Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Bellevue Farmer's Market Cookbook

My local farmer's market published a cookbook a few years back. I grabbed it off the shelf since our farmer's markets are just opening around here.

I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections

I've enjoyed the other Ephron books I've read. I don't think this one will be any different.

Hood

While attempted to read The Outlaws of Sherwood (which I DNF), I decided I needed to read more Robin Hood legend. I stumbled on Hood and decided to give it a shot.

Paleo Slow Cooking

You know I love my slow cooker. I hoping to find some winners in here.

Sweet Potato Power

More paleo but also like the smart carb approach. 

What did you get this week?

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

After reading Violets of March and Blackberry Winter, I'll read anything Sarah Jio writes. I was not disappointed with The Bungalow. You do have suspend reality a little but the story was so moving that I didn't notice too much.
The Bungalow reminded me a lot of Rosie Thomas' books which I also enjoy. The Bungalow starts with an elderly Anne, napping while waiting for her granddaughter to arrive for a visit. Quickly, Anne starts to tell her granddaughter the story of her life in the 1940's. We're are transported to Seattle, at the start of World War 2. Anne has just graduated from nursing school and is ready to marry a good, stable man. Anne's life is all planned out. Anne's best friend, Kitty decides to volunteer as a nurse and persuades Anne to come along. Anne postpones her wedding and flies to the South Pacific with Kitty.
Jio writes richly detailed characters and beautiful settings. I could feel like I was there with Anne on Bora Bora. I enjoyed Anne's story. I wish that Kitty and some of Anne's other nurse friends were more fleshed out. The Bungalow is only 290 pages so Jio focused the story on Anne.
Overall I found The Bungalow to be a great quick read. Others who shared their thoughts on The Bungalow: Seize The Latte, The Literary Life of A Well Read Wife, Write Meg!, Jenn's Bookshelves, Devourer of Books, and Life In The Thumb.
This is my eighth read for the Historical Reading Challenge.

Weekend Cooking: Almond Brioche Sticky Buns

I put Aidia Mollenkamp's Keys To The Kitchen on hold at the library after reading about it on Cooking With Amy. I loved the second part of the title: The Essential Reference For Becoming a More Accomplished, Adventurous Cook. I'm definitely trying to be a more accomplished and adventurous cook.
Mollenkamp goes over types of meats, veggies, and herbs. She gives concise overviews on how to choose foods and what seasons they would be the freshest. Mollenkamp advocates eating seasonally. I loved all the pictures and the details given to the techniques at the beginning. The first half of the book talks about techniques and teaches a lot about preparing food. The second half is recipes. But even the recipe are demonstrating techniques.
I decided to make Mollenkamp's Almond Brioche Sticky Buns:

Despite the fact they have a difficulty rating of hard, I thought they were fairly easy. A little time consuming but not too difficult. I would definitely make them again.

The only thing I disliked about Keys To The Kitchen was in the recipe section. Mollenkamp talks a lot in the beginning about eating seasonally but the recipes are mashed together. There's no suggestion of which season each recipe might be from. I'm still learning how to eat seasonally so more information would have been helpful for me.
Mollenkamp's Keys To The Kitchen is a must buy for me. Others who share their thoughts on Keys To The Kitchen: The Kitchn, The Spiced Life,  Edible Living, Turntable Kitchen, and Food Gal.



Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

Forever A Lady by Delilah Marvelle

After reading Forever and A Day, I immediately put Forever A Lady on hold. I'm really enjoying this series.
Lady Bernadette is a widow who has decided to enjoy life. She has decided not to get attached to any man. Matthew is a thief and criminal. Matthew longs to find a woman to settle down with. Despite the fact that they travel in different circles, Matthew and Bernadette find themselves drawn to each other. Their romance isn't easy which I enjoyed. They didn't even have insta-love. It was insta-lust. Love came later. I liked how their romance progressed and both characters grew. I really liked Matthew and Bernadette.
Overall, I enjoyed Forever A Lady. I can't wait to read the third in the series, Forever A Lord. Others who shared their thoughts on Forever A Lady: The Rookie Romance, My Book Addiction Reviews, Books and Kisses, and What I'm Reading.
This was my seventh read for the Historical Reading Challenge.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

The Historian

I've been wanting to read The Historian for a while. Since I'm reading longer books this year, I figured now was a good time.

A Kiss Of Shadows

I was in the mood for a book about faeries so I decided to start Hamilton's Merry Gentry series.

The Tea Rose

I need to read longer books in order to meet my 40,000 page goal this year. I put a call out on Twitter for longer books that people have enjoyed. Shoshanah recommended The Tea Rose series so I requested the first one from the library. 

Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls

Sedaris' latest of course.

Outlander by Diana Gibaldon

I decided to read Outlander and start the Outlander series because they are freaking long books and I need longer books to get to my goal of 40,000 pages read this year. At 627 pages it certainly qualifies as mammoth book. Anyway Outlander is like everyone's favorite book and for good reason. It's awesome.
Ok, Claire and her husband, Frank, are enjoying a second honeymoon in Scotland. Frank is enjoying the historical sites of Scotland and finding out of the way and unknown attractions. Claire enjoys finding interesting herbs and plants. On one expedition to a cluster of rocks, Claire touches one of the rocks and is transported to 1743. I enjoyed the fish out of water experience Claire has at first. She thinks the fight she stumbles upon is a movie set. It isn't until she's attacked that she realizes this isn't a movie. It takes a while for Claire to realize that she's gone back in time. Fortunately, Frank's historical studies rubbed off on Claire so she's able to know a little bit about the world she's in. But nothing prepares her to live in 1743 or to meet Jamie.
Jamie has to be my new favorite character. I kept reading Jamie's dialogue to Tai.  He even thought Jamie sounded pretty cool. I liked Claire too. Gabaldon writes a rich and interesting story. I was immediately drawn in. I read Outlander for most of the readathon and was entertained.
Overall, I enjoyed Outlander. I can't say it was my favorite book ever. Jamie is my new favorite male character though. I plan to keep reading the series. Others who shared their thoughts on Outlander: Once Upon A Chapter, Cannonball Reads 5, Chapter Break, and It's A Book Life.
This was my sixth read for the Historical Reading Challenge.

This was my fourth read for the Mammoth Reading Challenge.

April Book Tally

Ashes and Shards edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong (384)
The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater (416)
Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O'Malley (192)
Replay by Ken Grimwood (320)
Tricked by Kevin Hearne (341)
Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger (307)
Forever and A Day by Delilah Marvelle (376)
White Jacket Required by Jenna Weber (208)
Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O'Malley (205)
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (440)
The Proposal by Mary Balogh (320)
Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe by Bryan Lee O'Malley (179)
Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley (245)
Outlander by Diana Gibaldon (review coming soon) (627)

Fourteen books read this month. Woo Hoo! I wanted to get some books out of the way before the readathon so I was a reading machine the week before the readathon. I read 4 books the week before the readathon. I wanted to start Outlander on or the day before the readathon. It worked out perfectly. The readathon also helped make this month awesome.

Stats:

Fill In The Gaps YTD: 0 (None this month)

Historical Reading Challenge YTD: 5 (The Proposal and Forever and A Day)

Mammoth Book Challenge YTD: 3 (Outlander)

Let Me Count The Ways Book Challenge: Pages read this month (4560), Pages read this year (11805)
Total books to date: 37

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

500 Paleo Recipes

We are not going completely Paleo but I like some the recipes and there tends to be little carbs.

Meat Eater

Meat Eater caught my eye at the library. It sounded interesting.

Fine Cooking Comfort Food

Another one that caught my on the shelf.

What did you get this week?

White Jacket Required by Jenna Weber

This is such a hard review for me to write. I picked up White Jacket Required because I enjoy Jenna's blog, Eat, Live, Run. But I just wasn't a fan of White Jacket Required.
After Jenna graduates from college, she struggles to find a job. After a conversation with her mother, Jenna decides to enroll in culinary school. But culinary school isn't something she enjoys so she switches to the baking program. In the baking program, Jenna hits her stride and decides to find something allowing her to combine her love of food and writing.
One of the reasons I read Eat, Live, Run is because Jenna is so laid back and she loves to share her enthusiasm for food. I found none of that Jenna in White Jacket Required. I found Jenna to be judge-y.  She talks about how she enjoys real food, not junk food. She seemed disdainful to her peers with eating disorders and weight problems. I had a hard time reading White Jacket Required because I didn't connect with Jenna at all. Worse, I felt bad for disliking her when the tragic accident occurs. I didn't feel like I could write a review where I said I didn't like her book. But there I said it.
There are recipes at the end of each chapter and I look forward to making her Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken and the Linguine with Escarole and Brie. I'll continue to read her blog since I've enjoyed it. But I no longer feel that connect to her that I used to feel. Others who shared their thoughts on White Jacket Required: Foodigen, The Barefoot Ballerina, Two Eat Philly, and Bake at 350º.

The Proposal by Mary Balogh

I heard about The Proposal from Shelf Talk. I figured I would enjoy The Proposal since it was set in England and it featured an opposites attract story line. The Proposal wasn't bad but nothing to remember.
Gwen's been widowed these past seven years. She's perfectly content on her own. She travels to see a friend, a recent widow. While visiting said friend, Gwen stumbles, twisting her ankle. Hugo happens to be near by and assists Gwen to the home of his friends. Gwen is a Lady. Hugo is an ex-military officer who has been given a title. Hugo feels it's his duty to marry and assist his younger half-sister in finding a place in society. Despite the fact that both Hugo and Gwen know that a relationship between them would never last, they find themselves drawn to each other.
Both Gwen and Hugo have baggage. Like whole luggage carts of baggage. And they both think this baggage should keep them from ever being with someone. Slowly they put down and examine their baggage and determine that not all of it is worth keeping. I liked that they both became safe places for each other and that Hugo's friends helped both of see that they could find a future together.
The story was engaging. I did enjoy The Proposal but there was nothing new. It's been a few days since I finished it and I'm having trouble remembering some of the details.  It would be a great vacation read. A lovely romance. Others who shared their thoughts on The Proposal: Book City Girl, A Girl, Books, and Other Stuff, and Smexy Books.
This was my sixth read for the Historical Reading Challenge.

Readathon-End Of The Event Meme

I fell asleep around midnight. I got about 5 solid hours of reading in after dinner. I finished 2 books and got more than half in Outlander. Not bad.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Hour 20. I was struggling to stay awake. I wanted to make it to a certain point in Outlander. I couldn't read 30 more pages so I called it quits at midnight.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Graphic Novels. Have a few in your pile to give yourself a break from longer novels.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

No. I think the Readathon is a fantastic event. The volunteers do an amazing job.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

For me, going with the flow. I've noticed that either I go like gang busters in the morning and tap out around dinner time or I don't do much til later in the day and read late into the night. Both are fine and I shouldn't beat myself up for getting distracted.

5. How many books did you read?

Finished 2 and read about half of one.

6. What were the names of the books you read?

Finished Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe and Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour. Still reading Outlander.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

All of them. I'm glad to have finished the Scott Pilgrim series. It's one I'd wanted to read for a long time.

8. Which did you enjoy least?

Enjoyed them all.

9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

Very likely. I love the Readathon and can't wait to participate again in October.

Readathon-Evening Post

It's about 8pm here. I took a break from Outlander and finished the Scott Pilgrim series. I read books 5 and 6. I'm glad to have finished something.

I'm about 200 pages in Outlander and I am enjoying it. I'm going to read that for the rest of the night.

Hopefully, I'll post again before I crash for the night.

How is your readathon going?

Readathon-Midday Break

It's about 3pm here and I've probably read for 2 hours. I had an errand to run in the morning. When I got home, I made breakfast, got a loaf of bread going, and made some guacamole. Then I read for a hour before starting lunch. Following lunch I read for another hour while doing some laundry. Dad and I need to trek to the grocery store and library now. I'm hoping to get a few more hours of reading in before crashing tonight.

I'm still reading Outlander. I think reading one book for the duration of the Readathon was a bad idea. I like finishing books and I will not be finishing Outlander today. I might read Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe tonight.

How's everyone else doing?

Readathon-The Start

My official start time is 5am. Ha! I'll still be sound asleep at that time. I'll probably start closer to 10am. Dad and I need to run a couple of errands first before the reading starts.

To the meme...
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
A suburb of Seattle, WA

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I've only got one book in my stack, Outlander by Diana Gibaldon. I have other books in case I need a break from Outlander but I hope to make a good dent in Outlander today.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Guacamole! I haven't had any in a while it sounds so good right now.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
My name's Linda. I love to cook and read. Sometimes at the same time. I love movies. My husband got me tickets to a premiere of Much Ado About Nothing in May. I'm very excited about it since Joss Wheadon and Nathan Fillion will be there too. 

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
This is my sixth readathon. I planned out the food a little better this time. Plus I've got some ideas for breaks if I need them. I'm looking forward to getting lost in Outlander and losing myself in the story.

I'll be posting updates throughout the day as well as chatting on Twitter (@sillylittle). Yay Readathon!!

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I picked up Leviathan because it's the first book in the Leviathan series and I've always wanted to read it. I knew going in that Leviathan was alternate history around the time of the beginning of World War I but little else. Since it was very steampunky, I enjoyed it.
The story starts off with Alek, who is supposed to be sleeping but instead holding a mock battle with his army figurines. Alek is interrupted by his fencing coach and his father's mechanik who whisk Alek off for night time practice on his walker, a 35 ton metal machine. But in reality, Alek's life is about be changed forever.
Meantime, Deryn is attempting to join the Air Service. But since Deryn is female and women are not allow to join the Air Service, Deryn dresses up as boy and becomes Dylan. Deryn loves to fly and is excited to be joining the Air Service. In fact Deryn has an unusual aptitude for handling the "beasties". Beasties are the animal-machine hybrids. The Darwinist mix animals like whales and jellyfish with machines to make airships. It's so odd but totally cool at the same time.
After reading this book, I kept saying "barking spiders", Deryn's favorite exclamation. It reminded me of Little Orphan Annie's "leaping lizards". And I did add barking to a lot of my sentences such as "These kale chips are barking delicious!" I got some odd looks.
I enjoyed Leviathan. I did realize how little I know about World War I despite reading a book last year about the war. Luckily, Westerfeld does put a little synopsis in at the end to help us history challenged folks. Plus he also explains what he changed and what remained the same. I'll be continuing this series. I can't wait to see what happens to Alek and Deryn. Others who shared their thoughts on Leviathan: The Paper Critic, Peppy Reads, and I'd So Rather Be Reading.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

The Outlaws of Sherwood

I spotted The Outlaws of Sherwood while browsing Goodreads one day. I like the other McKinley books I've read so I'm looking forward to this one.

Herb Gardening From The Ground Up

I'm starting a culinary herb garden. I'm not an experienced gardener so I'm expecting to fail a lot. But I'm looking forward to trying and hope Herb Gardening From The Ground up will give me some pointers. 

Forever A Lady

After enjoying Forever and A Day, I went ahead and requested the second in the series.

What did you get this week?

Forever And A Day by Delilah Marvelle

Let me just say Forever And A Day is not typical of the books I read. This was straight up romance. Historical romance but romance nonetheless. But I enjoyed it. It was a great read, kept me entertained. I'll be reading this series.
While walking home one day, Georgia catches the eye of a handsome stranger. It's obvious this man is wealthy, not like Georgia who works hard at doing other people's laundry to pay her rent. Georgia is flattered when this man pursues her but she knows nothing more than a tumble in bed will come of it. She turns this handsome man down. But then her purse is stolen, he attempts to retrieve it and get hit by a trolley. If there was one thing I didn't like about this book, it was the insta-love. She saw him, he saw her, bam. After he gets hit by the trolley, Georgia stays with him, making sure he gets medical attention.  It's 1830. Georgia clearly works for a living, just scraping by, and she has time and money to trek to the hospital everyday? I had to suspend a lot of reality. But it was worth it IMHO.
Ok, Roderick, the guy who got hit with the trolley. Hello, hot! I can't say a whole lot about him without giving tons of spoilers. But I can see why folks read romance. Hot guy who's caring and helpful. He kept me turing the pages. Plus the sexy sexy times didn't hurt.
While it was historical fiction, the history really didn't grab me. It didn't diminish my enjoyment but I had to remind myself over and over again this was taking place in the 1800's.
Overall I really enjoyed Forever And A Day. It was fun and engaging. I'll be continuing this series! Others who shared their thoughts on Forever and A Day: The Rookie Romance Blog, Book Savvy Babes, and Fall In Love With Books.
This is my fifth read for the Historical Reading Challenge.

Weekend Cooking: Linda's Stuffed Flank Steak

There are probably thousands of stuffed flank recipes. But I've come up with 2 combos that we really enjoy. First I love this recipe. It's completely easy, very little prep time, and once it's in the oven, you can do something else til it's ready!
I've made it two different ways:

 With artichoke hearts.

With roasted red peppers.

Everything else is the same except in one I used peppers and the other I used artichoke hearts.

Linda's Stuffed Flank Steak

1 1/2 lb flank steak (flap steak would also work)
2 tbs minced garlic or garlic paste
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 cup  baby spinach or 2 handfuls
1/4 cup diced marinated artichoke hearts OR 6 sliced roasted red peppers
1/4  cup of the marinade from either the artichokes or the peppers
salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400º. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Lay flank steak on the baking sheet. Salt and pepper both sides. My flank steaks come sort of rolled in the package. I lay the less curled side down. Since the meat is already starting to roll, it seems easier to work with it like that.
Spread garlic. I like to use Gourmet Garden's Chunky Garlic Paste. Makes my life easier. Then layer feta cheese. Next a layer of the spinach, then either the diced artichoke hearts or the roasted red peppers. Roll up meat and secure with toothpicks.
Some of the filling will fall out. Stuff it back in or pile it on top like the first photo. Cover the meat loosely with foil and bake for 45-65 minutes. The time will depend on the thickness of the meat and the doneness you prefer.
I serve it with lemon quinoa (prepare quinoa as package directs, before serving add 2 tbs of lemon zest and the juice of half a lemon, stir and serve).

I've made it several times and always gets rave reviews.

Do you have a favorite stuffed flank steak recipe?




Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carringer

A coworker of mine loaned me Etiquette & Espionage since she knows much I enjoyed The Parasole Protectorate series. I was very happy that E&E is set in the same world as TPP (just about 50 years before TPP). I enjoyed seeing that world from a new angle.
Sophronia is a handful. She is forever getting into messes and creating havoc. Rumor is her mother's shipping her off to the vampires. Truth is her mother is sending her to finishing school. Sophronia does not want to be finished. Yet, off she goes and plunged into a world full of flywaymen, werewolves, espionage, and curtseying. Sophronia is quick and curious, two very useful traits. She immediately befriends Dimity and the two of them set out to learn the secrets of Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
I found Sophronia to be delightful. I completely enjoyed getting to know her. I also like Dimity even though she was a little dim at times. I especially enjoyed those characters that came from TPP series. A little younger but still there. I won't spoil anything for those of you who haven't read it. I was delighted to "see" some familiar faces!
I didn't expect to enjoy Etiquette & Espionage so much but I'm thrilled that I did. I'm looking forward to continuing the series. Others who shared their thoughts on Etiquette & Espionage: A Girl Lost In A Book, Weirdmage's Reviews, Novel Friends, The Book Bellas, and One A Day YA.

Gearing Up For The Readathon

On Saturday, April 27th I'll be participating in the Readathon. This is my sixth readathon. I adore the readathon. First, setting aside time to read is one of my favorite things. I love that hundreds of people are doing the exact same thing. It's a great way to fill up your to be read list and meet people from all over the world. It's so hard to just read since chatting with folks is so much fun. I'll probably be on twitter and posting updates on here periodically.
I won't have a pile of books this year. Just one book:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I'm trying to read other books right now so I can either start Outlander the morning of the Readathon or the night before. I doubt I'll finish it that day but I should make  sufficient progress.
Are you joining the Readathon? If not consider it. Even if you can't read all day, join in the fun on twitter and with the other bloggers. Head over to Dewey's Readathon to learn more.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.


I have quite a haul this week.

Aida Mollencamps' Keys to The Kitchen

To further my cooking education.

Hiroko's American Kitchen: Cooking With Japanese Flavors

I've been leafing through this one already. I can't wait to make a few recipes from Hiroko's American Kitchen.

The Japanese Kitchen

This is one massive book-528 pages! I'm looking forward to seeing if it's one I should buy.

The 150 Healthiest Slow Cooker Recipes on Earth

I'm always looking for more slow cooker recipes especially healthy ones.

Iron: or The War After

I put Iron in my library queue after seeing it on Omnivoracious. Sounded really good.

Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe

The next in the Scott Pilgrim series.

Sever

The end of The Chemical Garden trilogy. I looking forward to seeing how this wraps up.

What did you get this week?