Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

Weekend Cooking is hosted by  Beth Fish Reads My cookbook collection rests on the foundation of two cookbooks, The Fannie Farmer Cookbook and James Beard's American Cookery.  These two books were so overused by my father that they easily open to some recipes.  These are the cookbooks I learned to cook from and ones I go back to when I want basics. As much as I love these cookbooks this version of The James Beard Cookbook feels like a simplified version of the one I own.  This book is filled with the same writing style, a conversational tone that feels like a friend teaching you a favorite recipe. The format is simply broken down into sections. He shares a basic recipe and then variations. As someone who loves pasta, I paid special attention to the pasta section in the cookbook.  He broke this section down into the pasta and then the sauces.  First you make the homemade noodles and then you can pick from a number of sauces to accompany your creation...

I suggest this book all the time (well when the situation warrants) and I think Earth Day is the perfect day to suggest it as a must read! Book Description from Goodreads : In  The World Without Us,  Alan Weismann offers an utterly original approach to questions of humanity's impact on the planet: he asks us to envision our Earth without us. In this far-reaching narrative, Weisman explains how our massive infrastructure would collapse and finally vanish without human presence; which everyday items may become immortalized as fossils; how copper pipes and wiring would be crushed into mere seams of reddish rock; why some of our earliest buildings might be the last architecture left; and how plastic, bronze sculpture, radio waves, and some man-made molecules may be our most lasting gifts to the universe. The World Without Us  reveals how, just days after humans disappear, floods in New York's subways would start eroding the city's foundations, and how, as the wor...

A Featured Sneak Peek: Christmas Wishes by Mary Manners Love comes full circle when a child's Christmas wish arrives special delivery. When attorney Riley Harper comes home to Maple Ridge following the death of his grandfather, the last thing he expects to find is Kaylee McKenna living in his grandparents' guesthouse. Though he and Kaylee were once best friends, Riley cannot find it in his heart to forgive her for the death of his mother. His heart, full of bitterness and resentment, has room for little else. Kaylee has no time to dwell on events of the past, especially where Riley's concerned; she's too busy raising her six-year-old niece, Rosie, and working as an ER nurse. With Christmas quickly approaching, her days are spent helping with charity events and filling the wishes on Rosie's Christmas list. But when Rosie's father makes an unexpected visit, Kaylee must call on Riley's legal expertise to ensure Rosie of a safe and secure future. Wil...

Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story by Diane Setterfield My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received an ebook ARC from Netgalley. This is not my typical book, but I loved it! Book Description from Goodreads: As a boy, William Bellman commits one small, cruel act: killing a bird with his slingshot. Little does he know the unforeseen and terrible consequences of the deed, which is soon forgotten amidst the riot of boyhood games. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to be a man blessed by fortune—until tragedy strikes and the stranger in black comes. Then he starts to wonder if all his happiness is about to be eclipsed. Desperate to save the one precious thing he has left, William enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner, to found a decidedly macabre business. And Bellman & Black is born! Review: Like I said above, I loved this novel! It took me a few chapters to get into this book.  The writing style was diff...

I'm happy to be participating in the Blog Tour for G.L. Helm's novel Sometimes in Dreams . Today he has written a post about his novel.  On Thursday I'll have my mini-review of the novel.  Sometimes in Dreams: Fact or Fiction There is always a question when an author writes a book. “How much is fact and how much is fiction?” In Sometimes in Dreams that is a very hard thing say for sure. All the places and settings in the story are completely real. Some of the settings have been bent around to fit a particular need, but not bent much. Everything in Venice is completely real with the exception of Campo Redemptor, which doesn’t really exist, but Bar Redemptor does exist in a different part of the city. It is much more of a working man’s bar than a restaurant bar I created. The barkeep in my Bar Redemptor is like a hundred real ones all of whom had their own coffee and drink ballet performed behind their bars, and the bar itself was patterned after a bar-restaurant whe...

Description The pleasure of going to the local pub or craft brewery for a pint and a delicious meal can now be recreated at home with John Holl's collection of 175 recipes that all taste amazingly great with beer. From pub grub and barbecue to regional specialties and even breakfast fare, many of these dishes use beer as an ingredient, and all of them can be paired with your favorite brews. The recipes were contributed by brew pubs, craft brewers, and other beer lovers across the United States, and you'll love the new twists on traditional favorites, such asSlow-Cooked Dopple Bock BBQ Meatballs and American Wheat Beer Steamed Clams, as well as unexpected recipes like Crawfish Bordelaise, Chopped Reuben Salad, Beermosas, Beer Ice Cream Floats, and Chocolate Jefferson Stout Cupcakes. Why I'm recommending it: I recieved an e-book copy from Netgalley. I've find it weird to be reviewing a cookbook, but this one drew my attention. I have a friend who is ...

The Lady and The Duke by Olivia Kelly My rating: 5 of 5 stars Description from Goodreads: Miss Audrey Ellis has failed to catch a wealthy, titled husband in her two London Seasons,and merely wishes to return to her quiet country life, leaving high society behind her for good. But when an unexpected encounter brings the Duke of Halford into her life, she will have to decide if she has the courage to change her prudent, unadventurous plans and reach for something more. William Langston, the Duke of Halford, wasn't looking for love. He came to Town to track down his sister's blackmailer, hoping  to head off a scandal in the making. But the Viscount Claremont is more elusive than the duke was prepared for, and leads him on a chase through society's drawing rooms and balls. Will soon finds himself distracted from his mission by Audrey's fresh beauty and lack of pretension, something scarce in his rarefied world. The pair are drawn together despite their differences, b...

The Facebook Diet: 50 Funny Signs of Facebook Addiction and Ways to Unplug with a Tech-Detox by Gemini Adams My rating: 4 of 5 stars Book Discription from Goodreads: There are now 1 billion people on Facebook. That's 1 in every 7 people on the planet. And 34% of all users check their account before brushing their teeth or hair in the mornings!   Everyone can confess to an addictive Facebook habit, whether it's stalking an ex, faking bathroom breaks to read news, checking-in wherever they go, or art-directing photo's for the perfect profile pic.   The Facebook Diet (the first in The Unplug Series) takes a tongue-in-cheek look at this love for social media, featuring 50 hilarious cartoons that pinpoint the more idiotic, embarrassing and cringe-worthy behaviors of this modern approach to communication.   It’s the ideal gift for Facebook junkies everywhere. Helping them find light-relief and the ability to laugh at this tech-takeover, which may inspire them to occ...