Fun Pick: The Reece Malcom List

The Reece Malcolm List
by Amy Spalding
Entrangled
2013
352 pages
2013

Irresistable musical theatre gLeek Devan is sure to charm teen readers. She's fun, smart, spunky, and musically gifted and she's ready to take her bow.

Devon's father dies in a car wreck and Devon is told that she will be leaving Missouri traveling to California to live with her real mother. Her "mother" dumped her at birth and has made her own life. Devon never got to know her and knows very little about her. Her mother sends her private lawyer to escort Devon to California.

Reece Malcolm is a talented writer whose books are always on the New York Times Bestsellers list. She lives in a nice modern home with new live-in boyfriend Brad. Devan begins making a list of things she's knows about Reece Malcolm, her mother. She finds that Brad is nicer than Reece and Reece's friends are nicer than Reece, too.

Devon is excited to be attending a private perfomance arts school but worried about the huge price tag. She feels guilty that her mother is spending way too much on her. Then there's the new laptop computer and expensive shopping spree. Devon is overwhelmed.

As she discovers more and more about Reece, Devon feels closer to her, but she also has questions. How could this person ignore her own daughter for sixteen years? Now she's trying to make up for it by showering her with gifts and a great school.

Devon learns that her mother was only 16 years old when she had her, her mother is not a morning person, her mother hates crowds, but loves coffee and is a great shopper but doesn't worry about fashion or style for her own outfits. Reece and Brad have a passive/aggessive relationship and Reece knows she treats Brad terribly but she seems to enjoy it. Devon tries to figure it out.

Reece supports Devon in her musical theater debut and even though things are off between them and they have a huge fight, her mother is her biggest fan. Devon apologizes for snooping and they agree to work things out.

Recommended grade 9-up. Several of the performers are having gender identity questions. Mature subject matter.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Gift Book Idea for Mom: The Smartest Woman I Know

The Smartest Woman I Know
by Ilene Beckerman
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
2011
112 pages
Available September 27, 2011

A sweet little memoir wrought with pithy wittiness and poignant charm, The Smartest Woman I Know poetically sings the praises of Beckerman's Jewish grandmother Ettie Goldberg who settled in New York City and was wise beyond her third grade education. The author captures Etta's voice and mannerisms and the reader is transported to a tiny store on Madison Avenue brimming with colorful characters.


The Goldbergs opened a stationery store that sold office supplies, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and assorted sundries and they knew every customer and every customer's quirks. There was Mr. Arnold who always wore a straw boater hat, carried a cane, and was always in the company of a much younger man he called "darling." Ettie always made the pair feel welcome in her store saying that it wasn't her business to know what people do at home ( this was New York City circa 1930 or so).

A little book that bursts with humor, wise life lessons, quirky vignettes, and Jewish proverbs--as told by Etta. Its eloquent appeal makes me wish I had my own Jewish grandmother.

A great gift idea for anyone who knows a smart woman and anyone who has a Jewish mother or grandmother. For mavens, machers, and meshuggerners everywhere.

Recommended for gift giving and holidays.

Adult humor and wisdom. High school and up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen

Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen
by Donia Bijan
Algonquin
2011
272 pages

Available September 20, 2011

Heartfelt, deep, moving, and full of warmth, Maman's Homesick Pie is a serious find for book lovers and foodies of all ages. Donia Bijan is today a well-respected American chef who has worked in kitchens all over France and San Francisco before opening her own world-renowned bistro. But where did this culinary dynamo come from? Who influenced her to seek a career in a field that was so closed off to women and who encouraged her to seek a spot at Paris's famed Cordan Bleu under the tutelege of Madame Brassart, the dragon master chef who taught none other than American food icon Julia Child?

Luckily, Bijan was brought up by a strong Iranian mother and father. Her mother had a voice in government in Iran during the reign of the Shah, but after his fall in 1978 and with the infiltration of militant religious sects, Bijan's entire family is forced to flee Iran, never to return for fear of death. On a holiday in Majorca, Bijan's family listens to reports of increasing violence and bloodshed at home,and after receiving a harrowing late night call from their uncle, they realize that they cannot go back home. The family gets visas and travels to the San Francisco Bay area where other relatives have already settled.

Bijan's mother easily fits into the California lifestyle in no time. Having attended boarding school in England as a girl, she speaks fluent English and has a nursing degree. It's not long before she has a full-time job at a hospital and soon she's picking up extra hours to help fund Donia's education in France. While her mother assimiliates easily, Bijan's father finds America a horrible place. He can't practice medicine because he can't get over the language barrier, so he can't pass the medical boards. He becomes increasingly depressed and irritated, blaming everything bad on his wife and his daughter. He longs for his homeland where he was a respected doctor with his own hospital. Eventually, he returns to Iran and his beloved hospital without his family.

Donia escapes to Paris to learn to cook the French way. She is charmed by spices and has been in love with food since a young age. Her mother, besides being a nurse and raising a family, made aromatic dishes like Fava Bean Omelet, Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken and Eggplant, and Quince Marmalade. Donia still remembers the scents of Persian cooking from her mother's kitchen in Iran: the saffron, cardamom, tarragon, shallots, poppy seeds, Persian figs, pomegranates, and clementines.

This novel is, above all, a love story. It is the story of a mother's love and undying, unwavering faith in her daughter. Because her mother loved her and pushed her, Donia Bijan excelled in the culinary world and fulfilled her dreams. When her father thought cooking was a terrible fate for his daughter, her mother saw how much it meant to Donia. Her mother never made light of cooking as a career and respected her daughter's life choice. It is the love a mother gives that forever influences the life of her child.

Maman's Homesick Pie is a beautiful tribute to Donia's mother and her Persian recipes. Each chapter is followed by one or two prized recipes from Bijan's mother or from Bijan's culinary days in Paris and San Francisco. The food dances off the pages and readers will savor the flavors and textures of the dishes as described by Donia. This novel makes me want to try all kinds of exotic fare.

A delightful book that will stay with readers. Food lovers, cooks, and wannabe cooks will love this book. Book clubs are likely to choose this as a great read this fall. Put this one on your list. Young foodies ages 12 and up will likely fall for this book as well.

Recommended for adults and younger foodies. Teens who love "Master Chef" and "The Next Food Network Star" will probably love this book and learn a lot about cooking by reading it. This is a great book club novel.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not received any monetary compensation for this review.

Paranormal Pick: Darkness Becomes Her

Darkness Becomes Her
by Kelly Keaton
Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), 2011
273 pages

Masterful storytelling. Darkness Becomes Her is set in sinister and creepy moss-covered and overgrown New Orleans, now named New 2, after a series of wrenching hurricanes destroyed it. Nine families whose ancestors first settled New Orleans band together and form the Novem, the only law recognized beyond the Rim.

When seventeen-year old Ali Selkirk goes in search of her birth mother and answers to why she was given up as a ward to the state of Louisiana, she finds dark secrets about her mother's life...and death. Returning to her hotel, Ali opens a box of things left behind by her mother thirteen years ago. There is a letter for Ali... and it's frightening. The letter warns Ali "Please, baby girl, just run..." --to leave New Orleans and those who are looking for her.

Ali wants to follow directions and means well, but after killing a strange Greek warrior who vanishes before her eyes, she wants answers: Who was the creepy Greek guy and why does he want her dead? Why does she need to run? Where is her real father? Did her mother really commit suicide, or was there something more sinister going on?

On a whim, Ali catches a ride beyond the Rim and into New 2. And that's when strange things really start to happen! Macabre characters inhabit New 2 and dark secrets boil over. Joining a band of misfits, Ali begins untangling the mysteries and getting answers.

This dynamic page-turner will appeal to fans of paranormal and adventure--fans of Twilight and The Lightning Thief will like this read.

The line "Run, baby girl" gave me actual goosebumps at the end of Chapter One. I was hooked.

Highly recommended grade 9-up. This novel should be okay for some grade 8 readers--it is as tame as The Hunger Games.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.