Fiction: A few stories about family

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal:  A co-worker recommended this one to me, and I'm so glad - it turned out to be one of my favorite books in awhile.  Eva Thorvald has always been a little different - as a kid bullied and on the outs with her peers, she becomes obsessed with hot peppers, and seems to have a knack for cooking.  There's a little mystery that goes along with her talent, but eventually, her pop-up restaurant becomes one of the hottest tickets in the country.  Along the way, this is a story about family and loss, and a lot about food.  A little fanciful at times, but very enjoyable.

The Heirs by Susa Rieger:  This book is a reminder to me that I always mean to keep better track of where I get my recommendations, so I can go back to the good sources.  This was another solid novel about family and the secrets that threaten to destroy them.  When a wealthy husband and father to five boys passes away, he leaves behind his fortune - and perhaps a mistress and a couple extra children.  This book follows the family as they each cope in their own way with their memories of their father, and the acknowledgement that he possibly was not who they actually thought he was.  I feel like this basic plot has been done over and over, but I appreciated the writing style of The Heirs, and I'm always one for a little dysfunctional family drama.

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford:  It's hard to imagine that the follow-up to Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet could be anything but a disappointment.  After all, can lightening really strike twice?  So, I approached this novel with a mixture of excitement and a little trepidation - I really wanted to love it, but would have been so sad if I didn't.  Turns out, all my worry was for nothing.  Songs of Willow Frost tells the story of Willam Eng, orphaned as a young child, who becomes convinced that a famous actress is actually his long-lost mother.  William and a friend escape the orphanage, full of hope, on a quest to discover the truth behind the famous Willow Frost.  As the storytelling balances between the Great Depression and the 1920s, I was full of anxiety - hoping for William to find the mother he'd always wanted, and worried that he would find nothing.  A beautiful story of loss and home, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.