Reading "The Happiness Project"

In our little Wine Club that Reads, we all take turns suggesting titles that we think everyone might enjoy. I had seen several mentions in the newspaper and a magazine on Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun" and was absolutely hooked by her idea. Being more of a self-help book, it's not our normal read for book club so I was thrilled when they all jumped on it as something fun and different to try.

And it was!

We had a wonderful meeting (at someone else's house) with all kinds of great treats to eat and, of course, wine to wash them down.

The thing I found most interesting was that every single person said they thought the same thing when they started reading ... "Oh no, this is just the same thing I've read before in a new cover." Then they kept reading and realized they were so wrong. Every one of us gleaned things from this book and the author's trials that spoke to us about pertinent issues we are working on or dealing with.

Gretchen Rubin breaks her happiness project into twelve months, with each new month focusing on a different aspect of happiness in her life. Personally, I was grateful that the first month, January, began with vitality and how to boost energy. She broke this chapter down into five personal resolutions that helped her accomplish her goals: Go to sleep earlier; exercise better; toss, restore, organize; tackle a nagging task; and act more energetic.

We had out-of-town company coming to stay for 10 days and I had some work to do to get ready for them, including cleaning and organizing. That first chapter really helped get me off the couch, doing some deep cleaning and reorganizing in several rooms that sorely needed it. And she was so right about acting energetic. That whole fake it 'til you make it thing really does make a difference if you let it. Cleaning out cupboards, donating things and throwing out crap; just making things sparkle really are essential to feeling lighter, satisfied and -- yes -- happier. I have yet to tackle that nagging task, which is cleaning out the master bedroom closet of all the clothes and shoes that I've collected over the years and can't seem to let go of. However, it's on my list.

And, funny enough, nearly every member of the book club said that they did some cleaning and reorganizing while reading this book last month. With marked feelings of relief and happiness.

Every chapter/month deals with another topic that the author felt would up her happiness quotient, including marriage, work, parenthood, leisure, friendship, money, eternity, mindfulness and attitude. She also came up with her own list of Twelve Commandments, which are personal to each of us. I really liked her first one, though, and adopted it immediately. When she'd struggle with uncertainty over something or waver at all, she'd start with her first commandment: Be Gretchen. This is a quick reminder that we each have to honor our own beliefs and quirks and make ourselves happy. We spend way too much time working our butts off to please everyone else out there which, come on, we all know is impossible. Be fill in your name here is the best way to make sure you are true to yourself. Love that one!

In Chapter Four, April, she focused on parenthood and especially the process of lightening up by acknowledging the reality of people's feelings. I took this one outside the box of parenthood and tried to use it everywhere I went. Lighten up because who knows what has happened in another person's life to make them sad or dour -- Maybe a death in the family? Marriage problems? Money issues? Who knows? I've really tried to give others the benefit of the doubt and lighten up (and I'm sure I'll be even more successful at it now that the in-laws have headed home). At the grocery store, at work, at the post office ... the only place I continue to have trouble with this one is on the freeway. I had to admit to the ladies at book club that I really struggle to lighten up during rush hour and could very happily just ram into some of those jerks. Hmmmm, I said happily ... do you think that counts?

I very much enjoyed this book and have recommended it to others with great enthusiasm since I finished reading it. I also plan to keep this one on the shelf and refer back to it over the years. Yep, it's a keeper.

If you're interested in a little instant gratification and reading more about The Happiness Project, you can visit Gretchen Rubin's website http://www.happiness-project.com/. Happy reading!

Reading "Belong to Me"

"Belong to Me" is the story of Cornelia Brown and her husband, Mateo Sandoval, who have recently moved to suburban Philadelphia from NYC after 9/11. While Cornelia seems to yearn to fit in with the neighborhood ladies and others she meets, she can't seem to conform. Her relationship with her uptight neighbor across the street, Piper Truitt, gets off to a rocky start and Cornelia is desperate for a friend she can be herself with when she meets Lake Tremain. Lake has moved to town to provide her gifted 14-year-old son, Deveroux, with the education he deserves.

As everyone's paths cross and intertwine, relationships are forged and broken, illnesses are fought, marriages are in crisis, babies are lost and babies are conceived, biological fathers are searched for, sneaky ulterior motives become public knowledge and stunning secrets are revealed. This book had me turning page after page as quickly as I could. The growing friendships were portrayed with real love right alongside catty comments and betrayals. So creative and well-written. Here are a few excerpts ...

-----

     After an almost imperceptible lift of an eyebrow, Lake strode over to Piper's table, smiled warmly at the two women, and said, "Hello, I'm Lake and I'll be your server today."
     "Lake," said Piper, flapping her lashes. "Now that's a different name."
     Lake swept her gaze around the restaurant, as though to make sure no one was listening. Then, in a loud, conspiratorial whisper, she replied, "Actually, it's my middle name. My first name is ridiculous. Just god-awful. I don't know what my parents were thinking."
     "Oh, tell us what it is!" burbled Kate.
     "Yes, do." Piper made it sound like a command.
     Lake didn't pause to blink or swallow; the words slipped off her tongue as innocently as you please. "Piper," she said, "can you imagine?" If Kate's gasp hadn't been so loud, my gasp would have echoed through the restaurant like thunder. Lake handed Piper the wine list. "Piper. Like 'Viper' with a P."

-----

     He and Clare started walking toward the bus stop, their shadows stretching out ahead of them. Dev watched the girl shadow take the boy shadow's hand, and he realized that the homesick feeing had disappeared. In its place was a new feeling, too new to have a name.
     "How cool would that have been, though?" He shot Clare a sidelong happy grin. "A dad with a bike shop?"
     Clare laughed her jingle-bell laugh, and Dev realized that what he felt was young. He'd been young all his life, of course he had. But now he was aware of it. Every cell, every electron of his body felt young: unencumbered, uncluttered, as clean as the clear blue sky.

-----

     The streetlight sifting through the living room curtains carved shadows into my husband's face, painted his goldenness over in grays and whites, and the stillness of him shot me through with icy fear. Teo looked dead. I wanted to fall on him like rain, wash away every unkindness, everything from the last fifty-six hours that hadn't looked like love. Softly, I kissed his neck, his temples, the center of his chest, the palms of his hands.
     "Wake up," I whispered, "Teo, wake up."
     "You're here?" His voice was hoarse in the dark and only half awake.
     "You're not allowed to think I'd leave you. You hear me? Or that I wouldn't have married you if I had known. I'm sorry. I love you so much, and still, I made you feel that way."
     "Cor." He ran his fingers over my face. "I'm sorry, too. I missed you."
     "I left you alone with everything. But I won't do that anymore. I promise."
     For a little while, we became nothing but being together. Hands and breath. Gravity and weightlessness. Murmuring and mouths and skin.

-----

It wasn't until I finished reading this wonderful book that I found out it was a second novel. The first, "Love Walked In," actually precedes this one in story. So I'm going to read them out of order, but I'm definitely going to read them! I really enjoyed the voice of author Marisa de los Santos in "Belong to Me," and highly recommend it.

Reading "Savor the Moment"

I love love stories ... I've worked in the wedding business and enjoy reading about wedding professionals so this book and series is my idea of a good time.

Nora Roberts' series called the Bride Quartet is about four female friends -- a photographer (Mac), florist (Emma), baker (Laurel) and wedding coordinator (Parker) -- that have formed Vows, a wedding business run out of a beautiful old mansion. The girls have known each other all of their lives and grew up together playing Wedding Day. Sister and brother, Parker and Delaney Brown, inherited the mansion upon the unfortunate death of their parents. Mrs. Grady, housekeeper and house mother to the girls, is a wonderful addition to the mix.

The first two books in the series, Vision in White and Bed of Roses, are stories about the photographer and florist in the group. This third book, Savor the Moment is about Laurel McBane, cake baker/decorator extraordinaire. In each book, the featured member of Vows explores dating and love while running her end of the business. Laurel has always had a crush on attorney Del Brown, which may not be a good thing since he treats her like a sister, protective and overbearing.

This, like the first two books, is a sweet story that includes fun interaction with bridal parties as well as each other. Their friendship is wonderful and powerful and beautifully written. When it comes to their wedding business, they have their own language that includes abbreviations for members of the wedding party - MOB Mother of the Bride; SMOG Stepmother of the Groom; MOH Maid of Honor.

A few excerpts ...

     "Stop that nonsense and sit down before the food gets cold." Mrs. G gave him a flick on the arm as she carried the coffeepot to the table to fill the mugs.
     Mrs. G was in her element, Laurel knew. She had a full brood to fuss over and order around. She'd revel in the number and the noise of them, and when she'd had enough of both, she'd kick them all out of her kitchen. Or retreat to her rooms for some peace and quiet.
     But for now, with the scents of coffee and bacon and cinnamon, with platters being emptied and plates filled, Mrs. G had things just as she wanted.
     Laurel understood the need to feed, the desire - even the passion - to put food in front of someone and urge them to eat. It was life and comfort, authority and satisfaction. And if you'd prepared that food with your own hands, your own skill, it was, in a very real way, love.

♥  ♥  ♥

     "Cut it out! Stop it now!" Laurel dodged a fist, then blocked an elbow with her forearm. The force of the contact sang straight up to her shoulder. "I said stop!" For God's sake, it's your daughter's wedding."
     "It's my daughter's wedding," the woman Parker and Emma struggled to control shouted. "My daughter. Mine! Not this home-wrecking bimbo bitch's."
     "Bimbo? Bimbo? You tight-assed lunatic, it's your last face-lift I'm going to wreck."
     Emma solved the mother of the bride problem by sitting on her while Laurel grappled with her opponent.

♥  ♥  ♥

     Confidence, she reminded herself, was like lip gloss - all you had to do was put it on.

♥  ♥  ♥

     Vacation. Laurel could scent it, nearly touch it. She would be on it if this damn event would ever end.
     Sunday afternoon events tended toward smaller affairs. Sophisticated or casual, fussy or freewheeling, weddings or anniversary parties booked on a Sunday afternoon leaned toward a pretty brunch or an elegant tea, most often ending early enough for guests to go home, maybe catch a ball game or a movie.
     But not this one. Not the last event before the glories and raptures of vacation began. At four on Sunday afternoon, the Ballroom rocked. Champagne flowed. The bride and groom - second-time arounders in their early forties, danced to the oldies the DJ spun like a couple of teenagers on spring break.
     "Why don't they want to go home and have sex?" Laurel muttered to Emma.
     "They've been together for three years - over a year of that living together. They probably have sex whenever they want."
     "But it's Wedding Day sex, and they can only have Wedding Day sex today. At midnight, that ship has sailed. They should want it. Maybe we need to mention it."

If you love love (with a bit of sizzling sex thrown in), you won't be disappointed by this book or series. I'm really looking forward to the last one, Happy Ever After, coming out in November 2010. This would make a fun movie!

I'm Book Blogger Hoppin' Today - Does That Make Me a BOOKIE???

In the spirit of the Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list at Crazy-For-Books.com!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event! 
Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know!  Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added!  And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

Visit Crazy-For-Books.com to get hoppin'!

And please check out my Books and Movies link above ...

Reading "The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry"

"The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry" is an exceptional book. This true story is a first book by Kathleen Flinn who has been a writer for over 20 years. At the age of 36, Flinn had built a career as an executive with a major software firm, she managed 24 people and her team ran a $100,000,000 division. She'd fought long and hard to get where she was and had just realized that she was truly in love with Mike, the man she'd been seeing. Sounds wonderful? Maybe not! As she returned from a vacation with Mike, her boss asked to meet her in a hotel lobby rather than the office. And this is where her new life began, as the old one was yanked out from beneath her and she was suddenly without a job, an American living in London.

Her dream since being a child was to cook, to attend Le Cordon Bleu, the famous cooking school in Paris. Now, with Mike as her personal cheerleader, she applies to attend the school and is accepted. She quickly moves to France and begins the difficult task of earning a diploma in January 2004. This means successfully completing three parts of a "classic cycle" of cooking ... Basic, Intermediate and Superior Cuisine.

This is a very well-told story that made me alternately laugh out loud and hold my head in agony. You must really want a diploma to go through this process, especially when your French is lacking. Can you imagine being screamed at in French by a French chef in front of the entire class and not really understanding what he's upset about? How do you fix what you don't understand? The tag line on the cover of this book is "Love, laughter and tears in Paris at the world's most famous cooking school." Such a true statement!


Here are a few excerpts from the book:

     Le Cordon Bleu began life in the late 1800s as a cooking magazine started by French Journalist Marthe Distel. La cuisinère Cordon-bleu centered on classic recipes and tips for entertaining, a nineteenth-century version of Gourmet. To boost circulation, Distel offered free cooking classes to subscribers. After the first was held in 1895, the lessons proved to be more popular than the magazine. Le Cordon Bleu now has twenty-seven schools in fifteen countries; the magazine closed in the 1960s.

❧     ❧     ❧     ❧     ❧

     "Hot food always goes on a hot plate, and cold food goes on a cold plate," Anne says as Chef takes a blue-rimmed dinner plate out of the oven and sets the fish on top with some sauce and perfectly chopped parsley. With that, he bows, the class applauds, and students crowd around the chef's plate to take copious photos.
     We taste. The sweet fish couples nicely with the sting of the shallots, muted by the softness of the butter sauce. This is more like it, I think.
     He makes it all look easy, but then chefs are like that. They're magicians in white, accomplished at sleight of hand.

❧     ❧     ❧     ❧     ❧

     The Saturday after the buffet, I review the remaining ten lessons for Intermediate Cuisine. Among them is another featuring puff pastry. I head down to rue Montorgueil and pack my collapsible shopping cart with two heavy bags of flour, dry butter, and fresh yeast. Mike lugs them up the stairs to our flat. For the next three days, I make no less than six batches of puff pastry. By the fourth batch, it's light, airy, and flaky. I work slowly and methodically, remembering that you cannot rush puff pastry. You must show it respect, like a person you admire. Showing remarkable restraint, I eat none of it, so that I can fit into a wedding dress, if I ever find one.

❧     ❧     ❧     ❧     ❧

     Three days later, Mike and I move back into the apartment on rue Etienne Marcel. We trade keys, kisses, and good-byes with Niccolo and Alberto, who pack up their bags and rush for the airport. We open a bottle of wine, and for the rest of the evening Mike and I sit at our kitchen table. We dine on a simple roast chicken and marvel at the view overlooking the busy five-way intersection. We love watching Paris in action: the stream of people coming and going through the curved art-deco entrance of the Metro; tourists dragging wheeled luggage toward the train station at Les Halles; and the comedy and high drama of French driving. We watch the color of the sky change above the gray tin roofs, so solid with time, and the limestone walls graced by delicate etchings. In some buildings, the white French windows open outward onto their wrought-iron balconies, revealing interiors or inhabitants. A few others play the same game, watching the street. Sometimes we catch them watching us.


I absolutely loved this book. I enjoyed every single page and was sorry when it ended. One thing I especially love about this book is that it includes a number of recipes that are truly simple and beautiful. Even though the actual dish Chicken Cordon Bleu (Poulet Cordon Bleu) has nothing to do with the cooking school, it is a classic recipe that Flinn included in the book. It sounded fairly easy and I actually had all of the ingredients on hand so I gave it shot.

ingredients for chicken cordon bleu

butterflied chicken breasts

spread with dijon mustard

layered with swiss cheese and ham

I love having my laptop handy in the kitchen - I input this recipe into my new Recipe Manager program

chicken breasts tied with butcher's twine - I'm planning to try toothpicks as a closure next time because they'll be easier to remove for eating

flour, beaten egg and bread crumbs for dipping

ready to go into the oven

chicken cordon bleu with corn on the cob

I must say, the hardest part of this recipe was the sauce - and it really wasn't that hard, I was just distracted. First of all, I cut the recipe in half to make only two chicken breasts so that cut the sauce ingredients down to nearly nothing. And nearly nothing cooks pretty quickly.

As I started the sauce the first time, I had white wine and chicken stock reducing in a saucepan on the stove top. Hubby came in to say that when he opened the gate, Miles (or Miles-you-little-bastard, as he is sometimes known around here) shot through and took off down the street. This has been a favorite game of his since we got him. He thinks it's hilarious and has nearly been hit twice running right out in front of cars. We spent $200 on obedience classes and while he can sit and down as pretty as you please - and he did come when called just beautifully in class - at home, it's one big party. If he gets out the gate or the front door, the chase is on. So I went out with Hubby to chase Miles-you-little-bastard up and down the street with treats. When I came back in, my pan had cooked dry.

Then Hubby jumped in on the cooking action and we prepared the sauce together. One of my great joys is cooking with Hubby. When he joins me in the kitchen, we always have a good time. And it was so worth it making the sauce again. Amazing! Delicious! The chicken was perfect and tasted great with the fresh sweet corn on the cob.

I can't say enough good things about this wonderful book, the fascinating story and the lovely recipes included. It's definitely a keeper!

http://www.kathleenflinn.com/sharper.html

Reading "House Rules"

Jodi Picoult is an amazing author and "House Rules" is a fantastic book!!!

We've seen more on Asperger's Syndrome lately - several movies have been released in the last year featuring the syndrome and NBC's "Parenthood" (love this show) also features an 8-year-old character with Asperger's.

"House Rules" is about 18-year-old Jacob Hunt who has Asperger's, his family and what living with the syndrome is like for all of them. He attends a public high school and functions pretty well, but he does have quirks and there are triggers that set him off that have to be addressed constantly. He is obsessed with and, frankly, a genius when it comes to forensic science, loves crime scenes and watching Crime Busters.

During the murder investigation of a girl that Jacob knows well, it appears that he may be involved and things go from bad to worse quickly in this riveting story. I literally could not put this book down at times.

Here are a few excerpts ...

     I know what love is. When you find the person you are supposed to love, bells ring and fireworks go off in your head and you can't find words to speak and you think about her all the time. When you find the person you are supposed to love, you will know by staring deeply into her eyes.

     Well, that's a deal breaker for me.

     It is hard for me to explain why it is so difficult to look into people's eyes. Imagine what it would be like if someone sliced your chest with a scalpel and rummaged around inside you, squeezing your heart and lungs and kidneys. That level of complete invasion is what it feels like when I make eye contact. The reason I choose not to look at people is that I don't think it's polite to rifle through someone's thoughts, and the eyes might as well be glass windows, they're that transparent.

- - - - - - - - - -

     My mother has shaken her head. "Here's what I miss, Jacob. I miss the fact that I won't get to ever hear his voice again. And that I can't talk to him anymore."

     This wasn't really true. We had Grandpa's voice immortalized on old family videos that I sometimes like to watch when I couldn't sleep at night. And it wasn't that she couldn't talk to him that was hard for her to accept; it was that he could no longer talk back.

     My mother had sighed. "You'll get it, one day, I hope."

     I would like to be able to tell her that, yes, now I get it. When someone dies, it feels like the hole in your gum when a tooth falls out. You can chew, you can eat, you have plenty of other teeth, but your tongue keeps going back to that empty place where all the nerves are still a little raw.

- - - - - - - - - -

     I know why; it is because Theo was only a few months old when my father left. I don't remember that day, but I do remember a lot leading up to it. My mother and father often fought right in front of me. I was there, but I wasn't there - those were the days when I would find myself completely entranced by the static on the television screen or the lever of the toaster. My parents assumed that I was not paying attention, but that isn't the way it works. I could hear and see and smell and feel everything at once back then, which is why I had to focus so hard to pay attention to only one of the stimuli. I've always sort of pictured it like a movie: imagine a camera that can record the entire world at once - every sight, every sound. That's very impressive, but it isn't particularly useful if you want to specifically hear a conversation between two people, or see a ball coming toward you while you're standing at bat. And yet, I couldn't change the brain I'd been born with, so instead I learned how to narrow the world with makeshift blinders, until all I noticed was what I wanted to notice. That's autism, for those who've never been there themselves.

The research and level of detail that goes into Jodi Picoult's stories is so incredibly good! I would highly recommend this book.

http://jodipicoult.com/

Reading "Kindred in Death"

Finished J. D. Robb's latest paperback release in the In Death series last night. I just LOVE these characters!

"Kindred in Death" is the 29th book in the series and, as usual, the story line was great. Here is the description given in the book:

A recently promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return early from their vacation.


Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene awaiting their arrival. Deena, their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who stayed behind, had been brutally murdered in her bedroom. Her body shows signs of trauma that horrifies even the toughest of cops, including Lieutenant Eve Dallas.


As evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team believe they are about to arrest the perpetrator. Unbeknownst to them, someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities.


Overconfidence can lead to mistakes. For Eve Dallas, one mistake is all she needs to serve justice.

Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb, just pulls you into this future world of crime in New York City. And Dallas' husband, Roarke ... whew, was that a hot flash or was I imagining Roarke? Dallas is a hard core cop who never worries about things like how she looks or breaking a nail. She is very inept when it comes to social niceties and it's completely entertaining to see her stumbling along as her friends get married and have babies. In Kindred, she has agreed to be the matron of honor for Dr. Louise Dimatto, and has no idea how to carry out the duties involved. I am so looking forward to the book when she and Roarke decide to start a family. Oh, and how I wish they'd make these books into movies!

Here are a couple of passages from this book ...

A conversation between Roarke and Dallas at Cop Central:
     He picked up her coffee, handed it to her. "Taking a blocker for the headache would be better yet."
     It's not so bad, not so bad now. I'll work it off."
     "The pizza I ordered should help."
     "You ordered pizza?" The part of her that yearned warred against the part of her that wanted to maintain discipline. "I've told you not to keep buying food for my cops. You'll spoil and corrupt them."
     "There's only one cop I'm interested in spoiling and corrupting, and pizza happens to be a weakness of hers."
     She drank her coffee doing her best to scowl at him over the rim. "Did you get pepperoni?"

Dr. Charlotte Mira, psychologist and profiler:
     "Most rely on the natural order. Children bury their parents, not the other way around. Those of us who do what we do know murder, even death, has no respect for the natural order. This is a burden McMasters and his wife will never lay down. In time, they'll live, work, play, make love, laugh, but they won't ever lay this down."

A comment by Dallas:
     "I don't have to eat sarcasm to recognize the flavor."

"Kindred in Death" was a great read with a satisfying conclusion.

http://jdrobb.com/

Reading "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"

Our April Book Club get together was last night and the book of the month was "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." If you like fiction based on true historical events, you will want to read this.

First, about the authors: written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, the idea for this book came about when Mary Ann was visiting London in 1976. She somehow became interested in Guernsey (one of the Channel Islands between England and France) and flew to the Island where she was stranded due to fog. While reading her way through everything offered at the Guernsey Airport bookstore, she became fascinated with the German Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II and the idea for this book was spawned. She did not actually write the book until many years later and, sadly, her health was such that she was unable to finish. She asked her niece, Annie Barrows, to do the job for her and the book was published in 2008, the same year that Mary Ann passed away. Annie has published several other books.

The book is composed entirely of letters written to and from residents of Guernsey. (Word of the day: Epistolary.) The main character, Juliet Ashton, is an author who wrote a weekly column under a pen name, "Izzy Bickerstaff Goes to War." She is ready to move on and write something under her own name, but is having trouble coming up with a subject that interests her. Then she is asked to write an article for the Times about the practical, moral and philosophical value of reading.

In the meantime, she has received a letter dated January 12, 1946, from Dawsey Adams, a farmer on Guernsey who enjoys reading. In this first letter, he mentions that "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society came into being because of a roast pig we had to keep secret from the German soldiers ..." And so it begins. Juliet is taken with the stories of life on the Island during the Occupation and begins receiving letters from its residents with the intent of using them to write her article.

Along the way, she travels to Guernsey, makes many friends, encounters heroes, enemies, busy bodies and love in many forms. One of the delightfully engaging characters is Isola Pribby, kind of an Island wackadoodle who sells preserves, vegetables and elixirs made to restore manly ardor. One of my favorite passages in the book is in a letter written by Isola to Sidney Stark, Juliet's publisher. Isola has received a book from Sidney on the Science of Phrenology, studying the bumps on people's heads to see what's right and/or wrong with them ...

"It's a real lightning bolt, this Science of Phrenology. I've found out more in the last three days than I knew in my whole life before. Mrs. Guilbert has always been a nasty one, but now I know that she can't help it -- she's got a big pit in her Benevolence spot. She fell in the quarry when she was a girl, and my guess is she cracked her Benevolence and was never the same again."

This book drew me in with the horrors of the Occupation, the things people did to survive and the amazing love and friendship that grew from it. At one point in the story, I was so distraught that I had to put the book down and leave it for a while. I felt as though I was mourning the death of someone I knew.

A successful Book Club selection and a great read!

http://www.anniebarrows.com/

Reading the "In Death" Series

Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors -- I've probably read everything she's written. In fact, I'm finishing one of her trilogies right now. But she also writes under the pseudonym J.D. Robb and I'm absolutely hooked on the "In Death" series. I've never been a fan of science fiction and the series is set in the late 2050s, complete with interplanetary travel and hover cars, but they're more about the people, their relationships and the murders to be solved.

I think I picked up my first book, which was actually book #7, "Holiday in Death," in 1999 at the used  bookstore -- because it had the word Holiday in the title, right? I enjoyed it so much, I went back and got books 1 through 6 and have been buying them ever since. Two per year are released and I generally prefer paperbacks so I've collected them all as the paperback editions come out.

I was thinking this morning that it must be about time for the next paperback release and I started gathering up my copies. They were all over the place, on different bookshelves and in different rooms. When I got done, here's what I had ...

28 books containing murder, mayhem, bad guys and good sex.  The main character is New York City Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas. She never had a childhood, which fine tuned her street smarts and made her tough as nails. In the first book, "Naked in Death," she encounters Roarke, billionaire owner of Roarke Industries, who had a rough and tumble childhood in Ireland, now lives in New York and is single-handedly working on owning just about everything on multiple planets. The sparks flew and they're still flying!

All I can say is I love these books and someday I'm planning to read every one of them again, one after the other.

• Naked in Death
• Glory in Death
• Immortal in Death
• Rapture in Death
• Ceremony in Death
• Vengeance in Death
• Holiday in Death
• Conspiracy in Death
• Loyalty in Death
• Witness in Death
• Judgment in Death
• Betrayal in Death
• Seduction in Death
• Reunion in Death
• Purity in Death
• Portrait in Death
• Imitation in Death
• Divided in Death
• Visions in Death
• Survivor in Death
• Origin in Death
• Memory in Death
• Born in Death
• Innocent in Death
• Creation in Death
• Strangers in Death
• Salvation in Death
• Promises in Death

"Kindred in Death" will be released in paperback on March 30th. Yay!

http://www.jdrobb.com/index.html

Reading "The School of Essential Ingredients"

I received this book as a gift from a dear friend recently and it was such a pleasure to read.

Lillian, who owns and operates Lillian's restaurant, holds a cooking class on Monday nights. She had an unusual childhood. Her father left them when she was only 4 and her mother's method of coping was to read. Non-stop, constant reading, one book after another. Although she was there physically, reading aloud, spiritually and mentally she left Lillian as well. Lillian learned to take care of the household or nothing would get done. This included cooking, which became her passion.

Lillian has an uncanny sense for understanding people, for making sure that the people who can support and relate to each other come together. Her latest cooking class at "The School of Essential Ingredients" has a number of students who don't even realize they're looking for more than just cooking lessons. A young mother who doesn't know who she is without her children and husband; a couple who have been married for many years and withstood a potential relationship shattering episode; a widower whose wife had been a chef; and more.

In this first novel by Erica Bauermeister, the writing is so lyrical, the food sounds so amazing and the characters feel like people you know. Here are a few wonderful excerpts:

• Helen would groan good-naturedly and roll over, telling Carl all she wanted for Christmas was a good night's sleep, and he would pull the children close and whisper the story of the Night Before Christmas until they would slowly, one by one, fall asleep, their bodies draped across each other like laundry in the basket.
• The frosting was a thick butter-cream, rich as a satin dress laid against the firm, fragile texture of the cake. With each bite, the cake melted first, then the frosting, one after another, like lovers tumbling into bed.
• The first time he had kissed her--it had taken six weeks--was over hamburgers, two inches thick, juices running. He had leaned over and licked the grease off her arm without thinking.
• The chicken was soft, delicate, the broccoli crisp and distinctly alive, ginger seasoning the mix like the provocative flip of a short skirt.

This was a sweet, delightful read (258 pages) and a wonderful lesson in how food affects our senses and triggers memories.

http://ericabauermeister.com/

Reading "The Girl Who Played with Fire"

This is the March selection for our book club, the second in the Millennium series written by Stieg Larsson who passed away in 2004. It's the follow up to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and is pretty darned exciting. I would definitely recommend first reading Dragon Tattoo so you have the lay of the land and who all the characters are.

This story is all about European sex trafficking and the scumbags who run the operation. Mikael Blomkvist, the journalist who writes about true crimes and corporate creeps, has an employee who is set to publish a book about the sex trafficking trade - and name names. When he and his girl (who has in tandem written her thesis on sex trafficking and organized crime) are both murdered, it is a blow to Blomkvist and the others at Millenium. A third murder has occurred nearby with the same weapon and forensic evidence points to Lisbeth Salander - she with the Dragon Tattoo who now Plays with Fire.

There are some very good, unexpected twists in this book and the excitement runs strong right to the very last page. Larsson did an excellent job of setting this story up as a lead in to the third installment, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest."

I think the premise for the story can be found in one sentence on page 463 (hardback edition):

Salander was the woman who hated men who hate women.

I am anxious to read the next one.

Reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Our book club chose a book by Stieg Larsson for March -- "The Girl Who Played With Fire." Since it is a sequel to his first book, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," I decided to buy them both and read them before our March meeting, which was a challenge because they're substantial and I only had a couple of weeks.

I picked up Dragon Tattoo in trade paperback size. It was "translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland" and the translation was published in 2008.

Information on the author:

Stieg Larsson, who lived in Sweden, was the editor in chief of the magazine "Expo" and a leading expert on antidemocratic right-wing extremist and Nazi organizations. He died of a heart attack in 2004, shortly after delivering the manuscripts for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," The Girl Who Played with Fire" and the third novel in the series, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest."

I had trouble getting into Dragon Tattoo until about the fourth chapter (page 69 of 590). Then I could not put it down. I think at first it was all the Swedish names -- people and places -- which I found confusing. The main character is Mikael Blomkvist, a financial journalist who specializes in exposing corporate crooks in his publication "Millennium." He writes an article on industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerstrom and, due to unfortunate circumstances, cannot substantiate his claims or sources. Blomkvist is indicted on libel charges, sentenced to a fine and a few months in prison.

He has decided to take some time off and distance himself from the business, leaving his partner to run Millennium, when he is contacted by Henrik Vanger, patriarch of a prominent, wealthy family. Vanger offers him a 2-part freelance assignment: research and write a book on the history of the Vanger family and -- secretively -- investigate and solve the disappearance of 16-year-old Harriet Vanger 36 years ago. Although her body was never found, Vanger believes that she was murdered and has become consumed by the mystery.

Lisbeth Salander, the actual girl with the dragon tattoo, is a personal investigator for Milton Security who becomes embroiled in the Vanger investigation with Blomkvist. She has a strange, sad background and leads a solitary life, but has incredible research talents.

Stieg Larsson 1954-2004

Telling any more of the story would just be a spoiler, although I will say there are some extremely x-rated, as well as violent, situations in this book so if you're the least bit squeamish, this isn't for you. The solving of the mystery and the plot in general were great and, yay, I was able to immediately pick up Played With Fire and keep reading. The same characters, Blomkvist and Salander, continue on in this book. I'm looking forward to reading the third in the series and am saddened that this talented author passed away at such a young age.

http://www.stieglarsson.com/

Reading "The Broken Window"

Can you say Data Mining? This book was very scary in a today's real world kind of way.

Written by Jeffery Deaver, this is another Lincoln Rhyme / Amelia Sachs murder mystery. (Remember "The Bone Collector" that was made into a movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie?) The paperback edition was released in May 2009 and I picked it up at the used book store.

The basic premise of the story is that someone is killing people, then planting evidence that very strongly convicts other people of the murders. The killer is able to go into any type of record out there and make changes ... you failed a drug test you didn't take ... you have an outstanding warrant when you really don't ... you've missed making your car payments when you really haven't. But the records are what the authorities believe and proving anything different is pretty much impossible.

He is also able to view your records to see what kind of evidence to plant. You bought a rope at Home Depot ... you belong to a certain gym ... you frequent a specific Starbucks. Even paying cash for your transactions doesn't mean you aren't being tracked.

There really are companies out there that specialize in data mining, selling the information to people who want to sell you something or figure out where you're at in life ... buying a house ... having a baby ... being promoted in your job.

jeffery deaver

You know those little key ring reward cards for your favorite places to shop? Oh yeah, everything you buy is being tracked by someone and that information is sold to someone else. Scary, huh?

The reason Lincoln Rhyme becomes involved in these murders is his cousin, Arthur Rhyme, is being convicted for one of them. This was a very good book and, frankly, I find myself thinking about it as I'm out running errands, leaving a trail of information.

http://www.jefferydeaver.com/

The White House Cook Book - An Antique Cookbook

I love antiques, I love cooking and I love books -- so what could be better than an antique cookbook!

I have around 200 cookbooks in my collection but I think the oldest is one I received as a gift from my Youngest Sister a few years ago. The original copyright was in 1887; my copy of "The White House Cook Book" was published by The Saalfield Publishing Company in 1907, made by The Werner Company in Akron, Ohio. It was written by Hugo Zieman, Steward of the White House, and Mrs. F. L. Gillette.

I don't know who owned it, but it is very yellowed and obviously used. There are a number of handwritten notes on the pages as well as inserted between the pages, along with newspaper clippings of recipes and a few Champion Dog Series collector cards - #9 Mastiff and #17 Great Dane.

It contains 590 pages of fascinating information including:

Page iv - Note from the Publisher (last paragraph) -- Convenience has been studied in the make-up of the book. The type is large and plain; it is sewed by patent flexible process, so that when opened it will not close of itself, and it is bound in enameled cloth adapted for use in the kitchen.

Page 37 - Recipe for Squirrel Soup.

Page 147 - To Cure Ham and Bacon with a notation in parentheses (A Prize Recipe).

Newspaper clipping for Lady Baltimore Cake by Mrs. Janet McKenzie Hill, Editor of the Boston Cooking School Magazine.

Page 158 - How to prepare Herbs for Winter.

Beginning on Page 168 - An entire section on how to make Catsup -- tomato, walnut, oyster, mushroom, gooseberry, cucumber, currant, apple, celery and spiced vinegar.

How to make all variety of Pickles.

A handwritten recipe on a piece of note paper for Molasses Candy.

Page 208 - How to make Butter.

A hand-drawn design for a Card Case (for calling cards?).

Page 226 - General directions for making Bread.

Page 229 - How to make Unrivaled Yeast.

Page 240 - Parker House Rolls. Oven temperature is "Bake in a rather quick oven."

Page 259 - How to make Crackers.

There are pages of photos throughout the book that include the Presidents' Wives (previous photo) as well as demonstrative photos like "Icing the Cakes" on Page 270.

Page 271 - Plain Chocolate Icing was an obvious favorite with a penciled X by it.

Handwritten recipe for Cucumber Pickles by Mary Roll.

Page 281 - Recipe for Snow Cake (Delicious.) "This is a genuine Scotch recipe."

Page 296 - Sponge Drops in the Cake Section. Measurements are by Teacup and Coffee Cup and instructions read to"Bake instantly in a very quick oven."

An old Sears, Roebuck envelope advertisement to order a Free Sample Book. It reads "Don't pay retail prices for clothing" and takes a 2-cent stamp.

Many recipes called for "Butter the size of a walnut" or "Butter the size of an egg."

Page 423 - Deep Red Coloring for Fruit, etc. [Take twenty grains of cochineal and fifteen grains of cream of tartar finely powdered; add to them a piece of alum the size of a cherry stone and boil them with a gill of soft water in an earthen vessel, slowly, for half an hour. Then strain it through muslin, and keep it tightly corked in a phial. If a little alcohol is added it will keep any length of time.]

Page 437 - The Healing Properties of Tea and Coffee. [The medical properties of these two beverages are considerable. Tea is used advantageously in inflammatory diseases and as a cure for the headache. Coffee is supposed to act as a preventive of gravel and gout, and to its influence is ascribed the rarity of those diseases in France and Turkey. Both tea and coffee powerfully counteract the effects of opium and intoxicating liquors; though, when taken in excess, and without nourishing food, they themselves produce, temporarily at least, some of the more disagreeable consequences incident to the use of ardent spirits. In general, however, none but persons possessing great mobility of the nervous system, or enfeebled or effeminate constitutions, are injuriously affected by the moderate use of tea and coffee in connection with food.]

How to make Wine and Beer.

Weekly Menus for each month of the year including holidays and special days like Washington's Birthday.

Special Menus including a State Dinner at the White House; Mrs. Cleveland's Wedding Lunch - June 4, 1888; General Grant's Birthday Dinner; and a Buffet for 1,000 People.

Remedies and Cures for the Sick including Beefsteak and mutton chops if he is very sick; Draughts for the feet; and Cure for ringworm.

Health Suggestions including How Colds are Caught; for Toothache; and Asthma.

Miscellaneous recipes To clean kid gloves; Paper-hangers' paste; Postage stamp mucilage.

Facts Worth Knowing such as To clean marble busts and To freshen gilt frames.

Toilet Recipes, Items including Lavender water; Hair invigorator, Phalon's instantaneous hair dye; Pearl smelling salts; and antidote for poisons.

How to make dyes in all colors for a variety of fabrics.

Table Etiquette including Dinner giving [We gather around our board agreeable persons, and they pay us and our dinner the courtesy of dressing for the occasion, and this reunion should be a time of profit as well as pleasure.] ; and A family dinner [This sensible meal, well cooked and neatly served, is pleasing to almost any one, and is within the means of any housekeeper in ordinary circumstances.]

Handwritten recipes and notes in the book include Burnt Carmel Cake; Horse colic; Washing fluid; Throat gargle; Little Sage Tea [A pinch of Borax and a little honey is good for Baby's sore mouth]; Cod oil and vinegar is good to take rust from cloth; and Black Chocolate Cake (requested).

This beautiful cookbook is an absolute treasure in my collection. I doubt if I'll be doing much actual cooking from it, but it is fascinating to read! Thanks again to my Baby Sister!

Reading "Tender at the Bone"

Our book club selection for February is "Tender at the Bone -- Growing Up at the Table" by Ruth Reichl. I had to keep reminding myself that this is non-fiction.

Ruth Reichl, Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet magazine which is no longer being published as of November 2009, has an entertaining history with food. While she had no formal culinary training, she has cooked since she was a small child. This is the story of her life with food and her no holds barred personal life, including dealing with a manic-depressive mother who was known as the Queen of Mold.

Here's a little excerpt from the first chapter:

"Oh, it's just a little mold," I can remember her saying on the many occasions she scraped the fuzzy blue stuff off some concoction before serving what was left for dinner. She had an iron stomach and was incapable of understanding that other people did not.

This taught me many things. The first was that food could be dangerous, especially to those who loved it. I took this very seriously. My parents entertained a great deal, and before I was ten I had appointed myself guardian of the guests. My mission was to keep Mom from killing anybody who came to dinner.

She tells about learning to cook from her Aunt Birdie's maid, Hortense, as well as their own family's maid, Mrs. Peavey; being sent to boarding school in Montreal to learn French and getting an education from the local deli owners; spending time with a fellow student's millionaire family where she was introduced to gourmet food; traveling abroad with her college roommate; marrying and making ends meet -- then moving to California and living in a commune; being hired as a restaurant critic by a San Francisco magazine; going to France on a wine buying trip; even attending a party in honor of James Beard.

ruth reichl

I found her story interesting and fascinating. She really went through some ups and downs with her mother's illness and came out on the right side of happy.

Ruth Reichl has written and edited a number of books and cookbooks over the years and I believe I'll read them all. "Tender at the Bone" includes recipes throughout the text as well.

http://www.ruthreichl.com/?ID=2

Reading "Comfort Food"

I really enjoy books by Kate Jacobs. She has written “The Friday Night Knitting Club” and its sequel “Knit Two.” Of course, stories about knitting and knitting shops and knitting friends always appeal to me.

Now she has crossed over into my other love interest – cooking – with her book “Comfort Food.”

Gus Simpson is a widow with two daughters, now grown. At the time her husband died, her girls were still young and Gus felt the only way she could hold it all together was by being strong, hiding her grief and working, working, working. She has no formal culinary training, but enjoys cooking and opens a sandwich shop that receives interest from the head of the CookingChannel. After ending up with her own TV show, she feels like she has everything under control.

kate jacobs

Then the show's ratings go down and she is unwillingly paired up with spicy hot former Miss Spain, Carmen Vega, to bring new viewers and regenerate interest with her existing audience. Through this painful process, she ends up learning a lot about herself and the disservice she has done to her daughters and their relationship.

It’s a fluffy, light story, but still lots of fun and all the more enjoyable with food talk throughout.

http://www.katejacobs.com/

Reading "Dear John"

My horoscope in today's newspaper reads:

You find it impossible to think anything but the best about everyone you meet. Goodness hovers around you like a perfume.

Is that what that smell is? Obviously, they don't know me!

I hosted our book club meeting last night. It's good to have people over periodically. Makes you straighten up the house. I love the morning after we've had guests, just walking around with my coffee cup, enjoying the sparkly clean!

We discussed "The Help," which everyone really liked and we're all hoping Kathryn Stockett goes on to write more books. We were missing a few members due to illness and a bad back, but gained a new member -- my YD joined us. There is another mother-daughter who attends and it's so nice to see how they really like each other and want to spend time together. We are all lucky to have this close relationship.

In addition to the usual wine, cheese, crackers and fruit, I decided to make a little hot appetizer. It was super easy and really delicious. Actually got raves. At Italian restaurants, one of my favorites is a Caprese salad, which is mozzarella, plum tomatoes, basil and olive oil so this plays off of that. Called Crostini Caprese, I found it on the Pampered Chef website and will make this one over and over again. I don't have the Large Round Stone, so substituted a cookie sheet and it worked just fine. Also just used my store brand spray olive oil.

Finally, to the real reason I'm writing. "Dear John" is classic Nicholas Sparks. As you'll remember from "The Notebook," he writes deep love stories and someone always gets sick and/or dies. This book did not disappoint; however, it was predictable. YD, hubby and I all read it and figured out the ending ahead of time. All that said, it was a nice read.

John Tyree is a troubled kid, raised alone by a father so shy he can barely carry on a conversation. After completing high school, John decides he is on the wrong path and joins the army, which turns out to be a good thing for him. Home on a furlough, he meets Savannah and they fall in love. They make plans to marry when he gets out of the service -- then 9/11 happens. When his entire squad reenlists, he has to choose between love for his country and love for his woman. Lots of angst, lots of drama.

I am looking forward to seeing the movie, which comes out February 5th. But here's one of the things that drives me nuts when they make a book into a movie. Sparks makes it very clear in the book that Savannah is brunette. Especially in the beginning when they first meet, it is mentioned over and over that she is an attractive brunette. So in my head I have this image of Savannah as a brunette. If you've seen the movie previews -- or just look at the cover of the book, they have cast her as a blonde. What???

Pictured is the book with a vase of pretty yellow flowers I got yesterday.

Reading "The Help"

Wow! What a fantastic first novel from Kathryn Stockett. It is said that you should write about what you know and it seems she did. Stockett was raised in Mississippi with a black family maid who told her stories about picking cotton as a child. She really nailed the voices of the women in her story, written primarily about two black maids and one young white woman who is appalled at the way the help is treated in their community in 1962.

Miss Eugenia Phelan, nicknamed Skeeter at birth by her brother, graduated from Ole Miss with a diploma and ambition when all of her girlfriends were getting engaged and married. While away at college, her beloved maid, Constantine, disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter what happened or where she's gone. This mystery is a thread that runs through the entire book, entangled with her desire to improve relations between white women and their hired help. Skeeter wanted to be a writer and applied for a position as an editor with Harper & Row Publishers in New York. The response she receives from the senior editor sets in motion the clandestine project she is writing with the help in town, telling the good and the bad about the white families they work for. This was a very dangerous project for all involved during this time of prejudice and racial unrest in Mississippi.

Aibileen is the first maid to come on board with the tell-all project that Skeeter proposes. They originally connected when Skeeter took a job at the local newspaper, writing a column on keeping a clean house. Readers would write in with cleaning questions and Skeeter would answer them. The catch was that she knew next to nothing about cleaning and asked Aibileen for help. Aibileen had worked for many white families over the years and was currently helping to raise her 17th white baby while cooking and cleaning.

An excerpt by Aibileen:

"After while my mind done drifted to where I wish it wouldn't. I reckon I know pretty well what would happen if the white ladies found out we was writing about them, telling the truth a what they really like. Womens, they ain't like men. A woman ain't gone beat you with a stick. Miss Hilly wouldn't pull no pistol on me. Miss Leefolt wouldn't come burn my house down.


No, white womens like to keep they hands clean. They got a shiny little set a tools they use, sharp as witches' fingernails, tidy and laid out neat, like the picks on a dentist tray. They gone take they time with em.


First thing a white lady gone do is fire you."

Minny also agrees to tell her story to Skeeter, although very begrudgingly. She is a sassy woman who has lost several jobs for speaking her mind to her employer. Minny is the bouncing red ball in this book -- you have to keep your eye on her all the time and just try to keep up with the highs and lows of her life. When the project is floundering, Minny is the catalyst that pushes it into high gear while at the same time providing a safety net to the vulnerable maids in the community.

As the story progresses, the tension becomes greater and greater. This was one of those "just one more chapter" books that I couldn't put down because I simply had to find out what happened next. My mind stayed on these women and their stories even when I wasn't reading. So well done!

"The Help" is our book club's pick for January -- was a great choice! Visit Stockett's website at http://kathrynstockett.com/