A Simple Favor: Darcey Bell

"A Simple Favor is a feverish and expertly plotted tale of psychological suspense--a twisting free fall filled with betrayals and reversals, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge.  Darcey Bell exposes the dark underbelly of female friendship in this taut, unsettling, and completely absorbing story that holds you in its grip until the final page.


"It starts with a simple favor--an ordinary kindness mothers do for one another.  When glamorous Emily asks Stephanie to pick up her son after school, Stephanie happily says yes.  Emily has a life that would make any woman jealous. She is the perfect mother with a dazzling career working for a famous fashion designer in Manhattan.  Stephanie, a widow with a son in kindergarten, lonely in their Connecticut suburb, turns to her daily blog for connection and validation.  Stephanie imagines Emily to be her new confidante and is shocked when Emily suddenly disappears without a trace, leaving her son and husband with no warning.


"Stephanie knows something is terribly wrong.  Unable to keep away from the grieving family, she soon finds herself entangled with Sean, Emily's handsome, reticent British husband.  But she can't ignore the nagging feeling that he's not being honest with her about Emily's disappearance.  Is Stephanie imagining things?  How well did she really know her 'best' friend?

"Stephanie begins to see that nothing--not friendship, love, or even an ordinary favor--is as simple as it seems."

My friend and I wanted to see the film adaptation of this book when it came out a short while ago, but we never got around do it.  When I finally saw a copy of the original book on the shelf at my local library, I knew it was something I had to check out.  The promos made the book look deliciously twist and suspenseful.  After beginning my journey into this book, I was not disappointed.

We open with Stephanie's blog posts -- a blog she writes to reach out and connect with other moms out in the world, for kinship, validation, and friendship (whether or not she even truly realizes the last).  She and her son, Miles, make their lonely way through life after the death of Stephanie's husband, Davis, and her brother, Chris, in a tragic car accident.  Stephanie, perhaps, doesn't realize how lonely she really is until she finds what she believes to be a true and honest friend in Emily, the mother of her son's favorite playmate in school.  They bond over shared secrets and wine, as well as the challenges of raising sons in their Connecticut suburb after leaving the bustle of New York.  Stephanie is very quickly enamored of Emily and her lifestyle, her seeming perfection and elegance.  Having no one else to turn to, Stephanie quickly turns to her blog when Emily doesn't show to pick up her son from Stephanie's house after school one evening.  At first, Stephanie believes she may have misheard Emily or perhaps Emily's emergency had pulled her away for longer than anticipated.  It's only when Emily's continued unresponsiveness and days pass that Stephanie's concern blossoms into true fear.  She reaches out to Emily's husband, Sean, while he's on a business trip overseas.  At first, Sean's lack of concern and knowledge of Emily's hectic schedule makes Stephanie feel like a worrier.  It isn't until Sean returns to the States and Emily still hasn't returned that the two of them find a shared bond over their fear for Emily's safety.  Where had she gone?  Why had she left?  Was she still alive?  As more and more evidence is uncovered, more questions seem to pop up rather than answers.  What happened to Emily?  These questions seem to be answered...but there were far too many pages left in the book for this to be tied up in a nice, neat little package -- I always find this terrifying; when everything seems to work out, but then there is too much book left for this to actually be the case.  What on earth can the author have in store for me?!  This was absolutely the case with A Simple Favor.

The many twists and turns of this dark and suspenseful story kept me guessing.  I was so sure I knew what was coming right from the very beginning, but I admit that I changed my guess several times over until the truth was finally revealed.  The complex plot and multifaceted characters made for a psychological thriller that was difficult to put down; the tension never really abated.  The first lines of the book ring true throughout:  no one tells the truth and everyone has secrets.  Sometimes even the most innocuous of individuals have the deepest, darkest secrets of all.  Can you ever really, truly know someone?  This book definitely plays off of insecurities about opening up to one another, and the possibilities that people we hold dear are not actually who they seem to be.

At first the narration bounces back and forth between Stephanie's blog and her point of view (which is far more honest and revealing than her public online posts).  This is the first clue that there is a lot more to all of the characters than we see.  Gradually, more is revealed about Stephanie's past and she's not the perfect woman/mother she portrays on her blog -- then again, is anyone really as perfect as the profess to be on social media?  We realize the depth of her relationship with Emily and why Stephanie felt the two of them were so close.  This sets up the tension surrounding Emily's disappearance quite well.

Eventually, we become privy to the points of view of a couple of the other characters.  This adds even more depth and complexity to the plot.  What secrets have these characters kept?  Are they even telling us, the readers, the truth?  What are they choosing to omit and how much will it impact the story?

This is a book that will well and truly keep you on the edge of your seat.  I finished it in the matter of a few days and found it difficult to stop reading.  There are so many violent turns and rapid twists that I couldn't see what was coming at me around the next bend.  This is the mark of a good suspenseful psychological thriller, is it not?  The characters had layer upon layer of personality and secrets.  It was nearly impossible to trust any of them, even when you really wanted to do so.  I was captured right from the start and drawn into this mysterious world of secrets, lies, and questions.

I'm definitely even more interested in seeing the film adaptation of this book.  I wonder how true to its dark nature they will keep.  From what few previews I've seen, I think the casting was done well, given the descriptions in the book.

I recommend this for those of you who like darker psychological thrillers.  Fans of Gone Girl will really enjoy this one as it makes you question reality and the reliability of the very characters themselves.

Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case That Captivated a Nation: Brad Ricca

“IN 1917, ON THE DAY BEFORE VALENTINE’S DAY, EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD RUTH CRUGER DISAPPEARED. WHEN THE POLICE GAVE UP, A MYSTERIOUS WOMAN IN BLACK VOWED TO FIND HER…

“Mrs. Sherlock Holmestells the true story of Grace Humiston, the detective and lawyer who turned her back on New York society life to become one of the nation’s greatest crime fighters during an era when women were rarely involved with investigations.  After agreeing to take the sensational Cruger case, Grace and her partner, the hardboiled detective Julius J. Kron, navigated a dangerous web of secret boyfriends, twofaced cops, underground tunnels, rumors of white slavery, and a mysterious pale man, in a desperate race against time.

“Grace’s motto ‘Justice for those of limited means’ led her to strange cases all over the world. From defending an innocent giant on death row to investigating an island in Arkansas with a terrible secret, from warring halls of Congress to a crumbling medieval tower in Italy, Grace solved crimes in between shopping at Bergdorf Goodman and being marked for death by the sinister Black Hand.  Grace was appointed the first female U.S. district attorney in history and the first female consulting detective to the New York Police Department.  Despite her many successes in social justice, at the height of her powers Grace began to see chilling connections in the cases she solved, leading to a final showdown with her most fearsome adversary of all.

“Mrs. Sherlock Holmesis the first-ever narrative biography of this singular woman the press nicknamed after fiction’s greatest detective.  Her poignant story reveals important clues about the relationship between missing girls, the media, and the real truth of crime stories.  The great mystery of Grace’s life—and the haunting twist ending of the book—is how one woman could become so famous only to disappear from history completely.”

As the year draws to a close I realize there has gradually become a sad gap in my reading materials.  There was a loss in my family that hit very, very close to home and I fear that put a rather large dampener on my desire and will to immerse myself in reading -- no matter how escapist I normally find this activity to be.  It's been a little over three weeks now and I'm just beginning to get back into some of my normal habits (less the interruptions of the holidays) in time to try to finish a few more books before the year ends.  I still want to try to keep my tally up (even if I don't think I'll achieve my goal to complete the 2018 reading challenge I began a little bit late into the year)!

This book was yet another Pinterest find; however, I didn't realize it was nonfiction until I went to go pick it up at my local library and the catalog sent me to the nonfiction section (thank you all those years working as a nonfiction page at my local library for helping make my search through the Dewey Decimal System painless).  I've been on a bit of a "Sherlock Holmes" kick in my reading and television watching, so this book naturally caught my eye as I was scrolling through my feed.  A female Sherlock?  Set in early Twentieth Century New York?  I was intrigued.  When I discovered this was actually a work of nonfiction, I was still interested, if a little bit unsure.  I must admit that my occasional fascination with true crime shows were what made me end up borrowing this book.  The few reviews I did skim indicated that, while this book was a work of nonfiction, it read more like fiction.  This was spot-on.  Ricca's writing is vivid with details and he crafts settings like one would expect from a work of fiction.  This serves to transport the reader rather than talk "at" the reader, which is sometimes the greatest pitfall of nonfiction.  Instead of feeling like I was reading a transcribed lecture, the book was filled with captivating details.

I found the tenacity, ingenuity, and creativity of Mrs. Grace Humiston to be remarkable and truly underscored the assertion that she is America’s female Sherlock Holmes.  I was impressed with the way in which she approached her cases and refused to accept the obvious simply because it was the easiest explanation.

I do have some criticism for this work.  The introduction with the bit about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s visit to America with his wife, while interesting, added little-to-nothing to the actual plot and story (other than to try to create a stronger connection between Grace and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most infamous literary creation).  I expected it to come back into play in some fashion, but it really did not.  The readers were then introduced to the mystery of the missing girl, Ruth Cruger.  Even the title of the book indicates that this is going to be the focus of the book…however, Ruth’s story is quickly shoved into the background in favor of accounts of Grace’s investigations into the white slave trade in America.  While interesting – and while I eventually saw the possible connections to Ruth’s disappearance – I felt like it really took over the book.  This wasn’t what I was expecting.  The sheer amount of research and cases and investigations probably could have amounted to their own separate book.  It felt like there was a long span of time before Ruth’s case came back into play and this slowed down my reading.  I was expecting to read about a fascinating “gone girl” case, but it steered more toward the white slavery angle and then abruptly turned back to Ruth.  I can see why this information was included, but felt it could have been abbreviated for the sake of sticking true to the book’s subtitle.  Honestly, I don’t think I would have minded this as much had the subtitle not led me to believe that we’d be focusing on Ruth’s case.  It was all interesting information and, had I gone into this book believing this was a biography about Mrs. Humiston, then I would have felt differently.

The research that went into this book was superb.  All of the details and cases, the investigations and hearings, the interviews and tactics were recounted spectacularly.  I mentioned earlier that this book reads more like a work of fiction than nonfiction and that is why I feel it was successful.  It could have so easily turned into a flat biography or read like some sort of dry account of a case (or several), but it didn’t.  The anecdotes and dialogue along with the meticulous research brought Mrs. Humiston’s story to life.  I truly believe she’s a hero for all that she did for investigative work and law in early Twentieth Century America, but I’m ashamed that she’s been almost entirely forgotten, relegated to obscure knowledge and history.  She deserves to be known for all that she uncovered and accomplished—as well as for her seemingly limitless bravery and dogged determination to truly do what was right, even at a personal cost.

If you like true crime murder mystery shows (think anything on the Investigation Discovery channel or some “Dateline” specials), then this book is right up your alley.  The writing style makes it a relatively smooth read and the subject matter is captivating.  While I had some critiques for some of the (what I felt to be) excess information, I don’t think it’s necessarily detrimental to the book.  It remains well-written and covers a very interesting topic.

Winter's Tale: Mark Helprin

“Mark Helprin’s masterpiece will transport you to New York of the Belle Epoque, to a city clarified by a siege of unprecedented snows.  One winter night, Peter Lake – master mechanic and second-story man – attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side.  Though he thinks it is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins an affair between a middle-aged Irish burglar and Beverly Penn, a young girl dying of consumption. It is a love so powerful that Peter Lake, a simple and uneducated man, will be driven to stop time and bring back the dead.  His great struggle is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary stories of American literature.”

I wanted to start off with a quote which really stuck out to me – I’ll come back at the end and explain why I feel like this was important:

“ ‘I think it would be vain to imagine that we could be favored without effort.  As I understand it, miracles come to those who risk defeat in seeking them.  They come to those who have exhausted themselves completely in a struggle to accomplish the impossible.

“ ‘I held back when my father died.  He said it was my duty, and that I was right.  His last wish was that I save myself for a battle I would not understand. Do you know what he said?  He said, ‘The greatest fight is when you are fighting in smoke and cannot see with your eyes’ ” (Helprin 615).

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while now and I finally got around to it.  I saw the movie version a few years ago shortly after it came out and I liked it well enough.  I did break my general rule of thumb and watched the film before reading the book; now I remember why I made that rule in the first place.  Books are so much grander and more spectacular than can ever be put into a movie.  (In my opinion, the only thing that comes close is the Harry Potterseries.)  Authors don’t typically write novels with the intention that they be transformed into a movie, and this certainly wasn’t the case with Winter’s Tale.  The person who thought everything would translate or that they could possibly do it justice was sorely mistaken.  That being said, this does not actually mean I loved the book.

I probably started off this book on the wrong foot.  I ended up really ill about a month-and-a-half ago (and this tells you how long it’s taken me to read it) and had picked it up from the library beforehand.  I decided to read it while I was recuperating, but that was a bad idea.  This is not an easy book (and this coming from someone with a Master’s Degree in English – with an emphasis on British Literature).  I’m no pansy and I like a good challenge.  This went well above and beyond my expectations.  It was vaguely deconstructionist and highly modernist in its styling.  I expected a piece of fiction, but what I found was something more abstract and complex than I ever anticipated.  Because of this (and likely because of my poor timing in choosing to try to tackle such a work), it took me a long time to get into it.  Even when I did, it was for relatively brief moments – little islands of clarity in an otherwise tumultuous world.  Since I was expecting a piece that was (mostly) realistic fiction – I knew there would be some magical and ethereal aspects because I’d seen the movie – I was really thrown by just how abstract some of the characters, settings, and situations were.  Some people lived for hundreds of years, characters and animals were capable of things that should not have been possible, and some of the situations were downright unrealistic or way over the top.  I am open to giving leeway for drama, but half the time I couldn’t tell if I was reading something that was actually happening, or a delirious dream or fantasy of one of the many characters.  As such, this piece of literature was very far out of my normal reading habits.  I was about to put it down for good when I decided to bring it to work and try reading it on my lunch breaks (I typically give a book three chapters to grab me and I’d given this one quite a bit longer, but I’d reached a point where I wasn’t really sure what I was even reading anymore).  The owner of the law firm at which I work saw this book on my desk and proceeded to gush about how it was his absolute favorite book.  There was no putting it down now.  I had to power through.  I have to admit that I’m glad I did – if only for the tremendous sense of accomplishment.

I liked Peter Lake quite a bit.  He was so much more complicated than a traditional “thief” archetype.  Beverly was very captivating as well, with her feverish behavior and very unique (short) life.  We’re introduced to a plethora of other characters and points of view as the story moves on.  One of the things I struggled with the most is that I had no freaking clue as to why I was reading about them or what they had to do with the overarching plot. What did I care about the Coherries people or Hardesty?  How did all of the little windows into these people’s lives and experiences impact the story?  I admit that it doesall come together in the end.  It doesn’t seem like it, but I promiseyou that it does.  Helprin has a grand plan (“grand” being an understatement).  The intricacies and invisible threads connecting the different stories on numerous levels were astounding.  Now that I’m out of the maze, I can step back and appreciate it in its entirety, for the complexity of the whole rather than individual parts.  This, I believe, is the beauty of this book; why it’s received so much acclaim.  I cannot fathom the amount of planning and work that went into all of it.  This is also why I think the person (or people) who believed they could well and truly capture of the soul of this book in a film was sorely mistaken.  There was no way on earth that it was going to translate well or do it justice.  I’m sorry, but it was an impossibility.  I’m going to have to go back and watch the movie again since it’s been several years since my one and only experience with it, but I have a feeling I’m going to find it much more lacking than my first go around.  This is a love story, but not in the traditional sense.  There are much higher, much darker powers at work in this story.  The impossible will be accomplished and the incredible will happen.  The story is ambitious and so very, very unique and otherworldly.

This was part of the reason it took me so long to finish; I had to figure out how to attack it from another angle.  I’m not oppose to fantasy, but I don’t believe I have everexperienced anything quite like this combination of fantasy, fiction, and realism (with strong, if well-disguised, religious undertones).  As I mentioned before, I initially began reading this with the anticipation and expectation that I would be reading a work of realistic fiction with fantastical aspects.  When I encountered so much more than I expected, I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. I had to take a step back, breathe, and try something else.  My mind resisted this book; that’s the only way I can describe my personal experience. I had to release all of my preconceived notions and “detach” myself from reality in order to fully comprehend what I was witnessing in my mind’s eye.  (I realize this sounds like a terribly dramatic way for me to describe reading a book, but it’s the truth.  If describing my technique can help just one other reader tackle this oft-intimidating piece of literature, then I will count it well worth it.)  One excellent example of this was the cloud wall. We know this doesn’t exist in reality. What was it?  Was it a metaphor; if so, for what?  Could only some people see it?  Was this reality or fantasy?  I learned to take it for what it was and just think:  Well, this is a relatively realistic New York and there’s a cloud wall that moves on the outskirts like some sort of blob, taking with it whatever it touches.  Okay.  I may not like it, but I can do my best to accept it as fact, like some of the characters.  The oddities in this book just are.  You have to accept them as the characters do or this book is going to fight you every step of the way.

If you’re as determined to read this book as I was, don’t get discouraged by the seemingly-unrelated stories and characters, the complexities and nuances of the plot. Take a deep breath and dive deep, because that’s the only way you’re going to get through this.  I promise it makes more sense in the end and it’ll be worth the work.

This book was a challenge and, I’m not going to lie to you or sugarcoat it, there were times when I struggled.  A lot. I'm not proud of it, nor is it something I’m used to – I’ve easily tackled works that are typically considered daunting by most literary standards.  But I will say that the struggle ended up worthy of the spoils.  The book was powerful; it made me think.  It was complex and intricate.  Helprin is a unique and extremely talented author.

Now, going back to the quote I provided at the very beginning of this review.  These words are spoken by Hardesty in the last few hundred pages of the story.  Without giving too much away, the major conflict is finally coming to a head and most of the characters’ stories have now converged.  I found this poignant because I think, so often, people believe miracles just happen – they’re gifts to those who some higher power believes are worthy.  I believe miracles come to those who have well and truly exhausted all of their own efforts.  They have to really experience the darkness of failure in order to truly appreciate the miracle for what it is.  Even if something seems impossible, to not even attempt to try to accomplish the impossible is to sabotage the miracle.  You may not see who or what you’re fighting, but you must continue to do so.  I found all of this powerful and one of the biggest messages in this book.  There are things in this world that we cannot prevent, things over which we have no control (and, especially in this day and age of technology and instant gratification, this can be disheartening and defeating).  There are things that we cannot fathom within our finite world and time.  All of this is the amalgamation of living.  Live like Beverly, love like Peter Lake, believe like Hardesty, persevere like Virginia, know the importance of knowledge and the power of words like Mrs. Gamely, imagine like Abby and Martin, believe in the power of change like Praeger de Pinto.  All or some of this may feel impossible at times, but do your damndest to accomplish it regardless.  Sometimes it might feel like the entire world is conspiring against you at every turn, but seek out every avenue and possibility in your search to achieve your greatest aims.  Perhaps you’ll even find your own miracle.

As I’ve mentioned, this book was a struggle; in the end, however, I felt it was worth it.  This is by no means a book for a casual reader or someone faint of heart.  This book will take work.  It will confuse you, it will push you, but it’s a powerful story eloquently and elaborately told.  The style and plot can present a number of challenges, but I can say that I appreciate it all the more having seen it all come together.

Yes, Chef: A Memoir: Marcus Samuelsson

"It begins with a simple ritual:  Every Saturday afternoon, a boy who loves to cook walks to his grandmother's house and helps her prepare a roast chicken for dinner.  The grandmother is Swedish, a retired domestic.  The boy is Ethiopian and adopted, and he will grow up to become the world-renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson.  The book is his love letter to food and family in all its manifestations.

"Marcus Samuelsson was only three years old when he, his mother, and his sister--all battling tuberculosis--walked seventy-five miles to a hospital in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Adaba.  Tragically, his mother succumbed to the disease shortly after she arrived, but Marcus and his sister recovered, and one year later they were welcomed into a loving middle-class white family in Goteborg, Sweden.  It was there that Marcus's new grandmother, Helga, sparked in him a lifelong passion for food and cooking with her pan-fried Herring, her freshly baked bread, and her signature roast chicken.  from a very early age, there was little question what Marcus was going to be when he grew up.

"Yes, Chef chronicles Marcus Samuelsson's remarkable journey from Helga's humble kitchen to some of the most demanding and cutthroat restaurants in Switzerland and France, from his grueling stints on cruise ships to his arrival in New York City, where his outsize talent and ambition finally came together at Aquavit, earning him a coveted New York Times three-star rating at the age of twenty-four.  But Samuelsson's career of 'chasing flavors,' as he calls it, had only just begun--in the intervening years, there have been White House state dinners, career crises, reality show triumphs and, most important, the opening of the beloved Red Rooster in Harlem.  At Red Rooster, Samuelsson has fulfilled his dream of creating a truly diverse, multiracial dining room--a place where presidents and prime ministers rub elbows with jazz musicians, aspiring artists, bus drivers, and nurses.  It is a place where an orphan from Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, living in America, can feel at home.

"With disarming honesty and intimacy, Samuelsson also opens up about his failures--the price of ambition, in human terms--and recounts his emotional journey, as a grown man, to meet the father he never knew.  Yes, Chef is a tale of personal discovery, unshakable determination, and the passionate, playful pursuit of flavors--one man's struggle to find a place for himself in the kitchen, and in the world."

Here's another one we read for my "Topics in Literature:  Food" course this past semester; however, this was one that I really enjoyed.  I cannot say enough about how Marcus Samuelsson's love for food absolutely permeated every letter in this book.  His passion was exciting and his story was supremely interesting.  We spent a few weeks discussing this story and I think I touched on some really good points so -- in lieu of a simple review -- I'd like to share some of my comments with you.

It seems like -- even when he did not realize it when he was younger -- food was at the heart of pretty much everything he did.  Even from very early on one of his favorite places to be was in the kitchen with Mormor, his mother's mother.  He demonstrated a drive and passion for it even when he was a boy.  On a fishing trip with his father, Marcus took great pride in being handed the task of preparing the meal:  "'Marcus, if you don't cook, we don't eat,' my father joked.  It was a joke, of course, because my father knew I needed no prompting to cook, which is probably why he let me take over the meal.  This was my first time cooking on my own, as opposed to helping my grandmother or mother.  Just as I had with the boats, I was eager to show I was a big man, that I didn't need anyone's help" (Samuelsson 33).  This was when Marcus was only twelve-years-old; he was already showing the desire to prove himself that would carry him throughout his career.  A few years after this fishing trip, he enrolled in cooking school.  He grew bored with the classes, but, instead of giving up, he found ways to challenge himself.  "To keep myself sharp," writes Samuelsson, "I turned each exercise into a little contest.  Could I fill the pastry shell faster than any of my classmates?  Could I wash and chop that dill faster than the teacher?  Could I finish each squirt of whipped cream with the exact same curl?" (59).  His whole world turned into this sort of competition revolving around food, which, I feel, is the biggest reason that he has had so much success in his career.  He never gave up, never got discourage, approached every task with everything he had, and did not settle for simply being talented -- he strove to be innovative and unique.

I feel like Marcus would not have made it to where he is today without such dedication to the kitchen.  It seems that most of the good things (outside of his family) happen to him in relation to the kitchen or food.  The kitchen is and always has been his realm.  Even when he thought soccer would be his life, he had been there in the kitchen with his grandmother, learning from her and carrying that gift with him always.  The women in his life vary quite a bit in their roles in his life, but each, in her own way, helps support his determination and goals.  His mother never told him he could not do something.  His sisters, Anna and Linda, got him something very special for his seventeenth birthday.  "It was a brand-new cook's knife with an eight-inch-long carbon steel blade.  This was the multipurpose knife every chef needs, with a blade thin enough to chop herbs, but a wide flat surface for crushing or picking up food.  Better still, it was the Rolls-Royce of knives, brand-wise, made by the French company Sabatier" (64).  ***Slight spoiler alert***  Even Brigitta, the woman Marcus sleeps with while on an outting with friends, helps him by telling him she expected nothing even though she was pregnant with his child.  Marcus, under the guidance of his parents, ended up sending money to Brigitta and their child, but she never pressured him into marriage or claiming the child as his own, thus allowing him to pursue his career.  ***End spoiler***

The women in his life played a huge role on his path to becoming a master chef.  They each provided him with unwaivering support in their own ways.  I believe the person who did this the most was his grandmother.  This is clearly evidenced in chapter three, titled "Swedish Fish."  Samuelsson writes, "My love for food did not come from my mother," which begs the question of where, exactly, he got his passion (15).  Shortly after this, Samuelsson describes Saturday dinners at his grandmother's home, and the answer is clear.  "I loved Saturdays as a kid...Saturdays meant the best meal we would have all week because dinner was almost always at my grandparents' house...[Grandmother] would pull out a stool and set me to string rhubarb or shell peas or pluck a chicken.  I'm not sure why mu sisters never joined us in our Saturday cooking sessions; and, at the time, I didn't care.  I was only too happy to have Mormor to myself" (23).  This close bond was what helped spark and nurture the love for food and cooking that brought Marcus his later success.  Who knows how different his career might have been -- where he might have ended up -- if Mormor had not been there to do so.

In addition, how actively Samuelsson sought out inspiration was a pleasant surprise.  He made sure to go ashore every chance he got during his stint on the cruise ship.  He writes, "New flavors were what I was after, and in almost every port of call, I smelled or tasted something I'd never tasted before.  I'd have four hours to go ashore, and I'd go by myself unless Paul or Susan wanted to taf along...Under the protective layer of my skin, I went unnoticed, which allowed me to observe and relish the most beautiful aspect of port culture:  the street food" (158). 

There was a very interesting correlation between the military and a kitchen in my reading of this book and my experiences with "chef shows" that have become so popular, but I was still struck by the hierarchy of the kitchens in which Marcus Samuelsson worked in throughout Yes, Chef.  The strict schedule, precision, and respect for superiors was remarkable.  To me, it was also like life on a ship, with the head chef as the captain and various tiers below him each doing his own assigned task.  The common thread is the enforcement of a strict hierarchy in one way or another.  Another extreme in the kitchen is the passion.  Samuelsson never waivers in his dedication to his cooking.  He is always trying to experiment and better himself through his cooking.  He devotes his life to it.  "I was interested in chasing flavors," writes Samuelsson, "I wanted to shake things up and see what happened.  What if I took this piece of turbot, put Parmesan on top, put it in the salamander to speed-melt the cheese, then finished it with an orange chutney?  I didn't know if mixing French fish, Italian cheese, and Indian Caribbean flavors would be food, but I wanted to try it" (157).  And try he did.  These were the experiments he kept in his journal and helped him to become the chef he did.  It was all about his passion to try new things, and his dedication to the craft.

Hopefully that didn't come off too wordy (or disjointed, since I mashed together several of my responses here).  Overall, the story was wonderful and it really made me appreciate the life of a chef and admire Samuelsson for his own, individual struggles.  His life is certainly unique and interesting!

I knew I'd seen Samuelsson's face somewhere before, but it wasn't until I read the story (and subsequently mentioned his name to my mother) that I realized we'd seen him on Top Chef.  My mother was adamant that Samuelsson was a "know-it-all jerk," but I don't remember having that impression years ago when he'd competed.  I'm kind of glad that I don't have such a vivid memory of his time on the show because I was completely able to enjoy his story without any preconceived notions about who he was as a person.  I will admit that I feel like he gave up some things he should not have for his career, but I am not one to judge--I'm not someone who believes in criticizing when I have no idea what the situation was really like to live through.  A couple of the passages geared toward pretentious, but not to the point where I didn't enjoy the read.  As a huge Gordon Ramsay fan, I had a difficult time stomaching Samuelsson's comments about his fellow chef (though I am not disillusioned enough to think Ramsay is a teddy bear).  Samuelsson tried to claim he wasn't bashing Ramsay, but I felt like it was a weak attempt not to do so (and I say that from the most objective way possible).

Overall, I highly recommend this story for anyone who wants an interesting memoir to read; anyone who loves cooking or wants an insight into life inside a kitchen; or someone who's simply interesting in reading about the background of a celebrity chef.  This book has a bit of something for so many readers out there and I feel like so many people will enjoy it just as I did.

Samuelsson, Marcus. Yes, Chef: A Memoir. New York: Random House, 2012. Print.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians--The Demigod Files (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book Six): Rick Riordan

"YOUNG DEMIGODS, brace yourselves for a peek inside the highly classified Demigod Files! Compiled by Camp Half-Blood's senior scribe, Rick Riordan, these top secret archives include three of Percy Jackson's most perilous adventures, behind-the-scenes interviews with your favorite characters, a map of Camp Half-Blood, and more. Become an authority on Percy's world with this must-have guide to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series."

First of all, this book should be read between book four and the final installment of the Percy Jackson series. Unfortunately, the site I was going off of told me to read this book last. It isn't a really big deal, but it would have added to my appreciation of the last book. In short, read this book before the final one.

Overall, I liked this book. It was short and sweet and it made me remember why I liked the series to begin with. The only problem was that I finished the series a while ago and there were bits and pieces that I had to scour my memory banks to recall. This problem is easily remedied when you read the series like you're supposed to.

The short stories in this book were as much fun as the other books. They were like mini episodes in the life and times of Perseus Jackson. Also, the background information on the characters gave the book it's own appeal.

James and the Giant Peach: Roald Dahl

"A little magic can take you a long way...

"When James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree, strange things start happening. The peach at the very top of the tree starts growing, and growing, and growing...until it's as big as a house! When James crawls inside, he meets a houseful of oversized friends--Grasshopper, Centipede, Earthworm, and more. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the adventure begins!"

This was another film adaptation that I loved when I was growing up. There was just something about the whimsy and wonder that comes with a giant peach and enormous friendly bugs that made for an awesome movie. Around the same time, I read my favorite Dahl book--The BFG (which I fully plan on re-reading now). So, Dahl made a huge impact on the kids in my class because he was so out there and fun. You just weren't considered "well read" in my elementary school until you'd read some of his books.

It took me a while, but I finally got to read this book! It was very good: short but it made an impact. I'm actually reading it with my younger cousin and she adores it. Like I said, there's just something about Dahl that transcends the decades and connects with children of all ages :)

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book One): Rick Riordan

"PERCY JACKSON is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he'd angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

"Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of a betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves."

My aunt was reading this book because her daughter had loved it so much. When she finished it, she gave it to me and told me that I would enjoy it. Well...I did!

When the movie adaptation of this book came out, I was interested, but I never ended up seeing it. Now, however, I'm definitely going to have to try to get my hands on it. (I certainly hope it's at least half as good as the book.) The characters were very well-written, carefully planned, and interesting--though a little young in my opinion to undertake such tasks as they did in the book (I know, I know, they're children of the gods...they have abilities that we don't and are fully capable of such things...but not all of the twelve-year-olds that I've met!) Percy and his friends were mature beyond their years and, though I occasionally stopped and wondered if a twelve-year-old would be capable of doing such a thing or thinking a certain way, this really kept the plot moving. I don't think I could have handled it if it dragged on and on with a whiny, confused twelve-year-old narrator. Instead, Percy kept everything flowing and the way that the story was written definitely maintained a fast pace.

Something else that was note worthy was the way the author incorporated Percy's dyslexia and ADHD into his heritage. This was creative--though a blatant way of getting in touch with all of the kids that have ADHD and dyslexia. It was cute, but personally bothered me a little because how many more kids are going to want to not pay attention and claim they have these because they want to be part god? (Can you tell I think ADHD is over diagnosed? I'm NOT saying that it doesn't exist, just that there are way too many kids that either claim to have it and haven't bothered to be diagnosed, yet use it as a huge excuse (I can name several...) and parents who can't handle their children and look for anything to blame BUT themselves. However, I will get off that controversial topic and back to the review. Sorry!)

The modern descriptions of the gods were really neat. In fact, if you like this style and sort of mythological background (and you're a bit more mature than the regular reading demographic of this book), and you like a bit of romance; you should totally check out Sherrilyn Kenyon's DARK-HUNTER SERIES. It's similar to this and the gods are just as interesting. You can find more information and a reading order if you look up "Sherrilyn Kenyon" or "Dark-Hunter Series" on my blog.

Anyhow, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the series. I'll attach a review of the movie as soon as I see it.

Unleash the Night (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Fifteen): Sherrilyn Kenyon

“It’s a predator-eat-predator world for the Were-Hunters. Danger haunts any given day. There is no one to trust. No one to love. Not if they want to live…

“An orphan with no clan that will claim him, Wren Tigarian grew to adulthood under the close scrutiny and mistrust of those around him. A forbidden blend of two animals—snow leopard and white tiger—Wren has never listened to anyone when there was something he wanted. Now he wants Marguerite.

“Marguerite D’Aubert Goudeau is the daughter of a prominent U.S. senator who hates the socialite life she’d forced to live. Like her mother before her, she has strong Cajun roots that her father doesn’t understand. Still, she has no choice but to try and conform to a world where she feels like an outsider. But the world of rich and powerful humans is never to meet the world of the Were-Hunters who exist side by side with them, unseen, unknown, undetected. To break this law is to call down a wrath of the highest order.

“In order to have Marguerite, Wren must fight not just the humans who will never accept his animal nature, but the Were-Hunters who want him dead for endangering their world. It’s a race against time and magic without boundary that could cost Marguerite and Wren not just their lives, but their very souls…”

Yet another of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s brilliant works! Once again, I love her style and her characters. Wren was wonderfully written and he rivals even Zarek in my book (and those of you who read my review of Dance With the Devil know what a huge honor that is!). The more I read, the more I enjoyed the characters and their stories.

Overall, the book was fast-paced and I read it in one day! It was wonderful! Though, I must admit, it was rather busy and a bit harder to follow than Kenyon’s other works that I have had the pleasure to enjoy. There were just SO many characters (including Dante from an earlier short story, Vane, Julian, Fury, Fang, and several more). It was difficult to follow at first, but I gradually caught on. I had to remember who each character was and what each of his stories was, but—once I did—I realized it was a VERY well-planned plot with a lot of different facets to it.

I VERY much enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read more!

Touch of Enchantment (Sequel to Breath of Magic): Teresa Medeiros

“A LOVELY SCIENTIST WITH NO TASTE FOR MAGIC

“Heiress Tabitha Lennox considered her paranormal talents more a curse than a gift. So she dedicated her life to the cold, rational world of science. Until the day she examined the mysterious amulet her mother had left her and found herself catapulted seven centuries into the past—directly into the path of a rearing black charger ridden by a chain-mailed warrior.

“A FEARLESS KNIGHT WITH NO TIME FOR LOVE

“Sir Colin of Ravenshaw had returned from the Crusades to find his castle in ruins, his enemy poised to overrun the land where generations of Ravenshaws had ruled. The last thing he expected was to half trample a damsel with odd garb and even odder manners. But it is her strange talent that will create trouble beyond Colin’s wildest imaginings. For everyone knows that a witch must be burned…but it is Colin’s heart that is aflame, over an enchanting woman he must not love, yet cannot live without.”

This book was sweet and I really enjoyed this sequel to Breath of Magic. The characters were easy to like and it was fun to see what life was like for Tristan and Arian after the first book finished. I did find myself giggling at certain parts and almost crying at others.

This book did take a short while to get going, but it was well worth it. I really liked the character of Colin of Ravenshaw. He was likable and sweet…in a tough-guy kind of way. I think the plot was fun to follow and made sense (well, for this set of books it did!) and I liked the twists and turns it took. As always, I will definitely read more of Teresa Medeiros in the future because she keeps on making me smile!

Breath of Magic: Teresa Medeiros

"AN EXQUISITE ENCHANTRESS LOST IN TIME

"Arian Whitewood hadn't quite gotten a hang of the powerful amulet she'd inherited from her mother, but she never expected it to whisk her more than three hundred years into the future. Flying unsteadily on her broomstick, she suddenly finds herself among towers of glass and metal, then tumbling from the sky to land at the feet of a man with frost-gray eyes and a seemingly flint-hard heart.

"A SKEPTICAL TYCOON OUT OF HIS ELEMENT

"Reclusive billionaire Tristan Lennox didn't believe in magic, but he had his own reasons for offering one million dollars to anyone who could prove it existed. Now he finds himself besieged by fakes, frauds, and an old nemesis is ready to leap on his opportunity to destroy him. But the smoky-voiced beauty who appeared from the clouds into his climate-controlled existence is something else entirely--a woman able to enchant his lonely heart with wonder, but who can't possibly be what she seems....

So I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to update this blog for a bit, but I’m back! Anyhow, this book was sweet and had some wonderful twists to it. It made me laugh and cringe as well as feel for the characters immensely. Arian was a charming character and it was hard not to side with her. Tristan was a refreshing twist to the male lead roll. There was just something about him that made it easy to like and dislike him at the same time.

The plotline in general was new and different and I enjoyed it. I don’t usually read “modern” romances, but this had the whole historical elements that made it more to my tastes. Overall, I liked it and I have already started the sequel.