Whatcha' Readin'??

What are you reading on Mondays? is hosted each week by hostess, Sheila from One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

I just finished Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani tonight and I have to just gush here for a minute about how much I enjoy this author. She is truly one of my favorites.
There is not a book she has written that I have not loved and if you haven't read her Stone Gap quartet, you must! She draws me in on page one and does not let me go until long after I have finished.

Next up, is a memoir called Cherries in Winter









From Publishers Weekly: As the economy tanked throughout 2008, magazine editor Colón began strategizing and was better prepared when she lost her job. At her mother's suggestion, she unearthed her grandmother's recipe file, and with it a greater sensitivity about a family history that spanned the hardest years of the 20th century. The resulting book is half cooking memoir with recipes, some more practical than others, and partly family chronicle, some personalities more resilient and dimensional than others.

Style

Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about a story format.How do you feel about books written in a differing format – whether this be journals or letters (epistolary), verse novels, or any other form? Is this something you enjoy? Or do you prefer straight forward chapter prose.

Epistolary novels are my favorites-- I didn't even know that kind of style had an official name until just a couple years ago , but I have always enjoyed that style.
Journal format is fine for me also-sometimes just reading something with that different format perks up my reading a bit, especially if I have been in a rut.
Really, variety is the spice of life in my opinion, but I will say that the one kind of format that tends to get on my nerves at times, is that whole stream of consciousness thing. I find most books I have read using that technique border on the indulgent.

just because...

This little girl is being baptized tomorrow.
She will be wearing the gown that was worn by her mother and which was handmade by her mommy's Godmother.

Bargain Board Books

I have always loved reading to my kids, and did so even when they were as young as 6 months.
I have always loved buying books for my kids.
Now I love buying books for the grandgirl, Lyddie--especially old favorites of mine.

Today was a bargain day for me at the thrift store. I found 7 books to add to my "Mimi" library, here at my house.
If I had purchased them all brand new, they would have cost me $49.81.
Today, used, they cost me $4.83!

Not a bad day, huh?

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads each week and offers a unique way to merge booking with cooking!

I come from a family who likes to eat!
And we like to cook. ( My mom, sister and I)
And we are good cooks, so eating is very enjoyable.
You should see our family get togethers--especially over the Holidays. We aren't a very large family--but it is not unusual for us to have maybe 4 different desserts to choose from at Christmas or Thanksgiving. That would be for maybe 12 of us! We like to have us some options!

That all being said, it is always pretty likely that we will give each other some kind of cookbook for our birthdays. My sister gave me this fun little one for my last birthday:

It is a crammed with lots of recipes and they pretty much all look easy and yummy. With working full time during the week, easy is the name of my game! The chapters are: Brunches, Vegetables & Side Dishes, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Seafood, Desserts and a bonus chapter containing a few salad recipes to accompany your casseroles.

Here is a recipe I am thinking of trying next week:

Chili-Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked, diced chicken
• 1 12 oz. package of Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 4 oz. can of chopped chilies
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 8 oz. carton sour cream
• 8 flour tortillas
• 1 15 oz. can of refried beans
• 1 10 oz. can of enchilada sauce
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• (I will add some chopped black olives too)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 35o degrees
• Combine chicken, 1/2 the cheese, chilies, chili powder an sour cream in a medium bowl
• Layer 3 tortillas in sprayed 9x13 baking dish, overlapping as necessary and cutting third tortilla in half. Spread with back of large spoon about half of the refried beans over the tortillas. Top with half the chicken mixture and half the enchilada.
• For the next layer, spread tortillas as before, and spread with remaining beans and chicken mixture. Cut up remaining 2 tortillas and sprinkle on top, then pour remaining enchilada sauce over top.
• Spread remaining cheese on top.
• Cover and bake fro 45 to 55 minutes or until bubbly around the edges. When serving, sprinkle a sliced green onion over each enchilada for garnish.

Tip: This casserole can be made up to 8 hours ahead of baking; cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake.

Review: Mermaids on the Moon

Book: Mermaids on the Moon by Elizabeth Stuckey-French
Pages: 272
Finished: February 2010
Challenges:
** A-Z ** Read & Review ** Reading From My Shelves** TBR 2010 **What's in a Name 3**

This was a book that was totally different from what I expected it to be. Full of very dysfunctional characters, unfortunately for me, it was just so-so. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. More of a mystery is what I was expecting, with more emphasis of France actually, physically looking for her missing mom. What I got was France finding her mom on a different level--just who is mom, what makes her tick, what happened in her young life and how did those things affect her ability to be a wife and mother.
I think we all have those moments where we truly grow up and see our parents with new, adult eyes. We realize they are human and imperfect. For me, that was what this book was primarily about. But it was also about love. family, acceptance and reconciliation. The ending redeemed many of the negative thoughts I had while plugging along through parts in the middle and made me feel better about sticking it out.

From Amazon:
In this first novel by the author of the critically acclaimed The First Paper Girl in Red Oak, Iowa, and Other Stories, France searches for her missing mother, Grendy, who performs as a mermaid at a Florida synchronized swim theme park. Is Grendy a victim of foul play, or did she run off with a trucker? Accompanied by her winsome, autistic nephew, France investigates the disappearance. Convinced that she'll find Grendy by hanging out with her pals, she joins the show, only to learn from the mermaid sisterhood that her mother was man-crazy and suffered guilt after a long-ago accidental death of a fellow swimmer. The search leads France into the thickets of her own life as she is confronted by memories ugly and sweet of Grendy, who was happiest under water; her minister father, who is full of infidelities and ploys; and her troubled, deceased sister.

Wordless Wednesday: hanging on.....

Adelaide Renee
3 1/2 months

The letter C

Hosted by Vicki from Reading At The Beach


Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!

To join, here's all you have to do:
Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and leave your link in the comments.
If you've already reviewed this book you can add it also.

Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.

This week's letter is "C"

My C book is: The Cotton Queen by Pamela Morsi

From Booklist

Why do some mothers try to bend their daughters to their will when this behavior makes daughters rebel all the more? Morsi explores this dynamic in the mother--daughter relationship of Babs and Laney. Babs is a Stepford wife, her home and person reflecting the best that McKinney, Texas, has ever seen. But all Laney knows is that her mother is highly critical, never listens to her, and is more concerned with outward appearances than with her daughter's life. In chapters that alternate their points of view, Morsi reveals that Babs, who has always had a hard time, experienced one particularly horrifying moment that left an indelible impression on her and that resonates throughout her life. Unaware of her mother's difficulties, Laney seems to base her life choices on doing the exact opposite of what her mother would do. Running the gamut from enjoyably amusing to achingly sad, Morsi's involving tale of mother and daughter, two strong women, explores the hidden capacities for understanding and the healing power of reconciliation.

Monday full of Memes

What's In Your Mailbox Monday is hosted each week by Marcia over at The Printed Page.

All of my mailbox goodies arrived via paperbackswap this week. I am thinking of putting my account on hold as I can't keep up with the mailing requests!




The significance of a planting of yellow tulips in an Iowa garden becomes evident at the end of this beguiling novel of the Civil War home front. Immature, overconfident, congenial, and flirtatious, newly wed 18-year-old Alice is left with her stern, repressive mother-in-law on a small farmstead when her husband Charlie "goes for a soldier." The book is comprised of the letters Alice writes to her sister over a period of three years to relieve her frustrations and to offer advice on fashion, love, and society. Alice is an outstanding quilter and each chapter is prefaced with a paragraph of information on quilting details. The letters take readers through wartime difficulties of isolation, food shortages, cruel gossip, loss of reputation, and the complexities of a small, closed community.





McAuley's engaging debut novel revolves around the secrets behind an adoption. Twenty-seven years after she and her husband adopted their daughter, Mary, now a famous opera singer, Lena Molloy gets an unexpected phone call from the nun who handled the adoption in Ireland. The nun claims she is just tying up loose ends before she retires, but Lena wonders what's really afoot. She plans a trip to Dublin while Jack is abroad to track down Mary's birth mother. Also adopted, Lena has always regretted not searching for her birth parents before all the records were destroyed.



When living abroad, there are two rules to be followed: 1 -- If you are lucky enough to find a place you belong, you should never actually live there. And 2 -- Never live with a man you think you could never live without. Evoking the languid, sensual essence of Mediterranean France, Instructions for Visitors is a very personal revelation of the wonders and the difficulties of relocating one's home -- and one's heart.


What books did you receive this week?
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Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page.


Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about a keeping books. Do you keep all the books you ever buy? Just the ones you love? Just collectibles? What do you do with the ones you don’t want to keep?

Oh my goodness, if I tried to keep every book I have ever purchased, I would have to sell my kids and get rid of my husband to make room for all the bookshelves I would need! I only keep a handful of what I actually buy. There are certain authors whose books I buy as soon as they are released, in hardback and will never get rid of. Some of those authors are: Maeve Binchy, Rosamunde Pilcher (now retired), Fannie Flagg, Jacqueline Winspear, Celia Ahern, and Adriana Trigiani. There is also a stack of paperbacks that I can't bring myself to get rid of because I loved them so much and hope to re-read them someday even though I am not normally a re-reader!

To get rid of books I do several things--trade them on paperbackswap.com, hold give-aways here, donate to my local thrift store and donate to my local library.

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What are you reading on Mondays? is hosted each week by a new hostess, Sheila from One Person's Journey Through a World of Books





I am currently reading, Brava Valentine by Adriana Trigiani and savoring every page.

I feel like I am back home with friends with this lovely sequel to Very Valentine which was published last February.

I have two review to write still and hope to get to them this week--one for The Help and one for Mermaids on the Moon.

What are you reading this week?

Sunday Salon: my ramblings

I love the Olympics.
Really I do.
The problem is, they infringe on my reading time! I normally watch very little television, spending most of my evenings reading.
The good news is that I am getting knitting time in--I love to knit in front of the t.v.--it helps keep me awake during the commercials!

Lyddie in the hat I knit for her for Valentine's Day

This week, I finished reading Mermaids on the Moon--(review to come) and started Brava Valentine by Adriana Trigiana. I have been waiting for Brava for a whole year, being the sequel to Very Valentine, a top ten read of mine from 2009. Trigiani is a favorite of mine, and she made this fan very happy when she announced that Valetine would be a series of 3 books and she was committed to releasing one a year (in February) for 3 years

Weekend Cooking: soup's on

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads each week and offers a unique way to merge booking with cooking!

While it is no secret amongst my family members that I am not a huge fan of soup, oddly I still find myself drawn to soup recipes! I have decided that it's not the fact that I don't like soup, it is just that I only like really, really yummy soups. They really need to be full of flavor and consist of lots of ingredients so that I feel like I am full when I am done. Realizing that fact, also caused me to notice that most of the soups I really enjoy are cream based...aka/more filling! The exception to that is my tortilla soup recipe and the occasional chicken noodle soup. But sadly, even after being married for 27 years and with that being the sole cook for my brood for 27 years, I have never produced a chicken noodle soup that I have fallen in love with. In fact, several years ago, I quit trying. Then my daughter, who has only been married 3 years, brought me some of her soup--she says it is her fall back meal and is oh, so easy. Well apparently, not for me-check out her recipe here--it really is yummy as long as I am not making it!

Just recently I succumbed to the urge to purchase the latest Taste of Home magazine--partly because you know what is featured on the cover....soup!!

The one I am thinking of trying soon, is the chicken noodle. Doesn't it look yummy? And it looks quick if I cook my chicken the night before-or better yet, use a good brand of canned meat. Here is the recipe:

Photo from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup sliced celery
• 3/4 cup sliced fresh carrots
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups uncooked egg noodles

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, combine the first 10 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in noodles; cook 5-7 minutes longer or until noodles and vegetables are tender. Yield: 6 servings (2-1/4 quarts).

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/2 cups equals 196 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 49 mg cholesterol, 759 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 15 g protein

So, even though the temperatures here have been in the low 60's the past couple of days, rain is back in our forecast for the middle of the week--the perfect soup weather!

Just saying...

Bookmarks Magazine arrived today!!
After staying up MUCH too late watching our USA boy win the gold in figure skating, I am taking my magazine off to bed with me, where I will probably last all of 2 minutes before drifting off...

I hope to get caught up with blog stuff, and blog visiting this weekend. It will be the first weekend in several weeks where nothing is planned!

Wordless Wednesday: my favorite red head

Hosted by Vicki from Reading At The Beach


Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!

To join, here's all you have to do:
Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and leave your link in the comments.
If you've already reviewed this book you can add it also.

Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book

This week's letter is "B"

My B book is: The Boy Next Boy by Meg Cabot

This is a book that has been on my shelf for a while and I just never seem to get to it. You know? Too many books, not enough time! It is definitely looks like a chick lit kind of book--just perfect for when I am an in the mood for something on the light side. A big draw for me is that it is written in the epistolary style--one of my favorites!

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-An entertaining romp told entirely through e-mails. Melissa Fuller, celebrity-gossip columnist for the New York Journal, lives a relatively shallow existence until her elderly neighbor is attacked and sent to the hospital in a coma, leaving behind her Great Dane and two cats. Melissa gets help in caring for them from the man who is supposedly Mrs. Friedlander's playboy nephew Max, but who is actually his college buddy doing him a favor, and it all becomes a bit complicated when Melissa falls in love with "Max." Every loose plot thread comes into play in the highly satisfactory conclusion, with just enough twists on the way for a fun ride. The format fits perfectly with the gossipy nature of the book and moves the story along; readers are privy to all of the e-mails, but the characters only get the bits addressed to them. This book has the same breezy style as Cabot's "Princess Diaries" series (HarperCollins) for younger readers. Teens who enjoyed Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary (Viking, 1998) will flock just as quickly to this lighthearted romance.

Tuesday Thoughts

Some random thoughts....

• I finished The Help a week ago and still need to write a review. It will be short, because really, what more can I say that hasn't already been said?
• I am so, so happy the Russian 18 year domination of pairs skating has come to an end. I felt the Chinese really did deserve it!
• I am sad my 3 day weekend is over.
• I found a bargain hardcover this weekend while book shopping for my husband: The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan. The price: $3.98!
• I have had to rip out the hat I am knitting for Miss Lyddie 4 times-the latest occurring tonight while watching the Olympics. Fifth time's a charm, right?
• Found right outside our den window today--signs that spring is practically here in the Pacific Northwest, after virtually no winter to speak of.
  

Pussy Willow Plant

A Monday Full of Memes

What's In Your Mailbox Monday is hosted each week by Marcia over at The Printed Page.

The books I received were from paperbackswap and were chosen by me on a whim. They aren't books I have even seen reviewed anywhere else!

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Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about a reference material.Do you keep reference books on your shelves at home? What’s your first port of call when you need information – the internet or a book?

Reference material for me is craft books! Specifically, right now, knitting books as that is the latest craft I am trying to learn. We do have a set of Encyclopedias, but I think they got put away in the attic. My boys and husband and I do all of our research and information hunting online. It is so much quicker, easier and up to date! I actually use the internet for knitting help also. There are many knitting technique videos online and I learn so much better when someone is showing me how to do something. There are times I have been sad at how much the internet as changed our lives, but mostly I have come to embrace it and appreciate the wealth of information that is at our fingertips!
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What are you reading on Mondays? is hosted each week by a new hostess, Sheila from One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

I am still reading Mermaids on the Moon but hope to finish it tonight. Babysitting my sweet granddaughter and watching the Olympics have been interfering with my reading time! Next up? That is the big question. I have several that I could read for challenges or I can dig into one of my two new ones which I received for Valentine's Day: Brava Valentine or The Postmistress!

~~~~Have a great week of reading, everyone~~~~