 The
last Good Reads feature in For Her Information. It
has been a delight to share a cup full of the books out there
with you each month. Do not forget the next good read is just
around the corner.
 The
Secret Ingredient
By Sally Bee
Sterling, 2010
This cookbook delivers heart-healthy recipes and some loving
encouragement too. At age 36, author Sally Bee suffered three
heart attacks in just one week. Out of necessity Bee transformed
her life and eating habits and shares in this cookbook.
Some of the scrumptious recipes crafted by Sally Bee and
friends include prawn, avocado and pecan herb salad; chicken
curry with sweet onions; Caribbean fish stew; and red berry
meringue pie, to name a few. This reviewer has already tried
a number of the recipes and they are yummy.
 Twelve
Rooms with a View
By Theresa Rebeck
Shaye Areheart Books, 2010
A novel about two dysfunctional families: the Finns and the
Drinans, both struggling with the recent death of a parent
while trying to make sure they are not left out of the inheritance.
The two families face off in a bitter dispute over the Central
Park twelve-room Livingston Mansion Apartment at the Edgewood
that’s valued in the millions. But the Finns and the
Drinans are not the only parties involved in this tug of war—the
building’s board is trying to assert its rights.
Tina, Alison and Lucy are the Finn sisters whose mother was
the second wife of Bill Drinan. As their mother survived Bill,
the Finns take possession of the apartment by installing Tina
in the apartment and into the line of fire. Over the next
few months Tina learns some important lessons about herself,
her estranged sisters and the apartment, including a secret
room and a ghost as well as a number of unusual residents
in the building.
 My
Body Belongs to Me
By Jill Starishevsky
Safety Star Media, 2009
In this sobering, educational children’s book, few words
and many illustrated pictures open the door to the topic of
inappropriate touching. Starishevsky is a prosecutor of child
abuse and sex crimes in New York City, and she has created
something with her years of experience to assist families
everywhere.
By speaking directly and in simple terms, parents can teach
children to tell a parent or teacher if any inappropriate
touching occurs. Most importantly, this narrative assures
young ones that sexual molestation is not their fault, and
by speaking out, the child will continue to grow big and strong.
 Hungry
Girl Happy Hour
By Lisa Lillien
St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010
Get ready for your next guilt-free cocktail party with this
guide/cookbook. In this latest Hungry Girl, Lillien
offers delicious yet healthy drink and food options to ensure
that all can partake. Each entry begins with per-serving calories,
fat, sodium, carbs, fibers, sugars and protein information,
taking away the guesswork and allowing those with diet or
food issues to be informed.
Classic drinks like the daiquiri are featured with a twist,
like the Slammin’ Slimmed-Down Strawberry Daiquiri or HG’s
Magical Low-Calorie Margarita. Lillien also shares some guzzle-worthy
martinis, from the Kickin’ Key Lime Pie Martini and Mounds
Bar Martini to the Pumpkin Pie-tini. Plus, the edibles are
just as tempting: Sweet-Hot Steak Bites, Yummy Yummy Eggplant
Goo and Good Chick Lollipops.
 Sweet
Misfortune
By Kevin Milne
Center Street, 2010
This novel features Sophie Jones, proprietor of Chocolat’
de Soph, who dishes out treats and navigates to find herself.
Her shop is known for the Original Misfortune Cookies—chocolate-covered
fortune cookies that come with a healthy dose of reality inside.
One such fortune reads: “Like the cookie in your hand,
your love life will eventually crumble and leave a very bad
taste in your mouth.”
Sophie was always one for the sweets, but that desire has
rested heavily on Sophie’s shoulders since the death of her
parents many years before. That fateful night shaped Sophie’s
life and friendships, and, it turns out her relationship with
the fiancé that left her years back. When this former
fiancé reappears, he turns Sophie’s life upside down
in order to win a date with her.
 Birth
of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musee D’Orsay
DelMonico-Prestel, 2010
A lovely tabletop book, this collection complements an exhibit
hitting two US museums this year: the de Young Museum in San
Francisco till September 6 and the First Center for the Visual
Arts in Nashville, beginning October 15.
Whether you plan on attending the exhibit itself or are simply
inspired to enjoy the images, the book is a lovely way to
recall this era of painting, and the rich social and political
commentary they contain. If you are not able to travel to
visit this exhibit, this stunning book brings it right into
your living room.
Return to top
Falise Platt of the 24/8
Book Club shares her top picks in new books. A voracious
reader with diverse interests, Falise chooses the best from
fiction and nonfiction alike, creating a selection that is
both fun and intelligent.
* The Good Reads Girl was drawn by
Denise Simon, a Chicago-based freelance illustrator.
Check out her work at deniseannsimon.com.
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