Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday.
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Almost wordless: One of the few things I like about winter are the textures in the plants and trees when the leaves and flowers are absent.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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An Exploration of the Craft Distilling Revolution
American Spirit
by James Rodewald
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Sterling Epicure | September 2014
Format: Hardcover | 256 pages
Rating: 4 of 5
I have been aware that a craft brewing industry existed for some time and enjoy sampling local beers at area restaurants, but until I read this book, I didn’t know the same thing is now happening with spirits. While there was definitely a need for better and tastier beer (I think back to my college days when the beer choices were the bland offerings from the big breweries, and Coors was the only beer even remotely resembling unique), spirits, on the other hand, already had a wide variety of tasty offerings. So I wondered: Why the boom in craft distilling?
Author James Rodewald, former drinks editor for the now shuttered Gourmet magazine, shows us why the craft spirit industry is flourishing. In this unique book he takes us across America and introduces us to several dozen individuals who have chosen to start a distilling business – at times against great odds – and lets them tell their stories.
The book is broken into chapters by regional areas and profiles some of the stand-out businesses and their owners. Sprinkled throughout are photos, drink recipes, and short asides with interesting tidbits of information.
It’s fascinating that the industry thrives at all considering the mish-mash of laws governing the business. Regulations vary between states, and local ordinances can be challenging; a remnant of the prohibition era. Plus, the small distillers are at a disadvantage when compared to beer and wine producers: laws are stricter, tastings are not allowed, and home distilling is illegal. One interesting observation was that almost every distiller was, at one time, a lawbreaker as most of them had to learn how to distill somewhere before they opened their businesses.
I was expecting this book to be more of a historical account about the world of craft distilling – its history, progress, and where we are today. Instead, I found a book about the people involved in the business rather than a linear history. We do learn about the business, but it is through individual experiences and personal stories; a book those interested in the subject are sure to enjoy.
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher through AmazonVine.
© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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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.
This past week felt like it flew past. It’s hard to believe this year is almost over.
Only one new book this week…
New Arrivals
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion from Simon & Schuster Audio.
The highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Rosie Project, starring the same extraordinary couple now living in New York and unexpectedly expecting their first child. Get ready to fall in love all over again.
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New Giveaway
To celebrate the paperback release of Tempting Fate by Jane Green, I have a fantastic prize package, courtesy of the publisher and Tandem Literary, to giveaway to one lucky reader with a US address.
Win a copy of the book and two sets of custom wine charms.
Click the image for details.
How was your week?
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© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Only 89 more days until spring.
When I say ‘dark’, I mean that in a meteorological sense.
Astronomical winter begins at 5:03 p.m. CST in North America. Here in Chicago, we will have only 9½ hours of daylight today. And the way this month has been going, no sunshine. We have received only 19% of possible sunshine this month making it extra gloomy already. And today brings more rain. I suppose that’s better than snow; at least I don’t have to shovel rain.
The Winter Landscape
Yesterday I took part in the Christmas Bird Count, an annual Audubon event. The data we collect allows researchers to assess the health of bird populations, and to help guide conservation action. In the morning we walked Cantigny Park and in the afternoon we walked the golf course. We counted about 30 species of birds, which isn’t too bad for this time of the year.
The lack of snowfall, still green grass, and mild temperatures combined to make the golf course look much less desolate than in some of the previous years. Last year we went out in the midst of a blizzard and freezing cold.
Solstice facts
- The solstice occurs because the earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees.
- The word solstice comes from ancient Latin. Sol meaning “sun” and sistere, “to stand still.” For several days before and after the solstice the sun appears to stand still in the sky and it’s noon time elevation does not change.
- Some say early Christmas celebrations have their roots in the Feast of Saturnalia, a winter solstice celebration to the Roman god Saturn. When Christianity was introduced to the Roman Empire, the church allowed the feast to continue but dedicated it to the birth of Christ.
- The custom of giving presents comes from the Roman feast of Saturnalia.
- Stonehenge is aligned with solstice. The timber circle is orientated towards the rising sun on the midwinter solstice.
© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Tempting Fate by Jane Green is now available in paperback.
To celebrate the paperback release of Tempting Fate, I have a fantastic prize package, courtesy of the publisher and Tandem Literary, to giveaway to one lucky reader with a US address.
The winner will receive:
- A copy of Tempting Fate in paperback
- Two sets of custom wine charms.
There are 4 charms per set – a purse, a shoe, sunglasses, and a goblet.
About the Book
Tempting Fate
by Jane Green
Genre: Women’s Fiction | Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press | November 2014
When Gabby first met Elliott she knew he was the man for her. In twenty years of marriage she has never doubted her love for him—even when he refused to give her the one thing she still wants most of all. But now their two daughters are growing up Gabby feels that time and her youth are slipping away. For the first time in her life she is restless. And then she meets Matt…
Intoxicated by the way this young, handsome and successful man makes her feel, Gabby is momentarily blind to what she stands to lose on this dangerous path. And in one reckless moment she destroys all that she holds dear.
Consumed by regret, Gabby does everything she can to repair the home she has broken. But are some betrayals too great to forgive?
Jane Green’s new novel, Saving Grace, releases December 30th
About the Author
A former feature writer for the Daily Express in the UK, Green took a leap in faith when she left, in 1996, to freelance and work on a novel. Seven months later, there was a bidding war for her first book, Straight Talking, the saga of a single career girl looking for the right man. The novel was an immediate top-ten bestseller in England, and Green was an overnight success.
Saving Grace, Jane’s sixteenth novel, is available for pre-order now. With purchase, you get a copy of her new cookbook, Happy Food, for FREE. Details and more about the book are at Jane’s website.
More Information
Twitter | Pinterest | Website | Facebook | Goodreads
To enter the giveaway:
Fill out the form below on or before midnight, December 27th. One entry per person or address, Continental US only. I will draw a random winner who will be notified by email.
Giveaway has ended
Winner: Crystal Hernandez
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© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Giveaway provided by Tandem Literary.
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A Thousand Pieces of You
by Claudia Gray
Genre: YA / Science Fiction
Publisher: Harper | November 2014
Format: Hardcover | 368 pages
Rating: 4 of 5
From the Publisher
Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.
About the Story
Marguerite’s parents have invented a device – the Firebird – that allows travel throughout the multiverse. The multiverse is a possible set of hypothetical universes also known as parallel or alternate universes.
As the story opens, Marguerite’s father is murdered and the prime suspect is Paul, a physics graduate student and her father’s assistant. He steals the Firebird and jumps to another universe. With the help of friend Theo, Marguerite chases Paul through the multiverse and along the way learns much about herself, her relationship with Paul and Theo, and who really wants control of the Firebird.
My Thoughts
YA isn’t my usual scifi genre, but I’m a sucker for time-travel and alternate universe stories regardless of whether or not I’m the target audience. I picked this one up on a whim after gazing at the beautiful cover and was under the impression that it was primarily science fiction.
YA always has its share of teen angst, and that’s ok. What I wasn’t expecting in this book was a lot of romance. At first I was a little annoyed, but the writing was good and the underlying story was holding my interest. I enjoyed the world-building in the different universes, and it was enough for me to almost overlook the inclusion of a love triangle. As much as that device is overused in YA books, and it seemed unnecessary at first, it did work in the end due to a couple of plot twists.
The story is narrated by Marguerite and we view the different universes through her eyes. There aren’t a lot of technical details, and this is science fiction only because characters are able to jump to parallel universes. When they arrive in the new universe they temporarily take over the body of the person who actually belongs there but how the Firebird works isn’t explained.
This is the first book of a new trilogy, but it is a complete story with an ending and no cliffhanger. It was enjoyable, escapist reading that I liked a lot more than I expected to.
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher through AmazonVine.
© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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