3 Books Hot Target, Last Song of Dusk, and This Is Delicious!
By Eric A.T. Dieckman, Joe Milano, Andrea Rodricks
Hot Target Suzanne Brockmann Ballantine Books (www.randomhouse.com/BB) Suzanne Brockmann is a prolific writer of over 40 mainstream romance fiction novels. This book is special: It was written as a love letter to her young gay son. In the dedication, she admires his courage and admonishes the homophobic. The book itself attempts to do the same things with a mix of gay, straight and undecided characters. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. As a mainstream work, a real plot is more important than ripped bodices. In fact, no one's manhood gets pressed until Chapter Six. The plot really is riveting, with unpredictable twists, turns, and thrills along the way. But for a book that's driven by dialogue, much of it doesn't ring true. The words that gay FBI agent Jules and is-he-or-isn't-he-gay antagonist Robin say to each other would never be spoken by real human beings. One exception: Jules' coming-out story. You can feel the heartfelt connection between this and the author's real-life family story. Overall, the characters are engaging, but not very complex. The main romance between bodyguard Cosmo and beleaguered film producer Mercedes is touching but predictable. You really have to work on your suspension of disbelief as Cosmo and the other hired guns explore their feelings. The anti-homophobia rhetoric gets downright preachy at times, but more power to it if it can help turn public opinion around in these days of out-of-control conservatism. The most intriguing subplot involves the production of a movie that outs a beloved war hero and the moves to protect its integrity. There's no denying that this book is a good old-fashioned page-turner, and sometimes that's all a reader is in the mood for. If you're ever in such a mood, Hot Target is worth a try. Available December 28. More info: www.suzannebrockmann.com.-- Joe Milano
The Last Song of Dusk Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi Arcade Publishing (http://www.arcadepub.com/ ) Written in Technicolor, with all the sights and smells of India, The Last Song of Dusk is a witty and achingly sad book by a talented young debut novelist, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi. The colorful characters steal your heart and transport you to a magical world. The book reads like a carnival ride--it's about colonization, love, karma, tragedy, and the strength of the human spirit. Shanghvi sets up a fairy tale that includes a wicked stepmother-in-law and eccentric friends with bohemian lifestyles, and then shatters the happily-ever-after ideal.
Set in colonial India, the book follows the fortunes of a young woman, Anuradha, whose fabled beauty is such that peacocks line up to bid her farewell as she journeys to meet her groom, Vardhmaan, a doctor who is so handsome that women feign illness to have him examine them. Their love for each other is transparent, but is love ever enough to absorb the pain of losing a child? They live in an old house by the sea where an Englishman died of a broken heart, waiting for his princely Indian lover to leave his wife and family and come to him. He left behind "a formidable stack of love letters written and never posted, tied with jute, smelling of lavender and sadness." Anuradha's bittersweet story intertwines with that of her cousin Nandini, a seductive orphan with a dark heart and an extraordinary gift for painting. Nandini appears in their lives with her scandalous mini-sari shaking up Bombay's social scene. Anuradha and Vardhmaan's world, on the other hand, has grown increasingly silent with a lingering fragrance of heartbreak and loss. Will Anuradha finally come to terms with what her mother told her when she first set out to meet Vardhmaan?--"In this life, my darling, there is no mercy." Shanghvi is a tremendously talented debut novelist with a gift for stunning prose and storytelling. The Last Song of Dusk is a refreshingly original tale of fate, love and tragedy; a magical piece of storytelling that pirouettes between laughter and heartbreak. -- Andrea Rodricks
This Is Delicious! What Is It? Robert Meyers-Lussier iUniverse, Inc. (http://www.iuniverse.com/ ) At first glance, the cover of This Is Delicious! What Is It? --with its yellow cover, black text, and picture of a smiling kitty--could be mistaken for a copy of Cats for Dummies . But openly gay chef Robert Meyers-Lussier has no offerings in this international comfort food cookbook to tickle Morris's whiskers. What he does put forward is a thorough look at the dishes that make people around the world undo that first button of their pants and pat their tummy to express contentment. Having this book in your kitchen is like having highlights from countless cookbooks representing many cultures in a single collection. He also offers plenty of insight and back stories of the first times he made these recipes or how they saved the day at a catered affair.
Let everyone else entertain this December with ham. Throw your get-together with a menu as eclectic as yourself and the friends you have drawn together. Take your guests on a belly-bulging trip across the globe. Start out by setting the table with an amuse-bouche like Mid-Eastern hummus and pita. Then offer Lomi Lomi Salmon, a savory Hawaiian hors d'oeuvre. Warm their palates with feijoada, a famed Brazilian black bean soup. Move on to an entrée of Greek moussaka. The preparation looks daunting, but the payoff is worth it. Follow up with a simple Italian salad of grilled portobellos and goat cheese with Earl Grey vinaigrette. End the adventure with a whimsical Vietnamese banana soup. Sure, after six courses they won't move for a while, but your guests will remember your table long after they forget the turkey and sweet-potato pie of someone else's unimaginative gathering. -- Eric A.T. Dieckman
