A Taste of Ginger - Blog Tour

All aboard the Blog Tour... I've recently partnered with MTMC Tours to read, review, and feature Mansi Shah's A Taste of Ginger novel that previously came out in paperback at the beginning of this year. Shah tells the story of loss and heartbreak, alongside the generational trauma that gets passed down within an immigrant family about the means of respecting elders and doing what's traditionally "right." 

Here's my review -- which you can also see on my Bookstagram account! 

I thoroughly enjoyed this coming of age drama where the clashing of family members and trips across the world weren't uncommon. 30-year old Preeti feels like a failure to her family as she's dated and then left her white boyfriend, Alex, which was against her family's desires. With her parental relationship in the gutter, she's called to India for support as her brother and very pregnant sister-in-law find themselves injured after a devastating ricksha accident. Putting her job and her hopes of reconvening with her ex on hold, she jets off to India to comfort her family.

Dipti, the sister-in-law falls upon harder times as she loses her unborn baby and isolates herself from her husband, refusing to leave India, ostracizing the future of their family. In her attempts to help resurrect her brother's relationship, Preeti also comes to understand the pressure that's been placed on her head for being a "perceived single spinster" with no men lining up to wed her.

Through various turns of events, Preeti and her family members butt heads on opinions of culture and tradition, but in the end she discovers a newfound relationship with her mother as her judgmental stares cease and she starts to care less about status and more about the well-being of her daughter, and family as a whole.

I really enjoyed the book and I find myself loving the opportunities I get to learn about the conditions of other cultures through reading historical fiction books.

In my Book and On My Plate

Whenever I read a historical fiction that takes place in a different country, I like to research some recipes that resonate within that culture. My husband isn't the biggest reader, but he does love to listen to me pour my heart and soul into the synopsis of the book. In the theme of calling myself "Bookish and Cookish" it's worth noting that cooking is where my heart lies outside of the spine of a book. I wanted to recap the book for my husband over a bowl of really good curry, and while I don't have any Hindi/Indian culinary training, I knew where to go for some of Cincinnati's best spices and herbs to craft the best Coconut Salmon Curry. 

Located in both Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, Penzey's spices has EVERYTHING you'd need for all of your baking and cooking desires. From authentic vanilla beans, to their blended spices that their specialists have curated, there's something for everyone's cuisines. Specifically they sell a whole line of curry spices including: Tandoori powder, Vindaloo Seasoning, Garam Masala, Balti Seasoning, Ajwain Seed, and even several dried peppers and herbs you'd need to craft out the perfect concoction. 

If you're not in the mood for Salmon, Tieghan over at Half Baked Harvest makes the best Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala and it's DEFINITELY worth your time and salivation.