Falling for New Releases

      For the month of October, I decided to try and read only things that were newly released this year. I think I ended up reading maybe one or two that were released last year in 2020. I also read a couple that have not been released yet. They are galley copies. Since I attend several online Library Journal webinars with authors, I have access to read some early copies of books. It is a little perk of being a librarian. So, let's get started. The first book I want to share with you is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. This book came out in February of 2021. I know there are other books about the dust bowl and the Great Depression, but this book will stick with you long after reading it. It really is amazing how that generation made it through that time in history. Kristin Hannah does a good job with description and feeling. She develops her characters so well that you miss them once you finish the book. Like so many historical fiction books, I learned so much about this time in our history that I did not know. When a fiction book makes me do my own research, it is very compelling. I started listening to this book on the audiobook version and it disappeared on me before I could finish it. I immediately found the hard copy at the library so that I could finish it. This one is very much worth the read. 

     The Invisible Life of Addie Larue  by V.E. Schwab was released in October of 2020. It has been on my TBR (to be read) list for over a year and I decided to give it a try. It was not a disappointment. I love when an author has a unique idea for a book and goes with it. So many books are similar and just varied by location or characters. This is kind of a play on the Devil and Daniel Webster, but it has a very unique twist. It is very engaging and one that you will not want to put down. I have to admit that I had a difficult time getting into it at first, but I found myself worrying about Addie when I wasn't reading the book. The audiobook version of this one is very well done. 

     The next book was a nonfiction book and it is NOT a new release. It originally came out in June of 2006 but there is an updated version that came out in May 2020, Jesus Rode a Donkey: Why Republicans Don't Have the Corner on Christ  by Linda Seger. I have not read the updated version, however I ordered it after reading this version. I have been struggling with my beliefs over the last two years. I am a Christian and believe in God, but I struggle with being told that I can't be one political party if I am a Christian. This book has been comforting to me. There are some political topics in it from 2006, that really didn't  help how I am feeling now, but I passed the newer version on to my Mom and I will probably reread some of it with the newest updates. If you are struggling with how divided the world is today on various topics, this book may be helpful for you. 

     The next book I want to share is not a new release either. Virgin River  by Robyn Carr came out in March of 2007 but I have never read it. I have heard that the series on Netflix is pretty good, so I thought I would try it. It is about a young nurse practitioner from New York who wishes to get away from the rat race of the busy city hospital and get a fresh start in a rural, picturesque town after her husband is killed in the big city. However, the small town life is not what she thought it was. This is a cute drama with a touch of romance. The quirky characters make it a fun read.  

     The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb is another book that has not come out yet. It is a galley copy that I downloaded and read before it is released in February of 2022. This is a story of Ray, a black classical musician whose family heirloom violin is stolen right before he competes in a national violin competition in Russia. It addresses the struggles and the prejudice he faces being a young black male in the world of classical music. This is the author's first book and I thought he did a very nice job with the topic. The beginning is a little slow, but once you find out about his grandfather's violin and it gets stolen, the story picks up. I found myself cheering for Ray towards the end of the novel. 

     The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland is a young adult novel that was released in September 2021. I got to be on a webinar with the author and decided I needed to read it once it came out. It is a cute story about a young girl who is a senior in high school and she has dated the same boy all through high school. Her plan is to move in with him in an apartment once they graduate. However, he throws her a curve ball and says they need a break the summer after they graduate to make sure they are making the right choice. Her family decides to help her see she deserves so much better than Paul. Part of the story is a group chat with her crazy family made up of a mix of characters. Jasmine is a Korean adoptee and her family is a mix of Italian and Asian. They are overprotective and and love her, but sometimes they but in just a little too much. This story is a mix of The Bachelorette and  To All the Boys I've Loved Before. You don't want to miss this one. 

     Another audiobook that I really enjoyed came out last June in 2020. If I Were You by Lynn Austin is a historical fiction about two girls in England during World War II. Audrey is practically a royal with servants and a fancy house. The other girl, Eve, is the daughter of one of the servants. She becomes a scullery maid and she and Audrey become friends. Audrey, even though she has lots of money and privilege, she has a difficult time making friends. Eve is carefree and makes friends very easily. They both end up serving during the war. Their on again, off again friendship makes them both realize how much they need each other when they both need it the most. It is a wonderful story about friendship. 

     Made from Scratch: The Legendary Success Story of Texas Roadhouse by Kent Taylor came out in September of 2021. This was a very readable nonfiction. My husband and I enjoy Texas Roadhouse and we always comment on how crowded it is every time we go. There is ALWAYS a wait for a table. Then I realized that they do not advertise. How are they so successful? How did Mr. Taylor make it such a success? His methods were non conventional and he was told "no" many times. But, he never gave up on his dream. It is a very inspirational entrepreneurial biography. 

      What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris was another galley book. It will come out February 2022. This is a coming of age book about a young black girl who loses her dad to a drug overdose. Her mom has a difficult time with his death and KB and  her sister go to live with their grandfather over the summer. Her mom and her grandfather have been estranged and there is a lot of tension between them. During that summer, KB learns a lot about life as she and her teenage sister, Nia go through some growing pains and learn about racism, boys, and relationships. 

  The last book I wish to share is The Moonlight Child by Karen McQuestion. It is an audiobook that came out last year, September of 2020. This is a mystery about a young girl in the foster system that ages out and her advocate asks her mother to give her a place to stay and get on her feet since she just turned eighteen and aged out of the system. While Sharon,the advocates mother, is outside one night watching an eclipse, she notices a small girl washing dishes in the window in the house next door. She didn't think the Flemings had a young daughter. Who is this girl? Then, Nicki comes to live with her and notices a light in the basement window next door. Who is this child and why are the Flemings denying that she is there? Sharon and Nicki take on this mystery and try to solve it in their own way. This was an interesting story and it was great to see the development of Nicki and Sharon's relationship as a family, one that Nicki has never had before. 

     Along with the cooler temperatures comes the season of celebrating which involves lots of eating in America. Fall is probably the worst time to try and watch your weight or to diet. I have been blessed, or cursed, with a sweet tooth that will not go away. My Papaw Carman always loved sweets and my Papaw Lockard always had Little Debbie Cakes or cookies in his house. Once Autumn made it's appearance, along came all of the pumpkin spice followers. I have always loved pumpkin and I tend to eat it year around. My sister was craving a pumpkin pie, so I broke down and made a pumpkin pie for our sister's craft night. Neither one of our husbands are really crazy about pumpkin, so I made a pie so we could split it and she could take half home, so neither one of us would eat a WHOLE pie ourselves. 😋    

This is a new recipe I tried last year and it has become my favorite pumpkin pie recipe. Extra Smooth Pumpkin Pie is exactly that. The secret to it's smoothness is a little bit of cream cheese. It doesn't really have a cheesecake flavor, it is just a really smooth pumpkin pie. 

 

Then, apples start coming into season. We can buy apples at any time of the year here in the United States, but they really seem to be flavorful during the fall. A former colleague gave me a bag of apples from her brother's orchard. I had to find a recipe to encompass that wonderful apple, cinnamon or caramel goodness. The first recipe I made was apple hand pies or kind of like homemade apple pop tarts. 

These were really simple. You just cook your apples with cinnamon and sugar and then you use pie crust. Roll out the pie crust real thin and fill with your apple goodness then crimp, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar then bake. They are best hot right out of the oven. They remind me of the fried apple pies my Mamaw Carman used to make when I was a kid. It was a similar idea, but you make a dough, roll out small circles, then put in your filling and then fry them in a cast iron skillet on the stove. My Papaw Carman thought they were the best. He even dropped one in my grandmother's dish water one time and rescued it. I guess that gives new meaning to the 5 second rule. I tell ya the man had a sweet tooth.  The other apple dessert I made was Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars. These were delicious!! I made my first homemade salted caramel. Mine turned out a little thin and not as rich in color, but it tasted wonderful. I guess I will just have to try again 😉 My favorite part about these bars, besides the caramel, is the shortbread crust. I love anything that is shortbread, one of my favorite cookies. 

          To continue on with the pumpkin spice theme, I made a batch of my Mom's Two Week Refrigerator Bran Muffins. They are the best!! I know you are thinking...What? Bran muffins? Yes, they are so moist and tasty. You can mix a batch and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks and bake off of it . However, mine rarely lasts that long. For this batch of muffins, I added pumpkin and some pumpkin spice. They were delicious. I then sprinkled some pumpkin seeds on top before baking them. I love the crunch. You can add many types of fruit or flavors to these muffins, but pumpkin is my favorite add in. I also add in flax seed for extra nutritional value. 

     The last fall recipe I wish to share is a cookie recipe. I am a true cookie monster. I love a cookie of any kind and will most times choose cookies over other sweets. Something about being able to just pick it up and take a bite. While my husband and I were on one of our weekend trips, we stopped by a Panera Bread restaurant. I always get one of their iced shortbread cookies when I am there. They were out and offered me a kitchen sink cookie. I thought that sounded interesting, so I thought I would try it. First off, it was a BIG cookie. It had sea salt sprinkled on top. Once I took a bite, I was hooked. It had pretzel pieces, caramel, chocolate, and I am not sure what else. So, I did what I always do when I find something I eat out and really like it, I try to find a copycat recipe online. I found one and it makes a delicious cookie. Then, I did what I always do again, I made the recipe my own by  adding other ingredients. Since it was near Halloween, I call them Trick-or treat cookies. I used the recipe but I also added chopped up Reese cups, toffee chips, and m&m's. I think you could chop up any left over Halloween candy you might have and it would work as well. I made a double batch and sent some to work with my husband and took some to work myself. They were a bit hit. 

     My last pumpkin recipe, I promise, is a pumpkin latte recipe. The one I found on Pinterest was a Weight Watchers recipe, which is even better. I like this recipe because it not only has the spice, but it actually has pumpkin in it as well. It makes a delicious drink and if you are a pumpkin aficionado like me, you have to try it. 

 

This summer girl is trying to make the best of this chilly weather. It does not help my waist line which is why I have to stay active and keep walking and working out, but it gets me through these chilly days. Until I can get my toes in the sand again, I will make it work. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope you are taking time to enjoy  a good book and the taste of the season. Check back next month as I talk about my favorite gene, historical fiction. 

Happy Fall!!!

 

 

For the Love of the Earth and All Things Green.

      For the Month of April, I chose a theme that is Earth friendly. Since Earth Day is in April, I wanted to read books that were about climate change, global warming or had an Earth friendly theme of some kind. I have read some young adult books on this particular theme before, usually with a dystopian theme but I tried to find some adult fiction with the same theme. I really didn't find very many that I had access to. However, as I am finding with this monthly themed reading I found some interesting books that I would not have ordinarily picked out myself. So let's get started with the Earth love.  

     The first novel I read was South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby. This book is way out of my typical choice for reading. Towards the end of the book, there was LOTS of science that was a little above my head, but all in all it was an interesting read. It was about an artist who gets a grant to go to the South Pole station. The main purpose of the station is for scientist to study global warming. There was a group to prove the effects of global warning with one scientist who was trying to disprove the theory of global warming. The politics of global warning was addressed and played into the funding of the project. The main character, Cooper was an artist and received an art grant to stay at the South Pole station. I thought it was interesting that the project included an artist, a dancer, a novelist, and a psychologist. Living at the South Pole takes a toll on a person not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. This was a unique book that I would not have typically picked up if I had not looked for books with an environmental theme. It definitely made me stop and think about how being isolated in an area like the South Pole would make an impact on a person. Some of the characters found themselves missing green grass, sunshine, and various foods. Not a bad book to check out if you like to read something that makes you think about things in a different way. 

           

photo from Goodreads.com

      As we leave the South Pole we enter the library. The next book, Weather by Jenny Offill is written in short fragments and inner monologues. Occasionally there are snippets of the main character, Lizzie, and a typical day at the library where she works and interacts with patrons. I thought it was kind of cool that she was a librarian, I always love reading about fellow librarians. She helps a mentor answer emails and letters addressing issues on a podcast that she hosts. As she addresses queries and comments from the public at the library, and deals with answering mail from fans of the podcast, she starts to become engrossed in all things survival. Lizzie's obsession with the change in the weather and how it might affect her world has her second guessing if she is ready for a disaster if it happens. It really doesn't help that she plays "psychologist" for her brother who has addiction issues and her mother who has other issues.  Due to the fragments, this was a quick read; but I don't feel I get to know the characters as well with this style of writing. The format is not my favorite type of book to read, but the concept was interesting. 

photo from amazon.com

          If you really want to find a great read that deals with global warming or climate change, then you need to search through the young adult section of the library or book store. There are lots of dystopian books about what might happen to the earth if the weather patterns change. Such scenarios as moon phases changing and causing huge tides to flood the earth or make the earth's atmosphere much cooler causing things to freeze over. How about rampant forest fires that clear out a whole area or running our of clean drinking water, which is a very real fear for some countries, or even cities. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis is a YA novel about the earth running short of drinking water. Part of the population is wiped out due to bacterial diseases caused by bad drinking water. Many of the population has moved from rural areas to big cities, with multiple people living in single family housing just to find clean drinking water. Those who choose to stay in the rural areas have to defend their clean water supplies like the cowboys had to protect their herds years ago. They stand guard with a rifle until they know the approaching visitor is friend or foe. Lynn has been taught to guard the family pond with a rifle from her roof top since she was a toddler. She and her mom live in their basement and very rarely go into the house upstairs. This is a unique story with unforgettable characters. The grittiness of the YA dystopian is what attracts young readers, but they tend to hook me as well. 

The last title I want to talk about has been my very favorite in this category. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver is a beautifully written book. I listened to it on audiobook and it was read by the author. She has a very soothing voice and she included a soundtrack of the woods with birds singing and crickets chirping between chapters. This is not a global warming themed book, but it is an Earth friendly book. There are three story lines in the book and each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of the characters from a story line. The setting is a rural area on farms and mountains in Virginia near southern Appalachia. Three of the characters have backgrounds in biology and the study of wildlife, insects or moths. All three story lines have females as their main characters that are strong and well versed in their field of study and often stand out in the community. I learned so much about how certain insects help plants that I didn't already know. I tend to be a naturalist myself and enjoy things that are organic and natural, so this book was right up my alley. It was also written very beautifully. I have read some of Kingsolver's books before, but it has been a while. I have read The Bean Trees and The Poison Wood Bible. Both were good books but it has been a while since I have read them and now I am interested in reading more of her work. If you do not come away after reading this book wanting to grow butterfly bushes, start your own bee hive or begin composting, then you didn't pay attention while reading it. I highly recommend taking time to slow down, enjoy the songs of the birds and read this book in a hammock among the trees. 

                            photo by abebooks.com

     We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel so I have not been able to really cook much lately. I really miss not being able to bake or make some of my homemade favorites. So, instead of sharing a recipe, I wish to share some photos of another hobby I really enjoy, flowers. I am not a cold weather person. I stay cold from around September 15th until May 1st. Once Spring rolls around, I feel so much better. The longer days of daylight, warmer evenings, sunshine just do my soul a world of good. I am not very good at it, but I do enjoy planting flowers. I also enjoy taking walks and enjoying God's creation and taking pictures along the way. So, I thought I would share some wonderful pictures of nature I have noticed this Spring. We have had wonderful blooms and color this year. I guess the wet winter helped to make the trees and plants bloom full of color this Spring. 

First came the pop of trees:

My neighborhood had some of the most beautiful dogwoods this year. I also noticed that the Bradford pears and the red buds were bright as well. I don't think I have seen them as full as they were this year. I have the runny nose to prove it too.

My forsythia in the front yard goes a little crazy each year. Our dog, Phil loves to do his share by helping to "water" my plants.

This beauty was outside of our local public library where I work. Not sure what it is, but it was just so full and pretty for about 5 days then the blooms fell off. 

This is my Japanese snowball bush. It has not bloomed for two years, but decided to this year. It grows like crazy. My husband pruned it severely last year and he thought he may have killed it. However, it is very hearty and came back with a vengeance. 

My knock out roses usually bloom by Derby weekend. I had one beauty partially open this year on Derby. 

This was the Monday after Derby and it was fully open with two more buds starting to bloom. I have a difficult time keeping the leaves on these. Something, maybe Japanese beetles, want to strip the leaves from my roses. I use Seven Dust, which Nannie in Prodigal Summer would not be happy with me. 

My azalea bushes are some of my favorites. I have one smaller one that I just can't seem to get to grow any bigger, and a large shrub by the front porch that was here when I bought the house in the late 1990's. It is a little big and out of control, but my husband pruned it back a lot last year and it looks better than it has in a while. I just can't make myself dig it up for fear of killing it. I love the color. 

Finally, my small potted annuals that I planted on Derby day this year: petunias, small pansies, begonias, sunlight inpatients, and I think some type of daisies. 

And, what has become my favorite hearty flower, the pansy. I planted these pansies last fall at the end of the season right before it got cold. They endured the eight inches of snow this winter and had blooms after the snow melted. Such a strong, yet delicate flower. 

Thank you for visiting my blog and make sure you stop by next month. I am still debating on what topic to read about during the month of May. We will be at the beach for one week in May, so I may just do beach reads. 

Keep reading and don't forget to take time to stop and smell the flowers.