Gumbo Love

by Lucy Buffett

Grand Central 2017

303 pages    Cookbook

My husband and I (as well as other family members) have fallen in love with the Orange Beach and Gulf Shores area of Alabama. This year, we were visited twice a day by a pod of dolphins—maybe 10 or 12 of them. We missed them for a couple of days when the wind changed, but then just as we had packed up to go home, I went out to the deck and there they were, frolicking in the water, biding us farewell. The most heartwarming moment of a  glorious two weeks.

One cool and rainy evening, we made our way over to LuLu's, a place that we had missed on our two other stays in the area. I knew about it because I had read and reviewed Lucy Buffet's first cookbook, LuLu's Kitchen. We had a delightful supper, toured the gift shop, and looked at all the recreational activities available, including a boat dock. It is a great place.

I used the LuLu's Kitchen cookbook several times on our vacation to guide our seafood meal creation, and one night even made shrimp and grits. I was so proud. Buffett's cookbook, Gumbo Love, is a worthy sequel to LuLu's Kitchen. Her gumbo is the signature dish of the restaurant, and her retelling of the "creation" story is a delight. The book is beautifully designed, filled with pictures that made me nostalgic for the Gulf Coast and seafood for every meal!

She shares her philosophy for life and for cooking in a chapter called Ten Grateful Ingredients for a Bright Life and a Happy Kitchen, and then she shares the ingredients that you need to operate a Gulf Coast kitchen—like how to make Roux and Creole seasoning. Of course, you have to have fresh seafood, caught that day.

The cookbook portion of the book begins with dessert recipes—don't you just love it! Most recipes, dessert or otherwise, has a full page picture with it, which I have come to enjoy as much as the recipes, themselves. I found three or four recipes I plan to try out soon, including a great looking watermelon and feta cheese salad, southern fried creamed corn, chicken bonne femme, strawberry cobbler, and of course, gumbo.

Here is the recipe for Lucy's Spicy Shrimp Ceviche, which looks absolutely fabulous.

 SPICY SHRIMP CEVICHE

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds poached wild-caught Gulf shrimp

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

½ cup finely chopped celery

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

¾ cup peeled, seeded, and chopped cucumber

1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus ¼ cup for serving, if desired

Juice of 5 limes (about 1 cup)

Juice of 2 lemons (about ½ cup)

Juice of 1 orange (about ½ cup)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

½ teaspoon sugar

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced (optional)

2 limes, quartered (optional)

METHOD

1. Chop the shrimp into thirds or bite-size pieces, or leave them whole if you prefer, and place in a large bowl.

2. Add the red onion, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, cilantro, lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, salt, white pepper, and sugar and stir well.

3. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. While the mixture

marinates, occasionally turn the container to evenly coat the shrimp in the liquid.

4. Transfer the shrimp and liquid to a glass bowl to serve or divide among eight martini glasses. If desired, garnish with avocado, cilantro.

Excerpted from the book GUMBO LOVE by Lucy Buffett. Copyright © 2017by Lucy Buffett. Reprinted with permission of Grand Central Life & Style. All rights reserved. Image credit: Angie Mosier. Lucy's headshot: "Chandler Williams of Modus Photography.

Ill Will

by Dan Chaon

Ballantine Books, 2017

480 pages    Literary Thriller

"When you've been abused in the way you were, you have a virus. And the virus will demand that you pass it on to someone else. You don't even have that much of a choice."

I read Ill Will by Dan Chaon when I was on a month off from writing about books, and now I am a month away from having finished it. I believe it was one of the most messed up (if I were a swearing person, I would say "f****d up") books I have ever read. And I am not alone. The reviewer in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette calls it the "most disturbing novel I've ever read." 

The plot in one sentence: Two sensational unsolved crimes—one in the past, another in the present—are linked by one man’s memory and self-deception. (I received an ebook from the publisher.) 

Here is what I appreciated. Ill Will was very skillfully designed. Cleverly designed. Ill Will kept me totally disoriented. It very adroitly moves from past to present; it changes narrators; sometimes it has three narrations going in columns (pretty hard to read on a Kindle, by the way). Did I mention that it was totally messed up? Also, it doesn't end very satisfactorily, although the reader knows, without a doubt, that all  is not going to end pleasantly. Chaon's intent is to disturb our equilibrium, and he accomplishes that with a vengeance.

The Washington Post reviewer, Ron Charles does a terrific YouTube review. This is how I felt exactly. 

 

You must be asking yourself, why read this crazy book? Well, I asked myself that exact question several times as I was shaking my head but reading on and on. Ron Charles says "Chaon's great skill is his ability to re-create that compulsive sense we have in nightmares that we're just about to figure everything out—if only we tried a little harder, moved a little faster." 

Go ahead. Read Ill Will. Freak yourself out!

Dan Chaon's blog with some awesome photos.

Ginny Moon

by Benjamin Ludwig

      2017

Park Row Books

368 pages     Literary

Ginny Moon, a 14-year-old on the autism spectrum, has had a rough life. Her drug-addicted mother, Gloria, lost custody of her when Ginny was nine, and Ginny was placed in several foster homes until she found her "forever" home with a high school counselor and his doctor wife. At each stop, Ginny tried to escape, always wanting to get back to her mother and her "baby doll" Now, however, life is somewhat normal—she likes her family,  her school and her classmates; she plays in the band and on a Special Olympics basketball team. 

The story is told by Ginny, "deep in my brain,"   where she lives most of the time. What we know about autism is that each person afflicted with the disorder manifests it in different ways. Ginny has some obsessive characteristics, such as marking the time for every event in her life, keeping a rigid schedule, and eating exactly nine grapes for breakfast every day. For Ginny, time stopped when she was taken away from her mother and her baby doll.  When her "forever parents" have a new baby and Brian, her "forever father" suffers a heart attack, everything in Ginny's world becomes even less secure, and she does what she needs to do to protect herself; she sets out to find her mother.

The amazing thing about Ginny, as we hear her voice loud and clear, is that she knows what she wants. She mostly understands that her brain is unique, that she views the world differently than others, and that sometimes she sees herself as (-Ginny), a girl with no place in the world. This is the Ginny that the reader hurts for. This is the Ginny that the reader wishes that they could just reach out and hug—she is hurting so badly—except that Ginny doesn't want to be touched. But most importantly, this is the Ginny Moon that is resilient. She can concoct a plan and follow it through. 

One of the crucial people in Ginny's life is Patrice, the psychologist. She has been Ginny's counselor since she was first taken away from her mother, and Patrice understands and loves Ginny. Her compassion is boundless. But even Patrice doesn't understand Ginny's obsession with her baby doll until half way through the book, and this is a pivotal moment in the plot. At that point I couldn't stop reading until the end. One reviewer said that the ending is a bit Disney-esque, but it ended exactly where I was hoping it would end, in a satisfying and loving way.

Ginny Moon is the debut novel of Ben Ludwig, a teacher and adoptive father of an autistic teenager. He said he got much of his inspiration from his own experience but also from the parents he met at Special Olympics games and practices.  I really loved this book because Ludwig has an uncanny way of getting "deep in my brain" with Ginny and helping the reader understand and love her. The Kirkus reviewer says, "By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, Ginny’s quest for a safe home leads her to discover her own strong voice." 

Benjamin Ludwig website. Click here for an interview with the Original Ginny Moon.

Mangrove Lightning

by Randy Wayne White

G.P. Putnam's Sons     2017

329 pages     Mystery

Well, I dropped into Doc Ford's life during his 24th adventure in Southwest Florida, Mangrove Lightning. I wouldn't suggest that you do that. Doc Ford, apparently, is a marine biologist and part-time spy and government mercenary. His home base is on Sanibel Island, but we meet him rescuing a member of the British Royal family who is in some trouble in the Bahamas. What that has to do with the main mystery is anybody's call, but it may have been unfinished business from some previous iteration. That's what happens when you meet a protagonist in his 24th mystery. 

However, Doc Ford's presence is apparently not essential to the plot of Mangrove Lightning, because he only drops in now and again. What White wants to relate in this book is a well-researched 1925 mystery that took place in the area north of the Everglades around Marco Island, Florida. In those days, Chinese labor was smuggled via the islands, and there was a lot of bootlegging going on. Apparently, one of the main characters in Mangrove Lightning, Tootsie Barlow, a fishing boat captain is still haunted by the events of those early days, and his family's involvement in the damage that was done during those years. He believes that his young relatives are suffering from a family curse. The other protagonist, Tomlinson, tries to help Tootsie, but he is not a detective. (Apparently Tomlinson has a long history with Doc Ford.) Tomlinson is a practicing Buddhist and a bit of a pothead. However, he knows the history of the area, and when Tootsie's grandniece Gracie disappears, Tomlinson rises to the occasion and helps create the connection between the past and the present misfortune.

There's a lot going on, and it took me quite a while to figure it all out. If I had read other books in the series, I would have had an easier time putting it all together—particularly Doc Ford's spy business. I particularly liked the historical influences in Southwest Florida, and I spent quite a bit of time looking up the history of bootlegging in Florida, smuggled Chinese slaves, crocodiles and mangroves. Once I got acclimated to the characters and the setting, it was an intriguing read. The bad guys are really bad—vicious, violent killers, and once the action got rolling, I couldn't put the book down. 

Sanibel Island is one of my favorite places on earth, but a couple of years ago, I spent a few days on Pine Island, which apparently is where Doc Ford lives—the same as Randy White. These are wonderful places with an incredible history. I could believe almost anything happening there. Randy White's love for the region—its past and its future—is of huge importance to him. Weaving the history of the region into his mysteries is one way of showing his love. This is a website that shows the area on Pine Island where White writes his books. He also owns a restaurant on Sanabel called Doc Ford's, of course. 

Randy Wayne White's main website.