Julie's Review: Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Author: J. Ryan Stradal
Series: None
Publication Date: July 28, 2015
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Pages: 320
Obtained: on loan from a friend
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Food-Lit
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: An interesting look at food, culture and family
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!

Summary: Kitchens of the Great Midwest, about a young woman with a once-in-a-generation palate who becomes the iconic chef behind the country's most coveted dinner reservation, is the summer's most hotly-anticipated debut and already a New York Times bestseller. When Lars Thorvald's wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine--and a dashing sommelier--he's left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He's determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter--starting with puréed pork shoulder. As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of Eva's journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that's a testament to her spirit and resilience. Each chapter in J. Ryan Stradal's startlingly original debut tells the story of a single dish and character, at once capturing the zeitgeist of the Midwest, the rise of foodie culture, and delving into the ways food creates community and a sense of identity. By turns quirky, hilarious, and vividly sensory, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is an unexpected mother-daughter story about the bittersweet nature of life--its missed opportunities and its joyful surprises. It marks the entry of a brilliant new talent. ~amazon.com  

Review: Kitchens of the Great Midwest is the type of novel not to read when you are hungry, especially towards the end. It is also the story of how our culture revolves around food and the evolution of "foodies". How people will pay for an experience just to say that they have experienced the trendy new idea or concept. It is also about how some people find great joy in the creation of a meal and of creating that experience for others. It is about finding your passion and creating your life around that passion.

Eva Thorvald hasn't had the easiest life but she's always had a passion for food, starting when she was 11 and growing habaneros in her closet. Her gift and passion continues to grow until  She has a true love for food and for giving people a once in a lifetime experience. She might not have known where she belonged with her peers but she always felt comfortable in the kitchen.

Eva's story is told by various people that she encounters throughout her life, starting with her father Lars and ending with her mother, Cynthia. In that way, the novel comes full circle. Which is great because for a moment I thought I had lost Eva's story in the beginning of the novel because it is her whom the reader becomes instantly invested in.

By seeing Eva through different people's eyes you get a more well-rounded version of who she is, although without her full perspective, it is truly hard to really know her. We get her view of her life sprinkled throughout the novel but never get her adult story through her eyes.

It is told in a variety of short stories but they are all tied together. Just when you think that Mr. Stradal is going to leave you hanging with a character, he brings them in later. I felt the ending of the book was the only one that could happen, otherwise it would have just been wrapped up too neat.

For anyone who loves food, who loves food when it's tied to a certain region and wine, then you won't want to miss Kitchens of the Great Midwest.

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Julie's Review: Off the Menu

Summary: As the executive culinary assistant to celebrity Chicago chef Patrick Conlon, Alana Ostermann works behind the scenes—and that’s just the way she likes it. But with developing recipes for Patrick’s cookbooks, training his sous chefs, picking out the perfect birthday gifts for his ex-mother-in-law, and dealing with the fallout from his romantic escapades, she barely has a personal life, much less time to spend with her combo platter of a mutt, Dumpling. Then a fluke online connection brings her RJ, a transplant from Tennessee, who adds some Southern spice to her life. Suddenly Alana’s priorities shift, and Patrick—and Dumpling—find themselves facing a rival for her time and affection. With RJ in the mix, and some serious decisions to make about her personal and professional future, Alana must discover the perfect balance of work and play, money and meaning, to bring it all to the table—one delicious dish at a time…~amazon.com

Review:  Don't read this book when you are even the slightest bit hungry. Ok, even if you aren't hungry you will be while reading this novel. Seriously when I read food lit, it makes me salivate. Off the Menu is a cute book about being comfortable with yourself and where you are in your life, knowing that the rest will come when the time is right.

Alana Ostermann is a executive culinary assistant to one of the most popular restaurateurs and celebrity chefs around, Patrick Colon. It pretty much means she's at his beck and call, his "Girl Tuesday". She's made a comfortable life of her own and enjoys her job, her friends and her family. Of course when you aren't looking for it, you fall in love. This is what happens with Alana when she meets the sweet and charming, RJ.

What Ms. Ballis does wonderfully is that Alana doesn't change who she is. It's either take her or leave her. She's turning 40 and wants a partner that she can accept/love and who does the same of her. RJ full-fills this for her. One thing that I wanted a little more of was tension or an obstacle for them to overcome. Everything just went so smoothly for them. I'm not saying a plot device but relationships have bumps, so maybe a more realistic view. All RJ and Alana had was a brief hiccup. At times it was a bit too saccharine for my taste but I dealt with it.

I loved Alana's crazy big family, her friends and Patrick. I can only imagine how demanding it is to be an assistant to one of those tv chefs. Patrick for all of his faults, there are many, does have a heart of gold.

I have Good Enough to Eat on my shelves and I look forward to reading it since the character from that is in Off the Menu. For those who love food-lit, this one will make you want to become a die-hard foodie.

Final Take: 3.75/5



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Jenn's Review: The Lost Art of Mixing

 Blurb:  Lillian and her restaurant have a way of drawing people together. There’s Al, the accountant who finds meaning in numbers and ritual; Chloe, a budding chef who hasn’t learned to trust after heartbreak; Finnegan, quiet and steady as a tree, who can disappear into the background despite his massive height; Louise, Al’s wife, whose anger simmers just below the boiling point; and Isabelle, whose memories are slowly slipping from her grasp. And there’s Lillian herself, whose life has taken a turn she didn’t expect. . . .

Their lives collide and mix with those around them, sometimes joining in effortless connections, at other times sifting together and separating again, creating a family that is chosen, not given.

 Review:  In my quest for food-lit, I came across Erica Bauermeister's first novel, The School of Essential Ingredients, which I adored (my review).  My only complaint with it, was it felt a little too open ended, so I was beyond thrilled to learn that there was a sequel, The Lost Art of Mixing.

Not all the threads from the previous novel are present in this continuance, but new threads have been picked up that are just as interesting.  It took me a few chapters to get back into Ms. Bauermeister's writing style, each chapter from the viewpoint of a different character, but mostly I think it was because after the excitement of a huge reveal in the first chapter with Lillian, we are moved on to to steady, reliable Al and I was resistant.  Not that Al's story wasn't interesting, it provides impetus for the rest of the novel, I just didn't want to leave that particular story thread.  My heart broke for Isabelle who is at the cusp of loosing her independence.  I loved the introduction of Finnegan into the group.  The only character I had a difficult time with was Louise, even though I could see things from her perspective, but I did start to warm up to her a little  by the end.  I would have liked at least a mention of some of the characters that are left behind in this book, but Ms. Bauermeister is very true to life, in that people wander in and out of your life and you don't always get to know their full story.  This is true here too, as Ms. Bauermeister leaves things slightly open ended again, but with more of a sense of closure for me than with The School of Essential Ingredients.

One of my favorite lines from The School of Essential Ingredients is “We’re all just ingredients. What matters is the grace with which you cook the meal.” I think The Lost Art of Mixing follows this tenet, but is with less emphasis on the food.  For me, the novel is a combination of The School of Essential Ingredients and Joy for Beginners.  Food was important to the novel, but it is the celebrations of the little things in life and double sided truths that is central.  I think that was my only disappointment, that Ms. Bauermeister taken a step away from the sensuality of the food which I adored in her first novel.

If you've never read Erica Bauermeister, I highly recommend her.  Her writing is elegant and inviting and her stories are illuminating.  She always gives every side of the coin, and there is something refreshingly honest in that.

Final Take:  4/5


Thank you to Penguin Books for my ARC.

Alice's Reviews: All Gone

Summary:  Just past seventy, Alex Witchel’s smart, adoring, ultracapable mother began to exhibit undeniable signs of dementia. Her smart, adoring, ultracapable daughter reacted as she’d been raised: If something was broken, they would fix it. But as medical reality undid that hope, and her mother continued the torturous process of disappearing in plain sight, Witchel retreated to the kitchen, trying to reclaim her mother at the stove by cooking the comforting foods of her childhood: “Is there any contract tighter than a family recipe?”  Reproducing the perfect meat loaf was no panacea, but it helped Witchel come to terms with her predicament, the growing phenomenon of “ambiguous loss ”— loss of a beloved one who lives on. Gradually she developed a deeper appreciation for all the ways the parent she was losing lived on in her, starting with the daily commandment “Tell me everything that happened today” that started a future reporter and writer on her way. And she was inspired to turn her experience into this frank, bittersweet, and surprisingly funny account that offers true balm for an increasingly familiar form of heartbreak. ~amazon.com

Review: I have been on quite a memoir kick as of late. Each has been better than the last and thankfully, All Gone followed that pattern as well.

In All Gone, author Alex Witchel recounts her mother’s battle with dementia.   With refreshments, of course.  The book begins with how Ms. Witchel copes by cooking her mother’s recipes, using food as a way to bridge the gap between who her mother was and is becoming.  Each chapter ends with a difference recipe from Alex’s collection, recipes formed not only in food but memories.  All Gone is packed with sentiment.  She portrayers her dilemma with heartbreaking truthfulness. As a reader, I felt her grief, her sadness at losing her mother, although she is presently here in body.  As Alex says, gone but not gone. 

This memoir touched me deeply especially since my parents are getting older.  I read this partially in fear of what I might have to go through.  I hope that if I was ever in the same situation, I would survive with as much poise and grace as Ms. Witchel has.  The beauty in this memoir not in the coping though.  It is in how Ms. Witchel finds her way back to herself. 

I believe foodies and non-foodies alike will enjoy this short memoir.  All Gone inspired by to search out my own family recipes, to learn how to make them with as much love as my parents cook and to make my own food memories. 

Final Take:  4/5

Julie's Review: Julia's Child

Summary: A delectable comedy for every woman who's ever wondered if buying that six-dollar box of organic crackers makes her a hero or a sucker. Julia Bailey is a mompreneur with too many principles and too little time.  Her fledgling company, Julia's Child, makes organic toddler meals with names like Gentle Lentil and Give Peas a Chance. But before she can realize her dream of seeing them on the shelves of Whole Foods, she will have to make peace between her professional aspirations and her toughest food critics: the two little boys waiting at home. Is it possible to save the world while turning a profit? Julia's Child is a warmhearted, laugh-out-loud story about motherhood's choices: organic vs. local, paper vs. plastic, staying at home vs. risking it all. ~amazon.com

Review:  From the description of Julia's Child I thought this was right up my alley and in a way it was but in more ways it wasn't. I don't like being preached too in my books. Often enough if that is being done, I'll put the book down and not finish it, with Julia's Child though I soldiered on, I wanted to see if Julia herself would transform in the end. Did she? Yes, she did but that didn't make her more likable to me. I admired Julia for her passion about eating organic and wanting to help other mother's do the same for their children. I did feel that at times she took it a bit too far by judging other people and their choices. Just because it's right for you doesn't mean it's right for other people. Do we all judge others? Sure we do, but she's the type of person to scrutinize everything another mother does and not be very kind about it.

I can't imagine how hard it would be to start your own food business and try to get the word out there about your product, while competing with bigger companies who were more efficient. She had a great product but she had grand ideas of where she wanted to go, without having the capability of producing it. Her little company was growing faster than she could handle it.

There were aspects that I liked about the novel too. I loved her employee Marta. I thought she was funny and a good compliment to Julia's personality. I also loved Julia's husband Luke. He calmed her when she was frantic. Although I thought it did take a long time for them to have the "money" talk but I appreciated what Luke said to her.

Ms. Pinneo does have a gift for storytelling and when I thought she was going to go one way, she didn't get caught in the traditional traps. I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

I did like the fact that there were recipes in the novel as well. I'm even going to try the Mac n Cheese that was in there, it looked fairly simple. I like simple.

If you are a big advocate of organic eating, then Julia's Child definitely the book for you, especially if you are passionate about it.


Final Take: 3.25/5


Thanks to Amy @KMSPR for a copy of the book to review.

Jenn's Review: Aftertaste

Summary:  Mira Rinaldi lives life at a rolling boil. Co-owner of Grappa, a chic New York City trattoria, she has an enviable apartment, a brand-new baby, and a frenzied schedule befitting her success.

Everything changes the night she catches her husband, Jake, "wielding his whisk" with Grappa's new waitress. Mira's fiery response earns her a court-ordered stint in anger management and the beginning of legal and personal predicaments as she battles to save her restaurant and pick up the pieces of her life.

Mira falls back on family and friends in Pittsburgh as she struggles to find a recipe for happiness. But the heat is really on when some surprising developments in New York present her with a high stakes opportunity to win back what she thought she had lost forever. For Mira, cooking isn't just about delicious flavours and textures, but about the pleasure found in filling others' needs. And the time has come to decide where her own fulfilment lies - even if the answers are unexpected.

Keenly observed and deeply satisfying, Aftertaste is a novel about rebuilding and rediscovery, about food passionately prepared and unapologetically savored, and about the singular contentment that comes with living--and loving--with gusto.  ~product description

Review:  There are many kinds of Food-Lit, and really, I love them all.  Needless to say, I was excited to see Aftertaste come up on the Library Thing Early Reviewer's list and even more excited when I was awarded a review copy.  Aftertaste is Food-Lit in the sense that the story revolves around the life of a chef... and there are some nice recipes at the end of the novel (a la Barbara O'Neal).  It's a novel of self-discovery through food, family, and friends.

It is a true testament to an author's writing skills when they can enthrall me with a tale even though I don't like the main character.  Debut author Meredith Mileti reeled me right in.  Mira is a woman scorned, and while she has every right to be angry, her rash behavior when she looses her temper continues to cost her dearly.  She also continues to give her soon-to-be-ex-husband the benefit of the doubt time and again, repeatedly opening herself, and worse yet their daughter, up to heartache and rejection over and over.  Quite frankly, I wanted to shake her throughout most of the book.  She is slow to learn a lesson and oh, so naive.  But Mira's true to life and her friendships are genuine and it is those traits that kept me engaged.

I liked the concept of 'a novel in five courses' but while I was reading, I honestly paid very little attention to the divisions as I was too engrossed with the story.   In retrospect I think they were very fitting.  The food and food preparation included is done seamlessly and is a warm, hearty part of the story.  While there aren't a ton of twists and turns, it is a lovely read just for the relationships. I would have been happy to see Meredith Mileti dig even deeper into each character as they were all so different and so important in their own right. I was glad that Mira learned her lesson before she was clobbered over the head with it ~again; it was a relief.  The recipes at the end were a nice touch, but had they been excluded, I wouldn't have missed them.

All in all, I am very impressed my Meredith Mileti and anxiously await her next book.  I hope she sticks with the Food-Lit because it is most definitely her niche!  If you enjoy food-lit, Aftertaste is for you; and Meredith Mileti is an author to watch.

Final Take:  4.25/5

Want your own little taste?  Here is an excerpt.

Jenn's Review: Slim to None

Summary:  Abbie Jennings is Manhattan's top food critic until her expanding waistline makes staying incognito at restaurants impossible. Her cover blown on Page Six of the New York Post, her editor has no choice but to bench her and suggest she use the time off to bench-press her way back to anonymity. Abbie's life has been built around her career, and therefore around celebrating food. Forced to drop the pounds if she wants her primo gig back, Abbie must peel back the layers of her past and confront the fears that have led to her current life.


Review:  You may have noticed I'm on a Food-lit kick as of late.  Author Jenny Gardiner did, and suggested her book, Slim to None.  Of course, I purchased it immediately.

Abbie Jennings is not at home in her own skin which made it hard for me to be comfortable with her.  No doubt, weight is a sensitive subject for most women, but that's not what made me uncomfortable.  (For me, the person I see in my head is not the same as the one in the mirror... but I am fitting into some clothes I haven't worn in a while so... that's good, I guess.)  No, it has to do with the same reason I can't watch most comedies; I have an abundance of empathy.  I don't find embarrassing situations humorous, I find them highly distressing.  Abbie doesn't know who she is,which can be okay if one is at peace with that, but Abbie isn't.  She's not thinking and she's making bad decisions ~honestly, I just want to help her.  I think this says quite a lot about Ms. Gardiner's writing style that I feel this strongly about her main character.


That said, I do love the interweaving stories and the respective characters.  As a matter of fact Slim to None isn't so much about food as it is about relationships (with people and food).  It's more women's lit with some food thrown in rather than food-lit.   I thought the recipes, though befitting a food critic, were a little over the top for my personal repertoire and, though appreciated, almost a little extraneous.  There are some lovely twists to the plot making a happy ending seem dubious.  I love when an author can keep me guessing on that front.  


It's not often I feel this entangled with a character, even if it wasn't necessarily all positive.  Jenny Gardiner has a great 'voice' and it permeates the novel.  If you are looking for a solid read about relationships and being comfortable with yourself, Slim to None is for you.  


Final Take:  3.75/5

Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Pumpkin Roll

I love Josi S. Kilpack's Sadie Hoffmiller series and I wanted to take a moment to mention that the sixth book in the series, Pumpkin Roll, has just been released.  This is a culinary cozy series that has a more serious side to it as it progresses ~which is what I like about it.  It's also a shining example of an older female protagonist who still has moxie.  Of course, due to my towering review pile, I'm a book behind in the series (I still have Blackberry Crumble to read), but that doesn't mean you have to be! (My reviews, thus far.) 

Now, normally we don't do big announcements regarding book releases, but Ms. Kilpack has a giveaway connected with the release of this book that I thought was worth the mention...

In conjunction with the release of Pumpkin Roll the author, Josi S. Kilpack, and the publisher, Shadow Mountain, are sponsoring a contest for a new iPad. To enter, leave a comment in the comment section of this blog before November 1, 2011. Winners will be announced and notified November 3^rd 2011.

Yes, leaving a comment (with your email address) on this post is really all you have to do to enter.  It's that simple.  Only 1 comment below per person will be counted toward the contest. For additional ways to enter, go to www.josiskilpack.com


(Full disclosure, I, Jenn, am getting an extra entry by posting this on Girls Just Reading, but this is an awesome giveaway and creates extra chances to win for everyone.  I'd have shared it with you anyway!  Seriously.)

Jenn's Review: The Kitchen Daughter

Summary:  After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26-year-old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna’s soup draws an unexpected visitor into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty years, who appears with a cryptic warning (“do no let her…”) before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish.


A haunted kitchen isn’t Ginny’s only challenge. Her domineering sister, Amanda, (aka “Demanda”) insists on selling their parents’ house, the only home Ginny has ever known. As she packs up her parents’ belongings, Ginny finds evidence of family secrets she isn’t sure how to unravel. She knows how to turn milk into cheese and cream into butter, but she doesn’t know why her mother hid a letter in the bedroom chimney, or the identity of the woman in her father’s photographs. The more she learns, the more she realizes the keys to these riddles lie with the dead, and there’s only one way to get answers: cook from dead people’s recipes, raise their ghosts, and ask them.

Review:  This book was on my TBR wishlist so I was thrilled when the publicist offered it up for review.  This is not your typical food-lit.  It's not about romance, it about families and grieving.  I was a little concerned that this book would be too serious for me (There's a reason I don't read Jodi Picoult books) but I needn't have worried.  It's a wonderful story that incorporates magical realism, food, and contemporary issues.

I love that Jael McHenry gave her main character, Ginny, Asperger’s.   So often these are things we read about and not read of. The world is a difficult place for Ginny to be to begin with, and now, with the death of her parents, Ginny's world has shrunk.  It is interesting to me that Ginny has never been diagnosed. Yes, it never put a label on her or limitations, but it also means she never got ant extra help at school or learning how to cope.   Ginny's book of normal reminds her that there are all different kinds of 'normal', but perhaps with a name for her symptoms, instead of telling people she 'has a personality', she could have been more focused on defining what's normal for her. It could have helped her finish college...  It might even have taught Amanda some ways to deal with her sister.

I love that food and food preparation are Ginny's coping mechanism and that Gert uses Ginny's talent in the kitchen to draw Ginny out into the world.  Amanda really does want to help, but she goes about it all wrong. And watching it unfold through Ginny's eyes makes it seem even more difficult than it is. Ginny is willing to help others, if it's in her comfort zone, but she has to learn to help herself.

If that isn't enough to draw the reader in, Jael McHenry adds a layer of magical realism.  Raising ghosts is enough to unbalance anyone, but for Ginny it's something she can rationalize. However, her Asperger’s doesn't allow her to focus on the questions to which she wants answers.  Instead she follows old patterns and misses the big picture. In the end it is her grief, her concern for others and her realizations about her family are what finally force Ginny to accept help and to help herself.

I usually comment on a author's writing style, especially if it's my first time reading his/her work but I was so involved with the story that I can't really say much about it - so I'd say that in and of itself is impressive. I was absorbed into Ginny's world and her food. Oh, yes, there are recipes too!  Each one is in someone else's handwriting and each one holds special significance to Ginny.  There was only one thing that I wish Ms. McHenry would have resolved a little better, but I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.

This is a heartwarming tale of family, grieving, and food told through the eyes of someone who sees everything a little bit differently.  I will definitely be seeking out Jael McHenry's work again, even if her next book is not food related, because she has a talent for bringing a story to life.  As for The Kitchen Daughter, it is a must read.

Final Take:  4.75/5.0

Jenn's Review: The Love Goddess' Cooking School

Summary:  Camilla's Cucinotta: Italian Cooking Classes. Fresh take-home pastas & sauces daily. Benvenuti! (Welcome!) 

Holly Maguire's grandmother Camilla was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine--a Milanese fortune-teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. Holly has been waiting years for her unlikely fortune: her true love will like sa cordula, an unappetizing old-world delicacy. But Holly can't make a decent marinara sauce, let alone sa cordula. Maybe that's why the man she hopes to marry breaks her heart. So when Holly inherits Camilla's Cucinotta, she's determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother's legacy.

But Holly's four students are seeking much more than how to make Camilla's chicken alla Milanese. Simon, a single father, hopes to cook his way back into his daughter's heart. Juliet, Holly's childhood friend, hides a painful secret. Tamara, a serial dater, can't find the love she longs for. And twelve-year-old Mia thinks learning to cook will stop her dad, Liam, from marrying his phony lasagna-queen girlfriend. As the class gathers each week, adding Camilla's essential ingredients of wishes and memories in every pot and pan, unexpected friendships and romances are formed--and tested. Especially when Holly falls hard for Liam . . . and learns a thing or two about finding her own recipe for happiness.

Review:  I always have a hard time reading romances because they tend to be plot driven instead of character driven.  This is not one of those occasions.  The Love Goddess' Cooking School is a wonderful, romantic Food-Lit and I can't wait to share it. I think Melissa Senate's writing is much like Sarah Addison Allen without the magical realism... and you all know how much I love Sarah Addison Allen.

Melissa Senate has created characters that are incredibly easy to identify with - flawed but redeemable. It's been a long time since I read a novel where I felt connected with almost every character. Ms. Senate does an incredible job of making them empathetic. I loved them all.  From Liam, the single dad trying to keep his daughter's world from crumbling without her mother, to the recently divorced Simon who is finding his way as a 'weekend dad', to Mia who is trying so hard to figure out where she fits, to Tamara the frustrated serial dater, and Juliet the heartbroken -whose story definitely struck a chord.  It's Holly, however with whom I identify the most. Holly can't seem to find a place for herself, falls for the wrong guys, and sometimes sets too much stock in fate and destiny. I love her determination and her desire to see things through.  I love that she chose to continue her Nonna's legacy, even though it meant facing her fears and striking out on her own.

As I mentioned, this book is not plot driven, but the unfolding of the character's lives pulls the reader through it at a wonderful pace so that I wasn't racing to see what was going to happen next, but enjoying what was happening now.  Did I know where the book was headed?  Yes.  But it was one of those rare times when I wasn't in a hurry to get there.  I was just enjoying the world of Blue Crab Island and it's inhabitants.

The only thing that seemed a tad out of place were the recipes at the end of the book.  Not that they weren't related to the story, they were certainly recipes for the meals made at the cooking school.  Perhaps it was because the story was so fabulous, but, in the end, the recipes seemed a little superfluous.  I can see not wanting to break the continuity of the story by placing them at the ends of chapters, but I think to be included, they needed to be incorporated into the book somehow because it came off feeling like an afterthought.  Though not a bad afterthought and that is only my opinion...

I've used the word loved a lot in this post but that's because I thought this book was marvelous  - I'm actually running out of synonyms for excellent.  This review has been difficult to write because I don't want to gush about it, I'd rather just curl up inside it.  It's the perfect balance of love, friendship, and of course, good food.

Final Take:  5/5

PS.  There is a Reading Group Guide included for those with book clubs.  


*Also, read the first chapter here: Simon and Schuster

Jenn's Review: The Lost Recipe for Happiness

Summary:  In this sumptuous new novel, Barbara O’Neal offers readers a celebration of food, family, and love as a woman searches for the elusive ingredient we’re all hoping to find…

It’s the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been waiting for–the challenge of running her own kitchen in a world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her grandmother’s recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she is–and a man whose passionate approach to food and life rivals her own. Owner Julian Liswood is a name many people know but a man few do. He’s come to Aspen with a troubled teenage daughter and a dream of the kind of stability and love only a family can provide. But for Elena, old ghosts don’t die quietly, yet a chance to find happiness at last is worth the risk.
~product description

Review:  This one has been in my To Be Read Pile for a while, and I'm glad Roof Beam Reader's 2011 TBR Challenge finally moved it closer to the top.  I haven't read a good Food Lit book in a while, except The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (who I revere), and this definitely fit the bill. The Lost Recipe for Happiness is the perfect combination of food, romance, and magical realism.

I loved the characters Barbara O'Neal created.  They're real and vibrant.  It was fabulous that Elena's decisions were her own and she doesn't fall into archetypal caveats.  The character of Julian Liswood doesn't fall into the stereotypical Hollywood director category either; he has great depth and has not been corrupted by his money.  Even Portia, who is a troubled teen struggling to make sense of her glitzy world, is not without redeeming qualities. The secondary characters are rich too, and you just wish you could spend more time with each of them.  It isn't just the characters though, but the storyline is enticing as well.

Job equality has come a long way, but the commercial kitchen is still a man's world and I love seeing a strong woman not just surviving, but thriving in it.  I also like the way the Ms. O'Neal works plot exposition in the form of flashbacks into the story through Elena's memories. Often times this doesn't work or gets too narrative, but this was beautifully done -with the exception of several pages of rumination on Elena's past relationships that just didn't work for me. Barbara O'Neal's writing is a lot like reading a script in that you can see everything like it's unfolding on the big screen as you read. While the ending was slightly predictable, the journey was not. Elena is haunted by her past, but not broken by it. In fact, her ghosts help her along the way. The only thing that really didn't fit for me were the love scenes. I don't mind a good sex scene, but some of these seemed extraneous and over the top. I like a little left to the imagination.

This is one of those Food-Lit where the recipes, as they relate to the story, are found at the ends of chapters.  In fitting with the story, they are mostly south western cuisine and sound interesting. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan, so there wasn't many I was drooling over and wanted to add to my repertoire.  Although Ms. O'Neal does include some nice ones for pomegranate baklava, french toast, and one recipe for chicken soup for those of us "poor souls who will never like chilies."

In the end, this was a bittersweet read because I'm really sorry it took me so long to get to this, but I can't wait to read more from Barbara O'Neal! She is definitely a new favorite in the Food-lit genre. I've already added How to Bake a Perfect Life and The Secret of Everything to the top of my TBR Wishlist.

Final Take:  4.25/5.0

Group Review: The Peach Keeper

Summary: The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon welcomes you to her newest locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town’s famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be. It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots. But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it. For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town. Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living. Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever. ~amazon.com

Jenn's Review: It's magnificent. It's perfect. Her best yet. Need I go on? No, but I gladly will.

Sarah Addison Allen is one of those authors whose works I must own in hard cover on publication day ...and I want a digital edition too, just so I can always have it with me.  She makes me want to sink into a comfy chair and never put her book down.  It's like a steaming mug of hot chocolate on a snowy day.  Her writing is delicious.

"Every life needs a little space.  It leaves room for good things to enter." ~pg 70  I love that all the characters in Allen's books are struggling to find their way, not because they're overly flawed or damaged beyond repair, but because life is a journey full of crossroads. The characters are all likable in their own way, even if they have lessons to learn, and each has a little piece with which the reader can identify.

"Happiness is a risk.  If you're not a little scared, then you're not doing it right." ~pg 238  This is a theme in many of Allen's books, but it's a good one that bears repeating.  I love the friendships in her books,  the ones formed, and even the ones left behind.  To move on in life, one has to grow, and in Ms Allen's books, the journey is sprinkled with a little magic along the way.  Her writing is the perfect mix of whimsy and reality.

Out of all of her books, this one was the least food-centric, but, surprisingly, I didn't miss it all that much.  Yes, Rachel is working on her coffeeology, which I loved, but food and cooking do not play a predominant role here. Although speaking of food, I was delighted by the brief cameo of the Waverly's from Garden Spells, Allen's first book.

This is my favorite Sarah Addison Allen book so far, though I feel like I'm choosing a favorite child by stating that...  I still keep going back and reading little snippets to myself just to enjoy the last little morsels.  I'm so enamored, I may even go back and re-read all of her books this summer.  She is my comfort read and I urge you to try her books, so that she may become yours too.

Final Take:  5/5

Julie's Review: You know how when a favorite author releases a book that you've been so hungry for that you devour it? Then you instantly regret it, not because the book was bad, but because you know it's at least another year before their next book? That's me with Sarah Addison Allen's The Peach Keeper. I started it the night I received it via UPS. I love getting lost in Ms. Allen's world. It's ripe with love, mystery and magic. Can you think of a better place to get lost?

The Peach Keeper is her best novel yet. It takes a lot for me to say that because Garden Spells definitely worked it's magic on me when it came out. We are introduced to Willa Jackson and Paxton Osgood, who are seemingly different but in the end are very similar. Willa was the misunderstood girl, while Paxton was the popular princess. Now in their early 30s they are struggling to figure out just who they want to be and not what other people want them to be. Both are closed off but in different ways. Willa is trying to live the life her father would have wanted for her and Paxton is trying to live up to the family name. Paxton is in love, the head over heels kind, with Sebastian Rogers, the former high school misfit, who moved back to town a year prior. Willa is so closed off that she doesn't even want to think about the idea of falling in love, especially with Colin Osgood.

What Ms. Allen does so well is the magic and the setting. In each and every one of her books I feel like I'm there. This was no exception. I could picture the Grand Blue Madam and the tree that sat alone on the property. I got chills reading this book when the characters were experiencing the same thing. Coincidence? I think not! She tells these stories in a way that is every bit relatable and wonderful. I loved the background story of Georgie, Agatha and their friendship.

The Peach Keeper is about family, friendship and finding your way. Embracing that part of you that you tried to bury and forget.

I truly can't find one thing that I didn't like about this book. The cover is beautiful and the words on the pages are engulfing.

Final Take: 5/5

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to twoofakind12 for winning a copy of Josi S. Kilpack's fourth culinary mystery, Key Lime Pie!

Please email me (Jenn) your mailing address so that we can send the book off to you as soon as possible. Thanks to all of you for participating.

Don't forget all of Ms. Kilpack's recipes are available for download on her website to be found under each book, respectively.

Girls Just Reading uses Random.org to produce the winner.

Giveaway: Key Lime Pie

This week Girls Just Reading has featured two wonderful food-lit books from the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series by Josi S. Kilpack (Devil's Food Cake review & Key Lime Pie review).  Yesterday, the author did a wonderful Q & A with us, and today, as promised, begins our giveaway of culinary mystery, Key Lime Pie (book 4 in the series). 
 

In order to qualify for this fantastic book, you need to fill out this form before midnight October 15th, 2010:

Good Luck!!

Author Interview: Josi S. Kilpack

This week I had my fill of food-lit ~and loved it!  I read and reviewed, Devil's Food Cake and Key Lime Pie by Josi S. Kilpack. Today, Girls Just Reading is thrilled to have a Q&A with the author.

GJR:  WOW! You’ve written more than a dozen books in a plethora of genres, ranging from Women’s Lit, to YA, to a Whitney Award Winning Suspense novel, to non-fiction books on publishing. Isn’t that genre span unusual for an author?

Josi S. Kilpack:  I’m lucky in that I started out writing a variety and therefore didn’t get pigeon holed like many authors do. It is unusual for an author to write multiple genres, and for good reason; a lot of fans aren’t multiple-genres so when it comes to branding yourself it’s best to focus on one thing. Even though I’ve published several books, the first several were in a small regional market and therefore I wasn’t going after a large enough demographic to feel the need to focus like most authors do. Now that I’m branching out into a more mainstream market, however, I’m very much shooting for that stable platform and easily-identified genre.

GJR:  Your last four books have been part of a series of culinary mysteries. What inspired this genre shift?

JSK:  I was in between projects and a fellow writer had a writing contest as part of his latest book’s promotion. The contest was for the first chapter of a mystery novel that involved food. I wrote the chapter as a bit of a break from my other projects and absolutely fell in love with it. For the next couple of years I worked on the story here and there until I decided to make it a focus and see where it took me. It was a good challenge for me in many ways.


GJR:  The recipes in your book sound delicious ~there are several I want to try! Are the recipes your own or did you work with a chef?

JSK: Ah, a chef! That would be awesome; maybe some day. For now, a lot of them are my own, but many of them are provided by my Test Kitchen, or rather Sadie’s test kitchen. It’s a group of 8 home-chefs, like myself, who offer up recipes and then help me try out the ones I want to use. They help me get it just right and have been a lifesaver. It’s one thing to play around with something new at home, it’s a whole other ballgame to put a recipe out to the world with your stamp of approval on it.


GJR:  Who is the hardest character to write for in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series?

JSK:  Sadie. I’ve never written the same main character in more than one book, so I’ve found it particularly challenging to make Sadie remain true to who she is and yet still grow and develop over the course of the series. It was a challenge I hadn’t anticipated and it’s turned out to be far more challenging than I’d have ever expected even if I’d known it would be an issue.


GJR:  Are you working on a new novel? Will it be a sequel to Key Lime Pie, or are you going to switch genres?

JSK:  I’ve JUST sent in the final version of Book five in the series, Blackberry Crumble. It will be out in the spring and will be followed by 3 more books in this series and then a cumulative cookbook that will have all the recipes from all the books. No genre switches just yet, but maybe when I’m done :-)


GJR:  Do you have plans to write sequels to any of your other novels?

JSK:  I do have some ideas, but as time goes on I have more ideas for totally new things as well, so I’m not sure where exactly all this thinking will take me. I suppose time will tell.


GJR:  Who are your favorite authors to read? Why?

JSK:  Even though I already said that most readers have specific genres they prefer, I read in a lot of different genres and can’t think of a particular author that really stands out. I do follow Sue Graphton; I get her books quick after their release, but overall I’m drawn to writers who write strong characterization and keep me guessing—whether that’s in a suspense novel or romance; a good author keeps the plot twisting from beginning to end and writes characters I can’t wait to read about. I love that.


GJR:  What are you currently reading?

JSK:  I have been waiting to read Catching Fire since after I finished The Hunger Games, and now I have Mockingjay to throw in there. I also set a goal to read Pride And Prejudice—I’ve only ever seen the movie (I know, I know, I’m a writing heretic!)


GJR:  What author’s have influenced you?

JSK:  Every author I’ve ever written has left their mark on my writer’s soul. Honestly, good or bad, I think every book I’ve ever read has taught me something, which is why I think it’s so important for writers to read, read, read. You never know when you’ll find yourself in an author’s classroom, learning as the story unfolds.


GJR:  If you had to prepare an impromptu dinner party, which recipe would you grab and why?

JSK:  I have a fabulous White Chicken Chili recipe that although it hasn’t shown up in a book yet, is a crowd pleaser and super easy to make. It’s what I throw together when real life brings me the need to entertain. While I love to cook, my first priority is that it taste awesome and my second priority is that it’s fast because I’m easily distracted :-)

We'd like to thank Josi S. Kilpack for taking time out of her schedule to answer our questions. Her recipes and the first chapter of each book in the series can be found on her website.  (I can't wait for the cookbook! )


If you love food and a good mystery (and quite frankly, who doesn't?) You need to check out the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series!

...and come by the blog again tomorrow for a chance to win Key Lime Pie!