If you have read many of T. Jefferson Parker's novels, you will recognize his troubled characters. The Patriarch of the Carson dynasty does his best trying to get his sons to get along but it is obviously a lost cause from the beginning. Skiers will appreciate the descriptions of the sport and the competition that drives the participants. However the plot is very predictable.

In spite of that, I enjoyed the book - and I do not ski. The characters are not always likable, but they are believable.

Part biographies and part cookbook, a mother and her two daughters combine their experiences to relate lives and recipes that will recall events for mothers, daughters and cooks everywhere. (Probably some dads too.)

Those who enjoy cooking and entertaining and look here for inspiration will discover that few of the recipes are for novices and most require some kitchen expertise and up-to-date equipment. However the relationships are fun and thought-provoking to read about.

As one who taught herself to cook by reading "The Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook" before graduating to "Bon Appetit" & "Gourmet " magazines with the help of a great neighbor and wonderful cook, I envied the family learning experience. As a young girl in Utah, my grandmother spent one summer cooking for a railroad gang and she let me"help" her to make bread. Her daughter, my mother was a good cook but never inclined to teach my anything but how to scramble an egg, I hope I did better with my kids!