Thankfully, this malady is easier to cure than flu. I refer to CPF (Cookie Press Fixation, sometimes diagnosed as SCPA–Spritz Cookie Production Addiction). Having achieved nifty results with the dough-filled cookie gun, no baker can stop with a single batch. The affected individual is driven to mix batter and extrude edible holiday shapes until exhaustion sets in.
I was in the throes of CPF Sunday afternoon; two batches of cookies weren’t sufficient. Eyes glazing and trigger hand twitching, I’d just gathered ingredients for multiple batches of cheese straws when my husband and daughter headed out to watch The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. “Have fun!” I offered distractedly, clearing the cooling rack for my next fix.
Had I been in my right mind, they would also have heard, “and no need to share your insights afterward.” But they know this already. 
Despite repeated exposure to both print and film versions, I failed to bond with Lord of the Rings narrative or any single character therein. The LOTR gene must be absent from my DNA, or possibly I’ve expended all my interest on other worlds–Downton Abbey, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, etc.
But LOTR antipathy doesn’t make me a bad person, right? I’m kind to animals; I make cookies (see above); I never say “Bah, humbug” or steal presents in Whoville.
And I’m eager to recap recommendations for books (unlike The Hobbit ) published in 2013, read in their entirety, and personally deemed top-notch.
Just preface each item with “If you like…”:
…sensitive stories that inspire you to shout “Nooooo!” at the protagonist although you know he can’t hear you, consider Indiscretion by Charles Dubow.
…riveting prose and a plot that can’t be adequately described without “gritty” or “visceral”, try Goat Mountain by David Mann.
…Maeve Binchy, you shouldn’t miss A Week in Winter. (Published posthumously, this is the beloved Irish author’s last novel; look for Chestnut Street–short stories–in 2014.)
…peeks behind the arts scene in Belle Époque Paris, you should check out Where the Light Falls by Katherine Keenum and The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan. (Buchanan’s website reported in November that Painted Girls “has been optioned for a television series by the CW Network and CBS Television”.)
…dark, creepy, gothic narratives for grownups, you’ll appreciate Rustication by Charles Palliser.
…delightful essays by delightful people, pick up Elinor Lipman’s I Can’t Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays.
…character novels with an added dimension of suspense, look for The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure and The Last Summer of the Camperdowns by Ellizabeth Kelly.
…The Big Bang Theory, Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project is a must-read.
…experiencing life in another decade, try The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani (1930s) and Fin & Lady by Cathleen Schine (1960s in Greenwich Village).
…garnering insider expertise within a compelling story, you’ll appreciate Peggy Heskith’s Telling The Bees.
…Downton Abbey, don’t miss Fay Weldon’s trilogy: Habits of the House 2012/Long Live the King/The New Countess, both 2013.
…a tale of a good girl gone bad, get The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell. (In the 1920’s Prohibition setting, our good girl may be simply realizing her potential…)
…an unreliable (what an understatement) narrator in an exotic setting, look into The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara.
…reading about a family as complicated as your own, join the many admirers of The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Menu
