Home: a Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews

The best part of this audiobook experience is being able to listen to Julie Andrews. She may not be singing, but her reading voice is very pleasing to the ear. She tells of her close, warmly supportive relationship with her father and the sadness of her parents’ divorce. It was her stepfather who started her on her career path though his effect on her was not completely positive by any means. For many years she performed in music halls with her mother and stepfather and the money she earned helped her family through the difficult postwar period in Britain. Eventually her talent, intelligence and luck led her far from home. There are plenty of good stories about the years on Broadway. Her naturally upbeat outlook and compassion for the human condition shine through this memoir. - Reviewed by Nancy

My Abandonment by Peter Rock

13-year-old Caroline lives with her father (only known as Father throughout the book) outside of Portland, Oregon. The two don’t live like a normal family, instead choosing to live hidden in caves and shelters in an Oregon state park. Father is meticulous about not being detected, and has worked out an elaborate life full of living off the forest, covering their tracks, and having separate “city” clothes for when the two venture weekly into the city for trips to the bank, library, and grocery store. Extremely intelligent for her age, and loving Father dearly, Caroline accepts this way of life and relishes her freedom in the forest. Unfortunately the two are detected by police one afternoon because of Caroline not being careful enough.

Based on a true story, yet a fictional account, Rock draws readers in to the quiet, simple survival-based life of Caroline and Father. When their unconventional lifestyle forces authorities to house them on a farm, making Father work on the farm and preparing Caroline for school, it becomes too much for Father and he takes Caroline back into the woods, with tragic consequences. In real life, the father and daughter have never been seen again since retreating back to the woods. In Rock’s fictional tale, readers slowly begin to realize what is actually happening to the two and why they need to retreat from the real world.

While the story is full of unsettling moments, and readers may want to look away at the end of the story, it is also a gorgeous story of love, survival, and human mystery. Rock has captured the innocence of Caroline as a 13-year-old confused girl perfectly, and also the counter-culture community of Portland rings true. I finished this book at 1 A.M. one morning and could not stop thinking about it. While people may be intrigued that this is based on a true story, Rock is a confident writer who takes readers onto a journey they won’t forget, even if he used real life for inspiration. Highly recommended if you are looking for something different to read or if you are interested in fiction set in the Northwest. -Reviewed by Sarah

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: a Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale

A horrible child murder took place in the summer of 1860 at Road Hill House in a small English village. One of the first Scotland Yard detective inspectors was sent to solve the mystery of who might be cruel enough to kill a sleeping three year old boy and cast his body in the servants’ privy. Countless lurid, highly opinionated newspaper articles and average, everyday gossip made this case a national sensation.

Kate Summerscale does a wonderful job of interweaving the history of detective novels with the events and personae of this real life case. The basic facts of the case will capture your interest and the individual characters intrigue you with their layers of deep, dark secrets that may well have laid the groundwork for a violent death. - Reviewed by Nancy

Spain and the World Table by Martha Rose Shulman

Having spent my third year of college in Spain, I am always on the look out for Spanish cookbooks. In Spain and the World Table, I found a treasure trove of traditional and modern recipes. Martha Shulman worked in conjunction with the Culinary Institute of America to assemble dishes that range from tapas to desserts. My favorite part of any cookbook is always the introduction and the history behind the recipes and ingredients.

Martha addresses the beginnings of the Spanish table through the regional dishes which were based on ingredients which were readily available to the people. This is why Spanish cities near the sea are famous for paella (a saffron, rice and seafood dish) and many that use salt cod as the main ingredient. The National Dish of Spain is the tortilla Espanola which is an omelet made with eggs and potatoes and is served both as a main dish as well as an appetizer or tapa. Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup, has many variations. The author even includes a recipe for one with beets and cherries. Cocido is a stew with beans, meat and sausage that I ate each week with my Spanish family. The recipe in this cookbook is just as I remember it.

Spaniards eat a light breakfast, a large meal after noon, have drinks and snacks in the late afternoon and then another meal later in the evening. Each evening on our way home from class, we would stop and have chocolate and churros. Chocolate is something like hot, thick chocolate pudding in which you would dip your churro ( a stick-like fried donut). Many evenings, we would also head to the local tavernas to “tomar algo” ( which literally means, “to take something”). There we would enjoy a glass of wine or beer and some tapas. Tapas are small snacks that range from a thin slice of ham, a pickled egg, slice of tortilla, anchovies or olives.

The most famous Spanish dessert is flan, which is a custard with caramel topping. Martha has recipes for several versions of this, including one topped with mission figs. This is a colorful and informative cookbook that took me back to my special year in Spain. - Reviewed by Deb