Jenn's List: Top Books of 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, the time has come for us girls to tell you our favorite books of the year.  As I look over my read list, I'm pleased to see I've been reading more this year ~not as much as when I had a lunch hour before I became a stay-at-home-mom, but steadily increasing as my daughter is older and more independent.


ASLEEP by Wendy Raven McNair:  This is the first book in a trilogy by a self-published author and it's an amazing series so far.  It's YA super hero story with a strong, female, African-American hero.  (Review) AWAKE, the second book in the trilogy, is also tops on my list. (Review) Again I cannot recommend this series enough.  You really must read it!

The Liar's Lullaby by Meg Gardiner:  This is the third book in her Jo Beckett series. In this installment, forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett is called on to do a psychological autopsy of a country singing diva to determine murder, suicide, or conspiracy.  (Review)  If you love thrillers, you must try her books.  (China Lake is the first book in her Evan Delaney series and The Dirty Secrets Club is the first book in the Jo Beckett series.)

This Must Be The Place by Kate Racculia: A sixteen-year-old, un-mailed postcard launches a story of uncovering, recovery, and self-discovery in this debut novel.  I don't usually read contemporary fiction, but I loved this one! (Review)

Columbine by Dave Cullen:  This was my non-fiction read of the year.  It's an incredible case study of an horrific event that changed the face of education. (Review)

The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen:  A little food and a little magic, there is really no one who compares to Sarah Addison Allen. (Review) All her books are hard-cover-must-haves for me and I anxiously await her March 2011 book, The Peach Keeper.  

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen: This is in the middle of the Rizzoli & Isles series, that the new TNT show is based on. I loved this book and the TV show, so I think I'm going to have to go back and read this thriller series from the beginning! (Review)

Virals by Kathy Reichs: This is forensic anthropologist Reichs' new YA series. It's an updated Nancy Drew with a paranormal twist. If you like her books but find them a little heavy, this is like reading Reichs-lite! (Review)

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel: I was a little "vamped" out, but this book made me fall in love with vampires all over again. I can't wait for the next book in the series due out in June 2011! (Review)

In the Woods by Tana French: This was a great case study in how are experiences impact our per eption and shape our future. I adored the rich detail and will be reading more from French this year, I hope.  (Review)

The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross: I don't often enjoy a book where the protagonist starts off as unlikeable, but this was so well done, that I couldn't help but learn to love her as Ansley found her way in the world.  (Review)

I am excited about a new year of reading (yes, I'm nerdy, but we knew that,) and I hope that Roof Beam Reader's 2011 TBR Challenge will help me get to more books this year.

Wishing you a happy, healthy New Year filled with good books.
Happy Reading!

~Jenn

Author Interview: Jennifer Ross

Jenn and I read and reviewed, The Icing on the Cupcake last week and we loved it. Today, we are thrilled to have a Q&A with the author Jennifer Ross.

GJR: How many batches of cupcakes did you go through before you decided on the ones you put into the book?

JR: I don’t know an exact count – hundreds. Baking requires little tweaks in ingredients and patient charting of your results. We did so many little changes. I should’ve kept the charts because then I could’ve told you the exact number of batches we made. I threw them away when we were done because I was so glad to have accomplished proofing so many recipes.

GJR: Are the cupcake recipes your own or did you work with a baker/pastry chef?

JR: Many of the recipes were my grandmother’s. She was an amazing baker. She sold cookies, cakes and cupcakes out of the backdoor of her house to other grandmas in the neighborhood who passed them off as their own. It was a hush hush operation. Lots of whispered orders and money passed while hugging hello.

I worked with a pastry chef to update my grandmother’s recipes and create new ones.

GJR: Is there anyone that inspired Ansley or any of the other characters?

JR: My grandmother inspired Vivian. My grandmother was very motivated in life. When she was in her nineties she told other seniors she was 78 so they would treat her as a peer not an elder. She was always busy even in her nineties – walking, baking, knitting, crocheting, and quilting. The woman never had idle hands.

Ansley was inspired by the feeling I get whenever I have a major life change. It’s scary and exciting and personality changing.

Parish reminds me of many an ex-boyfriend as does Thad. I have a lot of bad ex-boyfriends.

GJR: Who was the hardest character to write for you in The Icing on the Cupcake?

JR: The mother. I can never get mothers right.

GJR: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

JR: Yes, I never thought it was possible. But I started as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal (I didn’t think that was possible either) and when I figured out I could do that I took a huge leap and tried writing a book. This is the result. I have learned a lot writing this novel and it’s going to help me write better books.

GJR: Are you working on a new novel? Does it involve Ansley and her life in NYC? If not, can you tell us the premise?

JR: I am working on a YA novel about fairies but fairies in the historic sense not the current image of them.

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

JR: I love Charlaine Harris because she’s so quick to read and enjoyable. Emily Giffin is always a pleasure as is Jennifer Weiner. Richel Mead’s Vampire Academy books are really satisfying.

GJR: What are you currently reading?

JR: Charlaine Harris’ Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 10) and Danielle Trussoni’s Angelology


GJR: What author’s have influenced you?

JR: Everyone I read influences me. I read Joan Didion and can’t imagine how she can compose the beautiful sentences that she does. I read John Grisham and try to understand how he creates so much tension in his stories. I read Stepheine Meyers and analyze why her stories are so compelling.

GJR: If you had to only pick one kind of cupcake to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be? Why?

JR: Chocolate with orange frosting because chocolate cake is always the most moist and satisfying and because chocolate and orange is a combination I never get tired of.

We'd like to thank Jennifer Ross for taking time out of her schedule to answer our questions.

Give yourself a treat and pick up The Icing on the Cupcake.

Group Review: The Icing on the Cupcake

Summary: Ansley thought her fiancé, Parish, loved her unconditionally until he dumps her. In order to escape the subsequent gossip and pity, she heads to New York City to visit her maternal grandmother, Vivian, whom she has never met. While Vivian is delighted to have the chance to reconnect with her family, she currently has problems of her own: her recently deceased husband’s creative tax shelters have brought down the wrath of the IRS, specifically agent 1432. As a way of coping, Ansley begins baking cupcakes, and as she mixes up batches of home-baked goodness, she realizes she may have stumbled on the answer to her and her grandmother’s problems. Striking the perfect balance between tart wit and sweet romance, Ross spoons up a thoughtful blend of chick lit and women’s fiction, complete with a tempting assortment of cupcake recipes, the icing on this irresistible culinary literary creation. ~amazon.com (booklist)

Julie's Review: "Momma, everyone likes cupcakes". I don't think more truer words could have been spoken by Ansley when she says this to her mom, Hattie. Ansley is dumped on her butt, very publicly, by her fiance Parish. You see Ansley seems nice but she's not. She's a real, big witch!! I didn't like her at all at first but a great author develops her characters and Ms. Ross did with Ansley. The transformation of Ansley was realistic and not without it's hiccups. I did at times have to remind myself that she was only 22. For all the talk of getting married and having kids, I would think that she would be in her late 20s. I honestly don't think she was in love with Parish, she was in love with what he represented to her. I'm not sure at the end of the book if she even realizes that yet. Here's hoping there's a sequel and we find her growing even more.

We also get to know her grandmother Vivian. This woman is so alive and vivacious that I wanted some of her energy. She's recently lost her husband of some 40 years, only to find out that he left her with a whopper of an IRS situation. She doesn't take the allegations laying down. She starts to tackle them hands on with some help from Ansley and her financial advisor, Thad. There are some interesting twists and turns in this plot that I don't want to say a lot about because it'll ruin the story for you.

We also get to know, albeit not as well, Ansley's mother Hattie. Hattie is a proper southern woman, who's brought up her daughter to believe in the same things she does. She is fiercely against Ansley going to NYC to stay with her grandmother, you see Hattie and Vivian haven't spoken in 40+ years, ever since Vivian moved to NYC and married Charlie. Of course, there are always misinformation in families about these circumstances and this one is no different.

The Icing on the Cupcake is about finding your way after having your heartbroken and knowing you can stand on your own two feet. More importantly, it's about family relationships, mother/daughter, granddaughter/grandmother and how we bond over similarities and differences.

There is a great cast of characters in this book; Dot, Thad, and IRS Agent #1492.

As you all know, I don't have a ton of free time to read (you know work, 2 kids, husband, house, etc) but this book I finished in 24 hours. I really couldn't put it down. I even came home to read it before I picked up the kids. I devoured it like I want to do with her cupcake recipes. I can't wait to try some of the recipes with my sister. You see she's the baker and I'm the eater. In particular, I can't wait to do the S'mores with Marshmallow frosting. Can you say yummy?

Jenn is our resident "Food-Lit" connoisseur but I think that Ms. Ross is definitely an addition to this new, emerging genre. Sarah Addison Allen is still the one to which all other food-lit authors measure up.

Final Take: 4/5

Jenn's Review: Sorry, Julie, but I'm going to have to disagree with you and Ansley. I don't like cupcakes. I don't like cake at all. *ducking incredulous looks* (Yeah, I know "and you call yourself a foodie," etc. etc. etc.)

However, even I want to try some of these cupcakes! (The Margarita, Hold the Salt one sounds divine!) There are two kinds of food-lit, the kind where food is pervasive in the stories like books from Sarah Addison Allen and Erica Bauermeister, and the kind that weaves recipes into the story, like this book from Jennifer Ross and books from Josi S. Kilpack. I love them both indiscriminately.

The main character in this book is far from likable. Actually, most of the character's in this book are unlikable. Ansley is cruel; her grandmother, Vivian walked out on her family; her mother Hattie, spoiled her daughter to excess; and then there's Thad, Vivian's haughty financial advisor. Taking all that into consideration, I would usually walk away from such a book, but Ms. Ross created such an interesting story around these characters that you can't help but get pulled into it. (Like Julie, I read this in about a day.) These character's are not just archetypal stereotypes, but have depth and grow. You may not like Ansley by the end of the book, but you sure do respect her.

The plot moves along nicely and though there is a twist that is foreshadowed early in the book, it is still well done. I also like that the story is not wrapped in a nice neat little package at the end. It is left open, but not so open that you feel cheated out of story.

I wholeheartedly agree with Julie that Ms. Ross is an excellent example of what is good in the genre of food-lit. I will certainly be seeking more from her.

Final Take: 4.25/5