Book Review of Catering to Nobody

Catering to Nobody By Diane Mott Davidson 301 pages. Bantam Books, c2002. $7.99

Our story opens with Goldy catering a wake.  Unfortunately her ex-father-in-law gynecologist Fritz Korman gets sick and Goldy is accused of poisoning him.  The police shut down Goldy’

s catering business until they can clear her name.  As the police are very busy, Goldy takes matters into her own hands to prove her innocence.  Along the way, she gives us recipes and a peak into small town life.

I enjoyed this book.  It is a quick read that is entertaining.  It’s really fun to come across so many interesting recipes while reading a mystery.  It’

s a one-of-a-kind series.  I am hoping to try a recipe from the book soon and will post my experience.

Book Review of Tangled Roots

Tangled Roots By G.G. Vandagriff 294 pages. Deseret Book, c2007. $14.95

Tangled Roots is the third book in a mystery series about two women who do genealogical research. Alex Campbell and her friend Briggie research a genogram to help a young girl in trouble. While researching her ancestors, they discover unsolved murders that others have tried to keep secret. As they try to find the killer(s), they find themselves in serious danger.This book surprised me. I expected it to be terrible. A genealogy mystery? Come on. But, it was actually decent. I can see how some get very into genealogy. If you like a mystery, you may enjoy this book.

Book Review of Peony in Love

Peony in Love
By Lisa See
280 pages. Random House, c2007.
$13.79 (Costco)

Peony in Love is a beautiful work of historical fiction. Lisa See masterfully weaves seventeenth century Chinese life into a powerful love story.
Through the story I learned a great deal about Chinese beliefs, values, and customs. The love story is unique and mystifying. I could not predict what was to come on each page. I had so much fun being surprised!
The best feature of this novel, aside from the flowing melodic language, was the strong message of feminine power. The same women who tortured themselves to have perfect bound feet, used that determination to write and publish – during a time when women had not done so before. Remarkable!
I highly recommend this passionate and entertaining book.

Book Review of Mothers of the Prophets

Mothers of the Prophets
Revised Edition
By Leonard J. Arrington, Susan Arrington Madsen, and Emily Madsen Jones
275 pages. Bookcraft, c2001.
$18.95

Mothers of the Prophets has a chapter for each mother of a latter-day prophet, starting with Lucy Mack Smith and going all the way through to Ada Bitner Hinkley. The book also includes family photos of many of the women and their families. The book was originally written by Leonard Arrington and Susan Madsen, but was revised and updated by Susan Madsen and Emily Jones.
While this book is interesting and fact-filled, it is hard to get through. The lives of these women are often inspiring, but I felt that much of their experiences were sugar-coated. I read the word “perfect” one too many times. It is also mostly just a listing of facts. Facts that I would not normally have access to, granted, but dry nonetheless.
The most redeeming quality of the book was the glimpses into different generations of time. It was easy to see how we (mothers) are all connected. We all want what is best for our children and strive to achieve that at all costs. These mothers endured hardships unparalleled to push forward the restored gospel and instill the desire to do so within their children.
I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in genealogy or history – but probably not so someone looking for a fast read, or entertainment.

Book Review of Three Tickets to Peoria

The Company of Good Women, Volume 2: Three Tickets to Peoria By Nancy Anderson, Lael Littke, and Carol Hofeling Morris 374 pages. Deseret Book, c2007. $15.95

Three Tickets to Peoria shows the maturing relationship between Deenie, Erin, Gabby, and Juneau. All of the women have guilty secrets exposed. They must face the consequences of their secrets and the secrets of others. These women come together to strengthen one another and push each other forward.I really liked this book. It kept me busy for a weekend! The characters are so well developed, they seem real. The situations they find themselves in could (and probably do!) really happen. One of my favorite aspects of the book is how powerful these women are. They are all mothers, but they all strive to find self-fulfillment in interesting and exciting ways. Many of the problems are not solved and I look forward to the resolution in the third and final book of this series.

Bytheway, It's John

I try to always have something in the car for the kids to listen to. Recently we listened to this "squeaky clean comedy" CD by John Bytheway. If you love John, you'll love this CD. If you've heard him speak before, you've probably heard many of the jokes. However, I found out in this CD that John has a great singing voice. He changed the words to many LDS songs - he made them HI-larious. We really enjoyed listening to it. He proves that comedy can be clean!

Poetry Speaks to Children

I have been reading Poetry Speaks to Children to my Maddie. She LOVES it. When I'm tired of reading, she puts in the CD that came along with it and listens to the authors read their poetry. It's magical! My sister-in-law keeps her CD in the car.  The children love listening to poetry on the way to school.