What I Read in September 2016 Part II. . .

What I Read in September 2016 Part II. . .

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee--Young Adult Historical Fiction

Mercy Wong has finished her education at the Oriental Public School in San Francisco, the one school she and her fellow Chinese-American youth are allowed to attend. Mercy has big dreams, however, and a plan to lift her family out of poverty. She plans to become an herbal tea merchant and marry her best friend Tom, who is supposed to succeed his father as a Chinese medicine doctor. She especially wants to ensure her frail younger brother doesn't have to take over their Ba's laundry business. Armed with her bible, The Book for Business-Minded Women by a Mrs. Evelyn Lowry, Mercy sets out to launch her grand plan. The first step is to get in to St. Clare's, a respected girls' school on par with the Wilkes school for boys. Mercy knows it will be difficult to convince the board to allow her in because of her race and her family's economic situation, but Mercy has a few tricks up her sleeve. Upon starting at the school, Mercy must pretend to be a Chinese heiress, deal with a mean girl, avoid a caning from Headmistress and practice comportment. St. Clare's is not an academic school but a finishing school. Even though it's not what Mercy expected, she's determined to succeed at any cost. When tragedy strikes on April 18, 1906, Mercy's world is upended. It would be easy to give in to despair like everyone else she knows, but that's not Mercy's way. She uses her very un-ladylike, un-Chinese "bossy cheeks" to find a way to save herself and her friends.

This is a pretty good book for young adults. I liked the multi-culturalism in the novel and learning something about Chinese-American life in the early 20th century. I was hoping for a link to Samantha from Under the Painted Sky, to discover if she made it to San Francisco and had descendants. This is a stand-alone novel though. The plot is interesting and it did really capture my attention at times. I knew about the earthquake and have read other novels about it but by the time the earthquake happens in this story, I was invested in Mercy's story and needed to know what happened. What does happen is a bit surprising and very interesting though not exactly realistic. I wasn't thrilled with the homage to A Little Princess. That was unnecessary and been done too many times as was Melody's struggle with Elodie. My biggest quibble was that Francesca wouldn't use the word pasta but macaroni. I'm not sure if there was a sizable enough Italian population in San Francisco in 1906 to even warrant an Italian restaurant. The food would be foreign and unfamiliar to anyone else. [OK apparently there were 15,000 of them in San Francisco alone... thanks Google]. I also wasn't completely thrilled with the little bit of preachiness at the end. There's a slight religious element to the book: Mercy's Ba is Christian, Ma practices a blend of Eastern religions and St. Clare's is a Catholic school.

I loved Mercy and her "bossy cheeks." Sometimes I thought she was crazy but she is 15 and I remember being very silly at that age. Rules were meant to be tested at that age. Mercy is caring and compassionate when it comes to her family. She's a bit tough to befriend though because she's so brazen, devil-may-care. I liked how much she loved her family and how all she did was for them. She was the best big sister. Her relationship with Tom felt a little forced. I liked how she never gives up and finds a way to accomplish her goals.

My favorite secondary character was Francesca, an Italian girl who loves to feed people. That's kind of the norm for Italians though. Francesca's family's restaraunt. It doesn't make Francesca unique. I quibble a bit at her attending a white, exclusive girls' school. Italian girls were expected to help their mothers and take care of their parents. I am not sure she would be engaged already in her teens. Marcus is a complete donkey's behind and I can't imagine her parents would want her to marry him if they knew what he was like. Headmistress won't let that happen!

Mercy's other school friends are difficult to distinguish. They each have distinct personalities and backgrounds but I kept getting confused as to which was which. An audiobook with a full cast or different voices would help with this confusion, especially since there are a lot of characters in this book. I liked the girls, especially the Texan. Elodie is a typical mean girl with the typical story. She gets more unique and interesting after the earthquake. The same is true for Headmistress.

I wasn't thrilled with Tom. I could have done without the romance. It didn't really add anything to the story. I admire Tom for his ambition and going for his dream, but the way he did it was not great. He's absent for most of the book so the relationship feels tacked on afterwards. He serves to give Mercy a dream and someone else to care about.

The most vibrant minor characters are Mercy's family. I liked them a lot. They're very colorful and interesting. Her mother is a bit too dramatic with her fortune telling business, and doom and gloom predictions. Ba is sometimes hard on Mercy but he loves her and teaches her to be the young woman she is. Mercy's little brother, Jack, is very sweet.

I liked this book with it's tough main character. It's not quite as compelling as Under the Painted Sky but parts are interesting and I was eager to find out what happened to Mercy next. I especially liked the feeling towards the end when 
SPOILER AHEAD

The girls start Mercy's Kitchen and feed 100+ people. The coming together the author described in her note sounded like the feeling after 9/11. The outcome after rebuilding is the same too.

SPOILER

Content warning spoiler : 
Mild language. Mercy refers to a specific root as looking like a "man's energy pouch. 

Also SPOILER:

[There's rumors the priest has a girlfriend and when searching for him after the earthquake, Mercy finds him in dead in bed, naked, with a married woman. Elodie's father has a mistress

END SPOILER/Review

Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell--Historical Mystery

September 1896- As the social season is coming to a close, Emma is excited at being requested to report on a Bohemian artists' retreat at her Uncle Frederick Vanderbilt's home, Rough Point. Emma is excited to test her journalistic skills and be recognized for her accomplishments but fears her well-meaning family made the request. She is surprised, and not all together pleased, to discover the request came from the former Edith Jones, now Mrs. Edward Wharton (not yet the famous novelist), the artist who inspired her parents to move to Paris, abandoning Emma to the sole care of Nanny. Emma is uneasy when she discovers undercurrents between many of the artists, including her own parents, who have come to surprise her. Everyone seems to be hiding something and no one seems happy. Emma is pleased when she is able to inspire wealthy patron Sir Randall Clifford, a sculptor who may buy Rough Point. Emma is shocked and saddened when Sir Randall never returns from a walk on the cliffs. Did he slip or was he pushed? Jesse Whyte isn't sure and he wants Emma's eyes and ears when she can observe for him. As a nor'easter rages outside, the guests are trapped inside with a murderer who is determined to see them all dead. Emma must enlist the aid of the one who knows the artists the best, even if it means facing her childhood nemesis, Mrs. Wharton.

I didn't find this story as engaging as the previous novels in the series. As a near-native of Rhode Island, the charm in the stories is watching Emma move around Newport and interact with the famous socialites of the day. I've been to The Breakers, Marble House and Beechwood (many many times) but never to Rough Point, where all of the action in this story takes place. Rough Point is currently decorated as the home of 20th century heiress Doris Duke. I'm more into the 19th century and the house no longer resembles the scene of the novel so I can not use this novel as a guidebook to 19th century Newport. All of the action takes place at a Rough Point that no longer exists.

Doris Duke's Rough Point- image from Newport Restoration Foundation

However, apparently there is still a kitchen garden, where a key scene takes place.

Doris Duke's Rough Point- image from Newport Restoration Foundation

The plot borrows from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (or so my mom told me when we JUST watched an episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries with the same exact plot). This is not my favorite murder mystery convention. I'm squeamish and I prefer it when one singularly nasty person is murdered! I also felt the classic "dark and stormy night" plot was too much of a cliche, though it was a New England nor'easter instead of a snowstorm. The same plot was used nicely in Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas and The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen. I probably would have liked this one more too if I wasn't a local. I figured who who the murderer was pretty early on but I wasn't sure because I just didn't see a motive for killing everyone. I had to keep reading very very late into the night/early morning to see who actually did it and why. I wasn't surprised at who but why was a bit of a surprise.

None of the artists are likable except Edith Wharton. Like Emma, I discovered things about each character that didn't appeal to her or me. I also picked up on possible undercurrents between two characters that were never fully addressed, perhaps because the story is told by Emma and she's an innocent maiden. Her parents have faults, mainly they're selfish, but they do love her as much as they can. I am not prejudiced against Edith Wharton the way Emma is, so I quite liked her. She proves to be the kind of friend Emma needs- one who can encourage her and help her on her literary path. I only really know Edith Wharton from her novels so I was excited to meet her early in her career in this novel. Her relationship with her husband was difficult but she sometimes made it worse with her own temper. They were a mismatched pair. Sir Randall seemed nice when he was with Emma but when things about him became known, he became more complicated. I think he was fundamentally a good person but made some mistakes that cost him dearly.

My favorite secondary character is Patch, Emma's spaniel mix. He plays a large role in the story. I'm a sucker for a good dog story, especially when the dog in the mystery is actually involved in the plot rather than a mere accessory. I can't wait to read more about Patch and Emma teaming up to solve mysteries.

Emma's character development was pretty good but without Derrick, the love triangle didn't work. Emma's sudden realization felt forced to me, to add an element of romance to the story. Emma's character is developing nicely. I really like her independence. She's still limited a bit by her relationship to the Vanderbilts and by gender norms, but with role models like Aunt Sadie and Edith Wharton, she is fast becoming a modern woman. She still has decisions to make and things to realize about what she wants out of life. I look forward to seeing her grow more.

This one is for hard core murder mystery fans, those who have walked past Rough Point and others who enjoy a classic murder mystery.

What I Read in July 2016 Part VI . . .

What I Read in July 2016 Part VI . . .

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander--Cozy Mystery

Juliet Capshaw is returning home to Ashland, Oregon, after 10 years away, first at culinary school and then as a pastry chef on a cruise ship. Juliet has returned to decide what to do about her failed marriage and to help her mom run their family bakery, Torte. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is in full swing with theatergoers and actors crowding into the bakery. One customer and OSF board member, Nancy Hudson, has earned the enmity of OSF director Lance and leading lady Caroline but is either of them mad enough to kill? When Jules discovers Nancy in a pool of blood and jam on the bakery floor early one morning, it leads her to learn about old secrets, scandals and reflect on her past romances.

I liked this story well enough. It dragged in parts and there were too many mysteries going on at first. One by one the stories are told and I was left to puzzle out who actually did Nancy in. I was surprised at the reveal. My thought process naturally followed Juliet's. This mystery takes a different path than the usual cozy. There's a lot more specifics about the town and Jules finds herself in danger more than once. I thought that made the story a little repetitive and too long. There's also a LOT of specific details about baking and how Jules and her mom make new creations. I was surprised that Torte is a bakery/cafe and they serve savory as well as sweet. I prefer my bakeries to serve sweets only. I'd rather read about cupcakes and cookies than bread and savories so I probably will not visit this series again.

Also, I had a hard time clicking with Jules. She's a drama queen, like her namesake. I felt she was more than a little bit of a food snob, though she denied she was. She was super critical of the bakery's rival and local businessman who is trying to buy out her mother. The town business is tourism and kitschy decor and poor pseudo-historical foods probably draw in more crowds than a gourmet bakery given the OSF is Ashland's main draw. Juliet's relationship drama was a lot less dramatic than I expected. I can see why she would be hurt and angry but why leave the marriage? My guess is she was infatuated with Carlos and craved his attention but wasn't really in love. She's also a bit snippy towards their customers and her mother's employees. Her mother hired them for a reason and Jules should let her mother handle personnel problems or bring her concerns to her mother. A small town bakery is not a cruise ship. Jules needs to drop her attitude if she plans to stay in the small town.

The townspeople didn't appeal to me either. The only secondary characters I liked were Juliet's mother, the Professor and Thomas. The Professor is quirky in a nerdy way and seems intelligent and kind. Thomas is a smart cop and warns Jules their town isn't as idyllic as it seems and yet she takes kind of a superior attitude and isn't very nice to him. She has some cringe-worthy moments with Thomas for sure. There's not enough of a relationship hook there to keep me interested.

Foodies will rejoice because there are several recipes in the back but sadly none appeal to me. I probably won't be reading more of this series.




A Golden Cage by Shelley Freydont--Historical Mystery

Deanna Randolph is staying with Gran Gwen and the Ballards while her mother and older sister are off in Switzerland curing Adelaide's migraines. Deanna is thrilled to escape her draconian mother and do fun things like wear the latest fashions and ride her new safety bicycle. Deanna's independence drives Joe crazy. He worries she'll ruin her reputation or worse, once she becomes involved in a mystery. After helping to solve a murder a few weeks earlier, Deanna is on the case again after an actor from Judge Grantham's birthday party turns up dead in the Ballards' parlor. The case involves a chorus girl, Amabelle Deeks, who was once a society girl who ran away from home. Laurette Ballard is friends with Amabelle's mother and feels responsible for helping the girl when she turns up one night in distress. Amabelle is gone in the morning when the murder victim is discovered. Deanna worries Belle has been taken by the murderer or killed. Perhaps she IS the murderer, but Deanna doesn't think so. Will is under pressure from the cottagers to solve the case quickly and if he can't find Amabelle, someone else will get the blame.

I only meant to read some of the book but of course I ended up staying up really late reading! I figured out who the murderer was pretty easily and I figured it had something to do with the Comstock Laws. I was a bit surprised by the reveal but not totally. That thought hadn't really crossed my mind. I thought something a little more typical for this period so kudos to the author for making the mystery extra complicated. She also deserves praise for the diversity of her cast of characters. In the first book we had an exotic dark skinned man servant and here we have theater people who are more open about their unconventional lifestyles. They fit within the context of the period and the latest newsworthy gossip of the year. I was a little surprised the author dared to go there. The subject matter of the book is very relevant to our own time as well.

This story is much better than the first. The writing is overall better and I especially liked the mentions of real people and real "cottages." I need to visit Chepstow now! I liked the cameos by Mrs. Astor and Mamie Fish, two of my favorite Gilded Age people. Consuelo Vanderbilt causes gossip with her brief appearances. There are also references to other real life Newport figures. The one thing that I found off was the women's suffrage movement. That was a big issue later on in the early 20th century when Alva Vanderbilt held suffrage events at Marble House. I'm not sure if women were being imprisoned and force fed yet. Mostly middle class women became involved in woman suffrage and not upper class ladies at this time.

The characters in this story are delightful. Deanna is not my favorite sleuth though. She's very young and she often behaves childishly and recklessly. Her reaction to Joe's criticisms is very immature, especially towards the end. I love her relationship with Elspeth. Elspeth adds a lot of comic relief to the story. I love how she is "true blue" to Deanna. Joe behaves very boorishly in this novel. His criticisms are valid but it's not his place to decide what Deanna can and can not do. It's up to his grandmother and she knows what she's doing. He spends the whole book dancing around his real feelings for Dee but I hope he doesn't declare himself too soon because I think she's still too immature and needs to grow a bit. I love Joe's family. His parents are so sweet and such a lovely couple. His mom is very admirable and way ahead of her time. I'm not really sure she's accurate for the 1890s but she champions causes that were becoming major concerns in big cities in America. Gran Gwen is awesome and I would love for her to be my grandmere. She can cut down any society lady or deliver a comment that means the opposite of what she says. I'd love to see an encounter between Gran Gwen and Alva Vanderbilt. Gran Gwen is very modern for the 1890s also.

New characters here are sharply divided between upper crust "cottagers" and lower class actors and actresses of the theater troupe that comes to Newport. Judge Grantham is a well-connected and high placed judge in New York. He is a staunch supporter of the Comstock laws regulating morality. He has strict ideas of what is proper and doesn't hesitate to stomp on anyone he considers behaving immorally - unless that person is one of his own and then he may choose to look the other way. His son-in-law, however, will not let anything slide. The women of the family are very meek and I had a tough time keeping track of which was the Judge's wife and which was his daughter. The actors are an interesting bunch. I felt sorry for Talia to be subjected to the sleazy Mersey and I felt sorry for Noreen. I didn't entirely like her or the complications she introduced to the plot. The actors are a colorful bunch but I had trouble keeping track of who was who. They add to the story and make the story stand out from other typical Gilded Age/Victorian and Edwardian mysteries of this type.

I look forward to reading more about Newport in the Gilded Age in the future, I hope!

What I Read in June 2016 Part IV . . .

What I Read in June 2016 Part IV. . . 


An Ocean Apart, a World Away by Lensey Namioka--Young Adult Historical Fiction

Xueyan aka Yanyan is eager to finish at the American missionary school near her home in Nanjing, China and go to college to become a doctor. She is envious of her best friend Ailin who is leaving for America. When Yanyan goes with Eldest Brother and his friend Liang Baoshu to Shanghai to wave goodbye to Ailin, Yanyan gets more adventure than she bargained for and finds herself strangely attracted to Baoshu and him to her. She must make a difficult decision about her future. Can she have the life she dreamed while following Baoshu and having adventures or should she honor her father's wishes and become a doctor as she has always dreamed? Her decision isn't easy either way.

I really liked the characters in this book. Because Yanyan's father lived and worked in England, he is more Westernized than most Chinese men. He's very progressive- even for a Westerner- he allows his daughter to attend an American school, speak out at the table and learn as much about science and medicine as she can. This makes Yanyan an appealing character for modern teens. She has hopes and dreams but finds her head turned by a young man. She doesn't give up even when the going is tough and always does the unexpected. I need a sequel so we know what happens to her! Ailin is also an admirable character. I didn't read her book but this one fills in enough background information. Ailin refused to conform to societal norms and sought out her own path to happiness. I liked that the book follows her so readers can find out how she's doing in her new life.

Baosho seems exciting and the type of bad boy teen girls love to crush on but not the type that appeals to more mature women. Without spoiling the story, I came to the same conclusion about him that Yanyan did and would have felt the same way about it.

I knew a little bit about the history of China during this time but I learned a lot more. I also really liked the incorporation of the history of American Chinese restaurants and American Chinese food. The story teaches gentle lessons about prejudice and judging people without knowing them. It was a tiny bit juvenile for a young adult novel so I would say this book is for young teens on up.


These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly--Young Adult Historical Fiction

Seventeen-year-old Jo Montfort wants to be a reporter like her hero Nellie Bly, but it is extremely difficult to do when one is a student at a girl's school in 1890. The headmistresses would rather Jo write about kittens and tea parties than the plight of mill girls. Her friend Trudy cautions Jo to wait until after marriage to a suitable gentleman before breaking the rules, but Jo just can't dream of a marriage without love. Then the unthinkable happens- her father is accidentally killed while cleaning his gun. Was it an accident? Jo knows her father was smarter than that and when she hears a newsboy declare her father had committed suicide, she becomes determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. She won't stop until she has answers. Her quest will take her into parts of New York she never dreamed existed and uncover some long held secrets that reveal her proper world is not all it seems.

I really wanted to like this book. It started off good- like Edith Wharton writing for a YA audience. There were some good parts that Charles Dickens would have written. This book is the secret love child of Edith Wharton and Charles Dickens locked in a vault for a modern writer to insert a modern type of heroine and pretty much ruin a good thing.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT (stop here if you don't want the least hint of a spoiler).









This story followed a formula that I've read one too many times before. Even though I couldn't put the book down and doubted the identity of the murderer, I wasn't really surprised by any of the reveals. I figured things out faster than Jo and Eddie. Eddie at least should have been able to piece together the clues even if Jo couldn't. The plot relied on too many coincidences for my taste and the constant emphasis on freedom pretty much gave away the shock value of the reveal. Again, Eddie really should have known.

END SPOILER






As a mature adult, I could have done without the teen angst romance. I didn't buy it at all. I can see why Jo would be drawn to Eddie, the same way Lady Sybil was drawn to Branson but I feel like Jo saw Eddie as an escape, a means to an end and her heart wasn't fully engaged even though she said it was. She behaved childishly and recklessly whenever he was around. I can't really see why Eddie loved Jo. The romance begins too quickly and there's too much drama. The ending was OK- more realistic than I was expecting anyway.

I'm torn between admiring Jo for not putting up with the stifling world she comes from and admiring her bravery and also thinking she is a little heedless. I don't think I could be so brave and I think I would rather NOT know. I wondered how she could hurt her family by making their secrets public. I was sort of hoping the author would make the bold choice of making Jo behave like a person from the 19th century and not as a modern young woman. Jo thinks and behaves like a modern young woman and that makes her easier to relate to than her friend Trudy who breaks the rules but wants that life of ease and comfort. I'm conflicted in my feelings for Jo but I think teens will like her a lot and relate to her. I think I would have enjoyed the story more when I was younger.

The secondary characters are the real stand-outs. They seem like they were the creations of Charles Dickens without the humor. I had no idea that such an underworld existed in New York though I'm not totally surprised. I would have been less surprised if the book was set in London. I really liked Fay and how she made the most of a bad situation. Her story is certainly horrifying and more interesting and real than Jo's story. I had to skip a lot of Oscar's detailed medical information. I don't have the stomach for that sort of thing. Forensic detecting is introduced quite nicely into the Mrs. Jeffries series without being gory. Grandmama is a cringeworthy hoot. She reminded me of Aunt Marge in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with all her talk of breeding. Yuck.

What saves the book from being a true dud is the historical details. The author did a lot of research and she has the skills to introduce the different parts of New York and the current issues of the day without interrupting the flow of the story. The reader is really transported to 1890s New York City.

I would recommend this book to older teens/young adults. Mature people stick to Edith Wharton and Charles Dickens..

Content warnings:
Violence
language
discussions about sex
pre-marital pregnancy mentions
fondling
passionate kissing
prostitutes
gory medical information
a seedy underworld

Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge 6

Historical Food Fortnightly 2016  Challenge 6:

Juicy Fruits

The Challenge: Juicy Fruits
It’s fruits! Do something with fruits. It doesn’t get more simple than that. Bonus points for use of heritage crops and ingredients!

The Recipe: 

FRUIT SCONES

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup raisins or currants
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. grated orange rind
1/2 to 2/3 cup milk (enough to make a soft dough)

Heat oven to 425° (hot). Mix Bisquick, raisins, sugar, orange rind. Stir in milk. Roll dough around on board lightly dusted with Bisquick. Roll into 9″ round. Brush top with milk, sugar. Cut in triangles. Bake about 10 min. on ungreased baking sheet. Serve hot. Makes 12.

22, 23 and 24 of the vintage cookbook: Betty Crocker’s Bisquick Party Book that was published in 1957 by General Mills.  found on recipecurio.com

The date, year and region : 

1957, United States

Bonus: Blueberry Compote

HUCKLEBERRY COMPOTE

Pick over a quart of huckleberries or blueberries, wash them and set over to boil in a porcelain-lined kettle or earthen bowl. Do not add any water to them. Sweeten with half a cup of sugar, and spice with half a teaspoonful of cinnamon. Just before removing from the fire, add a teaspoonful of cornstarch which has been wet with a little cold water. Do this thoroughly in a cup and stir with a teaspoon so as not to have any lumps in it. Pour into a glass bowl. Eat cold.

Aunt Babette's Cook Book: Foreign and domestic receipts for the household: A vaulable collection of receipts and hints for the housewife, many of which are not to be found elsewhere. By "Aunt Babette" Cincinnati: Block Pub. and Print Co. co., c1889

How did you make it?:
Well, it's winter in New England and heritage crops are non-existent at the moment. The hothouse berries offered at the grocery store looked pretty gross and are completely tasteless, and I hate most other fruits, so I went with dried fruit. 

I made the scones almost exactly as the recipe says. I used Aunt Jemima Original Complete Pancake Mix instead of Bisquick. The main ingredients were the same. I loathe raisins and currents so I used Craisins (dried, sweetened cranberries) instead. I served with Smuckers Triple Berry and Honey jam for extra fruit and some whipped cream.

The compote I made without a recipe. I tried to remember this recipe but failed. First I took dried blueberries and soaked them overnight in a bowl to plump them up a bit. 

It worked to a certain extent. Then I let them sit on a paper towel overnight to drain. 

I put the berries, some water and 1/8 c. sugar in a sauce pan and brought to a boil on low heat. 

After most of the water drained off I added in a tablespoon or two of cornstarch to thicken.

How Successful Was It?:

The scones got a little burned on the bottoms. The new oven is much hotter than the old one and I haven't figured out baking times yet. Otherwise they were successful and very tasty.

The compote needed more sugar and less cornstarch. I put it on top of French toast with maple cream and it was fine. 
                                         

Time to Complete: 30 minutes for the scones, 2 days plus a half an hour for the compote

Total Cost:  $4.79 for Craisins, $3.29 for the dried blueberries. Everything else I had on hand.

How Accurate Is It?: Mostly accurate. This wasn't a tough challenge once I decided to make 20th century scones.