Book Pages

I love books and reading, so when I chanced on a new book about a book, I snatched it up, and got caught in its pages, and wanted to share the news. "The Book of Unholy Mischief", by Elle Newmark is a great historical novel about the Borgia pope in Italy and his minions. It takes place in Venice, in the Doge's palace, and especially the kitchen, where a master chef stirs up more than merely food. His concoctions have "special" spices which create moods in those who dine at the Doge's table, and these same spices have their origin in a mysterious cabinet, which houses a mysterious book. The chef takes pity on a young boy caught thieving in the marketplace, and brings him into his kitchen to train. Little by little the boy learns the cooking secrets of the chef, until he realizes that the cookbook in the mysterious cabinet might be the "book of alchemists" sought by the Pope and Doge. The plot thickens, drawing the boy's friends and enemies into the mix, and ultimately into the open, when both boy and master chef are forced to flee for their lives. Ms. Newmark's descriptions of pre-Renaissance Italy, its people in their public and private buildings, and the philosophical and scientific ideas which we take for granted but were only visions at that time, all combine to draw the reader deeper into a thrilling tale of culinary and theological mystery. This author has certainly stirred up a cioppino of delightful reading!