Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: My Week in Books

Why is it that we imagine we'll have so much free time during the holidays? I'm forever hopeful and forever wrong: between work, parties, cooking and baking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping, and more, there are really very few moments just to sit and relax.

Very little print reading was going on, but I finished two audiobooks, abandoned one, and started another, so that's not too bad. All the chores were so much better with a good story to keep me company.

We haven't watched too much on the screen this past week. We finally saw Green Book with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. If you haven't seen this movie, put it on your list. It was much more than I was expecting, and it's made all the stronger because it's based on a true story. On a lighter note, we're catching up with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I think we're almost done with season 2.

What I Read

I've written about Sebastien de Castell's delightful Spellslinger series and how much I absolutely love the audiobooks--all read by Joe Jameson (Hachette Audio). The fantasy series has a little bit of a Wild West feel and has characters you'll totally fall in love with (or totally hate--because they're evil). There are laugh-out-loud moments and plenty of danger and troubles as well. Crownbreaker (Orbit, Dec. 10) brings the series to a satisfying end, though the author left room for more adventures. The books star Kellen, a teen who leaves his powerful family for an outlaw's life. Kellen tries to right wrongs and to outsmart those would see him dead. The cast includes many strong women and a complex animal sidekick. In this final book, Kellen must find a way to defeat his father, one of the most powerful men on the continent. Will the confrontation end in a death, in a reconciliation, or in a stalemate? If you're looking for a fun series with great characters, give these books a try. If you're an audiobook fan, don't miss Jameson's brilliant performances. (audiobook copy provided by the publisher)

When I found out the follow up to Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying (Delacorte, 2017) is coming out in just a few weeks, I decided it was high time I read this closed-room mystery. Here's the premise: five high schoolers are given detention for having cellphones in class. Before the hour is up, one of the students is dead. Who killed him and why? The story is told from the view point of the four survivors. Each one claims innocence both for the death and for having a cellphone, claiming it was all a set up. Of course, they all have secrets, and the dead boy knew those secrets and was threatening to reveal all. A nicely plotted mystery with well done red herrings and a few twists. I'm so glad I gave this a chance. The audiobook (Listening Library; 10 hr, 43 min) is performed by Kim Mai Guest, MacLeod Andrews, Shannon McManus, Robbie Daymond, who each take the part of one of the surviving students. There were no weak links, and their characterizations blended well. Now I have to put book 2 (One of Us Is Next) on my list; it's about the same school but focuses on different students. (print copy provided by the publisher; audiobook in my personal collection)

1 Ditched and 1 Loving

I started Maaza Mengiste's The Shadow King (Recorded Books; 16 hr, 9 min) with high hopes. Everyone seems to love this book about Ethiopia during World War II and the strength of a peasant girl turned woman who inspired her country to continue to fight for freedom, even when Haile Selassie himself seemed have given up. Sadly, even Robin Miles's brilliant performance couldn't save this book for me, and I abandoned it after six hours. Maybe it's the time of year and I needed something lighter, I don't know. Anyway, I said good-bye.

I'm currently reading Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski (Ballantine, March 2019). I'm not really a self-help kind of person, but when Swapna Krishna recommended it, I decided to give it a try. Although I put a hold on the book over the summer, it took until this month before my turn at the library copy became available. I was hooked almost immediately. I'll have more to say about this book when I finish it, but may talk about it on Instagram and/or Litsy. The book is geared especially to woman and will have you saying YES before you're even five pages in. I see why Swapna was raving about this, and why April from Good Books & Good Wine also recommends it.

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: The Heat: A Kitchen (R)Evolution (Film)

If you're looking for an interesting food-related documentary to watch this weekend, I recommend Maya Gallus's The Heat: A Kitchen (R)Evolution (2018; 1.25 hr).

This film introduces us to seven successful women chefs in the United States, Canada, England, and France and primarily addresses the issue of why the restaurant industry is still so male dominated. Is it the restaurant culture, the media, or men in general?

These women, most of whom run or own restaurants, talk about their experiences in the abusive atmosphere of professional kitchens. The restaurant system is likened to the military: with strict hierarchies and no room for questioning. The women also compare and contrast their experiences in the (male-dominated) kitchens they were trained in to their own styles in the kitchens they run.

Restaurants are not easy places, and it's difficult for women to get ahead, to get attention, to get the financial backing, and to be treated with respect. Those difficulties are compounded for women of color.

Chefs Suzanne Barr, Victoria Blarney, Amanda Cohen, Angela Hartnett, Ivy Knight, Charlotte Langley, Anita Lo, and Anne-Sophie Pic talk about their struggles and successes to gain recognition and to break the cycle of aggression and abuse found in restaurant kitchens. There is some mention of the #MeToo movement and of being afraid to speak out or of being the first to speak out.

In the end, all recognized the need for change and the need to give women professional chefs their due, but no one really had any good ideas for how bring this revolution to fruition.

Gallus does a good job transitioning us from one chef and location to another and of showing us that, despite each woman's unique situation and personal history, there are universal problems in the restaurant industry that are shared by all. The film also makes us aware of the importance of supporting women-owned restaurants of all kinds. The Heat: A Kitchen (R)Evolution will give you something to think about.

Here's the trailer:

_______

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
_______

Click for more

Off the Shelf; Or What's New in My Corner of the World 6

In a perfect world, today’s post would be all about how many books I read in 2019, broken down into categories like print vs. audio and fiction vs. nonfiction. Mine is decidedly not a perfect world.

Instead today is a collection of random thoughts about my blog, both in this past year and what I envision for the next year; some shout-outs to a few good things; and my goals for 2020.

Blogging rhythm: My real-life workload has greatly increased over the last few months, which is nothing but a blessing for everything but my blog. Extra work, means less time to read and less time for writing blog posts. Regardless, I plan to do my best to maintain my posting schedule.

Reading failure and success: I started out 2019 committed to reading a short story a week. That didn’t last long. I also committed to reading more books in translation. I think I did okay in that department.

Fun and inspiring: I was lucky enough to be tapped for the Abrams Dinner Party for both the 2018–2019 season and the 2019–2020 season. I can’t tell you how much I love being part of this program. The cookbooks are terrific, and the other Dinner Party guests are super supportive. I was also recently accepted into the Voracious cookbook review program, and I can’t wait to share even more recipes and reviews with you.

Life-changing discoveries: I finally got myself a set of Bluetooth earbuds. OMG, what the heck was I waiting for? I loved them so much, I bought a second pair when they went on sale. I admitted total failure with maintaining a bullet journal and instead invested in a higher-end paper planner. I love how much more organized I am and am especially happy to not have to draw my own calendar each week. I’m a pen planner, not a decorative sticker planner.

Hopes and dreams for next year: In terms of reading and blogging that is. First, I hope to keep better stats next year and maybe even update my blog's review index (I stopped about halfway through 2017!). Second, I'm determined to increase the percent of books I read digitally. It’s simply time to develop new habits and take a realistic view on the number of books stored in this house. Third, I would like to continue to post more bookish content over on Instagram. It’s fun and may get me back into photography, which has sadly slipped to the back burner. Finally, I want to continue to keep my blogging a no-pressure venture with a relaxed posting schedule. This works for me, and I hope it works for you too.

As I go into my 12th (!) year of blogging, I hope you’ll be on the journey with me. We have all said it a million times, but it's true: The best part of blogging is the community and the wonderful friendships we've all made over the years. Here’s to a safe and happy 2020.

Click for more

Happy Holidays!

Hope whatever holiday you're celebrating is joyous and peaceful. ! I'm taking a little time off this week. See you on Friday!

Click image to enlarge.

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: Organizing for a New Year

I know we have another Saturday before the end of the year, but I thought I'd take this week to talk about one of the kitchen-related projects I have planned for 2020.

Even though I'm lucky enough to receive a number of print cookbooks to review each year, I still find quite a few recipes from Pinterest or via internet searches, magazines, and digital cookbooks. I'm not a big fan of cooking from my tablet screen (I worry about spills and I hate when the tablet goes to sleep), so I usually print out a copy of any digital recipe I plan to use.

That's all fine and good, except I tend to save the hard copies, even when they don't include any cooking notes and even when I don't really plan to make that dish again. I imagine that I'm gong to immediately file or take note of the week's winners and toss the rest. But, um, you know how that goes.

Once the pile of paper gets out of hand (like mine is now), I know it's time to get organized.

In a perfect world, I'd save every successful online recipe on Pinterest or maybe Pepperplate and every newspaper and print magazine recipe in one of my disc-bound notebooks (as seen in the opening photo). Every cookbook recipe would, of course, be entered in a spreadsheet or at least in a searchable document.

Guess what? I don't live in a perfect world, and it's been at least two years since I've gone through my gigantic stack of printouts. See that pile in the photo to the right? Now take a look at the one with the ruler just below. Yeah. That stack is almost 6 inches high.

I  need to get a grip! In full disclosure, I should say that the pile also contains a bunch of weekly dinner plans. I started saving my plans to help me through weeks when I was too busy to start planning from scratch. But what good are my saved plans doing buried in a huge pile of recipes? I can't find them when I need them.

Once we get past the holidays, I plan to spend about 15 minutes a day going through this stack and trying to create that perfect world in which every recipe is in its place and every dinner plan is filed by season.

Does it sound like a grueling job to you? Not to me. I'm actually looking forward to rediscovering some winning recipes and getting organized for the new year.

I know over the years some of you have mentioned different apps that you use to save your recipes. I've used Master Cook and Pepperplate. Both work well . . . if you remember to use them. Which apps or programs do you use?

_______

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
_______

Click for more

10 best books of 2019

December is almost over and we're heading quickly to Christmas, family time, and the new beginnings that January offers. It's also the time when I share my top ten books of the year.

This year I was surprised by the variety of books that made my list: fantasy, historical fiction, literary fiction, and nonfiction. One book was published in 2013, but all the rest came out in 2019.

How did I pick my top ten? These are books I still remember and still think about. They are the books I connected with, I recommended to family and friends, and I've talked about in real life.

I present them here in what was supposed to be alphabetical order (but oops on the graphic). Links lead to my full reviews (all books provided by the publishers).

• Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (Knopf, May 14): Set on Kamchatka peninsula, this genre-bending novel starts with the disappearance of two young girls and fans out to focus on how a number of other women and girls are affected by the event as well as on life in the remote northern regions of Russia. Audiobook: wonderfully read by Ilyana Kadushin (Random House Audio)
• The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea (Harper, Sept. 3): Set in late-17th-century Iceland, this haunting novel—infused with a bleak landscape and focusing on the edge of change or maybe the edge of changing states—examines the choices a young woman makes after her father suddenly dies and her mother becomes sick. Audiobook: nicely read by Heiða Reed and Smari Gunn (Harper Audio).
• The Last Whalers: Three Years in the Far Pacific with a Courageous Tribe and a Vanishing Way of Life by Doug Bock Clark (Little, Brown, Jan. 8): Written by an investigative journalist, this is a fascinating look into a vanishing culture and how the members of a small Indonesian whaling community balance their age-old traditions with the life in the 21st century. Audiobook: beautifully read by Jay Snyder (Hachette Audio).
• This Much Country by Kristin Knight Pace (Grand Central, March 5): In this memoir, Pace, a photojournalist and one of the few women to complete both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod sled dog races, shares the beauty and harshness of Alaska, her incredible relationship with her dogs, and the emotional journey that has given her a life fully led. Audiobook: nicely read by the author (Hachette Audio).
• Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens (Mulholland, Nov. 12): Set in a small town in the Ozarks, this novel is about the summer a teenage boy learns just how far white men will go to protect the status quo and is everything I love in a coming-of-age story. Audiobook: wonderfully read by Kevin Stillwell (Hachette Audio).
• A Prayer for Travelers by Ruchika Tomar (Riverhead; July 9): Haunting in its truths, this nonchronologically told novel, set in the Nevada desert, is presented through the eyes of a new adult who is determined to find her friend and fellow waitress, who disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Audiobook: expertly read by Sophie Amoss (Penguin Audio)
• The River by Peter Heller (Knopf, March 5): Set on a river in Canada, this outdoorsy thriller about two college friends on a late-summer canoe trip demonstrates that Heller is a master at creating a creeping buildup of danger, holding it just out of sight so you never quite know where and when or if it will manifest.
• Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza (Flatiron, March 12). This sometimes rough but realistic novel explores a slice of contemporary life that we rarely read about—life after a heart transplant for teenage girl who tries to find a new normality after a year-long recovery from her major surgery.
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (Redhook; Sept. 10): This historical fantasy combines adventure, intrigue, and a strong female protagonist to create a memorable story of friendship, young and lasting love, coming of age, and betrayals. Audiobook: mind-blowingly read by January LaVoy (Hachette Audio). My top audiobook of the year.
• The Thicket by Joe R. Landsdale (Mulholland, Sept. 2013): Set in turn-of-the-20th-century rural east Texas, this engrossing coming-of-age story shines a light on the dying days of the Old West and follows a teenager determined to rescue his younger sister who has been kidnapped by bank robbers. Audiobook: perfectly performed by Will Collyer (Hachette Audio). My top novel of the year.

Click for more

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Weekly Reset 2

I'm kind of in denial that Christmas is next week. We still have a couple of gifts to buy and have made a shopping date to get them taken care of. I hate waiting until the last minute, but that's what this year has been like.

We haven't been watching too much television and have fallen behind in a few series we used to follow on the various streaming services. I can't believe I haven't yet watched the new version of His Dark Materials on HBO. I loved those books, so I really need to make time for the series.

We're caught up with the Dublin Murders on STARZ. I like the screenplay and the acting, but I wish the producers had stuck with only one story at a time instead of combining two of the Tana French books into a single season. Still a good show.

Reading / Read

Death of a Witch by M. C. Beaton (Grand Central, 2009): I went for total fluff this week and listened to the 24th Hamish Macbeth mystery. I love the characters and the Highland setting of this cozy mystery series. In this outing, Hamish has to solve a series of murders that start with a shifty newcomer who lures men to her remote cottage with promises of an herbal Viagra. As Hamish is trying to figure out who the killer is and the body count starts to rack up, he is also trying to sort out his love life, with three women on his radar. Meanwhile, he's determined to avoid the dreaded promotion that would change his comfortable lifestyle. Good humor mixed with a good mystery equals great entertainment. The audiobook (Blackstone, 5 hr, 37 min) was wonderfully read by Graeme Malcolm, who is the voice of the series. (personal collection)

This week's main book is Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt (Flatiron, Jan. 21, 2020), which I hope lives up to its hype. This is a story of a mother and her young son who are forced to flee their middle-class life in Acapulco for the safety of the United States after they catch the eye of a violent drug lord. A new land, new language, new economic circumstance, and a new fear drive them north, but there's no guarantee the journey will end happily. This timely book about immigrants seeking asylum in the United States has been on my list for a while, especially because it tells a story of how an educated family with resources can find themselves on the run when lawlessness takes over their home town. I can't wait to get started. (print and digital copies provided by the publisher)

New to Me in Print

• Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss (Picador Dec. 31 [paperback]): What happens when a modern-day family who has been living as Iron Age Britons in the bog lands allow a group of anthropology students to join the experiment?
• Beginning with Cannonballs by Jill McCroskey Coupe (She Writes, May 2020): This book follows 50 years in the lives of two girls whose deep childhood friendship is torn apart by segregation in 1950s Tennessee.
• Cook, Taste, Learn by Guy Crosby (Columbia University Press, Dec. 10): The subtitle of this book tells it all: 'How the Evolution of Science Transformed the Art of Cooking."
• The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood (Penguin, Jan., 14, 2020): A psychological thriller set  in an isolated cult community in Wales.
• Eat for the Planet Cookbook by Nil Zacharias and Gene Stone (Abrams, Jan 7): Recipes and information about switching to a plant-based diet.

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: Smoothie Project by Catherine McCord

Whether you're a daily smoothie drinker or are new to smoothies, I bet you have some questions, like these:

• Help! I'm in a smoothie rut and need more recipes.
• Help! I'm new to smoothies and need some tips.
• How do I prep ahead for a week's worth of smoothies?
• Which ingredients will help me at my stage of life?
• What kind of blender do I need?
• What are the pros and cons of the different kinds of milks?
• What are the benefits of specific add-ins?

Well, wonder and ask no more because Catherine McCord (from Weelicious) has all the answers in her new book, Smoothie Project (Abrams, Dec. 17).

I was particularly excited to receive a copy of this cookbook from the Abrams Dinner Party because I've been in a smoothie rut. Mr. BFR and I tend to make our same old favorite one or two on endless repeat. I needed to expand my horizons and discover new ingredients. Smoothie Project came through in spades on that score.

For example, I found recipes for fragrant smoothies (Carrot Orange Ginger), healing smoothies (Skin Brightener), tropical smoothies (Mango Spice), coffee-flavored smoothies (Awake), and indulgent smoothies (Chocolate Nut).

I was impressed not only with the variety of the flavor combinations but also with how easy McCord makes it to switch "add-ins" to fit your pantry, tastes, and needs. Each basic recipe includes a list of of what she calls "Optional Super Boosts," such as flavored protein powders and other nutritional powders, seeds, and oils.

The sections on how to use the freezer for prepping ingredients, how to pick a blender, and how to save a smoothie to drink later were clearly written and informative. I also appreciated the information about which smoothies and ingredients fit different age groups and health concerns.

For my first week with the cookbook, I primarily picked smoothies by flavor, color, and ingredients I already had on hand. The only thing I bought specifically for my recipes were frozen cauliflower and coconut water. Then I made substitutions as necessary.

The smoothies I tried were Pure Gold (mangoes and turmeric), Avo-Coco Kale (avocado, coconut, and kale), Vanilla Cinnamon Date Shake (almond butter and dates), Creamy Vanilla Shake (cauliflower and cashews), Blueberry Cherry Lemon, and Cherry Almond.

My smoothies also contained bananas, yogurt, coconut, flax seed, lime, almond milk, frozen cauliflower, and honey (not all of these in every smoothie, of course) as well as various spices.

All of the smoothies were tasty, but, naturally, I liked some better than others. For example, as much as I love avocado, I discovered that I didn't really love avocado in my drinks. The smoothie was fine, but I'm not sure I'd make it again. My favorites were the vanilla cinnamon date smoothie (recipe below) and the cherry almond smoothie (the far right just above).

Two additional notes: The recipes made slightly more than I wanted to drink in one sitting, but I simply saved the extra to drink later or Mr. BFR finished it off. I also found the drinks to be a little on the thick side, which was easily fixed by adding a little more almond milk (or called-for liquid).

Recommendation: If you're a smoothie fan or are planning to buy a new blender this holiday season, you need a copy of Catherine McCord's Smoothie Project. I discovered some new favorite drinks and have marked at least 20 (not exaggerating) more to try. Smoothies will never be boring again.

Vanilla Cinnamon Date Shake

Serves 1
BFR's Notes: this one was so good, I could barely stop myself from sipping while I was setting up the photo. Note that I omitted the hemp seeds, but that's just because I didn't have any in the house.

• 1 fresh or frozen banana, peeled
• 1/4 (33 g) frozen cauliflower florets
• 2 dried, pitted dates
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/8 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds or flaxseed meal
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) almond milk or milk of choice

Combine all the ingredients in a blend and blend until smooth.

_______

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
_______

Click for more

6 December Thrillers Written by Women

The further we get into December the less interested I am in books that make me think. I want escape, and I want to be entertained. The most I want to ponder when I'm reading this month is along the lines of whodunit.

Here are a half dozen thrillers and mysteries that will suit me just fine. Which ones call to you?

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh (Berkley, Dec. 3): This is a missing person thriller set in a small town in New Zealand. The characters include an outsider big-city detective who ends up as the town's only cop and a prodigal daughter who's returned home after an eight-year hiatus. The two team up to search for clues and sort through the suspects, churning up old crimes and deep secrets among the villagers. The New Zealand countryside plays a role in this dark thriller in which everyone seems to be hiding something. Opening lines:

She returned home two hundred and seventeen days after burying her husband while his pregnant mistress sobbed so hard that she made herself sick. Anahera had stood stone-faced, staring down at the gleaming mahogany coffin she’d chosen because that was what Edward would’ve wanted. Quiet elegance and money that didn’t make itself obvious, that had been Edward’s way. Appearances above everything.

Audiobook: Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld (Penguin Audio; 10 hr; 59 min) [digital and audio copies provided by the publisher]

Reputation by Sara Shepard (Dutton, Dec. 3): This thriller involves a small Pennsylvania college town, hacked email, and a murder. When tens of thousands of personal emails are dumped into a searchable public database, all hell breaks loose. When an investigative reporter returns home to help her newly widowed sister, they can't help but start looking into the husband's death, unearthing secret upon secret while a killer remains on the loose. Opening lines:

Maybe you got it at birth. Maybe you gained it through hard work. Perhaps you have yours because you’re charitable, or ambitious, or an asshole. It’s your reputation. Everyone’s got one. And if you think reputations don’t matter, you’re wrong.

Audiobook: Narrated by Lisa Flanagan, Allyson Ryan, Phoebe Strole, Brittany Pressley, and Karissa Vacker (Penguin Audio; 13 hr, 3 min) [digital and audio copies provided by the publisher]

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher (Graydon House, Dec. 30): This psychological thriller is set in Seattle and is told through the eyes of a woman who is knowingly in a polygamist marriage, even though she has never met the other women. All is fine until it's not, and the legal wife discovers the identity of one of the other woman. She meets her, incognito, and discovers her mild-mannered husband may have a violent streak, and she begins to fear for her own safety. Opening lines:

He comes over on Thursday of every week. That’s my day, I’m Thursday. It’s a hopeful day, lost in the middle of the more important days; not the beginning or the end, but a stop. An appetizer to the weekend. Sometimes I wonder about the other days and if they wonder about me. That’s how women are, right? Always wondering about each other—curiosity and spite curdling together in little emotional puddles. Little good that does; if you wonder too hard, you’ll get everything wrong.

Audiobook: Narrated by Lauren Fortgang (Harlequin Audio; 9 hr) [digital and audio copies provided by the publisher]

All That's Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums (Crooked Lane Books, Dec. 10): In this mystery, set in the Detroit area, six-year-old Aoife and her slightly older neighbor set out to find out what really happened to Aoife's dead brother, why her mother has been hospitalized, and what her lawyer uncle isn't telling her. The story, with themes of family, grief, secrets, and redemption, is told through Aoife's eyes. Opening lines:

I know my brother is dead. I’m not dumb like Hazel Merkowicz from up the street says.

Sometimes Mama just gets confused, is all.

Like every year on the feast of Saint Theodore, his birthday, Mama sets out an extra plate for Theo, with a candle on it instead of food because I guess Theo isn’t hungry. And Mama says, “Isn’t this nice? It’s like we’re all together again.”

Audiobook: Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky (Blackstone; 9 hr, 16 min) [digital copy provided by the publisher]

Thin Ice by Paige Shelton (Minotaur, Dec. 3): In this first in a new mystery series, a thriller author takes on a new identity and hides out in a small Alaskan town while police try to track down a man who kidnapped her. Settling into her new home, she agrees to help both the local police department and the newspaper, which gives her a good platform for researching her own assailant. Small, remote towns, however, are not always as safe as one would think. Opening lines:

The good thing about being suddenly overcome with fresh terror is that you forget everything else you were afraid of. At least temporarily.

The pilot next to me in the two-seat prop plane angled his almost toothless grin my direction and said loudly, “A little bumpy today. You’ll get used to it.”

Audiobook: Narrated by Suzie Althens (Dreamscape; 9 hr, 17 min) [digital copy provided by the publisher]

Good Girls Lie by J. T. Ellison (Mira, Dec. 30): When a British high school student gets a scholarship to an elite boarding school in Virginia, she thinks she is leaving all her troubles and dark past far away across the ocean. But mean girls, secret societies, and shadowy corners of campus haunt her and any other girl who refuses to play along with the popular kids. Can our hero truly escape her past? Opening lines:

The girl’s body dangles from the tall, iron gates guarding the school’s entrance. A closer examination shows the ends of a red silk tie peeking out like a cardinal on a winter branch, forcing her neck into a brutal angle. She wears her graduation robe and multicolored stole as if knowing she’ll never see the achievement. The last tendrils of dawn’s fog laze about her legs, which are five feet from the ground. It rained overnight and the thin robe clings to her body, dew sparkling on the edges.

Audiobook: Narrated by Fiona Hardingham (Harlequin Audio; 11 hr, 53 min) [digital and audio copies provided by the publisher]

Click for more

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: A Bookish Weekly Reset 1

First off, I totally stole the idea of a "weekly reset" from some (non-book) YouTubers I follow. I love the idea and so am going to do this for the remaining Mondays in December.

What is a weekly reset? In terms of work, planning, cooking, housecleaning, and organizing, it's a day to catch up, reprioritize jobs, set your goals for the week, and so on. For my blog, it's going to be a kind of combination of Sunday Salon, Monday reviews, Mailbox Monday, Currently, and whatever else you want to throw in there.

December in my world means more socializing, getting work done before the Christmas break, taking time to shop, and focusing on family and friends. Reading doesn't disappear, but it plays second fiddle to everything else. While I'm in the holiday mood, I don't really feel like sitting down to write a thoughtful review (even one of only one paragraph) of every book I've read. My weekly reset is a chance to review, organize my upcoming reading list, and tell you what what's on my book stand.

A Book to Put on Your List

Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens (Mulholland, Nov.) is everything I love in a coming-of-age story. Set in a small town in the Ozarks, this is the story of the summer 15-year-old (white) Boady Sanden learned just how far white men would go to maintain the status quo. This beautifully written book is told in retrospect, as Boady recalls the consequences of befriending the son of the new factory manager: not only was Thomas's family black and from the North, they were financially well off and educated. With so many points against them, trouble was sure to follow; would things have gone differently if Boady had been more aware? Other themes are local politics, the police, atoning for past sins, depression and loneliness, the joys of boyhood, and a sort of murder mystery. The unabridged audiobook (Hachette Audio; 10 hr, 27 min) was wonderfully read by Kevin Stillwell, who kept the characters straight, was sensitive to pacing, and believably conveyed the emotions of a young teen boy. This book is likely to be one of my most memorable of the year.

Books I'm Reading

• Total Gut Balance by Mahmoud Ghannoum (Countryman Press, Dec. 24): Not very sexy, I know, but I'm on a quest to learn more about gut health and how it affects our overall well-being, including our immune system. This book focuses on the fungi that live in our gut (our mycobiome). The author summarizes current research and provides some meal plans and recipes. My initial impression is that the information is well researched and the recipes look good.
• Highfire by Eoin Colfer (Harper Perennial; Jan 28, 2020): I loved Colfer's Artemis Fowl books for middle grade and young teen readers and couldn't wait to read his first adult novel. This is a kind of modern-day fantasy that takes place in the Louisiana bayous. The two principal characters are Vern, the last of the dragons, who loves pop culture and vodka and hopes to spend the next millennium with minimal contact with humans, and Squib Moreau, a young teen who got caught in the middle of something big and dangerous one night after sneaking out of his bedroom window. Humor, action, and mayhem are on the horizon. The fantastic Johnny Heller is the narrator (Harper Audio; 9 hr, 19 min).

New to My House in Print

• The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry (Thomas Nelson; Oct. 8): a Christmas romance
• NVK by Temple Drake (Other Press; Nov. 26): an urban fantasy set in modern-day Shanghai
• Clean Getaway by Nic Stone (Random House Children; Jan. 7, 2020): Stone's first middle-grade novel
• The Tenant by Katrine Engberg (Scout Press; Jan. 14, 2020): crime fiction / murder mystery set in Copenhagen
• The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampire by Grady Hendrix (Quirk; April 7, 2020): Set in Charleston in the 1990s
• Aftershock by Adam Hamdy (Hachette; Dec. 3): A thriller set in London featuring a local DI and an FBI agent
• The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (St. Martins; May 26, 2020): Set just after WWII a group of people gather to preserve Austen's home and legacy
• The Lost Diary of M by Paul Wolfe (Harper; Feb. 20, 2020): The imagined diary of a murdered ex-lover of JFK
• No True Believers by Rabiah York Lumbard (Random House Children; Feb. 11, 2020): Young adult contemporary thriller involving Islamophobia and white supremacy in suburbia
• The Keeper by Jessica Moor (Penguin; Mar. 24, 2020): Thriller set in England that explores violence against women and girls 

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: The List Edition

On this first December weekend, I thought I'd do something fun for Weekend Cooking. It seems like it's been a really long time since I wrote a links post.

On my daily wanderings around the internet and social media, I often come across interesting foodie articles or fun lists. Some of the articles I read carefully, others, I just kind of skim, and some I bookmark for later.

Today's collection falls into the middle and latter categories. These are all posts I've run across within the last week, and all are on my list to read more carefully over the weekend. I hope you find something fun to read or a new recipe to try.

Note that some of the following lists are set up as slide shows. Yes, I hate them with a vengeance too, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.

I Love a Good List

• Martha Stewart shares her site's 10 Most Popular Recipes from 2019. I have my eye on the Peruvian Style Roast Chicken and Potatoes (shown) and the Lime Pudding Cups.
• Better Homes & Gardens revealed the 8 kitchen design trends we'll see in 2020. I'm all for blue and more blue (apparently Pantone's color of the year), and I've always been a fan of wood and Shaker style, so I guess I'm either ahead of the times or just so behind I've become trendy.
• Business Insider shared the 30 biggest food trends of the last decade. I am definitely in on a number of the trends, like avocado toast, non-dairy milk, and hard seltzer, but I've stayed away from others, like charcoal foods and juicing.
• You probably already know about the New York Times's 12 stunning cookies you can bake this holiday season. Gingery brownie cookies? Peppermint stripes? Stamped citrus shortbread? Blood orange window cookies? I truly can't pick a favorite from this list.
• Here's something fun: The Star has compiled a list of cocktails to match your birth sign. Mine is definitely right up my alley, but the one for Mr. BFR's sign is a total miss. Still, a fun way to discover new cocktails.

Let's Get Cooking or Baking

• I'm not much of a traditional Christmas fruitcake fan, but Mary Berry's Christmas Cake Bites over at Hello look so pretty, I'd like to make them just for the festive factor. On the other hand, I'm not sure I'd like quite that much fondant on top.
• Eating Well, one of my favorite magazines, gathered a list of 15 soups and stews featuring chickpeas. What's more satisfying on a cold night than a steaming bowl of soup? The flavors will take you around the world, featuring recipes from Italy, India, the New World, Africa, and the Mideast. Shown is the Turkish Chickpea and Lamb Soup.
• I like all-one dishes, so was happy to see that Kitchn gathered a week's worth of one-bowl dinners. The photos all look appealing, especially the soba noodle bowl. One is Thai, but I can sub a different nut for the inevitable peanuts.

On the Thanks but no Thanks List

• Business Insider had an article about scented logs for your fireplace. You may be thinking woodsy or spicy, but you'd be wrong. This year you can make your house smell like , . . fried chicken! Yes, KFC is selling logs that smell like their secret 11 herbs and spices. Just say no.

_______

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
_______

Click for more

AudioFile Magazine's Best 2019 Audiobooks in Memoir

As you know, I'm a huge audiobook fan and have been since the last century (doesn't that make me sound old?). You probably also know that I freelance for AudioFile magazine, writing reviews and blog posts. Thus I'm doubly thrilled to have the chance to feature one of the categories in AudioFile's best audiobooks of 2019.

I was tapped to highlight the Best 2019 Audiobooks in Memoir. The magazine's editors picked the following audiobooks because of the strength of the voices of the authors who generously shared their stories both to educate and inspire us. The audiobooks on this list were also picked because of exceptional performances of the narrators.

Memoir can be tricky to read because the narrator is tasked with conveying the author's emotions and personality while drawing a curtain around their own reactions. The other side of the coin is the author-narrator who, of course, brings authenticity and and intimacy to the performance but is not a professional voice artist.

The narrators of the six audiobooks on AudioFile's list of Best in Memoir for 2019 brilliantly met all the challenges of reading these personal true stories. The links lead to AudioFile's reviews. For all the Best Audiobooks 2019, visit the AudioFile website.

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World written and read by Melinda Gates: Gates has long been known as a philanthropist along with her husband, Bill Gates. You often hear the name Gates associated with various arts programs and events. But as Gates's memoir reveals, her interests in helping others has a special focus on women around the world. She talks about the need to improve women's health care, to increase women's opportunities, and to level the playing field when it comes to salaries. She advocates for women in rural communities in underdeveloped countries and for women in the high-rises of big city corporations. Gates, an experienced public speaker, reads her own story with confidence and good expression.

Trailblazer: A Pioneering Journalist's Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America by Dorothy Butler Gilliam, read by January LaVoy. I was the magazine's reviewer for this excellent memoir that is so much more than Gilliam's transformation from preacher's daughter with a narrow future to first black woman reporter and, later, columnist for The Washington Post. Her life and career spans both the feminist and the civil rights movements and allowed her a front-row seat at some of American's most significant turning points. If you're a woman or a person of color (especially if you were born in the mid-20th century), her story will resonate on a personal level, depending on your age and situation. For anyone still facing socially sanctioned restrictions (in other words if you're not white, male, and Christian), you'll find so much of Gilliam's story to relate to. LaVoy's performance hits all the right tones--in emotions, pacing, and personality.

The Aye-Aye and I by Gerald Durrell, read by Rupert Degas. This memoir of Durrell's expedition to Madagascar to save an endangered primate, the aye-aye, from extinction will appeal to animal lovers and Durrell lovers alike. Durrell vividly coveys his obvious passion for animal conservation, describing exotic and rare sharks, snakes, and tortoises and also describes the problems of deforestation. Listeners will be charmed by Durrell's humor and may get a little twitchy at the descriptions of dangerous animals, horrible weather, and man-eating mosquitoes. Degas captures the essence of a multitude of characters, believably renders a variety of accents, and brings this memoir to life.

Mama's Boy: A Story from Our Americas written and read by Dustin Lance Black. This memoir by an Academy Award winner is as much a tribute to the author's mother as it is a testament to how opposites can find common ground despite their differences. Black, a screenwriter and LGBTQ activist was raised in Texas by a politically and socially conservative mother who had more than her fair share of personal struggles. As we enter the holiday season, with its potentially tense gatherings of loved ones from a variety of political and personal beliefs, Black's memoir teaches us that bridges can be built. Black's narration underscores the full range of emotions of this inspiring story.

Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life by Randy Travis with Ken Abraham, read by Rory Feek. For many of us, the name Randy Travis evokes the essence of country music and the Nashville scene. But many of us, like me, may not know why Travis has stopped recording. In his memoir, Travis himself talks about the stroke that took away his singing voice but also tells listeners about how winning a talent contest took him to Nashville, a marriage, and fame. He also frankly talks about the downhill side: splitting up with his wife and issues with alcohol. Still, in the end, he hasn't lost either his love of music or his love for his god. Feek, a singer himself, reads this inspirational memoir with charm and empathy.

From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home written and read by Tembi Locke. In her memoir, Locke shares the joys of falling in love with an Italian chef, marrying, and then adopting a baby girl. Although she and Saro were head-over-heels happy and were warmly embraced by her Texan family, his Sicilian family did not hesitate to express their disapproval that he married not only an American, but a black American. After Saro lost his life to cancer, however, Locke was surprised and grateful to find solace at her in-laws' home, where she was nourished both emotionally and physically by their love as well as by the lifestyle and food of Sicily. Locke's performance is heartfelt and engaging.

To learn even more about the don’t-miss audiobooks of the year, be sure to follow AudioFile magazine on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and subscribe to their podcast.

Click for more

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: 5 Current Book Reviews

Hello, December! Where the heck did this year go? We may be a few weeks away from winter, but the weather here has definitely taken a downward turn. It's been windy, a little icy, and cold.

We haven't had any major snow yet, so that's something to be grateful for. I'm also glad we took the time to get the deck ready for winter. We didn't finish with the yard work -- but there's always next year, right?

Another thing I'm happy about is that it seems as if my workload is finally under control. It's crazy how busy I was. My reading suffered horribly, but I plan to make up for lost time in December.

I'm not going to review everything I read or listened to over the last month (or however long it's been since I did a Monday post). Instead I picked five books to talk about.

I assume everyone has read Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea (Doubleday, Nov. 5). The premise of this book hit a ton of my buttons: a fantasy set in modern times involving stories and books and an alternative world with portals to our own. Unfortunately, Starless Sea didn't totally work for me. Here's the good: I loved the stories within stories, the blending (in the book's reality) of truth and fiction, and the nonchronological plot threads. I also liked the alternative world, with its caves and library and kitchen and, yes, starless sea. However, despite so many positive elements, I was left, at the end, with a vague feeling of being unsatisfied and maybe even thinking (just a little), "So what?" On the other hand, the audiobook (Random House Audio; 18 hr, 37 min) is absolutely beautifully narrated by a full cast, and it was the fabulous performances of Dominic Hoffman, Dion Graham, Bahni Turpin, Fiona Hardingham, Allan Corduner, and Jorjeana Marie that kept me going. Bravo to the narrators; I hope they win some awards. (digital and audio copies provided by the publisher)

Here's a novel you may have missed. Heddi Goodrich's Lost in the Spanish Quarter (Harper Via; Sept. 10), takes place mostly in Naples near the end of the twentieth century and is told in retrospect after our protagonist hears from her college lover after a long silence. The book is billed as fiction, though much of the main character's life mirrors the author's including her name. Heddi moves from America to Italy on a high-school exchange program and ends up staying in the country all the way through college. When living in the Spanish Quarter of Napels, finishing university, she meets Pietro, and the two fall for each other hard. The novel is a love story to the ancient city, Mount Vesuvius, and all things Italian as well as the story of a group of young people facing their futures, full of hope and opportunity, yet still very much influenced by their families and their past. Heddi and Peitro's relationship and the pain and trials of their transitioning to full adulthood are universal enough to draw you in and unique enough to keep you interested. Goodrich wrote Lost in the Spanish Quarter in Italian and translated the book to English herself. Recommended to those who like character-driven novels. Warning: you'll be planning a trip to Naples even before you finish the book. (audio copy provided for a freelance assignment)

Do you read the New York Times column "Modern Love"? If you don't, you've been missing out. Fortunately, you can read about 30 of the essays in the collection Modern Love, Revised and Updated, edited (with others) by Daniel Jones (Broadway, Oct. 1). Each of the essays reprinted here really shine. I can honestly say there were no misses for me. The stories cover all kinds of love from romantic relationships to parent-child relationships. Some are funny (as in dating mishaps), some are sad (those that ended in death), and others are almost unbearably moving. One of my favorites involved an Evangelical woman who loved her church and her god but was later surprised to realize that she loved a woman from her Bible study class even more. Another one is about a man who meets some of his many children for the first time: he was sperm donor when he was in college and one of his sons finds him through a DNA/genetics site. There are also stories of adoption, dating when you're disabled, and much more. If you're an audiobook lover (Random House Audio; 8 hr, 9 min), you don't want to miss this all-star cast performance. Each narrator did a credible job, bringing out the many emotions without going over the top. (audio copy provided for a freelance assignment)

A few weeks ago, I included Wild Life by Keena Roberts (Grand Central, Nov. 12) in a nonfiction round-up. I really enjoyed this memoir of a girl growing up divided between a remote research camp in Botswana and a Philadelphia Main Line private school. Keena's parents are well-known field primatologists who studied baboon communication and social behavior in a colony of monkeys who lived on a string of islands a long way from any kind of town. Keena's story is a fascinating look at life in one corner of Africa, with its incredible beauty, haunting sounds, and many dangers. She was curious, level-headed, smart, and self-sufficient at an incredibly young age. Despite her impressive Africa skills, Keena found it difficult and sometimes frustrating when she had to adapt to America. Even sitting in a classroom all day was hard for her. Add on the fact that she had missed out on television and other pop culture, and you can see why it wasn't always easy for her to fit in. Still, because she returned to the same school each trip home, Keena was able to make some lasting friends who helped her survive the mean girls. The audiobook (Hachette Audio; 9 hr, 42 min) is read by Chloe Cannon, who picks up on Keena's personality and her obvious love of the wild places of her childhood. (audio copy provided by the publisher)

Another book I featured in my nonfiction round-up was Gareth Russell's The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era (Atria, Nov. 19). I'm one of those people who have been fascinated with the Titanic story since I was a child. I don't really know why, but I've never gotten tired of learning more about the tragedy. Russell's take is a little different from others. Although he does give details about the actual night of the sinking, the loading of the lifeboats, and the sights and sounds of that horrible night, he places the passengers and the whole phenomenon of the luxury liner in the contemporary global context. He talks about immigration, old versus new money, various prejudices (ethnic and religion), political issues, social conventions, and other concerns of the fading Edwardian Era. He focuses on a handful of passengers to make his points of how various people were treated and/or expected to be treated in the years leading up to World War I. He also paints a much more realistic picture of the evacuation of the Titanic than sensational movie scenes have led us to believe (for example, third-class passengers were not locked below decks). This is as much a history of the mid-1910s as it is a story of the Titanic and its passengers. I tried the audiobook (Simon & Schuster Audio; 12 hr, 35 min), but I didn't click with narrator Jenny Funnell. Her performance was fine, but a few mispronunciations and odd pauses sent me to the book. Your mileage may vary. (audio and digital copies provided by the publisher)

Click for more