Transcript / LoLT: Betty Crocker's Cooky Book & New Books — 02 December 2022

This is a transcription of ‘Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book & New Books — 02 December 2022’

[cheerful music]

Melissa: Coming up, a love letter to the tropes of golden age mysteries.

David: A fascinating comparison of two artists.

Melissa: Plus, our distraction of the week. I’m Mel.

David: I’m Dave. This is the library of lost time.

Melissa: At the top of my personal TBR this week is Murder at Black Oaks by Phillip Margolin.

Melissa: I discovered this novel from an essay on Crime Reads. Do you know Crime Reads? It’s a website devoted to every type of crime novel. It’s an excellent place to get recommendations for thrillers, whodunnits, and true crime. Many of the essays and book lists are written by authors, rather than staff writers.

Melissa: Phillip Margolin is the author of this book, Murder at Black Oaks. In his essay for Crime Reads, he explained that his goal was to write a contemporary crime story that includes every cliché from the mystery novels of the Golden Age.

Melissa: His story takes place at a manor house in the Oregon mountains. The house known as Black Oaks was originally built in England in 1628 and transplanted across the sea. It also, conveniently, has a legend and a curse attached to it.

Melissa: The amateur detective out to solve the murder is a defense attorney named Robin Lockwood. She’s joined on the estate by a handful of likely suspects, including a suspicious butler, a gold-digger, and a washed-up actor. There’s also a torrential rain storm. That causes landslides. And trap everyone at the house. AND an inmate escapes from a nearby hospital for the criminally insane. Finally, of course, there’s an impossible murder. THAT happens in an old-fashioned cage elevator that’s stuck between two floors.

Melissa: Before he became an author, Phillip Margolin was a criminal defense attorney for 25 years. In 1993, his book Gone But Not Forgotten became a huge bestseller. Three years later, he retired from the courtroom to write full time. This is Murder at Black Oaks by Phillip Margolin, and if you like it, there are five more books in the Robin Lockwood series, all with rave reviews.

David: Nick Hornby has a new book out. You might recognize him as the author of High Fidelity. That book was made into a movie of the same name starring John Cusack. It is now a series on Hulu with Zoe Kravitz.

David: Hornby went on to write About a Boy and 31 Songs and The Polysyllabic Spree. He has a long history of writing about music and musicians, most notably for The New Yorker.

David: His latest book is about the parallels between a writer and a musician. It’s called Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius. In it, he draws parallels between Charles Dickens and the purple one. He talks about their process and art, their similarities in productivity and social status. He talks about how they experienced similar tragedies and ends. And how each man changed the world.

David: It’s a short book, less than 200 pages, maybe even a long essay. It would make a good stocking stuffer. There’s also an audiobook that Hornsby reads. That might make a good soundtrack for a road trip.

David: Vogue said it is ‘An ardent fan letter from Hornby that makes you want to re-read Great Expectations while listening to Sign o’ the Times.’ That sounds like a good idea to me; maybe it does to you too. That’s Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius by Nick Hornby. It’s out now.

David: And now, our Distraction of the Week. [magical sound effect]

Melissa: This week, I want to celebrate one of the best cookbooks of all time: Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book. I know there are newer and sexier cookie cookbooks out there. But to me, this classic from 1963 is the platonic ideal of a cookie cookbook. I will not be convinced otherwise.

Melissa: Here are five reasons why this is the best cookie cookbook on the planet, and probably, the universe.

Melissa: Number one. The title. It’s called Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book. Because you might have grown up with her cookbooks and cake mixes, Betty might seem real to you. She is not. She was created by an advertising agency in 1921 to give expert baking advice to home cooks. But I love the ring of authenticity. Betty is trustworthy. Betty knows her way around some butter. Betty knows how to throw a party.

Melissa: And you might think that cookie is spelled C O O K I E — but you would be wrong. In this book’s title, it’s spelled C O O K Y. That might seem kooky, but according to the 1961 edition of Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, when you’re referencing a delicious baked treat, cookie IE is the primary spelling and with a Y is a variant. But if you’re talking about the cook on a ranch or a ship, cooky with a Y is the primary spelling. So if you say, Hey, cooky! Can you bake me a cookie, you could use both!

Melissa: Reason number 2. The technicolor photos and mid-20th-century illustrations. This book looks like Willie Wonka and a 1960s Barbie doll came to life and styled the photos. The color palette is all pastel pink and powder blue and mint green. Every page includes some kind of visual. In the very educational Cooky Primer section, the recipes are bordered by true-to-life-size photos of each cookie.

Melissa: The number 3 reason I love this cookbook is the writing. It’s very retro and maybe a little bit sexist, but also sort of charming. I will now read you a snippet:

‘Think back… how many happy family memories are bound up with the tradition of the cooky jar? The little girl passing miniature cookies at her dolls’ tea party… the young serviceman proudly passing a box of Mom’s homemade cookies to his friends; the traveling businessman discovering a packet of favorite cookies tucked into his luggage… Who can doubt the commonplace but significant role that cookies play in a family’s day-to-day life?’

Melissa: Which brings us to number 4. This book is infused with irresistible nostalgia. I’m not sure that this book’s perfect, pastel-colored world ever existed. But when I crack it open and turn the pages, I want to believe.

Melissa: And finally, the best reason to love Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book: Russian teacakes. You might argue that the perfect Christmas cookie doesn’t exist. To you, I would present a tray of Russian teacakes. They’re 1-inch balls of pecan-infused butter cookie dusted in confectioner’s sugar. They are perfect. They are joy. They are love.

Melissa: Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book is available in a reproduction copy just about anywhere you can buy books. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get your hands on an original 1963 copy at a used bookstore.

Melissa: Visit strongsenseofplace.com/library for more details about Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book and the recipes for Russian Teacakes, plus the novels we recommended this week.

David: Thanks for joining us in the Libary of Lost Time. Remember to visit your local library and your independent book store to lose some time yourself.

Melissa: Stay curious! We’ll talk to you soon.

[cheerful music]

Top image courtesy of David Humphreys.