Mix a few tumbleweeds, some girls gone missing and an uncle with a wandering eye, and you have Lori Roy’s novel, Bent Road.

No, really, I mean it about the wandering eye. It’s a milky gray and you think Uncle Ray is looking right at you, but he’s also looking over at the stove.

Anyway, the story follows Arthur and Celia, who find themselves hip-deep on the ‘60s riots of Detroit. They pack up their three children and escape to Arthur’s native Kansas, where they run into Uncle Ray and the rest of the relatives.

Kansas is a big step back for Arthur. He’s spent his adult life avoiding the old homeplace (it has to do with missing girls). But I guess if the city kids are throwing rocks and bottles at you, the dusty old farm starts to look good.

The jacket blurbs call the story “haunting” and “suspenseful.” I have to agree about the suspense, for the author dropped me into scenes with no clue whether they picked up the action a day later than the last scene, or a week later. Or maybe we’d hopped back a decade.

I could also add “painfully taciturn.” Even with all these relatives ceaselessly dropping in on each other, and the women busy at the stove (every dish contained chicken broth), this story gave me the sensation of wearing earplugs. Plus squinting through murky water.

I gave it up and moved on to a tale set in an LDS singles ward in Albuquerque.

In Glitch by Amber Gilchrist, the bishop gooses the ward marriage mill by rigging up a computerized matching scheme. I don’t think I’m giving away too much by telling you that there’s a glitch in the program.

The heroine, Greer Pierson, is a refreshing take on Mormon womanhood, a non-makeup-savvy convert. Greer juggles three men: Bob, a six-foot-something buffoon whose ill-thought-out dates usually result in sprains and/or stains; Milo, Greer’s high school nemesis; and Ri, her best friend and running buddy.

Readers may find their hands full. Gilchrist stocked Glitch with enough characters to fill a cultural hall. Readers will also have to endure a few passages where Greer over-explains her every little motive. And finally, they can guess early on who Greer’s true love would be.

Still, it was a fun read.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for singles ward tales. Bring it on—the buffoon dates, the frenemies, and the well-meaning but wholly human bishop.

=========================================================================
Single or married, if you’ve got a munch ‘n mingle in your near future, you might chop up some chicken and veggies and cook  Orange Chicken Skillet.

This comes together fast. The glaze, whipped up from orange juice and chili sauce, elevates this dish to Leftovers-I-Can’t-Wait-to-Eat status.

Taste of Home suggests eating it with pasta, but I wasn’t in the mood for that. I loved it with rice.