The House of Cross: James Patterson

James Patterson has dropped his annual Alex Cross novel.

In “The House of Cross,” the fictional FBI expert in criminal behavior crosses swords with his arch-nemesis, M and Maestro.

Early, the book revolves around an assassin targeting top candidates for the Supreme Court. The FBI taps Cross to work the case. Meanwhile, Bree and John Sampson, Cross’ wife and best friend respectively, are looking for a possible connection between the death of a billionaire mogul and M, the man who has long challenged, tormented and threatened Alex Cross and his family.

Regular Alex Cross readers will not be surprised to “discover” that the two separate investigations are connected. Coincidental connections between two seemingly unrelated cases being worked by members of the Cross family have become far too common in recent Alex Cross books.

Still, this remains arguably Patterson’s best series despite these “coincidences” occurring in almost every Cross novel of the past handful of years.

Cross and readers will finally learn what motivates M and his group, Maestro, while Alex, Bree and John Sampson face numerous dangers and a hard choice.

Usually, even though there have been more than 30 novels, a reader can jump on board the Alex Cross series with any book. “The House of Cross” is not really a jumping-on point. New readers can pick up what’s happening in this latest edition but “The House of Cross” will resonate more with long-time Alex Cross fans.

What I Ate in One Year: Stanley Tucci

Maybe I should have read “Taste” first. Maybe I will after reading Stanley Tucci’s “What I Ate in One Year,” the follow-up to the bestselling “Taste.”

Tucci is best known for his supporting roles in numerous movies, ranging from “The Devil Wears Prada,” “The Hunger Games” films, “Captain America: The First Avenger,” the recent “Conclave” as well as food-related movies such as “Big Night” and “Julie & Julia.”

He attained something of a second career as the host of the Emmy-winning food show “Searching for Italy,” which led to the books “Taste” and “What I Ate in One Year.” He also has cookbooks and cookware.

Being a Tucci fan helps digest “One Year,” which chronicles his life in 2023. He writes about his work on the movie “Conclave” as well as how he cooks for himself, family and famous friends. He is a harsh critic on the restaurants he visits. He writes lovingly of the named places he enjoys. He’s brutal on places where he finds the food to be bad or inedible, though he never names these restaurants, knowing perhaps his celebrity will fairly or unfairly damage these businesses.

“What I Ate in One Year” is an insightful look at a life well lived – one of how food celebrates family and friends, provides a taste of a culture or geographical region, provides a flavor of home and comfort while away working, and offers sustenance to endure and enjoy life. 

Tucci provides a few cooking tips and recipes along the way – which revolve almost solely around pasta and border on becoming redundant. Famous or not famous, a foodie or not a foodie, whose daily/weekly/monthly menu wouldn’t seem redundant when summarized at the end of a year?