Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy – Book Review

Mar 042011

Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy
Published by Berkeley Prime Crime, an imprint of Penguin

My review of the first book in the series: State of the Onion

After a grueling encounter with an old rival and a dangerous encounter with someone who was not who he seemed, Ollie Paras has finally realized her dream of being Executive Chef of the White House. However, if Ollie thought that things – out of the kitchen at least – would calm down once she was in her new role, she was dead wrong. Just in time for the busy holiday season there are mysterious and deadly occurrences everywhere Ollie turns: from mysterious deaths to fake bombs being planted in the White House. Now Ollie has to worry not only about the menus and staffing for some of her biggest events of the year, but she also has to find time to squeeze in mandatory explosives-recognition classes as well as some highly unofficial sleuthing.

I cannot think of much that is more fun than spending time with Ollie and her kitchen. She is smart and relatively confident and not afraid to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong. Hyzy did a good job beginning to grown Ollie into her new role. She is noticeably more comfortable with it than in State of the Onion, but not so much that it seems unreasonable for her given the amount of time in the new position. My only slight problem was with the resolution of the mystery. It was perhaps a bit more complex than I would have guessed and I thought it was perhaps a little much. Other than that, though, Hail to the Chef was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Recommended

Buy this book from:
Powells | Indiebound |Amazon*

Source: Publisher.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Upcoming: Jodi Picoult Livestreaming – Plus Giveaway

Mar 032011

Jodi Picoult’s 17th novel, Sing You Home, was released earlier this week. The publisher’s description:

Every life has a soundtrack. All you have to do is listen.

Music has set the tone for most of Zoe Baxter’s life. There’s the melody that reminds her of the summer she spent rubbing baby oil on her stomach in pursuit of the perfect tan. A dance beat that makes her think of using a fake ID to slip into a nightclub. A dirge that marked the years she spent trying to get pregnant.

For better or for worse, music is the language of memory. It is also the language of love.

In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people—even those she loves and trusts most—don’t want that to happen.

Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood. It’s about people wanting to do the right thing for the greater good, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams. And it’s about what happens when the outside world brutally calls into question the very thing closest to our hearts: family.

singyouhome picture I will say that I have not always loved Picoult’s work, but she always writes books that can start conversations, and this one sounds quite interesting. Jodi Picoult will be interviewed by reviewer Bethanne Patrick (@thebookmaven) for the Atria Salon Series on Monday, March 7 at 7pm Eastern.

You will be able to watch the interview right here at Devourer of Books. My post will be live here on Monday at 6pm Eastern. If you click the link before 6pm Eastern, you will get a ‘page not found’ message, but feel free to bookmark it for Monday evening. Audience participation is highly encouraged, and Jodi Picoult will be answering select questions from the audience.

Giveaway

I have one copy of Sing You Home to give away to a reader who contributes questions for Jodi before 6pm Eastern Monday, March 7. Questions can be contributed in one of two ways. The first option is to tweet your question with the hashtags #singyouhome AND #dobblog. You must use both hashtags to to be entered. If you do not use Twitter, you may post your question (short! it has to fit in a 140 character tweet) in the comments here and I will tweet it for you, thereby entering you in this giveaway. The giveaway copy was provided by Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, but I am sending it out, so I will ship anywhere in the world. Winners will be notified by email.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain – Book Review

Mar 032011

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House

When Hadley Richardson met Ernest Hemingway, something was very clearly special not only about him, but about them together. Supportive from before his career truly began, Hadley married Ernest in order to follow him to Europe. Europe, particularly Paris, was the place to be for up and coming writers in the 1920s, so it was only natural that the ambitious young Hemingway would want to be there. Things are difficult for the young couple, money is extremely tight, and Ernest’s writing does not always come as quickly or easily as he hopes, but still, with a few introductions they are able to join the ranks of the bright young literati. This is a crowd, however, that Hadley never feels completely comfortable with. She is never more than the artist’s wife, never valued for herself, including – it increasingly seems – by Ernest.

The Paris Wife succeeded in making me want to check out Hemingway’s work, while at the same time cementing my inherent misgivings about him. Ernest was arrogant, stepping on his alleged friends and even using them and their work to advance his own. Hadley, though, was quite engaging. McLain balanced Hadley very well, making her not too modern and not too needy, but still very vulnerable and sympathetic.

A fascinating story with an engaging main character and great pacing, I can high recommend The Paris Wife.

Buy this book from:
Powells | Indiebound | Amazon*

Source: Publisher.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman – Book Review

Mar 022011

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman
Published by Avon A, an imprint of Harper Collins

Tess Monaghan is not one who can tolerate sitting on the sidelines for long. Unfortunately, that is precisely what she has to do, on bed rest during a complicated and unplanned pregnancy. Separated from her normal life of as a PI, Tess has nothing much more to do than sit and look at her window. Every day, at approximately the same time, she sees a woman in a green raincoat walking a dog in a matching raincoat. One day, while Tess is watching, she sees the dog come running out, dragging his leash behind him, with his owner nowhere to be seen. Tess is not one to shy away from a mystery, so the question of what happened to The Girl in the Green Raincoat.

Perhaps my favorite thing about The Girl in the Green Raincoat is that Tess acknowledges the similarities between this story and Rear Window. Lippman’s writing and plotting in this novella are superb. I enjoyed exploring the mysterious disappearance along with Tess. I think that her confinement put her more on par with the reader who in mysteries are at the mercy of the main character, much as Tess is at the mercy of those around her and whatever she can find on the internet.

I enjoyed this first look at Laura Lippman’s work. Recommended

Buy this book from:
Powells| Indiebound | Amazon*

Source: Publisher, via NetGalley.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear – Book Review

Mar 012011

Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
Published by Picador, an imprint of Macmillan
Book 3 in the Maisie Dobbs series.

My reviews of the first two books in the series: Maisie Dobbs, Birds of a Feather

One of the defining characteristics of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs is the setting between World War I and World War II. In the first two books particularly, the Great War and its ramifications are hugely important to the story, crucial to the plot, even. Now, in Pardonable Lies, Maisie is forced to confront her time in France, in the war while trying to find out whether a lost aviator truly died in the war and trying to track down the true fate of the brother of her best friend, Priscilla.

More than ever in the past two books, Maisie is intensely vulnerable in Pardonable Lies. She has to face her demons head on, and has a crisis of confidence in some of the most foundational aspects of her life. At the same time, she is being challenged by Priscilla to become more her own person, defined not entirely by her work.

This is a good continuation to the series. I liked that Winspear changed the scenery by taking Maisie to France, it helped keep the series fresh. After three books, I still recommend the series.

Buy this book from:
Powells | Indiebound | Amazon*

Source: Personal copy.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.