The Kitchen Mistress by Kathleen Shoop is book three in the Letter Series and can be read as a stand alone. However, if you have a chance to read the first two before you pick this one up, I would encourage you to do so. I, myself, haven't read the first two but after reading this third book, I will be grabbing the first two and reading them to get a better understanding of what happened to Katherine and her family. However, as a stand alone, this was a great read!

The Last Suttee by Madu Bazaz Wangu is one of the best books I have ever read! It's definitely now on my shelf of favorite books! This book was so powerful and moving. Even though this was a fiction book, I learned so much about the ancient ritual of India, where a wife joins her husband in death. From the second I started the Forward of the book, I was mesmerized with this story, history and with the culture! Madhu's writing is so intelligent, eloquent and beautiful, I hung on every written word. The character of Kumud was so detailed that I truly felt invested in her journey and in her mission to stop the ritual of suttee!