Food with Attitude: Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot and Bitchin’ Kitchen

17 Dec

Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot
by Alexis Hall
Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot is the third LGBTQ Romance novel in Hall’s Winner Bakes All Series about a British cooking competition in the vein of the Great British Baking Show (or Bake-off depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on). I enjoyed books one (Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake) and two (Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble) in the series, but was especially interested in this entry which focuses on a romance between the foul-mouthed producer Jennifer Hallet and a feisty contestant on the latest season of the show. I couldn’t wait to see the grumpy Hallet show some vulnerability and fall in love and Audrey was a charmer. I liked how the experience of Bake Off helped Audrey work through some previous feelings of inadequacy and find a place for herself where she could not only be valued, but also value herself. Each book in the series take place in different seasons so it is not necessary to read them in any particular order though this worked well as a satisfying end to the trilogy. Alexis Hall is being spotlighted on Hoopla this month, where you can checkout many of his great novels!

Bitchin’ Kitchen
Back when the Cooking Channel first spun off of Food Network they would often air original programs that were filmed in Canada. One of the quirkiest of these was Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen which was like if you merged a cooking show with a PG version of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Besides Nadia, there are three additional over the top actors who play experts and provide information on things like spices and the health benefits of foods. Nadia whose family immigrated from Italy, grew up in Montreal so often her dishes put a twist on Italian food or work in popular French Canadian ingredients like Maple Syrup. Each episode has a theme like Recession Recipes or Childhood Favorites. One of the craziest moments was season 2’s Christmas Special which featured a goofy music video including other foodie personalities such as Andrew Zimmer, the Black Metal Chef and the Epic Meal Time Crew (Nadia is also a musician). Bitchin’ Kitchen ran for three seasons before spinning off to the travel show Bite This with Nadia G. This cult show isn’t for everyone, but if you are looking for a truly unusual, edgy cooking program then this one might be a treat.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Hestor Fox’s Gothic Mysteries: The Witch of Pale Harbor, The Witch of Willow Hall, and The Orphan of Cemetery Hill

10 Dec

Hestor Fox is now known for her lush, historical fantasies. But, before that? Gothic mysteries. The former museum curator and historical archaeologist built her career on tales woven through the macabre. Let me point to the original three that launched her career – The Witch of Pale Harbor, The Witch of Willow Hall, and Orphan of Cemetery Hill. These are all excellent novels that express the dreaded and dreary themes of the Gothic genre alongside the macabre tones of Edgar Allan Poe. 

  1. The Witch of Pale Harbor: Psychological suspense mixed with the foreboding of an isolated New England town in the 1830s. Fox captured me with her spirited language and vivid imagery – from one of the very first scenes when the protagonist finds himself exploring his new parish. The sense of claustrophobia intensifies as suspicion grows around a reclusive governess. Small-town judgment and hysteria blend well here.
  2. The Witch of Willow Hall: Critically, the best-rated of her original three gothic stories. Three sisters flee scandal and take refuge in their family’s retreat, Willow Hall. Guess what? It’s haunted with a terrible curse that sustains the sisters with palpable dread and a psychological toll that bellows heavy like a grandfather clock. 
  3. The Orphan of Cemetery Hill: Rich with the Victorians’ death obsession and an intense psychological terror mystery. We move on to Boston in the 1840s. What could possibly plague someone who works as a medium and facilitates seances? It’s all about helping others…until someone from her past appears as a result of this activity. The protagonist must now confront secrets of her own. What transpires is a confrontation of the dark secrets of her own identity.

Eerie whispers of a classic Gothic tale mixed with atmospherically convoluted moral struggles that thrust characters into conundrums and challenge their own code – that’s what you get here.

Which novel will you be checking out? Each title is linked to their BCCLS page, so go ahead and make your reservation. 

Post a pic and tag @hobokenlibrary on Instagram once you get your copy from the library.

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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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