Lemon Meringue Pie Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke
Genre: Fiction / Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The residents of Lake Eden, Minnesota, are planning to paint the town red, white, and blue to celebrate the Fourth of July—but the fireworks are already going off at Hannah Swensen’s bake shop, The Cookie Jar…

Hannah Swensen thought she’d finally discovered the recipe for a perfect life. But her sometime beau Norman Rhodes tosses a surprise ingredient into the mix when he phones to tell her he’s just bought a house from local drugstore clerk Rhonda Scarf—which he plans to tear down in order to build the dream home he and Hannah designed. It seems the plan has been cooking for quite some time, and Hannah’s shocked. Especially since her ring finger is still very much bare…

The good news is that the soon-to-be-torn-down house is full of antiques—and Norman has given Hannah and her mother first dibs. They uncover some gorgeous old furniture, a patchwork quilt…and Rhonda Scarf’s dead body. Not exactly what they were looking for. A little more sleuthing turns up the half-eaten remains of a very special dinner for two—and one of The Cookie Jar’s famous lemon meringue pies. It’s obvious Rhonda was expecting someone for dinner—perhaps one of the men she was secretly dating. Now it’s up to Hannah to turn up the heat—and get busy tracking down clues. Starting in her very own kitchen…

Review: I needed a fast read after pushing through The White Cascade for over two weeks.

This is number 4 in the Hannah Swensen series and by now we should know to expect a light, fun read. The first chapter was great and it was off and running from there. This was my favorite in the series so far.

The White Cascade

Author: Gary Krist
Genre: Non-fiction / History
Publisher: Holt, Henry & Company, Inc., 2008
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: In February 1910, a monstrous, record-breaking blizzard hit the Northwest. Nowhere was the danger more terrifying than near a tiny town called Wellington, perched high in the Cascade Mountains, where a desperate situation evolved: two trainloads of cold, hungry passengers and their crews found themselves marooned. For days, an army of the Great Northern Railroad's most dedicated men worked to rescue the trains, but just when escape seemed possible, the unthinkable occurred--a colossal avalanche tumbled down, sweeping the trains over the steep slope and down the mountainside. Centered on the astonishing spectacle of our nation's deadliest avalanche, The White Cascade is the masterfully told story of a never-before-documented tragedy.

Review: I cannot express how happy I was to delve back into disaster non-fiction. It's morbid I know, but there's just something about it that interests me. I think perhaps it's the element of chance. One seemingly insignificant decision is the difference between life or death. 

The power of nature and the power of the human spirit are also quite fascinating.

This was the first I had ever heard of this avalanche, and I have to say I wasn't wowed by this account. The bones were there, but the author failed to bring the reader onto the snow-covered mountainside and into a train. In the best disaster non-fiction readers feels as if they are a part of the action, actually living it, and the experience stays with them, haunts them even, long after the book concludes.

Where was the editor? Background information is always a plus in novels such as these, but I can't help but think Krist gave us too much practical information about railroading in general and didn't move the story along fast enough. The last chapter was fantastic, thought provoking.

Long story short, this isn't a bad read if you're interested in this particular disaster. However, if you want great disaster non-fiction because you want to be drawn in, there are numerous other options. For example:

The Hinckley Firestorm 
Iroquois Theatre Fire 
Texas School Explosion
Boston Molasses Flood

Mrs. Astor Regrets

Author: Meryl Gordon
Genre: Biography
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009
Pages: 336
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: "The fate of Brooke Astor, the endearing philanthropist with the storied name, has generated worldwide headlines since her grandson Philip sued his father in 2006, alleging mistreatment of Brooke. And, shortly after her death in 2007, Anthony Marshall, Mrs. Astor's only child, was indicted on charges of looting her estate. Rarely has there been a story with such an appealing heroine, conjuring up a world so nearly forgotten: a realm of lavish wealth and secrets of the sort that have engaged Americans from the era of Edith Wharton to the more recent days of Truman Capote and Vanity Fair." Meryl Gordon has interviewed not only the elite of Brooke Astor's social circle but also the large staff who cosseted and cared for Mrs. Astor during her declining years. The result is the behind-the-headlines story of the Astor empire's unraveling, filled with never-before-reported scenes. This powerful, poignant saga takes the reader inside the gilded gales of an American dynasty, laying bare three generations of longing and missed opportunities. Even in this territory of privilege, no riches can put things right once they've been torn asunder. Here is an American epic of the bonds of money, morality, and social position.

Review: I really enjoyed this. The very rich always make for very interesting reading.

The author successfully avoided taking sides, and stuck to the facts of Brooke Astor's life and her eventual decline. As for my own thoughts...While it's true Tony Marshall is not a likeable person, one has to remember is the product of his upbringing. I feel bad for all of them. Having an outrageous amount of wealth will never be a burden I have to bear :-)

The Taste of Apple Seeds

Author: Katharina Hagena
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014
Pages: 256
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: When Iris unexpectedly inherits her grandmother's house in the country, she also inherits the painful memories that live there. Iris gives herself a one-week stay at the old house, after which she'll make a decision: keep it or sell it. The choice is not so simple, though, for her grandmother's cottage is an enchanting place, where currant jam tastes of tears, sparks fly from fingertips, love's embrace makes apple trees blossom, and the darkest family secrets never stay buried. . . .

Review: I just never know how to feel about a book when it's been translated into English, but this one sounded good enough to try.

You know, I liked it. I wasn't in love with it, nor do I feel this is an absolute must-read, but I liked it.

Iris' cousin's fate is woven mysteriously throughout the novel and the reader learns a little more with every passing chapter. I won't spoil the ending, but the last chapter makes reading this all worthwhile.