My thanks to White Lion Publishing for a copy of this book via Edelweiss.
Summers Under the Tamarind Tree, originally published in 2016 (this edition, My thanks to White Lion Publishing for a copy of this book via Edelweiss.
Summers Under the Tamarind Tree, originally published in 2016 (this edition, 2023), is a food memoir and recipe book from Pakistani-English lawyer-turned-food-writer Sumayya Usmani through which she seeks to highlight the uniqueness of Pakistani cuisine, which is often conflated with other South Asian foods. Usmani is originally from Karachi though with a father who was a captain in the Merchant Navy, she spent parts of her childhood on ships. Her memories of food come from her nani (maternal grandmother)’s home and garden (especially the tamarind tree whose fruit she enjoyed on its own and in a drink besides various foods), and the streets and beaches of Karachi and streets of Lahore, with their vivid colours, sounds, smells and food, all of which she brings to life in her descriptions (helped by the wonderful accompanying photographs). For instance,
Walking through the streets of Pakistan is a complete sensory experience. The sights and smells tantalise the taste buds as nearly all activity on the pavement involves food, both raw and ready to eat. Fruit and vegetable vendors shout out prices and are miraculously heard above the deafening exhausts of rickshaws and the horns of busses. And through bumper-to-bumper traffic, people find their way to a vendor’s side drawn in by the aromatic smoke arising from their heavily laden stalls selling pakoras, samosas, haleem and biryani.
Endless summers were spent strolling through what seemed like vast fields filled with hand-sown vegetable patches, innumerable fruit laden trees and lovingly tended flowers. This was the world of seasonal natural wonders, which Nani (my maternal grandmother) cherished and devoted much of her time to. The warmer months saw trees heavy with luscious indigenous Sindhri mangos, caramel-flavoured chickoos (a tropical fruit also known as sapodilla), sweet and sour falsa berries and mouth-drying jamuns (sweet, tangy local berries). This sun-drenched feast was followed by sharifa (custard apples), guavas and pomegranates in the cooler months.
The recipes in the volume come from her nani of course but also her dadi (paternal grandmother), mother, various relations and friends of her mother, and her own friends. Most, though not all, recipes are introduced with the story associated with it, either a specific place where or season when she used to eat it or a specific person who used to make it and whose recipe she has adapted, adding that personal touch. This is as much a journey of memory and nostalgia as of food and its preparation.
Following chapters on Pakistan and its flavours and the author’s childhood, we are introduced to basic cooking methods and spice blends before moving on to recipes for breakfast dishes, street food or chaat, meat, chicken and seafood, and then vegetable dishes, sweets, pickles and condiments, festival or celebratory dishes and drinks.
As Usmani covers a range of foods and drinks in her book, there is something for everyone—vegetarians (I've been one for ten years now) and vegans included (the latter may have to substitute the ghee used in some recipes to make them suitable). Most recipes are simple though some do require a range of spices, with the complicated and time-consuming ones placed in the celebratory foods section (not all of these are so, though). Instructions are easy to follow and substitute ingredients suggested for things not easily available (for instance, falsa berries). The only tiny confusion I had in the ingredient lists for some dishes which had the measure 22/3 cups which I’ve never come across before. I think this should mean 2/3rd but one place also said 2 and 22/3 cup. Hopefully this has been corrected in the final version.
This was a book which had much that was familiar to me (as it would be to others reading from India or even South Asia), whether the breakfast dishes of chole puri (chickpeas and fried flatbread) or alu puri (potatoes cooked with spices and served with fried flat bread) or desserts like the Hyderabadi Khubani ka Meeta (stewed dry apricots with cream) or Double ka Meeta (a dessert made with fried bread) or parsi dishes like patrani machhi (fish marinated and steamed in banana leaves), the Sindhi Kadhi (a dish made with yoghurt and chickpea flour and vegetables—this version had eggs too), or the quintessential Punjabi Sarson ka saag (mustard greens) which is a must eat every winter. Her fruit chaat is just as we make it at my home (except we never have mangoes and apples in the same season) as is her grandmother’s salted lemon preserve (we have some on our table right now). But there are many recipes I wanted to try out as well like her Kalay Chanay (black gram) spiced very differently than we do, karela (bitter gourd) stuffed with channa dal (split chickpeas-ours have potatoes or an onion stuffing), and samosas stuffed with a poha (flattened rice) filling which I’ve never come across before. Since spices and blends vary from home to home, even familiar dishes with the spice combinations she uses would amount to new flavours which might appeal. I also liked that she covered basic cooking methods and ingredients like ghee and butter made at home. To many recipes, she has also added her own touch for instance, making pakoras with green apples or an earl grey flavouring to her gulab jamuns (dumplings in syrup).
This is a lovely book to go through both for its stories and recipes and for those who enjoy cooking (or would like to try Pakistani flavours) there is lots to try.
My thanks to Pan Macmillan for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
Food is about taste, about flavour of course but also about aromas and textureMy thanks to Pan Macmillan for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
Food is about taste, about flavour of course but also about aromas and textures—not just something to savour but an entire experience—it’s not just what one ate but where, in what circumstances and with whom that creates the full experience stored as a memory in our minds (though we little realise the whole). We all have some such in ours, a particular dish tasting a particular way, but something we just can’t quite capture the ‘feel’ of however much we try to recreate it.
In that sense the heartwarming The Kamogawa Food Detectives, originally published as Kamogawashukondo in 2013 by Shogukan and in this translation by Jesse Kirkwood by Pan Macmillan in 2023 is all about time travel, but not in the sense of actually travelling back like one did perhaps in the book I found myself comparing it with Before the Coffee Gets Cold (a recent read for me) but in the sense of a place which is able to recreate those moments, those memories—the smells and flavours but also the experiences which are locked away in memory, and linger on but which one is not able to capture again.
Kamogawa Diner is a small little place in a non-descript building in Kyoto, which few really know about. It seems to have few customers, though there are (like in the Funiculi Funicula café of Before the Coffee) its regulars. It advertises as we learn a ‘detective’ agency, but again though a one-line almost undecipherable advertisement in the Gourmet Monthly magazine, attracting only a few clients that are able to make sense of it and have the tenacity to actually track it down. And that is just how the owners would have it, for they want only a few customers, request them to refrain from reviewing it on the internet, and don’t even have a signboard displayed in front. The café is run by Nagare Komogawa, a retired policeman and his daughter Koishi. Nagare does the ‘detecting’ and much of the cooking (aided by Koishi) but it is Koishi who interviews clients for the detective agency, able to perhaps ask the right questions and break it down for her father to work out (interesting considering he was the policeman).
In this book we have six different stories, each arranged in two chapters, one where the client comes to the diner/agency with their story and case and the second when they return (usually in two weeks’ time as that’s how long it takes to fulfil their request) to sample the dish as we alongside learn how Nagare actually recreated the feeling and experience which the client was actually looking for. The first couple of clients are known to the Komogawas, one Nagare’s former colleague in the police and the other a friend of a regular customer, but others are new. All though have caught on to the advert and followed up from there. Most of their stories are of loss in some form or other—a mother who died when young, a grandfather now suffering dementia, a first proposal which elicited too strong a reaction or an estrangement due to social circumstances. Each are left with the memory of a dish cooked by the lost wife or husband, sampled on a trip with granddad or eaten in a restaurant. As Nagare recreates their dishes we see soon enough that it is naturally about what goes into the dish—not just ingredients but the right ingredients sourced from those very same places, but also the experience itself—how it was eaten, where, even down to the things that one might have been doing at the time. For some clients it returns what was lost, enabling them to relive it and finally move on, but for others it also leads to dispelling some myths or revealing some truths they were unable to see before.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives was a lovely little book, quick, charming and touching, about food certainly but also about life, loss and memories, relationships and in its own sense time travel. On can’t help comparing it with Before the Coffee Gets Cold and it has those similarities (in structure, in moments from the past that people want to relive) but it is also very much its own story.
Like I did in that review, I will also here include what I should start to call the ‘cat report’. This book too as is apparent has the customary cat on the cover. And I am happy to report that there is in fact a cat in it. This one’s called Drowsy and is likely an alley cat who finds his way into the diner even though Nagare disapproves (since cats shouldn’t be where food is being cooked). He nonetheless comes in and receives plenty of love from Koishi and some of the clients as well. But rest assured his presence is mostly decorative (and just by being a purry cat, comforting too), but no more than that, so he fares just fine.
Being a story of food detectives, there is plenty, and I do mean plenty of food, Each first time client to the diner (even if they come in search of the detective agency, they do end up starting by eating a meal) is served only a set meal, and each of these is elaborately described, from the variety of rice and soup to the various dishes—fish, pickled and sautéed veg, tofu and much else, and often ending with fruit, or Mizugashi, which gets distorted in its Western interpretation as dessert (probably no point mentioning that this does make one hungry). I love how in these meals or even the dishes Nagare recreates, one gets a sense of the care that is taken over dishes, each ingredient down to the water used being sourced from specific places to create that special taste or flavour, the reflections of seasons (which change as the stories proceed) in the food and much else. When it comes to the dishes clients have requested, there is this but much more since Nagare cannot recreate the experience without knowing everything of the story behind it, even beyond the sparse details the client often remembers. So the process involves a trip to the place, and ‘proper’ detective work tracing the stories and people involved so as to make the experience as close to what it was.
The stories as, I already mentioned, of most clients involve loss in different ways, mostly death but also others (estrangements, loss of memory, a relationship that never took off at all), and through making that food once again, Nagare is able to help the clients come to terms with things, understand elements of it they weren’t able to at the time, and even dispels misunderstandings for some, such that with the satisfaction of the stomach also comes a sense of relief. The stories do in that sense touch on one’s emotions, yet without going down too deep.
This was my second time reading a work translated by Jesse Kirkwood, and the book read smoothly all through. The one small thing that puzzled me at the start though was Koishi addressing her father’s old colleague by first name (no honorifics) which left me wondering whether this was the case in the original.
This is a quick little read with plenty of warmth which leave one feeling pleasant and comforted even though there is that thread of pathos in the stories themselves. A book that will also likely leave you hungry—especially for Japanese food.
My thanks to Duckworth Books/Farrago Books for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
The Windmill Murders (2023) is the latest entry (book 11, if IMy thanks to Duckworth Books/Farrago Books for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
The Windmill Murders (2023) is the latest entry (book 11, if I counted right) in the No 2 Feline Detective Agency Series by musician and author Mandy Morton. The series is set in a world very much like ours (though perhaps a few decades ago when Agatha Crispy was still writing and Columbo was running on TV while the post and telegrams were the primary means of communication), but with the difference that this is a world populated by cats. Hettie Bagshot (in whose past musical career we have a hint of the author herself) and Tilly Jenkins are two tabbies who run the No 2 Feline Detective Agency in a small village and have solved several crimes including murders (theirs is a world that has no police). They live in a small bedsit above the Butter sisters’ bakery from where their meals and many treats are also supplied. While theirs may be a world of cats where one must lick one’s paws after every meal (usually scrumptious and plentiful, but I will get to that later), Hettie and Tilly’s actual adventures and cases could as easily unfold in the human realm for the cats of this world have much the same motivations as us humans, and their evil deeds can be as brutal and appalling.
This book, the third in the series that I have read, is somewhat different from the previous ones for while it does involve a mystery element, the story itself is a much broader one to do with history and ancestry, and unlike the other entries also involves a definite element of the uncanny which can be unnerving indeed.
When the book opens, the Butter sisters head off to help a relative who is injured, leaving Hetty and Tilly in charge of the bakery. This means having to wake at 4 am and cater to a deluge of customers, with the help of their friend Bruiser, and while they manage, there are some (at least aesthetic) disasters on their hands. Alongside, we learn that Tilly has been tracing her ancestors, and has managed to track down two great aunts whom she decides to write to. As she is reading up on possible family connections, she begins to have several nightmares, all taking her back into history, and revealing things about her family that are not only alarming but which turn out to be what had really taken place (confirmed later), causing her to get very unnerved. Then she receives an invitation to tea from her great aunts, and decides to go with Hettie. Bruiser is to drive them down to Norfolk on his motorcycle Miss Scarlett (he usually ferries them around for their cases as well) and the cat he is walking out with Dolly Scollop will go with them, making a picnic of it.
The trip begins on a rainy day and after some bumps on the road when they finally make it to the address, they find grounds occupied by a group of hippy cats, and the great aunts living in a derelict windmill. By now, on account of her nightmares, Tilly doesn’t wish to proceed, but what they find when they enter the windmill (only Hettie and Tilly are allowed in) shocks them entirely. The land, windmill and priory nearby all belong to Tilly family and is passed down in the female line, and it would seem Tilly is the next heir. However, one of the hippies is staking claim based on his own ancestry. A storm forces the four to agree to stay with the hippies for the night, but the events of the night are such that they find themselves in deep trouble and not allowed to leave. With the ghosts of the past haunting Tilly and revealing some terrifying and terrible truths, plus the problems of the present, how will things resolve?
Combining history, myth and legend, Mandy Morton gives us an exciting and whimsical read which does involve a mystery but is also so much more. Like previous books in the series, I love the feline spin she gives to real world entities and events, yet just to the right degree never going overboard, so while we might have the actress Margaret Rutherfur who plays Miss Marble, the author Kenneth Grayhair has still written The Wind in the Willows, and it is Columbo that still runs TV. From history we have the great plague of the 17th century as also the cruel witch hunts (with Matthew Hopk… er I mean Katkins, no less) as also the Vikings of old, and legend too, but I’ll leave you to see which ones for yourself
But the mystery element as I mentioned involves very real human failings and motivations. The murders (yes there are those—and a number of them counting the historical ones) are not cosy by any measure, in fact both brutal and gory, and justice when it is served is no kinder. But dark though they may be, they are interesting and I rather liked the explanation that emerged behind the present-day murders (which I guessed only just before they did) and the various secrets about the past ones. The latter of course involves the element of the uncanny as it is Tilly’s dreams that reveal her family’s disturbing past.
Although much of this book takes place in Norfolk and away from home, we do also have developments in Hettie and Tilly’s village which we keep up with, and while it may be them that solve the mysteries, their friends, Brusier, Dolly and the Butter sisters among them, are always there to help and have their backs.
Once again, Mandy Morton outdoes herself when it comes to the food the book involves. The sheer amount of cakes, roasts, pies, baps, casseroles, coffee and sweets and much much more that these cats eat, in meals followed by other meals (and then some) will leave any reader feeling very hungry indeed and running to grab a snack (or two or three). Even when our characters are trapped in a certain situation, they manage to make a fairly tempting meal with what little they have.
A wonderful entry in a lovely and fun series which anyone who loves mysteries and cats will very much enjoy! ...more
My thanks to Pushkin Press/Steerforth Press and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.
‘Loss and grief is part of life…we cannot forget the dead’My thanks to Pushkin Press/Steerforth Press and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.
‘Loss and grief is part of life…we cannot forget the dead’
The Hungry Ghost is a children’s/middle-grade story set in Singapore, and is a story of adventure and ghosts, of family and relationships, of remembering and forgetting, of the past and the present—a story which was absorbing throughout and which turned out to be much deeper than I’d expected.
In the book we met Freja, a young girl, who arrives in Singapore to live with her dad, step-mom Clementine, and half-brothers—twins, Billie and Eddie—while her mum undergoes treatment back in Denmark. While Clementine and Freja’s dad try to make everything comfortable for her, she understandably resists, not wanting to end-up ‘liking’ Clementine. The fact that the family are living in much better circumstances than she does with her mum (larger house, live-in domestic-help, a woman from the Philippines named Maya, and buy her many of the things she’s been asking for at home) somehow makes her more reluctant.
On her very first evening there, Freja notices a mysterious girl in a white dress, with long black hair trying to speak to her father out in the garden. Curious, she follows the girl when she notices her again the next day, ending up in a Chinese Cemetery, Bukit Brown. Freja soon finds that the time she has arrived in Singapore is that of the Hungry Ghost festival when offerings are made to ancestors and ghosts and spirits roam free. The girl in white, who she finds out is called Ling, has a family mystery of her own which Freya must help solve, and which must be done by the end of the month. But solving this mystery is no easy task and takes Freja to places she’d have hardly even imagined existed.
Meanwhile, alongside Freja starts at her new school and meets people who come from very mixed and different backgrounds. Families and friends for them too come in different moulds—not always conventional. Despite all the warmth and friendliness around, Freja finds it difficult to adapt to the family and school, and we sense that there is something that is worrying her for she is always preparing for danger, trouble, survival! But what could that be?
This was a really engrossing read right from the start and had me invested both in the storyline and characters (though I must say I didn’t entirely take to Freja, even though I realised there’d be an explanation for why she was as she was). But I definitely wanted to find out more about Ling and also Freja’s own story, and both girls’ stories did turn out interesting, but a little heart-breaking as well.
The setting in terms of both the place—Singapore—and its cultural elements—including folklore and the background of the Hungry Ghost festival are excellently incorporated in the story, and one learns about ghosts (including the vampire ghost or Pontianak) and offerings, mythical creatures like dragons, tigers and turtles, and also legendary figures like the Monkey King/Sun Wukong. Other cultural elements like Feng Shui which not only plays a role in day to day life but is also the basis for the city-state’s design are also woven into the story. Also, the blend of cultures that is Singapore stands out really well—as we meet people from different heritages and cultures represented in the different schoolmates Freja meets and befriends, including a neighbour’s grandson, Jason (There is also the food from different cultures—chicken rice to roti pratha and dosa—which are part of everyday life, and nature—monkeys, monitor lizards, and banyan trees among them). Freja is of course ignorant of most of these cultural elements (including how elders are addressed) and must find out as the story goes on.
The spooky, eerie elements of the story are also done very well, and one definitely feels a chill or a creepy vibe when reading the book, especially when one enters the realm of the ghosts (and seeing things that Freja doesn’t seem to even when they seem obvious).
But beyond the actual adventure, the mystery that Freja has to solve, and the ghostly elements, this is also a story about family and relationships. Freja is caught between a family where she feels like an outsider, and whom she feels reluctant to accept even when she wants to, and the love she feels for her mother back home. With the new friends she makes at school, though she likes them, she has to get over barriers of her own making before she can truly accept them as part of her life. The meeting with Ling and helping her with her mystery ends up helping her with her own issues as well. These elements brought a complexity to the story. I also thought that Freja ‘s responses in these situations, and her lashing out in a way, pushing everything and everyone away was done well and believably even though I didn’t much like her reactions.
This was a great read in terms of the story, setting and themes, and one that can also be enjoyed by adults (for the intended audience, I thought may be some of the themes might be a little dark)....more
My thanks to Europa Editions and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.
A Short History of Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce is a short, readable, interestMy thanks to Europa Editions and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.
A Short History of Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce is a short, readable, interesting and well-researched account of how Italy’s most iconic dish, described by some as the ‘premier Italian dish’, came to be.
The author, Massimo Montanari, a professor of mediaeval history, sets out the background for his exploration by pointing out that origins, while important, are something that we end up attaching too much importance to (‘the idol of origin’). It is not origin alone that makes something, but also the social, economic, cultural and other circumstances that influenced it, and it is with these also that the historian must concern himself, not simply statements of fact.
And so it is for spaghetti and tomato sauce, for it is not a dish that came about in some accidental or deliberate moment of creation but one that was built up gradually with various influences and impacted by social, economic and cultural factors. In fact, none of the ingredients that make up this dish—whether the pasta itself (at least in its dried form), or the tomato or chilli, onion or garlic, came from Italy and none were immediately accepted or eaten by the people instantly—pasta and cheese for instance not being initially considered the food of the nobility, and tomatoes seen as noxious by physicians. It is only gradually and over time that the elements began to come together and form the dish we know (and love) today.
In each of the chapters, the author considers the different elements that make up this dish—pasta (which was initially not even seen as a genus), the dried form of which came from Arab influence; cheese; tomato (and from it tomato sauce, something initially thought of as Spanish); chilli, onions and garlic, basil and even the olive oil that we today see as the essence of Italian cuisine, but which was a rather recent entrant into the dish of spaghetti and tomato sauce. And it is not just the ingredients and the way they and the recipes they are part of came together, but also the way the dish was eaten (forks were not in common use otherwise) which brought about changes to the way things were done.
For these developments we look at not only chefs and recipe books (I didn’t realise that there were recipe books on tablets—the stone ones I mean—as well), but also travellers and explorers, conquerors/rulers and physicians, all of whom played a role in the making up of the dish in one way or other.
From issues of etymology and the origin of ingredients, to physicians’ pronouncements and actual recipes, this discussion covers plenty of ground and reveals many interesting facts. Montanari also looks into how the dish or pasta more generally became a symbol of identity, both in a positive sense as a symbol of unity of the people, as well as to tease and in a pejorative sense.
I found this to be a really enjoyable and informative account, and one which also left me wanting to eat a plate of spaghetti and tomato sauce (any pasta, really) without much delay! (And on a more serious note, with the thought that ‘roots’ are perhaps not quite as limited as we think they are.)
My thanks to NetGalley and Yalli Books for a review copy of this book.
The Mystery at Lilli Villa is a children’s mystery set in a small village in KerMy thanks to NetGalley and Yalli Books for a review copy of this book.
The Mystery at Lilli Villa is a children’s mystery set in a small village in Kerala. We have 10-year-old Tam (Tamara) from Bangalore who is visiting her cousins Arj (Arjun) (11) and Mina (9) in Elathoor, Kerala for the summer holidays. She is looking forward to playing with her cousins and the tasty (and lavish) meals and snacks prepared by their cook Pitamma. On the very first night at Lilli Villa, Arj and Mina’s home, Tam hears strange footsteps in the middle of the night; terrified she goes back to sleep, but tells her cousins of this the next morning. The children decide to investigate the matter before reporting it to Arj and Mina’s parents, Damodar and Sheila, who are doctors. They soon find mysterious and unexplained footprints outside and when they tell their parents this, it is soon found that Sheila Ammayi’s jewels have been stolen. The local policeman Thombu, a friend of Damodar, is called in and he soon finds not one, but many in the house and outside whose shoe sizes match the mysterious print. The children, despite being warned off, decided to undertake their own investigations (and the old fashioned way, for they are banned from using phones and tablets during the vacation), and soon uncover more than one secret. While their investigations might be thrilling and Pitamma keeps them well supplied with delicious food, there is also danger along the way, and they must tread carefully.
This was a really cute, charming read. I thought the author did a great job with the mystery itself, with various suspects with their secrets and the children coming upon them in a believable way. The solution too was good fun. I liked that the author has also woven humorous touches into the glossaries which she has added—one on food and the other on Hindi and Malayali words.
The children themselves were pretty likeable, and done very realistically in the sense that their little disagreements (nothing major) and likes and dislikes come through nicely. The range of suspects too, are colourful, each with something to hide (well, may be not always to hide, but things that aren’t generally known), and each distinctive and nicely drawn out.
I also enjoyed all the food in the story—both dishes I was familiar with and things I was not; there is lots of it and it does make one hungry, and interested in trying out some of the dishes and sweets, like the ginger candy.
My favourite part of the book, however, was the setting itself; I thought the author painted a lovely and vivid picture of life in a small Kerala village—from the entertainments and outings that the children turn to or go on, to the close connections that everyone has in a small place, to the gossip networks, all of it was great fun.
A sweet and fun story which I enjoyed very much!...more
My thanks to Duckworth Books and NetGalley for a review copy of this one.
A Pocket Full of Pie is the ninth in a cosy mystery series—the No. 2 Feline DMy thanks to Duckworth Books and NetGalley for a review copy of this one.
A Pocket Full of Pie is the ninth in a cosy mystery series—the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency but was my first time reading the series. What caught my attention as you might be able to tell was the play on Agatha Christie/and the nursery rhyme in the title of the book and on Alexander McCall Smith’s series in the series title (so so cute). A cosy mystery in an English village is pleasant reading but what makes this one special is that it is set in no ordinary world but one populated by cats (as also I’m sure you can tell from the cover and series) and this was what made me jump at it.
Here we have Hettie Bagshot and Tilly Jenkins, two tabbies who live in a bedsit above a bakery (run by the Butter sisters) and also happen to run the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency. As the book opens, we find Tilly a bundle of nerves for she has been offered a slot on the local radio station, Whiskas FM, to present a show Tea Time with Tilly, on crime fiction and true crime. Hettie agrees to help her with the technical side of things, which is what scares her the most and things go off without a hitch. Whiskas FM is an up and coming under its new manager/owner Wilco Wonderfluff, who is full of plans but he is also getting some presenters’ hackles up by replacing them or moving them to less coveted slots. Trouble really begins to seep in when one of the station’s star presenters, Hartley Battenberg is murdered. While Hartley seemed like a jolly enough person, Hettie and Tilly, charged by Wilco to get to the bottom of things find that there was much more to him than first meets the eye. Soon another murder takes place. Complicating things further, both victims have pies stuffed into their pockets!
Meanwhile alongside, it is around Easter and the village is organizing all sorts of festivities. There is to be a bake-off (judged by a TV cook, no less) in which many of the cats are participating and the energetic Bunty Basham is planning to have cricket start early that year. With the radio station currently operating out of the cricket pavilion, tensions also rise between the three groups.
This was such good fun. I loved the cat-world that Morton has created—a good mix of all things cat and our own. I liked that she’s used a mix of cat touches (like the village’s name Much-Purring-on-the-Rug), some fun (but not necessarily cat) versions of real-world characters (like Pussy Parton, Agatha Crispy, and James Blond), and also some popular culture as it is, like The Sound of Music (a long time since I have seen it but it was fun to be reminded of all the songs).
I loved the two main characters Hettie and Tilly, and thought them very likeable. Each has their strengths and also their own approach towards handing problems and people and it is the combination that helps get to the bottom of things.
The mystery itself was a surprise, and in a good way. Because here there are no puns nor does it belong to the cat world but rather sits very much in the human realm. There is unpleasantness, blackmail, cheating and theft (and of course, murder), so the mystery becomes one that one can really enjoy. As far as whodunit is concerned, one can sort of guess (not immediately, though), but still there are plenty of other secrets and twists that one doesn’t so there were some surprises right up to the end.
Another element I really enjoyed was the sheer amount of food in the book. It isn’t only that Hettie and Tilly live above a bakery which also supplies their meals, but they are pretty much always eating from sandwiches, grills and roasts to teas and snacks, reading the book does make one very hungry, indeed (even more than Enid Blyton).
All-in-all this was a really fun read which I enjoyed very much, and I’d love to explore the other titles in the series as well. ...more
The first of a trilogy, the Cruel Prince tells the story of Jude who with her twin Taryn and older sister Vivi(enne) are brought to live in Faerie aftThe first of a trilogy, the Cruel Prince tells the story of Jude who with her twin Taryn and older sister Vivi(enne) are brought to live in Faerie after her parents are brutally killed. Brought up among the gentry, as mortals, Jude and Taryn are still looked down upon by many, particularly the youngest prince Cardan and his minions, who lose no opportunity to torment them, especially Jude since she won’t take their actions lying down. Having only Faerie to call her own, Jude wants nothing more than to belong, and to give a fitting reply to her tormentors, becoming a knight is her dream. Taryn on the other hand, wishes to more conventionally, fall in love and marry. When Jude’s hopes don’t seem like they’re panning out as she’d like, she begins to take other steps to gain the power she craves (and perhaps needs). But in taking these steps, she also begins to get involved in the politics and power games that are at play in Faerie, and she finds herself playing an important role—in things that may affect the future of Faerie itself.
This was such an exciting and engrossing read and I enjoyed myself thoroughly reading every bit of it. While initially we focus on their life at home, lessons, and the battles with Cardan and his crew, once (view spoiler)[Jude become a spy (hide spoiler)], things really begin to pick up, and there is literally something happening all the time. There is politics, espionage, conspiracies, betrayal, violence and bloodshed (also the inevitable romance or the beginnings of one), and so many twists and turns that one doesn’t really know what’s coming. There are also plenty of secrets that are revealed as we go along (only one of which I’d guessed), so there’s excitement aplenty. Jude is a character one doesn’t always approve of (mostly one does), but certainly one that keeps the reader interested throughout. She is vulnerable, scared because the Faerie folk can harm, hurt, humble her but that doesn’t make her cow down, instead, she is ever more emboldened to fight back, to show her enemies that she may fall but will never give up. Cardan too, despite his cruelty is an interesting character, who one can see from pretty much the start has more shades to him than what are visible at that point. Madoc too, even if his actions are not all one can approve of, is a person, I still found myself liking more than disliking. Vivi, her older sister, is very likeable, and I also loved little Oak. There are others that are outright cruel like the older Prince Balekin, and some others who one dislikes too (naming all would be spoilers). I also enjoyed reading about court life, the parties, and all the clothes and such. I found this so entertaining that I ordered the next one before I’d even finished. I can’t wait to see what happens next. ...more
Upper Fourth at Malory Towers picks up a couple of terms after the previous book when Darrell and her friends Book #4 for my Malory Towers challenge.
Upper Fourth at Malory Towers picks up a couple of terms after the previous book when Darrell and her friends were in their third form. Now they have spent some time in the Upper Forth taught by Miss Williams and are preparing to take their certificate exams. But that doesn’t of course stop school life from going on as it usually does. This is the first term in which Felicity has joined Malory Towers. Darrell is excited to show her little sister around and help settle her in, but before she can do that Alicia’s rather nasty little cousin, June, takes Felicity under her wing, and out of Darrell’s way, something the latter can’t approve. To add to the situation, Darrell has been made head-girl of the form, a post she is proud to occupy but her temper rears its ugly head again, putting everything that she’s been working for at risk. There are also new girls of course, the meek and unattractive Honourable Clarissa Carter, who Gwendolen (rather like St Clares’ Alison in this respect) is keen to befriend, and (non-identical) twins Connie and Ruth, opposites of each other in more than one way.
This was another interesting instalment in the series once again focusing on the girls’ different temperaments, and how this leads them to like or repel each other, and causes differences as well. At the end of the day, the message if one can call it that, which comes through is that one must be responsible for one’s own acts, face up to one’s own failings and deal with them if one wishes to be a good human being, not merely a winner of prizes and scholarships (the very same that Miss Grayling gives her new students each year). Some of the girls (Clarrisa, for one, Felicity another) must learn to see their ‘so-called’ friends for who they really are rather than the face they put on for them. Darrell must learn to face her temper and deal with it, or else face the consequences, just as Gwendolen must do for her deception and machinations. The twins have to learn to deal with each other’s personalities, and not get overshadowed by the other, while Alicia has to learn not to scorn other just because she has some gifts that others do not. For some these lessons have long-term results, but others merely fall back into their own ways.
That was the serious side, but there is a lighter side too. This was the first of the Malory Towers books where the girls actually had a midnight feast (St Clares seemed to have far more), which is fun though it does get interrupted and has some unpleasant cosequences. They also play a trick, once again on the unsuspecting Mam’zelle Dupont, who doesn’t realise what is happening (not even once its all over), much to the amusement of the girls, and Miss Williams. And of course, there is the usual fun of term time, a picnic, games and swimming which some girls are excited about while others perpetually try to get out of, Belinda and Irene’s madcap antics, and the usual fun. All-in-all a good read again. I think I’m appreciating these better reading them now, than when I read them as a child.
p.s.: An interesting fact I learnt from this book was that EB was a regular contributor to Encyclopaedia Britannica on English fauna. I knew she wrote nature books and was very knowledgeable about nature (something that reflects in her other books too) but not that she was a contributor to Britannica too.
This was a book I came across because it was mentioned on the booktube channel, Hailey in Bookland. This is a young adult book which tells the story oThis was a book I came across because it was mentioned on the booktube channel, Hailey in Bookland. This is a young adult book which tells the story of sixteen-year-old Carolina or Lina who is sent to Italy to meet and get to know her father after she loses her mother to cancer. All she wants to do is to get back to the States, but then she starts to discover Florence, aided in part by her mother’s journal of when she was in Florence, and by her friend Lorenzo ‘Ren’, a half-American, half-Italian boy who lives close-by. She also starts to look into, and tries to makes sense of her mother’s story and along the way, finds love as well.
This was a light-hearted read despite some of the more serious themes (death, family) that it touched on, and I found it an enjoyable read. While one of the storylines in the book is Lina’s own love interests and such, the main one was to do with her mother’s story, Lina learning to love Florence as her mom did, and trying to put together her own story since she knew pretty much nothing about her father until her mother passed on. There was a mystery element to the latter two which I enjoyed though one can more or less work out what it would be. Lina herself was a nice enough character but I found her somewhat annoying at times with her (teen?) failings of jumping to conclusions too fast and not really stopping to consider things when needed. There was gelato in the book and some pizza, pasta and also pastries which I enjoyed but unlike, say Enid Blyton, this didn’t feel like a book overflowing with food, though there was plenty of eating (may be because the other parts stood out more?). The parts where they explore Florence, and the general life there—much slower paced, and in surroundings so beautiful—was something I really enjoyed. A cute, pleasant read! Three and a half stars....more
The first of my ‘theme’ reads this month. This is a story of England in the mid-1950s, when rationing was coming to an end, Jazz ruled large, Elvis waThe first of my ‘theme’ reads this month. This is a story of England in the mid-1950s, when rationing was coming to an end, Jazz ruled large, Elvis was first appearing on the scene (though not yet in England), but the shadows of war still loomed large. Our ‘heroine’, eighteen-year-old Penelope Wallace, lives in her crumbling old ancestral home, Milton Magna, with her rather young mother, society-beauty, Talitha, and sixteen-year-old brother Inigo, who attends school but whose whole life is music and his guitar. Penelope attends classes on literature and art history, has a part-time job, and is preparing to spend some time in Italy the next year, and oh yes, she is besotted with singer Johnnie Ray. At home, the family is dealing with money problems, having to maintain Milton Magna (Penelope lost her father in the war, before her and her brother were even old enough to really understand it), each in their own way (her mother by wanting Penelope to marry money, and her brother wanting to make it big in the music world, much to her mother’s horror since that would inevitably involve him going away to America). Penelope and her family are pretty eccentric themselves but her somewhat uneventful life changes when one day at the bus stop she meets Charlotte, and through her, Charlotte’s aunt Clare, who’s in the midst of writing her memoirs (and happens to know Penelope’s parents though Penelope doesn’t immediately know how) and cousin Harry, a budding magician, determined to win back his ‘love’ Marina Hamilton….
This was my first Eva Rice book and I simply loved it (well, technically it was my second but the first was Who’s Who by Enid Blyton, so it doesn’t count as a novel). Reviewers have compared this one with Nancy Mitford and with I Capture the Castle and they’re right—the book definitely, especially at the beginning, has a very Mitford feel about it and also feels a lot like I Capture the Castle (the eccentric family, crumbling old house), but that said, it’s also its own story. I really enjoyed the story and all the characters, and especially the craziness and humour. Each character is very individual, well drawn out, eccentric, and interesting—none of your ‘ordinary’ people here, and there isn’t one (except, may be Marina), that one doesn’t ‘like’ or one wouldn’t mind knowing. I thought Rice captures the 1950’s world and indeed, the atmosphere (the ‘feel’ of it) really well—the world of music particularly, which makes perfect sense given her background. The tone remains light-hearted and humorous throughout, but the book also does give one a glimpse of the issues teens of the day then had to face (besides being teens that is)—to come to terms with a life that wasn’t in the midst of war (“I guess the strangest thing about your generation is that you grew up with war as your normality.”) and though the war’s over and there’s a new-found freedom, it’s shadows and impacts still remain with them, and aren’t something that can simply be shaken off. And Rice manages to do this without losing that light-hearted tone. Of course, I loved all the literary allusions and references (from Blyton (she of course, had to be there) to Hardy, and Scott Fitzgerald) as I usually do. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the illustrations—the little illustrations, not of characters but things that appear in the book—a taxi, a teapot and cup, weather vane, and such—there is a human or two but not, as such, specific characters in the book, and these I thought were really cute and great fun as well. This was a perfect beginning for my June theme reads, one I really enjoyed. I definitely want to be reading more of her books! ...more
Findouters challenge: Book 15. The final book of the findouters series, this marks the end of my findouters challenge which I began last October. ThisFindouters challenge: Book 15. The final book of the findouters series, this marks the end of my findouters challenge which I began last October. This one opens a little differently from the rest as while the children are setting out to receive Fatty as usual, this time around he comes by bus rather than train. There is no mystery waiting for Fatty to solve at the start, and as the childrens’ parents want them out of their hair, they suggest the children go on expeditions to different places around Peterswood. Meanwhile Ern has also come to the village, staying once again with Mr Goon, as one of his sisters has the measles, and this time around he’s brought with him his very own dog Bingo, who not only the children but also Buster takes to instantly. Ern gets into a bit of trouble with Mr Goon and moves into Fatty’s shed thereby also getting the time to join them on their expeditions. So almost Famous-Five-like, their first ‘trip’ takes them to Banshee Towers, an old house that now houses a gallery of sorts for sea pictures. Ern and Bets are awfully keen on seeing these and it is their interest, and Ern’s keen eye that gives them the first hint of mystery. On their very first trip they find some mysterious and rather unfriendly characters in Banshee Towers, the owner included, and also that a banshee actually wails there at a certain hour. Not only that, there is a mysterious trap door, and also a secret path from the outside, which Buster and Bingo have discovered, When Fatty and Ern return a second time to investigate, Ern notices something wrong with one of the paintings he was admiring the previous day. While the other children are not inclined to believe him at the start, Bets has noticed the same thing, and so begins their ‘investigation’ to discover what’s really going on in Banshee Towers.
This one lacked quite a few of the ‘trademark’ elements of the findouters stories, Fatty not disguising himself even once, and the children not pranking Mr Goon (the second bit was more welcome, because as I’ve been noticing this time around, they do tend to unnecessarily bother him, and do interfere with his work), except one little trick at the end. Mr Goon too, though wanting the findouters out of his hair, isn’t at his worst, and by the end is even ready to extend a friendly hand to the children, and one begins to wonder if this will work, but of course…. In this one also, the children are in no direct ‘competition’ with Mr Goon to solve the case, which makes things somewhat smoother. But this doesn’t mean Fatty doesn’t get to use some of the tricks he’s learnt or that the mystery is any the less dangerous or exciting, or the villains, any the less menacing. Ern, as has been the case in the last few titles in which he appears, plays a much more active role, and shows that he too is very bright (he’s proved himself enterprising too before―the children unfortunately still have that somewhat arrogant opinion of Ern’s brains not perhaps being as good as their own), even if not as much so as Fatty, who as usual pieces together the puzzle and works out the answers in what seems like no time at all, leading Chief Inspector Jenks to remark that they would both make good policemen. In fact, he can’t wait for Fatty to grow up and join the force. Ern’s is still at his portry as well, of course, but for a change, his pome does begin with ‘The poor old…’ . The mystery while not overly complex did have some interesting elements to it, and it was nice to see how Fatty worked out some parts of the puzzle. On the foodmeter, this was above average, though the children don’t go to the tea shop as often as usual, there are teas, toffee, and biscuits in the shed, breakfasts and suppers for Ern, and also some treats for Buster and Bingo. Buster and Bingo I thought made a fun pair of crazy dogs who also played their part in the mystery, besides snapping away at poor Goon’s ankles. This was a fun read and a good close to the series, though if one reads the last lines, it reads like any entry in the series anticipating another mystery, though in this case, no other comes. Which means of course, that one simply has to start back at the beginning ...more
Findouters challenge: Book 13. The thirteenth of the findouters books begins as usual but also somewhat unusually as well. The children are home againFindouters challenge: Book 13. The thirteenth of the findouters books begins as usual but also somewhat unusually as well. The children are home again, this time for Easter break, and Fatty to everyone’s surprise is slimming (or attempting to slim, at any rate) for he has been selected for the tennis team at school and while he can hit his shots, running around the court with his current weight isn’t the easiest of things. Meanwhile the Trottevilles have visitors, a friend of Mr Trotteville, Mr Tolling a coleopterist is in Peterswood for a conference and brings along his daughter Eunice who turns out to be the one person Fatty can’t manage to get the better of. Meanwhile his attempts at disguising as a tramp (only for fun and in his shed) lead to his discovering that there is another mystery for the findouters to solve. There is a man the police are looking for, an ace of sorts at disguises and the police are certain he’s in Peterswood. With the fair in the village, and also the conference there are plenty of places to hide. The children are of course trying to solve the mystery before Mr Goon, yet again, but also in a way that Eunice who annoys them doesn’t get wind of what’s going on.
Reading this book, I noticed so many things that were different from the usual findouters books. There are the usual elements of course, school holidays, a mystery, a touch of boasting from Fatty, disguises, Mr Goon and Buster, and food of course. But for one, this book was the first in which I noticed the children drinking coffee―so far (If I haven’t missed it), it was mostly cocoa/chocolate in winter and endless lemonade in summer, so while ages aren’t mentioned in this one, one begins to realise they’re growing older. And then the mention of perms which quite surprised me for while the children weren’t talking of fashion in this case, this wasn’t something that pops up in their vocabularies in general. Then of course, there is Eunice herself, the first time someone who manages to ‘boss’ Fatty around a bit, and who he can’t seem to escape or get the better of. So even he isn’t invincible. Still, while she can be overbearing, no doubt, she’s got some fun in her as well and turns out far better than one would expect from when the book starts off. One sees more of Mrs Trotteville’s lighter side as well in this one. And yes, their equation was Goon is a lot different in this one as well―he still calls Fatty, that ‘toad of a boy’ and doesn’t want his interference, and Fatty still plays a trick or two on him but there isn’t that outright unpleasantness between them that is apparent in many of the books.
Anyway back to the mystery itself, this was again one that I’ve read many times before so though I was reading it after a long-ish gap and had forgotten some of the details, I did remember the solution. While not one of the most interesting, the solution was still fairly so, and one which I as a result enjoyed. This time around though, it was Fatty who worked it all out by himself, literally all of it. The denouement too, come to think of it was very unlike the rest of the series, considering (well that might be a spoiler of sorts)… On the foodmeter, this was certainly much above average. With all that slimming and talk of it, it is only to be expected that Fatty eats a lot more than usual. So yet another enjoyable one, though it seemed very different from the rest of the series.
The original illustrations are available here (but beware, there is a review with spoilers): http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/bo... (The site mentions the illustrations are by Lilian Bucanan from the first ed, but there are several on this page that I have in my ed and those are by Mary Gernat). ...more
Findouters challenge: book 12. I started the Findouters challenge last October and have been reading these books in order since. Last month I took a bFindouters challenge: book 12. I started the Findouters challenge last October and have been reading these books in order since. Last month I took a bit of a ‘break’ from it as I was reading mainly historical fiction. But now I’m back to it, and plan to finish the series this month. The Mystery of Tally-ho Cottage was a book I last read many years ago, probably still in school, but not after unlike some of the other books in the series so all I really remembered about it was that it had the Larkins and the Lorenzos but who they were or what the mystery was about I didn’t remember at all. When I began reading though, the solution came back to me, and is certainly among the more creative and fun ones in the series. The story begins more or less the same, though this time Pip and Bets, Larry and Daisy are all in Peterswood while Fatty has been away for two weeks of the Christmas holiday. So, the opening is of course, the four and Buster (who Pip and Bets have been dog-sitting) setting out to the railway station to meet Fatty, due to arrive that day. There they or rather Buster get into a quarrel of sorts with a couple they later learn are the Lorenzos (tenants at Tally-ho Cottage)―the latter having accused Buster of ‘attacking’ their poodle Poppet. The matter settles down as the Lorenzos are leaving town and Poppet is to stay with the rather nasty caretakers of the cottage, the Larkins. Soon it emerges that the Lorenzos have stolen a valuable painting and taken off, and there is once again a mystery to solve. Meanwhile Ern is back in Peterswood staying with his other relatives the Wooshes, who happen to live just next to Tally-Ho giving him an opportunity to keep an eye on Tally-ho for Superintendent Jenks has forbidden Fatty to get involved.
This was another fun entry in the series with, as I wrote already, a pretty creative solution. As far as the ‘investigations’ are concerned, Ern takes a bit of a lead, building a tree- house and involving his twin cousins Liz and Glad in the process. (While the children are friendly to him, their attitude but for Bets is once again the same as ever Pip (who won’t make a noise in his house for fear of his strict parents) accusing Ern of not being brave, and almost all the children believing him to be loose lipped). Still, he catches on to some important things though it is Fatty and the others who interpret them. Also as usual, it is Bets who points to the all-important clue, unwittingly though in this one and Fatty catches on putting all the pieces into place as a result. But none of this before a couple of adventures in ‘disguise’, including as an ‘Indian’ (these bits are a bit exaggerated and stereotypical, but in good fun) to lead Goon a merry dance, as well as a midnight adventure. But yes, none of the planting of false clues and such, only playing tricks on Goon a little. Fatty also uses his mimicry and ventriloquism skills but to entertain rather than to ‘detect’. On the foodmeter, this one rated just ‘ok’―there was eating and drinking (scones, cocoa, gingerbread, cake) but it didn’t seem overflowing with food as some of their adventures are. A fun and entertaining read overall which I quite enjoyed.
A few of the original illustrations are available on the Blyton Society Page here: http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/bo... (but it has a review with spoilers so avoid that if you haven’t read the book but plan to)....more
Findouters Challenge: Book 10. Christmas Holidays again but the Findouters are all down with the flu passed on by Bets (much to Mr Goon’s delight). BeFindouters Challenge: Book 10. Christmas Holidays again but the Findouters are all down with the flu passed on by Bets (much to Mr Goon’s delight). Bets upset about being the cause of the others’ woes spends her time and money cheering them up. When she spends the day at Fatty’s house, he shows off his newest skill―ventriloquism. As soon as the children are well enough to get outdoors again, a robbery occurs in a house near Larry’s, and the owner Mr Fellowes is seen escaping in his dressing gown and pyjamas with only a bundle in his hand. Mr Fellowes soon returns and insists he had gone of his own volition only to visit a friend, and nothing has been stolen. But before Mr Fellowes’ return, the children (and Mr Goon) have already begun investigating and the only clues they’ve found are some footprints and a very small red glove. And while the children may not have started off tricking Mr Goon in this one, Fatty soon enough uses his ventriloquism and disguises to lead poor Goon on a bit of a wild goose chase, with the result that poor Goon thinks the real clues he finds are only a trick the children played. So it is upto the findouters again to put two and two together and solve the mystery of the strange bundle.
As far as food and eating is concerned, this one was pretty much overflowing with it. Fatty and in fact all the others having recovered from the flu seem famished all the time and are happy to eat helping after helping of their dinners and suppers besides scrumptious teas and hot chocolate and endless macaroons at the dairy, and then some ore when they come back home. It makes one positively hungry :) Mr Goon I again felt rather sorry for in this one―his reaction to the tricks played on him was certainly a little extreme (him being an adult and a policeman) but the children do tend to take their tricks a little too far. The mystery I thought was also one their more interesting ones, with the children really applying their minds to Mr Fellowes strange behaviour and equally strange clues that this mystery has thrown up attempting to work out what they could all mean―in the process applying all their skills (Fatty’s marvellous disguises included). The solution too was quite interesting though overall the end doesn’t leave one feeling entirely satisfied. This time it turns out to be Buster who plays a key part. A somewhat unusual mystery but still good fun. Three and a half stars. ...more
This was a short story, only about 30 pages, featuring Chef Maurice and his friend, restaurant critic Arthur Wordington-Smythe. It starts with MauriceThis was a short story, only about 30 pages, featuring Chef Maurice and his friend, restaurant critic Arthur Wordington-Smythe. It starts with Maurice pointing out the less than acceptable quality of bass supplied by his new fishmonger, the old one, Mr Mersters having retired and shut shop. Inside the sea bass, Sous Chef Patrick discovers a carved wooden fish and on it inscribed a plea for help. Maurice shows it to Arthur of course, but is himself not inclined to investigate the matter though he agrees to accompany Arthur, who wants to get to the bottom of the matter. They set off to the Cornish coast to investigate, where Arthur does the investigating while Maurice enjoys a delicious seafood meal. However, it is Maurice who finally ends up getting to the bottom of it all.
This prequel to the Chef Maurice series was another fun read. This is of course before he solves his “first” mystery and before Hamilton the micro-pig appears on the scene. In fact, Arthur’s great dane Horace is also missing from the action. But Sous Chef Patrick is there, and experimenting with food and using his knowledge of computers to get more business for Le Cochon Rouge. Maurice has his Poirotesque moustache and Pork-Pie hat of course, but is not in the least interested in the mysterious wooden fish. In fact, even in his second mystery, I doubt he would have been if it didn’t involve finding the source of his precious white truffles, and then of course rescuing Hamilton. Still this was fun enough and I enjoyed their investigations, all the food, and how Maurice finally caught on to the solution. Good fun. I wonder why the author only wrote three books and seems to have stopped. Anyway, at least I have two more to read still. Three and a half stars. ...more
Another free cozy on Kindle with some of my favourite themes, a murder mystery, food, and a pig (there’s also a great dane), not to mention a dash of Another free cozy on Kindle with some of my favourite themes, a murder mystery, food, and a pig (there’s also a great dane), not to mention a dash of humour. This is a first in series (of three books) and introduces us to French Chef Maurice Manchot who lives in the village of Beakley, running his restaurant Le Cochon Rouge. His team comprises Sous Chef Patrick and commis Alf. When his supply of mushrooms runs out and his supplier, forager Ollie fails to appear as usual, Maurice thinks nothing of breaking into Ollie’s and retrieving the mushrooms meant for his restaurant. But he finds not only that there has already been a break-in, but that Ollie was in possession of a valuable stock of white Alba truffles. Managing to pinch a sample, he realises the source is local and is determined to trace it. Helped along by his friend restaurant critic Arthur Wordington-Smythe, a nice person but harsh reviewer and the latter’s dog Horace, Maurice first sets out to acquire a truffle-dog but instead ends up with a truffle-pig Hamilton. The search for truffles leads them no closer to the supply but instead they come upon Ollie’s body. He has been shot a few days earlier. Maurice still wishes to find the source and begins to look into the murder but when he begins to get too close, poor Hamilton is pig-napped. Soon enough it is obvious that the local police aren’t getting anywhere except for the information Maurice has tracked down and recovering Hamilton would mean tracking down the murderer, the Chef perseveres bringing things to a close in a Christie-esque denouement with all concerned gathered around a dinner table.
Chef Maurice is larger than life, a bit exaggerated, big-mouthed but a fun character who lets his obsession with finding the rare Alba Truffles take possession of him completely. This results in him breaking-in to his forager’s cottage a couple of times, attempting theft, and ultimately setting off on a wild goose (or rather wild truffle) chase with his pet pig Hamilton. He doesn’t always stay within the bounds of law and Arthur often has to stop him from blurting out too much in the nick of time. The author pays a tribute to but also in a way parodies Poirot (the pork-pie hat, his moustache, his way of speaking, one of the characters asking Maurice whether he is Belgian remarking, “I knew a Belgian once, a little fellow. He asked a lot of questions too.”) I also enjoyed the sections narrated from Hamilton’s pov (initially we aren’t told who he is). There’s also a bit of romance thrown in with Sous Chef Patrick falling for PC Lucy. Light, quick, and very good fun!
p.s. There was one little detail that didn't sit quite right in the explanation but that doesn't really affect the fun of it all....more
First in the Oxford Tearoom mystery series and the first Kindle book I’ve read, this is a light and fun cosy mystery. This was free on Amazon. Our “heFirst in the Oxford Tearoom mystery series and the first Kindle book I’ve read, this is a light and fun cosy mystery. This was free on Amazon. Our “heroine” twenty-nine-year-old Gemma Rose has returned home to Oxford giving up a corporate career in Sydney to start afresh, her own tearoom in the village of Meadowford-on-Smythe where she grew up. Her childhood friend Cassie is working with her and they’ve hired a local Fletcher as their chef, and he doesn’t come to work without his cat Museli (based on the author’s own cat). Its three months into her new venture, and things are beginning to look up, but one day an obnoxious American tourist turns up at the tearoom, ruffling more than a few feathers. Dreading his reappearing the next day (which he had hinted at) Gemma goes to open up only to find his body in the outdoor area. When the police arrive to investigate, Gemma is surprised to the detective is her old boyfriend (and first love) Devlin O’Connor. Finding the investigation not going fast enough, and her business suffering because of it, she begins to look into the case herself.
I really enjoyed this one. I expected something light when I picked it up and it was that but the mystery element was a pleasant surprise with more of a twist (in fact twists) than I thought there would be. I enjoyed the descriptions of Oxford and University life which made the book a more interesting read overall. There are perhaps elements that might seem a bit “chic lit” (I do enjoy some of those too) as far as Gemma’s romance/s and her mother’s matchmaking attempts are concerned, but the book also has substance. This was a great first “Kindle” book for me. So glad I came across it. Looking forward to more of these and more antics of Museli the cat....more
What a wonderful, endearing, lovely read this was! The adventures of five little girls (Gertie, Charlotte, Sarah, Henny and Ella) aged between four anWhat a wonderful, endearing, lovely read this was! The adventures of five little girls (Gertie, Charlotte, Sarah, Henny and Ella) aged between four and twelve living with their mama who looks after the home, and papa who runs a junk shop in the East Side in New York City. I shouldn’t perhaps say adventures, for really this is the story of their daily lives, the daily happenings, chores, trips to the library, the little ups and down, the joys and sorrows that life brings every day―but that in itself is an adventure and I loved every bit of it.
The book opens with the girls heading off to the library on Friday, the day being ‘library day’ for them. That was enough to have me love it! But I loved it for so much more. For one, that the girls and their parents find happiness and contentment in what little they had; their means may have been modest but they lived life to the fullest within it and had their little pleasures with trips to the library, to the market, celebrating various festivals, even a day-out at Coney Island. This is something I feel one needs to remind oneself every so often, in a time when we are always wanting more no matter how much we have and are never satisfied―one doesn’t need to have much to be happy, just to appreciate all one has and enjoy it to the fullest rather than spending all one’s time brooding over all one hasn’t. (This aspect was very reminiscent of the Family at One End Street, and something I loved about that book too.) The other thing about this book I really loved was how rich it was in terms of showcasing culture. The beautiful detail in which Taylor describes Jewish festivals and observances makes one feel as if one is there with the family, watching the celebrations as they happen, listening to the sounds, and smelling the food (almost tasting it, even). And then of course the people themselves―none of the girls are really naughty as such, mostly well-behaved but they are all very real, very human and very likeable and I loved them all.
I was so thrilled to learn that this is a series of books and there are four more I haven’t read. Really looking forward to these.
It wouldn’t do to not mention the illustrations by Helen John which I also really liked very much.
A delightful read- if I could have rated it more than five stars, I would have :) I know I will keep coming back to this one often....more
Lady Clementina
>
Books:
food
(23)
Loading...
