50 in 2013: Books Six and Seven

The Last Camellia: A Novel by Sarah Jio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fiona, desperate to help her struggling parents, agrees to be a part of an international ring of flower thieves. She has been booked to nanny for a family living in an old English estate housing one of the last remaining camellias known as the Middlebury Pink. Her mission: gain their trust and locate the Middlebury Pink. Once there, she learns the family’s story is rife with sorrow and sadness. The lady of the house was tragically found dead in her beloved garden. Her death a mystery.

More than a half century later…

Haunted by a tragic decision she made as a teenager, Addison has lived most of her adult life trying to lock those memories away. Shedding her birth name, Amanda, her past resurfaces when she hears her named called by a hauntingly familiar voice. A voice she could never forget.

With her past disturbingly close, Addison chooses to flee to her husband’s English countryside manor. While there, she discovers the house itself hides tragic secrets of its own. The lady of the house was found dead in the garden and the family nanny disappeared. As Addison makes herself comfortable in the manor, she discovers locked doors, secret corridors, and uncovers family secrets that were never meant to be revealed. As she solves the mystery of Lady Anna she finds horrific clues that detail events beyond comprehension, she also finds the strength to finally deal with her own secrets.

Suspense, an exotic, rare camellia, a ring of flower thieves, lies, secret codes, betrayal…this book has it all. AMAZING.

My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes) by Luisa Weiss

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A tale of following your heart, even when it means deserting love. Sometimes one’s passion can impede his or her growth in a relationship if the passion is not shared. The author’s courage to follow her heart and accept her need to be “home” is inspiring and ultimately leads her to find true happiness in spite of immediate sorrow. Fun read with some delicious looking recipes. Author currently blogs at Wednesday Kitchen.

50 in 2013: Book Five

The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this book, we are reintroduced to characters from Bauermeister’s earlier novel, The School of Essential Ingredients. However, the magic of Lillian’s cooking, the ability of her recipes to transcend paper and leave traces of her magic within each recipient was lost in this story.

Less about cooking and more about individual stories of routine and rituals, The Lost Art of Mixing examines the ways in which routine and ritual can define one’s life. The routine rituals of a disgruntled housewife: the ways in which she loses a little bit of herself over the years as she transforms to meet the needs of her husband or her house. The routine rituals of an out of touch husband: the ways in which he stays at work an hour longer to avoid the inevitable onslaught of rising anger from his wife. The routine of a daughter forced to grow up far too fast in order to help her aging mother and attempt to get her siblings to see the reality of their family’s situation. The routine rituals of a young man desperately searching for a place to call his own, a place to truly fit in, a place to stop hiding and discover himself.

Routines and rituals that bring strangers to Lillian’s kitchen for a cooking class where they end up learning about much more than cooking.

I particularly loved the following quote: “the way things could become so permeated with memories that story was more important than function.” Many of the characters struggle with moving forward, pinned down by their past. As Abby searches for answers regarding the next step with her mother, she is forced to confront her mother’s connection to things. Things that seem mundane to Abby, yet the stories within each item mean the world to Isabelle. This pulled the heartstrings for me as a mother, a daughter, a sister…at what point does the item connected to the story come to solely represent the story? Does the story remain within the item or one’s heart?

I missed Bauermeister’s culinary prose. She is incredibly lyrical and moving as she mixes recipes with personal stories. “By the time Lillian had turned twelve years old, cooking had become her family. It had taught her lessons usually imparted by parents- economy from a limp head of celery left too long in the hydrator, perseverance from the whipping of heavy cream, the power of memories from oregano, whose flavor only grew stronger as it dried.” Magic. Overall, a good read but not nearly as poignant as the first…

50 in 2013: Book Four

The Paradise Guest House by Ellen Sussman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Always in search of something more exciting and thrilling, Jamie has found her life’s niche in adventure tourism. On assignment in Bali, tragedy strikes. Caught in the center of the infamous Bali nightclub bombings, Jamie’s adventurous, breezy life is forever altered. Sleep only brings back vivid images of the night she lost the freedom of dreaming. Now, quiet moments and stillness brings back the smell, the images, the screams…

A letter finds its way to her mailbox beckoning her to return. Uncertain but in desperate need of closure, she boards the plane. Pain and loss have enveloped the island, many of its inhabitants have lost a loved one or friend, their carefree community ripped apart. Jamie has thrived off challenge and conquered many difficult climbs and hikes. Yet, this tragedy has forced to deal with matters of the heart, a challenge that brings her to her knees. What follows is a journey of rebuilding, second chances, and love. Beautiful, moving, quick read.