The Kitchen Daughter

The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


Ginny Selvaggio could not be more different than I am. She loves to cook and uses cooking to soothe herself. I am making myself learn to cook some basic things and would really rather my husband do all the cooking. She has Asperger's Syndrome, which means eye contact is painful for her, she has difficulty interpreting social cues, she's very literal, and loud noises and physical contact by everyone except a select few send her into a panic. I am very social, love hugs, have a sarcastic sense of humor, and prefer to speak face-to-face because of the eye contact. (OK, I'm with her on the loud noises thing--I hate that, too.) But Jael McHenry's new book The Kitchen Daughter let me experience what it is like inside Ginny's head, to see the world from her perspective.

The book begins with the funeral of Ginny's parents and tells the story of Ginny's struggle to cope with grief and with her younger sister who doesn't understand her at all. Ginny's parents have sheltered her all her life, and Amanda believes it's now her responsibility to take care of Ginny, while Ginny wants to stay where she is and live on her own. The day of the funeral, Ginny retreats to the kitchen to cook her grandmother's recipe for ribollita and inadvertently summons her grandmother's ghost, who has a message for her, "Do no let her." But the unwelcome intrusion of a little-known aunt into the kitchen dissipates Nonna before a frightened Ginny can ask what she means. The rest is a story of courage, communication, and personal growth.

For readers' advisors: character doorway, with story a secondary doorway thanks to some unexpected plot twists. I'd especially suggest this book to anyone who has a friend or family member with Asperger's, anyone who enjoys Sarah Addison Allen's books, and foodies who will appreciate the sensuous descriptions of food and cooking.



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The Monster at the End of this Book

The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was one of my all-time favorite books when I was a kid. Especially if it's read with a dramatic "Grover voice." :) My mom used to read it to me, and then I used to take it with me in my "babysitting kit" when I was a teenager, and I read it to my babysitting charges. Over and over and over.

The premise of the book is that Grover has heard that there is a MONSTER at the end of the book, and he desperately tries to prevent you, the reader, from reaching the end of the book and the scary monster. He devises all sorts of ways to nail the pages shut, brick them up, etc., but of course that doesn't work. I won't spoil the ending for you, but it's pretty hilarious and can lead to teachable moments about fear.



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In Too Deep

In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The tenth installment of the Arcane Society series focuses on Fallon Jones and his new assistant Isabella Valdez. She takes on a seemingly innocent investigation of an old mansion some think is haunted, and it turns in to a discovery of a serial killer and antique paranormal artifacts. Very exciting, fast-paced story to read.

The sex scenes/romance were pretty formulaic if you've ever read any of the rest of Krentz's books, but Fallon and Isabella are a good match. And I appreciated that the Nightshade conspiracy was more tangential for most of the novel. It was nice to learn more about Fallon and Isabella's talents and histories, as well as more about the townsfolk of Scargill Cove.

For readers' advisors: story doorway, primarily, with character secondary



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One of Our Thursdays Is Missing

One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Thursday Next is back! Or no, wait, Thursday Next is missing! It's up to the written Thursday, with the assistance of her trusty butler, Sprockett, to figure out what happened to her. What was she working on when she vanished, why did a book with its ISBN number scrubbed off suddenly dissolve and scatter a long swath of debris across numerous genres, and what is up with the murderous Men in Plaid?

The latest installment in the Thursday Next series takes place almost entirely within BookWorld. Fforde keeps readers on their toes with his literary humor, complicated plot twists, and off-the-wall imagination. I can't wait for the next one--there are lots of loose ends just waiting to be tied up. Or not. It is Jasper Fforde, after all. :)

For readers' advisors: setting and story doorways



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Troubled Waters

Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I love Sharon Shinn's books! She has this amazing ability to create whole new worlds and make you wish you lived there with her characters. I don't know whether this will be a stand-alone novel or the start of a new series, but I'd love for Shinn to write more of them.

Shinn's newest book begins just after Zoe's father has died. A few days later, a wealthy stranger arrives and announces that he is there to bring Zoe to the capital to become the king's fifth wife. A grief-stricken Zoe numbly acquiesces, but when they actually arrive in Chialto, she suddenly realizes she doesn't want to marry the king and makes her escape. Over the next few "quintiles" (a quintile is 72 days), she learns who she is, what she can do, and what she wants.

The story begins a little bit slowly, which is appropriate for someone in the fog of grief, but gets going as Zoe reawakens to life. It's not quite as gripping as her Twelve Houses series (my favorite!), but it's an excellent tale told well. (Darien Serlast reminds me a bit of Tayse, of Mystic and Rider fame.)

For readers' advisors: character and setting doorways, primarily, although story picks up in the second half. It's also a good crossover book (i.e. adult book for teens).



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The Good Daughters

The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Ruth and Dana were born on the same day in the same town but into two very different families. Ruth's family has farmed the same piece of property for generations. Dana's family flits from one place to another, always chasing the next big idea, none of which ever seem to pan out. And yet their lives intertwine, thanks to a Big Secret they don't discover until the end of the book (but which I figured out almost at the beginning). The book is really a story of the lives of the two women struggling to figure out who they are and how they fit in to their worlds.

For readers' advisors: character doorway, and be aware that there is a fair amount of sexual content, although nothing explicit



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200 Tips for De-cluttering

200 Tips for De-cluttering by Daniela Santos Quartino

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Update: I would give this book negative 5 stars if I could. Ugly ugly ugly! Impractical. Hard. Cold. Sharp. Sterile. Soul-killing. I found TWO photos that look like someone might actually live in the space--pg 247 and pg 352. The worst sections of the book were on kitchens and bathrooms. A bathroom in a see-through metal mesh cage?! Really?! A sink down inside a glass box?! Really?!

It is quite obvious that these "living spaces" were designed by a bachelor. And the only person I can imagine living in them is the character Adrian Monk from the TV show "Monk." Ironically, the only photos that weren't as painful to look at were some of the pages in the children's room section. At least those usually had color to them. And many of the colors were actually pleasant to look at, unlike the majority of the book. This book takes "clean lines" and "contemporary design" to extremes. What makes that especially disappointing to me is that the cover of the book looks so homey and welcoming--floor-to-ceiling wooden bookshelves, sunlight, and an iMac on the desk. Too bad the contents didn't live up to the cover.

For the few out there who might actually like these designs, never fear--the author includes hundreds of photos labeled with designer names to facilitate ordering. The book feels like a thinly veiled Ikea catalog, only heavier.

Also, the book advertises "Eco Tips" in the title, but I haven't found anything resembling eco tips anywhere, and there is no chapter on that. More false advertising! :(

Original review:

I'm not impressed so far. What little there is in the way of text is OK (a bit cheesy), but mostly it's all photos of these dreadful uber-modern "homes" that I'm pretty sure no one has ever or will ever live in. Particularly not anyone with children. I mean, seriously, a kitchen that is 100% white and has nothing at all on the countertops or walls or windows or anything?! These photos all feel cold and sharp and very very unwelcoming. Ugh. It's like Ikea meets ascetic monk. Thankfully, a friend recommended the book "The Not So Big House" instead. Phew!!

I will continue to glance through the rest of this gigantic book, however, just to see if there are any decent (i.e. practical, useful) tips in later chapters. But then I'm returning it and thanking my lucky stars I didn't shell out any money for it.


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