Cozy and Content

Review: Obedience by Will Lavender

2009-07-12T19:00:00.004-05:00

From the back of the book: When the students in Winchester University's Logic and Reasoning 204 arrive for their first day of class, they are greeted not with a syllabus or texts, but with a startling assignment from Professor Williams: Find a hypothetical missing girl named Polly. If after being given a series of clues and details the class has not found her before the end of the term in six weeks, she will be murdered.

At first the students are as intrigued by the premise of their puzzle as they are wary of the strange and slightly creepy Professor Williams. But as they delve deeper into the mystery, the boundary between the classroom and the real world is blurred and the students wonder if it is their own lives they are being asked to save.

Thank you to whichever book blogger(s) posted about this book. It is from one of the genres I enjoy most - psychological thrillers. Things are not what they seem, there are twists in the plot throughout the book, and the ending is a surprise that I hadn't predicted. There are some loose ends and details that are less than believable, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a quick reading, suspenseful story.

In other reading news...I finished The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield last weekend. I will refrain from creating the possibly 250,000th book blogger post about it, and simply say that I really liked it. It truly speaks to the heart of a book lover through Margaret and ends in a perfect but not totally predictable way.

I'm hoping to make a dent in my non-fiction TBR pile soon. However, the knowledge that I will begin graduate classes again in September is motivation to suck up all the fiction I can in the next couple months.

Buried in Dishes

2009-07-05T19:53:00.003-05:00

I have been doing so much cooking lately that our sink is never empty. This is likely also due to my extreme aversion to doing dishes by hand. I'd rather leave the sink full while the dishwasher finishes another batch than do those that didn't fit in the dishwasher by hand.

Despite an epically failed recipe tonight, I did have great success with my adaptation of Patriotic Frozen Delight from Taste of Home. Here's my version:

Ingredients:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (non-fat)
2 cups (16 ounces) lemon yogurt
2 cups miniature marshmallows...or a little more :-)
1+ cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions: In a bowl, combine milk, lemon juice and peel. Stir in yogurt, marshmallows and pecans. Spread half into an ungreased 11-in. x 7-in. dish. Sprinkle with half of the strawberries and blueberries. Cover with the remaining yogurt mixture; top with remaining berries. Cover and freeze. Remove from the freezer 15-20 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

The originally recipe called for pecans, which are not a desireable ingredient in Mr. Taste Tester's world. So, I left them out. Next time I would experiment by replacing them with crunched up pretzels.

Either way, this one will make it to the recipe box as a keeper.

Proud as a Peacock

2009-06-15T19:42:00.002-05:00

It's finished! And I am a terrible photographer...but you get the idea. Someday this one will probably be a wall hanging with a coordinating blue fabric edge. For now it will sit in my slowly growing pile of completed projects that need finishing.

Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

2009-06-10T19:12:00.002-05:00

From the back of the book (for those few, who like me, had been oblivious to this book until recently): "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." So the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter remembered the chilling events that led her down the turning drive past the beeches, white and naked, to the isolated gray stone manse on the windswept Cornish coast. With a husband she barely knew, the young bride arrived at the immense estate, only to be inexorably drawn into the life of the first Mrs. de Winter, the beautiful Rebecca, dead but never forgotten…her suite of rooms never touched, her clothes ready to be worn, her servant – the sinister Mrs. Danvers – still loyal. And as an eerie presentiment of evil tightened around her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter began her search for the real fate of Rebecca…for the secrets of Manderley.

Before reading numerous glowing reviews on a variety of blogs, I had never heard of this book. Shocking! In discussing it with a co-worker who just happened to be reading it too, she compared it to a soap opera in the form of a classic novel. I finally started reading my bookmooched copy during Memorial Day weekend. I loved it as much as all the reviewers said they did!

I believe what captured me from early on was the development of the narrator. (How observant I am to just have realized we never learn her first name.) The reader really gets to know her, as we are privy to her innermost thoughts. And, despite being published in 1938, the inner world of our narrator illustrates enduring themes of the human tradition – love, insecurity, maturing from adolescence to adulthood, and self-perception. In addition, the narrator’s internal processing of certain events mirrored mine in an uncanny way. The first time I noticed this was as the narrator was preparing to leave Monte Carlo (early in the book):

"Packing up. The nagging worry of departure….I am aware of sadness, of a sense of loss. Here, I say, we have lived, we have been happy. This has been ours, however brief the time. Though two nights only have been spent beneath a roof, yet we leave something of ourselves behind. Nothing material, not a hair-pin on a dressing-table, not an empty bottle of aspirin tablets, not a handkerchief beneath a pillow, but something indefinable, a moment of our lives, a thought, a mood."

And I always thought I had a uniquely sentimental view of good-byes.

I look forward to reading more of Daphne du Maurier’s work in the future.

Time Flies When Your Cookin'

2009-06-04T09:18:00.003-05:00

Ok, so if I were doing that much cooking over the past month, I would have enough meals in the freezer to last the summer. May was a busy month with a drive out to Pennsylvania and a wedding to attend in northern Minnesota. So, blogging took a backseat.

I actually did make two very successful new-to-me recipes during the last couple weeks that we also a big hit with Hermie's Dad. Someday I will actually remember to take pictures of these things.

Easy Baked Fish Fillets
Adapted from www.myrecipes.com

1.5 lbs grouper or other white fish fillets
Cooking spray
1 tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice (I used lime, but will do lemon next time.)
1 tbsp light mayo
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
½ cup panko crumbs
1.5 tbsp butter, melted
parmesan herb sprinkles

Preheat oven to 425.

Place fish in an 11x7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine lime/lemon juice, mayo, garlic powder, and pepper in a small bowl, and spread over fish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and paremsan herb mix; drizzle with butter. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Three Berry Chicken Salad with Thyme, Tarragon and Toasted Pinenuts
Adapted from The Skinny Gourmet

2 - 12.5 oz cans of chicken breast
¼ cup toasted pinenuts
1 package Welch’s dried fruit blend (cherries, blueberries, cranberries, golden raisins)
½ cup light mayo
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp dried tarragon
¾ tsp cumin
¾ tsp dried oregano
½ cup celery, finely chopped
1/8 cup sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
1 granny smith apple, finely chopped

Put chicken in a bowl. Add celery and onion.

Toast pinenuts in a sauté pan over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Toast until they are deep golden brown and fragrant. Add to chicken.

In a second bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except apples. (Using a second bowl helps ensure that the seasonings are thoroughly combined before adding to the chicken mixture.)

Add Apples to the mayo mixture, stirring to coat thoroughly.

Combine chicken mixture and the mayo mixture, stirring to mix well.

I will note that I somewhat defiled Erin's chicken salad recipe with the use of canned chicken. I'm sure her version has a much more sophisticated taste using roasted chicken, but I will definitely make my lazy cook's version again.

Did Agatha Christie Have Dementia?

2009-05-05T11:53:00.001-05:00

As a counselor to family caregivers, many of whom care for a loved one with dementia, this article caught my attention today. How fitting that I had just finished my Agatha Christie book review a few minutes before. (That particular book was first published in 1950 – when Christie was 60.) Commentors on the article had mixed opinions about the validity of the study, but based on my experiences so far and other research I’ve read, I wouldn’t write it off as nonsense.

Review: A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

2009-05-05T11:48:00.002-05:00

Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com: You are cordially invited to a murder. A personal ad in the newspaper inviting strangers to participate in an evening of murder mystery fun and games at the home of Letitia Blacklock is an invitation that Miss Jane Marple cannot pass up. A good thing, too, because when the lights are dimmed real gunshots ring out, killing a young boy. Now it’s time for a new, much more serious game of “whodunit.”

Since watching the movie version of Murder at the Vicarage this winter, I have wanted to read some Agatha Christie. I randomly picked A Murder is Announced because it would satisfy two reading challenges at once. The premise sounded good, but I was underwhelmed.

What I have determined is that Agatha Christie books should probably be read in large chunks over a short time span. I read much of this one in little pieces. There were many characters with fairly shallow development, and I found them hard to keep straight when only reading a few pages at a time. I read the last 50 pages at one time, and enjoyed it more. Maybe that was also because I was learning how the crime really occurred.

That said, I am interested to read more Agatha Christie. Based on this experience, her books are focused on the architecture of the crime versus the characters involved. And, her crimes really are well thought out. She also creates humorous traits in her characters that gave me a chuckle from time to time. A lady in this book was named Murgatroyd. Everytime I read her name I heard Snagglepuss, of Laff-A-Lymipcs fame, saying “Heavens to Murgatroyd!” Ok, not the humor Christie intended with that one, but still entertaining to me.

Review: Dear Mr. Henshaw

2009-05-03T17:56:00.002-05:00

Beverly Cleary was definitely my favorite author growing up. I read all the Ramona Quimby books multiple times, but I think the prize for the most rereads of one books is this one...Dear Mr. Henshaw.

This was the first time I had reread it as an adult. What a difference of perspective! Leigh Botts' favorite author is Boyd Henshaw. He writes to him for the first time in 2nd grade, and a couple years later sends him a list of questions to answer as part of a school report. Mr. Henshaw answers his questions and sends a list back for Leigh to answer. So begins a mentorship and friendship in writing. Along the way, Leigh deals with feelings surrounding his parents' divorce and being the new kid at school, all while developing the skills he needs to become an author someday.

I was struck by the talent it takes for an adult to write authentically from a kid's perspective. We see the world through Leigh's eyes - even how he interprets Mr. Henshaw's advice. And, we see Leigh develop over the years he writes to Mr. Henshaw. His thinking becomes less concrete, and he is able to view a situation from multiple perspectives. He also develops self-awareness. I think it takes a skilled author to convey so many things in language plain enough that it can be understood by young readers.

When I opened the book last night, I could have told you that the book was in letter format between a kid and an author. I had forgotten almost all of the details, but as soon as I read them again they came back. I could hear some of them being read by my second grade teacher, while others were familiar because I'd read them so many times before. It was a fun trip down memory lane.

Progressing Peacock

2009-04-26T22:15:00.007-05:00

I have always thought peacocks were pretty, and since seeing them in Rhodes in quanitities similar to mallards on a Minnesota lake, I've been drawn to stitch them.

Here's my progress on a project that has been in the works since October 2008. I got a lot more stitching than reading done this weekend, and this was the subject of my efforts. It's a relaxing one to work on because there are few color changes, and once the brown outlines are in place, it's pretty difficult to make a major mistake. It's no Rhodes peacock, but it will brighten a room when it's finished.

2009-04-23T14:08:00.002-05:00

From the book jacket: There is a story that is usually told about extremely successful people, a story that focuses on intelligence and ambition. In Outliers Malcolm Gladwell argues that the true story of success is very different, and that if we want to understand how some people thrive, we should spend more time looking arond them - at such things as their family, their birthplace, or even their birth date. The story of success is more complex - and a lot more interesting - than it initially appears.

This was a quick read, despite the fact that I still incurred overdue charges at the library. The first half of the book discusses how a person’s environment and circumstantial opportunities contribute to amazing successes or lack thereof. The second half of the book looks at the role of one’s culture and heritage as it relates to success as well as failure. He has a variety of interesting examples that illustrate each of these points.

Two main thoughts kept coming back to me as I read. The first is that, if taken from a certain perspective, this book could cause some readers to give up on their dreams. (Depending on a person’s determination, of course.) After reading the first half of the book you could easily make the argument that if certain conditions don’t exist, your exceptional talent will never result in amazing success. However, the conditions that led to the successes discussed in the book were likely much more apparent in hindsight. So, to anyone who might find the book demotivating – you better not give up because your ultimate path to success won’t be clear until it’s history!

Secondly, and completely unrelated, I was in awe over the amount of research that must have been involved in the book. At the very least you must be skilled at seeing patterns in data in order to form the conclusions that Gladwell did. And, once you’ve formed your theory, you likely need to identify additional resources that support this theory. Lots of work!

I have read all three of Gladwell’s books and, although it’s been a few years since I read it, I believe Tipping Point was the best. I still think back to its main concepts every now and then as it relates to business and marketing. Each book has its merits and clearly illustrates that Malcolm Gladwell has a unique perspective on everyday concepts. Lucky for us, he is also skilled at explaining that perspective to those of us who typically think more inside the box.

Bring on Fall!

2009-04-19T20:41:00.004-05:00

Ok, maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. But I just finished this autumn Pine Mountain Pillow Kit. I wish I were so creative that I could say I made the pillow too, but until my husband teaches me how to use my sewing machine (seriously) I will have to rely on the folks at Pine Mountain. Funny how those home ec skills I learned by making bermuda shorts and a neon colored apron in 7th and 8th grade have completely disappeared.

Speaking of the 80s, my brother and I spent an enjoyable Saturday night reliving some of our favorite childhood memories via an 80s tune-fest on Grooveshark. I think we secretly hope we instilled appreciation for Toto, Anne Murray, Roger Whitaker, Mr. Belvadere, and the Muppet Babies (to name just a few) in his 7-week-old sons who got to enjoy the musical montage with us.

Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

2009-04-16T13:38:00.004-05:00

From the book jacket: A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue.

It’s about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden…and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder.

It’s about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet’s disappearance…and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age – and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it – who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism – and an unexpected connection between themselves.

After seeing many great reviews of this book on other blogs several months ago, I requested it from my library. It finally became available three weeks ago.

The book begins with Mikael’s libel case, and I was nervous for a chapter or two that the book would be filled with details of financial corruption that I tend to find dry (despite being an accountant by training). Lucky for me, 2/3rds of the book focuses on Harriet’s disappearance and Mikael’s investigative experiences. Larsson intricately weaves connections among many of the characters, and introduces multiple complicated relationships in a way that is, surprisingly, not confusing. As you may have gathered from previous reviews, my ability to feel the essence of the characters is essential to my satisfaction with a book Larsson achieved this well. Though the ending may have tied things up a little too neatly, it was satisfying.

Stieg Larsson died of a massive heart attack in 2004. He left the manuscripts of three completed but unpublished novels in a series. He wrote them for his own pleasure after returning home from his job in the evening, making no attempt to get them published until shortly before his death. The first of these was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The second, The Girl Who Played with Fire was published in 2006, and I will definitely be adding it to my TBR list. According to Wikipedia, the series was intended to be 10 books, and he had a partial manuscript for book four, along with synopses of books 5 and 6.

Edited to add: One down in my Mysteryreader Cafe challenge!

Productive Relaxation

2009-04-10T19:42:00.002-05:00

I had today off thanks to a CEO who made Good Friday an official company holiday a few years back just because. Ah, the joys of working at a tiny company. I used to view days off as an opportunity to be busily productive will all kinds of non-work things. Now, I just enjoy the ability to not leave the house, and relax in the recliner with coffee and our fur babies.

I didn’t leave the house today, but man, was I productive. I finished a book I’ve been working on for 2 weeks (review to come), I am now only stitches away from finishing my super secret cross stitch project that I’ve been mentioning for months, I napped (a must on any day off), I made baked banana donuts (which were a big hit with the cute boy in the house), and I made homemade BBQ chicken pizza for dinner with the dough from this recipe (also a hit). Yay me!

Reconnecting

2009-04-07T16:16:00.001-05:00

This weekend I spent two hours on the phone with someone I haven’t spoken with in at least ten years. (Thank you, Facebook.) It was one of those conversations where you start getting off the phone ½ hour before you actually hang up because you keep coming up with new things to chat about. The happy feelings of renewing a long-lost friendship stayed with me for the rest of the weekend. I was struck by what we had in common despite the distance that time, miles, and differing life paths had put between us. It is, I think, the truest kind of friendship.

I moved to a new town just before the start of 8th grade. The town, in general, was not all that accepting of people who weren’t born there. That, combined with the fact that many 14-year-old girls are catty and mean, meant that I was lonely for much of my first months in town. Tanya and I rode the same bus home from school. Sometime in the late fall we started talking during the rides home. I remember telling my mom about the nice girl I met on the bus, and she encouraged me to invite her over to our house, which I finally did.

Our houses were within walking distance of each other, and we spent tons of time together. She introduced me to Days of Our Lives during the time John Black was introduced, and I have found I can still recognize many of the characters when I see an episode once every few years. We shared babysitting duties for one of our teachers who had four kids. We served as statisticians for the baseball and football teams coached by that same teacher. (Getting out of school early to sit on the same bench with a bunch of cute boys…it was awesome!) We planned parties to be held at her mom’s house just outside of town. We laughed A LOT. Peer pressure took over at some point, and the people who wanted to include Tanya in their circle did not see me as a desirable addition. Blah, blah…[insert teenage drama here]. I moved to a new town two years before graduation, but we had parted ways long before that.

I went to college. Tanya moved across the country. She tracked my down during my college years, and we were sporadically in touch. She apologized for the choice she made about our friendship, and, being distanced enough from those days, I had no hard feelings. Sometime before I graduated from college, we lost track of each other.

Here we are in 2009, latecomers to the Facebook era, but, lucky for us, it’s still going strong. That connection, unbroken by time, distance, and life experience, found again, with such little effort, 18 years after it was first made is a testament to the qualities that make up the foundation of a person’s self. (Excuse my momentary philosophizing.) There is no doubt that I have grown as a person and live a more fulfilling existence that I did as a self-conscious, fitting-in-obsessed 14-year-old. I’m sure that, with different words, Tanya would say the same of herself. Yet, within 15 minutes of saying hello again, we were exchanging details of personal life events that had occurred during the years since we’d last talked. Whatever Tanya found approachable in me that first day on the bus, and whatever I recognized in her that made me confident enough to invite her to my house was still there. We are older and wiser, yet fundamentally the same.

In a time of much adjustment and evolution from self-sufficient single girl to healthily-dependent married girl, I find great comfort in the confirmation that no matter how much I’ve evolved, the core of me that has always been there has flourished in ways that leave it identifiable to the hearts of those who knew me “back when.”

See, I Told You I Actually Stitch

2009-04-01T20:41:00.007-05:00

Since I'm still not so close to posting pictures of my most recent finishes, I thought I'd post these in the meantime. They were gifts for my mom.

This was not a dream...

2009-04-01T09:02:00.003-05:00

I have at least one childhood "memory" that I'm aware of that didn't actually happen. It involves visiting the other side of my grandma's duplex while there was some kind of gathering taking place. The best I can figure, I had a dream that lodged itself in my long-term memory.

During the past couple days I was somehow reminded of a series of books I enjoyed during late elementary school. They were historical fiction, probably for teens, and each book was named after a girl...the only two I'm certain of are Joanna and Caroline. A lot of the books in the series were thick, at least in sixth grader terms - probably 250 pages or more. I remember keeping a log of how much time I spent reading one of the particularly long ones. (It's no wonder I thought I should be an accountant.)

The specific details of the stories have escaped my long-term memory, but I have fond feelings about those books. So, yesterday I went on Amazon to search for them. No luck. Even after various combinations of search criteria. Bookmooch, I thought. No luck. Maybe the online database for the library from which I actually check out those books 20 years ago. (Ack! 20 years ago?! I don't feel old enough to have actual memories of life 20 years ago.) Anyhoo, no luck, again.

I know I didn't dream these books. They existed! I swear! Does anyone else out there remember them?

Review: The Reader

2009-03-26T10:20:00.005-05:00

Amazon.com Review. Oprah Book Club® Selection, February 1999: Originally published in Switzerland, and gracefully translated into English by Carol Brown Janeway, The Reader is a brief tale about sex, love, reading, and shame in postwar Germany. Michael Berg is 15 when he begins a long, obsessive affair with Hanna, an enigmatic older woman. He never learns very much about her, and when she disappears one day, he expects never to see her again. But, to his horror, he does. Hanna is a defendant in a trial related to Germany's Nazi past, and it soon becomes clear that she is guilty of an unspeakable crime. As Michael follows the trial, he struggles with an overwhelming question: What should his generation do with its knowledge of the Holocaust? "We should not believe we can comprehend the incomprehensible, we may not compare the incomparable.... Should we only fall silent in revulsion, shame, and guilt? To what purpose?"

In the mood for a book that I could, hopefully, finish more quickly than some I’ve read recently, I searched my TBR shelf. I was surprised to find a copy of The Reader, which I had borrowed from my dad at least six years ago. The fact that I had hung on to this book that has now regained popularity by becoming a movie gave me some sort of satisfaction along with the happy surprise of finding that I owned it. As if it somehow helped prove my case that books are never a bad investment…they don’t get moldy or slimy like the bulk container of baby carrots that made its way into my cart during the first trip to Costco.

Unlike the carrots, I finished this book in less than a week. Although it wasn’t light reading, it was engaging. Bernhard Schlink’s writing style was uncomplicated, yet rich. I had no trouble connecting with Michael and understanding his fascination, confusion, and self-doubt surrounding his interactions with Hanna. Their affair impacts him throughout life, leading up to the trial and long beyond it. The end took me by surprise, but seemed perfectly fitting.

The moral questions go far beyond those specific to the Holocaust. How do you reconcile your personal experience of an individual when it conflicts so drastically with his/her past actions? How do you balance your emotions with logic? How do you reconcile a past that still influences you with the present?

If you enjoy books that make you ponder life, I recommend this one.

Aromatherapy

2009-03-20T15:31:00.004-05:00

Despite the recent book reviewing tendencies of this blog, I have not lost my interest in stitching. I continue to work on some gift stitching and cannot, therefore, post any of my updates.

I probably have at least 5 times more cross stitch patterns than I do books in my TBR shelf/night stand pile/box in the basement. Several of those patterns are in progress, but that never stops me from beginning another one...big surprise.

Earlier this week, my latest coveted stitching supply was announced to me in the email inbox...scented threads! It reminds me of the lickable wallpaper scene fromWilly Wonka's Chocolate Factory...stitch an orange, it smells like an orange; stitch a lemon, it smells like a lemon; stitch a snozzberry...well you get the idea.

Despite the cheesey, 80s reminiscent ad, I am eager to try these out. Stitching might just have reached a new level of relaxing!

Review: The Eyre Affair

2009-03-17T09:48:00.003-05:00

From Publishers Weekly: Surreal and hilariously funny, this alternate history, the debut novel of British author Fforde, will appeal to lovers of zany genre work (think Douglas Adams) and lovers of classic literature alike. The scene: Great Britain circa 1985, but a Great Britain where literature has a prominent place in everyday life. For pennies, corner Will-Speak machines will quote Shakespeare; Richard III is performed with audience participation … a la Rocky Horror and children swap Henry Fielding bubble-gum cards. In this world where high lit matters, Special Operative Thursday Next (literary detective) seeks to retrieve the stolen manuscript of Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit. The evil Acheron Hades has plans for it: after kidnapping Next's mad-scientist uncle, Mycroft, and commandeering Mycroft's invention, the Prose Portal, which enables people to cross into a literary text, he sends a minion into Chuzzlewit to seize and kill a minor character, thus forever changing the novel. Worse is to come. When the manuscript of Jane Eyre, Next's favorite novel, disappears, and Jane herself is spirited out of the book, Next must pursue Hades inside Charlotte Bronte's masterpiece.

Dare I admit I have yet to read Jane Eyre? (Does it count that I saw the play?) And, the only Dickens I know in depth is A Christmas Carole! Despite my classical reading deficits, I really enjoyed this book. I found it entertaining and so witty! (And I probably still missed a lot of the wit.) With characters named Victor Analogy and Braxton Hicks you can’t help but chuckle. Not to mention crazy inventor Uncle Mycroft and his bookworms that produce too many apostrophes and hyphens when they get overwhelmed. There’s time travel, travel into classic books, and elements of any good adventure book all mixed in with some romance and a little family drama. I know, it all sounds like too much, but Fforde has true talent and, in my opinion, it works. I envy his creativity. This is the perfect read when you simply want to have fun. This is just the first book in the Thursday Next series, and I look forward to reading more.

This book was also recently read by Trish.

Review and Giveaway: The Broken Parachute Man

2009-02-28T09:46:00.005-06:00

From the book cover: After middling pharmaceutical company executive Clyde Young boards an airplane to attend a national meeting to make a presentation concerning his employer's premium drug, his schedule is thrown into a curve when terrorists hijack the plane. After refusing to keep his head down, he is hurled out with a parachute that barely functions.

He is able to survive in the wilderness, but upon his arrival back to civilization, no one believes his story. They assume he is one of the terrorists that hijacked the airplane, so Young escapes to Las Vegas to determine why he was targeted and who was responsible for his ordeal. He lives as a street person and meets four people who believe his story: a sociopath, a prostitute, an alcoholic doctor and a pickpocket.

These people become his allies. They travel with him to the east coast and then to Europe. As Young continues his investigation, he discovers abuses on the part of his employer that could result in mortal danger for innumerable innocent patients. He must act quickly to expose the danger by staying one step ahead of the unknown criminals who are closing in on him and his allies.

I received an promotional review copy of this book early in February. The author, Robert Bolin, is an oncologist, and that fact, probably unfairly, made me skeptical of his creative talent. The beginning of the book sucked me in, as I read of Clyde’s struggle to survive in the wilderness amidst flashbacks to his corporate life. He even talks to us, the readers, at some points. I got to know him as a person with complex emotions and a drive to survive. Clyde’s escape to Las Vegas and his connection with the group of homeless people kept me interested. I was reading of a man who found a way (if at times far-fetched) to take charge of a situation into which he had be thrust and, in doing so, evolved as a person.

The second half of the book is where Clyde really begins to connect the dots regarding his employer’s scheme with the help of his homeless allies. I have to admit that my interest waned at points that were crucial to the plot. As I considered why this was, I decided it was at this points that I lost touch with the characters. Their personalities were overshadowed by the logistics of the plot, which was at times pretty complicated.

Clyde happens upon some extremely lucky opportunities for a homeless person and, with the help of his homeless friends, is able to capitalize on all of them in ways I think would be tough for anyone, much less people afflicted with mental illness, addiction, and other complicated life issues. I also felt that the pieces of the puzzle came together too cleanly. I can’t say it wasn’t captive suspense that kept me reading to the end, but simply the need to know what Clyde would do with what he learned. I must admit I was underwhelmed.

This being my first promotional review, I had hoped it would be glowing, as I appreciate the opportunity to help authors promote their creative efforts. I can only begin to empathize with the energy that goes into producing a novel and getting it published. The book does have its merits, as I mentioned above, and I think someone with a particular interest in the pharmaceutical industry might find the motivations of the big, bad drug company and related players entertaining. But, it probably won’t make my list of best reads in 2009.

Though I’m new to blogging and my readership is low, I am offering my copy of this book as a giveaway to anyone in the U.S. who might be interested. Just leave me a comment on this post with a way to contact you. I will draw a winner (if there is more than one interested party) on March 28, 2009.

Breaking More Rules

2009-02-26T09:51:00.003-06:00

My goal was to only make recipes that I had already accumulated. However, I still subscribe to many food blogs and am bombarded with ideas daily. Tuesday I came across two new recipes that were so easy that I couldn't resist trying them out.

Tuesday night we had Taco Bake which was featured on What's for Dinner. It was super simple and tasted good. The only solicited feedback I got was that the chili beans did not soften up enough. I agreed. Next time I might consider getting them started in the microwave before adding them to the beef. I froze a couple leftover pieces of this too. I'm skeptical of how the crust will hold up after thawing and reheating.

Last night I made Rice Noodle Soup with Shrimp from Dishing Up Delights. I seem to have a problem with adding too many noodles to recipes and last night was no exception. The amount of noodles did not allow the bok choy to wilt enough and they seemed to diffuse the garlic and ginger flavors. I will probably give this one another shot, but will increase the garlic and ginger and decrease the noodles.

I Fell Off the Wagon

2009-02-08T19:38:00.004-06:00

I have no library books in my house, I was reading a book that qualifies for the Mysteryreadcafe Challenge, and I was looking forward to whittling away the books on my TBR bookcase...and then the Animal Humane Society annual book sale happened...

Last year I went to the book sale on the third day it was open. This time, I went on the day it opened, and when I saw people walking out with grocery bags full of books, I was hoppin' to get in there and shop. Pictured above is the "damage." But how can you feel bad about supporting such a good cause? :-)

In addition to my book sale haul, I received my first ARC ever, The Broken Parachute Man by Robert Bolin. I'm only about 30 pages in so far, but I'm liking it. I also borrowed two books from my mom and one from a collegue that had been on my Bookmooch wish list. I need to start practicing all those techniques I learned in my high school speed reading class!

Introducing Morgan!

2009-02-08T19:15:00.009-06:00

The newest addition to our happy household!

Review: A Blessed Child

2009-02-02T18:29:00.004-06:00

From Publishers Weekly: Amid Summering tourists on the tiny Swedish island of Hammarso, a blended multinational family comes together in this arresting and well-observed saga from Ullmann (Grace). Isak, professor prone to fits of rage, has a loving second wife in Rosa and three daughters by three different women. The eldest, Erika, 13, and the youngest, Molly, five, are flown to Sweden in the summer by their mothers to spend sometime with their brilliant, and infuriating father. Middle girl, Laura, Rosa's daughter, welcomes them; together, the girls apprehend terror in Isak's irrepressible fits and, tragically, in Ragnar, a local boy Erika's age who doesn't fit in. The narrative moves back and forth in time, as the three daughters converge 25 years later on Hammarso to visit their aging father, now mourning the loss of Rosa. In adulthood, each woman possesses a profound inner life haunted by buried childhood memory.

I finished reading A Blessed Child by Linn Ulmann right after Christmas. I had read good reviews of it and was interested by the fact that it had Scandinavian roots, being of Norwegian heritage myself. The book had its strengths. The descriptions of the island were vivid, and the use of what I assume to be common Swedish expressions, helped set the geographic tone. The emotions of the girls as daughters, sisters, friends, and adolescents, though sparsely described at times, were real to me and kept me interested in reading the book through to the end.

The overall sparseness of the book is what left me feeling somewhat empty at the end. There was so much material that could have been expanded...the daughters' relationship with their father; their reactions to being shipped of to live with him and their half sisters for the summer (I suppose it may not seem odd to them if it's the only life they've known); their relationships with their mothers; Ragnar's inner thoughts. My training in psychology is showing, I think. For some, the beauty of the book is likely that so much is left to the imagination. For me it felt hollow.

I don't feel like I wasted my time reading this one, but it wasn't near the top of my favorites for 2008.

I Won!

2009-02-01T19:14:00.003-06:00

There are many generous bloggers out there who host giveaways, either sponsored by an author or publisher or by the blog authors themselves. When I come across a book that looks particularly interesting, I enter the giveaway.

Well, I just won a blog giveaway for the first time! Dawn from She is Too Fond of Books hosted this giveaway recently. H.L. Mencken is an author I have heard much about and never read. Additionally, this book picqued my interest and is outside the realm of what I would typically choose at the library or bookstore. I am excited to read it. Thanks again, Dawn!

Hungry Girl

2009-01-27T19:28:00.004-06:00

I was introduced to the Hungry Girl site by a co-worker a couple years ago. It provides all kinds of tips and recipes for light eating based on Weight Watchers guidelines. The site's creator, Lisa Lillien, provides points values for all of her recipes as well. I receive a daily Hungry Girl e-newsletter featuring recipes, new healthy grocery items, and other great info.

I planned this week's dinner menu using mostly Hungry Girl recipes. So far I have made three of them with basically good results. (I am so lucky my permanent taste-tester is willing to try almost anything once.)

Monday night I made Hungry Girl Onion rings. It's a recipe I would definitely try again with some minor modifications. I used my mini food processor to grind up the cereal, which I will not do again. A full-size food processor is necessary to make the crumbs fine enough. I added some garlic powder, salt, and pepper, but not enough. (I have a fear of over-seasoning things, which usually results in under-seasoning.) I served the onion rings with veggie burgers on grilled sandwich thins. For dessert, I made another Hungry Girl recipe, Peaches 'n Cream Microwave Cupcakes. I substituted banana for the peaches, and the flavor was good. I think I over-mixed the batter slightly and probably could have cut the microwave time by 15 seconds. The recipe was super easy, and I will try this one again too.

Tonight I made Hungry Girl Pot Pie. (Pictured above.) I used two whole chicken breasts and four crescent rolls instead of the recommended three. I also added garlic powder, minced onion, and pepper to the veggie mixture. Finally, I sprinkled some Lawry's salt on the tops before baking. I consider this one the best success of the week, and Mr. Taste-Tester agreed.

They Aren't Kidding!

2009-01-27T10:55:00.000-06:00

I just came across a new-to-me site with 350 free blog backgrounds....The Cutest Blog on the Block. As you can see, I have already made use of one of their offerings. It was a hard decision! We'll see how long it takes before I try out another one.

Childhood Favorites Reading Challenge

2009-01-18T19:25:00.001-06:00

The Holistic Knitter is hosting this challenge. The rules are simple - read at least five books you enjoyed as a child between now and June. I have a small collection of books I loved as a child and have yet to reread them. (It's hard to justify rereading books when I have such a big stack of books I've never read.) Not sure what all five will be, but here are three that have made the list so far.

Harriet the Spy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Dear Mr. Henshaw (I can't count the number of times I read this one as a child.)

Mysteryreadercafe Reading Challenge

2009-01-18T19:03:00.001-06:00

Lynda helped me out again when she posted about this challenge hosted by Kari at Another Book on the Stack. This one only requires four books, and I'm betting I can make at least one of my Agatha Christie books fit the requirements for this one too. Here are the rules:

1. Read a mystery with the word "murder" in the title

2. Read a mystery set in your region

3. Read a mystery that has been on your shelf for at least a year

4. Read a mystery from a "new to you" author

Again, I don't want to designate all the books, but I can say that I will likely choose to read a Tammy Hoag mystery to meet rule 2. I have read her books before and enjoyed them. As for a mystery that's been on my shelf for at least a year, we'll go with The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. I picked it up at a charity book sale last winter after reading a lot of good reviews of it. That gets me one less book on my TBR shelf!

Agatha Christie Reading Challege

2009-01-18T18:47:00.000-06:00

After watching Murder in the Vicarage on PBS a few weeks ago, I've had the bug to read more Agatha Christie mysteries. (I have only actually read one of her books in my lifetime of reading.) This weekend, while catching up on blog reading, I read a post on Lynda's blog about this challenge being hosted by Kathrin at All About Books. The challenge only requires you to read 2 Agatha Christie books during all of 2009. Although this goes against my resolution to read only books I own this year, I can easily obtain these at the library and most are really short. Finishing two in 11.5 months shouldn't complicate things too much. Because I have so many options to pick from, I am not going to post any pre-selections. We'll see which ones grab my attention when I get to the point of reading them.

Simplify

2009-01-15T09:45:00.001-06:00

Having combined households with my roommate for eternity one year ago, it quickly became clear that I accumulate too much stuff. Having to pack and move all of that stuff recently further inspired me to want to simplify what I have.

Why do I need to collect a 3-inch stack of recipes from the internet when I get a great cooking magazine ten times a year and own dozens of cookbooks? Why should I buy another cross stitch pattern when I have drawers full of patterns that haven’t been started or are half done? Why do I keep going to the library, coming home with a stack of books I couldn’t possibly read in the allotted time when I have an entire bookshelf filled with owned books that are yet to be read?

But internet recipes are free! Library books are free! (Until you get into one that you can’t finish by the due date and rack up a bunch of overdue fees.) The cross stitch pattern is so cute and I might forget where I found it, and I got such a great deal on eBay! Of course, one runs into the obvious issues of shrinking storage space, lack of organization, and, sometimes, a shrinking checking account – all of which can drive a person crazy. But for me it goes beyond that.

It may sound like I have some kind of collecting and shopping addiction, but the real reason behind all of this is that there is so much to do and learn. I have a hard time passing up those opportunities despite the fact that I usually don’t get to take advantage of the last opportunity before I accumulate the next one. Then I find myself accumulating so many “opportunities” that I have even less time for doing. Additionally, life has taught me that there are definite benefits to “not doing” sometimes. Being busy every waking moment of the day is not conducive to self-reflection or maximizing the impact of your experiences.

So, this year I have resolved to collect less and experience more. I will cook only from cookbooks and recipes I currently possess. I will focus on reading the books on my bookshelves instead of the library’s. I will finish half-completed craft projects and start new ones from my existing stash. And, throughout my day, I will do my best to focus on the present and gain all that I can from each moment.

Review: Man in the Dark

2008-12-09T19:03:00.000-06:00

From the New Yorker: A car accident and the death of his wife have left the retired book critic, August Brill, a physcial and psiritual invalid. Virtually confined to his house with his recently divorced daughten and a twenty-three-year-old grandchild stricken with grief after the murder of her ex-boyfriend, Brill, an insomniac, attempts to stave off thoughts of death by telling himself bedtime stories. His tired mind weaves a tale that combines details of his life with more fantastic flights, such as the story of a man who, waking up in an alternate universe where 9/11 never happened and the 2000 election led to civil war, is sent on a mission to detroy the very person who has imagined him into existence.

I recently finished reading Paul Auster's latest book. I had read The New York Trilogy on vacation this summer, and the impression of the book was vividly in my mind for a long while after I had finished reading it. I was eager to read more by Auster and requested a copy of Man in the Dark from the local library.

Auster has a unique writing style that is difficult to explain. My experience with his work is that he writes of things that would never really happen but makes it so believeable. And, he has a true talent for helping you feel the emotions of the characters, even while they are in the midst of the unreal situation. Through Brill's bedtime stories and interactions with his granddaughter, the reader gains insight into his current existence and is encouraged to think beyond what is written on the page.

Although I liked The New York Trilogy better than Man in the Dark, I continue to want to read more by this creative author.

Stitching Update...Shhh!

2008-12-07T21:25:00.000-06:00

Contrary to the book-heavy posting I've been doing, I have actually been stitching quite a bit. The problem is that I'm stitching gifts for people who read this blog. So, I can't provide much detail beyond what is pictured here, which is one of the super secret gifts. Miss Ellie believes it is her job to supervise all my stitching efforts. Within five minutes of my pulling out the fabric and threads, she is sitting in my lap. I often find myself contorting my sitting position to accomodate the princess because it's the only time she turns into a lap cat. Go figure.

Pretty Fly for a White Guy

2008-12-07T21:11:00.000-06:00

Today was the perfect winter day...chilly and snowy with nothing on our schedule. We went to our favorite breakfast place, and then I took my forever farm boy on his first excursion to Fleet Farm. Of course, he liked it and ended up finding his ideal winter coat...so warm he almost had to unzip it while outside replacing my wiper blades later this afternoon. My favorite purchase of the day, aside from the gingerbread and egg nog flavored coffee I found, was this new sweater for Herman. Isn't he a great model? He loves it so much he hasn't taken it off since I brought it home for him! He thinks it's the perfect napping attire.

Ouch!

2008-12-01T21:23:00.000-06:00

So, I've been working out 5 days a week for 2 months now. This is huge for me as I HATE exercising. Even when I feel better for having done it, I still hate it. But, I seem to have made it a habit and have reached the point of being able to do four 10-minute miles or 35 minutes of strength training (using The Firm). I know from past experience that I would never keep up an exercise habit if I had to go to the gym. So, I have been relying on DVDs, which allow me to go from bed to work out in about 10 minutes.

Anyway, I was getting bored with the DVDs I had. Last week I read about the 30 Day Shred on a blog that I now cannot recall. I read the reviews on Amazon.com. I was encouraged to buy it (new from an Amazon reseller for a great price) after reading many positive reviews, but I was skeptical about the type of results I would get from a 20-minute workout. I saw one review that stated the person's muscles were weak for 2 hours after doing the 20-minute workout, and I thought, "she must have been really out of shape." HA! Guess I'm really out of shape. Although I recovered after about an hour, I could barely complete the three sets of strength/cardio/ab rotation at Level 1. I have a bad feeling that getting out of bed for tomorrow's 4-mile walk is going to be painful. But I am now convinced that a 20-minute workout could actually result in visibly better fitness.

Review: The Graveyard Book

2008-11-28T09:52:00.000-06:00

Product Description - From Amazon.com
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.

He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer.

But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family. . . .

I can't count the number of blogs that have featured this book and given it rave reviews. It is considered a graphic novel for kids ages 9-12. There aren't an abundance of pictures and adults are clearly loving it as much as kids might. Although I am not much for fantasy books - Harry Potter aside - but I wanted to see what all the excitement was about. Besides, it's a short book, and I figured even I would be able to read it fairly quickly as it is aimed at younger readers.

I may be some kind of kids 'book prude, but this seemed like kind of dark subject matter for the targeted reader...murder, graveyards, being stalked by mean men...then again, I am from the Ramona Quimby and Choose Your Own Adventure generation. I'm sure kids' reading interests have changed since then.

Prudishness aside, I didn't love this book at all. It wasn't horrible. Bod was a likeable character. The characterization of graveyard inhabitants by their epitaphs was really entertaining. The creativity of the author was well-demonstrated when we were shown how certain everyday knowledge was novel to a boy raised in a graveyard by "people" who had inhabited the world centuries before. But, in general, I didn't have the significant emotional reaction to the book that some reviewers reported, and I have no burning desire to read more Neil Gaiman books in the near future.

Don't Panic - Pork Chops!

2008-11-25T17:27:00.000-06:00

This weekend we cooked up one of our entrees from last week's marathon cooking session. They were super easy to make. We just blended up a marinade of honey, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce and put the chops in a freezer bag with the marinade.

We thawed them in the fridge for 2 days before we prepared them. (Most freezer meals take more than the recommended 24 hours to thaw completely.) My live-in grill master not only braved the cold temperatures to fire up the grill, but performed what I call kitchen chemistry and made a hashbrown side dish. He described it as "fried rice with hashbrowns in place of the rice." It was really good, and the pork chops had a wonderful flavor that was not at all overpowering.

Marathon Cooking

2008-11-17T19:24:00.000-06:00

I am a big fan of freezer meals - the kind you assemble ahead of time and require little work on the day you serve them. I've been known to frequent Let's Dish and love the variety of meals I bring home after only two hours of "work." Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer is one of several books that helps you prepare freezer meals at home.

Yesterday my sister-in-law and I spent 5 hours preparing four different entrees. We tripled every recipe so that we would have 9 servings of each dish. When she and my brother had to go home I finished a fifth recipe. After 6 hours of standing on the ceramic kitchen floor, I was walking like a 90-year-old woman. But, I think it was definitely worth it. I literally have weeks' worth of quick meals that only require enough foresight to thaw them a day ahead of when I want to serve them. Not to mention, they're healthy. And, my "food tester for a lifetime" sampled one of the meals for dinner last night and went back for seconds!

What did we make? Chicken Tortilla Soup, North Woods Wild Rice Soup, cheese-filled manicotti, egg bake with hashbrowns and Canadian bacon, and honey porkchops. I will post pictures as I serve each for the first time.

Review: Affinity

2008-11-12T18:41:00.000-06:00

Synopsis (from http://www.bn.com/): An upper-class woman recovering from a suicide attempt, Margaret Prior has begun visiting the women's ward of Millbank prison, Victorian London's grimmest jail, as part of her rehabilitative charity work. Amongst Millbank's murderers and common thieves, Margaret finds herself increasingly fascinated by the one apparently Innocent inmate, the enigmatic spiritualist Selina Dawes. Selina was imprisoned after a seance she was conducting went horribly awry, leaving an elderly matron dead and a young woman profoundly disturbed. Although initially skeptical of Selina's gifts, Margaret is soon drawn into a twilight world of ghosts and shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions, until she is at last driven to concoct a desperate plot to secure Selina's freedom and her own.

I first learned of author, Sarah Waters, at A Work in Progress. I am not typically drawn to historical fiction, but that review of Fingersmith made it sound too good to resist. I read that book last year and really enjoyed it. There were definitely unexpected plot twists. I think my previous experience with historical fiction was that it was not written in modern English, which slowed down my typically slow reading pace even further. Sarah Waters' books are quick reads.

Last month I picked up Affinity at the library. I finally finished reading it last weekend after an extended break two-thirds of the way through to read Edgar Sawtelle.

The story is told from the journals of Selina and Margaret - Selina's journal kept up to the point of the seance-gone-wrong and Margaret's current journal. It touches on several themes, the first being depression. Depression, and mental illness in general, was not well-understood. Margaret was treated by her mother as being physically frail, and the prescribed charity work was basically an attempt to distract her from her depressed thoughts. The result is that she really just trades one set of troubling thoughts for another.

Hope is a second theme running through the book. People were drawn to Selina as a spiritualist because they believed she helped them connect with deceased loved ones. As she communicated on behalf of the lost loved one, the survivors are given hope that the person still exists out there somewhere and they will see him/her again. Margaret also finds herself drawn to Selina. Their relationship gives Margaret the hope that a life worth living is within her reach, and this becomes her driving force.

There is not much else I can say without giving something away. Consistent with my previous Sarah Waters experience, there is a very unexpected twist at the end of the story, and all along the way things are not what they seem.

The Perfect Way to Spend a Chilly Day

2008-11-08T20:11:00.000-06:00

While my handyman-for-life tore into the bathroom rennovation project, I met up with a college friend for tea at Lady Elegant's Tea Room. (Our seat today was at the blue table in front of the window.) It is a charming little place almost hidden amongst an eclectic mix of independent shops and always offers a relaxing time away from the real world. The Tea Room is modeled after an English-style front room and dining room and has only a handful of tables. Though casual dress is acceptable, many women dress for the occassion, and the Tea Room offers hats for use during your visit if you really want to be "authentic." Lady Elegant's was as busy as I've ever seen it today, which, we were told by one of the employees, was due to all the husbands being away for the open of deer hunting. Surrounded by light classical music and the buzz of tea-time chatter from other tables we enjoyed Pumpkin Creme and Apple Pie seasonal teas accompanied by finger sandwiches, cranberry orange scones, and almond cookies. The service there is intentionally leisurely, leaving us ample time to catch up on life and enjoy the atmosphere. Of course, I couldn't leave without buying a handful of teabags and some loose leaf tea (apple pie and oatmeal raisin cookie). Heading back to our cars in the brisk November wind, my friend and I made a pact to get back to the Tea Room once a quarter from now on. There's just no reason to relax like that only once a year.

My First Reading Challenge

2008-11-07T15:20:00.000-06:00

I just joined my first reading challenge: The What's in a Name Challenge 2009! Here are the rules...

Choose one book from each of the following categories.
1. A book with a "profession" in its title. Examples might include: The Book Thief, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Historian
2. A book with a "time of day" in its title. Examples might include: Twilight, Four Past Midnight, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
3. A book with a "relative" in its title. Examples might include: Eight Cousins, My Father's Dragon, The Daughter of Time
4. A book with a "body part" in its title. Examples might include: The Bluest Eye, Bag of Bones, The Heart of Darkness
5. A book with a "building" in its title. Examples might include: Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little House on the Prairie, The Looming Tower
6. A book with a "medical condition" in its title. Examples might include: Insomnia, Coma, The Plague

I'm certain I can read six books in the next year no matter how busy I get, and I know there are books waiting on my shelf that will fit perfectly into the categories.

Happy Friday!

Review: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

2008-11-05T20:22:00.001-06:00

From Publisher’s Weekly:
Starred Review. "A literary thriller with commercial legs, this stunning debut is bound to be a bestseller. In the backwoods of Wisconsin, the Sawtelle family—Gar, Trudy and their young son, Edgar—carry on the family business of breeding and training dogs. Edgar, born mute, has developed a special relationship and a unique means of communicating with Almondine, one of the Sawtelle dogs, a fictional breed distinguished by personality, temperament and the dogs' ability to intuit commands and to make decisions. Raising them is an arduous life, but a satisfying one for the family until Gar's brother, Claude, a mystifying mixture of charm and menace, arrives. When Gar unexpectedly dies, mute Edgar cannot summon help via the telephone. His guilt and grief give way to the realization that his father was murdered; here, the resemblance to Hamlet resonates. After another gut-wrenching tragedy, Edgar goes on the run, accompanied by three loyal dogs. His quest for safety and succor provides a classic coming-of-age story with an ironic twist. Sustained by a momentum that has the crushing inevitability of fate, the propulsive narrative will have readers sucked in all the way through the breathtaking final scenes."

Last night I reached the end of the journey that is "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle." In a word, it was heavy. Within the first 20 pages a dog and a baby had died, and that set the tone for the rest of the book. I raced through the first 250 pages, continuously curious about what would happen next but always uneasy about what the next chapter would bring. Somewhere after that, Edgar was on the run, and there were nights I looked at the book sitting on my nightstand and almost didn’t want to pick it up. The effort that was his life was making me tired, even though he was persevering. But, I had come to care about Edgar as much as one can care about a fictional character, and I knew I would finish the book because I had to know how things turned out for him.

There are so many themes threaded throughout the book, all of which contribute to the realness of the characters and the overall literary value of the story. First, the human-animal bond. Edgar’s relationship with the Sawtelle dogs, particularly Almondine and the litter of pups Edgar’s dad assigns to his care, demonstrates the strength of non-verbal communication, the power and value of the bond, and the purest kind of love. The personalities of the dogs are as real as Edgar’s, and we experience them through Edgar. Not much more can be said without giving something away, but it is a certainty that any animal lover will be deeply touched by the Sawtelle dogs and their bond with Edgar. Second, the impact of family legacies – both positive and negative. Edgar demonstrated unwavering devotion to preserving the Sawtelle breed first created by his grandfather. Along the way he encountered evil, corruption, and greed, but honored the breed and its intended purpose in every way he knew how. He believed in it will all his heart and tried to do right by those who came before him and preserve their traditions. Edgar’s story also speaks to overcoming adversity, the impact of grief and trauma, self-reliance, and moral responsibility.

The final scenes are breathtaking, and I will not giveaway the ending here. Be assured it is the type of ending that leaves you silent and reflective for a long time after you turn the final page. It’s a story that draws you in from the beginning and is worth every emotion-filled minute.

Scherzo Growing

2008-11-03T20:07:00.000-06:00

Here's what Scherzo looks like after a week of intermittent stitching. Much more time was spent reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (<100 pages to go!) and sleeping away the effects of a stomach virus. I may set this one aside for awhile. The pattern is one that repeats in each of the four corners of the piece. It's a fun look but not quite as satisfying as seeing a picture grow as I stitch it. Now, to decide which of my other WIPs will get the attention...

Pesto Turkey Burgers

2008-10-30T18:17:00.000-05:00

My first recipe post and I forgot to take a picture of the end result...always room for improvement. So, for this time, the recipe alone will have to do.

A co-worker passed this one along compliments of Cub Foods and TCF Bank. I have not had much success with ground turkey in the past. It always seems too dry or flavorless. Not the case with this recipe! I even could have gone with the 4% fat turkey instead of the 7%. These will definitely make an encore appearance in our kitchen.

We ate them bunless with a side of hashbrowns - for lack of fries. It was plenty of food!

Pesto Turkey Burgers
1¼ lbs lean ground turkey
2 tbsp. basil pesto
1 tsp. minced garlic
½ c. crumbled feta cheese
1½ tsp. seasoned salt
½ c. bread crumbs

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. (I cooked them in a skillet on the stove tonight.) Mix together the ground turkey, pesto, garlic, feta cheese, seasoned salt and bread crumbs in a bowl until evenly blended. Form into 4 patties. (I think 5 would have been better, especially if you're putting them on a bun.) Grill peto burgers until no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side.

Scherzo...

2008-10-29T20:50:00.000-05:00

–noun, Music. a movement or passage of light or playful character, esp. as the second or third movement of a sonata or a symphony.

Here is the last of my LNS purchases - Threadworx Chili Peppers and coordinating 28-count Jobelan. It's been fun to watch the pattern grow amongst the randomness of the varigated floss. (I am still perfecting my photography technique, as you can see.)

My First Trip to the LNS

2008-10-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday I made my first venture to the best LNS in our area (that I know of). It is a 45-minute drive to the other side of town to get there, which is what took me so long to plan a trip out there in the first place. It was a cross stitch candyland.

I already owned five patterns from Whispered by the Wind (Canon, Rondo, Largo, Adagio, and Scherzo). My plan was to buy supplies to make two of them. As you can see, I got a little more than that. I picked colors other than those recommended by the pattern and ended up with Threadworx Pastel Bouquet, Dust to Dust, Society Life, and Mosaic. I picked coordinating 28 count Jobelan for each pattern. The fifth pattern with threads and fabric will show up soon in a WIP post.

I made two additional impulse purchased while there...a small pattern called Looner Night and a Pine Mountain Pillow Kit. I became the owner of a sewing machine at Christmas last year and still have only gotten as far as admiring all the non-framing finishes displayed on other blogs. In the meantime, the Pine Mountain kit will serve as my alternative finishing method.

October's Book Collection (so far)

2008-10-25T19:51:00.000-05:00

This month, as usual, my TBR pile has grown much faster than my finished books pile. First, from the library, I have accumulated and already once renewed 5 books:

The Mammoth Book of 20th Century Ghost Stories, which I thought would be a fun way to get in the Halloween spirit.
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. I have never read anything by Margaret Atwood and I figured it was about time.
Affinity by Sarah Waters. I read Fingersmith earlier in the year and really liked it. I have less than 100 pages left to go in this one, but it is due after Edgar Sawtelle, so it's on the back burner for the moment.
Oracle Night by Paul Auster. I read The New York Trilogy in August and my enjoyment of it grew with each installment. I've read elsewhere that some believe Oracle Night is the best introduction to Auster, so I thought it would be a good second foray into his work.
Cooking Among Friends. I love the convenience of cooking once and ending up with several different meals in the freezer. This is a cookbook that contains freezer meal recipes to make in large quantities and share among households. I will have a chance to test some of them out next weekend. Review to come!

In addition to the library pile, I have accumulated some books without a due date at very little cost:

Faith of My Fathers by John McCain. This has much less to do with my political leaning than it does with my interest in the experiences that have led him to this point in life.
The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright. A $1 find at the library book sale.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig. $2 at a charity garage sale, and I've never read it.
Spilling Clarence by Anne Ursu My first mooch from Bookmooch!
Coming to Our Senses by Jon Kabat Zinn. Another $2 find a the charity garage sale.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. I saw the movie but have yet to read the book. Another $1 library sale find.
An Instance of the Fingerpost by Ian Pears. My final $1 library book sale find.

After a 3-day work trip, I'm 200 pages in to the Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I've been able to read about 50 pages at a time without falling asleep...rare for me!

First Appearance of the Tuesday Thingers

2008-10-21T14:52:00.000-05:00

As I have learned from reading other blogs, Marie at The Boston Bibliophile asks a book-related question each week...on Tuesday, if that wasn't obvious :-)

Today's question: Series. Do you collect any series? Do you read series books? Fantasy? Mystery? Science fiction? Religious? Other genre? Do you use the series feature in LT to help you find new books or figure out what you might be missing from a series?

The only series I have collected are those that hold fond childhood memories. These are series that have been reprinted several times, but when I buy them, they must be the editions I read when I was young. I own the complete Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder- the ones with the yellow-bordered covers. I actually never got past "Little House in the Big Woods" when I was young, but I LOVED the tv series. Someday I will actually read the books that inspired it.

I also own most of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. Now these are books I read multiple times. A few years ago I learned that there was a new addition to the series, "Ramona's World," that didn't exist when I was actively following them. I checked it out from the library and read the whole thing in an hour or two. I remember spending multiple days on one of these as an elementary student! I must admit the last installment did not live up to my memories of the earlier ones, but the memories are comforting and maybe, one day, my not-yet-existent daughter will Ramona's escapades as entertaining as I once did.

I cannot think of any current series I have collected. All the Harry Potter books I've read have come from the library, as have most of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta mysteries. Somehow it's easiest to justify spending the money on the tangible reminders of days passed.

As for LibraryThing, I am new to it and haven't used many of the features yet.

Latest Start

2008-10-20T13:58:00.000-05:00

I had read about "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" on other blogs and added it to my library request list before it was announced as an Oprah selection. This weekend a copy became available for me, and I picked it up yesterday. (Three books followed me home from the library book sale too.) Twenty pages in and already a mix of emotions are at play. I'll take this as a good sign.

The real challenge will be finishing it in the two weeks I have before it's due. I must find a place to read other than in bed...and find the will power to ignore the new stitching project in the name of reading deadlines. Pictures of that to come whenever we find the charger for the camera battery :-(

The Fly on the Wall

2008-10-19T11:45:00.000-05:00

For a few years now, I have been the a fly on the blogosphere's wall. I've been enjoying your book reviews, WIPs, recipes, and expanding my own reading, cooking, crafting worlds because of them. Now, after much internal debating about whether or not I would be disciplined enough to regularly update my own blog, I'm giving it a shot. At the very least it will serve as my personal hobby journal and thank you note to those who continuously share their great ideas, and, at best, I will become an active part of the blog community.

Cozy and Content will be focused on those things that make me so during my alone time. Mostly books, cross stitch, cooking, and my pets....all usually accompanied by a cup of coffee.

If you've found me at this early stage in my blogging life, welcome! Please bear with me as I personalize the layout and learn all the blog perfecting techniques you likely have been using for years now.