So, I decided because of this post that I needed to rename my monthly feature. Therefore, it will now (and forever) be the Jacket Flap-a-Thon. That way, people will know I’m actually talking about the words on the back of the book, and not the quotes by other authors.

Picky, picky.

Anyway. On with this month’s picks. It was a difficult choice, but the 5 best:

5. Serving Crazy with Curry (Ballantine Books): “Between the pressures to marry and become a traditional Indian wife and the humiliation of losing her job in Silicon Valley, Devi is on the edge — where the only way out seems to be to jump… Yet Devi’s plans to end it all fall short when she is saved by the last person she wants to see: her mother. Instead, she cooks… nonstop. And not just the usual fare, but off-the-wall twists on Indian classics, like blueberry curry chicken and Cajun prawn biryani. Now family meals are no longer obligations. Devi’s parents, her sister, and her brother-in-law can’t get enough — and they suddenly find their lives taking turns as surprising as the impromptu creations Devi whips up in the kitchen each night. But then a stranger appears out of the blue. Devi, it seems, had a secret — on that will touch many a nerve in her tightly wound family. Though exposing some shattering truths, the secret will also gather them back together in way s they never dreamed possible. Interspersed with mouthwatering recipes, this story mixes humor, warmth, and leap-off-the-page characters into a rich stew of a novel that reveals a woman’s struggle for acceptance — from her family and herself.”

This is one of those cases where the description (a bit misleading with the “mouthwatering recipes”) is almost better than the book.

4. The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye (Random House):“Gillian Perholt, an independent and sensible scholar, no longer young, is given a bottle of beautiful “nightingale’s eye” glass by a Turkish friend. Inside it is trapped a huge (and very male) djinn, a magical genie who must grant her three wishes in return for his release. Gillian’s use of her wishes — she is an expert in fairy stories and in what can go wrong with wishes — is careful and surprising. The story takes the professor and the djinn from Istanbul to Toronto and Madison Avenue. The two discover each other’s worlds, with respect, and something more. Described by the London Sunday Times as “finely tuned on the twilit axis of what is real and what is unreal,” this comic and passionate new tale forms the brilliant centerpiece to this first collection of A. S. Byatt’s fairy stories. Readers of Angels & Insects and Byatt’s Booker Prize-winning novel, Possession, have already encountered some of the unforgettable Victorian fairy tales that are woven into her fiction and have asked for more. Two of these (“The Glass Coffin” and “Gode’s Story”) are included here, with three contemporary additions: “The Story of the Eldest Princess,” “Dragon’s Breath,” and the incomparable novella-length title story. Byatt’s inventive and enticing stories are both magical and very modern. They are fairy tales for adults, which retain the mystery and beauty of the world we imagine as children. Byatt readers will discover new delights and surprises, while those unfamiliar with her work will find here an enchanting introduction to the magic of her writing.”

I like that it gives me an enticing glimpse (what does “very male” mean anyway?) into the main story, as well as tastes of the shorter works. It made me want to read the book.

3. The Luxe (Harper Collins):“Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn. Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions. White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups. This is Manhattan, 1899. Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan’s social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City’s elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone—from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud—threatens Elizabeth’s and Diana’s golden future. With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city’s gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone wanted to see Manhattan’s most celebrated daughter disappear… In a world of luxury and deception, where appearance matters above everything and breaking the social code means running the risk of being ostracized forever, five teenagers lead dangerously scandalous lives. This thrilling trip to the age of innocence is anything but innocent.”

Oh so decadent. Kind of like the novel.

2. The Willoughbys (Houghton Mifflin Company): “‘Shouldn’t we be orphans?’ one of the Willoughby children suggests one day. The four are, after all, part of an old-fashioned kind of family, and their parents –well, their parents are not all that one would hope for. Recalling literary heroes and heroines such as Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna and James with his giant peach, the Willoughbys concoct a diabolical plot to turn themselves into worthy and winsome orphans. Little do they know that Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby have already begun to formulate their own thoroughly despicable plan inspired by another favorite bedtime story: the tale of Hansel and Gretel… Villains, benefactors, no-nonsense nannies, abandoned infants, long-lost heirs, and late-life romance all make their appearance along with the irrepressible Willoughbys as the Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry pays playful homage to classic works of literature in this hilarious and decidedly ‘old-fashioned’ parody.”

Delightful. It gives you just enough of the plot so you’re not surprised, but not enough so that you’re bored or misled while reading. And it captures the tongue-in-cheek elements of the book beautifully. If only they had used “nefarious” or “villainous” (though they did get “diabolical”) it would have been perfect.

1. Dairy Queen: A Novel (Houghton Mifflin Company): “When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D. J. can’t help admitting, maybe he’s right. When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn’t so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two jobs and a big secret. Why her college-football-star brothers won’t even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league. When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Welcome to the summer that fifteen-year-old D. J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say.”

Sort, simple, and very enticing. What does she have to say?? I, at least, want to know.

And the one worst:

Interpreter of Maladies (Mariner): “Winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, this stunning debut collection unerringly charts the emotional journeys of characters seeking love beyond the barriers or nations and generations. ‘A writer of uncommon sensitivity and restraint… Ms. Lahiri expertly captures the out-of-context lives of immigrants, expatriates, and first-generation Americans’ (Wall Street Journal).
In stories that travel from India to American and back again, Lahiri speaks with universal eloquence to everyone who has ever felt like a foreigner. Honored as ‘Debut of the Year’ by The New Yorker and winer of the PEN/Hemingway Award, Interpreter of Maladies introduces a young writer of astonishing maturity and insight who ‘breathes unpredictable life into the page’ (New York Times).”

This doesn’t tell me anything about the book. Mostly it’s just a litany of how wonderful Lahiri is, and while that’s all fine and good, I want an inkling of what the book’s about. Please?