All The Presidents' Pastries - Twenty-Five Years In The White House

I recently heard on the news that Roland Mesnier, long-time pastry chef at the White House, had died.  In the course of his on-air obituary the broadcaster mentioned among his other works, a memoir of his time at the White House: All The Presidents' Pastries - Twenty-Five Years In The White House, (#1,088) co-written with Christian Malard.  I checked our local library, and sure enough, they had a copy of his 2004 publication.

It's quite an amazing story.  Born in France in 1944, Mr. Mesnier came from an impoverished but strong family.  When he was sent to stay with his older brother at age twelve, he found his vocation.  His brother was a pastry chef; he would become one, too.  The book recounts his struggles to keep learning and moving up in his profession until he worked in some of the most elite kitchens in Europe and the United States.  A colleague suggested to Roland that he apply for an opening at the White House, which he did, somewhat reluctantly.  The rest, as they say, is history.  He eventually served under five US Presidents, from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush before retiring.

If you are looking for Presidential scandals, this is not the book for you.  Mr. Mesnier was the ideal employee in this position, refusing to pass along anything which would reflect negatively on those he served in the White House.  Not that there is any lack of interesting anecdotes here!

But if you are a foodie, you'll be in heaven reading the descriptions of the sumptuous and creative desserts he created in the various kitchens where he worked.  It made my blood sugar levels rise just reading about the ice creams, sorbets, cakes, pastries and especially the spun sugar decorations which were his specialty.

If I have one complaint about this book, it is that in the photo section, pictures included those of Roland Mesnier posing with the Presidential families, which were very nice, but I would really have liked to have seen many more photos of his incredible desserts.  He does include some recipes at the end of the book, but I have no illusions that my confections would bear the slightest resemblance to this master chef's originals!  Enjoy!

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

Becky Chambers has followed up her Psalm for the Wild-Built series with A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (#1,087) continuing the adventures of tea monk Sibling Dex and Mosscap, the robot who came out of the wilderness to meet them, and to ask as many humans as he can: What can he do for them?  What do they need?

The answers are surprising as the pair draw closer and closer to the City, the terminus of their journey together.  Dex finds more than he bargained for in his interactions with Mosscap while Mosscap - well, he finds continual delight in the human realm.  It's delightful and touching as they explore the world around them.  Will they ever make it to the City?  I rather hope not.

Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot sci-fi series has much to offer its readers.  I'm looking forward to the next installment.

All The Queen's Men

What exquisite timing I had when I picked up SJ Bennett's novel All The Queen's Men (#1,086).  I had just started it when Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died at Balmoral.  Although I was traveling and couldn't watch most of the coverage on TV, All The Queen's Men nevertheless allowed me to spend time with Her Majesty and Prince Phillip at the time of Brexit, solving the mystery of a missing painting and a seemingly unconnected death of a palace staff member.

Of course, Her Majesty (or The Boss, as staff called her) had help along the way, but she was a key member of the investigatory team.  She just had to conceal her involvement discretely while doing so with help from Captain Rozie Oshidi, her recently appointed Assistant Personal Secretary.

Downstairs intrigue, and an affectionate and respectful fictionalization of the Queen and her Consort make for an entertaining, and now, nostalgic, read with both of them gone.

I can't wait to go back and read the first book in this series, The Windsor Knot.  If you're a Royal follower, definitely add All The Queen's Men to your "Must Read" list.  Gone, but not forgotten...

Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries & Lore

I'm not usually a fan of short story collections, but how could I resist stories about librarians?  Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries & Lore (#1,085) edited by Paula Guran leans heavily towards fantasy and science fiction.  Some of the stories are very strange indeed.  Some are very entertaining, but all of them lure you onto the next story in the volume.

I think my favorite was Death and the Librarian by Esther M. Friesner which was quite poignant, with a surprisingly sentimental, yet perfectly suited, ending.

Both my husband and I enjoyed Scott Lynch's tale of derring-do In the Stacks.  Who knew shelving books in the library could be quite so hazardous to your health?  Well, my husband did when he worked in a University library...

If you spend much time in your local libraries, public, private, or personal, Ex Libris might be a worthy addition to your collection.

They Want to Kill Americans

Noted terrorism expert Malcolm Nance has written an extremely disturbing book: They Want to Kill Americans - the Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency (#1,084).  The reason it is so disturbing is that he isn't talking about jihadists or ISIS or the Chinese, North Koreans or Russians.  No, he's talking about the people next door.  Here, in America.

Some of what he discusses here has been revealed over the course of the January 6th Congressional Hearings, but apparently that's only been the tip of the iceberg.  Many of those indicted or convicted as a result of the riot at the Capitol on January 6th have stated their objective; to provoke a civil war in the United States led by white supremacists, neo-nazis and facists.  They've already succeeded in getting many of their adherents elected to state-wide or national offices.  Once in power, they'll be free to act on their hateful beliefs.

What can we do to stop them?  Vote.  Vote as if your life depends on it.  It very well may if you are liberal, a Democrat, non-Christian or non-white.