Generation Chef by Karen Stabiner
Avery Books, 2016
copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The book stands out for another reason: Stabiner takes the story beyond Miller's journey with Huertas, and weaves in the journeys of other, more seasoned chefs, and how they did (or did not) find success. All of these side stories compliment the central narrative perfectly, without taking away from the flow of the book.
Generation Chef will amaze you (with Miller's persistence and drive), amuse you (there's a fair amount of restaurant-style humor included), and make you incredibly hungry. Seriously, if I didn't live 7 hours from NYC, I'd be at Huertas right now ordering nonstop pintxos. Foodies and nonfiction fans alike will love this read!
Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch
Hogarth, 2016
copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Since this is a mini review, the short version is that I did not enjoy this one as much as Koch's other two novels. It started off in typical Koch fashion: narrator is a creepy, possibly psychotic?, stalker-type, and the constant flashbacks make the storyline continuously more mysterious. However, about halfway through the book, the narration switches to the girl who had the affair with her teacher, and Koch lost me. Her story was too drawn out and lacked the suspense of the earlier section. By the time we switched to other, more engaging narrators, it was hard for me to jump back on board and enjoy the (admittedly twisty) conclusion. This one definitely had a whiff of the Herman Koch I remember from his first two books, but didn't pack the same punch.
What are you reading this month?