Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Here’s what arrived last week…
New Arrivals
Death by Tiara by Laura Levine, a USB Bracelet, buttons, and bookmarks from Kensington Books.
Freelance writer Jaine Austen thought she knew what she was getting herself into when she landed a gig working behind the scenes at a teen beauty pageant. But between the vicious stage moms, exacting judges, and trash-talking teens, she’s not sure she’s the woman for the job—especially when the catfights turn deadly…
The Bones of You (ebook)
by Debbie Howells from Kensington Books.
A stunning, wonderfully assured psychological thriller that evokes Gillian Flynn and Alice Sebold, The Bones of You revolves around a young girl’s murder and one woman’s obsession with uncovering the secrets in an idyllic English village.
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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I love a lot of things about summer, but one that I look forward to all year is my garden. I grow a variety of vegetables and flowers, but lettuce and herbs are some of the easiest things to grow. Seriously, no green thumb needed; just remember to water them.
Mixed Greens Grown in a Barrel
I grown my lettuce, parsley, and other herbs in barrels. A raised garden is much easier on my back, and it solves the persistent bunny problem I’ve had for the past few years. Bunnies are so cute, yet soooo destructive. Bunny and I have had a love-hate relationship for years.
Since these are very delicate greens, I use a light dressing on them, usually a vinaigrette. This is one of my favorites:
Recipe: Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
• ½ cup olive oil• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Preparation
In a small bowl combine above ingredients. Whisk in the oil until smooth.
You can vary the ingredients according to taste. A 3 or 4 to 1 ratio of oil to vinegar is best. Start with that and add more vinegar if desired.
The dijon mustard is an emulsifier, it keeps the oil and vinegar from separating. I only use a small amount because too much mustard will overpower the dressing.
For a less garlicy taste, instead of crushing the garlic clove in a press, pierce it with a knife and let it sit in the oil for about an hour and remove before adding the oil to the ingredients. Another option is to add a teaspoon or two of minced parsley, which will cut the intensity of the garlic.
The dressing will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Participation 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.
© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Almost wordless: It’s been raining so much that mushrooms are popping up between storms. These are probably deer mushrooms since they were growing where a dead tree had been removed. [And no, I’m not going to eat them, although they are edible.]
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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A Rapid Review
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Publisher: Random House Audio | May 2015
Format: Audio Download | 3½ hours | Rating: 4 stars
Audio Listening Level: Easy
A spare yet eloquent, bittersweet yet inspiring, story of a man and a woman who, in advanced age, come together to wrestle with the events of their lives and their hopes for the imminent future.
Addie and Louis live in the small town of Holt, Colorado. They’ve been acquaintances for years, yet never really knew each other. Her husband died years ago; Louis’ wife died too. They each live alone now; their children moved away. When Addie approaches Louis for companionship—to spend the night together as friends—Louis is at first surprised, but then happy to have someone to talk to.
Their late night conversations reveal the stories of their lives: Happy and sad times, loves and losses, hopes and dreams, and family secrets. Although they are discreet, not everyone approves of their relationship. When Addie’s six-year-old grandson, Jamie, comes to stay with her for the summer, her son strongly disapproves leaving Addie torn between family and her feelings for Louis.
This is a beautifully written story with a deeply emotional ending: bittersweet and sad. And an ending I was not expecting. To say much more would spoil this captivating short story.
Audio production:
The narration was performed by Mark Bramhall. His soft, even tone and steady pacing made it pleasant and easy to listen to. [Audio Sample on SoundCloud.]
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Source: Review copy provided by Random House Audio.
© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Today is Memorial Day in the US, a federal holiday and day of remembrance to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.
Here’s what arrived last week…
New Arrivals
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins from Crown Books and the 24-Hour Readathon.
Neil Gaiman meets Joe Hill in this astonishingly original, terrifying, and darkly funny contemporary fantasy.
Audio Downloads
From Simon & Schuster Audio
The Immortalist by Scott Britz
For fans of Robin Cook and Michael Crichton comes a medical thriller that melds cutting-edge science with ripped-from-the-headlines terror. What happens when a new immortality drug leads to an explosive outbreak of a deadly virus that, if not contained, could wipe out humanity once and for all?
Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova
From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova comes a powerful new novel that does for Huntington’s Disease what her debut Still Alice did for Alzheimer’s.
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter the giveaways for Stella Rose, The Daddy Diaries, and the Save the Date and Summer Rental book and goody bag giveaway.
Winner: Suko at Suko’s Notebook
Winner: Anita
Winner: Natalie
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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A Rapid Review
The Memory Painter by Gwendolyn Womack
Publisher: Blackstone Audio | April 2015
Format: Audio Download | 12 hours | Rating: 4½ stars
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate to Difficult
What if there was a drug that could help you remember past lives? What if the lives you remembered could lead you to your one true love? What if you learned that, for thousands of years, a deadly enemy had conspired to keep the two of you apart?
Bryan Pierce is a famous artist whose paintings are inspired by vivid dreams. These dreams are so real he feels he is re-experiencing other people’s lives. When Linz Jacobs, a neurogeneticist working on memory research, sees a painting of a terrifying, recurring nightmare she has experienced on display at Bryan’s art show, she knows she has to meet him. But their meeting triggers a new dream for Bryan—that of a researcher working on a drug to cure Alzheimer’s in the 1980s. In recurring dreams he learns that the research was abruptly shut down after an accident in the lab kills two of the team members.
In a richly woven, multi-leveled plot, relationships are revealed through Bryan’s dreams as we journey back in time thousands of years. If Bryan is remembering his past lives, and if souls stay together through time, then the knowledge he is acquiring through these dreams could put him and Linz in danger.
I enjoyed the blending of genres—history, science fiction, fantasy, and a little romance, and the way the complex plot unfolded in bits and pieces as we built towards a climactic ending. And I admit, I was fooled by one of the plot twists at the end.
Audio production:
Will Damron narrated with a steady pace and pleasant voice. The complex plot, numerous characters and relationships, plus movements back and forth in time requires extra focus from the listener. This is perfect to listen to while doing routine tasks. I listened while gardening, and was able to give my full attention to the narrative.
Audio Sample:
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox.
© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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