Book GIveaways Around the Blog World

Say You are One of Them and The Gate House are being offered at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time. Please tell Teddy Rose I sent you.

What Matters Most: Diary of a Teenage Girl by Melody Carlson

Sixteen-year-old Maya Stark has a lot to sort through. She could graduate from high school early if she wants to. She’s considering it, especially when popular cheerleader Vanessa Hartman decides to make her life miserable–and Maya’s ex-boyfriend Dominic gets the wrong idea about everything.

To complicate matters even more, Maya’s mother will be released from prison soon, and she’ll want Maya to live with her again. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. And when Maya plays her dad’s old acoustic guitar in front of an audience, she discovers talents and opportunities she never expected. Faced with new options, Maya must choose between a “normal” life and a glamorous one. Ultimately, she has to figure out what matters most.

For myself I found the book rather young. While I do enjoy young adult books I could not relate to the subject matter of this book. Maya finds herself in daily struggles with life as a teenager. However for young teens I believe this would be a great book as it deals with issues that teens must find themselves in a daily battle with. Maya's issues are no different. Throughout each chapter she has her good and bad moments as she tries to cope with life's daily challenges. I think that most teens will enjoy Maya's adventures.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed where Maya's green tips. Each chapter contained a tip on how to make the environment a better place. No matter how old we are we could all benefit from making the earth a greener place. Maya's Green Tip of the Day: Even in September most people are still using air conditioning. I've mentioned before that it's a good idea to turn your AC up a couple of degrees and save a few bucks as well as some energy. But here's another way to keep your cool—and it doesn't involve electricity. You can cool yourself off internally by drinking cold tea, lemonade, or water. Not only will you conserve energy (since all the cooling power is directed straight at your body's core rather than at the air), but you'll stay hydrated as well.

Thank you to Liz at Multnomah Publishing for giving me a review copy. If you want your own copy, visit here.

Lentil Quinoa and Apples for Jam

Look at this beautiful cookbook cover. Apples for Jam is a colorful cookbook. I must say it is adorable. Everything about this book is adorable and charming from the title of the book Apples for Jam to the way the recipes are categorized, by colors to the photos.

I love the idea of organizing the recipes by color. The color categories are red, orange, yellow, pink, green, gold, white, brown, monochrome, stripes and multicolor. The chapter on multicolored food starts off with a fun photo of a merry go round. This merry go round has beautifully painted horses with pink plumes. The recipes in this chapter include roasted zucchini and tomatoes with thyme, tiny savory tarts, smoothies and much more. Striped food, contains many different ice cream desserts and chocolate concoctions. What food is pink you ask, beet gnocchi, poached fruit in vanilla syrup and a few shrimp dishes.

I like the idea of organizing the recipes by color. Different days you are in a different mood. I think of fall food as being a variety of orange and red and golden hues, much like the changing of the leaves. Christmas time calls for deep reds and simple white menus. Of course for the spring I would want something green and fresh. Life is starting over. I am always up for something pink. Somedays you may be in the mood for a kaleidoscope of food.



So who is the author of this wonderful cookbook, Tessa Kiros of course. Click here for an interview with her. Previously I reviewed another one of her cookbooks, Falling Cloudberries. Born to a Finnish mother and a Greek-Cipriot father, Kiros, appreciates the world's diverse cultures and traditions. While Falling Cloudberries, has a variety of multi-ethnic recipes, Apples for Jam is a compilation of recipes that could be found in any home. All of Kiros' books are more than a compilation of recipes, they are her stories and memories with the food that accompanies them.

These are the recipes that will remind you of fond childhood memories. Food that you are in the mood for when you are feeling nostalgic and warm inside. All the recipes are quite easy to follow and I am sure taste delicious. If you are looking for a present for yourself of someone you enjoy spending time with, Apples for Jam is the perfect gift. If you never cooked before you will find yourself in the kitchen dressed in an apron, with all your measuring bowls and spoons ready to go.

So what did I choose to make? Lentil quinoa. This was not one of her recipes but an adaption of one of Kiros's recipes. I had recently purchased lentils, a vegetable I rarely eat except for in soup. Sunday night I made butter chicken from the recipe that Crazy Asian Gal was kind enough to share with us. Initially I was going to make curried lentils and then sat down to browse through Apples for Jam and found a recipe for lentil rice. Instead of using rice I used quinoa. The great thing about my lentil mixture is I think you could add any dish to it. My husband accidently poured the butter chicken into my lentil bowl and it was actually quite good. I like eating foods that absorb the taste and sauce of other foods.

LENTIL QUINOA (adapted from Apples for Jam)

INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/3 cups lentils
4 cups water plus 1 cup
1 cup quiona

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it is golden and sticky looking. Add the garlic, cinnamon, paprika, and coriander and stir until you can smell the garlic. Remove fro the heat.

Meanwhile, put the lentils in a large pan, cover with 4 cups of water and ing to a boil. Skim the surface and then simmer for 30 minutes.

Scrape the onion mixture into the lentil pan and add the quinoa, cooking over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir.. Cover the top of the pan with a clean dish towel, put the lid back on and let sit for 10 minutes.

Let me give a big thank you to Andrew McMeel Publishing for sending me this gorgeous book.

"Limelight" by Melody Carlson Book Review

Claudette Fiore was used to making men's heads turn. Married to Gavin Fiore, a Hollywood director, Claudette enjoyed the good life, expensive foreign vacations, 500 thread Egyptian sheet cotton sheets and a handful of servants to attend to her needs.

Suddenly at the age of 82, the glamorous life of Hollywood comes crashing down on Claudette as she is forced to learn the tasks of life, many of us perform routinely on a daily basis. As a widow, Claudette finds herself almost penniless due to her accountant's swindling.

What is a diva to do? Move back to her hometown in Northern California where she swore she would never return to.

Limelight is a quick, witty and enjoyable read. As an 82 year old Claudette does not have many endearing qualities. Used to being pampered she has difficulty adjusting to the lifestyles of the not so rich. Having spent most of her life in Hollywood Claudette is overly self conscious about her looks. By the end of the book, I found myself liking Claudette. Life in a small town makes her realize that at the end of the day all that is really important are the people that you surround yourself with.

The book has an assortment of quirky characters, Claudette's gay step-son-who works magic with her new home. His enthusiasm and appreciation of life is contagious. Bea, her nosy overly friendly neighbor has no fashion sense but will not be deterred by Claudette's snobbery. In her first week in town, Claudette meets the senior liaison lady, a fan of imitation handbags, an art dealer and a clerk from the hardware store.

Author Carlson, weaves together a fun story of life in a smaller town. She brings to life everyday events that we can all relate to, locking yourself out of your house and overflowing toilets. At times the book had me laughing out loud reminiscing about my own bad luck situations. The book also made me wonder what my life would be like at eighty-two.

If you are looking for a light fun read, I would highly recommend Limelight.

Thank you to Multnomah Books for providing me with a copy of this book for review. To purchase the book, visit Random House.

Guests Posts and What is in My Mailbox

seasonal vegetables at the Ferry Market Place.

Today I was fortunate to have been asked by two great bloggers to write a guest post over on their blogs. Both blogs are completely different. Crazy Asian Gal writes about her adventures in the kitchen. She loves to cook Indian and Chinese food and has some mouth watering recipes over at her blog. I pop over there when I want to try something different in my kitchen.For my post there I wrote about my visit the the Ferry Market Building in San Francisco.

The other blog where I wrote a guest post was at One Person's Journey through Books. Sheila is doing some volunteer work in Honduras so I am helping her out. Her blog features book reviews. I enjoy popping over in the mornings and reading her morning meanderings. In the spirit of Honduras cuisine I featured a recipe for Yam Fries and Mango Bay Chicken.





SO WHAT WAS IN MY MAILBOX THIS WEEK?


Thank you to Story Siren and Peeking Between the Pages for hosting this meme.

I must confess my mailbox was stuffed this week with lots of goodies. I think the postman and UPS like coming by. I must admit sometimes I get edible goodies in my mailbox and if I catch the UPS man delivering them, I will open up the box and share. I know he enjoyes the edible goodies.

Thank you to Hatchette for giving me

When Everything Changed and Permission Slips. Both books look into women issues. Why is it we all feel we need permission to enjoy life? Maybe When Everything Changed will answer the question.

Author T.L. Higley sent me a signed copy of Guardian of the Flame which takes place in ancient Egypt. I am going to need to sit down for an Egyptian weekend. Author Higley writes historical fiction.

Andrews McNeel Publishing sent me a copy of My Neptenthe-a gorgeous cookbook describing Bohemian Tales of Food, Family and Big Sur. There will be some recipes forthcoming. McNeel Publishing puts out some great cookbooks that make wonderful gifts for you or your friends. Their books are a collection of stories and recipes.

From the library I checked out Daniel Silva's new thriller The Defector. Silva is one of my favorite thriller authors. Each of his books features a theme of Judiasm.

Now comes time for the absentminded moment. I do not remember where I won these books, but from other blogs I received a copy of The Late Lamented Molly Marx and Bo's Cafe.

What did I read this week-I am listening to Cemetary Dance and loving it. I finished The Help-you can read my review here-I highly recommend it and I also finished Limelight which I will be posting a review this week as part of a blog tour-funny and entertaining.

Winner for The Sound of Sleigh Bells

Let's give a big Congratulations to Holly-she is the winner for The Sound of Sleigh Bells.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Sometimes you read a book that speaks to you from the heart, The Help is one of those books. Author Kathryn Stockett brings to life the story of three women living in Jackson Mississippi in the early 60's as the civil rights movement was reaching the deep South.

For me, I was able to picture the women, the homes they lived in and their friends. First time novelist, does a wonderful job of bringing her characters to life. The women are seemingly as different from one another as can be, but come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

Each woman has her own cross to bear and social graces to maintain. Skeeter, a recent college graduate returns to her parent's home after graduation. Yearning to be a journalist, her mother is more concerned about Skeeter's clothes and hair and the trust fund that she find her a suitable husband. Hoping to land a job at a publishing house Skeeter writes the stories of black maids in Jackson. Her main ally is Aiblileen, an older wise maid raising her seventeenth white child. Aibileen is troubled that the children she raises may become an extension of their parent's racism. Suffering from the loss of her own child, she empowers Mae Moberly to realize, she is important, smart and beautiful. At the risk of being fired she teaches the little girl lessons about Martian Luther King and that love comes from what is inside of you. Minny, Aibileen's best friend is the best cook in Jackson, but loses her jobs because she sasses the missus back. Together the three women rally the black maid community to tell their stories.

What fascinated me about the book was the author's impetus for the story. Raised in Jackson herself. Her family had a maid, Demetrie. Stockett loved her maid, after her parents divorced her maid was a surrogate mother for her. Someone's shoulder she could cry on or a lap to crawl on.

To quote Stockett " Our family maid, Demetrie, used to say picking cotton in Mississippi in the dead of summer is about the worst pastime there is, if you don't count picking okra, another prickly, low-growing thing. Demetrie used to tell us all kinds of stores about picking cotton as a girl. She'd laugh and shaker her finger at us, waring us against it, as if a bunch of rich white kids might fall to the evils of cotton-picking like cigarettes or hard liquor." Demetrie was born in Lampkin, Mississippi, in 1927. It was a horrifying year to be born, just before the Depression set in. No-one ever asked Demetrie her story, what it was like to work for a white family.

There is one line in The Help, the author truly prizes, which brings home the point of the book. We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought.

If you can fit one more book onto your bookshelf for the year. Chose The Help.

Thank you to Sheila, at One Person's Journey through a world of Books. To read her review click here. She chose the book for our Word Shakers On-Line Bookclub.