I have been an avid fan of Barbara Kingsolver’s work since I read her first novel, The Bean Trees, in 1989. Her newest novel, Demon Copperhead, reinforces why I love her writing as much as I do. Set in Southwest Virginia, Kingsolver takes the reader on an intimate tour of modern-day Appalachia via protagonist, Damon Fields a.k.a. Demon Copperhead. Born to a teenage mother, Damon struggles with poverty, family abuse, the foster care system, homelessness, school failure and opioid addiction. As in previous novels, Kingsolver is able to bring social issues to the forefront through her beautifully written prose.

I love a good cookbook, especially one loaded with appetizing color photographs of the prepared recipes. What makes me love this cookbook even more is that the recipes are limited to either 3, 5, or 7 ingredients. The premise being that with a well-stocked pantry and (maybe) one fresh ingredient from the local butcher or farmer’s market, delicious meals can be easily made at home. I’ve tried several recipes from this book and all were very successful. My favorites are the Easy-Breezy Pot Roast and the Mini Fruit Pies. Add a green salad to those two and you’ve got Dinner then Dessert!

I love a good novel. I also love sea creatures, especially octopuses. So, how could I resist a novel that includes an octopus as one of its narrators? Marcellus is a giant Pacific octopus living at an aquarium in fictional Sowell Bay, Washington. Tova is a widow keeping herself busy cleaning the aquarium each evening after closing time. When Marcellus and Tova form an unlikely friendship, each of them is able to teach the other about kindness, family, and love. And Marcellus is able to find something that Tova thought she had lost long ago.