March Reads- Let's Hear it for the Ladies

      My reads for the month of March are all about the ladies. I read several books that were either about famous women, or fiction books with strong female lead characters. I have really enjoyed doing this monthly themed reading. I am already looking for books to read for my April theme, Earth/climate change/weather themed novels. So, lets get started discussing the books about strong women.

     I will begin with a book that I finished towards the end of February. It was titled Eleanor by David Michaelis. It was a wonderfully written biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. I have always admired her and have read many things about her. This book reads more like a novel and was very engaging. Mrs. Roosevelt was not always a strong lady and she made some poor judgments in her earlier days, but she learned from them and she became a very strong voice in politics. I admire her tenacity and work ethic. This is definitely a recommendation for those who like biographies about historical figures. 

The next book I read in March, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, is the story of sisters growing up in the south in the early 1970's with their widowed Dad who is a preacher. Catherine Grace is a force to be reckoned with and she is head strong. You may say she is a typical preacher's kid, but she is determined to leave the small town of Ringgold, Georgia as soon as she is of age. With the help of her neighbor lady, who was a good friend of her momma's, she learns about life in this coming of age novel in the south during the 70's. You will fall in love with this strong female character and will leave the book wanting to know more. 

     The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder  by Joanne Fluke introduces the character, Hannah Swensen. Hannah is a thirty plus single lady who owns her own bakery in the small town of Lake Eden. Her mother is always trying to set her up with eligible men but Hannah is happy with her life. She loves to bake and she has a demanding cat, Moishe that keeps her busy, plus she always seems to be at the right place at the wrong time to learn about a murder or some mischief in her small town. I really enjoy this series and this is the first one to introduce the characters and the town. There are always wonderful recipes included in the book as well. I just admire Hannah's independence and the fact that she is OK with being a single independent woman. 

     To continue with the cooking theme, The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan is a similar book to the Fluke novels, however it is more of a historical fiction. It is set in England during  World War II. The story is about four women who enter a cooking contest to win the opportunity to be on a radio cooking show. The show is about how to use the food rations during the war to make delicious dishes. How the women's lives intertwine is very interesting and their strength and courage during the war is commendable. How they were able to put together tasty dishes with what little rations they had is unreal. The author also includes their recipes throughout the story which is very cool. This was an enjoyable read if you like to cook and enjoy historical fiction as I do. 

     The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is also a historical fiction. It is the story of the American library branch in Paris during World War II. The women, and a couple of older men, who work at the library are trying to keep the library open when the Nazi's occupy Paris. Odile learns a lot about friendship and loyalty when she tries to provide reading materials to her Jewish friends. Her father feels she is wasting her time, but she says her place is at the library.  If you enjoy Lilac Girls or The Paris Wife, you will enjoy this book about a very brave young lady during the Nazi occupation of Paris. 

     The last book I want to talk about is The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. I read The Handmaid's Tale a few years ago and I watched the series on Hulu. This is Aunt Lydia's story about Baby Nicole and follows up with Gilead after Offred ventures into the unknown. I really do enjoy Atwood's writing. She is very insightful and purposeful with her writing. Both of these novels deal with women being treated as second class citizens. The way things are going in the world today at times, it is a little scary about how some of the things she covers in her novels could come true today. The majority of her characters are female in this novel and they are all trying to do what is right and just for women. These are truly worth a read. 

    So I have been trying to learn to make and use sourdough. I have worked with making my own sourdough starter and I then fed it several times to make it active. I then made sourdough bread and my second batch was much better than my first batch. My last attempt was to make sourdough English muffins. They turned our pretty good. I have never been very good at bread making. I think I do not have the patience for it. You really have to let it sit, rise,rest,knead, wait, and I don't always like the waiting. Anyway, if you have difficulty with yeast breads, why not try the sourdough recipes. I did add a little yeast to my bread to give them a little lift. The English muffins did not need the yeast. My husband and I really enjoy the crunchy crust of the sourdough bread. There is just something about all of those little holes that you fill with butter then enjoy it warm. 

My first batch of successful bread. Successful being the key word. It was not my first batch of bread. 

Those beautiful holes that are characteristic of sourdough bread. 

My second batch of bread. I tried making one big loaf and two mini loaves. I just love the crusty top. 

My homemade English muffins. I made them on my cast iron griddle and used the lid of my new cast iron dutch oven to make them rise. They are my husband's favorite. 

Again, those delicious crevices for the melted butter to soak into. 

You can find many recipes for sourdough starter on Pinterest. I had success with the recipe in the book, Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza by Ken Forkish. He explains the process and the steps very thoroughly. 

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend.  Hope to see you again next month when we talk about Earth friendly books.