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Holiday Reads (without the Romance)

21 Dec

There are lots of holiday romance books and movies, but sometimes I want books with a festive theme or wintry backdrop but with a little mystery, fantasy, or memoir instead. These were my three Christmas picks, I enjoyed this holiday season.

Blackmail and Bibingka
by Mia P. Mananasala
I’ve become of fan of Mia P. Mananasala’s Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Series so was excited that her newest, Blackmail and Bibingka was set during the holiday season. Lila Macapagal and her family and friends are busy with the weeks leading up to Christmas preparing lots of delicious sounding treats including Bibingka. Bibingka is a slightly sweet and soft rice cake that Filipino families often make and eat around Christmas; if you are curious to try them, there is a recipe for Bibingka as well as other yummy treats mentioned through out the novel at the end. Added to the holiday hubbub, Lila’s estranged cousin Ronnie has recently returned and is attempting to start a winery centered around exotic fruits. When one of Ronnie’s investors passes away under mystery circumstances, Lila investigates to prove her cousin’s innocence. Like any good cozy, the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries are filled with charming and quirky characters, but the diversity of backgrounds represented adds depth. You can also read my review of the first in the series Arsenic and Adobo. If you are looking for more Christmas mysteries, check out my recent review of Donna Andrew’s Dashing Through the Snowbirds.

Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas
by John Baxter
My father was born in Paris so for me Christmas isn’t Christmas without a Bouche de Noel (log cake) and other French delicacies. As a child I would need to explain to anyone new to our celebrations that it was a marathon and not a sprint so they would be prepared for a meal that could be sometimes 6 or 7 courses; I couldn’t resist therefore John Baxter’s, Immoveable Feast about an Australian man’s quest to prepare himself to prove to his Parisian in-laws that he was up to the challenge of creating a Noel dinner worthy of their family. His stories about sourcing ingredients were frequently filled with humor. The memoir also mixes bits of his experience living in Australia as a child, as well as a sprinkling of his career writing about the movie industry (some big names are dropped) with his adventures in France with his wife, daughter, and in-laws. Some of his wife’s families traditions differed from my own, but many aspects resonated with me and I enjoyed learning about how Christmas is celebrated in Summer in Australia. Baxter has written several other books about Paris for those who are Francophiles, including Paris at the End of the World.

A Scandal in Battersea
by Mercedes Lackey
A Scandal in Battersea is the the 12th in Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters Series. We picked it for this year’s December book discussion for our Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group at the Library. The story starts out strong with a perfect Victorian Christmas with afternoon tea, pantomimes, and sleigh rides, but darkness is lurking as a brash, foolhardy would-be-magician attempts to summon a powerful being that he thinks will make his dreams come true. It is, however, a penny dreadful nightmare when the young women, whom he brings the creature, return from the other dimension zombie like, unable to respond but to follow basic commands. The book alternates between the efforts of the magician and the protagonists, a group of psychically and magically gifted original characters along with with Sherlock Holmes and Watson. The book brings in a lot of diverse elements which sometimes felt like they could be developed more and I wish the holiday trappings had continued throughout rather than being dropped towards the end, but overall I enjoyed this fast paced fantasy read with some clever plot twists. Some of the books in the series incorporate fairytales like Reserved for the Cat, a personal favorite of mine that I highly recommend.

You can also read previous posts about some unexpected Holiday Movie picks. For those who prefer holiday romance check out this post about the Dash and Lily series and next month I’ll be reviewing Wintery Paranormal Romances, Back in a Spell and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

Do you have a favorite December Holiday or Winter Read; share it in our comment section!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Recipes for Romance: A Dash of Salt & Pepper by Kosoko Jackson and Sugar & Salt by Susan Wiggs

14 Dec

A Dash of Salt and Pepper
by Kosoko Jackson
A Dash of Salt and Pepper was such a fun romance! The book is told in first person from Xavier’s perspective; he is an African American business grad who takes a job working as a prep chef in a seafood restaurant in his hometown after being dumped. Xavier is clever, funny and manages to be both arrogant, insecure and likeable at the same time. At one point the Gilmore Girls is referenced and the clever, fast pace witty dialogue and the charming small town New England vibe are something this book like that series does extremely well. Xavier’s boss at the restaurant, Logan, is a slightly older Caucasian divorced dad who is considered one of the town’s most eligible bachelors, but after an awkward first meeting he and Xavier seem an unlikely match despite their feelings of attraction. Can they both let down their defenses to find love or will Xavier leave his small town behind again, this time for good? Definitely an author I plan to read more from in the future. I received an advance copy of the book for review from Netgalley.

Sugar and Salt
by Susan Wiggs
Another romance featuring interracial couples, Sugar and Salt had a bit more salt in the lives of the characters then I was expecting going into the novel.  The book may feature a sugary confection on the cover, but there is a lot of depth to what is covered.  Margot formerly Margie has gone through rough times including growing up in poverty and being the victim of an assault that has left her hesitant in romantic relationships.  The book spent more time in flashbacks to the difficult periods in her life than I would have preferred, however, it added to the sense of the happiness in her life having been earned including her success at her Barbeque Restaurant, Salt.  Her love interest Jerome Sugar is nursing a broken heart from a divorce.  The complexity of their interracial relationship is acknowledged, but also does not overshadow the sweet depiction of the romance that blossoms.  Beside Margot and Jerome, the book also explores the relationship between Jerome’s mother and her first love.  This is a book that will appeal to those looking for stories of second chances and a romance novel not afraid to examine the darker parts of life and history in the US.

Both books are available in print from BCCLS Libraries or as ebooks from elibraryNJ and eBCCLS. You can read about more foodie romances here.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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