The Lost Art of Mixing, by Erica Bauermeister, centers around a restaurant owner and the people who surround her.
Lillian, the owner herself, is in a new relationship with widower Tom, and encounters an unexpected wrinkle in her otherwise steady life. Al, her accountant, is struggling with his marriage to Louise, who (unbeknownst to Al) harbors anger and suspicion. Chloe, Lillian's sous chef, lives with Isabelle, who is struggling with Alzheimer's. Chloe finds herself drawn to Finnegan, the tall dishwasher at the restaurant.
I read the first book in this series, The School of Essential Ingredients, with my book club in 2013, and we all enjoyed it. According to Goodreads, we all gave it three or four stars. So I was looking forward to the continuation of many of the stories introduced in The School of Essential Ingredients.
It would be too harsh to say I was disappointed in The Lost Art of Mixing. I did enjoy the book, just not as much as the first. The interaction of the characters and their individual stories was interesting, and I am always attracted to the next book in a series. I'd still give it three stars and recommend it to anyone who read The School of Essential Ingredients.
Books about cooking or restaurants always make me think about taking a cooking class. This book, as well as it's predecessor, did the same. And then I always think again and realize that a cooking class is not for me. I have no patience in the kitchen. Sometimes just the thought of making a sandwich exhausts me. I'm better than I used to be. I can, in the right mood, throw together a decent meal (provided I have a recipe, of course). It's just that the right mood doesn't strike me very often. Maybe one of these days I actually will take a cooking class. But tonight it will be pasta and a jar of Trader Joe's marinara.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Bookus Interruptus
As I may have mentioned, I read pretty much anywhere. Sitting on the couch, lying in bed, in the backseat of the car on long trips. The beach, the pool, standing up in the kitchen waiting for the timer to go off for whatever's for dinner. Occasionally, I must admit, even in the bathroom.
I have a bad habit of leaving a book open, face-down on a handy surface. I know, some of you are gasping in shock right now. It's a terrible way to treat a book. And I am trying...
As a prolific reader, I have bookmarks everywhere. I get them as gifts, or they come free with magazine subscriptions. Some even come in the mail with requests for charitable donations. I don't lack for bookmarks. But I never seem to have one handy when I need it.
So, for your enjoyment, and in no particular order, a list of things I have used as bookmarks:
Coupons - generally expired ones
The twist tie from a loaf of bread
Drawings by one of my nieces
Kleenex (not used!)
Requests for charitable donations (the kind that don't include bookmarks)
The business reply cards that fall out of magazines
The wrapper from whatever yarn I happen to be knitting with that day
My thumb
A paperclip
A napkin
The tear off edges of an old paycheck stub
A library receipt...handy if you don't want to forget when the book is due.
An old photo
A grocery receipt
The jacket of hardcover books - mainly the flap tucked into the page, but I have on occasion taken the jacket off and used the whole thing.
Basically, if it is handy, and won't cause damage, I will stick it in my book to hold my place. The only thing I can say for sure that I've never used as a bookmark is cash. My husband, when we were first dating, stuck $200 into a copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It stayed there, forgotten for years, until the book was being packed for one of our many moves.
There is a book called Forgotten Bookmarks, by Michael Popek, which provides a collection of things that have been left behind in books. Photos, letters, an interesting array of items. I am always intrigued when I discover a library receipt in a book I've taken out. I want to know what else the other person is reading. Why that particular combination of books? If I haven't already read it, I will sometimes add their book to my "to read" list.
How do you mark your place when you don't have a bookmark handy?
I have a bad habit of leaving a book open, face-down on a handy surface. I know, some of you are gasping in shock right now. It's a terrible way to treat a book. And I am trying...
As a prolific reader, I have bookmarks everywhere. I get them as gifts, or they come free with magazine subscriptions. Some even come in the mail with requests for charitable donations. I don't lack for bookmarks. But I never seem to have one handy when I need it.
So, for your enjoyment, and in no particular order, a list of things I have used as bookmarks:
Coupons - generally expired ones
The twist tie from a loaf of bread
Drawings by one of my nieces
Kleenex (not used!)
Requests for charitable donations (the kind that don't include bookmarks)
The business reply cards that fall out of magazines
The wrapper from whatever yarn I happen to be knitting with that day
My thumb
A paperclip
A napkin
The tear off edges of an old paycheck stub
A library receipt...handy if you don't want to forget when the book is due.
An old photo
A grocery receipt
The jacket of hardcover books - mainly the flap tucked into the page, but I have on occasion taken the jacket off and used the whole thing.
Basically, if it is handy, and won't cause damage, I will stick it in my book to hold my place. The only thing I can say for sure that I've never used as a bookmark is cash. My husband, when we were first dating, stuck $200 into a copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It stayed there, forgotten for years, until the book was being packed for one of our many moves.
There is a book called Forgotten Bookmarks, by Michael Popek, which provides a collection of things that have been left behind in books. Photos, letters, an interesting array of items. I am always intrigued when I discover a library receipt in a book I've taken out. I want to know what else the other person is reading. Why that particular combination of books? If I haven't already read it, I will sometimes add their book to my "to read" list.
How do you mark your place when you don't have a bookmark handy?
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Bag of Bones
Every year around this time, I find myself rereading a Stephen King novel. My go to books are usually The Stand or It, old favorites. This year, however, I picked up Bag of Bones, one I've read five or six times before. I am generally drawn to the books of his that feature writers as main characters.
Bag of Bones is set mostly on Dark Score Lake in Maine, and tells the story of Mike Noonan, who is still mourning his wife after four years and suffering from a wicked case of writer's block. He begins to dream of Sara Laughs, their lake house on Dark Score. Eventually, he takes himself north for the summer with plans to possibly stay longer.
Almost immediately, he meets Mattie and Kyra Devore and becomes embroiled in Mattie's custody battle against her father-in-law. Add to that an angry spirit, a crying ghost boy, and occasionally his dead wife's ghost, and you have one of my favorite's of Stephen King's books.
The thing about rereading a book like this is that it is familiar. The characters are like old friends. And as events unfold, I can say to myself, "Oh, yeah, that's right," or occasionally, "Oh my God, I forgot about that." Every time I read a book I notice something new. For some reason, on this read, one line jumped out at me, part of a description of the court-appointed guardian ad litem in the custody case: "Durgin chuckled fatly." I don't know why it struck me funny, but it did. I had a little giggle in the waiting area of Ally's dance class where I was reading.
I've been staying up far too late reading all week, as I always do when a Stephen King novel is involved. Once I get sucked in, it's all I want to do to the exclusion of all else. I am anxiously awaiting my copy of Finders Keepers, which came out earlier this week.
Bag of Bones is set mostly on Dark Score Lake in Maine, and tells the story of Mike Noonan, who is still mourning his wife after four years and suffering from a wicked case of writer's block. He begins to dream of Sara Laughs, their lake house on Dark Score. Eventually, he takes himself north for the summer with plans to possibly stay longer.
Almost immediately, he meets Mattie and Kyra Devore and becomes embroiled in Mattie's custody battle against her father-in-law. Add to that an angry spirit, a crying ghost boy, and occasionally his dead wife's ghost, and you have one of my favorite's of Stephen King's books.
The thing about rereading a book like this is that it is familiar. The characters are like old friends. And as events unfold, I can say to myself, "Oh, yeah, that's right," or occasionally, "Oh my God, I forgot about that." Every time I read a book I notice something new. For some reason, on this read, one line jumped out at me, part of a description of the court-appointed guardian ad litem in the custody case: "Durgin chuckled fatly." I don't know why it struck me funny, but it did. I had a little giggle in the waiting area of Ally's dance class where I was reading.
I've been staying up far too late reading all week, as I always do when a Stephen King novel is involved. Once I get sucked in, it's all I want to do to the exclusion of all else. I am anxiously awaiting my copy of Finders Keepers, which came out earlier this week.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
The House at the End of Hope Street
Menna Van Praag's The House at the End of Hope Street first crossed my radar when my book club was trying to choose a book set on another continent. After a hilarious discussion about how Canada is not, in fact, on another continent, we eventually settled on The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, which was set in France, and a fairly interesting historical novel about a female spy.
I was interested in The House at the End of Hope Street, however, and when I recently stumbled on it in a bargain book bin at Stop and Shop, I grabbed it. The premise intrigued me. Main character Alba finds herself at a loss when she suffers "the Worst Event of Her Life" and stumbles upon a house she had never noticed before. The proprietress of the house, Peggy, tells her she can stay for ninety-nine nights, rent-free, and use the time to turn her life around.
Thousands of women have stayed there over the years, many of them famous. Currently sharing the house with Alba and Peggy are Carmen, a singer running from a secret, and Greer, an actress desperate to get her career on track. Stella, a ghost that only Alba seems to see, inhabits the kitchen sink.
Alba goes to bed the first night and wakes up in the morning to find her bedroom lined with shelves full of every book she's ever read. To a confirmed bibliophile like myself, this would be paradise. As Alba undergoes her personal transformation, the books change to fit her needs. The house is magical, and not above sending advice in the form of mysteriously appearing notes. Who wouldn't want to live in a house like that?
Overall, I enjoyed following the lives of the four women in the house, seeing how their interactions, as well as the house's influence, got them on to their future paths. The characters were well developed and the little tidbits of historical facts about the photograph women, who by the way can speak to the house's residents, were interesting as well.
I was interested in The House at the End of Hope Street, however, and when I recently stumbled on it in a bargain book bin at Stop and Shop, I grabbed it. The premise intrigued me. Main character Alba finds herself at a loss when she suffers "the Worst Event of Her Life" and stumbles upon a house she had never noticed before. The proprietress of the house, Peggy, tells her she can stay for ninety-nine nights, rent-free, and use the time to turn her life around.
Thousands of women have stayed there over the years, many of them famous. Currently sharing the house with Alba and Peggy are Carmen, a singer running from a secret, and Greer, an actress desperate to get her career on track. Stella, a ghost that only Alba seems to see, inhabits the kitchen sink.
Alba goes to bed the first night and wakes up in the morning to find her bedroom lined with shelves full of every book she's ever read. To a confirmed bibliophile like myself, this would be paradise. As Alba undergoes her personal transformation, the books change to fit her needs. The house is magical, and not above sending advice in the form of mysteriously appearing notes. Who wouldn't want to live in a house like that?
Overall, I enjoyed following the lives of the four women in the house, seeing how their interactions, as well as the house's influence, got them on to their future paths. The characters were well developed and the little tidbits of historical facts about the photograph women, who by the way can speak to the house's residents, were interesting as well.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
A Pause for the Cause
Taking a quick break from book stuff to share a little bit about a cause that is near and dear to my heart...
Last night was our comedy night fundraiser for Team Lena's Smiling PHACE and Boston Children's Hospital. With the help of the guys from Funny 4 Funds and a lot of very generous prize donors and table sponsors, we raised more than $4000.
If you're looking for a way to raise money for a good cause, I can't say enough about Funny 4 Funds. These guys put on a 90-minute comedy show that had us laughing the whole time. Check them out at funny4funds.com!
As for me, I wrote Lena's story up to have on the tables. I thought I'd share it here:
Last night was our comedy night fundraiser for Team Lena's Smiling PHACE and Boston Children's Hospital. With the help of the guys from Funny 4 Funds and a lot of very generous prize donors and table sponsors, we raised more than $4000.
If you're looking for a way to raise money for a good cause, I can't say enough about Funny 4 Funds. These guys put on a 90-minute comedy show that had us laughing the whole time. Check them out at funny4funds.com!
As for me, I wrote Lena's story up to have on the tables. I thought I'd share it here:
Why We Walk
Lena's Story
Lena is the reason our family walks for Boston Children's Hospital. Eight years ago, she was diagnosed with PHACE syndrome which is "the uncommon association between large infantile hemangiomas, usually of the face, and birth defects of the brain, heart, eyes, skin and/or arteries." (Definition from www.angelphace.com).
In Lena's case, she had a hemangioma in her throat and an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in her head. The one in her throat was blocking 95% of her airway, which for an infant left her a very tiny area to breathe through. A hemangioma is a knot of blood vessels - these were causing her heart to work overtime pumping the blood through.
Lena spent most of her first summer in the hospital. Before surgery, the doctors attempted to shrink the hemangioma in her throat with steroids. She likes to laugh at the pictures of herself with the "chubba-cheeks" that the steroids caused. When the steroids didn't work, they surgically removed the hemangioma. To do this, they had to remove some of the cartilage in her throat. They repaired it with a little piece of one of her ribs.
In addition to that surgery, Lena has had multiple embolization procedures to close off the blood flow to the AVM in her head. Her most recent embolization was earlier this year, hopefully her last. She will continue to have MRIs for many years to come.
Thanks to the doctors and staff at Boston Children's Hospital, Lena is a happy, healthy, and very active little girl. She takes ballet and tap dance classes, as well as piano lessons. She is a smart, creative second-grader who loves to draw and write stories.
Lena has been to (and still goes to) more doctors than most eight-year-old girls, but they don't even phase her. In fact, this past winter, when I was complaining again about getting a flu shot, Lena said, "I don't like needles either. But I just do what I have to d."
Boston Children's Hospital is near and dear to our hearts because they have made it possible for Lena to be the sweet, loving little girl that we all adore.
To help support Boston Children's Hospital, visit my page at http://fundraise.childrenshospital.org/site/TR/Walk/Walk?px=1018955&pg=personal&fr_id=1290.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Throwback Thursday: The Outsiders
I first saw The Outsiders when I was 10 or 11 and promptly fell head-over-heels in love with Ponyboy Curtis. My friends and I argued for months over which of us would get to marry him. To this day, it is still one of my all time favorite movies.
Imagine my joy when I then discovered that it was based on the book by S.E. Hinton. I took it out of the library over and over and over. And then to learn that it was written by a seventeen-year-old girl. It was one of the first moments I realized that I could be a writer.
I was enthralled with the life that Pony lived with his brothers and friends. I hated the Socs every bit as much as the greasers did. Except, of course, Cherry Valance - the Soc cheerleader with a soft spot for Dallas Winston.
First lines can make or break a novel, and this one is fantastic: "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home." When my niece Allison told me she had started reading The Outsiders in English class, I quoted that line to her. She double-checked me, but I knew I was right.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching her read it for the first time. I was jealous of that opportunity. I would love to be able to read it for the first time again. Her response to the book was very similar to mine. When they watched the movie in class, she said she understood why I used to have a crush on Ponyboy.
It's been years since my last reading of The Outsiders, but I'm feeling like I may need to reread it soon. It has a permanent place on my shelf of favorites. And I still cry when Johnny tells Pony to "Stay Gold."
Aside from this blog, I've been doing more writing. I'm currently working on a short story about a clown. If I finish it by Sunday, I'm submitting it to magazine for a clown related anthology. With the number of creepy clown dreams I've had in my life, I'm fairly certain I can get something finished to submit.
On a more personal note, I've also recently written a "Why We Walk" piece about Lena's journey with PHACE syndrome and the great things that Boston Children's Hospital has done for her. It will be on the tables at the comedy fundraiser this Saturday night. (Tickets are still available if you're interested.)
Imagine my joy when I then discovered that it was based on the book by S.E. Hinton. I took it out of the library over and over and over. And then to learn that it was written by a seventeen-year-old girl. It was one of the first moments I realized that I could be a writer.
I was enthralled with the life that Pony lived with his brothers and friends. I hated the Socs every bit as much as the greasers did. Except, of course, Cherry Valance - the Soc cheerleader with a soft spot for Dallas Winston.
First lines can make or break a novel, and this one is fantastic: "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home." When my niece Allison told me she had started reading The Outsiders in English class, I quoted that line to her. She double-checked me, but I knew I was right.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching her read it for the first time. I was jealous of that opportunity. I would love to be able to read it for the first time again. Her response to the book was very similar to mine. When they watched the movie in class, she said she understood why I used to have a crush on Ponyboy.
It's been years since my last reading of The Outsiders, but I'm feeling like I may need to reread it soon. It has a permanent place on my shelf of favorites. And I still cry when Johnny tells Pony to "Stay Gold."
Aside from this blog, I've been doing more writing. I'm currently working on a short story about a clown. If I finish it by Sunday, I'm submitting it to magazine for a clown related anthology. With the number of creepy clown dreams I've had in my life, I'm fairly certain I can get something finished to submit.
On a more personal note, I've also recently written a "Why We Walk" piece about Lena's journey with PHACE syndrome and the great things that Boston Children's Hospital has done for her. It will be on the tables at the comedy fundraiser this Saturday night. (Tickets are still available if you're interested.)
Monday, May 25, 2015
First Frost
I am a big fan of Sarah Addison Allen. I've yet to read a book of hers that I didn't like. First Frost did not disappoint.
A follow up to her Garden Spells, it continues the story of the Waverley family. Garden Spells introduced us to Claire and Sydney, taking us through the "Year Everything Changed." First Frost picks up ten years later, with both Claire and Sydney married and settled in the town of Bascom, North Carolina.
The special thing about the Waverley family is that each of the women has a magical touch about her. Claire's is with food, and Sydney's with hair. Sydney's daughter Bay, who is a high school freshman, just "knows" where things (and people) belong.
A stranger threatens Claire's stability and a teenaged mother throws Sydney's life into turmoil. Meanwhile, Bay is falling for a boy she knows she belongs with, and whom her mother wants her to avoid.
This is another story of sisterly bonds and family strength. It seems to be a theme among the books I'm reading lately. No surprise, really, since I have a pretty fabulous sister of my own. We may not have always seen eye to eye, but we are closer as adults than we were in our younger days. She's my BSF...best sister forever.
And we have had a good example in sisterly bonding in our mother and aunts...four sisters who are very different and yet still alike in many ways. And not just them - so many of our cousins are girls too, and each sister relationship is different but tight. Even my nieces, who maybe haven't learned to appreciate each other as much as they will some day, share a lot, including their love for dance.
We may not have Waverley talents, but I like to think we all have a little bit of magic in us.
A follow up to her Garden Spells, it continues the story of the Waverley family. Garden Spells introduced us to Claire and Sydney, taking us through the "Year Everything Changed." First Frost picks up ten years later, with both Claire and Sydney married and settled in the town of Bascom, North Carolina.
The special thing about the Waverley family is that each of the women has a magical touch about her. Claire's is with food, and Sydney's with hair. Sydney's daughter Bay, who is a high school freshman, just "knows" where things (and people) belong.
A stranger threatens Claire's stability and a teenaged mother throws Sydney's life into turmoil. Meanwhile, Bay is falling for a boy she knows she belongs with, and whom her mother wants her to avoid.
This is another story of sisterly bonds and family strength. It seems to be a theme among the books I'm reading lately. No surprise, really, since I have a pretty fabulous sister of my own. We may not have always seen eye to eye, but we are closer as adults than we were in our younger days. She's my BSF...best sister forever.
And we have had a good example in sisterly bonding in our mother and aunts...four sisters who are very different and yet still alike in many ways. And not just them - so many of our cousins are girls too, and each sister relationship is different but tight. Even my nieces, who maybe haven't learned to appreciate each other as much as they will some day, share a lot, including their love for dance.
We may not have Waverley talents, but I like to think we all have a little bit of magic in us.
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