| READ & FEED--June 2007 A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore It's the beginning of summer, with kids out of school, kids at camp, and kids yelling, "I have nothing to do!" Pack them in the car and head for the nearest beach. Grab the picnic basket and the suntan lotion, but don't forget your summer reading. Yep, your summer "must reads." Rick said that I had to read this one, and I'm glad I did. It has everything I want in a book: characters that you fall in love with, a good story, and zany humor--the kind of book you can't put down once you start it. This month's Read & Feed selection is a delightful book from the warped mind of Christopher Moore, whose novels have hit bestsellers lists. His witty creations include:"Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story", and "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal." San Francisco, a weird enough place already, just got weirder. In "A Dirty Job" Charlie Asher's wife, Rachel, just had a baby girl, and Charlie is on his way to the hospital to bring her favorite CD to her. Baby Sophie looks just like her mom, cute as a button. A sleep- deprived Charlie walks into Rachel's room and sees a very tall black man dressed in a mint green suit standing next to her bed: "What are you doing here?" Charlie asks. Minty Fresh turns toward Charlie. "You can see me?" Charlie has just become a death merchant because he sees Minty Fresh there to collect Rachel's soul. Charlie's new job is to collect the souls of the dying in everyday objects. When the right time comes, the objects are then given to people who have no souls of their own. Doesn't sound too bad, right? It’s a pity that Charlie wants no part of this new responsibility. This novel is one that you really won’t be able to put down. You can check all the great reviews that it’s getting on Amazon.com. Christopher Moore is even featured in the June 2007 issue of "Writer's Digest." I love this book because it's got great characters. I’ve read a fair number of books in my time, but this one has the WOW factor that I enjoy reading a book for. There's the witty tongue of Charlie’s employee, Lily, the Goth girl turned Julia Childs. His lesbian sister, Jane, raids his closet for the cool clothes that can get his hands on when he goes and collects the souls. His baby daughter, Sophie, repeats everything back that she hears her dad and aunt talk about. Sophie also has two huge hell hounds as pet watchdogs, and they eat everything from whole frozen chickens to propane gas tanks. That’s some mighty after-effect burping. Read this and, like me, you'll want more of Moore. To go along with "A Dirty Job" is an appropriate recipe. Like the book, it's something you won't be able to get enough of and a great variation on an old theme: Peanut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Enjoy, and have a happy read and feed! :-) PEANUT OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (makes about 6 dozen 2 1/2-inch cookies) 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 1-1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1/3 cup milk 2 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 3 cups Quaker Oats 8 oz chocolate chips 1/2 cup peanuts (adjust amount to taste) Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well. If dough is too moist, add up to 1/4 cup more flour. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes. |