Blue Plate Special, An Autobiography of My Appetities

“I began with eating and moved on to cooking just as I began with reading and moved on to writing. …Eating a good meal, like reading a satisfying novel, has returned me to myself during times when this disconnect was a profound internal chasm.” Kate Christensen

 

 

Author Kate Christensen’s has published six novels that according to her “…engage in some way with the same themes – struggling, loneliness, floundering, and excess, as well as food, love, art, marriage, and family.”  

 

“All of my novels are about, in one way or another, people whose lives are changing whether they like it or not, people who are faced with some degree of external crisis and have to scramble to deal with it. My protagonists are men and women, young and old, but they all share this. The older I get, the more my own life feels implicated in my own novels, and the clearer it is to me that all my characters’ concerns come directly from my own experiences.” 

Ms. Christensen goes on to explain just how her beginnings began to intrude on her life.  Putting aside the novel she was writing she began exploring her own experiences and memories. At age fifty her writing turned autobiographical. It was time to personally explore the themes that she had so consistently visited in fiction. 

Her earliest memory is a sunny Berkeley morning and a breakfast table littered with soft-boiled eggs and buttered toast. Seated at the weekday table with her mother and younger sister there seems to be no warning that life can turn ugly in the seconds it takes to make a request. Her two year old mind is unable to process the abuse or the suddenness of the attack. It will take 40+ years of living, searching, writing, and reflection before she truly understands who she is. 

Ms. Christensen is a hardworking writer (her goal is 1,000 words a day), who shares her life and her recipes in a way is inspiring and thoughtful and honest. If you’re curious about your own relationships, successes and failures and what to do with them perhaps you will find yourself and your story among these pages.

Gillian Flynn, the author of Gone Girl, Dark Places and Sharp Objects calls Kate Christensen a great American writer and has this to say about Blue Plate Special: “It’s an expert guide on inspiration, ingenuity, heartbreak, buoyancy, home, love, family, screwing up, bouncing back, and perfecting the bacon-cheddar biscuit.”

(Doubleday Books © July 2013)  A heartfelt thank you to Doubleday Books for the Bound Galley sent my way for review purposes. I had not read Kate Christensen before; she is however, now on my radar. I’m looking forward to reading her novels. Her blog is here: http://katechristensen.wordpress.com.

Fresh Recipes and Fresh Air! Greetings, from Pinecraft, Florida

Simply Delicious Amish Cooking

Recipes and Stories from the Amish of Sarasota, Florida
By Sherry Gore

             Need a recipe for Amish Baked Hamburgers? Aunt Mary’s Corn Bread?  Or how about tips for caring for your rolling pin?  Check out this delightful new cookbook from Zondervan Publishing.  Author Sherry Gore is editor-in-chief of Cooking  & Such magazine and columnist for the national edition of the 120 year-old Amish newspaper, The Budget where she writes about food for the Plain People.   

            There are great, glossy pictures (readers are warned ... a glance at the Chocolate Whoopie Pie is engineered to make you swoon) and interesting stories and memorable quotes contained within these pages. If you’re curious about the food and social life of the Plain People or searching for true comfort food look no further. There’s even a recipe for Shoofly Pie.

            And if you’re ever in the neighborhood stop by Yoder’s Restaurant (opened 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday) for a true sample of the local cuisine … where, if you’re lucky, you just might run into the Ms. Gore.

A copy of Simply Delicious was provided by Thomas Nelson for review purposes. My words are my own.

Living With Autism

Random House
New York, New York

 

"From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to approach autism differently."     ~~Kristine Barnett

If you believe, as I do that the Universe will present the right book at just the right moment you will understand my appreciation for Kristine Barnett's The Spark.  Although my own family has been affected by an autism diagnoses (nearly six years ago) I continued to struggle with what the future holds and to understand the actions of those confronted with the daily task of meeting his needs. I had many questions, and few answers.

Dr. Thomas R. Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health* offered the following: "People with autism are likely to be viewed differently by pediatricians, child neurologists, child psychiatrists, developmental psychologists, behavior therapists, special education experts, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and any of the other range of providers. Like the blind men and the elephant, different providers can offer completely different perspectives on the problem and the treatment. ..."

No wonder I was confused. Even the experts don't agree. The scarce information I received was coming second, even third hand. The Spark provided many answers and ultimately a great deal of hope. Kristine Barnett easily won my admiration.

This is an inspiring and intimate memoir of a mother determined to save her child. She made the life-changing decision to trust herself and her son and follow her true heart.  Against the advice of her husband and the developmental professionals treating their son Ms Barnett chose to follow her own intuition. Believing that all children will outperform our expectations if we can find a way to feed his or her passion she got to work. Using what she calls her "mother gut" she helped Jacob find his real, authentic self... his spark.  It is a story of what to do when typical therapy isn't working.

Despite her own challenges, and there were many, Ms. Barnett saw only possibilities. This is the story of a mother's unselfish love for her son and so much more.

Kristine Barnett lives in Indiana with her husband, Michael, and their children. In 1996 she founded Acorn Hill Academy, a daycare serving local families. She and Michael currently run a charitable community center for autistic and special-needs children and their families called Jacob's Place. Find out more here:
Jacobbarnett.org/Kristine-Barnett

*Thomas R. Insel, M.D., is Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the component of the National Institutes of Health charged with generating the knowledge needed to understand, treat, and prevent mental disorders. His tenure at NIMH has been distinguished by groundbreaking findings in the areas of practical clinical trials, autism research, and the role of genetics in mental illnesses. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2013/the-four-kingdoms-of-autism.shtml

Note: This book was provided by the publisher, Random House, for review and for that I am grateful. This is a well-written book that will be well-received. The Spark will be available April 2013. 

Note: This review has been posted on GoodReads.com

Lisa Samson's Newest Novel

The Sky Beneath My Feet tells the curious story of stuck in the 80s Beth, former Quaker, current self-absorbed mother to two teenage sons, married to St. Rick who has retreated to the couple's backyard hideaway. Written in first-person, the reader is treated to Beth's misguided view of the world and those closest to her. (Surely I am not the only reader who wonders why Beth doesn't march across the yard and demand answers.) Like a lot of women  (and men) she is oblivious, projecting, and quick to blame others for her unhappiness (a recognizable passive/aggressive personality type). But she also comes across as sad, conflicted, familiar. Who is to blame for her reality? Her actions (and non-actions) will launch many a book club discussion.

I've long been a fan of Ms Samson's writing. She draws her characters with grace and determination. Her stories open thoughtfully and move swiftly. Not afraid to tackle life's uncomfortable themes I consider her a "writers writer" and occasionally used her novels in the classroom. Aspiring novelists pay attention, Ms Samson is a gifted storyteller.

Tea and Empathy: Lisa Samson. Publisher Weekly Update http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/55878-religion-update-february-2013-tea-and-empathy-lisa-samson.html

The Sky Beneath My Feet was provided by the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for review. The words are my own.

Note: This review has been posted on GoodReads.com

Calling All Cooks - America I AM Comfort

"The smell in the kitchen, the unforgettable flavors - these powerful memories of food, family, and tradition are intertwined and have traveled down from generations past to help make us the people we are today." Tavis Smiley

Recipes include Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Seafood Gumbo and Peach Cobbler. Chapters are divided into baked goods, desserts, poultry and meats, vegetables, grains and beans, etc.

 Donna Daniel's story about the day her older sister announced she wanted to make lasagna and the subsequent trip to the Italian market in Philadelpia is a must read.  This special keepsake preserves African Americans' collective food history through touching essays, celebratory menus, many wonderful photographs and over 130 soul-filled and soul-inspired recipes that includes the name of   the donor.  A perfect blend of food, history, family stories.

There is something for everyone in this collection. This book has a tie-in with the Tavis Smiley touring museum exhibition on all things African American.

Note: This review is also posted on GoodReads.com

Found Objects

"My ninth-grade English teacher once assigned the class an essay on The Ideal Family. What the teacher expected, and what the other kids delivered, was Dad goes to work in a suit and tie ... Mom works part-time ...Timmy and Tammy help with recycling and do their homework .... My family life was nothing like that." Aldo Zoria, remembering.

The family lives comfortably in rural Vermont, the adults share household and parenting duties and a carefully created life. Dinners are eaten on the screened porch behind the house, conversations include the coming school year and what it means when things happen beyond our control. Their world is filled with misty evening fields, golden green hills in the distance, barn swallows and cats hoping for a handout. There are five of them, three adults and the two young children; a boy named Dom and his sister Jasmine. Marie is their mother.

Aldo Zoria, a successful edgy photographer is the careful narrator. He and Erica are married, have been married for a number of years. The adults, Marie and Aldo and Erica are portrayed as caring, respectful and intelligent. They are also lovers, a threesome, have been for a year. But change is headed their way. It arrives, as it often does, quietly and unannounced. Their peaceful existence will be forever interrupted by an unexpected guest who turns their world upside down. There will be no going back.

The author Peter Gelfan has chosen an unconventional story, he tells it well and tastefully. The writing flows swiftly, yet is economical and rather captivating. I predict readers will enjoy this up close view of a family forced to deal with their emotions and the inevitable fallout from their domestic decisions. 

 An advanced uncorrected reader's proof of this novel was provided by the publisher, Nortia Press, for review purposes. The words contained here are my own.

Note: A copy of this review appears on GoodReads.com

Mystery Monday - Dying Echo

Dying Echo
  by Judy Clemens

  Poisoned Pen Press
  August 2012

"Who were the three people she spoke of when Death carried her away?"

It was quiet that fall evening when Alicia McManus left her waitressing job at The Slope and walked home. She was tired and thoughtful and lonely. She was also nervous.

In the distance she could see the Colorado mountains and the ski lifts at the brightly lit resorts and the real restaurants. But in her mind she was thinking it was time to leave town ... after all, she had stayed in this town longer than she had been anywhere else in the past twenty years. She had messed up and now she wasn't safe. And neither were those around her.

Like her boss and her landlord, and Ricky. Especially Ricky. 

By the end of the first chapter we know that Alicia isn't her real name, she had made seventeen dollar and thirty-three cents in tips, it was a Thursday and a good night for company. But in the end she couldn't outrun her tragic past.

When Ricky is arrested his sister Casey Maldonado and her ever present companion Death show up to prove his innocence ... no small feat given her past and her own open murder warrant to worry about. Casey must sort the truth from the elaborate fiction of Alicia's life in order to clear Ricky's name, but as Casey investigates the woman's secrets it becomes clear just how alike their lives appear.  Can Casey save her brother and herself?

The author has chosen a unique idea for the series (This is #4 in the Grim Reaper - paranormal - Series) and it is apparent that she is an experienced storyteller. I suspect fans of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire Series) will enjoy this one.




A note from Annette Rogers* -

Dear Reader,
  What I like most about Casey Maldonado in Judy Clemens' Dying Echo is that she's unsparing and tough. Casey's often compared to Lee child's Jack Reacher because they both walk the earth fixing problems, solving crimes, and physically fighting to get their point across. They're our solitary knights, traveling the mean streets of mystery.
  Reacher has the edge of military experience, confidence, training, and intimidating physique. Casey's edge is less obvious. She's spent years on the run, trying to escape grief and loss from a deadly accident, tempering her body and mind by isolating herself socially....

* Annette Rogers is the Acquisitions Editor at Poisoned Pen Press.

Note: A copy of this review is posted on GoodReads.com