Justice Is Served

March 6, 2023
Foodie mystery writer Karst (Dying for a Taste) recalls her experience preparing a meal for an intimate dinner party honoring late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her belabored nonfiction debut. Karsts’s attorney father befriended Ginsburg in the 1960s, and through this connection, in 2005, Karst, an apathetic attorney with a passion for cooking, inadvertently volunteered to host a dinner party with the Justice as a guest of honor. With nine months to prepare “the most important and elegant dinner party” of her life, Karst got to work, channeling all her energy—and neuroses—toward the upcoming meal. A chapter is devoted to a china and glassware consultation with her mother, while another details her efforts to replace the plates to better showcase the food. Historical tidbits concerning Ginsburg’s personal life and professional achievements provide a reprieve from Karst’s bland anecdotes, but even potentially exciting incidents—as when Karst ran into Diane Keaton—feel watered down and rudderless as Karst meanders her way to the inspiring but clichéd message that “your life should be about being honest with yourself and about following your own dreams.” There’s just not enough meat on these bones.

March 1, 2023

In this engaging memoir, Karst, a retired attorney and mystery novelist known for her "Sally Solari" series, writes about the nine months she spent planning a dinner party for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (RBG). A budding chef, Karst was thrilled yet anxious, and she used every opportunity to test menu items on her friends and family. A trip to Paris also turned into a way to sample potential dishes she might serve to RBG. Every visit to a winery became a chance to sample potential wines that could accompany each course of the meal. Readers will see when the menu began to take shape. This book also contains Karst's own story about how she became an attorney. However, she realized that while she liked her job as a legal researcher, she did not love the law the way RBG did. That led to a resolution to change careers and seek new opportunities as a writer. Interspersed throughout the book are short sections detailing RBG's career and key cases. VERDICT This is a lighthearted yet earnest account of an event that changed the author's life.--Rebecca Mugridge

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2023
A home chef recounts fretting about the exciting opportunity to cook for a United States Supreme Court justice. In this delightful memoir, culinary mystery series author Karst writes of rediscovering her love of food and cooking in the midst of a career as a small-town appellate attorney. This passion culminates in the pinnacle of her hobby when she is commissioned to cook for Ruth Bader Ginsburg in February 2006. When the author received the news nine months earlier, a lavish menu began spinning inside her head, as did fears and insecurities on how to perfect an important meal for such a distinguished guest. With affable, enthusiastic prose, Karst describes how her father, a constitutional law professor who met Ginsburg in the 1960s, arranged for his daughter to host a dinner party with the prestigious justice in honor of his pending retirement. The dinner menu construction became the author and her partner Robin's raison d'�tre for visiting Paris to research tempting, delicious, sophisticated, and sumptuous entrees, side dishes, and desserts to incorporate in what came to be known as "the dinner." As the countdown to the event dwindled to mere weeks and all the cookbooks the author could meticulously scour were perused, Karst's anxiety about cuisine, wine selection, and china finally resulted in an impressive, elegant multicourse dinner fit for a Supreme Court justice. The author makes the journey a fun one thanks to a smooth, charming writing style and the food preparation subject matter that readers can relate to. More than just a dabbling chef's journal of the most important meal prep of her life, the book is also educational, fortified by intriguing information about Supreme Court cases and protocols along with "interlude" sidebars that elaborate on everything from Ginsburg's personal and professional history to her outspoken reputation as an outlier. Bonus material features complete recipes for some of the dishes Karst prepared for the justice's meal, including "Seared Sea Scallop with Ginger-Lime Cream Sauce," "Wasabi Mashed Potatoes," and "Blackened Ahi." Home chefs and Ginsburg fans will find this culinary adventure exquisitely delectable. A savory stew of memories and entertaining anecdotes about a dinner with Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

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