First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Fiction - 3.5 stars

Sarah Addison Allen is the master of the light, feel-good read. I love her stories of women finding themselves in small-town Southern towns. This story started in Garden Spells, the story of Claire and Sydney Waverly and their struggles with the Waverly heritage. 

In First Frost, the story of the Waverly brood continues. Claire has transformed her catering business into a candy business, but she is not completely happy. Meanwhile, Sydney struggles with her daughter Bay's interest in a forbidden friendship and her own inability to have another child. The best thing about a Sarah Addison Allen book is that all of these problems are resolved and it ends with hope. I recommend it as a bedtime or beach read.

A Place at the Table by Susan Rebecca White

Fiction - 3.5 stars

I will admit, at first I was a little worried about this book, as it is one of Oprah's book club picks (not a huge fan of Oprah). However, once I got into it, I really enjoyed the story. This is the story of three  outcasts whose paths meet at Café Andres. 

Bobby Banks is a young gay man who grew up in Decatur, Georgia. While struggling with his parents' rejection, the AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York City, and utter heartbreak, he is enlisted by the aging café's owner to revive the place with his new interpretation of southern cooking.  

Alice Stone, the former chef at Café Andres, is famous, but has a mysterious past. During her tenure, she wrote a groundbreaking cookbook celebrating her poor Southern heritage, and it causes problems for a few closest to her. 

Dealing with the breakup of her marriage, Connecticut resident Amelia Brighton seeks comfort from her aunt, an editor living in New York City.  During her time of healing, a family secret is discovered in Alice’s cookbook, and the three lives are affected as they come to grips with the past together. 

Because the story is broken into three parts without explanation of the character changes, the book is challenging to follow at times. However, once the story finally comes together, it is touching. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister

Fiction - 3.5 stars

In this sequel to The School of Essential Ingredients, Bauermeister continues to tells the stories of characters first brought together in Lillian’s cooking classes, adding a few new stories to the mix. Al, the restaurant’s accountant, is stuck in an unhappy marriage with Louise, his wife of 29 years. Chloe, Lillian's young sous-chef who is terrified of love and connection; Isabelle, an elderly woman struggling with giving up pieces of her life due to the onset of Alzheimer’s; and Finnegan, the tall dishwasher whose depth surprises even himself. Tom, the widower who begins a relationship with Lillian, is tested when he discovers that their future is bound together. I enjoy Bauermeister's writing style, and while she does not dwell with any character for very long, the reader gets enough of each person's story to get a glimpse into their struggles. Another quick read, The Lost Art of Mixing is as enjoyable as its predecessor.

Movie review - Chef

Movie - 5 stars

I know this is a book blog, but every once in a while I have to comment on other media that moves me. In Chef, Jon Favreau writes, directs, produces and leads an all-star cast in a truly entertaining comedy about passions and relationships. Chef Carl Casper (Favreau) has one too many bad reviews from a harsh food critic (Oliver Platt) and decides to resign his position as head chef of a restaurant due to creative differences with the restaurant's owner (Dustin Hoffman). Carl heads to Miami with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara) and son, and decides to strike a deal with his ex's ex-husband (Robert Downey, Jr.) to purchase a food truck. Reuniting with a former member of his kitchen staff (John Leguizamo), Carl finds his passion again for the kitchen, forms previously unrealized bonds with his son, and embarks on new adventures with old adversaries.

Chef showcases three things I am most passionate about - 1. Strong family bonds and caring people. 2. Incredibly attractive culinary creations. 3. Awesome soundtrack. It also showcases the phenomenal talent of Jon Favreau, one of my favorites who is also known for Four Christmases, the Ironman series, Swingers and Friends. The relationships he's developed in his previous works are all highlighted here as some of the Hollywood elite captured some of the smaller roles in this (Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Hoffman, etc.).  I loved this movie!!!

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

Fiction - 4 stars

Do you ever read a book and think, "Wow, that was just a really good story"? That is exactly what I thought when I finished this last night. When I saw that the movie was coming out, I knew I had to read it first, and I'm so glad I did. Morais includes such vivid charaterization and vivid scenes of food preparation, I know the movie will be beautiful. Loosely based on his relationship with Ismail Merchant (the late producer behind Merchant Ivory films), Morais writes a beautiful story of an Indian boy, Hassan, whose family moves from India after the death of his mother. After a short stint in London, they move to Lumiere, a small village in the French Alps. There, Hassan learns the art of French cooking, and gathers relationships that carry him through his adulthood and his ultimate achievement, 3 Michelin stars. It's just a really good story.  Read it, you won't be sorry.
Bonus for me, it includes a few Indian recipes from the book and movie. Can't wait to try them out!

The People of the Abyss by Jack London

Non-fiction - 4.5 stars

I did not know what to expect from this book, as London is mostly known for his Yukon-set fiction, but I will have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this piece of mostly non-fiction work. In many ways an essay on the social issues in the turn of the 20th century East End of London, The People of the Abyss is a peek into the lives of millions at that time and outlines the challenges faced by them to eek out a meager living. It also addresses the homeless situation, perpetuated by the laws and the social programs of the time - a problem we face even with today's homeless society. I really enjoyed this peek into history, a glimpse of the true horrid nature of life in places such as the famed Whitechapel. London pulls no punches describing the wretched nature of the impoverished subculture of workers and homeless. I highly recommend it for those interested in British History or for those interested in social history. Filled with monetary breakdowns of income vs. expenses and with the vivid descriptions that are true to London's style, this book is a true piece of history itself.

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

Fiction - 4 stars

In her debut novel, Erica Bauermeister creates a captivating story in which the main character, respected chef and restaurateur Lillian, finds and then tries to instill love and know-how of the sensual and healing aspects of food in others.  Through a season of Monday evening cooking classes in her restaurant, she teaches her students to look inside for inspiration and "feel the food" that they want to make. The novel also highlights the story of each of her students, sometimes painful and sometimes not. Bauermeister's words seduce the senses, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this quick and satifying read. While this would be the perfect book club selection for adults, I think anyone with an interest in cooking or food would love it.

Giada at Home by Giada de Laurentiis

Non-Fiction/Cooking - 5 stars

I love this cookbook!!! Every single recipe I've made from it has been delicious and addictive. Giada plays with different flavors, and always comes up with a delectable Italian-American treat. My favorite? The Pomegranate Mint Sorbet. To die for on a hot summer day. My only complaint is an obsession with flat-leaf parsley. Not my favorite flavor, but I either omit or substitute with cilantro.

Note: Because I am reading the third book in the Game of Thrones series (A Storm of Swords), and it is around 1,047 pages, I will be posting other types of books for a while. Maybe a long while at the rate I'm reading it. :)

The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond

Non-Fiction/Cooking - 5 stars

This book has been a staple in my house in the last year and a half. Simple recipes, awesome photography, and Ree's humor all lend to this being a great book. While definitely not for the most health-conscious among us, the recipes are not nearly as fat-filled and decadent as, say, Paula Deen's. They're just plain good cookin'. The photography is a bonus!

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, by Julie Powell

Fiction - 3.5 stars

Just finished this on my Nook, and I must say there were some hilarious parts. While I am not a huge fan of indiscriminate cursing and political aspersions being thrown around willy nilly, I really enjoyed Julie & Julia. The descriptions of the food, the cooking-related tantrums, and Julie Powell's relationships were enough for me to keep reading. As I finished it last night, I felt inspired. While I am not about to start cooking my way through the recipes in MtAoFC, I am inspired to, at least once a week, pull down one of my many cookbooks and make something new. George might or might not be excited, depending on the amount and color of the vegetables in the dish. We'll see. Anyway, I was blown away by the movie, too. Meryl Streep WAS Julia Child - the voice, the quirky body ticks, the whole package. In all, they are both worth the time I invested.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Fiction - 4 stars - I really enjoyed this book. It's a quick read, and full of emotion. It also revolves around a theme I hold dear - cooking. It has a recipe for each chapter and a few in between. Very imaginative. I can see why the movie was made.