chef's kiss

One of my favorite bookish surprises is to find out that whatever I’m reading has recipes included in it. Not a cookbook, mind (though those are great too!), but a novel or a graphic novel with recipes after each chapter or at the end of the story. Going into it, I didn’t know that graphic novel Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez, Danica Brine, Hank Jones, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou would be one of these books. What I did know? Cooking plot, romance, gay protagonist, and I saw the cute, piggy cupid on the front cover – and that was more than enough to sell me on this title. I’m so glad it did! And I’ll be checking out the recipes too.

Watch things start to really heat up in the kitchen in this sweet, queer, new adult graphic novel!

Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something…anything…related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won’t be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn’t even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a “Now Hiring—No Experience Necessary” sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the meantime. He’s actually not so bad in the kitchen, but he will have to pass a series of cooking tests to prove he’s got the culinary skills to stay on full-time. But it’s only temporary…right?

When Ben begins developing a crush on Liam, one of the other super dreamy chefs at the restaurant, and when he starts ditching his old college friends and his old writing job plans, his career path starts to become much less clear.

Ben and his friends have just finished up college, and they are living together while figuring out what happens next: more schooling, job hunting, first job woes, etc. Ben, an English major, is not having any luck applying to jobs that might use his degree – and he’s feeling a little desperate one day when he sees a “Help Wanted” sign at a restaurant. Then it turns out that staff member Liam is hot, Ben gets to use his cooking skills, and (most) of the staff is nice… could this be the thing he’s meant to do? A gourmet food-loving pig will decide his fate, and Ben will have to wrestle with disappointed parents, friend conflict… and maybe dating too, if he’s lucky.

One of the lovely bits of Chef’s Kiss is that the side characters, Ben’s friends and coworkers, all have real moments in the story, from nonsensically talking about a bong decorated like Vlad the Impaler amid a friend negotiation, to a quick moment of asking someone to celebrate you transforming from surprise, to misunderstanding, to hurt when folks aren’t on the same page. I appreciated the healthy resolution of those moments. It may not have resulted in the most drama-filled plot, but it is excellent modeling for readers, and that’s okay to have sometimes! I also appreciated the conversation throughout the book about “what’s next” after college, and the affirmation that it’s okay not to know. So not only was this a cute and satisfying book, I felt that it was rewarding, too. I’m looking forward to putting it in my classroom library.

 

As with any graphic novel, the art plays a huge role. Danica Brine’s line art and Hank Jones’ color feel like a cross between manga and traditional superhero comics styling, and it is of course beautiful! The focus on each page is definitely on the clean lines and dialogue. I think this is the most text-heavy graphic novel I’ve read in a while. As a result, I got a sense of each character’s voice, which was a good thing. I also loved the art in the back matter, including the illustrated recipes (of course!) for Mushroom Ricotta Tart and Butternut Squash Soup.

 

The only thing I take issue with about this book is that the back cover (e.g. the publisher) calls it a romance. I think it is more of a coming-of-age story, with a little bit of incidental romance along the way. I say that because it doesn’t feel as though the romance is the POINT of the book – instead, the point is settling into adulthood, figuring out what you want to do, doing your best, and showing up for the people around you. Also, the romantic bits are quite innocent, so it definitely feels sweet in a YA kind of way. And none of this is a real criticism! I think the story and art are lovely and they don’t need a heavier romantic element. I just tried to think of a quibble and found one, don’t mind me, lol.

 

In all, Chef’s Kiss is an adorable, light read with: a satisfying conclusion, notes on healthy friend and family relationships, a hilarious pig character (and I do mean character), recipes at the end (!), and a sprinkling of romance. 

 

Recommended for: fans of Bloom, Our Dining Table, Check, Please!, and other food-themed graphic novels and manga, and those looking for sweet LGBTQ+ reads with a similar wholesome- and friendly-feel to Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper.

 

This review is part of Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg of The Intrepid Reader. Click to learn more about Weekend Cooking.

brooklyn

Given that the adapted screenplay of Colm Tóibín’s Brooklyn was up for an Oscar a few nights ago, today seemed like a good time to talk about the book (which I read over the Valentine’s Day weekend – perfect material, really!).  The first thing you should know is that I read this book the wrong way ‘round.  I had no intention of reading it at all (even though I had heard good things about it!), but then I saw the film.  I LOVED it to bits.  A couple of months later I saw the movie tie-in edition while browsing at the bookstore and took it straight to the register for purchase.  I then read it in a night and a morning – thank you, weekends!  I liked this book a lot – almost as much as I loved the film.  Oh, it was good!

Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the hard years following World War II. When an Irish priest from Brooklyn offers to sponsor Eilis in America, she decides she must go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind.

Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, who loves the Dodgers and his big Italian family, slowly wins her over with patient charm. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.

Tóibín is a master at:

1. Making the setting feel alive.  He imparted the small-town feel of Eilis’ hometown of Enniscorthy in a spare, funny way that matched the repression and busy-body behavior of its inhabitants.  In the same way, he pulled the reader into the bustle and strangeness of Brooklyn, without employing florid prose. 

2. Inhabiting Eilis’ character and inner life.  Good people are often difficult to describe in 3D, but Tóibín does it.  He brings Eilis’ quiet hopes and dreams to life without boring the reader.  Eilis, though faced with many challenges, never seems acted upon – she is the hero of her own story.  An aside: It is too seldom that I can say that about works written by men about female characters.

3. Suffusing words with emotion.  Although, or perhaps in spite of, the way that his characters repress their feelings, Tóibín captures the culture and spirits of the time period he writes about.  In parts, the language, the descriptions, the topics of conversation (and those seemingly forbidden), reminded me very strongly of old letters my grandfather wrote my mother while she was away at school – in the 50s.  So perfectly capturing the vernacular and feel of the era is a feat.

So far I haven’t said a thing about the plot, except to call Brooklyn a quiet book. And it is that, if you can call transatlantic voyages, falling in love, growing up and surviving tragedy quiet.  It’s powerful, and beautiful, and though I usually prefer books with magic in them, I can tell you that this one is EXCELLENT.

The best books make me laugh and cry.  I had high hopes for Brooklyn because the movie did both of those things, in spades.  And I wasn’t disappointed.

Recommended for: anyone interested in books about strong women (not trying to be cliché here – just don’t know of a better way to say that!), fans of literary fiction and romance, and YA readers who don’t mind the labels on their books, as long as they are romantic and historical.

p.s. The film adaptation of Brooklyn = truly lovely.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a better book/film match (not saying that it’s a carbon copy – it’s not!)… just that Hornby rocked it and somehow transferred the exact feel of the book into film form.

darkest fear

I think I just accidentally read my first New Adult book?  I ended the previous sentence with a question mark because I’m still unsure how to categorize Cate Tiernan’s Darkest Fear, the start of her new Birthright series.  It is a shapeshifter (paranormal) fantasy with a protagonist who is in that liminal time between high school and college. Usually I’d say that means it’s YA, but most of the other characters are older than the protagonist.  So.  I think I may have read a New Adult paranormal.  And… it was addictive reading.

Vivi’s animal instincts are her legacy—and maybe her downfall—in this start to a romantic fantasy series that will appeal to fans of The Nine Lives of Chloe King.

Vivi has known the truth about her family—and herself—since she was thirteen. But that doesn’t mean she’s accepted it. Being Haguari isn’t something she feels she’ll ever accept. How can she feel like anything but a freak knowing that it’s in her genes to turn into a jaguar?

Now eighteen, Vivi’s ready to break away from the traditions of her heritage. But all of that changes with the shocking, devastating deaths of her parents and the mysteries left behind. Vivi discovers family she never even knew she had, and a life open with possibility. New friends, new loyalties, and even romance all lay ahead—but so do dangers unlike anything Vivi ever could have imagined.

Vivi (short for Viviana) was perfectly happy being the normal, beloved daughter of a Brazilian immigrant couple on the Florida coast.  But she’s not.  Normal, that is.  Vivi is a Haguari, a member of a group of shapeshifters who turn into jaguars.  And she’s been dead set on denying that heritage from age thirteen onward.  When a terrifying attack occurs on her 18^th birthday, Vivi can’t hide from what she is any longer.  Worse, she’s alone in facing the world.  In the aftermath, Vivi discovers a family connection she didn’t know about, and she takes a chance on a new life and new friends.  However, danger seems to be following her wherever she goes…

Darkest Fear was up on the Simon Pulse website as a free read this week (in case you were wondering how to hook me on a book I’ve never heard of before).  I started reading the first chapter on the strength of the words ‘shifter fantasy romance,’ and the cover art, which is pretty sweet.  From the beginning I felt like I was being towed into the story (and I went willingly!).  Tiernan is deft at writing strong emotion, and her portrayal of a scared, lonely and lost Vivi making a new life and dealing with the unknown was more than a touch mesmerizing.

That said, I experienced reader’s remorse upon finishing the book.  It’s packed with emotion throughout, yes.  However, the pace and action pick up in the second half, and by then it was too late for some of the details and world-building I wanted or for wrapping up certain plotlines.  *cough*WHAT WAS THAT ROMANCE*cough*  Actually, I have a bone to pick with the word ‘romance’ in connection with this book.  The actions/emotions having to do with the supposed romantic entanglement(s) never approached healthy, romantic, or even coherent.  I get that it’s the first in a series and the author can’t tip her hand on everything right away, but as a reader I have issues being supportive of or even excited about reading the continuation of that (whatever it was) in the next installment.

Actually, all of my confusion has to do with the second half of the book, and in particular the final episode.  Tiernan placed a completely different kind of action-movie-plot in the middle of what was a slow-moving but intense story of a girl finding herself and making peace with her heritage.  I didn’t stop reading, but I did expect an answer or two as to why that happened, and where the story would go in the future.  Unfortunately, nothing materialized.  I have reading whiplash in the worst way.

In all, Darkest Fear is an emotionally intense take on shifter mythology and tradition, but it suffers from uneven plotting and pacing and a weak/unfortunate romantic plotline.  I may try skimming book two to see if answers crop up, or I may not!

Recommended for: fans of paranormal fantasy and New Adult set in the South, and those who can’t keep their hands to themselves around shifter romance books.

Fine Print: I read a copy of this book for free on the Simon Pulse website.