Tell me your story - Biographies on Audiobook

I've been listening to a lot of books. Right now I'm in the middle of Grant. This book, written by Ron Chernow, the author of Alexander Hamilton, is an in-depth look at the man, the soldier, and the president.  I'm only about eight hours into this 48 hour behemoth of an audiobook but I'm finding time to do things so I can listen.

It is fascinating.

After I finish the book I'll do an in-depth review of it. However I was musing about how some of the audiobooks I have liked the best have been biographies. I've listened to four biographies that I had not read previously and sometimes it is like listening to someone wise tell me about how someone I looked up to (Steve Jobs) might have been a bit of an asshole. Sometimes it is showing me history (Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin) and teaching me that the founding fathers weren't gods. They were just as human as you or I.

The art of listening to biographies is different than listening to fiction. One, you listen and think, oh, this famous and accomplished person did thus and so, and I do thus and so. My best example of this was when I listened to the book of John Adams and I heard how he would pack books first before any trip and often kept a book in his pocket--just in case. I do that as well and miss the abundance of mass market books that I often kept in my purse.

Sometimes I hear parts of a person's life thinking "I don't know how they're going to get out of this one!" This was prevalent when I listened to the Steve Jobs biography. I knew he became successful, but it was the how of the journey that took me by surprise.

But most important about listening to these biographies is the sense that I'm not alone. It is a voice, quite literally, reaching out from my computer or smartphone telling me that even though I am struggling through difficult times, I'm not alone. These people struggled too. They survived. They thrived, and it gives me the strength to go on.

The Pages

Since the beginning of September, something has been happening.

It's happened before, since my mom passed, but then it stops. I'm hoping this time that it will keep happening.

I'm reading again. I mean reading again. I mean since September began I have read 5 new books and listened to a new on on audio. The really amazing thing I have to say about these books is that two of them are what I call five-star (Thanks goodreads) books. Two. When I have gone almost two years without any book that was that superlative.

And all of them, even the four and one three star books have been good books. Books that played in my head when I had to put them down. So without further ado... here are the books and small reviews.


Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins

I read one book by Beverly Jenkins before, and it was good but not great. Forbidden was amazing. Forbidden was so amazing I went to Barnes and Noble and bought two more of her books and put others on reserve in the library.

Forbidden is a historical novel set in the old west. The hero and heroine are people of color. Well the heroine is. And the hero is, but he is passing. There is so much I enjoy about this book it is difficult to know where to start. Scorching chemistry- Check. Characters I care about- check. A historical setting so real that I look at an electric light and I hardly know what to do with it. What I loved especially is that the heroine is courted by two men (one being the hero) but the other one was lovely and kind.

If you like historical romance novels and you think that there isn't anything really creative out there, pick up this book and find your cynical little heart growing three sizes.


Ready Player One by Earnest Cline

This has been on my bookshelf for about two years. I have been told by so many people who I trust that I should read this book. I started it and put it down. It wasn't the right time. Then I picked it up and had a hard time putting it down. I jumped into the reality and loved it. To all my friend who told me I would love it were right right right.

I can't talk too much about it without giving it away. Just saying that if you like Eighties cinema. If you like video games. If you like a fantastic adventure read this amazing book.


Come Home by Lisa Scottoline

I was privileged enough to attend Writers Digest Conference 2017 where  Lisa Scottoline's magnificent key note speech inspired me to pick up one of her books. I hadn't done so in a while. I won't wait so long to read another one.

Come Home showcases love. Love that doesn't adhere to definitive roles. The main character's stepdaughter comes to her and tells her that her ex-husband is dead. Moreover she believes that her ex-husband has been murdered. When is it okay to mourn someone who hurt you? When a second marriage breaks up, what about the kids for whom you were their step mother?  Love doesn't fall into neat little categories and neither does my emotions for this book. This is an excellent read.


Hold Me by Courtney Milan

If you like romance, get this book. If you like New Adult fiction, get this book. If you like characters that you can empathize with, love, and want to swat, get this book. The last time I had such a reading frenzy, I read Trade Me by Courtney Milan, the first in the series. Now Hold Me does what I didn't think it could do--I liked it better.

Hold Me is Shop Around The Corner updated to the geeky halls of university, texting, and blogging. The characters are amazing. The dialogue makes me laugh, and the sex scenes are so wonderful they require the AC on full blast. Now I've got to read her historical romances.


I also read another book but as I am only reviewing the ones that I think others should read now--I'll come back to that another time. It engaged me enough to finish it but I didn't like it enough to recommend.

So, to sum up.

Five star books

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Hold Me by Courtney Milan.

The others are four stars and highly recommended.

Microblog Monday- What I'm reading--or not

I have been reading a lot lately.
I haven't been reading at all lately.

I've been listening.
I've been listening to audiobooks.

I've been enjoying them lately to the exclusion of regular books.

I generally listen to books that I've read before, as the audio gives me a new and different take on them,

The Martian by Andy Weir is unique in that is is the only book that is better on audio than it was as I read it--and I loved turning every page.

The Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale gives a whole new light to the series that I didn't expect.
If I liked the Nora Roberts book, I generally enjoy the Nora Roberts audiobook.

I enjoy listening to Stephen King's books, I didn't expect it. That being said, after listening to IT sleep wasn't an easy thing.

What books do you listen to?

Microblog Monday - And You

And You*

When I get angry at Lotus, 

or she's done something she knows 

she's not supposed to,

she will cry. 

"I want my mommy!" She'll say. 

She will say this clutching to me.

Her face

buried into my very ample stomach

and breasts. 

"I want Mommy." She cries. 

"I'm right here." I say, holding her close.

"I'm here, baby."

"I'm not leaving."

What she means sometimes is

she wants mommy, 

the one who isn't mad at her,

and is fun.

And I generally get this through my brain,

and I rock her,

and she stops crying,

and she says sorry,

and we're okay. 

Sometimes she cries for mommy

as I am holding her

and I realize there's another woman she's crying for.

a woman who she lived with for five days.

A woman whose heartbeat she heard,

while she was getting ready to be born.

A woman who chose to give birth to her, 

and then made the 

heart-wrenching

unimaginable 

decision 

to leave her to be found 

and cuddled 

and loved 

by strangers. 

Lotus cries for that mommy. 

She misses her.

That woman who looks at the world 

from eyes that are like her own.

That woman who,

I imagine,

Aches for my crying little girl

in ways I cannot imagine.

And I don't want to . 

When Lotus does this

We hug each other very hard

and send our love out

and hope China Mommy

can feel it

can understand 

this is the best I can do 

to pay the enormous debt that I owe 

this woman with 

my daughter's face. 

And one time

After being scolded

Lotus said she wanted mommy.

I realized and asked.

"China Mommy?"

She nodded.

Then

tearfully

She raised her head 

tears soaking  er face

tears soaking my breast

to look me in the eye. 

"I want China Mommy." she said 

lifting her hand to my chin

"And You."

Her head returned

just above my heart

as more tears fell. 

I held her,

and rocked her, 

and internally praised her intelligence. 

Because my four-and-a-half-year-old daughter

summed up adoption angst

in two words. 

* The style of this post is a tribute to the book Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. I am in the middle of this amazing book told in verse so I tried to do a blog post in verse.  Was I successful?  Let me know. 

 

Why kids don't like to read - Microblog Monday

Since one of my contracts ended I have been making ends meet as a tutor.

I love it more than I thought possible.

One part of my tutoring is something I like to call reading counseling. Where I talk to the kid--most often 7th/8th grade boys and I match a book with their personality and keep trying until something sticks. I am very successful at this.

Tonight I was reading The Pigeon Needs a Bath by Mo Willems to Lotus. She was giggling all over it--and I think I realized why kids are having so much trouble finding something to read.

We have collectively lost our sense of humor--and think kids should too.

Tell me, seriously, what was the last Newberry award winner where someone didn't die?  Or even if all the named characters made it through alive--was there humor?  Brown Girl Dreaming was beautiful--but it wasn't a happy story.

How do we expect kids to escape into books when the stuff in books is as depressing or more than what they are escaping from?

I know of some books that are fun and funny and escapist, but they are looked down on by teachers. Reading these books don't "count" as much. If you put the fun back in books--you'll have more people reading for fun.

What Alice Forgot

It's been a bit since I've talked about the Pages part of the blog.

I've been rereading a lot. I tend to do that when I'm under stress and this election is stressing me out.

However when a librarian puts a book in my hand I at least read the first ten pages.

The librarian shoved the book What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty into my hands and told me to read it.  I trust this librarian. She introduced me to The Black Dagger Brotherhood and likes a lot of the same books I do.

So I brought it home. I didn't plan to read it.

Then I thought I would go ten pages, and I was caught up.

The premise is deceptively simple. Alice, a 39 year old woman with three kids who is separated from her husband falls at the gym and hits her head. She wakes up thinking that she is 29, pregnant with her first child and still deliriously happy with her husband.

It forces the reader to ask a question--if you met yourself 10 years ago--what would that younger person think of you? What would she think of the choices you have made?

I also have to praise it for being one of the most realistic portrayals of infertility I have ever read. Alice's sister, Elizabeth, you see, has had recurrent miscarriages. A decade ago they were close, now infertility has separated them.  There were times when I read Elizabeth's story that I wanted to shriek that someone had read my diary.  It is brilliant.

This is a good one and I wonder if any of my blog -readers have read it, if so I would like to discuss it.

If you haven't--pick this one up. It is wonderful!

Microblog Mondays - Books edition

According to the excellent writer and blogger Traci York tomorrow is National Book Lovers day.

So here are some book related things.

Three Best Book Websites. 
Goodreads
Bookriot
Smart Bitches Trashy Books

Three Best Websites for Buying Books
Amazon.com 
Powells.com
Audible.com


My Favorite Romances
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Montana Sky by Nora Roberts
Perfect by Judith McNaught

My Favorite Series. 
In Death Series by J. D. Robb
Valdemar Series by Mercedes Lackey
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books 1-11 (Seriously after the 11th the quality went way way way down.)

My Favorite Graphic Novels
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
ElfQuest by Wendi and Richard Pini
Books of Magic  (many writers)

My Favorite Comics
Foxtrot by Bill Amend
Baby Blues by Kirkman and Scott
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

My Favorite Fantasy Novels
Magic's Pride by Mercedes Lackey
Dragon song by Anne McCafrey
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin


So, in the words of Thomas Jefferson (from Hamilton), what did I miss?

Trade Me by Courtney Milan

This book.

This book.

It blew me away.

I don't like the New Adult romance genre spawned by the 50 Shades trilogy as a general rule.  However when a story comes along like this I owe it to myself and romance fans to talk about it.

First, look at that beautiful non-white woman on the cover. I am so tired of the lack of diversity in romance that this was reason enough to buy this book.

Second, I would like to discuss a problem I have with most New Adult romance books.  Most books in the genre have a protagonist--or two--in college.  My issue has always been how come these college-educated people are doing such stupid things! The main characters in Trade Me talk about the decision making processes--such as they are.

Third, chemistry. Oh the chemistry between these two fully realized characters is so hot that if you put a container of ice-cream over the book it would melt!

Fourth, the organic use of characters. Tina--our heroine--has a roommate who used to be a man. Blake--our hero--is mourning the loss of his father's partner.  Any one of these characters and plot twists could, in the hands of a lesser author, be sensationalized. Here it is just a simple turn.

I think that's what I like most about this book--stunning simplicity. When done right simplicity makes for a wonderful romance.

Read this book and enjoy!

Breaking the Fast

Work-wise and getting things done - wise, last week pretty much sucked.

However, as I plod along trying to take steps forward in my grief I believe I have turned a corner.

Last week, I read.

I don't mean read news sites and blog posts I mean books.
I don't mean I listened to books--though I am in the middle of a long audiobook and I listened to it.

I mean I read.

Five books in seven days.

Five new books that I have never read before.
Five books that are not written by Nora Roberts.

When my cousin, who lost both of her parents, told me that I would have problems reading, I didn't believe her.  Reading and books are what got me through bad times. To a point it still did. I was reading and rereading the work of Nora Roberts.  When I tried to read new books--I put them down.

Something happened. The dam of my TBR (to be read) pile crashed down and I picked up a new book and finished it. I grabbed another new book and did the same.  If I wasn't with my husband or daughter I was reading, getting lost in words and worlds. I was staying up late reading to find out what happens next. I plan to be reviewing some of the books in later posts, but I can say that the biggest surprise of the books was Trade Me by Courtney Milan.  Mainly because I don't like "New Adult" fiction usually--but this was a massive exception.

Anyone read any really good books lately? Because it seems that now I'm ready to.

Microblog Mondays - Between the World and Me

I am caucasian--or as my daughter says "peach".
I have privilege, and I am very much aware of it.

I did not rage like people with black skin at the death of Treyvon Martin, but I did indeed rage.
I did not weep the way my friends with black skin wept at the deaths of Eric Garner and people too numerous to name, but I did indeed rage.

So when a friend suggested I read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I bought it on Audible and waited.

Today I listened to it.

It blew my mind.

I felt so very many emotions.

Shame.
Discomfort.
Awe-struck.

This is a brilliant piece of work. It won numerous awards last year and deserved every one of them. It is not an easy read. It is not comfortable. But it is important.

I highly recommend it.

Now I ask--what books have you read that made you uncomfortable? Do you recommend them or not?

Gun violence in America--our own Hunger Games

I'm listening to The Hunger Games on audiobook.

If you've never read them, the action takes place in a futuristic America, called Panem. There had been a major war and the country had set up as a capital and twelve districts. To punish the districts, every child from age 12 through age 18 had to put their name in a lottery. If they were chosen they were sent to an arena where they had to fight to the death for the amusement of the Capital. This book set off the dystopian wave of YA books and it is extremely good.

I'm always struck at the passivity of the parents in the books. I know the rules of the genre preclude  too much in the way of adult involvement. These are YA books and therefore the majority of the action surrounds people under the age of 18. I also know that if I was supposed to participate in a lottery where my kid might have to kill other kids or be killed herself, I would find a way to get away or die trying. This has been going on for 74 years and people are just now rebelling?

Then I see the news.

Another school shooting.

Since the horrific massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school there has been 142 school shootings.  That's one per week.

And we are doing nothing.

I am realizing that we are beginning to consider other people's children, spouses, loved ones as tributes to a different kind of Hunger Games. This one isn't controlled by an evil government, it is controlled by a lobby who controls congressmen and women.
Every day we wring our hands and say "our thoughts and prayers are with the victims", is a day that we are sending our loved ones out to be tributes. Somebody can get their hands on a gun and turn their school, their college, their place of business, the movie they are going to into a massacre. Then the news will appear on social media and we will wring our hands. Loved ones will cry.

Can someone explain to me why "the right to bear arms" seems to have no responsibility attached to it? A toddler can't drive an automobile, but a toddler got a hold of a gun and shot his mother dead. When you learn how to drive, the teacher has a break that he/she can employ if you are driving poorly, and there is an age limit of how old you must be before you learn to drive. With guns a student can shoot her gun instructor at the age of nine.

I am done.
I will not volunteer to be your tribute. Nor do I want your children to volunteer to be mine.
In order to purchase a vehicle in all fifty states you need to have a license. If you want to own a gun, fine, but you should take gun safety classes and no one should be given a gun without them. People with certain disabilities cannot get a license. It is time to regulate these guns as much as we regulate driving.

It is time to have sensible gun laws in this country. I have called my congressmen. Hell, even People Magazine has said that we must call our representatives and do something.

I add my voice.
Do something.
Now.

The 5 Books That Go With Me When I Run

It goes without saying--or at least I should think so--that if my house caught fire that I would grab my husband and daughter and get the hell out of it.

But if I had time... if it was an evacuation where I would bring other things I would most certainly bring books. Which books?

Well there is the question. I'm limiting myself to the books that are hard to get now--or at least difficult to get in the format that I love. I'm limiting myself to one book per author--and OH that one isn't easy. I'm limiting myself. However, if if push came to shove, and in no particular order.

1) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I've already discussed this book pretty much at length.  It is one of my favorites.  Why wouldn't I just get a new one? Well this is, I believe, a first edition with faces on the cover. It is bent in all my favorite places and this is the actual book that was pressed into my hand by a stranger.  It comes with me.

2) Magic's Price by Mercedes Lackey

At some point I will make a list of books to read after you've finished Game of Thrones.  That being said I would recommend this book be read before you start Game of Thrones. In fact--if you haven't read this series--and you like fantasy--you should drop everything and get this book now.  Actually not this book--as it is the third in a trilogy, but the first one--Magic's Pawn.

What if you knew that the people in charge of your government were good--beyond any shadow of a doubt? You knew this because the head of the government is Chosen by a big white horse called a Companion (capitalization intended as per the book). If you are Chosen by a Companion, you are now a Herald or perhaps a Herald Mage.  Magic exists in this world, and the Heralds are the chief users--except for the people who aren't Chosen.

Into this is a beautiful young man, Vanyel, who discovered that he was gay and in love with a Chosen trainee. On a horrific night, his beloved commits suicide and Vanyel himself is Chosen. This trilogy is the story of Vanyel and his world.  This book is the third of the trilogy and my favorite.

Gossamer Axe by Gael Baudino

Chick with a harp.
That's how the book begins. How you are introduced to Christa, a centuries old woman in the body of a 25 year old in the late 1980's. She and her lover were imprisoned by the Fae. Christa is a bard and was able to escape the Fae's world 200 years prior--but had to leave her lover behind. Now she thinks that she can get her back--using the rock and roll of the 1980's as a weapon.

This book is out of print--and doesn't seem to be available on Kindle.  One of the reasons that it will come with me as I run is that I don't know how I would get it again.  The other one, the main one, is that I, as a child of the '80s, adore the idea of someone using that music to save lives.

Legacy by Susan Kay

Do you like The Tudors? The Other Boleyn Girl? Wolf Hall?
Do books about the Tudor era make money fly out of your wallet?

If these are true and you haven't read Legacy--you're missing out. It is the story of Queen Elizabeth the First.  Beginning shortly before her birth and ending with her death. These historical characters leap off the page and into your brain. The setting is so clear that when you close the book you think you should be blowing out a candle instead of shutting off electricity.

Really this is a toss-up. If I titled this "Six (or Even Ten) Books That I Take With Me When I Run," I would add Susan Kay's Phantom to the list as well. That being said, Legacy is an amazing, amazing book and I highly recommend it.

A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton

I have a lot to say about Laurell K. Hamilton's books but I will save that for a separate post. I should note that for a while she was my favorite author. I broke my "don't ever buy a hardcover book" rule for her more times than I can count.

However this book is in paperback. I had to be cajoled into reading it as it was the start of a new series. And I love it.

It is about Merry Gentry--a real Fairy Princess, but this is not the world of Tinkerbell. This is scary ass stuff of all the kinds of creatures you were terrified were hiding under your bed.  I love this series and the early work of this author.  Why this book you ask?

Simple. It's autographed.

There it is; my top five.

You might wonder why not Nora Roberts. Simple, really, I can fairly easily replenish my collection of her books, while most of these I can't.

What books would you grab if you had to make the choice?

An open letter to Nora Roberts

Dear Ms. Roberts,

This thank-you letter is a year overdue. It's been a rough year, but I thought better late than never.

I'm sure you get thanked for your writing often. I want to add my voice to the chorus. Your stories take us away from the scary and lousy stuff going on in our own lives.  It feels so comforting to go into the lives of the characters you have created when my life is a little too real.

This was never more true than last year.

Last year my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 uterine cancer. She immediately started a course of radiation and chemotherapy. The radiation and chemo left my vibrant mountain-goat of a mother barely able to lift her head.

But she could lift her hands.  And she could lift a mass-market paperback book. The books she lifted were yours.

Mom and I always loved your books. From Honest Illusions, the very first one we read, to The Witness, the very last one she read and we shared.  We would sit and talk about the decisions the characters made. We would say what we thought would happen next. I remember Mom crowing when Chesapeake Blue came out because some of her predictions were right. My mother put my very first books in my hands. When we got to an age where we read the same things, some of our warmest times together were when we were discussing books.

Towards the end of chemo,  Mom's thin frame dropped weight rapidly. She felt so bad. She wanted to build memories with my newly adopted daughter, but it took all her strength to just sit up in bed. I sat next to her and we discussed The Witness. What she thought was going to happen, what she thought about the characters. After she finished it, we talked about what kind of life the characters would have after the end. Then we revisited some of her favorite books--most of them written by you. We talked about how many kids the sisters of Montana Sky had by now. We wondered if Nathaniel Nouvelle Callahan wound up becoming a cop, or a magician, or perhaps both.

Talking about the characters you created helped my mom forget how much pain she was in. Revisiting your stories helped keep her mind keen, even as mom's body betrayed her.

Mom lost her battle to cancer last April. In the months that followed her death, I couldn't read. I couldn't focus on the words on the paper.  When I finally could read, I found myself rereading all your books and then, finally, starting your new books.  You have helped me get through the hardest year of my life with the people and worlds you have created.

I wish I could say it better--but all I can say is, Thank You.

Booking and Cooking--Leaving Time, The Collector, and my favorite comfort food

This weeks books were very good. Both 4 stars, and I couldn't choose between them which to review on my blog.

The first is Jodi Picoult's Leaving Time.

Jodi Picoult is a unique author in my experience. She is consistently inconsistent. What do I mean by that? She's kind of like the literary equivalent of Star Trek movies--every other one is amazing. I can't  continue the analogy and say that the others suck--they don't, but they are neither as engaging or captivating.

Fortunately for me, this is one of the good ones. The twist at the end really knocked me for a loop and while I started to wonder about something off in the middle, I was surprised.

Leaving time chronicles the adventures of thirteen year old Jenna Metcalf who has been searching for her mother, Alice. Along on her search is a washed-up psychic, Serenity Jones, and the cop who botched the case in the beginning, Virgil Stanhope. Woven throughout is Alice's obsession with elephants and how they live, love, and grieve.

I gave this book four stars.

I love Nora Roberts. I was anxiously awaiting this one's paperback release, but I found it in the library and couldn't resist. The Collector is about Lila Emerson who--Rear Window like--witnesses a murder from the apartment where she is house-sitting. The victim is the brother of Ashton Archer, artist from a wealthy family and when she meets with him sparks fly as they try to find why his brother was killed. Trailing them is the murderer.

This started slow, so slow that I was wondering if I should put it down and then we got a scene from the murder's POV and it started to gel.  I definitely recommend.


Cooking

It astounds me how often people think I don't like pasta or can't eat it when they hear I'm allergic to tomatoes. I love pasta. I eat tons.  Then people think, Oh, you like Macaroni and Cheese.  I do, but my favorite pasta sauce is one of my own creation.

I was living in England and my British Mum was making tomato sauce for pasta. She was caramelizing some onion and sautéing some garlic and realized that she didn't have canned (or fresh) tomatoes (Pronounced, of course, as to-mah-toes with the appropriate British Accent). She was going to throw it all out but I said I'd eat it and I did.

I added shredded cheese to it-and YUM!

I will make a picture post of it later. I suppose I am curious--what unusual things do you all eat?

Friday Five--Five books on my To Be Read Pile

It's Friday and I was looking at the books I plan to read in 2015.

Here are five of them.  

To make it easier for everyone, I have limited it to one book per author.  Just understand that I will be reading all the new Nora Roberts books.

1) Obsession in Death by J. D. Robb.  It's the newest Eve Dallas book.  I will be reading it. 

2) That Night by Chevy Stevens.  I've enjoyed the other books I have read by Ms. Stevens and I look forward to this one. 

3) Below Stairs by Margaret Powell. I love Downton Abbey. I adore it. I have heard good things about this memoir that inspired the show. 

4) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. While not one of my favorite authors, I've enjoyed what I have read by Ms. Hannah. However when friends whose opinions I trust tell me that I MUST read this book NOW, then it at least goes on my to be read pile. 

5) The King by J. R. Ward. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a series for Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans who are looking to get their Vampire fix. While not as consistent as Buffy--each of these titles are worth a read. I haven't gotten to this one yet as I bought it the week mom passed away and haven't gotten to it. I want to read it though, so--I hope to do it soon. 

What do you plan to read?

Booking and Cooking

So, I'm recovering from the Blizzard that wasn't. I did it by reading a lovely new book and then by cooking, a lot.  so I thought I would review what I have read and cooked.

Booking

Secret Relations
by Shelia M. Goss

Full disclosure, a friend and former co-worker edited this book. I probably would not have picked this book up without that in, and it would have been my loss. For one thing, reading this book can definitely raise the temperature in a cold room. It's a contemporary romance with an African-American main couple that has amazing chemistry.

Charlotte is a talent manager and Sean is a major talent. They have duffel-bags full of baggage from former relationships and yet they see something in each other that makes them take the chance on love. The dialogue is witty and the sex scenes are shift-in-your-seat hot.

What I think I liked most about this book, besides the chemistry and fun romance, was the support system of the heroine. Often the friends of the heroine are two dimensional--not in this book. You felt for them and loved how they rooted for Charlotte and Sean and still had their own lives. I'm glad this is the first in a series, so we can see the others get their own loves.

I give it a three of five stars on my goodreads account. I have the feeling that the next one will be a four or a five.

Cooking

Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman

Go to her blog to read her story. I can only tell you my response to her recipes.

1. They looked beautiful. So beautiful that I thought I'd give them a try. 
2. When I tried them. Oh. My. Gd. 
3. Since most of these tend to take a long time, what I wound up doing is when there was a blizzard or bad weather predicted, I went to her cookbooks and found something yummy to cook. 

For this weekend I made her beans and cornbread. I've done it before and it is yummy! I think this might have been the first recipe I made from this blog. It has since become my go-to lousy weather recipe. This was the first time I made it where Lotus would try it. I wondered if she'd like it.
Answer= YES! She loved it. I will have to note that the "Beans Beans" chant was quite true. She was a gas molecule for the next day.

Yesterday I made the Ranch Style Chicken for the first time. I made some changes. I didn't grill it--I pan fried it in the same pan I used for the bacon. I separated one for Lotus as she's not a big meat fan. She loved the bacon, and the cheese. The chicken--not so much. That didn't matter, my husband and I enjoyed it a lot and finished her portion.

I might try another new one from her cookbook soon. I might even take pictures.  We shall see.  That being said, I highly recommend anything from her blog, cooking show, and especially her cookbook.

Microblog Monday (Even though it is Tuesday) Books?

One of the side effects of my grief was that I was unable to read.

I had already lost my job in publishing, but if I hadn't I don't know if I would have managed to keep it through my reading dry spell.

To explain--I am a voracious reader. My house has thousands of books--not hundred--thousands. I have, several years running, read over 144 books in a year. So when I say that following my mother's death, I was unable to find the concentration to lose myself in a book; I want you to understand what I mean. When I did get through a book again, it was a reread. For a time, I could only reread books. I could only reread books by one author--but I'll go into that on a later post.

But now, I can read. I've read four new books since January 1. I would like recommendations. I have been gravitating towards the frothy, but I could do with a meaty book. Just no children in terrible danger...I can't do that.

What do you recommend?

Outlander

Nothing, and I mean nothing, filled my gut with so much bile and trepidation as hearing that Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon, was coming to Starz as a series. This book is in a special niche in my collection.

You see, I have over a thousand books--easily--in my house. They fill every spare inch of the house and overflow. A friend once suggested that I get rid of the books--or really trim down the collection to maybe two bookcases. After I stopped laughing I explained to him how that wasn't possible. The books are my refuge, my friends and my art.

Getting back to Outlander. Of the myriad of books I have read and will read--this book stands apart. It's in the pile of "If my house catches fire--these come with me when I run."

Is it that good? Yes. The characters, the situations, the romance. James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Frasier is one of the best romantic heroes written. The writing is such that even when I am rereading it I am so caught up in the moment that I will forget the craziness of the 21st century. I have  literally jumped out of my chair when the phone rang because I was so stunned that there was a phone!

It's about a nurse from World War II going back in time to Scotland before the Battle of Culloden (1745). She meets, marries, and falls in love with Jamie Frasier--pretty much in that order. Howver she has her husband, Frank Randall who is a direct descendant from Black Jack Randall--the villain of the piece. More than that you need to read it for yourself.

I remember vividly how it was recommended to me. I was shopping in B. Dalton bookstore. I was in the romance section and a person I had never seen before handed me this book. It was a gold cover with a broken clock on it. The woman said that she had never done this before--but I had to read this book. She said that I would like it so much I too would be handing it to strangers to read. She was right. I loved it.

I was stunned then to find myself loving the series. The casting has been exquisite. Catriona Balfe and Sam Heughan have amazing chemistry as Claire and Jamie Frasier. Tobias Menzies should be clearing his mantle for an Emmy as the villain Black Jack Randall--as well as Claire's 20th Century Husband. I look forward, as this blog progresses, to discussing the weekly episodes.

As for now, if you haven't read Outlander yet, do so. Imagine yourself in the stacks of a bookstore--or library. A heavyset woman with a kind face comes over and presses a book in your hand. That's me. I am telling you that this is a book like no other--and you should read it.

Also, congratulations to the cast and crew of Outlander for winning the People's Choice award for favorite cable sci-fi/fantasy show. It was exceedingly well deserved.