The roses and irises are out now. Every time a new flower blooms on my walks I think “These are my favorites!” Then something else blooms and I change my mind.
I started listening to Island Queen by Vanessa Riley last night at my daughter’s soccer tryouts. It’s slow going so far, but I haven’t listened to much. (Just noticed this is free on Kindle Unlimited if you want to give it a try.)
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I have always heard about the Cambodian Genocide, but this book really brought it to life. The first hand account of a Chinese-Cambodian family fleeing from the Khmer Rouge showed what terrible things we do to each other as well as a person's ability to keep hope when there seemingly is no reason to.
This is a true story written from the perspective of Mae with help from his son James. Mae faces many harrowing situations at the hands of the Khmer Rouge all while being nearly starved to death. This is not an easy story to read, but it is an important one. I highly recommend this book.
This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review through The Library Thing Early Reviewers Program.
I’ve been working much more than usual this week, but I did manage to get all of my steps in. Walking is such a great way to clear my mind.
I just started The Ransomware Hunting Team which is really interesting.
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April has been a lot of work! I’m trying to recover this weekend. I started last night with a slice of cheesecake and a book on the couch. Today I plan on laying in bed with tea for a while then some puttering in the garden after church.
Have a great week everyone.
“But you want murderous feelings? Hang around librarians,” confided Gamache. “All that silence. Gives them ideas.””
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon -- Still working on this one!
Hidden Moon by James Church -- Another holdover from last week. Hopefully I’ll finish soon.
Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill -- I’m enjoying the audio of this whymsical mystery set in Thailand.
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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
I’m late with this post today because I thought it was Tuesday. That shows you what kind of week it has been! I’ve been keeping up with my steps though. I even saw a herd of deer when I was helping with a stream clean up.
I’ve really been enjoying listening to The Widows of Malabar Hill. This is free on Audible right now.
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We’re slowly getting back into the swing of things after our trip to North Carolina. The weather has been gorgeous (much nicer than the beach!) so my focus has been on the yard. That means the laundry isn’t quite done, and we’re still not unpacked.
In my reading life I have been trying to catch up on my ARCs and reviews, and figure out how to reach my goals this year. I’ve been on a multi-year quest to read a book set in each country in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. (I will probably add Europe in next year.) I started my Scribd account up again, but might cancel after my thirty free days. We’ll see.
March was a great reading month for me. I wrote about my favorites here.
Have a great week everyone.
“Reading is my favorite occupation, when I have leisure for it and books to read.”
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon -- I’m finally making progress on this one, but I need a few more weeks to finish.
Murdered Midas by Charlotte Gray -- This is my work book club’s pick for April. Scribd had it on audiobook which helped seal the deal on me starting my account again.
Hidden Moon by James Church -- I read the first one in this series a few months ago, and liked it enough to keep going.
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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
I gave up most social media for lent, and I must admit I had much more focus and reading time in March. Will I remember that lesson now that Easter is over? That remains to be seen. I almost never do.
I opened my summer reading spot this week, and am looking forward to much time outside in the months to come! Anyone else already planning for summer reading season?
Here are my favorite reads from last month.
Down City by Leah Carrol -- This was billed as true crime, but it was so much more than that. I am so glad that I finally read this after it sat on my shelf for years. I started this one afternoon and couldn’t stop until I finished.
Lark Ascending by Silas House -- This was a grim dystopian story line, but the underlying message was hope in the face of grief. I loved this book. My first Silas House- won‘t be my last!
What I Found In A Thousand Towns by Dar Williams -- I thought this would be a modern folk singer take on Travels With Charley, but it was actually a thoughtful examination of city planning. It was so interesting to hear about Williams’ thoughts about what she’s seen that works from her travels. Plus she reads the audiobook herself and she sings. Recommend.
The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane -- This is the type of book you just want to read a little at a time while drinking tea. It was a great travel/nature book and inspired wanderlust.
The Secret History of Home Economics by Danielle Dreilinger -- I read this for a book club, and it was one of those super interesting books that I would have never sought out on my own.
A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church -- I’ve never read a detective novel that took place in North Korea before. I enjoyed the story even if I did have to flip back to the beginning once I finished to figure out what happened.
Rivals by Katherine McGee -- I absolutely love this series as a light read/(not so) guilty pleasure. This one ends on a pretty big cliffhanger so the count is on for the next one.
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This is linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.
Earth Day is this month, although I think we are all figuring out every day should be Earth Day by now right? Either way I was happy to have a copy of Marie Therese Martin’s And Poison Fell From the Sky from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program to read this month.
This memoir by Marie Therese Martin detailed her life growing up and raising a family in Maine’s Cancer Valley. She really drives home the fact that our tendency is to ignore the truth when it will impact our paycheck.
I think this book is successful because it’s not preachy. Martin understands what it’s like to live in a mill town dependent on polluting wages. She has lived through controlling relationships of all types, and brings a unique perspective to he pollution poisoning her town and many others.
The kids were on Spring break so we spent the holiday in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was cold and incredibly windy, but we made the most of it!
Most of my audiobook time was in the car this week. We’ve been listening to Great Expectations as a family. Read by Eddie Izzard!
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Growing up in the 90’s we were told fat was a villain, but of course we know now that it’s actually essential to human survival. In Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat we’re given the good advice to not add fat to your cooking, but to make better use of what you do have.
I had two good takeaways from this chapter:
Pair your fats from the region you’re cooking from
All good texture comes from fat
I haven’t decided yet what I want to cook inspired by this chapter, but now that Lent is over there’s a good chance it might be pie crust.
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Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and to everyone else have a beautiful Sunday. This is my favorite holiday, and I’m hoping for a peaceful day with my kiddos. Plus a little reading of course.
Have a great week everyone.
“Easter is never deserved.”
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon -- I’ve been trying to read this for months, but its such a chunkster I keep falling asleep when reading it in bed and dropping it on my face. I’m going to try on kindle instead.
Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill -- I was looking for a mystery set in Thailand for the #FoodAndLit challenge, and couldn’t resist this title.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens -- We watched this mini series on PBS and wanted to give the audiobook a try during a long car trip.
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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
My first cooking experiment from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat was Caesar salad. One of my cooking rules is to not spend hours in the kitchen, but there’s also something decadent about leaving work on time during a busy week and making your own mayonnaise.
That’s how the recipe started- with homemade mayonnaise. It was just an egg yolk and olive oil, but it took a while. The recipe called for wrapping a bowl in a towel and whipping 3/4 of oil a drop at a time. I have my limits. I used an immersion blender. I was rewarded by a yellow liquid that looked nothing like mayonnaise. My bad, but I had used so much olive oil I wasn’t about to give up.
For the dressing the recipe called for whole anchovies mushed up, but I relied on my trusty anchovy paste. Other than that I made the recipe as written still using my immersion blender. The salad itself was simple- just some romaine with croutons. SFAH had a crouton recipe, but I was trying to clear out my kitchen and just used some leftover burger buns, more olive oil, and a garlic herb mix.
I didn’t have high hopes, but this was delicious! There was leftover dressing and it is being jealously guarded as a chicken marinate for later. I will be making this all summer!
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Sorry (not sorry) for all the cherry blossom content lately. I think this has been one of the prettiest years ever. We deserve it!
I’ve been listening to In The Quick by Kate Hope Day this week while I walk. At 60% in I’m finally getting into it.
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The cherry blossoms are still going strong here, but we’ll see what happens after this weekend’s strong storms. I really hope they’re not as bad as predicted, and that everyone stays safe. Basically I’m hoping for weather gross enough to keep me in and reading, but isn’t bad enough to do any damage. Fingers crossed.
Have a great week everyone. Stay safe!
“I’ve been through many hardships, just like all of us, but most days grief is balanced out by the pleasures: a delicious meal, the smell of cedar on my hands, the sound of rushing water, good friends. Joy and sorrow are the things of life, the two things always tangled together. Anybody who’s ever lost anyone knows that.”
Life of Pi by Yann Martel -- I loved this when it was new, so I decided to re-read to see if it holds up.
In The Quick by Kate Hope Day -- I tried this in print, but no quotations marks. Changed to audiobook in self defense. It’s slow so far, but I love the premise so much I’ll keep going.
And Poison Fell From The Sky by Marie Therese Martin -- I got this as an ARC from LibraryThing. So far it packs a punch.
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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
The first chapter in Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat is all about salt. Nosrat says In almost every case, anything you cook for yourself at home is more nutritious, and lower in sodium, than processed, prepared, or restaurant food.” and I like this book already.
This chapter was like a very delicious chemistry lesson. I loved the reminder that salt isn’t just what’s in the shaker. It’s also cheese, capers, and anchovies. Yum. I’ve been a vegetarian for a bit now, but I’m not ready to give up anchovy paste yet.
This chapter didn’t have any recipes in it, but it did make me hungry for a Cesar salad. So, that will be my experiment tomorrow. (I assumed making Cesar dressing from scratch would break my money and time budgets, but it doesn’t sound too bad. In theory. We’ll see.)
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The flowers are still putting on a show which makes it easy to get outside and walk. Every day there’s something new and beautiful to look at.
I’ve been listening to What I Found In A Thousand Towns by the multi-talented Dar Williams.
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Last year when my cooking felt stagnant I went back to basics and cooked from The New York Times Cookbook. I was feeling bored in the kitchen again lately so I decided to read and cook through a book I got as a gift a few years ago- Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat.
There are a few mental ground rules I’ve had to set for myself when I do something like this:
No pricey one time use ingredients
Adaptable for vegetarians
Can’t take hours to cook
I can’t wait!
Much to Daisy’s delight I started reading Down City at around 4 this afternoon, and couldn’t put it down until I finished. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that, and I think I can say my reading slump is officially over.
This week I’m going to try to finish up some reading goals I had set for March, and start packing for my vacation coming up in a few weeks. I also need to work on my garden if it ever stops raining.
Have a good week friends!
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?”
In The Quick by Kate Hope Day - I heard this described at The Martian meets Jane Eyre, which as luck would have it are two of my favorite books. How could I resist?
Death By Dumpling by Vivien Chien - I’m reading this as part of a diverse cozy buddy read. So far, so good!
Lark Ascending by Silas House -- I saw this on some list somewhere of best books of 2022, and my library hold came in Friday. I’ve only just started, and I’m looking forward to some dystopia. (Yes this is the third week I’ve has this on my list. This week I am determined because it really does sound good!)
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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
It’s cherry blossom time! Also pollen time, but I’m trying to ignore that.
I’m listening to (and enjoying) The Secret History of Home Economics. Who knew?
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My reading slump continues. Hopefully this week will be slower and I’ll have better concentration.
This is supposed to be peak week for Cherry Blossoms here which meant a lot of traffic pre-covid. We’ll see what that means this year. My goal this week is to take a walk and see the blossoms every day. They truly are beautiful.
Have a good week friends!
“It is always fatal to have music or poetry interrupted.”
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri -- We’re reading about Syria this month for #FoodAndLit. I’d heard a lot about this book, but not loving it. I’m willing to accept this is because of my book slump and not the book.
The Old Ways by Robert MacFarlane -- I signed up for a travel writing postal book club, and this is our first book. I’m looking forward to this group so much!
Lark Ascending by Silas House -- I saw this on some list somewhere of best books of 2022, and my library hold came in Friday. I’ve only just started, and I’m looking forward to some dystopia.
Note: links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
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