Sugar Plum Poisoned

Finished November 12

Sugar Plum Poisoned by Jenn McKinlay

This was a fun read. It is the fifteenth book in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series, and the first one I've read. This one is set on the central characters' home turf of Scottsdale, Arizona. The two main characters are Angie Harper and Melanie DeLaura. The two, alone with Angie's husband Tate own Fairy Tale Cupcakes. They have franchised the business to other locations, with Tate being the one going on the road and do this side of the business. Angie and Melanie run the local shop, along with counter help staff. 

The book opens with news that a close friend that Angie made before her marriage is coming to town and wants them to do catering for her several nights. Shelby Vaughn is a singer, just starting to make it big, and she will be playing Christmas shows at a hotel in town. 

Once she shows up, it becomes apparent that something is off about her relationship with her manager. Doc. He seems very controlling, and questions begin to emerge about whether he is acting in Shelby's best interests. 

When he is found dead in Shelby's dressing room, things get more tense. There seem to be plenty of people around that have issues with Shelby, Doc, or both, and Angie and Melanie take it upon themselves to protect Shelby while getting at the truth. 

Melanie also has Christmas dinner to plan as she is hosting it this year for the first time and the size of the gathering keeps getting bigger. 

I enjoyed the mystery as well as the interesting cupcake ideas. There are quite a few recipes at the back of the book for those readers interested in trying them out. 

Love at 350°

Finished September 21 

Love at 350° by Lisa Peers

This lesbian romance revolves around a competitive baking television show. The two central characters are one of the competitors and a judge on the show. The food definitely takes prominence here, with the romance always on the edge. 

Tori Moore is a high school chemistry teacher who has, along with another teacher at her school, taught a class combining chemistry and baking that considers the scientific aspects of baking while teaching the kids kitchen skills too. It actually sounds like a pretty cool course and reminds me of the recent novel Lessons in Chemistry. She is fairly recently divorced from her wife, after he wife left her to "pursue her dreams." She has twins who are in the senior year of high school and who worry about her being on her own after they leave for college. They have entered her in the competition to be on the reality television show Bake-O-Rama without her knowledge. When she finds that she's made it to the level of being asked to tryout for the show, she doesn't hesitate long. 

Kendra Campbell is one of the two hosts on the show, and definitely the more critical one, with her ruthless critiques driving some previous contestants to tears. She owns a chain of upscale cookie outlets, and a high-end restaurant. Her agent (who is also her brother) has encouraged her to soften her approach as a way to make the show's producers more likely to keep her on as a judge. 

When Tori makes it to the final selection of contestants who will appear on the upcoming season's shows, she is both excited and nervous. Her friends and children all are encouraging and supportive. 

Both women notice a spark between them, but their contracts stipulate no fraternization for a year after the show airs, which means that they can't act on those nascent feelings without jeopardize Tori's spot in the competition, or Kendra's job. They do manage to find some ways to let each other know there is interest and hope for a future. While this limited the romantic aspect of the book, I found it realistic. The women are mature, and able to consider the pros and cons of reacting to their feelings on a more immediate basis. 

I learned a lot about different kinds of baking, and there is a recipe included at the end of the book. 

The characters are appealing and vulnerable and I really was captured by the book. Some of the other contestants in the contest were interesting as well and had a little depth that grew through the plot. 

A definite winner. 

Kiss Her Once for Me

Finished January 6

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

This lesbian romance has much more to offer than the satisfying romance it contains. It is a book about dealing with failure, about how we respond to the expectations of others, about being our true selves in all their messy truth, and about how we find those true selves.

It is a book about dealing with the fears we all face, the fears of failure, of rejection, of imperfection, of negative attention, of positive attention, of success, and of being vulnerable. 

Ellie Oliver is a woman who more or less raised herself and is still dealing with a toxic parent in her life. She has used art as a way to make herself feel good, as a way to get positive attention, and now as a way to earn a living, but it has also become something that is no longer something she does for herself in a healing way, but usually something that she does for others. She is broke, unhappy, and trying to hide from everything that she doesn't want to deal with.

Jack Kim-Prescott is a woman who has not lived up to the expectations her wealthy family has had for her. She tried, but she stopped trying a while back. She is slowly finding her path, career wise, but still struggling in her personal life. When they meet, they recognize each other, but it also scares them both to a certain extent because of their pasts. 

The book is set in Portland, Oregon, beginning in December 2021 and ending sometime early in 2023. 

This book makes you feel for the characters, and hope for them, and care about what happens to them. A great read. 

The Recipe Box

Finished October 13
The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman, read by Susan Bennett

The story begins with Alice Mullins making an apple crisp in the 1930s at the orchard farm her and her husband own in Wisconsin, but quickly jumps to the present day, with her great granddaughter Samantha working as a pastry chef in New York City. Sam doesn't like or respect the man she works for, a phony who goes by the name Chef Dimples and never actually cooks himself, and who treats his staff badly.
Samantha is making a pie for Chef Dimples appearance on Good Morning America, when he behaves horribly and disrespectfully towards her, and she ends up quitting. She decides to take a break and go home to Wisconsin for a while to regroup and lick her wounds. She's enjoyed her time in New York City, attending cooking school, making friends with other women her age both as classmates, roommates, and coworkers. She's kept herself busy and made no time for relationships despite the attentions of a young New Jersey produce delivery driver.
Back home in Wisconsin, she doesn't at first admit to her family that she's left her job, and she hears more family stories, spends time in the orchard and the kitchen of the family-run bakery business and thinks about her future.
Each section of the book has a recipe, all of them sounding absolutely delicious. I'm definitely going to try some out. I liked the continuity of the family and learning the story of each generation, their struggles, and their successes.
This was a fun read, centered around families and food, with the Mullins slogan of "Pie equals Love" coming through loud and clear.

Night of Miracles

Finished February 20
Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg, read by the author

This novel features a few characters that live in a small town in Missouri called Mason. Lucille has lived in Mason all her life, and is in her eighties. Her mind is still keen, and she holds strong to her values. She never married, but has a young woman in her life, Maddy, that she treats as a daughter, and whose young daughter Nola considers her a grandmother. Lucille has been teaching baking classes, but they've been getting more popular, and she is looking to take on an assistant. She has also recently made friends with her new neighbours, Jason and Abby, a couple with a young son, Lincoln. As Abby faces some health issues, Lucille spends time with Lincoln, making a new friend.
Iris Winters is new to town, leaving Boston after the breakup of her marriage, a decision she still revisits. She befriends her neighbour Tiny, who runs a local taxi business. Tiny is a large man with a big heart, and he begins to ask Iris's advice on his love life.
At the local diner, Polly's Henhouse, one of the waitresses, Monica, is beginning to take steps outside her comfort zone after the recent death of her much-loved mother. She's long had a crush on one of her regulars, and begins to consider how to make a move to indicate her interest.
As we get inside the heads of Lucille, Iris, Monica, and Tiny, we see the importance of relationships and communication. All the lives of these people are intertwined and as they grow closer, they also overcome barriers.
This is a story of love, of loss, of friendship, and of new beginnings. I really enjoyed it. And the baking made my mouth water.

Baby Cakes

Finished September 24
Baby Cakes by Theo Heras, illustrations by Renne Benoit

This picture book shows a young child and the family cat helping mom make cupcakes. They gather ingredients, measure, mix, spill a little, fill the pans, and wait for the cakes to back. The illustrations are cute and everyone looks like they are having fun. It's a nice idea for kids who like to help in the kitchen. Included in the end papers, are a recipe for chocolate cupcakes in the front, and vanilla frosting in the back. This is where a few minor inconsistencies came up. The characters in the book make vanilla cupcakes, but the recipe is for chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla option noted. The recipe is in a different order than the story. In the story, they mix the dry ingredients first, but in the recipe they cream the butter first. The characters in the book seem to be eating baby cakes with frosting at the end, but there is no activity of them putting frosting on the cakes. I know these are minor inconsistencies, and don't have an effect on the fun of the book, but they just jumped out at me.
One very positive note: I know there has been much discussion of late of more children's books where the children can see themselves in the books they read, requiring more diverse characters in kids' books, especially where the characters are just themselves without commentary on race or ethnicity and I was pleased to see this book as a great example of filling that need.

The Great British Bake Off

Finished June 15
The Great British Bake Off:: How to Avoid a Soggy Bottom and other Secrets to Achieving a Good Bake by Gerard Baker

I was attracted to this book by the subtitle, as I have had problems with a soggy bottom on my rhubarb pies. The book covers cakes, biscuits, bread, pastry, desserts, and fillings. There are some basic recipes for common creations included in each section, lots of history, information on the chemistry of baking, and lots of helpful tips and guides to getting a good result. I know have some strategies to try the next time I make a pie.