I'd rather watch Dave Lieberman any day

In honor of the five to six-foot snow drifts outside my Ohio home, I decided to read a southern novel. I really liked Mary Kay Andrews' Hissy Fit and Savannah Blues, so when I saw she just released a new novel about cooking, Deep Dish, well, I couldn't resist. It's about food and set in the South. Count me in.

The novel is basically a rip-off about the Food Network--but not that I minded that. Gina, star of a fresh cooking show, is pitted against Tate, the show of a Southern Outdoor Network cooking show named "Vittles." (Seriously, Vittles? Do people still use that word?) They end up battling on "The Cooking Channel" for their own show. Oh, and we're supposed to believe that they fall in love, too.

The book just didn't work for me for numerous reasons.

1. The point of view changed constantly! Sometimes I had no idea who's point of view I was reading. But it wasn't as if the POV was omniscient, either. The constant shifts were distracting.

2. And speaking of shifting, Gina's real name is Regina. It's always a problem in books when the main character has numerous names and this book was a fine example of it. Gina would be called Gina, then suddenly the book would refer to her as Regina....through a different character's POV.

3. Tate and Gina never seemed to really connect. He's hot, she's hot, they both like cooking...they "fight" but then end up in love? And Gina gets over her cheating ex-boyfriend incredibly fast and with no hang-up. Whatever. Also, Gina is never directly called out as an anoxeric, but she never eats--and when she does, it's horrible, fattening food! It really bothered me.

4. Call me shallow, but the cover.....it's so cartoony!

5. Andrews makes a comment that a certain cheap tackle box that Gina is forced to use is something like a Yankee would buy. Um, Yankees can fish, ok? I don't like to fish, but I was a bit offended by that comment. Maybe it's the fact that I live on a great lake and therefore fishing is huge up here, but I didn't like that sweeping characterization.

On a positive note, I enjoyed all the cooking. Andrews does give a good job of what the real world of cookings shows are probably like. I just didn't like the book.

Rating: 5/10