Week 47 Book 48

Today is the start of Week 47 in the quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks and should have you starting book # 48. We have 5 weeks left in the year and heading towards our goal of reading 52 books for the year.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Week 46 Book 47

Today is the start of Week 46 in the quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks and should have you starting book # 47. We have 6 weeks left in the year and heading towards our goal of reading 52 books for the year.

Author Highlight -- Michelle Moran

Michelle is a history buff and has written three very interesting books with are currently on my wishlist. Hopefully soon to be off my wishlist and in my hot little hands.






Find out all about the books at Michelle's Website, and check out her blog History Buff.

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel

The Recipe Club

A Tale of Food and Friendship

by

Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel

Front Flap: Loyalty, loss and ties that bind. These are the ingredients of The Recipe Club, a 'novel cookbook' that combines an authentic story of friendship with more than 80 delicious recipes.

Lilly and Val are lifelong friends, united as much by their differences as by their similarities. Lilly, dramatic and confident, lives in the shadow of her beautiful, wayward mother and craves the attention of her distant, disapproving father. Val, shy and idealistic -- and surprisingly ambitious -- struggles with her desire to break free from her demanding housebound mother and a father whose dreams never seem to come true.

In childhood, "lilypad" and ValPal" form an exclusive two person club, writing intimate letters in which they share hopes, fears, deepest secrets--and recipes, from Lilly's "Lovelorn Lasagna" to Valeries "Forgiveness Tapenade." Readers can cook along as the friends travel through time facing the challenges of independence, the joys and heartbreaks of first love, and the emotional complexities of family relationships, identity, mortality, and goals deferred.

The Recipe Club sustains Lilly and Val's bond throughout the decades, regardless of what different paths they take or what misunderstandings threaten to break them apart...until the fateful day when an act of kindness becomes an unforgiveable betrayal.

Now, years later, while trying to recapture the trust they've lost, Lilly and Val reunite once more---only to uncover a shocking secret. Will it destroy their friendship, or bring them even closer?"

In an attempt to expand my reading repertoire, I accepted an offer from Caitlin of FSB Associates to read and Review "The Recipe Club." The premise is very interesting. The Recipe Club uses a unique method of telling a story using emails and letters between lifelong friends Lilly and Val. While the two girls are in elementary school back in 1964 they start writing each other letters and start the Recipe Club in which they exchange recipes with each letter. The story follows them through their high school years as each girl works to establish their own identities, yet find ways to remain friends. When they reach college age in 1973 they have a falling out and don't talk to each other again until 2000 when Val's mom passes away. Val seeks out Lilly again trying to re-establish their friendship and connection, while trying to work out their issues. A secret is discovered that will test their renewed friendship. The story is told mainly through the emails and letters until the later portion when the story unfolds in real time.

Mixed in with all the emails and letters are the recipes with unique titles taken from the story. Recipes such as "Ga-Ga-Gai Pan," "Conspiracy Apple Pie," "Wild Girl Wild Mushroom Salad," "Apple and Pear Friendship Fool" or "Enlightened Peanut Brittle."

The story really captures your attention and emotions and reminded me of friendships from elementary, through junior high and high school to college. How people change and grow apart, then back together. The Recipe Club is very interesting and I'm looking forward to trying out some of the recipes.

Thank you Caitlin for providing me with a courtesy (free) copy of The Recipe Club. Head on over to Written Voices to read an excerpt and check out an article "You are what you say, when you talk about what you eat"

Pages: 363
Publisher: Polhemus Press
Released: October 15, 2009

Other Thoughts:

Cheryl at Cheryl's Book Nook:
"I absolutely fell in love with Lilly, Valerie and the Recipe Club. Authors Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel wrote with such passion."

Margot at Joyfully Retired:
"The remarkable thing about the novel is that it is told almost completely via emails and letters interspersed with their recipes. I say remarkable because I could understand everything that happened just from their letters and emails. This well-written story shows the spirit and character of their lives and the heart of their friendship."

Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews:
"The Recipe Club” is cleverly put together and readers will feel as if they are part of Valerie and Lilly’s world. A very enjoyable book that keeps readers captivated to the end."

*** FTC notice: non compensated, unbiased opinion - book received free of charge from the publisher.

CATCH UP TIME

WEEKS 42, 43, AND 44

You can see my reviews of these books at my place, Just Books. Just click on the name of the book and you will go right to my review.

The Help - Kathryn Stockett



The Bone Garden - Tess Gerritsen



The Last Oracle - James Rollins

Week 45 Book 46

Today is the start of Week 45 in the quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks and should have you starting book # 46. We have 8 weeks left in the year and heading towards our goal of reading 52 books for the year.

Authors Birthday's This Week

November 8, 1932: Benjamin Bova
November 8, 1847: Bram Stoker

November 10,1899: Kate Seredy

November 12,1888: Anne Parish
November 12,1928: Marjorie W. Sharmat

November 13,1915: Nathaniel Benchley
November 13,1850: Robert Louis Stevenson

Worth checking into and reading some books by these authors.

Illuminated by Matt Bronleewe

ILLUMINATED


BY


MATT BRONLEEWE

This was a very interesting, fast paced suspense thriller that held me spellbound for the entire book. The story follows August Adams, his wife April, and his son Charlie. Hidden within the Gutenberg bibles are clues to finding a treasure and two secret organizations want that treasure, but first they must get their hands on the Bibles. They have been following August and know he is transporting one he had just bought and that April works for a museum housing one of the Bibles.

They hold Charlie and his grandmother hostage while forcing August to decipher the hidden messages with the illuminations in the Gutenberg Bible and forcing April to steal the one at the museum.

"According to Amazon “the clock ticks, the suspense mounts, and the body count rises as August pits his knowledge and his love for his family against the clock, secret societies, and even Johannes Gutenberg himself.”

Week 44 - Book 45

Week 44 - Book 45

Today is the start of Week 44 in the quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks and should have you starting book # 45. We have 9 weeks left in the year and heading towards our goal of reading 52 books for the year.


Okay, all my quiet folks who have been lurking and reading. How many books have you read? Are you close? Let me know.

An Apple For Eve

An Apple For Eve
(A+)
Wow. Anything by Kathleen Norris leaves me reeling. She has a way with words and emotions. Her descriptive powers are untouchable. When she describes a hot drive in the car in the middle of August, I find myself sweltering, though it is 40 degrees outside. She leaves me parched and there is actual relief when she mentions a stop at a roadside cafe for a refreshing glass of grapefruit juice clinking in a glass of ice. Like her other books, the story line is emotionally complicated. I'm a happy ending kind of gal, to the core, but these books are ambiguous. Kathleen Norris forces you to look at other sides of a coin. She can convince you to desire the characters to do something you personally would not morally choose. Then, she will swing back and not let you have it. The beauty of home and family is upheld and almost worshiped but it isn't a feel good road to getting there.

I haven't posted for months and finally summed up my list here on my blog.