Too Many Cooks: a Nero Wolfe Mystery by Rex Stout 179 pages

Not much can get Nero Wolfe out of the only chair that will fit him or his daily routine, but when he is to be the guest speaker for a group of gourmands, he can hardly say no.  Traveling by train with ever-entertaining Archie Goodwin is only the start of the fun.  Of course, there has to be a murder to go and spoil the whole thing.  Don't worry, though, Wolfe will figure out a way to make it all work to his advantage...that's what geniuses do.  This is one of my favorite Nero Wolfe mysteries.  It is very funny, but it is set in a time and area where racial tensions were high.  Some language is certainly offensive, but characteristic of its time and the characters who use it. 

I listened to the audiobook read by Michael Prichard, who did a spectacular job capturing Archie's voice, as always.

Christmas in London by Anita Hughes, 288 pages

I love armchair traveling especially at Christmastime. I have been lucky enough to see London at Christmastime in real life. It's been years but I can see it like it was yesterday. The first main character you met, Louisa Graham, is a baker. Reading about her concoctions made me so hungry I actually made brownies (from a box...she'd probably be ashamed that they weren't from scratch). I'm not always the biggest fan of dual stories but I really liked Kate, the producer of the TV show that brings Louisa to London to bake for the annual Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge's. Thanks to the dual main characters you have story lines for two types of romantics...fans of second chances and fans of new love. But as everyone knows there's no guarantee that you'll get a happily ever after.

The Stars of Summer by Tara Dairman 352 pages

Gladys Gatsby is turning twelve and for her birthday, she receives a counselor-in-training position at the day camp in town from her friend Charissa. Gladys did not envision her summer at day camp. She would rather be at the library looking through cookbooks or thinking about her next restaurant review for the New York Standard. At least she gets to work in the kitchen, however, she and the cook have opposite views on good food. So while Gladys is dealing with the camp cook, she learns that her next review is to find the best hotdog in New York. How is Gladys supposed to visit all the different hotdog vendors in New York and still make her deadline with her editor?

This was read by Kathleen McInerney. 

Delicious by Ruth Reichl 374 pages

Although Ruth Reichl is a New York Times best-selling author for her cookbooks, this is her debut novel, and it is a good one! Attention all you foodies, you will love this book!

Billie Breslin has an unusual gift, the perfect palate. She can taste a morsel of food and pick out each and every spice used to make that food. She and her sister, Genie, started their own bakery when Billie was only 10-years-old. They were famous for their wedding cakes, Genie would design them and Billie would create the recipes. But tragedy strikes and Billie loses the desire to cook. Instead, she travels to New York to work for the food magazine, "Delicious!", an iconic food magazine. Billie mans the guarantee hot line. Delicious! guarantees all their recipes and Billie must decide what ingredients the caller left out or added that ruined the dish. This book is full of the delightful New York characters Billie meets, but the best part of this story is the hidden room in the magazine's library, full of letters written during WWII by 12-year-old Lulu Swan to legendary chef James Beard. While discussing recipes and the challenges of cooking when important ingredients are rationed, Lula also shares her fears and troubles. It is a first-hand look at surviving on the home front while her father is MIA. There are so many delightful things about this book, so many quirky characters, so much mystery and discovery. The only disappointment was there were not enough recipes included! I guess I will have to find the author's cookbooks for that. Definitely a recommended read!