The School of Essential Ingredients

Once a month on Monday night, eight students gather in Lillian's restaurant for a cooking class.  Among them is Claire, a young woman coming to terms with her new identity as a mother; Tom, a lawyer whose life has been overturned by loss; Antonia, an Italian kitchen designer adapting to life in America; and Carl and Helen a long-married couple whose union contains surprises the rest of the class would never suspect.The students have come to learn the art behind Lillian's soulful dishes, but it soon becomes clear that each seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen.  One by one they are transformed by the aromas, flavors, and textures of what they create, including a white-on-white cake that prompts wistful reflections on the sweet fragility of love, and a garlic and red sauce that seems to spark one romance but end another.  Over time, the paths of the students mingle and intertwine, and the essence of Lillian's cooking expands beyond the restaurant and into the secret corners of their lives, with results that are often unexpected, and always delicious.

What a wonderful little gem of a book!  I loved almost everything about the book.  My only complaint was that the it was too short.  At the end of the book, I was upset that there wasn't more.  How dare the author leave me hanging?  All kidding aside, it was one of those books that nurtures your soul. Loved it! Loved it!

I enjoyed the way that each character had their own chapters, which gave their individual story without making it seem overly done. I also enjoyed that each character had their own emotional breakthrough recipe.  And each of those "recipes" made the ending where they're all intertwined more special and believable. Where it also made me want more.  I didn't want those stories to end.  It felt like they were just beginning.

If you haven't read this book yet, what are you waiting for...You won't regret it! 

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (5/5) General Fiction; Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons (2009); New Author; Favorite Read 2012; Library; Books 2012 (51);

The Dark Queen

From Brittany’s misty shores to the decadent splendor of Paris’s royal court, one woman must fulfill her destiny–while facing the treacherous designs of Catherine de Medici, the dark queen. She is Ariane, the Lady of Faire Isle, one of the Cheney sisters, renowned for their mystical skills and for keeping the isle secure and prosperous. But this is a time when women of ability are deemed sorceresses, when Renaissance France is torn by ruthless political intrigues, and all are held in thrall to the sinister ambitions of Queen Catherine de Medici. Then a wounded stranger arrives on Faire Isle, bearing a secret the Dark Queen will do everything in her power to possess. The only person Ariane can turn to is the comte de Renard, a nobleman with fiery determination and a past as mysterious as his own unusual gifts. Riveting, vibrant, and breathtaking, The Dark Queen follows Ariane and Renard as they risk everything to prevent the fulfillment of a dreadful prophecy–even if they must tempt fate and their own passions.

Do you have an author that you've heard amazing things about but never got around to reading him or her? Well, Susan Carroll, is that author.  And what you may ask made me break down and finally read her.  Easy answer, sheer boredom.  Yep, that's right, boredom.  I haven't read a really good historical series in ages, and I'm a sucker for historical series.  I find only one book is too little, I want more...

Anyway, back to the book.  The Dark Queen is the first book of The Dark Queen series.  It's the love story between Ariane and Renard, set during 1572, a very dark time, not only for the so called heretics but also the citizens of France because of Catherine di Medici. Although I realize that the book is a work of fiction, I enjoyed that the author maintained a certain historical significance, but she also took some liberties, and that did not bother me at all.  I was more interested on what was going on with Ariane, Renard and her sisters.

Ariane takes her role as the Lady of Faire Isle seriously, she wants to protect her sisters, her island and her customs.  Renard wants to protect Ariane from the outside world, but she does not want his help, she's strong and independent and does not need help.  And here is where the magic ring comes in.  I really love the way the story revolves around the ring, ok, maybe revolves is too strong of a word, but it has a very strong presence within the story.  I love the mystical aspects of it.  Plus, you add disturbed witch-hunters and the book was in full form.  I absolutely loved this book.

I cannot wait to get the second book of the series, The Courtesan.

The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll (4.5/5) Historical Fiction; Published: Ballantine Books (3/2005); Series: # 1, The Dark Queen; New Author; Library; Books 2012 (44);

Helen of Troy

A lush, seductive novel of the legendary beauty whose face “launched a thousand ships”.
Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity’s bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now Margaret George, the highly acclaimed bestselling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy. 
Margaret George breathes new life into the great Homeric tale by having Helen narrate her own story. Through her eyes and in her voice, we experience the young Helen’s discovery of her divine origin and her terrifying beauty. While hardly more than a girl, Helen married the remote Spartan king Menelaus and bore him a daughter. By the age of twenty, the world’s most beautiful woman was resigned to a passionless marriage—until she encountered the handsome Trojan prince Paris. And once the lovers flee to Troy, war, murder, and tragedy become inevitable. 
In Helen of Troy, Margaret George has captured a timeless legend in a mesmerizing tale of a woman whose life was destined to create strife—and destroy civilizations.

I've been a fan of Margaret George since I read Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles.  I then inhaled The Memoir of Cleopatra and The Autobiography of Henry VIII.  But I haven't kept up with all her books, so when I saw Helen of Troy on the suggestion shelf at the library I knew I had to give the author a try again.

Like many people I knew of the tale and I even read The Iliad by Homer, but I've always been curious about it.  What about Helen?  And in this book gave me a glimpse on what could have happened.  The author made Helen real, at first a child trying to figure out why she was kept secluded and wearing a veil, as a young woman being married off to a suitable warrior and then falling in love for the first time with a younger man, who took her away and finally gave her what she always wanted: freedom.

Like all other of the author's books this one is large in length but it was so well written that I did not notice it.  It flowed beautifully.  I was taken back to a time where everything revolved around the gods and wars.  It was amazing.

If you're curious about the Greek Mythology tale, Helen of Troy, you can find a short version of it at Wikipedia, here.  

Helen of Troy by Margaret George (5/5) Historical Fiction; Greek Mythology; Published: Viking (2006); Favourite Read 2012; Library; Books 2012 (40);

A Trick of the Light

“Hearts are broken,” Lillian Dyson carefully underlined in a book. “Sweet relationships are dead.” But now Lillian herself is dead. Found among the bleeding hearts and lilacs of Clara Morrow's garden in Three Pines, shattering the celebrations of Clara's solo show at the famed Musée in Montreal. Chief Inspector Gamache, the head of homicide at the Sûreté du Québec, is called to the tiny Quebec village and there he finds the art world gathered, and with it a world of shading and nuance, a world of shadow and light. Where nothing is as it seems. Behind every smile there lurks a sneer. Inside every sweet relationship there hides a broken heart. And even when facts are slowly exposed, it is no longer clear to Gamache and his team if what they've found is the truth, or simply a trick of the light. 

I'm a huge fan of Louise Penny's Armand Gamache series, I love the way she writes, her characters are amazing, and the stories are always full of little twists and turns.  And A Trick of the Light was exactly what I was expecting.

Clara Morrow is finally living her dream, her first solo show at the Musee d'Art in Montreal. With all the excitement Clara cannot truly enjoy her night, her nerves are wrecking havoc.  The next morning a body of a woman is found in Clara's garden.  She's surprised to discover it's Lillian Dyson, her childhood friend.   Here enters Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team, to investigate the murder.

I found this book more than just about finding the killer, it was also about forgiving and letting of harsh feelings that may end up corrupting yourself. And those little twists and turns were there along the way.  It was a definite page turner and one of those books that I couldn't put down.

Loved it!

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (5/5) Mystery; Published: Minotaur Books (8/2011); Series: #7, Armand Gamache; Canadian Author; Favourite Reads 2012; Library; Books 2012 (39);

Dancing on Broken Glass

Lucy Houston and Mickey Chandler probably shouldn’t have fallen in love, let alone gotten married. They’re both plagued with faulty genes—he has bipolar disorder, and she has a ravaging family history of breast cancer. But when their paths cross on the night of Lucy’s twenty-first birthday, sparks fly, and there’s no denying their chemistry. Cautious every step of the way, they are determined to make their relationship work—and they put it all in writing. Mickey promises to take his medication. Lucy promises not to blame him for what is beyond his control. He promises honesty. She promises patience. Like any marriage, they have good days and bad days—and some very bad days. In dealing with their unique challenges, they make the heartbreaking decision not to have children. But when Lucy shows up for a routine physical just shy of their eleventh anniversary, she gets an impossible surprise that changes everything. Everything. Suddenly, all their rules are thrown out the window, and the two of them must redefine what love really is.

Every now and then I come upon a book that really hits home.  This book did it for me, I come from a family that has lost many our female relatives to breast cancer, aunts, cousins, my mother had a run in with it a few years ago and it now is cancer free. I'm one of those people that have to have a mammogram every two years, not only for my piece of mind but also my family's. The fear is always in the back of my mind, I have two children and I plan to be around for a very long time, but the fear is there.


Lucy is no stranger to death, not only has she faced it with her bout of cancer, but she also lost her mother to cancer when she was 17 and her father when she was only 5 years old. Mickey suffers from bipolar disorder, he controls his meds but he has his good and bad days.  Before Lucy and Mickey get married they decide that they don't want to pass their ailments to their children so they decide not to have them.  They are definitely surprised when Lucy discovers that she's pregnant.


I was an emotional mess reading this book.  The book made me smile, laugh, and it made me cry.  I'm not talking about the occasional tear running down my face. Nope. It was the down right  ugly gut wrenching crying.  I felt it, I felt the happiness, the love, the confusion, the anger, the disappointment and the loss so vividly. 


I absolutely loved this book.  I read the book through the library, but I will definitely be buying my own copy.  


I highly recommend this book!


Dancing on Broken Glass by Ka Hancock (5/5) General Fiction; Published: Gallery Books (3/2012); New Author; New Release; Favorite Read 2012; Library; Books 2012 (28);  

The Masque of the Black Tulip

Finding True Love Was Never So Dangerous.

Two hundred years ago, secret documents so sensitive they could alter the course of history were stolen from a courier with the London War Office.  At the scene of the crime, the victim was left a curious note containing only a small black symbol pinned to his chest.  Authorities were baffled.  It took two centuries for a young American history student, Eloise Kelly, to uncover the missing pieces to the puzzle.

As Eloise reads from old an old codebook, she discovers that the Black Tulip, the deadliest spy in Napolean's arsenal, has returned to England with a terrifying mission.  Only a pair of star-crossed lovers stand in the way of the Black Tulip.  But will stopping the Black Tulip's secret mission cost them their lives, or even worse, their love?

Have you ever read a book that you just couldn't put down? Well, this is the second book in a little over a week that I've read in one sitting.  I'm losing sleep but I'm not complaining, I'm not allowed to according to the husband.


In this book we  find Eloise and Selwick in the ancestral home so she can do research on the Pink Carnation, there she finds some correspondence that mentions the Black Tulip, an infamous spy for Napolean.  At this point of the story Miles and Henrietta enter, and I was hooked... Miles and Hen are Richard's best friend and younger sister, they have deep feeling for each other but they just do not know how deep those feelings are until they are both in jeopardy.


This book had a little bit of everything, historical fiction, romance, and spy intrigue (not as much as the first book).  As much as I enjoyed the first book, I like this one more.  I found Miles and Hen more compatible than the previous couple, they had a sweetness that was endearing or it could have been just them being such great friends.


On the identity of the Black Tulip, I had a few guesses along the way, but in the I was completely
I was wrong.  Ah well...


The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig (5/5) Historical Fiction; Dutton Adult (12/2005); Series: # 2, The Pink Carnation; Favourite Reads; Library; Books 2012 (12);

It Takes a Witch

Darcy Merriweather and her sister, Harper, hail from a long line of witches who have the power to grant wishes using spells.  They've come to Enchanted Village in Salem, Massachusetts, to join the family business, but they soon find themselves knee-deep in murder....

Until three weeks ago, Darcy and Harper were working dead-end jobs and trying to put their troubles behind them.  Then their aunt Velma delivered a bombshell: They're actually Wishcrafters - witches with the power to grant wishes with a mere spell.  Wanting a fresh start, they head to their aunt's magic-themed tourist town to master their new found skills.

But their magic fails them when a wannabe witch turns up dead - strangled with Aunt Ve's scarf - and Ve's sweetheart, Sylar, is found looming over the dead body.  Ve is standing by her man, but Darcy overheard Sylar wish that the victim would disappear - forever.  With Harper distracted by her handsome new crush, Darcy is determined to to sleuth her way to the truth.  But it'll take more than a wish to unravel this mystery....

This book should have had a disclaimer on the cover: Do not start reading before bed. It may keep you up all night.  And it did, too.  Once I began the book I couldn't put it down and yes I was up until 3ish this morning.  I cannot complain.  The book is very good.  Me, on the other hand, not so much.  I've been dragging my feet all day long.  Yes, I'm tired but I got to read a really book.


Darcy and Harper are new to Enchanted Village and to the Craft.  They go about their daily life slowly adjusting to a new place and their gift, they're learning the rules and secrecy of having this gift.  Along the way they meet interesting people and I got a feeling that this series entourage with be awesome.  The main character, Darcy, is very likable, she's going through an adjustment period her life, she's newly divorced and she's sworn off man.  Until she meets Nick.  He too has some issues, he's a single dad raising a daughter.  Oh yeah, they're attracted to each other, and I just know that the author will stretch this romance for a few books. Hehehe.  There are a bunch of other interesting people, Evan and Starla, Aunt Ve, Pepe, Mrs P, and  Arthur.   The mystery itself was a very well written.  I truly could not guess who could have killed Alex.  It seemed like the list a growing constantly.  And I was very surprised on who the murderer was.


I have just one little problem.  I have to wait until August for the next book in the series.


It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake (5/5) Paranormal Mystery; Published: Obsidian Mystery (1/2012); New Author; Favorite Read 2012; Series: # 1, Wishcraft Mystery; Library; Books 2012 (10);

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

"Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matched a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey."

I probably would have never chosen to read this book on my own accord, the topic itself, a child dealing with the grief of losing a parent in a terrible way is terrifying and just tugs on my emotions. But I want to watch the movie, and I always try to read the novel before watching the movie (if there is one). And I'm happy that I did.

Oskar is not your typical/normal nine-year-old, he's wiser, older if you will. He has different interestes, he loves everything French, he's a vegan, he loves to make jewelry, he loves science and he loves to write to letters to scientists in different fields. My nine-year-old loves video games, Lego and graphic novels. So that's quite a contrast.

I fell in love with Oskar, hurt and wanting to really know how his father died. He finds a key and because of the quest games that he used to play with father, he thinks it's one last quest that his father left for him. Along the way he meets different type of people, each of them with their own problems, and he learns important things from these people.

What really made this story wonderful was the way the author included visuals in the book to make a point on how important this quest was for Oskar. The secondary stories were just as important to the book as Oskar's. His grandparents had their own issues to deal and I loved experiencing the way each of them expressed their pain.

I highly recommend this book, just have tissues handy.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer (5/5) Fiction; Published: Houghton Mifflin Company (2005); New Author; Favorite Read 2012; Book to Film; Keeper Shelf; Books 2012 (2);