On My Nightstand October 26, 2024

someone we ran into on a walk

Can you believe it’s the last weekend before Halloween? There’s so much fall stuff I wanted to do that I didn’t get to. Excuse me while I enter a corn maze while eating a caramel apple dressed like a Gilmore Girl. I haven’t even watched The Great Pumpkin yet!

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week

“You can go through life and make new friends every year - every month practically - but there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years. Those are the ones in which we are bound to one another with hoops of steel.”

— The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

my neighbor’s amazing trees

On My Nightsand This Week

Kindle- Rocket Boys by Homer Hikam - I’m re-reading this one. It holds up!

Audio- The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - Another re-read. We’re doing Botswana for #FoodAndLit on Litsy this month.

Paper- The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin - I needed a book set in Connecticut for my #ReadingUSA challenge so decided to finally read this short classic.

physical book stack for the rest of the year

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Food and Lit May: Spain

This month’s #FoodAndLit country on Litsy was Spain. I checked out a few cookbooks from the library, and had dreams of making fabulous tapas, but time and budget demanded I dial it back. I was so happy to find this gazpacho recipe on Gimme Some Oven. It used things I had on hand and was quick to throw together. Score!

I read two books set in Spain. The first, Walking With Sam by Andrew McCarthy, was excellent on audio. Plus the story of father and newly adult son walking across Spain came at the perfect time- my nephew graduated and my son turned sixteen last week. I told my brother about it and he downloaded it right away as well. Book therapy!

The second book I read was Sleeping Arrangements by Madeline Wickham. This really could have been set anywhere, but the easy read set in a Spanish Villa was great for evening porch reading during a busy week.

Next month we read and eat from Iceland!

Cookbook Review: Zoe's Ghana Kitchen: An Introduction to New African Cuisine – From Ghana With Love

Now that the holidays are over, and we have our health under control (fingers crossed real hard) I am excited to break out of the struggle meals rut I had been in through most of last year.

#FoodAndLit is a challenge on the Litsy app that I love, so of course it was that challenge that sent me back to the cookbook aisle at my library. This month we’re reading and eating from Ghana, and I was thrilled to find Zoe's Ghana Kitchen: An Introduction to New African Cuisine – From Ghana With Love by Zoe Adjonyoh.

This whole book was a pleasure to read. The recipes were well laid out, and the pictures were vibrant. I really enjoyed my time with it.

I ended up making two recipes: mango & pineapple salad and veggie jollof rice. This is such a great combination! I loved the spice mix in the rice, and the salad was so refreshing on a cold winter’s afternoon. (Full disclosure I am somehow out of paprika so my spices were different from the original recipe.)

I packaged up the rice and the salad for my lunches this week. Is there anything better than a week of rice? Maybe two weeks of rice?

Give this cookbook a try! It’s a winner!

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On My Nightstand March 19, 2023

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!

Quote of the Week

“It is always fatal to have music or poetry interrupted.”

— George Eliot, Middlemarch

On My Nightstand This Week

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.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand February 5, 2023

Happy February! Spring is on the horizon! I can’t wait to start planting my garden and taking long walks in the sun. Porch reading is the best reading, and I’m looking forward to it.

Until then there’s a weekend of polar vortex misery to live through. I plan to catch up on some baking for my #FoodAndLit challenge and of course reading under blankets.

My son has his winter formal this weekend and I feel for the girls who have to wear dresses! Luckily my daughter has all indoor activities. I’m really glad we didn’t decide to go skiing this weekend.

Have a great week everyone.

What’s on my nightstand this week:

Murder in the High Himalayas by Jonathan Green - This is for my work book club. It’s really good so far.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo - I’ve had this on my list for a long time, so I was happy to find the audio version from my library.

Ivona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley - This is an impulse read, and it looks really fun!

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On My Nightstand January 8, 2023

Last week was a blur. Getting the kids back to school and getting myself back to the office took all my strength. I did a bit of reading last week, but for the most part I’m still where I was at my last update.

Here’s what I’m reading this week:

The Treeline by Ben Rawlence - This is the January pick for my work book club. I’m about halfway done now. It’s interesting so far.

Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier - I’m trying to get some of the chunkier unread books off my shelf.

The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden - We’re visiting Uganda for #FoodAndLit this month, so I got this book. It’s a novel about the private physician of Idi Amin.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand October 30, 2022

Thank you all for your well wishes last week. It was a long week of funerals and ceremonies, but I’m glad my friend had such a fitting send off.

This weekend is Confirmation for my son, and then early Thanksgiving since everyone will be together. We’re looking forward to that!

In between I plan on sneaking off to read. I need to re-charge somehow! Here’s what’s on my nightstand this week.

No Exit by Taylor Adams - I’m about halfway through this one, and I love the creepiness factor,

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan - I’ve enjoyed other books by Corrigan, and am looking forward to this one.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand October 23, 2022

This week didn’t turn out like I had planned. Very sadly, one of my best friends passed away last week. I am still reading, but soon I will need to stop and regroup. For now, here’s what’s on my nightstand this week.

What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J A Chancy - The #FoodandLit club on Litsy is reading and eating from Haiti this month. I’ll admit I picked this one based on the title and cover alone.

On the Slab Pie by P.D. Workman -- Another cozy mystery for my work book club. I hope after this we’re done with these for a while.

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny -- Slowly re-reading this series before the new one comes out in November!

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

On My Nightstand October 16, 2022

I way underestimated the available hours in my schedule last week, so I’m playing catch up this morning (and maybe working a little ahead?)

I was in the office four days, my son has homecoming plus two cross country races, and my daughter had soccer and extra dance classes. I guess we’re all trying to fit what we can in while there’s still some sunshine and daylight to be had!

Here’s what I have on my nightstand this week. A lot of it is leftovers from last week, which I never posted about because I lost track of time then too. That’s October!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder Joanne Fluke - I’m about a chapter in on this one. So far it’s a typical cozy mystery involving baking and death. (This one is free for Amazon Prime members.)

What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J A Chancy - The #FoodandLit club on Litsy is reading and eating from Haiti this month. I’ll admit I picked this one based on the title and cover alone.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins - I finished Jane Eyre last week, so this was the natural next read. I have a hardcover version of this, but I noticed it’s also available on Kindle Unlimited.

Horseman by Christina Henry - Reading this for a book club, and it’s a little more yuck than I prefer, but it’s not terrible.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Food and Lit: Greece

Last month I fell in love with beef stew. Beef Stifado is going on my regular cooking list for the rest of my life. Honestly, it’s been a long winter, but if it stays just a little longer the silver lining would be another chance to make this delicious stew. It was so tender and flavorful. I might need to make some more tonight. Delicious. I love #FoodAndLit

I read Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy. This was a good book, but probably not the best window into Greek culture. Sometimes it the lit that wows you and sometimes it’s the food. You never know.

Next month we eat and read from Cuba!

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Food and Lit: Egypt

In January we ate and read from Egypt. January as a whole was kind of a wash for me, but I did manage to cook one recipe and read two books for this challenge.

I cooked the above pictured Fava Bean Stew from the intriguing Breakfast: The Cookbook. We ate it for dinner, but it was still great. (I really need to get back to this cookbook at a later date because it was huge and all about my favorite meal.)

For reading I started with Death on the Nile. It took a while for this one to get going- no one even died until about halfway through. I love Poirot though so no complaints. Kingdom of Copper is book two in a trilogy set in Egypt and a fantasy world. This one was a bit slow for me but the ending was great, so I will keep going.

Next month we read and eat from Argentina!

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Food And Lit for Thanksgiving: Mexico

I used the 2021 Food And Lit challenge as inspiration when I planned our Thanksgiving dinner. Our country for November was Mexico, and I love Mexican food, so this wasn’t much of a challenge for me.

For inspiration I checked two cookbooks out of the library:

I think it was my favorite Thanksgiving meal ever. The main event was still the turkey, but we used an adobo rub. For sides we enjoyed street corn and pickled onions along with traditional sides. For dessert we had tres leches cake and meringue cookies. Yum, I wish I could go back in time and eat that again!

For the Lit portion of the challenge I read Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This one had strong Northanger Abbey vibes and I loved it!

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Food And Lit: Pakistan

August’s Food And Lit country was Pakistan. There were a ton of books I wanted to read (and will get to some day.) Finally I settled on Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal on audiobook. It’s a modern Pride and Prejudice set in Pakistan. I thought the restraints and rules of Pakistani society really worked in a comparison to Jane Austen’s time. The narrator was great too!

For food I had a little bit of trouble, but luckily Unmarriageable helped me out- the family loved tomato rice, so I made that. I had never spent so much time making rice, but it was oh so worth it. Delicious. I happily ate leftovers all week long.

This month we’re on to Guatemala. Yum!

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Cooking And Reading From Morocco

Last month’s #FoodAndLit challenge was Morocco. I thought I would love Moroccan food, but didn’t really, sorry. But! My kids loved it.

I started with herb and yogurt spread from the cookbook Mourad: New Moroccan by Mourad Lahlou. I tried it once on a sandwich and the next day spread on crackers with honey. I just didn’t like it. It contained both cucumbers and nutmeg, and I think that combination wasn’t my favorite.

Next I made briouats and kefta from Jamie Oliver’s Food Escapes. My kids LOVED this meal, but again I was turned off by the savory foods with nutmeg in them thing. I did love the harissa and yogurt though. Harissa is going to become a go-to condiment for me.

While all this cooking was going on I read The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah. This was a light memoir about a family that buys and restores a house in Casablanca. It was billed as a Moroccan Under The Tuscan Sun which is fair I think.

Next month we’re on to Pakistan!

Food And Lit June: Russia

June was a really busy month for me with school ending, and all of my kids’ activities suddenly wanting to have an end of year party JUST BECAUSE WE SUDDENLY COULD. So I did a lot of cupcake baking instead of experimenting with Russian food.

Russian food sounded surprisingly excellent judging from the cookbook Please to the Table by Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman. I was able to try two recipes- mushroom caviar and the herb omelette. Both were good although there were grumbles at the table about green eggs for dinner. Something along the lines of I am glad I’m a kid in America not Russia.

This cookbook also had some fabulous sounding sweets and bread that I’m dying to try. Just because things are opening up again does not mean we should abandon the restaurant appropriate quantities of yeast we purchased last year, my friends! Just as soon as the heat index goes back below 90 degrees that is.

Russian Reading

I did slightly better on the lit part of Russian Food and Lit. I read three books and liked them all.

Mud and Stars by Sara Wheeler - This was part travelogue, part Russian literature review, and part food diary. I wasn‘t sure if I would follow it because I‘m not a Russian literature expert, but I enjoyed it quite a bit despite my reservations. Sara Wheeler has a dry sense of humor, and a spirit of adventure that I like.

Stalin's Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan - This chunkster was a fascinating look at the life of Svetlana Alliluyeva, a.k.a. Stalin‘s daughter. It took me all month to read, but it was worth the time.

A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles - This is my 4th time trying to read this, and I even thought about bailing again. Then I got to the end and wow, I want to read it again.

In July we’re on to Morocco. I’m super excited to be back in Northern Africa.

Past months of Food And Lit:

Israel

Ethiopia

Vietnam

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Food and Lit Month 1 - January

I’m looking forward to starting the Food and Lit challenge from Litsy this month. Basically we read books and eat food from a different country each month. This is a challenge that isn’t really much of a challenge for me!

This month we’re traveling to Brazil. I plan on reading My German Brother by Chico Buarque and I plan on cooking Feijoada and drinking Brazilian Lemonade. YUM.

If you’re on Litsy and would like to join please do. This is a fun group and a fun “challenge”.