02/06/2017
Mexico City native Carlos Portillo always looked up to his older brother, Felix, who shared his passion for food and did things his own way, rather than follow in their wealthy father’s path. Now Felix is dead, but Carlos still feels his presence, urging him to leave home and follow his dreams, instead of doing a summer internship with his father then attending college in America. On a whim, Carlos runs away to Seattle and takes a job as a dishwasher at a renowned restaurant. Carlos is determined to prove his culinary skills to his boss, but trouble brews when he falls for the chef’s daughter, Emma, and is told that if he dates her he’ll be fired. In a story pitting ambition against love and deference against independence, Alsaid (Never Always Sometimes) strongly evokes the frenzied atmosphere of a restaurant kitchen and the equally turbulent emotions of a young man struggling to sort his priorities. Carlos’s frequent visions of Felix add extra dimension, shedding light on the brothers’ history and underscoring Carlos’s underlying grief. An Alloy Entertainment property. Ages 14–up. Agent: Pete Knapp, Park Literary Group. (Apr.)
Whether you’re dealing with parents who expect you to be someone you’re not or facing a society filled with ideas you just can’t agree with, everyone’s got something to rebel against. But battling the Man (or the Mom, as the case may be) can take its toll. Here are five novels to pick up when […]
It’s happened to us all. Out of nowhere, the book you’re reading is taken over by beautifully delicious paragraphs full of savory treats and refreshing drinks, and suddenly you’re running to the kitchen, scavenging for snacks. Hunger-inducing fiction is a challenge readers have faced since we were kids salivating over the dining hall scenes in […]
You can tell North of Happy, by Adi Alsaid, is a special book from its very first page. After all, how many novels have you read that open with a delicious recipe? He sets the tone immediately with a first chapter that hands you a tasty recipe for tacos…pairing it with some heartache. And that’s the magic of […]
The weather’s less gross (for those of us in gross-weather parts of the world), the great books keep coming, and life is good! Put on your SPF 5,000 (the kind they recommend for bookish types crawling out of their winter hovels), break out your jorts way too early, and check out 25 amazing books that are […]