I started this while lying poolside in Puerto Vallarta (average 85 degrees) so I could feel good about posting by end of November. Then I decided to give in to feeling relaxed and blessed so let go. We're back home, I'm not even close to digging out of work emails and the daily temp has been 10-20 degrees. And we're getting 6" of snow tomorrow. Reality is a harsh beast.
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi will likely be in my top 5 for the year. Lakshmi is an ambitious henna artist in 1950's Jaipur, India. Meeting the sister she never knew changes the trajectory of her life in ways she never would have imagined. This is a story of self discovery, redemption and the power of familial bonds. The storytelling is evocative - my mouth watered for the sweet and spicy treats Lakshmi prepares for her "ladies" and I longed to smell the heady aromas of the oils used as subliminal treatments in her henna. Lakshmi is part artist, part healer, part psychologist and stuck in the prescriptive castes of Indian society. I know very little of India, so have no idea of the accuracy, but it was a wonderful introduction and escape intp another culture. This is the first in a series of Joshi's books so I will definitely add the others to my Audible wish list.
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal was a disappointment. I loved Stradal's The Lager Queen of Minnesota, but this fell flat for me. The story follows Eva Thorvald from her father's childhood, to her unique culinary tastes as a teen growing hot peppers for a local restaurant, to rising fame as a unique chef. I loved how down to earth Eva was compared to other food snobs, and that she always stayed true to herself. I also loved the references to regional food with cult-like fame such as lutefisk and bars. Ultimately, I didn't feel connected - there were so many characters focused on with painstaking detail who were only bit players. This was Stradal's debut novel and considering how much I liked the later Lager Queen, I'm definitely willing to try another.
TBR List
- The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
- The Good House by Ann Leary
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
- How to Have Impossible Conversations by Boghossian/Lindsay
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