to the publicist, I'll erase all personal information from my computer. Good Luck!

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: Food, Mysteries, & Fun! Oh My!

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. 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. For more information, see the welcome post.

_______

These days I have moments in which I swear I can't tell if I'm coming or going. Thank goodness for good friends (in real life and here on the blog), good books, and good food. Somehow the combo keeps me grounded and moving forward one step at a time.

I didn't do any cooking this week (woot!) because I was in New York at BookExpo America (BEA) learning about all things books and publishing. I met up with friends, drank a little wine, ate in restaurants, met authors, talked to publicists, and came home with a book or two.

This week I'm celebrating books and food by talking about four cozy mysteries coming out next month. Apparently June is chocolate month, because three of these books are definitely on the sweet side. But, hey, one actually features fruits and veggies! Hope you find something that catches your eye.

Let's talk about the health-inspiring cozy first and then head straight for the chocolate, shall we? Paige Shelton's Bushel Full of Murder is the sixth installment in her very popular Farmer's Market series. Becca Robins, who makes and sells jam and preserves, is a regular fixture at her local South Carolina farmers market. Lately, though, it seems that the goodwill among the vendors is reaching a breaking point. Food trucks are vying for space with producers and authorities are checking everyone's licenses. When the town business manager turns up dead, the police decide Becca's cousin is the killer. Can the jelly maker find the true villain before an arrest is made? Follow the included recipes to make your own versions of popular market treats. (Berkley Books; ISBN: 9780425279809, June 2015)

Are you fan of food festivals? If so, you might want to give Penny Pike's Food Festival Mystery series a try. Death of a Chocolate Cheater is the second installment featuring Darcy Burnett, a food truck owner who sells wonderful chocolate treats. This time out, Darcy and her aunt Abby are determined to win the $10,000 grand prize at a San Francisco chocolate contest. They're pretty confident that Abby's chocolate raspberry whoopee pie is going to beat the competition. Before the check can be cut, however, one of the judges has a fatal "accident." Darcy is quickly on the case, hoping to find the bad guy before anyone else is taken on a one-way ride to the morgue. A little romance and mouth-watering chocolate delights sweeten the story. Don't miss the recipes for six yummy desserts. (New American Library, ISBN: 9780451467829)

For many of us, a little spot of heaven would include both books and chocolate. Apparently Kathy Aarons, author of the Chocolate Covered series thinks so too because the protagonists of her series, Michelle and Erica, own a store that sells both confections and books. In Truffled to Death (the second in the series), the Maryland shopkeepers are asked to host a party in honor of an archaeology exhibit opening at the local museum. The event may have been a success, but the theft of a priceless artifact and the murder of one of the experts leave the friends with a bitter taste, especially because law enforcement thinks Erica had means and motive. Will they be able to find the true killer before someone else meets an early demise? The truffle recipes at the back of the book look divine. (Berkley Books, ISBN: 9780425267240)

Would you like to go to a chocolate-tasting? Krista Davis's ninth Domestic Diva mystery, The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss, is centered around just such an event. Professional organizer Sophie Winston snags the sweet job of putting together a delightful sixtieth anniversary celebration of a local chocolate company. She has made sure that there will be chocolate goodies of all kinds, including cakes, cookies, confections, and even cocktails. Party-goers are well on their way to basking in the ultimate sugar high when the guest of honor disappears and Sophie discovers a dead body. Will the domestic diva find the missing chocolatier and discover the murderer before she becomes the next victim? The recipes are seriously sinful: Chocolate martini, anyone? (Berkley Books; ISBN: 9780425258156)

I hope you've added at least one of these fun foodie mysteries to your wish list.

Click for more

Today's Read: Who Buries the Dead by C. S. Harris

Would you be able to handle the double stress of trying to solve a series of grisly murders just when your mortal enemy reemerges to threaten you? Sebastian St. Cyr—soldier turned detective—must sort out the twisted threads of both the case and his life before the danger becomes personal.

They called it Bloody Bridge.

It lay at the end of a dark, winding lane, far beyond the comforting flicker of the oil lamps of Sloane Square, beyond the last of the tumbledown cottages at the edge of a vast stretch of fields that showed only black in the moonless night. Narrow and hemmed in on both sides by high walls, the bridge was built of brick, worn and crumbling with age and slippery with moss where the elms edging the rivulet cast a deep, cold shade.

—Who Buries the Dead by C. S. Harris (Penguin USA / NAL, 2015, p. 1 [eGalley])

Quick Facts

• Setting: London, 1813
• Circumstances: Gruesome serial murders, with links ranging from the beheaded Stuart King Charles to the current British government, take Sebastian St. Cyr through the streets of London as he tries to expose the killer before the murders hit too close to home.
• Characters: Sebastian and his wife and son; Stanley Preston, a Jamaican plantation owner; Lord Oliphant, a soldier from Sebastian's past; Lord Jarvis, Sebastian's father-in-law; various people in the British government and upper classes as well as the poorest of London's citizens
• Genre: historical mystery; 10th installment in a series
• Fun thing that attracted me to the book: Apparently Sebastian's investigation gives him an opportunity to meet Jane Austen and her brother
• What I learned from reviews: I haven't even started reading, but the Austen connection calls to me. Reviews of this book and Harris's series in general are strong and positive, citing complex action and plot, well-developed characters, a little humor, and good period details.
• Extra bonus: I noticed that the wonderful Davina Porter is the narrator of the audiobook! Oh my, I think I'll have to listen.

Click for more

Today's Read & Giveaway: The Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton

What if the safety of your family and the future of your people depended on you, a woman? If you lived in the early 1200s in Mongolia, it could have happened. From reading the oracles to wielding a bow and arrow in the heat of battle, the women of Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire did it all.

Our names have long been lost to time, scattered like ashes into the wind. No one remembers our ability to read the secrets of the oracle bones or the wars fought in our names. The words we wrote have faded from their parchments; the sacrifices we made are no longer recounted in the glittering courts of those we conquered. The deeds of our husbands, our brothers, and our sons have eclipsed our own as surely as when the moon ate the sun during the first battle of Nishapur.

Yet without us, there would have been no empire for our men to claim, no clan of the Thirteen Hordes left to lead, and no tales of victory to sing to the Eternal Blue Sky.

—The Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton (Penguin Random House / NAL, 2014, p. 1)

Quick Facts

• Setting: turn of the 13th century; Mongolia and beyond
• Circumstances: The rise of Genghis Khan's empire as seen through the eyes of four women. This telling focuses on the women and the part they played in building and maintaining the great Khan's power.
• Characters: Borte, Genghis Khan's chief wife; Alaqai, their daughter; Sorkhoktani, a widowed mother of four boys she grooms to serve the empire; Fatima, a Persian noblewoman enslaved by the Mongols; Genghis and his brothers; many other families, warriors, and enemies
• Genre: historical fiction
• General information: The story covers three generations; each part is told by a different woman, who played a significant and unique role in the Mongol Empire. Thornton is known for her deep research and vivid period details; these were a warring people, and the battles aren't pretty.
• A personal note: I love this time period and find Genghis and the rise of the Mongol Empire fascinating. Both the Khan and the women in his life were smart, fierce, and power hungry. If you've never thought to read about this era, let The Tiger Queens be your gateway book.
• Recommendation: Historical fiction lovers are the obvious first readers of Thornton's latest novel, but anyone who likes to read about real-life powerful women and/or who wants to know about the rise of one of the most feared empires in the ancient world will be hooked.
• Book club alert: the back of the book contains nine thoughtful questions to jump-start your discussion, though I doubt you'd have any trouble finding plenty to talk about.
• A bigger sneak peek: You can read the entire prologue and chapter one on Stephanie Thornton's website.

The Giveaway

Thanks to NAL and Penguin Random House, I can offer one of my readers with a U.S. mailing address a copy of The Tiger Queens. To enter for a chance to win, just fill out the following form. I'll pick a winner via random number generator on November 12. Once the winner has been confirmed, I'll erase all personal information from computer. Good luck!

Click for more

Today's Read & Giveaway: Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown

Imagine it's the 1670s and you, an English woman, are helping carve out a piece of civilization in the American colonies. Now imagine that after you witness the brutal murder of your neighbors, you are captured by Indians and find yourself alone and enslaved in the harsh New England wilderness. Could you conquer your fear and keep your faith in God long enough to survive? That's the true story of Mary Rowlandson, who lived to tell her tale to the world.

Later, Mary will trace the first signs of the Lord's displeasure back to a hot July morning in 1672 when she pauses on her way to the barn to watch the sun rise burnt orange over the meetinghouse. She feels a momentary sinking in her bowels as it flashes like fire through a damp haze, putting her in mind of the terrors of hell. She has never been adept at reading omens.

—Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown (Penguin USA / NAL, 2014, p. 1)

Quick Facts

• Setting: New England, 1670s
• What I know of the historic Mary Rowlandson: Rowlandson was born in England and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During King Philip's War, she was captured and sold into slavery and lived for almost a year among the Indians under both physical and psychological duress. Near starving and grieving her losses, she fought to keep her fear in check and survive in the hopes of being reunited with her children. Although she began to see the Native Americans as people, she never truly thought of them as anything but savage heathens. Several years after she was restored to her husband, she wrote her story, which became the first best-seller of the New World.
• What I know of the novel: I haven't yet read the book, but my understanding is that the first half tells the story of life in the colony, the massacre, and Rowlandson's months in captivity. The second part of the story imagines how Rowlandson struggled to fit back into the Puritan community. She faced two principal issues: First, her neighbors now considered her damaged goods. Second, after living in the wilderness, she began to feel uncomfortable under the constraints of her church.
• Genre: historical fiction
• Why I want to read it: I've read Rowlandson's original narrative, and I'm curious about how Brown has filled in the gaps and details of the story. I'm especially interested in how Brown imagines Rowlandson's life after she reentered society.

Giveaway

Thanks to the nice people at NAL, I am pleased to offer one of my readers a copy of Flight of the Sparrow. Because the publishers will be mailing the book, this giveaway is open to only those with a U.S. mailing address. All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is to fill out the following form. I'll pick a winner on August 8 using a random number generator. Once the winner has been confirmed, I'll erase all personal data from my computer. Good luck!

Click for more

Today's Read and Giveaway: The Never Never Sisters by L. Alison Heller

Let's say you were anticipating a summer in the Hamptons with your hardworking husband. Then your sister, whom you haven't seen in twenty years, suddenly comes for a visit right around the time your husband is mysteriously asked to take a temporary leave from his job. How would you handle the upheaval? That's just the situation Manhattan marriage counselor Paige Reinhardt is facing this July.

The first thing I do is offer them candy. I keep a jar of it, well stocked, right there on the coffee table.

In my experience, people are one hundred percent less likely to tell a lie with a Hershey's Kiss tucked into the side of the their mouth. So while they're unwrapping their chocolate or caramel or whatever, I lob the easy questions at them: How long have they been together? Do they have any kids?

And then, once they've relaxed a little, settled into the beige couch across from my blue chair, I probe: What do they want out of our meeting?

—The Never Never Sisters by L. Alison Heller (Penguin Random House / New American Library, 2014, p. 1)

Quick Facts

• Setting: New York City area; modern times
• Circumstances: Paige's relaxing summer in the Hamptons is abandoned when her estranged sister returns and her husband has work troubles. As Paige confronts both these situations she is surprised by what she discovers.
• Characters: Paige and her husband, Dave (a lawyer); Paige's sister, Sloane (a travel blogger); Paige's parents, Frank and Venessa; Sloane's fiance; various friends and colleagues
• Genre: contemporary woman's fiction; beach read
• Themes: family, sisters, marriage, secrets, trust, forgiveness, communication, work
• What reviewers have praised: fun dialogue, believable characters, good family drama
• About the author: Heller is a divorce lawyer and wife, who has seen the good and the bad of marriage; visit her website for more information, including a reading guide (available soon)

The Giveaway

Thanks to the good people at Penguin Group USA, I have one copy of The Never Never Sisters to giveaway to one of my readers. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is to have a U.S. mailing address and to fill out the following form. I'll pick a winner via random number generator on June 13. Once the winner has been confirmed, I'll delete all personal information from my computer. Good luck!

Click for more

Review & Author Guest Post: Fallen Beauty by Erika Robuck

Fallen Beauty is Erika Robuck's third novel about a writer from the 1920s. This time she takes us to upstate New York, where the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay meets Laura Kelley, a small-town seamstress.

Laura is living with the results of one night of recklessness with an unavailable man. She has bravely decided to raise their daughter alone, despite being the subject of her neighbors' gossip. Meanwhile, the scandalous poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, who has a house nearby, has her own reputation to flaunt or repair, as the situation warrants. Do the two women have more in common than it seems?

The novel switches seamlessly and quickly between the voices of Laura and Vincent (as the poet is called), so we are made aware of their thoughts as well as their actions. Robuck infuses the novel with great Jazz Age details and explores what happens to two very different women when they dare to defy social expectations.

Because Fallen Beauty gives us so much to think about, I think it'd be terrific book club pick. Themes and discussion topics include love, independence, social norms, marriage, morals, small-town life, being true to oneself, sisters, and facing the realities of the choices we make. I didn't know much about Edna St. Vincent Millay, but now that I have a better idea of the kind of person she was, I want to reread her poetry.

Guest Post. Way back when Erika Robuck's first book, Hemingway's Girl, was just coming out, I met her in the green room at BEA. We were both waiting to be called to the stage for different panels. We had only a couple of minutes to introduce ourselves and exchange a few words, but I haven't forgotten how friendly and approachable Erika is. Please help me welcome her to Beth Fish Reads; I'm sure you'll enjoy her fun and informative guest post. What do you know about one of the most popular drinks of the Roaring Twenties?

Absinthe by Erika Robuck

After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.

—Oscar Wilde

Absinthe. Wormwood. The Green Fairy.

Rumors of hallucination and poisoning have surrounded this emerald drink since Oscar Wilde said it made him see flowers growing in cafés, but in truth, it is simply very strong alcohol—over one hundred proof—and has been legal in the United States since 2007.

While many debate whether or not the absinthe one may now procure is authentic, I can tell you from experience that it is quite potent and delightful.

As a writer writing about writers from the 1920s, I made it my business to find out what all the fuss was about. One evening, I met a fellow writer for dinner at a café on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, which we did not know before our arrival had a Hemingway theme, but felt certain afterward that he had led us there. (That is how we think.)

Imagine my delight when the menu boasted an extensive collection of absinthe drinks. I had written a detailed scene in Hemingway’s Girl about absinthe consumption, but had not yet partaken myself. I knew Hemingway would want me to authenticate my scene.

I ordered the Green Fairy—the type of absinthe in my book. I watched the waiter light the sugar cube on fire and dissolve it into the alcohol with a shot of water; then I proceeded to sip my cocktail with a salad at dinner.

Absinthe has a distinct flavor, that of anise and herbs. It is not unpleasant, though I cannot imagine drinking it often, and after only a few sips, one can feel the effects in a pronounced way. It didn’t take long for me to look like this [click image to see it full size]:

Needless to say, I switched to water after only one glass, and had someone drive me home.

It is good I experienced absinthe, because now I understand my characters better, and the drink has shown up in my subsequent novels, Call Me Zelda and Fallen Beauty. The creatives of the Lost Generation drank it plentifully, and while it may not have led them to madness, alcoholism, or suicide directly, what it represented at the time—a break from convention, pushing the limits, a gateway drug—certainly set them on a path.

Absinthe is called the Green Fairy for good reason, and a little goes a long way. If you want to dip a toe in the waters, I encourage the experience in isolation. Just make sure you have a ride home.

Thanks so much, Erika. I love this story. I'm sure I would be quite fallen after that Green Fairy. And I can see how it became a symbol of the Lost Generation. Now I need to find a designated driver and go out and sample my own absinthe cocktail.

ISBN-13: 9780451418906
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

Click for more

Review: Century Trilogy by Ken Follett

Few people can write a good saga like Ken Follett. Because I was huge fan of his cathedral books, which took place in 12th-century England, it was an absolute given that I'd read his new Century Trilogy. And it was sure bet I'd listen to John Lee narrate them.

Rather than try to give you a summary of the 20th century, I'm instead going to talk about Ken Follett's Fall of Giants and Winter of the World in general terms. These are very complex novels (although easy to follow) of the major shaping events of the last century. I'll say right up front that they're wonderful, everything a sweeping saga should be.

Fall of Giants starts at the turn of the last century and focuses on several families and specific people in Russia, Germany, England, and the United States. The characters are from varied socioeconomic classes, have distinct personalities, and individual politics. They are mostly in their teens or 20s, and although representative of types of people, they are not stereotypical.

Thus Follett's core characters span the Western world. Two brothers are trying to survive revolutionary Russia. Two brother-sister pairs in England and Wales are from different sides of the tracks. Both families have strong feelings about politics, social welfare, and upward mobility. In America, we meet rival families from Buffalo, New York: one in politics, one in business. And in Germany, the wealthy von Ulrichs, natives of Berlin, are involved in national politics, local business, and international diplomacy.

These characters--along with their families, friends, and associates--cross paths in tangled ways. Friendships are formed or torn apart thanks to social situations, political divisions, and World War I. No one comes through the turbulent early decades of the century unscathed.

Winter of the World follows these same families, friends, and associates from the 1930s to the late 1940s. As we learn their fates, the story is picked up by their children and other members of the next generation. Using the unique perspectives of his diverse characters, Follett recounts the most important events of those decades: the Spanish Civil War, Hilter's rise, the increasing power of USSR, World War II, the development of the atom bomb, and the Marshall Plan.

Follett is a master at allowing his characters to grow and change, fall in and out of love, make reckless choices, be smart and then be stupid. I had become so invested in the characters that my heart broke as they suffered the horrors of war or the unfairness of their fate. I rejoiced at their weddings and births, and I cried at their deaths. Needless to say, I can't wait for book three.

A brief word about the audio editions. Well, two words: John Lee. Lee's voice is a perfect match for Follett's words, and his wide range of emotions, pitches, and accents help bring the characters to life. Because of the cast of hundreds (see these lists for proof: Fall of Giants; Winter of the World) a strong narrator with extremely consistent vocalizations is needed. Lee nicely rose to the job. Fall of Giants is almost 31 hours and Winter of the World comes in at about 32 hours; both audios were produced by Penguin Audio.

Buy Fall of Giants at an Indie or at a bookstore near you (link leads to an affiliate program).
Penguin USA / NAL Trade, 2011; ISBN-13: 9780451232571
Buy Winter of the World at an Indie or at a bookstore near you (link leads to an affiliate program).
Penguin USA / Dutton Adult, 2012; ISBN-13: 9780525952923
Source: Bought (Fall of Giants); review (Winter of the World) (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

Click for more

Today's Read & Giveaway: The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Teaser Tuesdays. Here's how it works: Grab your current read; let the book fall open to a random page; and share 2 "teaser" sentences from that page. For more teasers, click on through to MizB's blog.

I'm on a roll with good October reading! Today I'm spotlighting the third in the Tradd Street series by Karen White, which is coming out November 1. Haven't read the first two? Enter my giveaway to get a copy of each.

I felt my mother watching me and I turned my head. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration, and I knew she could smell the acrid scent heavy in the early summer night. She stepped forward, and before I could stop her, she reached out her hand to touch the curling eave of the old dollhouse, and the air screamed. (p. 49)

—From The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White (Penguin USA / New American Library, 2011 [from uncorrected proof, may differ from published edition])

The Strangers on Montagu Street at an Indie

The Strangers on Montagu Street at Powell's

The Strangers on Montagu Street at Book Depository
These links lead to affiliate programs.

The Giveaway: To celebrate the publication of Karen White's third Tradd Street novel starring Melanie Middleton, ghost-seeing Realtor, and Jack Trenholm, investigative writer, I am pleased to have the opportunity to offer one of my readers the chance to win copies of the first two books in this series: The House on Tradd Street and The Girl on Legare Street.

The books are perfect for fall reading and for those who like a little bit of woo-woo mixed in with their mysteries as well as for those who like a little rocky romance thrown in for good measure. To enter for a chance to win the first two books in the series, just fill out the form. This giveaway is sponsored by the publicists and is open to those with a U.S. or Canada mailing address only. I'll pick the winner on Halloween!

Click for more

Starting from Page 1: Six for Late Summer

August is half over, and in the United States that means it's time to squeeze in a few more days of freedom before the kids go back to school and to scramble to finish all those warm-weather projects you never did get around to doing.

I was looking over the barely touched stack of books that I was sure I was going to read this summer and realized I will likely never find time to read every book that calls to me. As I mentioned earlier this summer, one way I choose my next book is by reading the opening lines to see what grabs me. Here's what I read yesterday.

Sally Goldenbaum
The Wedding Shawl
Penguin / New American Library
ISBN-13: 9780451233196
Cozy mystery

It would be a night of murder, they'd been told. And there'd be lemon squares, too.

Joanna Briscoe
You
Bloomsbury, 2011
ISBN-13: 9781608194834
Fiction

It's haunted, she thought.

They emerged from the lanes on to the upper reaches of the moor, and Cecilia understood that the baby girl was still there: there in the sodden cloud shadows, there in the bracken.

Amanda Kyle Williams
The Stranger You Seek
Random House / Bantam, 2011
Thriller

The sun had not even burned dew off the grass under the live oaks, but the air was thick and soupy already, air you could swim around in, and it was dead-summer hot.

Inside the car she had not yet noticed parked on her street, a patient hunter dabbed at a trickle of perspiration and watched as Westmore Drive began a sleepy jog toward midweek.

Jeff Hirsch
The Eleventh Plague
Scholastic Press, 2011
Young adult dystopian

I was sitting at the edge of clearing, trying not to stare at the body on the ground in front of me. Dad had said we'd be done before dark, but it had been hours since the sun had gone down and he was still only waist deep in the hole, throwing shovelfuls of dirt over his shoulder.

Leila Cobo
Tell Me Something True
Hachette / Grand Central, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780446519366
Fiction

The air feels sweet and moist and just the slightest bit warm when you get off the 9 p.m. flight to Cali. It clings to your skin, but in the faintest, most tenuous way, like the sheerest of gauze blouses touching but not touching your arms as you breathe.

Jacques Strauss
The Dubious Salvation of Jack V.
Farrar Straus Giroux
ISBN-13: 9780374144128
Fiction

When I was eleven I was too old to cry in front of my friends, but not too old to fake a stomachache at a sleepover if I was suddenly overcome with homesickness because my friend's mother and made mutton stew and prayed before the meal and bought no-name-brand toothpaste that tasted funny.

From the opening lines, which of these would you read first? I haven't yet decided.

Click for more