Ruby Sisson Library

The Cook is a coming-of-age journey centered on Mauro, a young self-taught cook. The story is told by an unnamed female narrator, Mauro's friend and disciple who we also suspect might be in love with him. Set not only in Paris but in Berlin, Thailand, Burma, and other far-flung places over the course of fifteen years, the book is hyperrealistic--to the point of feeling, at times, like a documentary. It transcends this simplistic form, however, through...

When Neil arrives in Mexico City to partake in the Battle of the Chefs, he learns that Isabella has been kidnapped and it will take a dose of Aztec history and knowledge of buried ruins to find her before time runs out.

Teaflet and her brother, Roog, are ready to throw their annual strawberry jam party for their friends in Trefldom. They want it to be the best party ever, even ten times better than the best party ever! But the inspector of neatness is coming to examine their higgledy-piggledy house from top to bottom. If she finds even one pinch of dirt, or one messy bed, the party will be canceled. Teaflet promises to clean while Roog bakes for the party. But will...

What a bounty Katherine Hall Page gives her readers here. The Body in the Cast is as full of treasures as a Christmas stocking. First, of course, there's Page's lovely sleuth, the transplanted New York caterer Faith Fairchild, a minister's wife, gourmet cook, mother, and all-around charmer. There's the excitement that grips her little town of Aleford, Massachusetts, when a movie company arrives to shoot an arty, updated version of The Scarlet Letter....

"Make an effort. These three seemingly innocuous words send Cheryl Miller on her most challenging assignment yet. When Aunt Mitzi handpicks a new tenant for her cottage, she asks Cheryl to 'make an effort' to befriend her. But Jayla Nuttall makes it plain she doesn't welcome any overtures of friendship. Jayla is obviously determined to alienate Cheryl, and everyone else in Sugarcreek. But Cheryl, spurred on by Mitzi's encouraging letters, sets out...

Liddy is so excited about going to the Dim Sum Palace tomorrow with her family that she can't sleep. So when a delicious smell wafts into her room, she hops out of bed, opens her door and steps into . . . an actual palace of dim sum! There are dumplings, baos, buns and more delicious treats than one girl can possibly eat. Liddy just has to take a bite, but she slips and falls . . . into a bowl of dumpling filling. The chefs are so busy rolling, folding...

When eleven-year-old foster kid Mo finds a handmade cookbook filled with someone else's family recipes, she collects the stories behind them and builds a website to share them, secretly hoping a long-lost relative will find her and give her a family recipe all her own.

In Summit View, Colorado, the women of the Potluck Club have decided on a bold move. They're launching a catering business that's a lot like them: saucy, spicy, and well-seasoned. But will personal secrets cause the business to crumble before it gets off the ground? As the women focus on their new venture they will have to deal with a steamy past that threatens a marriage, the scalding truth about those they thought they knew, and the outrageous situations...

The Cookie Jar's busiest time of the year also happens to be the most wonderful time ... for Christmas cookies, Hannah Swensen's own special plum pudding - and romance! Hannah's slated to provide dessert at the Reverend Knudsen's upcoming nuptials. Busy and loving it, Hannah also gets a kick out of Larry Jaeger's Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot, a kitschy carnival taking place on the village green - until she discovers Larry dead in his own office ......