The Christmas Cake Murder

The Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke, 270 pages

“It's Christmas many years ago, and topping young Hannah Swensen's wish list is becoming the go-to baker in Lake Eden, Minnesota. But as Hannah finds out, revisiting holiday memories can be murder . . .  With her dream of opening The Cookie Jar taking shape, Hannah's life matches the hectic December hustle and bustle in Lake Eden--especially when she agrees to help recreate a spectacular Christmas Ball from the past in honor of Essie Granger, an elderly local in hospice care. But instead of poring over decadent dessert recipes for the merry festivities, she instantly becomes enthralled by Essie's old notebooks and the tale of a woman escaping danger on the streets of New York. Hannah's surprised by Essie's secret talent for penning crime fiction. She's even more surprised when the story turns real. As Hannah prepares to run a bakery and move out of her mother's house, it'll be a true miracle if she can prevent another Yuletide disaster by solving a mystery as dense as a Christmas fruitcake . . .” I really enjoyed this story.  It felt a little too good to be true with the way the sisters got along so well when they were younger.  High school girls, as the youngest was, are not usually so pleasant.  It made for a good story, if a little unrealistic, anyway.  Anyone who enjoys the series will love this book as well.

Independence Days

Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage & Preservation, Sharon Astyk, 368 pages


A compelling guide to building a deep, robust pantry, for those who have their own garden and those who just want to spend less time or money at the grocery store. This is a beautifully written book; Astyk draws upon her own experiences and her Jewish faith to paint a picture of a society made independent from the grocery store (or at least less dependent on it) and more centered on community. Whether because of a desire for sustainability, a fear of disaster (most grocery stores have only three days’ worth of food on their shelves, leaving us only “nine meals from anarchy”), a moral opposition to the food industrial complex, or whatever motivation, Astyk believes it is a community duty to create a store of locally produced food and regularly use it and share it.

Independence Days explains how to dehydrate, can, ferment, and use a root cellar to extend the usefulness of a harvest, as well as how to procure and store a large supply of staples (unmilled wheat, corn, or whatnot), as well as a variety of recipes for incorporating these stored and preserved foods into a varied and healthy diet. More importantly, though, it is an argument for the importance of food security, thoughtfully and kindly written (Astyk repeatedly mentions that for many people even a small amount of food storage is financially or logistically impossible, an easily-omitted but much-appreciated aside). This book would be good for just about anyone to read.

Dining with the Famous and Infamous

Dining with the Famous and Infamous by Fionna Ross          Hardback Book:  245 pages      

What a great collection of dining experiences and with such notable dining companions!   A fun romp through several gastronomique experiences with the likes of  Alfred Hitchcock, Picasso, Salvadore Dali, Laurel and Hardy, Liz Taylor along with a few of her husbands, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Gauguin & Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera, Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall, Woody Allen, The Beatles, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, C.S. Lewis, Aleister Crowley, Michael Jackson, Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Sylvia Plath, Oscar Wilde, the list goes on.   So fun and so well written that you can almost smell the dishes cooking from the avid descriptions.   Recipes accompany each feast described so the reader can really feel a part of the meal.    One would do well to be mindful of the eccentricities of Salvadore Dali – a dining experience I would definetly pass on – Salvadore didn’t just look bizarre – yikes!   And Aleister Crowley liked to startle guests with his “personal” accoutrements served in the victuals he prepared.   Trust me that was a don’t ask don’t eat there affair, too.     It is said of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera that when they kissed lights in the room or in the street would burn brighter, of course Frida’s father told Diego she was a devil, I’m just saying...  From the brandy Frida hid within her skirts in a perfume bottle to the Duck with Black Mole and Huitlacoche Fry, the chilies weren’t the hottest things at their table.   The Beatles were wined and dined by rich and royals alike but when it came down to it the Liverpudlian lads loved their bacon butties, fish and chips and baked beans on toast (all recipes included here).   Who knew Nostradamus was quite the marzipan maker?   The things you learn here will surprise you.   Lots of stories told and facts revealed that I had never heard before – (Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful – I will never look at a Mars bar the same way again) and several jaw dropping, rapid eye blinking reveals, too.    GOOD BOOK.   Good from the first page to the last.   I understand this is one book in a series titled, Dining with Destiny which I must peruse all the titles.   Excellent read.    Warning, this book will make you hungry at times and you will be forced to go make yourself a knockoff of what the celebrities are dining on.   (But then some chapters…not so much.)

Heartburn

Heartburn by Nora Ephron Audiobook 5 hours Book 179 pages

This is a story about a woman named Rachel who has just found out her husband is in love with another woman. As is typical of domestic fiction, hilarity ensues. This book is not new by any means, but I really couldn't tell from listening to it. It was narrated by the uber talented Meryl Streep, who did an amazing job. I felt like I really knew Rachel as a personal friend. I also felt like I was going through the stuff with her. I admire an author's ability to make me feel things so that I'm absorbed in the story. I liked the characters and the plot and I was a little shocked when it was over. In my opinion it could have gone on. The writing is hilarious and engaging. Rachel is a writer of cookbooks so there are also recipes in the book as well. Fir the sake of clarity I will say there was more profanity in this book than I usually like. That's my only complaint, everything else was good.