May7

How Would You Like Your Mammoth? 12,000 Years of Culinary History in 50 Bite-Size Essays by Uta Seeberg

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How Would You Like Your Mammoth? 12,000 Years of Culinary History in 50 Bite-Size Essays by Uta Seeberg

***

Seeberg, Uta. How Would You Like Your Mammoth? 12,000 Years of Culinary History in 50 Bite-Size Essays. 256 pp. ISBN 9781891011597. $19.95

Did you know that British fish and chips is a fusion cuisine, from the pairing of fried fish from the Jews of Portugal and Spain, and fried potatoes from Belgium or France? These and other fascinating tidbits of food history are conveyed with enthusiasm and knowledge in How Would You Like Your Mammoth? a chronological series of vignettes of culinary history. Each brief chapter focuses on a dish, element of a dish, or style of dining that moved the culinary landscape a little further along. There’s historical context, anecdotes, recipes and preparation instructions based on archaeological finds, recipes in pictogram and text format, and first person accounts. The descriptions of food contain less about taste than one would expect, with the author focusing on scent, texture, color, shape and size over flavor, even for more contemporary dishes. This may in fact just be a very realistic approach to the understanding we can’t know what the first salt, fish and rice tasted like the first time they were purposefully consumed toether during the Edo period that began in the early 1600s. The entries range from lamb stew from Babylonia, Bahn Mi from Vietnam, the All-American hamburger (USA), to afternoon tea in the United Kingdom, Pandemic dinners (no nod to sourdough), sauce (BUTTER!) in France, and the caviar and filets from whole roast beef joints served on the luxurious Orient Express speak to place and time as much as mummified beef ribs from ancient Egypt.

Food as art encompasses both Bauhaus and the first restaurant to receive three Michelin star. The essays are like clever little amuse-bouche: carefully selected, crafted with attentive, loving care and leaving you with an appetite for more. I felt many of the essays ended abruptly and with an odd tone, like an urgent need to be witty and leave the reader with something pithy or a slight tongue-in-cheek attitude that diminishes the lovely, descriptive sensory writing that preceded it. Enjoy with a slice of Toast Hawaii!

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HowWould YouLikeYourMammoth from #NetGalley, courtesy of The Experiment.

Apr30

Happy Medium by Sarah Adler

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Happy Medium by Sarah Adler

Adler, Sarah. Happy Medium. Berkley, 2024. 352 pp. ISBN 9780593547816 $18.00.

****

A fake medium who claims to speak with dead people meets a spirited spirit who helps her to break a family’s curse in this hilarious and tender paranormal romance. Con artist Gretchen Acorn has a string of wealthy clients that pay her to reconnect with dead loved ones. When a regular widowed client pays her $10,000 to visit her friend Charlie Waybill to exorcise the ghost on his goat farm that is sabotaging the potential sales on his ancestral home, Gretchen isn’t expecting a hot, young farmer; nor is she expecting Charlie to call her out as a fraud immediately–and THEN she meets the ghost that is actually haunting the property. Everett is a wanna-be actor and television sitcom addict who fancies himself a ladies man and a matchmaker; he informs Gretchen that his lingering is a curse that will pass to Charlie if he sells the farm and leaves. The only way to break it is to take the farm off the market and stay put because there must always be a Waybill on the property. Gretchen offers to stay and help through the kidding season and spend a month convincing Charlie she’s legit. During her stay, she learns new skills, comes up with money making ideas, gets on Charlie’s nerves (and under his skin)

The worldbuilding is tight, from the charming farm to Everett’s existence. He poofing to the Nowhere if he overexerts himself to impose his will in the corporeal world, his loss of time in that dimension. The character study is equally strong, with details like Gretchen’s ability to cry on demand–in fact, all of her con tricks learned from her slimy dear old dad–revealed in small doses that juxtapose her childhood with the life Charlie’s known: homecooked meals, homemade sweaters, and Grandma’s lemon meringue pie versus hole in the walls on the run and on the road. Charlie is a soft-hearted man who sports whimsical tattoos under crazily colored handknit sweaters, who takes pity on a lady covered in mud even when he suspects she threw herself into a giant mud-puddle to buy some time and talk to him. And it’s only Charlie who starts to make Gretchen feel regret for her lies, pangs of vulnerability at being honest, and fear at the idea she might not be able to save him and prevent an untimely death and eternal haunting.

A reader’s guide for book groups is appended, along with an excellent author’s note that speaks to the combination of lightheartedness and depth , how the novel started as a bit of joke, and evolved to something loneliness and belonging.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HappyMedium via #NetGalley, courtesy of Berkley Publishing Group.

Apr25

Funny Story by Emily Henry

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Funny Story by Emily Henry

Henry, Emily. Funny Story. Berkley, 2024. 400 pp. ISBN 9780593441282 $29.00.

*****

When Daphne’s fiancé Peter dumps her — for his beautiful best (female) friend Petra — after he realizes he’s in love with her during his bachelor party (I hope my indignation is coming through even though I’m not typing in all caps), she moves in with Miles, Petra’s new ex. The roommates commiserate and mourn, and then in a drunken act of revenge (sort of?) RSVP to Peter and Petra’s wedding announcement (gag! me with a spoon) that they will attend as plus ones as THEY are not together (they’re not). Peter and Petra offer genuine congrats, relieved (and maybe a little curious?), and gamely wish Miles and Daph well… and a game of faking dating ensues, with the requisite forced kiss to prove the fake relationship is real.

Daphne had uprooted her life for Peter after their awkward/funny meet cute, leaving behind her friends, family, job and home to move in with him, and has decided she can’t stand to stay in the picturesque town Waning Bay, bumping into their extended family and mutual friends, even though she really loves her job as a Children’s Librarian. She’s committed to staying until her summer fundraising event is over, and is literally counting down the days. When Miles emerges from his funk, he offers to show her around town, not necessarily to convince Daphne, who moved a lot as a child and really wanted to finally put down roots, but to make sure she has an informed opinion to make her decision. Thanks to Miles, and in part to her co-worker Ashleigh, Daphne does begin to form routines and build a circle of friends, even as she applies for jobs out of state and contemplates moving back in with her single mom.

Fans of Emily Henry will find her signature deeply developed flawed characters, perfect pacing, richly detailed descriptive writing, humorous moments, and insightfulness into human nature. The writing is excellent, and comes full circle in a very satisfying way, even in small ways, like moving her strained relationship with her friend Sadie to another level.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #FunnyStory via #NetGalley.

Apr24

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

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Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Jimenez, Abby. Just for the Summer. Forever/Grand Central Publishing, 2024. 432 pp. ISBN 9781538704431 $ 17.99

*****

If you’ve exhausted dating apps, maybe try Reddit? A traveling nurse reaches out to the author on an AITA thread (he’s named his dog after the best friend that skipped out on their lease to move in with a girl) after learning that like her, the end of each relationship leads to their ex meeting their soulmate. Emma convinces her traveling companion/best friend/foster sister/roommate Maddy to skip their next exotic location to detour to Michigan to meet Justin and his dog, Brad. Convinced they might be able to break the romance curse by going on at least four dates, with at least one kiss, Emma and Justin spend time getting to one another while juggling serious stuff in their lives: Justin is about to take custody of his three younger siblings and solo-parent while his mother does her time in jail for fraud. When Emma’s absentee mother Amber learns that Emma’s AirBnB is owed by a millionaire, she inserts herself back into Emma’s life for the fringe benefits and does real damage.

Jimenez builds warm, real, flawed characters capable of growth. The writing is rich–she’s excellent at picking out little moments and details to enhance the narrative, like Maddy’s quick, ruthless and efficient cyberstalking of Justin while Emma is beginning to message him. Jimenez writes the BEST banter, and creates a sweet, sexy, slow burn. The story addresses mental health in a straightforward and understandable manner. When Emma needs time to recover from time with–or disappoint from–her mom, she goes “small” and needs to isolate and recover, and it is so perfectly portrayed and explained. And when she needs time to work on herself to be the partner she wants to be, she takes the time, and does the hard work. The brilliantly streaked sunset-colored cover is a hint of the vibrant warmth within the pages.

I received an advance reader’s review copy of #JustForTheSummer via #NetGalley courtesy of Forever/Grand Central Publishing.

Apr4

The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracy Garvis Graves

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The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracy Garvis Graves

Garvis Graves, Tracy. The Trail of Lost Hearts. Narrated by Eric Meyers; Kate Handford. MacMillan Audio, 2024. ISBN 9781250333056. $19.99 8 hours, 30 minutes.

****

After discovering that her now-deceased fiancé has a wife and family, Wren Waters needs a reset. She takes a mini-vacation in the Pacific Northwest, planning to geocaching a number of sites. On her first day out, she’s accosted by two men who have assault on their minds, and is rescued by another geocacher, Marshall. They agree to form an alliance to help Wren feel safe, and her solo trip turns into one for two. Marshall describes her journey like Eat, Pray, Love with dirt, GPS and skinned knees. Wren allows herself to be vulnerable, and quickly falls for Marshall, who seems to be carrying a load of his own. When she asks him to share, he can’t; and it’s the end of the brief affair. Eventually, they reconnect, and the narrative switches to email, text, and phone calls. In the audio format, this was an abrupt shift that detracted a bit from the story, as until now it was in Wrens sole point of view.

The character development and growth is marvelous. Graves is masterful at drawing the reader in, setting a scene, and writes beautifully, whether describing National Parks or simple meals or deep conversations. You’ll cheer Wren and Marshall on, and your heart will ache as they navigate their baggage.

Spoiler Alert: After accusing Marshall of withholding information and splitting up to go back to her real life in Dayton OH, (highlight to continue reading)Wren learns she is pregnant by her deceased fiancé. When she finally comes clean to Marshall and he invites her back for a visit with her daughter, his grand gesture is a place for Birdie to sleep in his office. “You can tell a single mother that a relationship is real over and over and that you’re all in or you can show her by buying a crib and assembling it, and what used to be your office.”It reminds me of the time my now-husband, then-boyfriend, installed a towel bar next to the sink in my galley kitchen, taking care of needs I hadn’t even expressed. Grave’s writing is filled with such truths.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheTrailOfLostHearts via #NetGalley, courtesy of MacMillan.

Apr2

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

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Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

Cochrun, Alison. Here We Go Again. Atria, 2024. 384 pp. ISBN 9781668021194 $17.99.

****

This fantastic sapphic road-trip romance has shades of Mrs. Nash’s Ashes; rather than delivering ashes to a former lover, the goal is for two colleagues and former friends to bring their beloved dying drama teacher Joe across country to the love of his life. Although they both try very hard to avoid one another at their alma mater–where they both teach with Joe–Fuckboy Logan’s true meet-cute reunion with ice-queen Rosemary is when she (accidentally!) runs into Rosemary’s car with her own in an Applebee’s parking lot in their hometown. Joe brings them together again to let them know the cancer he has been fighting has metastasized, and he’s actively dying, and he wants them to take him on an epic road trip before he goes.

Logan, whose nickname is Chicken, has always had wanderlust but never been much more than fifteen minutes from her hometown. Rosemary, a planner, has mapped out every detail of the trip and shows up at Logan’s with a white chocolate mocha bribe. The trip should only take a week, with stops in major cities with good hospitals–just in case–but the best laid plans of mice and men, yadda yadda yadda. Logan agrees, they take off a second-hand van emblazed with the logo of The Queer Cuddler, and have their first fight before they’ve even left the driveway.

Rosemary and Logan are truly opposites attract: Rosemary, sort of WASPy, passes as straight, while ethnic Logan is openly gay; Rosemary has matching luggage and Logan’s belongings are stuffed into a duffle bag; Rosemary brings dried fruit and nuts and La Croix for road snacks while Logan loaded up on Funyans. Joe? Joe’s bringing along his record player and vinyl, a box of books, and a Pendleton blanket. And his dog. And his list of detours. He charmingly milks his death trip to take all the side trips he wants to fit in, smoke all the weed he wants, and to press Rosemary into correcting Logan’s assumption that she is straight.

Lyrics from musicals, literary and dramatic allusions, and pop culture references abound. Logan’s (and her father’s) penchant for substituting names of actors and singers for expletives/using the name of the Lord in vain is a cute tic, but could get a little wearing for some readers. Logan’s Greek Orthodox background adds a layer, as does the scenic descriptions of the landscapes they pass through from the Pacific Northwest to Bar Harbor, Maine. There are many sweet moments, like when they assume they are going to be victims of a hate crime in Idaho, the sublime view of the Grand Canyon, and how much Rosemary and Logan want to make Joe happy. The slow journey across the US mirrors the two former friends slowly becoming vulnerable to each other again in a very beautiful, often humorous, deliciously paced, wholly real way.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HereWeGoAgain from #NetGalley, courtesy of Atria Books.

Mar28

The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

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The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Wibberley, Emily and Austin Siegemund-Broka. The Breakup Tour. Berkley, 2024. ISBN 9780593638644 $17.00

****

This is Taylor Swift fanfiction at its finest: a delightful romance that is in part an homage to Time magazine’s woman of the year who cranks out hit after hit, donates buckets of money to charities, treats her crew and fans like gold, all the while being criticized for her dating life or for detracting from Sunday football.

Riley Wynn, a recently married/recently divorced 30-something musician, performer, and superstar, is a household name. She started out in high school theatre and while in college she met, fell in love with, and performed with pianist Max. They were going to head to Nashville and start touring together when he opted to stay home and take over his family’s nursing home–his music dreams didn’t include fame in their way Riley’s did. Like Taylor, many of Riley’s songs lead fans to search for Easter eggs and speculate who–and what relationship–she’s singing about. Her newest hit is about Max, but everyone THINKS it’s about her movie star ex, and he’s milking it. When Riley invites Max to go on tour with her to play “his” song, he says yes, for the money he will bring in might save his family’s business. Will he, used to playing for the residents at early bird dinner in the nursing home’s dining room, be able to handle stadiums? And, can they make it work the second-time around?

This was a delightful read. As in their other novels, Wibberly and Siegemund-Broka alternate chapters in male/female point of view. They capture emotion and dialogue beautifully, and the behind-the-scenes on tour and glimpse into the music industry is fun. The tone, pacing, some repetitive elements, and some simplicity made this read like a new adult or young adult read to me: I found the characters, Riley in particular, immature compared to their other books, and it detracted slightly for me. That said, it’s a great crossover for older teens.

I read #TheBreakupTour via Libby from my local public library.

Feb25

Snowed In On Valentine’s Day (Love & Holidays, #2) by Alana Highbury

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Snowed In On Valentine’s Day (Love & Holidays, #2) by Alana Highbury

Highbury, Alana. Snowed In On Valentine’s Day. (Love & Holidays #2) Independently Published. 2024. ISBN 1230351230351

*

When Hazel and Peter meet in the wedding party of her best friend, Hazel dismisses him as rude and grumpy. Her drunken rant at him when they connect at the bar is a long exposition to establish the plot of what Hazel wants and needs. Peter isn’t exactly warm and hospitable. The next morning, Hazel’s best friend and new bride is the one to help her through her hangover (a device to allude to her and Terry’s relationship from the previous book in the series).

A month later, whilst bringing freshly baked goods to her new neighbor, Hazel is displeased to learn it’s none other than her nemesis Peter, but when she loses power during an intense blizzard and he has a generator, he insists (several times) that she come stay with him. She finally stops being stubborn and agrees, but is mean to him, for example, calling him Pete when he insists on Peter is disrespectful bullying behavior, and if he were a trans character and she was misgendering or calling him by a dead name, it would be unacceptable; why is it presented as okay and even flirtatious? They weather the storm, work through some issues, and part as almost friends, and then begin walking together, and when Peter becomes ill, it’s Hazel who is there to help.

There is a Pride and Prejudice element to this tale, as they are unable to see one another as other than they appeared upon their first meeting. Peter and Hazel come as flat and one-dimensional characters., with many missed opportunities. For example, Hazel is Japanese American, but there are few details about her culture or background, and the FMC pictured on the cover does not indicate this was intended to be a diverse read. Peter’s characterization makes him appear to be neurodivergent, and his quirks are opportunities for Hazel to tease him. There is more showing than telling, and no editing to speak of. While I didn’t find many typos, there are inconsistencies, like when Hazel wakes with a cold forehead at the beginning of Chapter 11, and in the next paragraph, takes off her nightcap (her wearing a nightcap to bed is an interesting character quirk). Worst of all is that Hazel’s career is as a motivational speaker, and she has zero self-awareness or emotional intelligence.

This was a frustrating, predictable, and clean (sex off the page) read. A quibble, but this was not well-formatted for NetGalley, and my delay in reading it before the Valentine’s Day holiday was that I couldn’t change the font or easily scroll. Once sent to Kindle it was fine, and I did slog through the whole book, hoping it might redeem itself.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #SnowedInonValentinesDay via #NetGalley, courtesy of the author.

Feb22

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch by Jacqueline Firkins

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The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch by Jacqueline Firkins

Firkins, Jacqueline. The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch. St. Martin’s Press, 2023. 352 pp. ISBN 9781250836526 $18.00.

***

Poor Imogen. She’s been dumped seventeen times and is returning to her coastal home to lick her wounds, when she encounters the One That Got Away: Eliot, back in town for his father’s funeral. He’s determined to help her crack her mother’s prophecy that she will never be first in anything she tries (hence, all the breakups–they all leave her for someone else) with a series of summery challenges to win SOMETHING.

Chapters of the present-day narrative’s experiments with games, contests, and competitions are interspersed with scenes from relationships gone wrong and Imogen’s texts with her bestie Frannie, sprinkled with humor, pathos and spice in equal measure.

The will they/won’t they is a strong pull as the author explores Imogen’s history and personality, asking the central question of whether Imogen’s mother is clairvoyant… or if Imogen just has really bad timing. Eliot doesn’t seem to believe in the curse, even as he helps Imogen to break it. To what degree is her mother’s prediction a self-fulfilling prophecy? What’s the flaw in Imogen’s selection of partners? To what degree are we responsible for the role we play in our own recurring disasters in our lives? The amount of angst in this book makes it less a romance than women’s fiction, and with the strong focus on the female protagonist, Eliot comes off less well developed and a little hero/savior complex for me. Still, it was a quick and enjoyable read.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #ThePredictableHeartbreaksOfImogenFinch from #NetGalley, courtesy of #StMartinsPress.

Feb20

Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

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Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

Ruiz, Sarah Grunder. Last Call at the Local. (Love, Lists & Fancy Ships #3). Berkley, 2024. 368 pp. ISBN 9780593549063. $17.00.

***

Raine Hart’s solo European tour as a wandering musician comes to an abrupt end in Ireland when her guitar is stolen. Luckily, the pub she’s wandered into needs a worker, and owner Jack is enthralled with her ideas to improve the place. She assists with some redesigns and begins to find a place for herself in the community. There is a nice mix of banter and deep conversation.

Ruiz’s portrayal of living with ADHD and OCD, and the complications, doubts, and benefits that come along with their neuro-atypical diagnoses is raw, poignant, vulnerable and healing. The narrative has a slow burn but it’s worth the wait.

This seemed to be a stand-alone book with references to characters from other books in the series Love, Lists & Fancy Ships; it’s a solid, cozy read.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #LastCallAtTheLocal from #NetGalley, courtesy of #Berkley Publishing Group.