The previous two books I reviewed were full of chocolate recipes so I thought I would dedicate today's post to the subject of recipes in books.
It seems like most cozy mystery books are chock full of recipes - from chocolate to baked goods, and even pub fare but the question of the day is: Do you think it's a good idea to mix cooking with murder? Or do you think having the recipes gives a welcome break to the action of the book?
I am personally in the latter camp. I love to cook and bake and am always looking for new recipes to try. I used to spend hours on Pinterest looking for dinner and dessert ideas but since they decided to basically make every single pin in my feed a sponsored ad for things I am not interested in, I gave it up and started looking elsewhere. I love that the books I am reading include recipes and I think when they are strategically placed, it is a great way to let the mind rest between intense action. Some books have the recipes at the start of chapters and others include them in a separate section at the end but either way, I enjoy the added content.
Most of the books I read have sweet recipes, like the Lady Arianna Regency Mysteries by Andrea Penrose which include chocolate recipes at the start of every chapter and I am excited to try some of them but I think my favorite series (as far as recipes go) is the Brewing Trouble Mystery series by Joyce Tremel. It's pub food with a German twist and both those ideas are so different for a book series and I love it.
At some point, I would love to put together an entire book of all the recipes from the cozies that I read so that I have them all in one place.
Here's a list of a few series you may want to try (if you haven't already) if you're looking for some good recipes:
Brewing Trouble Mysteries by Joyce Tremel
Lady Arianna Regency Mysteries by Andrea Penrose
Magical Bakery Mysteries by Bailey Cates
Hannah Swensen Mysteries by Joanne Fluke
Do you like recipes mixed with murder? What other series have you read that include recipes?
The series I like the most that includes recipes is The Bakeshop Mysteries by Ellie Alexander. http://www.elliealexander.co/books/bakeshop-mystery-series/
ReplyDeleteThe author actually tests recipes to include in her books, it is part of her writing process.
Thanks so much for the suggestion! I will definitely add her to the list of authors to check out. It's really cool that she tests recipes as part of the writing process!
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