Generation Chef by Karen Stabiner

It's hard to write a book review when you know the author personally. Even harder when you've known the author your entire life and looked up to her because she had what you envisioned to be the "ideal job." I think I've spent most of my life dreaming about either being an artist or a writer. This book, Generation Chef, was written by my Aunt. I couldn't wait to read it, and now I'm going to try and review it, sort of.

It has been amazing to grow up wanting to be a writer while having a real-life writer to connect with. She never glamorized it, which I feel made a big difference for me. I'm not a professional writer today, probably because of the insight she brought to the profession for me. However, I still write professionally. I never gave up my passion for writing and for developing as a writer, and I think my Aunt deserves some of the credit for that. All that being said, it makes it hard to write a book review about my Aunt's book. My perspective is a little shaded by my emotional attachment here, but...

If you've ever found yourself channel surfing and end up binge watching The Food Network, this book is for you. If you love food - cooking it, eating it, snapping pictures for your Instagram - this book is for you. If you love real stories, about real people, struggling to make their dreams come true, this book is for you. The journey in this book goes from the first steps toward building a restaurant for a young, aspiring chef, to Huertas' second anniversary and all the unknowns for the chef and the staff that still linger. It's a story that is constantly moving and changing because that seems to be the nature of the industry. You can't be complacent with just one accomplishment, it must build toward the next and the next. It's honestly a lifestyle and pace I could never keep up with, but one that I'm so very interested in understanding.

I don't typically recommend books to my friends that my Aunt has written. Mostly because some of the topics she's previously covered don't really apply to the lives of the people I know. There was also this one autobiographical book where I'm mentioned a tiny bit, and it would have felt strange to have my friends read it. But, this book hits the mark for me. I enjoyed reading it so much and have already been talking it up to as many people as I can. I've also had the actual pleasure of eating at Huertas. I went with my Aunt while she was still working on the book. It was fantastic, and worth a stop in if you're ever in (or currently live in) NYC.

Regardless of who the author is in relation to me, Generation Chef, is a great read, and I think you (whoever you happen to be) would enjoy it.

Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors by Sarah Stodola

I've always had a connection to the written word. It isn't to language itself - I can be quite inarticulate when speaking - put a pen in my hand and words just flow. I'd love to get paid to write, to have others read the novel, still in its shitty first draft phase, on my shelf, but like so many of the writers profiled here, life's distractions currently take precedence. Luckily, I can nerd out with my favorite authors by reading their books and going behind the curtain of their individual writing process in this great book.

Thinking of myself as a 'literary nerd,' this book gave me a key opportunity to 'nerd out.' Stodola profiles so many great authors here, focusing on how they started writing, what their process is like, and what an average day looks like for them. It's an amazing relief to see that the struggle for excellence is real no matter how accomplished you already are. It's reassuring to know that great work happens even if you're only able to write 200 words a day, if it takes you years to finish that masterpiece. This is no right way to write.

This book is the perfect piece of non-fiction for any novel-lovers book list. It's fun, interesting, and encouraging (if you have dreams of writing.) I might finish my first novel some day and figure out what my own writing process actually is, or I might throw it out and start something new when I finally get some extra time. Either way, I know, in my heart, I'm already a writer.

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

I'm pretty sure I first read this trilogy in college, before everyone was writing about witches and magic and demons. Rick already had her iconic vampires, but those books weren't for me. I wanted a little magic. What Rice delivers is more about abilities than magic with spells and potions - practical magic. Rice makes it all feel real. It's what has kept these books on my favorite list for so long, and why I'm excited to finally have time to reread them.

The Witching Hour chronicles the history of The Mayfair Witches, a family who begins manipulating magic early in their genealogy to bring forth Lasher, an immortal being that's almost like a ghost demon. In each generation, one witch is chosen (the legacy,) and Lasher aligns himself to them bringing them riches, love, and protection. Unfortunately, the majority of these "chosen" witches die young and tragically (and so do most of the men they fall in love with.)

Before being called to the family, Lasher is unaware of humanity, unconnected to the physical world and not a threat. Once linked to people, he changes. Emotions and desires corrupt his spirit in a way that motivates him toward a single goal regardless of consequences. Through the generations of the Mayfair Family, he pushes his own agenda as he seemingly loves and supports his human companions. Throughout the generations, Lasher leaves behind a manipulated trail of inbreeding, rape, and murder all to create the "perfect" witch to aid in his own plan. He's such a seductive character that his true intentions aren't quickly figured out.

When Rowan Mayfair is born, Lasher's work is essentially complete. She's the "perfect" witch. She's powerful, passionate, and intense. You're not sure if she'll actually help Lasher or defeat him. She ultimately stands as a very tragic figure beside the seductive Lasher through her roller-coaster journey in the story.

Rice is an intense writer, there's no doubt about that. It's that element that initially drew me to her writing way back in college, but every read of a book is different. This time around, I felt more. I got into the heart of the book rather than getting tripped up on the action itself. The story definitely withstands the time test and still feels relevant and even a little more cerebral than a lot of what's coming out today in the same genre. You'll have to settle in for a long read if you're ready to pick this one up. At over 1,000 pages of very dense narrative, it does take a while to get through the book, but it's an enjoyable ride that doesn't lag.

Fates Worse than Death by Kurt Vonnegut

Aside from reviewing this book, which is really nothing more than a collection of previously-published essays, I want to share how this book made me feel. 

I love Vonnegut. Sirens of Titan, Galapagos, and so many others are up there with my all-time favorites, so it was saddening to be told, by the author himself, that he just isn't invigorated by being a writer. It simply pays the bills and his books are so out there because he's clinically depressed. 

The essays are all over the place and are interesting enough - covering war, conservation, bits of Vonnegut's own life - all the biggies that appear in his fiction. He really has been around long enough to have met everybody. His name-dropping throughout surprised me more than once, but again, why did he not love what he wrote? Why did it seem to do nothing for him that his books blow people's minds? 

I realize Vonnegut must have been a very complex person, and it's not like I can go and ask him all the why's that bubbled up after reading this book. Not only was his life full of so many different situations, his mental state affected his interpretations of the world around him, and he saw a lot of messed up stuff. Yet, I had hoped his non-fiction would bring me closer to him as a writer than I feel like I already am because of his fiction. As a writer myself, seeing inside the mind of writers I admire has always been such a special experience. This book didn't do that. He may be the first writer who I feel is completely unattached to his writing.

Mostly, Vonnegut reminds me of an older version of my Dad, born into my grandfather's generation, but imbued with the lack of trust in the world around them. I just don't know what I think of him now, but I refuse to let it lead me to love his works any less.