Suzan Colón

When the recession of 2008 hit, we were moving from one state to another for a job change. It was hard but we were lucky. Although we lost a lot of money selling our house, financially we were okay and still had a paycheck coming in. Suzan Colòn, a writer and journalist, was laid off from her job, having to rely on sporadic freelancing and her partner's paycheck. This pushed her to be more frugal and thoughtful in her purchases, especially groceries, and Cherries in Winter is her memoir of show more that time, of looking back at the recipes her family has loved and used in previous lean times and of finding a way to push through and find hope for the future.

Colòn goes through her grandmother's recipes, using them to economize even as she bemoans the loss of the ability to shop in an expensive grocery store and to buy whatever struck her fancy without considering the cost and that cost's impact on her weekly bottom line. Buying whatever she wanted was a sign that she'd moved beyond her family's long history of living paycheck to paycheck and the need to stretch their meals as far as possible. So when she lost that ability, it was hard for her to accept. But as she cooked the economical recipes from her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother, she learned not only how to make it through but also about the strong, resilient women from whom she came. The dishes she recreates, some not entirely faithfully, come with family stories attached and there is wisdom imparted along with the stories and food. She weaves tales from her own life and from the women who came before her into the almost diary like narrative. It is possible to see Colon's magazine background in the spare, straightforward writing. Each chapter is started with a recipe or a snippet from her grandmother's column that leads her down memory lane as well as into her current situation. She is undoubtedly privileged and far from destitute, which will make her unhappiness with her situation tough for some to stomach (a little pun to lighten the mood), but she's honest about the difficulty she faces and the reason why it takes such an emotional toll on her. This is a very quick read. The family stories are heartfelt and illustrative; it was nice to see Colòn realize what is most important in her life, and it's surely not where she can afford to buy her groceries. show less

Smallville had a two-tier series of books during its print run: one aimed at middle school to early high school age, and one for older teenagers and adults who enjoyed the show. Both can be enjoyed as nostalgia now for this great show which lasted ten full seasons. Buried Secrets belongs to the middle-school to early high school series, and is set in the very early seasons; this is before Pete discovered Clark’s secret, and the whole high school dynamic was very much in play.

While I show more generally find the Cherie Bennett penned books in the series aimed at a slighter younger audience the best entries, Suzan Colon did a really nice job with this one by keeping it true to the early episodes of the show, and not trying to make it more than it was. Though meteor rocks do come into play here, it isn’t the freak of the week, but rather a slice of life — Clark Kent style — and that makes Buried Secrets really nice.

Clark’s wallowing in his eye-rolling Lana crush in this one of course, trying to deal with Lana’s typical obliviousness in regard to Clark’s feelings as she reads him a love letter from Whitney, who’s now in the Marines, but on his way home for leave. Of course she want’s Clark’s advice about something Whitney wrote in his later.

I was worried this might get too weighed down in the Clana muck, but lo and behold, thanks to a storyline expanding on a terrific little prolog, Clark soon meets his new Spanish teacher, Lilia Sanchez. Wildly pretty, equally as nice, and not that much older than the kids in her class, including Clark, he gets a new crush that for a time rivals Lana. Lilia is a really excellent teacher, but with a rapport that borders on the mysterious. Maybe too mysterious. When Chloe learns that as a child, Lilia was in the middle of a meteor shower, things begin to make sense.

This one is really a slice of life in Clark’s world during those early days. He and Lex are still friends, good friends, which makes it awkward when Lex meets Lilia and asks her to dinner. Clark almost loses his cool, which can be very dangerous, but even more dangerous, is the possibility that Lilia can read minds — his mind. There’s a rescue during a storm and a bracelet made from kryptonite that play a part in the finale, and a really sweet wrap-up.

Though nothing big or earth-shattering happens in this one, it’s a really nice entry in the series if you want to go back to the very early days of the show. Buried Secrets could well in fact have been an early episode of the show. Highly recommended for fans, as there’s some humor, nice interactions between Pete and Chloe and Clark, and of course Lex, not to mention the Kents. Fun stuff, and a good palate cleanser between other books and stories. show less

I didn't enjoy this one as much for some reason - felt distant from it. Hard to put my finger on why exactly. The story took some liberties to have Clark ditch Smallville and become a Metropolis runaway without the aid of a certain red rock. It's a creative attempt that doesn't fully work since you lose the small town charm and familiar faces being around so much.

There's also a small nudge of attraction for the first time from Lex to Lana, which may be foreshadowing for the awkward series show more storyline that could have worked if the writers didn't screw it up so badly later.

Frankly the best part of the story was Clark getting a small break from Lana and seeing other girls out there that exist while she's been standoffish with the relationship. Luna is a little too good to be true, but it still made a change.

Overall it's not bad, just kind of a distant feeling Smallville story I couldn't enjoy as much as the others. show less

I received Cherries in Winter from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This book is exactly what it professes to be - a partial bit of family history gathered from newspaper clippings, favorite recipes, and memories past.

After becoming unemployed, at her mother’s suggestion, Suzan goes through her grandmother’s folder of favorite recipes and learns more than just how to “put up soup,” her family’s expression of what to do when times get tough.

Each chapter begins with an original recipe show more from her grandmother’s folder and the author uses the recipe to compare her current situation to the situations of family members which have proceeded her. It also allows her to remember and record the important aspects of her grandmother and other family members for future generations of the Colón family.

I found this to be a well written glimpse into a person’s family history and think everyone should do something similar with his or her own history, before memories and loved ones are lost, and future generations have no past to reflect or build on. I’ve thought of doing this many times for my own family, but haven’t quite gotten past the thinking about it part. I may try some of the recipes, especially the magnetic one for butter cookies that comes with the book and who knows, maybe sometime I’ll look at this book again and become inspired enough to record personal memories for my own family’s future generations. show less