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.

Same story this week. A giant pile of books.

Forever A Lord

The last one in the Rumor series.

The Hunter

Interesting sounding steampunk series. 

The Second Summer of The Sisterhood

I read the first in the series, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, a few years ago. I always planned on reading the rest of the series but never followed through. Now I am.

Warrior

Interesting sounding fantasy romance. 

The Concubine's Daughter

I spotted The Concubine's Daughter on someone's blog, thought it sounded good and put it on hold. 

Peony In Love

Another Lisa See novel.

Hearts of Shadow

The second of the Deadglass series.

What did you get this week?

Mid Year Challenge Review (A Little Late)

Ok, so we're a little past mid year. But I wanted to review where I stand for the challenges I signed up for at the beginning of the year.

The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge:

I signed up for the Victorian level which was 5 books. So far I've read 10 Historical fiction novels. So killing it on the Historical Fiction Reading challenge.

The Mammoth Book Challenge:

I signed up for the White Rhinoceros level (9 books) and I've read 9 so far this year. I'll probably read a couple more mammoth books this year. I had been worried about completing this challenge so I'm pretty happy to be done so early.

2013 Let Me Count The Ways Challenge:

I signed up to read 10,000 pages. According to Goodreads, I've read 22,107 pages (not including the book I am currently reading). But I want to read 40,000 pages this year. I'd like to be closer to 30,000 at this point. I'm just going to have keep reading and hope I can make my goal. 

How are you doing on your challenges this year?

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

I picked up This Is Where I Leave You because I heard it was being made into a movie with Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, and Timothy Olphant. I like those actors so I took a look at the book. Not something I usually read (family drama) but decided to take a chance. Funny, poignant, and a little ridiculous, This Is Where I Leave You definitely had my attention.
Mort Foxman dies after a long illness. His dying wish was for his four children and his wife to sit shiva for him as a family. The Foxman children have long tried to keep their visits home short so the prospect of staying in their childhood for seven days isn't anyone's idea of a good time. But they all come, wives, children, and baggage in tow. Judd Foxman is not only mourning his father; he's also mourning the death of his marriage. Wendy Foxman has brought her 3 kids and distant husband with her. But Wendy's teenage romance with their neighbor, Horry, also comes back. Paul Foxman and his wife, Alice, bring their infertility and resentment with them. And Phillips Foxman, the youngest, brings his nearly 50 year old girlfriend and lack of responsibility with him. And of course, Mrs Foxman, the widow, a celebrated parenting guru who attempts to help her children with their issues.
For the most part, This Is Where I Leave You follows Judd. With the demise of his marriage and the death of his father, Judd's going through a lot. Not that his siblings live golden lives but most of them have accept their lots in life. Judd's at an interesting crossroads. No wife, no job, no father, Judd is a little aimless but has the most room for growth. I liked Judd. He's sarcastic and troubled.
This is Where I Leave You is full of schadenfreude. I was laughing at the bad things that happened to this people. But you were supposed to. At first I felt like it was the written version of Arrested Development. But towards the end, I felt sorry for these people. Not all of them deserved the shit that they kept receiving. Overall, I liked it but wouldn't freely recommend it to everyone. If you like seeing people mess up, families continue to hurt each other (physically and emotionally), and be ok with nothing being wrapped up at the end, then you will like This Is Where I Leave You. If not, you might not enjoy it. Others who shared their thoughts on This Is Where I Leave You: Bibliophile By The Sea, Books In The City, Note To Self, and Booking Mama.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

I added My Life Next Door to my library queue after looking for another Fitzpatrick book that won't be out until next year. My Life Next Door looked good so I added it on a whim. Oh, I didn't expect it to be fantastic but I adored My Life Next Door.
Samantha lives in a perfect house in a nice Connecticut town. Her mom is a Sentor and everyone thinks Samantha's got it all. But from her perfect house, Samantha watches the Garretts, her next door neighbors. The Garretts have eight kids. Mrs Garrett and Mr Garrett struggles to keep the yard neat and toy free. Samantha's mom thinks they are the worst neighbors and forbids Samantha from interacting with them. So Samantha spies on them. Jealous of their large family, Samantha fantasizes about being a Garrett. One day, one of the Garretts, Jase, comes over and Samantha goes from watching the Garretts to becoming part of their family.
I could relate to Samantha. She has an older sister, Tracy, who is headed to college and not really there for Samantha. Samantha's mom is running for office and has little time for Samantha as well. The Garretts are always there for each other. From the oldest sister, Alice, babysitting her younger siblings to Jase fixing up his older brother's motorcycle, they help each other out. The Garretts, while messy and out of control at times, are more of a family than Samantha feels her own family is. I grew up as a single child, so I know the jealousy of wanting siblings. It's seems cool to have other kids to play with or older siblings to help you out.
I adored Jase. He was the very definition of a nice young man. If I met Jase, I would seek out his parents to let them know they did a great job of raising him. Jase is kind, polite, loves animals, and is handy with machines (from garbage disposals to motorcycles). Jase shows Samantha a new world. More than just introducing her to his family, Jase is honest and helps Samantha see the dishonesty in her life.
I could not put My Life Next Door down. The writing was so well done. It grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go. I can't wait for Fitzpatrick's next book, What I Thought Was True, to come out next year! Others who shared their thoughts on My Life Next Door: YA Booklover's Blog, Musings of a YA Reader, Good Books, Good Wine, Reading In Winter, and The Book Girl.

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

I requested The Tea Rose from the library after Shoshanah recommended it. I was looking for longer reads and Shoshanah gave a great series to read.
The Tea Rose starts in 1890's London with Fiona, a young woman, longing to start her life. She's in love with her neighbor, Joe. Joe and Fiona have a plan. They are going to work hard and save money to open their own shop. Both are working hard, adding a little bit to their future shop fund when things fall apart for both Fiona and Joe.
I immediately liked Fiona. Stubborn and determined, she works hard to make her dreams come true. Her Pa told her once "If you don't have dreams, you may as well head to the undertaker cause you are as good as dead." I loved that line which gets repeated many times in different ways throughout the book. The Tea Rose follows Fiona and Joe from late teens to mid-30's. It was interesting to see how the characters grew and changed over time.
I did feel transported to late 1800's London and early 1900's New York. Donnelly does a great job of staying true to the time period and creating a believable atmosphere.
The Tea Rose has it all: adventure, romance, and friendship. If you like historical fiction set in London or New York in the late 1800's and early 1900's, I would recommend The Tea Rose. I'll be continuing this trilogy and read The Winter Rose soon. Others who shared their thoughts on The Tea Rose: From L.A. To LA, Rhapsody In Books, Devourer of Books, Tell Me A Story, and Fyrefly's Book Blog.
This is my ninth read for the Mammoth Reading Challenge.

This is my tenth 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.

My library loot pile is getting out of control again. More and more books!

The Last Camellia

Sarah Jio's latest.

Hunted

The latest in the Iron Druid series.

Love Minus Eighty

I added Love Minus Eighty to my library queue after reading about it on Offbeat Home & Life. Ariel's gushing reviewing immediately intrigued me. 

Relish

A graphic novel about food. I've been wanting to read this one for a while.

The Paleo Slow Cooker

Yes more Paleo cookbooks.

What did you get this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: Words/Topics That Will Make You Not Pick Up A Book

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. 

Today's Topic: Words/Topics That Will Make You Not Pick Up A Book

Alzhiemer's/Dementia/Permanent Memory Loss

My mom had dementia for the last 10 years of her life. I have difficulty enjoying books about any type of permanent memory loss.

Erotica

I am becoming prudish in my old age. I don't mind a little sexy time but dozens of sex scenes isn't going to interest me. 

Mystery

I read very few mysteries because they usually don't appeal to me.

Thriller

Mystery's cousin Thriller doesn't usually interest me much either. 

Spies

Spies are usually in thrillers and I don't care much for spy novels.

Ripped from the Headlines

I'm not a fan of books that are supposed to be true to life. 

Semi-Autobiographical

Especially ones penned by a celebrity or someone who'd been close to a celebrity. I spend too much time wondering how true it is.

Torture

I prefer happy books where people aren't tortured for information or fun.

Thought-provoking

Sometimes I don't want to think too deeply. Sometimes I want to get lost in a book.

Scary

I am a scaredy-cat and can't read anything that will give me nightmares. 

What about you? What words/topics make you not choose a book?

White by Rosie Thomas

While reading Sun At Midnight, I remarked that I knew almost nothing about Antartica. Well, I knew even less about Everest where White takes place. It was an absolute fascinating story even if you know nothing about Everest or climbing.
White opens with Finch at her best friend's wedding. Finch is the last unmarried woman in her group. But Finch isn't looking to settle down. She's looking to climb Everest. Finch was able to join an expedition to Everest as their medical doctor. On her way home from her friend's wedding, Finch meets Sam. Sam is immediately drawn to Finch. Sam feels like his life has hit a dead end. Unhappy with his work and relationship, Sam takes a chance and heads to Nepal to meet up with Finch. Al is the leader of the expedition and Finch has a history with him. It's been five years since Finch saw Al but he still has her heart.
At first I didn't think I was going to like White. Me, a Rosie Thomas fan girl, couldn't connect with Finch. Finch seemed to distance herself from her friends and family, determined not to be like them. Finch saw their comfortable lives and thought it wasn't for her. Finch struggled to separate herself from them and her desires. It was like if Finch said I want to get married and have kids, that she wouldn't be Finch anymore. So instead she pushed herself to be other. Slowly I liked Finch. She did want all those "normal" things but she wanted them on her own terms.
I loved Sam. Like Finch, Sam didn't want to be like his Dad. Sam wanted to be his own man. But Sam was willing to do anything for Finch. Sam travelled around the world for her, on the chance she'd have dinner with him.
Al was more complicated. Al loves to climb but he's lost a lot because of it. Al's unsure what Finch's presence on this expedition means. But it's a job and Al always makes sure the job is done.
I was unprepared for the love triangle going on with Finch, Al, and Sam. I immediately wanted Finch to be with Sam but as the story went on, I was less sure. Thomas does an amazing job of deftly switching the POV between all three characters. While it took me a couple of chapters to become engrossed, I had trouble putting White down once I was engrossed.
I was also unprepared for the brutal reality of Everest. I know nothing about climbing. Climbing can be a bitch. First Everest is cold plus the altitude messes with your body. The physical stress of the climbing and the altitude can make you sick. Thomas really did a great job portraying the difficulty of climbing Everest.
Overall another wonderful story from Rosie Thomas. Others who shared their thoughts about White: LindyLouMac's Book Reviews and The Romantic Armchair Traveller.

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.

Wedding Ring

Julie mentioned this author last week. The book Julie read was the third in the series. I decided to try it out. 

Everyday Paleo

I got her other cookbook, Everyday Paleo Family. I found some good meal ideas so I wanted to see if this one did too.

Ethan Stowell's New Italian Kitchen

I've been to at least one of Ethan's restaurants, How To Cook A Wolf. I might have been Tavolata but it's been a long time and my memory is hazy. Anyway his food is delicious and we all love Italian food.

Drink This, Not That!

We're doing a good job of eating better but there's some things we drink that we need to find healthier replacements for.

Power Foods

I already leafed through Power Foods and spotted several recipes I can't wait to make.

One Pan, Two Plates

I like cookbooks geared to a smaller crowd. Sometimes cookbooks are making meals for 4+.

EcoThrifty

Always looking for more ways to be cheaper and greener. 

What did you get this week?

The Girl With The Iron Touch by Kady Cross

I've been loving the The Steampunk Chronicles so I've been anxiously awaiting The Girl With Iron Touch. I think this has been my favorite of the series so far.
The other members of the group think of Emily as the weakest. Where as Finley and Sam are physically strong and Griffin can use the Aether to his will, Emily's talents are less oblivious. Emily is the girl with the iron touch. She can talk to machines and make them obey her. Not as useful in a fight as Finley or Sam's punches but very useful at other times. The rest of the group strives to protect Emily but when she is kidnapped how do they find her? Especially when they aren't able to communicate with her machines as easily.
Cross spent the first two books building Finley's world and creating the characters. I felt that there was more interactions between the characters and more time spent on the story. I greatly enjoyed getting to know everyone more. I especially loved how much Jack Dandy time there was. I do love Jack Dandy.
Now I have to wait til the next book is released! Cannot wait to continue the story. Others who shared their thoughts on The Girl With The Iron Touch: That's What She Read, The Red Reader Reviews, Read. Breathe. Relax., and The Overflowing Library.

Weekend Cooking: Heston Blumenthal's Perfect Steak

Tai started a Facebook discussion with me a few weeks ago about cooking steak. I had a method and I turned out some pretty tasty steaks. Tai's been watching a lot of Gordon Ramsey lately and he posted Gordon Ramsey's steak recipe for me. He wasn't suggesting that I change my steak method but giving me another way. A friend of ours butted into our conversation with Heston Blumenthal's steak recipe. Always open to trying new things, I tried Mr Blumenthal's way:

I started with some steaks:

I didn't let these rest in the fridge for 2 days like Mr Blumenthal suggests. I took them out of the package and let them rest on the counter (covered with a paper towel for half an hour or so). I have a New York steak, a filet mignon, and a sirloin in the picture. He doesn't mention what fat to use but I used coconut oil (about 2 tbs). Our steaks had no coconut flavoring to them. I would use a fat with a high smoke point like peanut, grapeseed, or coconut.
Now here's a picture of them resting:

Turning them every 15 seconds is time consuming. Forget doing anything else. I bought a digital timer recently so after 8 or so minutes I started checking the temp. The New York was done first. The sirloin took the longest for me.

Perfectly cooked steak (for me)! The outside had some crunch to it and the inside was delicious and juicy.
If you don't follow Mr Blumenthal's method, at least let your steak rest properly. In the video he shows why you should let your steak rest for at least 5 minutes prior to cutting. Letting the steak rest is one way to improve your home cooked steak.

How do you like your steak?



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.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I'm so glad I listened to Paranormal Indulgence and picked up Attachments as soon as I could. I was looking for light and funny and that's exactly what I got. Once I picked up Attachments I didn't put it down til I was finished. It was that good.
It's 1999. Beth and Jennifer work for the last newspaper to give their employees internet access. Upper management is worried that employees will use the company email for their own purposes and hire Lincoln, to monitor employee's emails. Lincoln reads the emails that are flagged by the security software. Beth and Jennifer's emails are frequently caught by the software because they email each other all day long about their lives.
I loved Beth and Jennifer. They email each other about everything. I remember when email was the place to share everything. Both have their problems but they are there for each other. The very definition of best friends.
Lincoln is adorable. A D&D playing, computer geek, Lincoln lives with his mom. He was so lost at the beginning. I enjoyed his progression.
I read much of Attachments aloud to Tai. He agreed that the writing was witty. I did want to crawl into Attachments and live. I've recommended Attachments to two friends who have enjoyed it. I highly recommend it. I can't wait to read Rowell's other books. Others who have shared their thoughts on Attachments: Paranormal Attachments, The Readventurer, Wrapped Up In Books, The Happily Ever After..., Chrisbookarama, and Queen of Contemporary.

How I Menu Plan

It took me a long time to get comfortable with menu planning. I didn’t like the idea of having to eat certain foods on certain days. I felt menu planning was very inflexible. But once I adapted menu planning to fit me and my needs, it became easy.

Here are my tips for menu planning:

-I check to see how many days we'll be home for dinner and what other activities are going on that week. 

-I choose 3-5 recipes for the week and get the ingredients for those meals. I like meals that use the same ingredients so I can buy in bulk. I try to substitute less frequently used items for ingredients I have on hand.

-There are certain recipes we like and will eat frequently. I keep the ingredients for those items on hand all time. I buy bags of shrimp and chicken thighs at Costco. I know several meals to make with both. 

-I rely on low stress recipes (crock pot, salads, quick meals) for days when I know I’ll be tired. Monday is always something easy. Monday is not the time to try out a new recipe for me. 

-I give myself outs. I don’t always have to cook. We can get take out if cooking isn’t going to happen.

-I think about possible dinner ideas all the time. I read a lot of food blogs and save meal ideas to Pinterest. 

-I designate 1 hour a weekend to coming up with my recipes for the week. Ideally I do this before I go grocery shopping so I only have to go once in the week.

-I discuss menu ideas with Tai and my dad. What they've liked, what they didn't like, any cravings they have. I encourage them to pass dinner ideas to me all the time. Dad likes to watch cooking shows and he frequently prints out recipes for me. 

-Find time or make time to try new recipes or make more complicated dishes if that's your thing. I find I waste a lot more food if I buy 20 lbs of peaches to freeze on a busy Tuesday night when I have no time to actually freeze them. I prefer meals that will take less than an hour on a weekday. I have longer, complicated recipes for the weekend especially weekends when I'll have the time. 

Do you menu plan? Share your tips too!

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.

White

Another Rosie Thomas book courtesy of my library's interlibrary loan. 

This Is Where I Leave You

I heard about This Is Where I Leave You being made into a movie. I decided to read the book first. 

What did you get this week?

Getting Ready For The Package Tour

Tonight my BFF and I are headed to The Package Tour. New Kids on The Block, Boyz II Men, and 98 Degrees. I've been looking forward to this concert for a long time. I thought it would be fun to list the top ten songs I hope to hear tonight.


The Right Stuff. I think I can still do the dance from memory.


Step by Step. I don't remember this dance at all.


Big Girl Now with Lady Gaga. Probably my favorite of their new stuff.


Motownphilly. This was my jam in 1991!


I'll Make Love To You.


On Bended Knee.


The End of The Road. I remember this one being the last song of the night at many dances.


It's So Hard To Say Goodbye. This was another end of the dance favorite.


The Hardest Thing. I have always had a crush on Nick Lachey.


Give Me Just One Night. I think I wore this track out.

Any favorite NKOTB, Boyz II Men, or 98 Degrees songs you'd want to hear?

Hood by Stephen R Lawhead

I added Hood to my library queue because it's a mammoth book and it's about Robin Hood, one of my favorite legends. Lawhead removes Hood from his familiar Sherwood Forest and moves him to Wales. At first I was skeptical. This is not Robin Hood! But slowly I came around and really enjoyed Lawhead's version.
Bran is a reluctant prince. He does not agree with his father's ways and frequently disobeys him. After Bran loses everything, he decides to head to the lands of his mother's family to seek refuge. On his way, he becomes injured and an old woman becomes his caretaker.
I liked Bran. He was a spoiled child at the beginning of the story. He didn't want to obey his father. He did as he pleased. But he grew and despite wanting to remain spoiled he saw how he could make a difference.
I also really liked Tuck. He was awesome. A staff wielding friar. Cool.
Lawhead really takes the time to develop Bran and show his rise to Hood. Hood is definitely one of those richly written books where each page has so much detail.  I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Others who shared their thoughts on Hood: Here There Be Books, Blogs of A Bookaholic, the Little Red Reviewer, and Let Them Read Books.
This was my eighth read for the Mammoth Reading Challenge.

Weekend Cooking: In The Kitchen With The Pike Place Fish Guys

I picked up In The Kitchen With the Pike Place Fish Guys because I'd love to expand my limited fish cooking knowledge. If you've never been to Pike Place Market, I'm sure you've heard of the guys who throw the fish:

Having been to Pike Place Fish Market hundreds of times, I knew these guys know how to cook their fish. The recipes in this book are recipes that they've made or their customers have made over and over again. While having fun is one thing the Pike Place Fish Guys like to do, eating quality seafood is another.
The beginning of the book talks about different types of fish, how to select the right fish, and how to save money while buying fish. I also learned how to fillet a fish, shuck an oyster, and clean a Dungeness crab in the first chapters of this book.
My favorite recipes were in the Tuesday Night Tuna section. These are recipes that are perfect for a weeknight dinner. I made Grandpa Czerwonka's BBQ Shrimp:

A very quick dish especially if you have some bacon leftover from breakfast!
I'd also like to make their Coconut Maple Salmon and Nut Crusted Tilapia.
I highly recommend In The Kitchen With The Pike Place Fish Guys to those who love fish as well as those who would like to learn to cook it more. I can't think of a better group of folks to learn from!



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.

June Book Tally

Kiss Of Shadows by Laurell K Hamilton (480)
I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron (160)
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (324)
The Elite by Kiera Cass (323)
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (292)
Loki's Wolves by KL Armstrong and MA Marr (358)
Sun At Midnight by Rosie Thomas (471)
Breath by Jackie Morse Kessler (336)
Hawkeye: My Life As A Weapon by Matt Fraction (136)
Consider The Fork by Bee Wilson (336)

A wonderful month. Ten books read. Plus a lot of great books. Not a sour one in the bunch!

Stats:

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

Historical Reading Challenge YTD: 8 (None This Month)

Mammoth Book Challenge YTD: 6 (Sun At Midnight and Kiss of Shadows)

Let Me Count The Ways Book Challenge: Pages read this month (3216), Pages read this year (18530)
Total books to date: 58

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends. To everyone else, Happy Thursday!

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.

Star Cursed

After reading Born Wicked, I've been looking forward to the sequel. 

Counterclockwise

While looking for another book, I spotted Counterclockwise. Aging and anti-aging books are becoming more interesting to me. This one sounded a little AJ Jacobs-esque. 

Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook

I leafed through Everyday Paleo already. I'm really impressed and excited to make several of the recipes listed. 

What did you get this week?