I recently became aware of Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads. I love to cook, and usually I do so on the weekends because weekdays there just isn’t much time to be creative.
I haven’t read any cooking books lately so I’ll post one of my favorite recipes. Gardening is one of my other hobbies and I have a selection of herbs growing in barrels outside my kitchen door. This time of year the basil is beautiful and just begging to be made into pesto sauce. This is a light and tasty pesto recipe adapted from a few authentic Italian ones that I have tried.
Ingredients
- 1 small clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 36 basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon grated pecorino romano cheese
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Half pound of penne pasta
Preparation
Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic, salt and pine nuts. Don’t make a paste, just lightly crush. Using a knife with a sharp blade chop the basil and add to the mortar. Gradually add the cheese. Transfer to a mini food processor and add the oil. Pulse several time to mix the ingredients. Cook pasta to taste, drain and add pesto.
Makes 4 servings.
Tips and suggestions: Read more…
Book Blogger Appreciation Week runs from September 13 – 17th.
This event was started by Amy Riley of My Friend Amy in an effort to recognize the hard work and contribution of book bloggers to the promotion and preservation of a literate culture actively engaged in discussing books, authors, and a lifestyle of reading.
Throughout the week there will be interviews, awards, giveaways and other activities. Be sure to check it out.
Musing Monday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. This week’s musing asks:
Where do you buy / get most of your books?
There is no one main source for my books.
In addition to the books I receive for review or win in contests, I also borrow books from my local public library and, since I can never walk past a book store without going inside, occasionally I’ll buy a new or used book from a local shop. If I want a specific new book I’ll order it from Amazon.
My favorite book shopping is the annual Friends of the Library used book sale. Several towns in my area host these sales. I have found a lot of good books there and most are under $1.00, but these are books that are a few years old.
Mailbox Monday is touring through blogs. In September it is hosted by Bermudaonion’s Weblog.
Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.
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In my mailbox last week:
A copy of The Unwanted by Daniel L. Carter provided by the author for review.
An explosion shatters the night sky…. Smoke and flames erupt over the city of Chicago. FBI Agent Nick Catlin watches helplessly as their only lead straps on a glider and leaps off a high rooftop, soaring toward Lake Michigan. They’ve lost him, again. The crime scenes always fit the same pattern-five babies are among the casualties. Fourteen months later, though, in New York, no infant bodies are found. Nick’s gut tells him the killer was somehow interrupted in his work and that he won’t stop until he tracks down those children and finishes what he started. Oklahoma rancher Leigh Barrus is barely making ends meet when his estranged niece, Janet, shows up at his ranch with five babies in tow. The terrifying tale she tells him about genetic experiments is only the beginning of the shocking truths.
A copy of The Grief Club by Melody Beattie won from Stephanie Barko’s book-a-day giveaway.
How to move on after a major loss, such as the death of a loved one, the end of a career, or a health crisis.
After author Melody Beattie’s son died, she found herself welcomed into new “club,” a circle of people who had lived through the tragic loss of a child. This was not the first club in which she unwittingly found herself. Years earlier she found herself in Twelve Step groups, first balking, then later embracing the healing principles that she now credits with saving her life. But life, Ms. Beattie writes, is all about change. Not only do loved ones die, but once successful careers can careen out of control and debilitating diseases can rob you of future plans.
Through The Triangle by C. P. Stewart
Genre: Science Fiction
Published: August 2009
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Who hasn’t wondered about the Bermuda Triangle, that mysterious area in the Atlantic Ocean where ships and people have vanished into the mist. Where do they go? We discover what happens to one group who leave for a day of fishing and find themselves returning to a much changed Florida coast after sailing through a storm in Through The Triangle, a science fiction thriller, by C. P. Stewart.
The novel starts off with a bang when we meet Manny Contraldo. Manny is an escaped con and up to no good. He ends up assuming the identity of a businessman and takes his place on a deep sea fishing charter with fellow passengers Jake and his son Nathan, the captain, Mason, and his first-mate, Juan. But Manny is only one of the dangers this unlikely group of adventurers will face after they survive the storm and arrive back on shore 300 years in the future. They now need to rely on themselves, their knowledge, skills and each other to survive.
Stewart has created an interesting future world for his characters to explore. It has all the elements of adventure and enough detail to draw you in but not so much as to make your head burst. This was a very enjoyable read which kept me turning the pages in anticipation to find out what would happen next. The story did not become predictable and I was kept in suspense for the surprise ending. I will say this much, without giving up any spoilers, it could have gone in several directions but I was pleased with how it turned out.
I admit I am a big fan of science fiction. I grew up reading the adventure filled books of the 60’s and 70’s and watching television shows like the original Star Trek, places where science solves the problems of the world not causes them as we see in many of the novels today. As the trend in science fiction becomes darker and more dystopian, with characters and plot lines that are confusing and sometimes undecipherable, it’s refreshing to find this fun, fast-paced adventure that will appeal to fans of all ages. Highly Recommended.
Visit the author’s website for the book here
Read an excerpt here.
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Source: Review Copy provided by the author.
I saw this on Read It Forward and it was my LOL for the morning.
It’s reminiscent of the Book-A-Minute site which is still updated and still funny.
Antiphon by Ken Scholes
Book Three of The Psalms of Isaak
Genre: Fantasy / Science Fiction
Published: September 2010 by Tor
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Antiphon is book three of The Psalms of Isaac, a five book epic fantasy series. Wait, don’t leave if you haven’t read the first two books. It’s not entirely necessary to have read them to enjoy this volume, although I recommend doing so. The author takes care to refresh our memories of events that happened in the first two books and provide explanations for those who pick up the series with Antiphon, but the level of understanding and satisfaction will be enhanced with the detail in the first two volumes.
I read books one and two, Lamentation and Canticle, shortly before I read Antiphon. I only recently became acquainted with this series by having the opportunity to review an ARC of Antiphon and so decided to read them all at once. I was not disappointed. Each book gets better. Ken Scholes has created an original world, an ambitious plot and a richly layered epic tale.
The series begins with the destruction of the city of Windwir, the murder of it’s people and the hint of a coming war between the Kingdoms of the Named Lands. At times I felt it was a bit slow while I got to know the characters and their world but that was to be expected with a story this vast and by the end of Lamentation I was hooked on the series.
Antiphon is an even better book than the first two, which I enjoyed. Now that the characters are developed we proceed at a faster pace. More of the plot is revealed, many of the story lines that built up in the first two novels come together, and questions are answered. There are some great plot twists, surprises, and new mysteries arise. “Nothing is as it seems”, as it says on the back cover. The second half of Antiphon flew by and concluded with a climactic ending, an element which I did not feel was present in the first two books.
The writing style is from the point of view of each of the main characters within each chapter. I liked this and felt it allowed the reader to get to know each character. We were able to experience their thoughts and feelings as the point of view would shift. The story flowed nicely and was easy to follow.
This is not your typical wizards and swords story although many elements are present such as dreams to foretell events and the use of magic potions and powders. There is a lot of political maneuvering and alliances among the leaders of the Named Lands and the different religious beliefs in each of the lands contribute to the conflicts. The setting is medieval where characters ride horseback, use knives as weapons and send messages by bird, but there are also mechanical men, powered by steam, who hold a library of knowledge from a bygone era. There is good and evil, love and betrayal and at times the story becomes dark and painful with war, assassinations, and torture. There is a science fiction element present which becomes more evident as the series progresses.
Ken Scholes previously wrote a short story which takes place in the same world that this series inhabits. It occurs many years before Lamentation and explains some of the essential back story to The Psalms of Isaac. It can be read online on the publisher’s web site and is called A Weeping Czar Beholds the Fallen Moon. Readers who enjoy this story will definitely like Antiphon. I recommend Antiphon and the entire Psalms of Isaak series, especially to fans of the fantasy and science fiction genre.
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Source: Review Copy provided by the publisher through Barnes & Noble
Under My Apple Tree 