Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubray

The title and the colorful cover of this book caught my eye in the used bookstore here in Bismarck. The lively shades of blue, so typical of the south of France, made the cover arresting. It turned out to be quite an enjoyable read. The plot was a bit silly and unrealistic, but made a good story. Like many books I seem to be reading lately, the time went back and forth between the present and the past. By the end of the book, the two stories came together. A modern young woman searches out her grandmother's past and in the process discovers a lot about her grandmother's life as a chef and as a cook for the real life Picasso. While the story is true fiction, the character of Picasso and most of the paintings described are based in history. Because I love Picasso's art, this was fascinating. The story is somewhat titillating and erotic as the young woman is seduced by Picasso, but it's rather tastefully done. Not X rated, but certainly a strong R!

Picasso's male chauvenism is illustrated through his conversations and actions. His wives and lovers make a few appearances, and his obsession with his art (if true) shows how selfish and unfeeling he could be. Ondine (the grandmother) and Celine (the granddaughter) are interesting characters and the writing is better than average. A great book? No. Enjoyable? Yes.

Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

While Len and I were on vacation in Arizona, we checked out the local Deseret Industries store and I happened to find this book. I've enjoyed Reichl's autobiographical books and so I thought I would enjoy this one as well. I did! Although I have to say it was a little disappointing to find the characters and situations rather trite and predictable. It was the perfect vacation read, however, because it was purely enjoyable fluff without any depth and not much pain. And sprinkled throughout is the constant connection with various foods and dishes which is always fun for a foodie! Just before we came to Arizona, my friend Mary gave me some herbal tea that is Ruth Reichl's tea somehow?! I didn't read the label any too carefully. Now my dilemma is, do I give it to Mary or Sierra to read first??!!!

One thing besides the food that I enjoyed was the description of life in New York. I always enjoy urban settings that focus on the exciting parts of that life, with all of its opportunities and beauties and interesting shops, restaurants, and people. This book has that appeal as well.

The characters are pretty one-dimensional and the plot is predictable, but there is some intrigue with figuring out some of the clues hidden in the unfolding of the story. No basis in reality but sort of fun. Also, I enjoyed some of the descriptions of life during World War II and found them fresh and informative. Not a bad start for a first-time novelist!