(Image from Indiebound)

Grade: C

After reading the very heavy Glimpse, I desperately needed a happy read. Everything about the cover of Alicia Bessette's debut novel, Simply From Scratch (available August 5), screams, "Light!" "Fun!" "Heartwarming!" I gladly picked it up ... only to find out the book's about a grieving widow. She's a quirky widow, though, and her story's more lighthearted than it seems at first glance. In fact, Simply From Scratch is a perfect blend of pensive and playful. I loved every page.

Our heroine is 34-year-old Rose-Ellen "Zell" Carmichael Roy, a medical illustrator who's lived in small town Wippamunk, Massachusetts her whole life. With her freelance business just getting off the ground, she's pretty much got it all - a satisfying career, a loving marriage to her childhood sweetheart (happy-go-lucky photographer, Nick), the perfect pet (a retired Greyhound named Captain Ahab), a new house (okay, half a house), and plans to bear enough children to start her own soccer team (well, that one's mostly Nick's idea - she'll start with one and see how it goes). Then, Nick joins a relief mission to Katrina-ravaged New Orleans and everything changes. When he's killed in a freak accident, Zell's life plunges into a soul-shaking tailspin.

More than a year later, Zell's still wandering around the house like a zombie, wearing Nick's camoflauge apron and talking like a pirate to her dog. Alone with the Memory Smacks that bring her husband back to her in painful glimpses, Zell struggles to stay anchored in the here and now. She knows she needs to move on, find closure, but she just can't.

When Zell mistakenly receives her neighbor's cooking magazine in the mail, she spies an announcement that fills her with purpose for the first time since her husband's death. Cheery celebrity chef Polly Pinch (think Racheal Ray) is hosting her first annual Desserts That Warm the Soul baking contest. The winner receives $20,000, the exact amount Nick was trying to raise for Katrina victims. It's too big a coincidence to be anything other than fate. Zell decides to enter the contest, even though she hasn't touched her oven since, well, ever.

Her first effort brings the fire department. And a pint-sized helper. Zell's neighbor, 9-year-old Ingrid Knox, is a Polly Pinch devotee who will do anything for a chance to meet her idol. Even help a baking-challenged widow. Convinced that she can help Zell win the contest, Ingrid throws herself into the project with customary zeal. Zell hardly knows what to do with the child, let alone her very good-looking (and available) father, Garrett, but she accepts the help anyway. It's a sacrifice she's willing to make in order to fulfill Nick's dream. As it turns out, Ingrid's not much of a baker, either. What she has in spades, though, is effusive happiness - the exact thing Zell needs to thaw her frozen heart.

The more the pair bake together, the more successful their experiments become. With the help of several quirky townfolks, they come up with what just might be a winning recipe. As the project comes to an end, Zell realizes how much Ingrid's company has warmed her own soul. Zell's become so attached to the girl that she can't stand the thought of disappointing her, but that, Zell soon discovers, is exactly what's going to happen if she takes Ingrid to meet Polly Pinch. Breaking her promise will mean shattering the heart of the little girl who's been so instrumental in healing her own. Can she risk it? And what about her own heart - has it healed enough to give her the courage to face a future without Nick? Or will it shrivel back into itself without Polly Pinch to hold it together?

Everything about this charming story - from the warm-hearted characters to the captivating setting to the hopeful tone - enchanted me. It's a little predictable, but, frankly, I couldn't care less. Curling up with Simply From Scratch is like spooning bites of rich, oven-warm brownie into your mouth while snow falls outside and a fire crackles in the hearth. The ultimate in cozy comfort. And you know I love me some cozy comfort. Easily one of my favorite books of the year, Simply From Scratch is, in a word, delicious.

(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)

Grade: A-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for mild language and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Simply From Scratch from the generous folks at Dutton. Thank you!

After reading Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright, I vowed never to choose this author again (you can read my "scathing" review of the book here). Then, I started hearing some buzz about Wright's newest novel, Recovering Charles. My reader's brain went, "Hmmm ... Could I be missing something here?" Then, a few people (including my mom) recommended I read it. Still, I refused. When the leader of my book club (an enthusiastic Wright fan) selected it for last month's read, I realized I was done for - I stopped resisting, and read the darn thing. And guess what? Much to my surprise, it wasn't half bad.

The story stars Luke Millward, a photographer living in New York City. Luke's life is good, if a bit hollow. His career is going well, he's got a nice apartment and a beautiful best friend who would love to be more. Luke's future is almost bright enough to outshine the pain of his past. Then, he receives a phone call that brings old anguish screaming into the present: His father is missing. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Charles Millward is nowhere to be found.

Although Charles' friend, Jerome, begs Luke to come to New Orleans to search for his father, Luke hesitates. After all, they haven't spoken since the last time Charles called pleading for money. He said he'd try to quit, promised to stick with AA this time, but Luke had cut him off, told his father not to contact him again. Once a "brilliant musician," (2) who "bled his heart through [his] saxophone" (159), the old man had disintegrated into a drunken, musical failure, saddled with debt and heartbreak. He communicates with his son for one reason only: money. Now, the older man is missing, possibly dead. Luke can't quite convince himself not to care, so he heads out to New Orleans.

In the ravaged, desperate city Luke finds a refuge in Verses, the bar where Charles played saxophone to pay the rent. The Verses family - including Charles' fiancee, his musician buddies, and a pretty Tulane student - describe a Charles Luke never knew. Is it possible the old man really changed his ways? Luke ponders the question as he sifts through Katrina's detritus to find his father. Is Charles alive or dead? Will Luke get a chance to reconcile with his old man? Does he even want to? As Luke grapples with his emotions, the most compelling question emerges - Who, really, is lost, and who, truly, needs to be found? In a crumbling city, Luke must launch a desperate search to find the answers - for his father and for himself.

The kind of sentimentality that ruins Christmas Jars exists here, but it's balanced by a gritty backdrop and the raw emotion devastation usually inspires. The story's ultimately hopeful, but also painfully realistic. I found the main characters likeable (although Luke was a little cold for me), even though they could have been fleshed out more. Too many minor characters overwhelm the reader, stealing focus from the major players. I also think Wright verges on preachy when he tries to make certain points - like the fact that not all of Katrina's victims were poor and uneducated - and this also distracts from the story. Wright does deserves kudos for an unexpected, (although still somewhat predictable) ending, which made me cry despite some cheesy overtones.

All in all, though, I found Recovering Charles a compelling and inspirational read. It's a much better effort than Christmas Jars, probably because it actually required effort. Since I'm nothing if not forgiving, I even put Wright's The Wednesday Letters back on my TBR list. I'm hoping for another pleasant surprise.

Grade: B

August 29, 2005 - We all watched in horror as Hurricane Katrina pummeled New Orleans and surrounding areas. The news ran endless video of people stranded on rooftops, corpses floating in filthy floodwater, homes flattened, and despair etched on every face. Many of us watched the devastation from afar, hearts aching for the desperate residents of Louisiana.

Katrina's survivors have told their stories in every possible medium. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been moved to tears upon hearing their words. Those who are able have spoken, assuring that their heartbreak and courage will never be forgotten. But what of those who can't speak? Who will tell their stories?

When authors Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery heard about Bobbi and Bob Cat, two Katrina survivors, they knew they could act as mouthpieces for the courageous duo. Two Bobbies is the heartwarming result of their collaboration. The picture book recounts the true story of a "wisp of a cat and one puppy" who were left behind to face the storm's wrath on their own. Tethered by a length of chain, Bobbi (the dog) was unable to leave his porch. Bob Cat stayed by his side. When Bobbi finally broke free, the pair wandered the soaked streets of New Orleans looking for food and shelter. Gangs of rabid dogs roamed the streets as well, claiming all scraps for themselves. Bobbi and Bob Cat grew thin from hunger. Finally, four long months later, the pair were rescued by the Best Friends Animal Society. When the shelter's volunteers placed the animals in separate rooms, Bobbi howled in protest, barking and pacing until Bob Cat was once again by his side. Their devotion to one another touched everyone's hearts, and efforts were made to find someone who could care for both Bobbi and Bob Cat. Leaving their damaged city behind, the duo found a home in Oregon, where they could finally be at peace - together, as always.

Two Bobbies tells a sweet, simple story about friendship and survival. It discusses Katrina in a way that is more hopeful than scary, informing kids about disaster while focusing on the courage and love shown by the animals. The characters, illustrated in soft, gentle colors, will grab the reader's attention and steal their hearts clean away. It's impossible not to root for this brave pair and the friendship that saved them both from the ravages of a deadly storm.

I'm the first to admit that I'm no picture book expert. I have my favorites, of course, and they are those that offer unique plots, engaging language, and stories that make me laugh, cry or shout with joy. While I enjoyed Two Bobbies, I didn't quite get the A+ feeling I glean from the masters (Kevin Henkes, Patricia Polacco, Dr. Seuss, etc.), but I still think it's a touching book that beautifully celebrates that most valuable of human and animal treasures - a friend.

Grade: B+

(To learn more about the remarkable friendship that inspired Two Bobbies, be sure to visit the book's website. You can download color pages, read about the real Bobbi and Bob Cat, learn how to protect pets during natural disasters, and find out more about the authors [real-life best friends] and illustrator.)