Stephanie's Picks
Betty Crocker Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, New Edition by Betty Crocker
This is the old classic with the classics and lots of other great recipes. My husband received this cookbook from his mother just after we had gotten married (I think he may have hinted to her about my cooking). Well, they were right, I was not a cook. I began my simple search for the recipes that my mother and his mother had made. They were there. My all-time favorite Macaroni and Cheese recipe is here. I love the Oven-Fried Chicken as well. The Pizza recipe we have used for ages on many Sunday evenings. This is a basic cookbook I go back to again and again. This newest edition has on section on slow cookers and 20-minute meals. These are meals I trust. I would recommend this to the newlyweds and the newly graduated.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice: Book 1, Mary Russell Novels by Laurie R. King
King is a wonderful writer. I was drawn initially to these books by the idea of Sherlock Holmes' story being continued, but have fallen in love with the lead character, Mary Russell. King introduces us to the life of Mary Russell, an orphaned 15-year Oxford student, whose intellect matches Holmes', point-by-point. King transforms you to the underground world of Holmes with disguises, secret passage ways and hidden apartments. Mrs. Hudson, the housekeeper, and Dr. Watson, make appearances which make me feel that I already know so much of the story.
Picador
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
This is the story of a dog, Enzo, and a man. That is all I needed to hear to get me to begin reading this novel. What reeled me in was that Enzo tells that story of his man, Denny who is a race car driver. Denny is a good man who finds a girl and marries her. Enzo describes his senses as he meets people and lives his life with Denny. While this could be the end, there is so much more involved in this, and Enzo tells it in such a way that I could not stop reading it. I was laughing out loud on an airplane. I could not put this book down. To see the world the way Enzo does will put a smile on your face, and the story will make you know that life can be good.
HarperCollins Publishers