Be Who You Are and Love Who You Love

      

     Since June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, I chose a variety of books with lgbtq characters or themes. There are more and more authors writing for this community and I am so glad. Everyone needs to be able to find a book to read that allows you to put yourself in the character's place so that you can escape for a few minutes a day in a story. People read for many different reasons, but one of the reasons I enjoy reading is that it allows me to step into another person's shoes for just a little bit. It gives me the opportunity to view the world through the eyes of a character that has a totally different personality, nationality, sexual identity, or even in a different time period. This is why reading helps children develop compassion and empathy for their peers. I really haven't met an avid reader that reads a variety of genres that is not compassionate for others.  

Let's start with one of my favorite young adult authors, Julie Murphy. I first read her novel, Dumplin'  a few years ago. Being an overweight person myself, I could so relate to Willow Dean. I totally understood what she was going through at school and how she felt about her body. Pumpkin is another one of her books that includes Willow Dean and some of her friends. Pumpkin, or Waylon, is an openly gay student in a West Texas small town. His twin sister, Clementine is also one of his best friends. Waylon is not sure what he is going to do after graduation, he really doesn't have a plan. He finds out that his sister does, and it doesn't include him. Waylon's favorite on TV is Fiercest of Them All, a drag show competition. Could Waylon have a future in drag? The book also addresses the issue of prom and how lgbtq+ students deal with the prom "norms", especially in a small southern town. You will finish this book cheering for Pumpkin and his friends. 

                                               

     Grace is not the type of woman who goes to Las Vegas and celebrates, gets drunk and wakes up married to a woman, who she doesn't even know her name. She just completed her PhD in astronomy and always has her life organized and follows a plan. How did this happen? Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers was a little slow and superficial at first, I thought, then as I got into it, it touched on mental wellness and taking care of yourself. It also addresses the problems Grace has getting a job as a biracial, bisexual woman at a research facility or university. She is a very strong person and was an advocate for lgbtq students while in college. When her life long dream is not as fulfilling as she hoped it would be, it forces her to look at what really makes her happy and why were her goals so important to her, or were they more important to someone else in her life? There is a cast of very interesting characters and I realize that many times those in the lgbtq+ community often stick together because they do not always get family support and they want to be with people who understand what they are going through. 

     Being a part of the "First Family" is not always easy. We often hear how the pressure of being in the public eye is difficult for the children of U.S. Presidents. Add to that being biracial and bisexual and the pressure is even more difficult. Alex and the Prince of England didn't get along. Alex thought he was stuck up and boring. Does Prince Henry feel the same way? This is a cute romance from the viewpoint of the son of a female U.S. President. I listened to this audiobook and really enjoyed the characters. It is a love story from a bisexual male's viewpoint and it is very well done. Make sure you check out, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. 

     The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch is a young adult novel whose main character is an openly gay male, Sky, who navigates his life in a small town and a small high school. He deals with bullying and harassment, even though he tries to fit in the best he can. He lives with his best friend because his mother threw him out of the house after he came out to her. As their senior year draws to a close, Sky plans to throw caution to the wind and ask his big crush, Ali, a middle eastern brainiac ,to the prom. An email hack causes Sky to reconsider. Will he even go to his senior prom? This book addresses being yourself, standing up to bullies and supporting your friends. I caught myself cheering for Sky towards the end of the book. Young adult students are very brave, especially when they have to deal with bullying and how others treat them, on their own, without their family's support many times. Again, they rely on the kindness of friends. It is very important that we support young people who are dealing with bullying after coming out, even by family members. 

     The last book I wish to talk about tells the story of a movie star from the 1950's & 60's who had seven husbands. She is aging and all of her husbands are dead, so she decides to have a young writer for a local magazine write her "Tell All" biography. Why does she choose Monique to write her story? This book made me stop and think about many people in Hollywood during this time period who may have been in the same boat. They had to do things they didn't want to do to make it in the movie industry. The twist at the end when you find out why she chose Monique to write her book is a surprise. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid will have you loving, then hating the main character, Evelyn. This is definitely a page turner that will keep you up late at night reading just one more chapter. I don't want to give too much more away, so you will just have to read it to see how it fits this month's category. 

     Since we finished renovating our kitchen, I have been trying to get back into my sour dough starter and making items with the starter. I had a friend at work give me some of her starter that was good and bubbly. I started by making some homemade English muffins. They turned out nice and fluffy. They are delicious toasted with butter and jam. 

Then I got to thinking that it seemed like such a waste to toss dough starter after it is fed. So, I thought why not keep using the starter if it continues to be bubbly. So I next made some homemade cinnamon rolls. I forgot to get a good photo of the rolls, but they turned out well. 

Then, I surfed Pinterest and decided to try some sourdough pizza crust. I made two pizzas and they turned out nice and crispy. We like the homemade pizza because we can control the toppings and it is not as greasy as delivery. 

I used a pizza pan and a stone. I prefer the stone. It makes the crust crispy. My favorite way to make the pizza sauce is to use roasted red peppers. I buy a jar, drain them and blend them in the food processor. They make a mild sauce which is less acidic than the tomato sauce. 

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. Make sure you stop by next month to see what my book topic will be. Remember to always be true to yourself. 

   

Life is a Beach...I Wish!

      As I was searching for a theme to read during the month of May, I decided to go with a beach theme since we were taking a trip to the beach this month. My husband and I went to Hilton Head Island. We really enjoy the island and each time we go, we discover something new. This was our third trip to HHI and our first time to go in May, while school would normally be in session. It truly made retirement seem real. We did travel to Savannah one day and we had one rainy day, but the rest of the week we spent just lounging around the pool or the beach. I usually had a book to read while I was relaxing. We were renovating our kitchen at the time and our house was a disaster area. It was nice to get away and not have to climb over boxes or walk through dust. 

     So, lets get started with the beach reads. The first book I want to talk about is Love on Beach Avenue by Jennifer Probst. I read the Kindle version of this novel that I downloaded for free from an Amazon Prime first view free ebook.  Avery Sunshine is in the business of wedding planning. She and her sisters inherited the business from their parents. The setting is a small beach town where many people come to get married on the beach. The Sunshine sisters work to make every bride's dream come true. When Avery's old college roommate calls and asks her to help plan her wedding, Avery is so excited to be her wedding planner until her friend's brother gets in the way. Carter is not a fan of Avery's, ever since she and his sister impulsively sowed their wild oats together in college. How is she going to plan her best friend's wedding with her brother, Carter in the way. Will there be a battle or is romance in the air? 

    We continue our beach theme with The Summer Retreat by Shelia Roberts. Celeste is an elementary school teacher and she is engaged to get married, until her fiance is caught cheating. Celeste wondered why he kept putting off setting a date or introducing her to his parents. When she catches him with another woman, while going to take him soup because he said he was sick, she realizes her plans are changing. She decides to go back to the beach town where she grew up to spend her summer. She helps her sister at the local Inn she manages and actually helps to clean the rooms. In one of the rooms, she thinks she has found the makings of a serial killer. But, how can a guy, that good looking be a killer? Could she be wrong? She could use something, or someone, to distract her from her troubles. What better place to find that than at the beach. 

     I had to include a classic Nicholas Sparks novel since I was choosing romancey beach reads. Nights in Rodanthe is one that I have never read before. This story reminds us that love can be found at any age. A mother tells her daughter a story of love that she had no idea her Mom was keeping from her. Amanda's mom and dad divorced after he cheated on her mom with a younger woman. Adrienne spent her life raising her children and gave no thought to her own happiness after her husband left her. She was helping a friend by watching her Inn on Rodanthe Island in North Carolina when she meets Paul. She and Paul share just a few days together, but what they share is surreal. Can Adrienne share her story with her daughter, Amanda, who is hurting after the death of her husband? This is a beautiful story of love, healing, and forgiveness.      

     I also chose a title by an Asian American author, Nancy Jooyoun Kim, The Last Story of Mina Lee. This was my audiobook  for the month and I chose it because May is also Asian heritage month. This book was about a young Korean American born girl who lives in Seattle but comes home to Los Angeles to visit her Korean mom and she finds her dead in her apartment in Korea town. She and her mom are not real close and Margot tries to find out what happened to her mom. The police say it was an accident, but she is not so sure. As she goes through her mother's things, she learns some things about her mother that she didn't know.  What secrets was her mom hiding? The book goes back and forth between Margot's search for what happened to her mother, Mina, and Mina's story of why she came to America as an immigrant. I enjoyed this story because it opened my eyes to how minority groups are treated when they try to come to America to make their life better. They work so hard and no one sees past their accents to get to know them as individuals. One of the reasons I enjoy reading various types of fiction is to learn about different cultures and peoples. 

                                         

     The last book I chose because of the title, Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews. I knew we were going to Savannah one day and I really enjoy the rich culture in that city. This was a mystery involving an antique dealer and the selling of a historical mansion to build a paper factory. Can Weezie save the historical home, find the antique hutch that can help her open her own antique store, and maybe possibly find love?  It was kind of cool reading this book that mentioned various places in Savannah, where we just recently visited. 

Since we were on vacation and out kitchen was still being renovated, I did not do a lot of cooking, so I thought I would share some of the great food we had on our beach trip. I am definitely a foodie and enjoy trying new restaurants, dishes and drinks. 

Our first stop was in Berea, Ky at a small Amish deli. The sign with 26 different cheeses sold me instantly. I LOVE cheese. I had the grilled cheese on sour dough bread. You got to choose up to two types of cheese for your sandwich. I chose pepper jack and bacon cheddar. It wad delish. 

We split the 10 hour drive into two days since we both have to make frequent stops for our aching hips, knees or backs. We spent the night in Asheville, NC and found a great burger spot called Juicy Lucy's. The burgers were awesome and the Kahlua Mudslide milkshake was yummy! We recommend Juicy Lucy's if you travel through Asheville.

As we left Asheville the next morning, we found a local coffee shop, Sweeter Creek Coffee. One of my favorite things about our road trips is finding the hidden local gems on the side of the interstate or off of the beaten path. I enjoyed a honey-gingered latte with a mixed berry scone. I am a lover of all things honey and I love trying various flavor combinations with it. 

A few beach pics around our condo area at the Hilton Head Tennis and Beach Club, one of our favorite spots, owned by some friends of ours. We highly recommend it if you need a quaint little spot by the beach. 

When we traveled to Savannah for one day, we had brunch at Clary's. This is a little diner where the author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil used to visit as he wrote his book. He would sit out on the sidewalk in front of the diner and eat and write and drink coffee. The food was delicious southern cooking. They served a typical diner menu and breakfast all day long. I love me some breakfast for lunch or dinner. 

When we go to Hilton Head we usually stop by the Salty Dog. This time we just enjoyed a couple of appetizers and drinks. We had a batch of the homemade hush puppies and some pimento cheese dip with home made pita chips and carrot matchsticks. I enjoyed a coyote and my husband had the pain killer. Nothing like sitting outside by the water enjoying good food, great drinks and music. It is an atmosphere like no other. 

I did mention that I like trying small coffee shops and that I love breakfast food, right? One of our faves in Bluffton, a little township outside of Hilton Head on the road to Savannah, is Corner Perk. On this trip I have developed a liking of grits. They served theirs with cheese along with my bacon egg biscuit. My hubby got a Mexican huevos skillet dish that was enough food for two. I also had a white fudge latte which was delicious. 

We were eating dinner at a restaurant near Calligney beach. Afterwards we found an ice cream shop that had 92 flavors of ice cream. The names of the ice creams were so creative and combined so many great flavors it was difficult to choose. Here is my choices of Cookie Monster, blue vanilla ice cream with oreos and Play Dough, vanilla ice cream with different colored cookie dough bits in it. 

On our last night at the beach, we treated ourselves to one of our favorite restaurants we have discovered at Hilton Head, a Lowcountry Backyard. Everything there is fresh, homemade and delicious. I had the shrimp and mushroom cobbler with a salad and we shared the fried green tomatoes, some of the best we have ever had. 

Thanks for visiting my blog and browsing through my various pictures of food. Make sure you come back in June when I review various books addressing LGBTQ+ issues.