Death in a Mud Flat

Taking a little detour from cookbooks here, with a mystery novel, Death in a Mudflat by N. A. Granger.

But ... it's not totally devoid of food. While the main character, Rhe, is a nurse and her husband is the chief of police, Rhe likes to cook, as does her best friend, so people actually cook things, serve dinner, and discuss events over food. Kind of like real people.

That's not a huge part of the story, though, it's all about a murder. Rhe, besides being a nurse, also consults with the police department, so she's in the thick of things, from the very beginning, when a dead body is discovered near the beach wedding of some friends.

Yup, that'll put a damper on the festivities.

Like many characters in mysteries, Rhe has lots of time to investigate murder, even though she has another job. But that's okay. It's not a medical mystery novel, and we don't need to know how many times she took someone's blood pressure during the day. Her medical knowledge does come in handy though.

As mysteries go, this was complicated enough to be interesting, the characters were likable, and the end was satisfying. What's not to like?

I received this book at no cost to me.

A Christmas Carol with recipes

So, this is interesting.

Again, a book landed on my doorstep, asking to come in. Hello, book, who are you? Ah, it's A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Huh? Wha? Why?

You've probably read A Christmas Carol at some point in your life. Or you saw the movie or maybe even a play. But this version is different. It includes recipes by Giada de Laurentiis, Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, and Trisha Yearwood.

Yup, recipes.

There's no roast goose, but there is a roasted turkey breast and a baked ham, so you'll be all set for the holidays. While this is far from being a full-blown cookbook, there are appetizers, side dishes, and desserts, too.

I'm quite tempted by the Cran-Apple Crisp for dessert, if I'm being honest.

Besides including recipes, the illustrations are also food-related, which is kind of cute. Makes the whole thing more fun.

I have to say this would make a lovely gift for someone who likes to read and likes to cook. Add a few extras, like a set of biscuit cutters, a zester, and a pretty pie plate, and it would be really adorable.

As I'm browsing through the book, I'm wondering when I actually read it last. I mean, I've watched it recently. I think it's time I read it again. Right after I fix a nice mug of hot chocolate.

Like many books here, I got this from the publisher at no cost to me.

Savor You

This is not the usual sort of book I read, but it landed with a thump on my doorstep, so I brought it in and gave it a go.

The cover says it's a fusion novel - but fusing what? The people on the cover say it's probably a romance novel. The background is a kitchen. The title is Savor You.

The plot thickens. Or maybe it's just the lemon curd.

Did I mention that I don't usually read romance novels? I think the last one I read was when I found out that a grade school classmate had written a few of them, and I figured I'd check them out. That was ... a loooong time ago.

The fusion here seems to be lots of romance with a smattering of food. There's no murder, so it's not a murder mystery. No aliens, so it's not sci-fi. Lots of talk about restaurants, food, cooking shows, and more food.

The plot revolves around Mia, a restaurant owner and chef, who agrees to do a cooking show with Camden, a guy she was married to for a couple days when she was in her 20's. He's a celebrity chef. She's overweight (although that's not how she's depicted on the cover). And there's tension. Lots of tension.

The book's point of view shifts from Mia to Camden and back again with each chapter. That could be problematic, but author Kristen Proby handled pretty well. There are a couple of sex scenes, so maybe don't hand this to your youngest kids. And at the back of the book are recipes for apple pie and cheesecake that are mentioned in the book.

Since I don't read a lot of romances, I have no idea how this stacks up against others of this genre. But overall, it was a light read on a summer day.

I received this book at no cost to me.