Bookish Review: The Magnolia League

When Alex's mom dies, she is forcibly relocated from the commune in CA where she grew up to her grandmother's mansion in Savannah. Suddenly she is a part of "society," and her dread-headed self doesn't really fit in. Still, she comes to find that life as a rich debutante is not all bad--especilly when the elite society you've been born to join has magical connections--ones that can keep you rich and beautiful and make lfe easy. But it's never that simple, is it?

Alex is at times an infuriating protagonist, as she can be stupider than it seems her character should be. But I might find her less annoying if I were actually a teen. The book is pretty well-written and fast-paced if a little cliche at times. Of course, this is the first in a series, so don't expect a lot of closure after reading this first one.

I got an ARC of this at some conference or somewhere, so thanks to the publisher. It didn't affect my review.

Bookish review: Triangles

Triangles is by a best-selling YA author, but this book is for adults--mostly middle-aged women, to be precise. I'm surprised she didn't shoot more for the 20s-30s audience, to get some of the readers who started with her YA and grew up a bit, but there you go. The book is written in verse--an interesting format that I haven't read too often in books for adults. I'm not really the right demographic for this book, and it's all about broken and breaking marriages, which is not my favorite topic. Still, it is well-written, the format is interesting, and it is rather compelling. The problem is that most of the characters are not very likeable. (one of the main characters is a bored housewife who decides to cheat on her faithful husband in some odd and kinky ways, neglecting her children in the process. I pretty much wanted to punch her in the face, which one of the other protags does, too, so she justifies to herself sleeping with her cheating friend's husband--so then I wanted to punch her in the face, too.) So, like I said, I don't think I was really the audience for this book, but there definitely is an audience for it. So if you like femme-midlife-crisis stories, this is well-written and in an interesting format.

Thanks to Atria books for sending me an ARC of this title. Receiving a free copy did not affect my review.

Bookish Review: The Mostly True Story of Jack

I picked up an ARC of this at  some conference, so thanks to the publisher! It did not affect my review.

I was expecting this book to be some sort of twist on Jack and the beanstalk, but it's not. Jack is a boy who doesn't believe in magic. He has no friends and no one seems to pay him any attention--even his parents don't really see him. When his parents start divorce proceedings, they bring him to stay with his aunt and uncle in a small town in Iowa, and strange things start happening. He makes friends for the first time and he starts to believe that maybe his parents aren't his parents after all, and maybe magical things can be non-fiction.

A fun read. Good for kiddos who like magic and nature. A little scary (souls are being stolen), but with a happy ending.

Cookish: What's for dessert?

Almond & Jam Tart-mmmm. http://www.chow.com/recipes/11931-italian-jam-crostata

This recipe is from chow.com and it works really well. It basically produces a giant shortbead cookie with jam and almonds. It reminds me of the Pepperidge farm cookies wih the jam in the middle.

I used plain ol' Smuckers strawberry for this--nothing fancy, though if you had fancy I am sure it would be even better. I did  use a little more than the 1/3 cup they suggest, just to get a nice even layer. It doesn't look like much, but the flavor definitely comes through. enjoy!

Bookish Review: One of Our Thursdays is Missing

I'm a big fan of the Thursday Next, but be warned: this one is really for only hard-core book nerds. It's kind of meta-fiction, drowning in literary allusion and even typesetting humor--if you only occasionally dip your toe into reading, it's really not for you. The books are very complex, so make sure you start with the first one.

In this one, the real Thursday Next is missing and it is up to the written Thursday to figure it all out. She races through the Book World and even makes a foray into the real world to try to uncover the mystery--all while trying to keep control of her series.

Another fun one from Fforde. Fans of Thursday will enjoy it.

Bookish Giveaway!

The publishers of Illusion by Frank Peretti were kind enough to give me an ARC to give away! If you'd like to get your hands on it, just leave a comment and make sure you include your email address. If you're the winner, I'll email you for your address and send it off to you--US only, please. I just ask that after you read it, you write a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or your blog and send me a link so I can share it here. Good Luck!

Cookish: What's for dinner?

I wanted these potatoes: http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=26327&Extcode=N1JSPHA00

Om nom nom.

So I made them with little Yukon Golds. To go with them, I cut up some cauliflower and tossed with oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder. When the potatoes went back in on the top rack, I put the cauliflower on the bottom rack. When I moved the potatoes to the bottom rack, I moved the top rack down one rung and then roasted for 10 more minutes.

In the meantime, I cut some chicken breasts into nuggets, tossed with salt, pepper, and coated with dijon mustard. Then I coated them with a mixture of bread crumbs, parmesean cheese, and garlic powder. When the potatoes and cauliflower were done, I turned down the oven to 375 and baked the nuggets for 10-15 minutes.

Yum!