Archive | June, 2025

Sisters Cooking Up Competition: A Catered Bake-Off and The Chicken Sisters

25 Jun

A Catered Bake-Off
by Isis Crawford
A Catered Bake-Off is the latest in Isis Crawford’s long running cozy Mystery with Recipes series. I had read a few in the series in the past and enjoyed them so was curious to give this one a peak since I’m a fan of The Great British Baking Show something that the New York based competition in the story took inspiration from. The Simmons sisters Bernie and Libby run a catering company A Little Taste of Heaven and are excited to participate in the baking competition, but from the start of the first run through in preparations for filming, disasters abound; some like a herd of goats in the tent are funny, but when a judge receives life-threatening injuries from an espresso machine, it becomes much more serious. A creepy anonymous prologue which sets the suspenseful tone for the story, lets the reader in on the fact that these aren’t just horrible accidents. The sisters must solve the mystery before the killer comes for them. The story weaves in some contemporary issues like the real estate crisis which keep it feeling current. It was easy also to jump in to the drama even not having read all of the other novels that came before this one since the novel largely focused on a group of new characters rather than a huge cast of reoccurring ones. The author adds a personal element by including 3 recipes from family and friends at the end of the story. Fans of cozy mysteries like Donna Andrews’s Meg Langslow Mysteries should enjoy this tasty treat.

The Chicken Sisters part of Hoopla’s Hallmark+ BingePass
The Chicken Sisters reminded me of the Gilmore Girls if the family/community dramedy were located in the South rather than in New England its fun quips, but at a slower pace with a southern drawl. The story is about two beloved fried chicken restaurants feuding over a generations old grudge, which was only increased by a Romeo/Juliet romance between two of the younger generations. The TV series is based on the book by K. J. Dell’Antonia. Wendy Malick and Lea Thompson are the stars at the two matriarchs, but the younger generations of children and grandchildren are also charming. When the TV show Kitchen Clash comes to their town it heats up the competition between the two restaurants and forces them to deal with the family drama that has been simmering for so long. It is definitely good that this addictive drama is part of the Hallmark+ BingePass. You can watch as much of the show and other Hallmark Chanel series and movies as you have time for over a 7 day period using just one of your Hoopla checkouts. I also recommend streaming the mystery movie series Curious Cater (based on the books by Diane Mott Davidson) , Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swenson Mysteries (based on the books by Joanne Fluke), and the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries (based on the books by Charlaine Harris).

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: , , ,

Two Fantasy Picks for both Teens and Adults: A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons and My Lady Jane

18 Jun

A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons
by J. Penner
A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons is the second in J. Penner’s cozy romantasy series set in Adenashire, a quaint fantasy town. Poison Pen Press is republishing the novels in deluxe editions. You can read my review of the previous novel, A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic, here. This novel focuses on Doli Butterbuckle, a dwarf with a sunny personality, who has struckout on her own leaving her wealthy family behind to work in a book store. Doli has the unusual ability to create any sort of tea with accompaniments for herself or her friends, which seems a small and unimpressive form of magic so she is surprised when a relative gifts her a dragon egg which hatches when she touches it, which means she is the dragons guardian till it is ready to join the other dragons. Doli and her baby dragon are both delightful and her relationship with a shy gargoyle hiding some secrets is also very sweet. With a low heat level and themes of believing in oneself, finding one’s own path, and not pressuring oneself to always be cheerful this would appeal and be a good read for both teen as well as adult readers looking for a lighter gentle read. Doli learns her magic and inner strength is greater than she ever imagined, an important lesson for any age.

My Lady Jane
by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows
We read My Lady Jane for our April Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion based on the recommendation of one of the discussion members who had also enjoyed the Prime Video adaptation of the novel. The series takes the story of Lady Jane Grey and gives her a happy ending. Also the authors give the ability of some of the historical figures populating the story, dubbed Eðians, to transform into a variety of animals including skunks, foxes, and horses. Although marketed as a Young Adult novel, it still held a lot of appeal to our adult book club members especially those who enjoyed a little history and romance with their fantasy stories. Some members felt that the story was bit longer than needed, but most enjoyed the humor including fourth wall breaking metacommentary provided by the book’s narrator. One member noted that the audiobook was particularly enjoyable for this selection. If you enjoy this novel the author’s have several other retellings of famous heroines with added fantasy elements including My Contrary Mary about Mary Queen of Scotland, who appears briefly in My Lady Jane. You can see other past reads from the HPL Science Fiction and Fantasy book group here. We hope you will join us for a future discussion!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries