The Supreme Macaroni Company, by Adriana Trigiani

The irrepressible Valentine Roncalli is back for a third outing after Brava Valentine and Very Valentine.  Trigiani’s books are a guilty pleasure but actually, despite their sometimes “chick-lit” plots, they are consistently well-written with sumptuous descriptions of locations and food, and pitch perfect characters.  Her books celebrate joys of a big extended Italian family, with all its strengths and weaknesses, the latter perhaps best epitomized by Aunt Feen, the bitter old widow who can start a civil war at any celebration with her sharp tongue.  You find yourself wanting to be a part of it.  389 pp.