To be honest, chicken mousse was never on my list of recipes to make. It wasn’t even on my radar. But this recipe from The French Slow Cooker sounds like the perfect hors d’oeuvre—one that would really impress guests!

Silky Chicken Liver Mousse

Serves 6

The gentle, moist heat of the slow cooker is perfect for cooking this chicken liver mousse. I adapted the recipe from one in Made in Marseille, by Daniel Young. Daniel uses evaporated milk instead of cream, which is perfect for the slow cooker since it does not curdle. Serve the mousse either unmolded or straight from the cooking vessel with an onion jam, as Daniel suggests, or with crackers or toasted French bread and cornichons for a great party appetizer.

• Unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces chicken livers, tough sinews and fat trimmed
• ¼ cup chopped shallots
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Fresh herb sprigs for garnish

Butter a 4-cup loaf pan or heatproof bowl or crock that will fit in the insert of a large slow cooker. Place a rack in the insert (to improvise one, see page 9).

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken livers, shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook until the livers are browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the livers over and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, or until they are just slightly pink in the center.

Scrape the contents of the skillet into a food processor or blender. Add the evaporated milk, egg yolks, salt, and pepper to taste. Blend until very smooth. Strain the mixture into a bowl, pressing down on the solids.

Scrape the liver mixture into the prepared pan. Place the pan on the rack in the slow cooker. Carefully pour hot water around the pan to a depth of 1 inch. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the slow cooker. Let cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. To unmold, run a knife around the inside of the pan and invert the mousse onto a serving plate. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve garnished with fresh herbs.

“Silky Chicken Liver Mousse” from The French Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone. Copyright © 2012 by Michele Scicolone. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Read our review of this book.

What’s not to love? His books are hilarious. Even though I’m not a teacher, a librarian or a parent, I have been a camp counselor and a big sister to a tween (a long time ago)—and I’ve seen how readers giggle as they turn the pages, then demand the next book in the Series of Unfortunate Events. (How many arguments did my tween sister and I have over which was better: Harry Potter or Unfortunate Events?)

So I am very excited to share that Lemony Snicket’s “authorized autobiographical account of his childhood” will come out on October 23, with a first printing of one million copies. This will be part one of four. The first book is called Who Could That Be at This Hour?.

In a funny press release from publisher Little, Brown, there’s a quote from Snicket himself: “These books are questionable and contain questions. I, for one, question why anyone would be interested in reading them.”

Are you excited about reading Who Could That Be at This Hour? What’s your favorite Snicket book?

Also in BookPage: Read an interview with Snicket’s “representative,” Daniel Handler, about his Printz Honor Book, Why We Broke Up. Read about one star-struck editor’s experience of meeting Handler at ALA.

Books hold the answer. As I’ve said before, World War I has been a hot topic in publishing lately, and the runaway ratings for “Downton” have made it an even hotter commodity. The following books should help tide fans over until the premiere of Series 3 (filming now, with Shirley MacLaine added to the cast).

If you enjoy . . .
the exploration of the effects of WWI on society
then you should read . . . 

The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear (Harper). Winspear’s series is set in the 1920s and ’30s, but its heroine—once a maid in a great house, now a private investigator—personifies the changing times, and takes on cases that are rooted in the damage done by the war.

The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller (HMH). This sensitive debut novel tells the story of a young WWI veteran investigating the apparent suicide of one of his fellow soldiers. Look for a sequel this summer.

Life Class by Pat Barker (Doubleday). No one has explored the legacy of World War I quite like Barker. Though her Regeneration trilogy (beginning with 1991′s Regeneration) is perhaps better known, Life Class details the pioneering days of plastic surgery, first developed to help disfigured veterans.

If you enjoy . . .
the glimpse into the lives of the servants of the rich-and-mighty
then you should read . . . 

Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor by Rosina Harrison (Penguin). This spirited account of one young Yorkshire woman’s 35 years as a maid to the infamous Lady Nancy Astor was first published in 1975 and has been reprinted to capitalize on the “Downton” craze.

The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons (Penguin). Though set just before and during World War II, this novel puts an interesting twist on the upstairs/downstairs dilemma when a young, upper-class Jewish woman escapes Austria to work as a maid in an English manor house.

If you enjoy . . .
wartime romance
then you should read . . . 

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery. One of the few novels about World War I to be written almost while it was happening—the book was published in 1921—Montgomery’s final installment of the Anne of Green Gables series follows Anne’s youngest, Rilla, who must grow up, and fall in love, in the shadow of the war.

Losing Julia by Jonathan Hull (Delacorte). This 2000 debut tells the story of a World War I soldier who comes to know his friend Daniel’s fiancée through her letters to him. When they meet 10 years after the war (and Daniel’s death), there’s a connection between Patrick and Julia that can’t be denied.

If you enjoy . . .
the one-liners from the Dowager Countess
then you should read . . . 

An Evening of Long Goodbyes by Paul Murray (Random House). This Wodehousian novel, which follows shiftless Bertie, a member of the Irish aristocracy in its waning days, is full of hilarity and heart—just like everyone’s favorite Countess.

If you enjoy . . .
Downton’s trench warfare scenes
then you should read . . . 

The Beauty and the Sorrow by Peter Englund (Knopf), which will take you right into the trenches with letters and diaries from 20 soldiers who fought at the front.

If you enjoy . . .
Lady Sybil’s politicalization and her chauffeur beau
then you should read . . . 

To End All Wars by Adam Hochschild (HMH), which gives an in-depth look at the political mood in Britain as the war broke out—particularly the pacifist movement. Portraits of aristocrats at war should also appeal to the “Downton” devotée.

If you enjoy . . .
the soapy romance and glitzy fashion
then you should read . . . 

The Titled Americans by Elizabeth Kehoe (Atlantic Monthly).  This nonfiction account of the lives of the three Jerome sisters—rich Americans who married British aristos, and one of whom became the mother of Winston Churchill—is a “beguiling chronicle” of the Edwardian era, replete with descriptions of homes, dresses and extramarital affairs with royals.

The Luxe by Anna Godberson (Harper). OK, it’s a YA novel, and it’s set in 1890s New York City, but it’s a “Downton” companion in spirit! Just consider it the background story on Lady Cora Grantham.

What books would you recommend to fans of “Downton Abbey”?

Owen Laukkanen’s debut novel has a timely hook. Four friends—recent college grads—are frustrated with the job market when they earn their diplomas. So what do they do? Turn to kidnapping, of course. They do their research and only kidnap men who can afford the ransom—financial advisers and the like whose wives will give $60,000 to have their husbands back, no questions asked. After two years of “low risk,” kidnappings, though, things get complicated. The young criminals accidentally nab a man with mafia connections, and before long they’re being tailed by both gangsters and the FBI.

Some of suspense fiction’s finest—writers like Lee Child, C.J. Box and Jonathan Kellerman—have sung this novel’s praises. It’s no surprise, then, that the pages practically turn themselves, and all you can do is hang on for the ride once the action gets going.

Here’s an excerpt about the ringleader’s philosophy on kidnapping:

Of all his worries, it was greed that kept Arthur Pender awake at night. It wasn’t his own greed that bothered him; Pender was happy with sixty-thousand-dollar scores. He worried, though, that the long grind would wear on his team.

Most would-be kidnappers treated the job like a Hail Mary. Tried to knock down some CEO, some pop star, tried to make ten million and disappear after one big haul. One shot for all the glory. To Pender, that kind of thinking was stupidity, plain and simple. Those heroes who aimed for the big scores always attracted the big crowds. Police. Feds. TV cameras. Publicity like that made it impossible to remain anonymous. Publicity like that meant investigations, manhunts, Wanted posters. Ultimately, publicity like that meant jail or death. Nobody got away from the Big American Machine.

Far better, then, to pull quick scores. Lower numbers, but higher volume. The Pender method. Snatch guys like Terry Harper, Martin Warner. Midlevel executives, hedge-fund managers, guys with enough cash to make the job worthwhile, with families to pay the ransoms, but with no glamour to their names. No romance. Anonymous upper-class fellas who just wanted to see things return to normal.

What are you reading today? Will you check out The Professionals when it comes out in late March?

It’s been two years since the publication of Roses, and I just learned some exciting news: Meacham has a new novel coming out on June 19! (You can go ahead and add that to my personal most-anticipated books of 2012 list.) The novel’s called Tumbleweeds, and at 480 pages, I expect it to be just as juicy as Roses. Here’s the plot description from Meacham’s publisher:

Tumbleweeds is the story of three young friends—the saint, the sinner, and the angel—growing up together in the sort of small Texas Panhandle town that lives and dies by its Friday night football games. A fateful event casts a long shadow over these three intertwined lives and leaves the reader turning the pages desperately to see how it all plays out.

Will you read Tumbleweeds? What’s your favorite epic novel?

If you finished the column hungry for more on this inimitable author, don’t worry. There’s much more Dickens to discover, as shown by the books on this list, which are just a sampling of what’s out there.

A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson. BookPage contributor and renowned author Hopkinson teams up with young illustrator John Hawkins to create a memorable picture book about Dickens’ childhood. (Schwartz & Wade, 2012)

Today's Google doodle, in honor of Dickens

Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin. The most recent biography of Dickens, from the author of Samuel Pepys, is “a masterful balancing act” that presents Dickens the man and Dickens the author. (Penguin Press, 2011)

Charles Dickens by Michael Slater. This 2009 biography by an emeritus professor of Victorian literature at the University of London and former president of the Dickens Society of America was the first full-length Dickens bio to be published in 20 years. (Yale University Press, 2009)

Drood by Dan Simmons. For a fictional take on Dickens, try Dan Simmons haunting Drood, the story of the friendship between Dickens and fellow author Wilkie Collins and the inspiration for his final, unfinished work.

And for those who prefer their Dickens on audio, Naxos has just published new productions of Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby, with more to come over the next few months.

Do you have a favorite Dickens novel?

p.s. Kerry at Entomology of a Bookworm has her own Dickens list up today; check it out.

It’s disturbing, but as our reviewer writes, it’s “an especially thoughtful book [and] a frightening admonition of one father’s love for his daughter, and will to survive.”

The book trailer from Doubleday is sufficiently terrifying — but what I love most about it is that it was made by artist and fellow author Erin Cosgrove! Check it out:

The Flame Alphabet sounds completely unlike anything I’ve ever read. Do you read experimental fiction?

As usual in a Giffin story, the book puts its (successful, smart) female protagonist in a sticky situation. Marian Caldwell is a TV producer in her 30s who has put her youthful indiscretions behind her: until the most memorable of them, 18-year-old Kirby, comes knocking at the door of her New York apartment.

Will you read Where We Belong? Who’s your favorite women’s fiction writer?

Okay, single ladies, raise your hand if you’ve ever seen that tiresome criticism that goes something like this: Single women who read romances will develop unrealistic expectations of men.

Larissa Ione

Ha! And again, ha! Reading romance novels when I was single helped me recognize that no man is perfect (not even those in romance novels) and that I didn’t have to put up with idiots. Unrealistic expectations? Really?

Did I mention the ha?

We women know the men in romance novels are fictional wonderful guys. But in the real world there are also nonfictional wonderful guys. So I was well aware of the fact that I wasn’t going to find Joe Mackenzie from Linda Howard‘s Mackenzie’s Mission while I was in the Air Force, but that didn’t mean I had to put up with jerks, cheaters, abusers or morons.

There were certain things I was going to demand from a man, the same as a good romance heroine does. Things like respect. Like fidelity. Like honesty.

So did reading romance set me up with certain expectations? Maybe. But unrealistic ones? No way. I was in no hurry to get serious or get married, and in the end, I got my own hero who is in no way perfect, but he’s right for me.

So, single ladies, this February treat yourself to a romance novel full of hot guys who ultimately treat their heroines with respect, and know that there are real men like that out there.

For some reason, during the month of February, I’m drawn to contemporary romances, and some of my personal favorite Valentine’s Day re-reads are Mackenzie’s Mountain by Linda Howard, Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann, and Nobody’s Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

What about you? Any personal favorite re-reads that remind you that romance novels can be utterly unrealistic while at the same time delivering a real, feel-good read?

Larissa Ione is the author of Immortal Rider (Grand Central), the second book in her Lords of Deliverance series about the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Her next paranormal romance, Lethal Rider, comes out in May 2012. Learn more on her website, larissaione.com.

Authors Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe teamed up to create the absolutely hilarious guide for Living Girls (LGs) who just can’t get enough of their undead guys. It includes quizzes, tips (because each type of immortal has his own turn-ons and pitfalls!), recipes, advice columns and much more. The ads alone are hilarious.

For example, check out this quiz to see if your immortal is cheating on you:

TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the name of your favorite immortal hunk from book or screen.

CONTEST DETAILS: Three winners will be chosen by random.org from among entries received by 5 pm CST on Friday, February 10. Each winner will receive a copy of Dating the Undead. Prize must be shipped to a North American address. Good luck!