Book Reviews | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

COLD-HEARTED RAKE by Lisa Kleypas

January 24, 2016

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Lisa Kleypas writes romance, both contemporary and historical. This one is historical, and terrific!

Devon Ravenel has inherited an earldom from his cousin, which he is none too happy about. The earldom includes a large estate that has fallen into serious disrepair after years of neglect, along with substantial debt. The former Earl’s wife and sisters are living in the manse and Devon decides to visit, kick them all out and sell off all the property. But when he gets there, he finds it’s not as easy as he thought it would be.

For one thing, his cousin’s widow Kathleen is stunning, and gets under his skin immediately. They butt heads constantly, but eventually Devon decides to keep the property. He send his drunken brother out to find out exactly what needs to be done, and with Kathleen’s sharp tongue keeping him in check, and sober, the work begins.

Eventually the romance heats up, but Devon has a love ’em and leave ’em reputation, and Kathleen isn’t interested – or so she thinks. This is a fast paced romance filled with snarky humor, my favorite kind. I can’t wait for the next book in this series – Marrying Winterborne (May 2016.)

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

COLD-HEARTED RAKE by Lisa Kleypas. Avon (October 27, 2015). ISBN 978-0062371812. 416p.

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2 Comments | Book Reviews, Fiction, Romance | Tagged: Historical | Permalink
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THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND by Katarina Bivald

January 23, 2016

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This is the first book of the year that is sure to make my best books of 2016 list! Loved, loved, loved. Seriously.

Sara works in a bookshop in Sweden. She has been pen pals – letters written on actual paper – with Amy, an older woman in Broken Wheel, Iowa, a tiny, depressed town. They met online and started swapping books and a friendship was formed.

Sadly, the bookshop closes, and Amy invites Sara to come for a nice, long visit, and she does. But when she arrives in Broken Wheel, she is just in time to attend Amy’s funeral. The small town begs her to stay, and makes her feel welcome.

Eventually Amy falls in love with the town, and with Tom, Amy’s nephew. But theirs is a relationship fraught with doubts, misunderstandings and a sort of apathetic malaise. The town is full of interesting characters which truly bring this novel to life; George, a recovering alcoholic whose wife and daughter have left him; Grace, who runs the town’s only diner; Andy, who owns the town’s bar; John, the grocer and only black man in town and several others.

Everyone is so kind to Sara that she wants to do something nice for the town, so in one of the boarded up old stores, she opens a bookstore, stocking it with all of Amy’s books. This is not a town of readers, but Sara is convinced that there is a book for every person and she sets out to prove it.

Filled with tiny excerpts of classics and contemporary books, and many literary references, this book will appeal to anyone who loves books. It is a charming read, reminiscent of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin and I loved it. Don’t miss it!

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND by Katarina Bivald. Sourcebooks Landmark (January 19, 2016). ISBN 978-1492623441. 400p.

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4 Comments | Book Reviews, Fiction, Women's Fiction | Permalink
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SUMMER ON BLOSSOM STREET by Debbie Macomber

January 22, 2016

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Blossom Street #6

This is the 6th entry into this very gentle series, which of course I started with book 10. When I need something I know will be light, sweet and ultimately satisfying, I turn to Debbie Macomber. It encompasses everything Macomber readers expect; women’s friendship, sweet romance and knitting. The series is set in Seattle and centers around A Good Yarn, a knitting shop. I don’t knit but I envy those who do.

Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn, decides to offer an evening knitting class called “Knit to Quit.” She gets an interesting mix of people. Phoebe Rylander signs up in hopes of getting over her broken engagement. Her fiance was arrested for soliciting a hooker – for the second time. She took him back once before and despite her mother’s pushing, not to mention his need to always be in control and working hard to get her back, she won’t budge. She hopes the knitting will take her mind off of things.

Hutch took over his family’s chocolate business after his father died very suddenly, and very young, from a heart attack. His doctor warns him that he is heading down the same path and recommends he takes up knitting as a stress reducer, so Hutch joins the class. And Alix Turner joins to try and help her kick the smoking habit since she wants to have a baby.

The young widow, Anne Marie Roche, is finally happy to be settled with her adopted daughter Ellen. They are a small family, and when Tim comes by the bookshop asking about Ellen, Anne Marie gets her guard up. Lydia and Brad decide they want to try and adopt a baby. Anne Marie loves being stepmother to Brad’s young son Cody, but two rounds of brain cancer left her unable to have her own so they hook up with a social worker to try and adopt. While they are waiting, a 12 year old girl needs immediate placement in a foster home so they take her in, which causes a bit of strain on the family.

All these women are friends, and their relationships and the budding romance between Phoebe and Hutch make for an interesting and enjoyable read.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and it was completely captivating and entertaining, despite the reader. Narrated by the single-named Delilah, who I did not love, to say the least. Delilah is quite the actress, or at least thinks she is, but was completely over the top here. Not to mention reading the same line twice on more than one occasion, and even worse, mispronunciations – I was especially annoyed when a thriller reader in the story was reading Brad “Metzler” books, who I happen to know as Brad MELTZER! Twice she called him Metzler. Arggh! I am very glad a different narrator does some of the later books, I won’t be listening to any more Delilah if I can help it.

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BLOSSOM STREET BRIDES by Debbie Macomber. Ballantine Books (March 31, 2015). ISBN 978-0345528865. 432p.

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LEVIATHAN WAKES by James S. A. Corey

January 21, 2016

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The invention of the Epstein Drive made it possible for humanity to spread beyond Earth. Now there are stations and colonies stretching from our planet to Mars. Joe Miller is a cop on Ceres, one of the stations that houses the Belters, workers born off world and recognized by their lanky forms and unique dialects. Miller has been hired to find a girl whose last known address was Ceres itself until she seemingly vanished, ignoring all attempts at contact from her lunar-based parents. The job is an easy one, an off-books one too. But when the investigation changes from a simple wayward young adult to one Miller suspects has deeper ramifications, he’s told to back off.

At the same time, an ice hauler about to return from its latest job answers a distress beacon that turns out to be something much more menacing. Jim Holden, XO of the Canterbury, leads the rescue attempt and barely manages to escape with his ship and team intact when the Cant is destroyed. Holden and his team’s discovery on the abandoned Scopuli and witness to the Canterbury’s destruction make them prime targets for those responsible but revealing what they know could lead to all out war between Earth and Mars.

This first in The Expanse series is a whopper of a read, one that crosses genre borders and boundaries with ease. A science fiction epic and first in what George R. R. Martin calls a “…kickass space opera…” Leviathan Wakes is also part noir mystery and part horror.

Miller, a cop with a definite chip on his shoulder, bucks authority and bends the rules at will. He becomes obsessed with finding this girl, imagining that through his investigation he’s gotten to know her and has built a connection with her that’s more intimate than any he shares with his colleagues or acquaintances. Of course when told to back off he’s going to ignore it, he’s stubborn and bullheaded just like all of his noir detective predecessors.

In Holden, the authors have built a character who is in many ways the polar opposite of Miller. The rules are there for a reason, justice and right will prevail, and Holden will do anything he can to ensure this remains the case. As narrators go, they provide the reader with two very different views of the world of The Expanse. Miller is a Belter through and through. Holden is military and was born on Earth. The only piece missing so far is Mars.

I have to say, I am absolutely loving the series and the current Syfy TV adaptation as well.

1/16 Becky LeJeune

LEVIATHAN WAKES by James S. A. Corey. Orbit; First Edition edition (June 15, 2011). ISBN 978-0316129084 592p.

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THE WINTER GIRL by Matt Marinovich

January 19, 2016

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Scott and Elise have left their apartment in New York to stay at Elise’s childhood home for her father’s final days. The old man’s been sick for some time and Elise’s relationship with him isn’t great but he’s not expected to last long in hospice and so she spends her days there with him seeing to his needs. Meanwhile, Scott isn’t working and spends his own time watching the house next door. It’s empty, abandoned for the season, but the lights go on nonetheless. Every night at the same time on the dot. Boredom and obsession take over and Scott eventually breaks into the house, making a discovery that sets the couple on a crash course of bad mistakes and worse decisions.

The Winter Girl is truly twisted psychological suspense sure to please fans of the darkest of dark thrillers.

Scott and Elise have only been married for a few years but already the shine has worn off of the relationship. There’s a sense of unease between the two of them, sitting just beneath the surface. Part of it is the fact that Scott isn’t working. Part of it is the obvious resentment between Scott and Elise’s father. It takes some time for Marinovich to reveal exactly what’s gone on in the couple’s past. They’re otherwise a very normal couple.

When Scott opens up to Elise about what he’s been doing, at first she’s reproachful about his actions. But then she joins in. And then her father comes home.

The book is full of “and then” moments, each of which leads to more revelations about Scott and Elise and the house next door. There was a point when I honestly wondered if it was all some fever dream born out of Scott’s time alone. A tale he’d woven to keep himself amused as time passes by while they wait for Elise’s dad to pass. That’s definitely not the case, though.

This is a book that will draw some very obvious and appropriate comparisons. I’m hesitant to mention them, however, because I think they border on spoilery. It is a very twisted story, one that begins almost innocently and spirals into very dark territory. Readers who would normally shy away from that type of read should probably go into this one prepared. It went places even I didn’t expect.

1/16 Becky LeJeune

THE WINTER GIRL by Matt Marinovich. Doubleday (January 19, 2016). ISBN 978-0385539975. 224p.

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THE FOOD LAB by J. Kenji López-Alt

January 18, 2016

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Better Home Cooking Through Science

The trend of food blogs begetting cookbooks is firmly established, and this is one of the better ones. I’m not sure why the blog name, Serious Eats, isn’t more apparent, but nonetheless that is where López-Alt (among others) posts his recipes and revelations, and where this cookbook was born.

There are those who believe cooking is an art, and others, a science. I would think most people think it is both; there is definitely science involved in cooking, but also there is an art to it. This book looks more at the science, and in doing so, creates art.

Every recipe and technique is explained thoroughly, with lots of pictures, thus creating a rather large, heavy book – it clocks in at 960 pages, so you definitely get your money’s worth.

One of the first cookbooks I ever cooked from was my mom’s Good Housekeeping Cookbook, circa 1960-something, and it had all kinds of charts on measurements and conversions. That practice has fallen by the wayside but is revived here, right inside the front cover. There is something to be said for Googling how many tablespoons in 2/3 of a cup, but it is often easier to just look at a book, so this simple thing gets a gold star from me. As does the meat chart, with pictures of different cuts of steaks and all the information you could want about them; where they are cut from, other names for the same steaks, what it tastes like (really!) and of course, the best way to cook it. (My suggestion – go to Bern’s Steak House in Tampa to learn about steaks and what they should taste like.)

The pictures are worthy of special mention, not for the art necessarily, although there are beautiful foodie pics galore. But other pictures, like the eggs boiled at 30-second intervals from 0 to 12 minutes is worth the proverbial thousand words. Pictures showing what happens when you add your onions too soon – burnt onions -are a powerful learning tool. Actual photographs of chicken roughly chopped, finely chopped and pulverized make it easy to see what your results should be – same for the picture of a gelled stock.

The book is divided a bit differently than most cookbooks. The table of contents:

Eggs, Dairy, and the Science of Breakfast
Soups, Stews, and the Science of Stock
Steaks, Chops, Chicken, Fish and the Science of Fast-Cooking Foods
Blanching, Searing, Braising, Glazing, Roasting, and the Science of Vegetables
Balls, Loaves, Links, Burgers, and the Science of Ground Meat
Chickens, Turkeys, Prime Rib, and the Science of Roasts
Tomato Sauce, Macaroni, and the Science of Pasta
Greens, Emulsions, and the Science of Salads
Batter, Breadings, and the Science of Frying

In addition, there explanations of what cooking really is, what kitchen gear you need and what belongs in the basic pantry – all ultimately useful information.

The 20 step-by-step pictures that accompany The World’s Most Awesome Sticky Buns is simply inspiring. The Easy Skillet-Braised Chicken with mushrooms and bacon is a delicious dinner that I don’t mind making after working all day. The Creamy Italian Salad Dressing will have you swearing off bottled dressing forever. The reverse sear method of roasting meat is just genius. But I think my favorite part of this cookbook is Kenji’s voice – he is funny. How can you not love a cookbook that includes, “My wife hates the fact that our apartment always smells like food,” and on cooking fish, “Perfect Fish Tip 7: Just a Kiss on the Backside,” and “I’m a cook by trade but a grinder by nature.”

I love this cookbook.

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE FOOD LAB by J. Kenji López-Alt. W. W. Norton & Company (September 21, 2015). ISBN 978-0393081084. 960p.

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BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates

January 17, 2016

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This book has been one of the most talked about books of 2015, won the National Book Award and tops many of the best books of the year lists. I’ve put off reading it because I knew it was going to upset me, and it did. But it is, in my humble opinion, one of the most important books of my lifetime. That is a big statement – and it’s true. And it seemed an excellent way to start the new year.

The book is a collection of letters that Coates writes to his 15-year-old son about racism in America. I grew up at the tail end of the 1960’s and into the 70’s with forced busing, free love, and what I sincerely hoped was (and marched for) a significant shift away from the conservative, narrow minded views of middle class America to a brighter, more inclusive future. For a while there, it seemed to be going that way but the past few years America has fallen back – or, maybe, as Coates explains it, it never really went away. Coates insists that racism in America is a permanent fixture, and he is not trying to make it go away, but rather teach his son how to live with it.

American history is explored and explained in a way that is truly eye opening. But it is the use of the body, specifically black bodies, that Coates expounds on that is both terrifying and tremulous, and hopefully continues to provoke much needed conversations.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. The language is lyrical and powerful, the subject matter moving and emotional and important, and the themes all encompassing and worthy of deep discussion.

Buy this book.

For further reading, The Atlantic (where Coates is a regular contributor) has an online book discussion that may be perused. It has ended, but the comments are worth reading.

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Spiegel & Grau; 1 edition (July 14, 2015). ISBN 978-0812993547. 176p.

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I AM YOUR JUDGE by Nele Neuhaus

January 16, 2016

A Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein Novel

_{Translated by Steven T. Murray}

This fourth entry in the German police procedurals featuring Detective Pia Kirchhoff and her partner, Oliver von Bodenstein, is a tightly written novel of suspense.

Kirchhoff is recently married and packing for her honeymoon when she gets a call about a murder. Bodenstein can’t get there right away so Kirchhoff fills in. An elderly woman out walking her dog was gunned down in cold blood.

Kirchhoff can’t help but become intrigued when she cannot find any reason for this woman to be killed. The victim is well liked in the community, as is the next victim, another elderly woman who is shot through her kitchen window while cooking with her granddaughter.

The police force is severely shorthanded and it’s easy to see that Kirschhoff married the right man; he completely understands when she cancels their honeymoon to stay and work on the case. A high level profiler is brought in but he rubs everyone the wrong way, offering an occasional break in the tension.

All the characters are well developed and refreshingly imperfect, adding real depth to what could have been just another serial killer story in a lesser writer’s hands. Scandinavian thrillers may be all the rage, but Newhaus is putting Germany on the radar as well.

01/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

I AM YOUR JUDGE by Nele Neuhaus. Minotaur Books (January 12, 2016). ISBN 978-1250071682. 416p.

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AFTER THE CRASH by Michel Bussi

January 15, 2016

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A riveting story moving over two generations with all the twists and turns needed to make it a completely mesmerizing read.

A night flight from Istanbul bound for Paris with 169 passengers aboard crashes in the Swiss Alps. There is only one survivor. Miraculously, a three month old girl is tossed out of the plane, before flames engulf it and is picked up and cared for by the first responders to the crash scene. But wait, there were two little girls on the plane and since the action begins before the science of DNA testing comes into use, there is no certain way that the girl can be identified. The two families whose girls were aboard claim the child. One is very well off and the other poor.

A judge must decide who the child belongs to, and after much deliberation awards the girl to one of the families. The family that is awarded custody also has two other children, a boy and another girl. Both families continue trying to ascertain who the girl belongs to, the wealthier one engages a private detective and places him on a yearly retainer set up to last eighteen years. Over time complications arise when the girl, and her now brother, discover that they are in love. They dream of marriage in the face of the possibility that they are brother and sister, although their feelings are strong, in truth they are not blood relatives.

The detective continues his search for the answer about whose child it really is, and when it comes into practice gets DNA samples in for testing. Twists and turns are replete in the novel including criminal activity including murder. The answer involves a logical situation not telegraphed in the book. It is a great read and a worthy introduction to a major European writer.

1/16 Paul Lane

AFTER THE CRASH by Michel Bussi. Hachette Books; 1 edition (January 5, 2016). ISBN 978-0316309677. 384p.

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THE GOOD GOODBYE by Carla Buckley

January 14, 2016

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Rory and Arden are best friends and almost identical cousins (remember the Patty Duke Show?!) who end up rooming together their freshman year of college. Soon after school starts, there is a fire in their dorm room and the girls end up jumping, both sustaining life threatening injuries and burns.

Arden’s mother Natalie tells her story in alternating chapters with Rory and Arden, so there are three points of view and the truth seems very far away. The families are incredibly close; in fact, Natalie had dated Rory’s father Vinnie before marrying his brother.

Natalie and Vinnie are partners in a restaurant that is having severe financial problems that just intensify when the girls end up in the hospital. Arson is suspected but both girls are unconscious and on life support, so it’s their families that have to deal with the serious repercussions when the cops decide that it may have been Arden who set the fire.

This is a journey through two marriages and a lifelong competitive friendship between the girls, but the mystery of the fire runs through it all. This is for readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult’s family dramas.

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE GOOD GOODBYE by Carla Buckley. Bantam (January 12, 2016). ISBN 978-0553390582. 368p.

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2 Comments | Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Fiction | Tagged: Thriller | Permalink
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