spiritual, cooking, activities, crafting, funny, serious, life...
A La Carte....Enjoy!
A La Carte....Enjoy!
A Pseudo Pillowcase Dress (This one is for you - Jody! )
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake
Nightwalker - The First Dark Days Novel
by Jocelynn Drake
copyright: 2008
Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge
Back Cover:
For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker—an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed . . . and may be all that prevents her doom.
The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt . . . or be hunted.
First Sentence:
His name was Danaus.
The author, Jocelynn Drake, sent me an autograph copy along with a Dark Days mug....How cool! Thanks so much! I was thrilled to receive the package.
I did not know what to expect when I first started reading this book. I was a little afraid that I may not like the story. Quickly into the read I realized that I need not worry...I was liking the story. I was liking the point-of-view. I was liking what I found.
What was I liking?
Mira - one powerful, kick-ass vampire heroine! She is one mean, down to business vampire. She is an efficient and powerful enforcer of her domain. Mira is not only one powerful vampire in her domain, she is not the most powerful vampire. She knows the rank and order of things. She knows where she stands in her world, or so she thought. Mira finds herself in vulnerable situations. Situations where she is not the most powerful, where she is fighting for her life. Even thru adversity, Mira stays true to herself, her beliefs, her values. She does not like to be used as a pawn and stands up to those who try. She is a warrior and is unafraid of a fight. She has emotions as she cares for those who guard her, those who she respects.
Her adversary - Danaus turns out to be a person of value. Danaus is a mystery. He exudes strength and power but he is human...or is he??
There is a spark between Danaus and Mira yet it is not acted upon. Their relationship is at odds. They have a need to destroy one another, or so they think. They are each powerful but even more so when together. Their relationship has many layers and facets. There is, I believe, much to be explored between Mira and Danaus. There is much more to know about Danaus.
I truly like Nightwalkers. It gave a terrific storyline involving vampires, Naturi and others. It gave a terrific story of good vs evil...or should I say evil vs even greater evil. It gave action, great action and relationships that are complex. Nightwalker gave an awesome vampire heroine. Which, by the way, up until this read , I have only really read stories with male vampire heroes. A nice change of pace - powerful female vamp that is...dare I say...likable.
Nightwalkers is a fantastic urban fantasy story.
I look forward to reading the next installment of Dark Days - Dayhunter.
Nightwalker reminds me of a nice mix between the Night Huntress and DarkFever books. If you have read and liked those books then I think you will like Nightwalker.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Friday, June 26, 2009
Easy, Quick and Yummy - Biscotti
Biscotti...yummy...crunchy on the outside moist on the inside. This is how I like my biscotti. This is how a friend from work makes her yummy biscotti. I have been eating my friend's biscotti for what seems like forever. They are very yummy and they are eaten very quickly by all us nurses on her shift. We love her biscotti treats.
A week or so ago, my friend shared her biscotti recipe. I was intimidated but still took a dive into the baking of biscotti. I must note, my first venture into the world of baking biscotti, EM - almost 14 yo - was by my side. She loves to bake. Our first batch turned out very yummy. The problem, it was sticky dough. The second batch, made by myself alone, I added more flour as suggested by friend, still sticky dough. The third batch, made last night, I refrigerated as suggested by my friend. It was in the fridge for about an hour - still...sticky dough.
Despite the sticky dough, this recipe is very easy and quick to throw together. The biscotti turned out very yummy each time. I played around a bit with the cooking times to find the texture we like. We bake for 30 minutes and then leave in the warm oven for 20 minutes.
This recipe is also great to make with your children...young children love the stirring process. If the dough was not so sticky, they would love the rolling as well.
If I can make biscotti then anyone...I mean, anyone...can make biscotti. Give this recipe a try, ignore the sticky dough. You will love the results.
Here is the recipe shared by my friend:
Biscotti
My friend made adjustments which is what I am posting - her adjusted recipe.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon extract (vanilla, almond, etc) or 2 lemons and the juice from one lemon
2 -2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and flavoring - blend well. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough.
- Mix enough flour till it looks like playdough
-shape into log and press till its 1 inch on parchment paper or greased pan
-Bake for 35 minutes till golden brown
-Remove from oven and slice 1/2 inch , separate slices
- Put back into oven and shut off heat for 20-30 minutes.
Our favorite biscotti is made with 2 grated lemons and the juice of one lemon.
If you have a solution to the sticky dough, please let me know. Truly, if it were not for the sticky dough, I could see myself making biscotti at least once a week if not a few times per week. The sticky dough makes me hesitate in the frequency of making the biscotti.
Enjoy this yummy goodness!!
Stay tuned for another recipe that my friend has shared. A very yummy cake - a basic cake that you can eat plain or add extras like fruit to the batter. We made the cake yesterday and by evening it was gone! I will make the cake once more and then post the recipe.
The Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon
The Outlandish Companion
by Diana Gabaldon
copyright 1999
Challege: Outlander Challenge 2009 (not an official book for the challenge - a self-imposed extension)
Back Cover:
New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon has captured the hearts of millions with her critically acclaimed novels, Outlander. Dragonfly In Amber, Voyager, and Drums Of Autumn. From the moment Claire Randall accidentally steps through a magical stone that transports her back in time more than 200 years to 1743, and into the arms of Scottish soldier Jamie Fraser, readers have been enthralled with this epic saga of time travel, adventure, and love everlasting.
Now Diana Gabaldon has written the ultimate companion guide to her bestselling series, the book only she could write - a beautifully illustrated compendium of all things Outlandish. As a special bonus for those who are eagerly awaiting the next appearance of Jamie and Claire, she includes never - before - published excerpts from upcoming works in the series. And there's lots more in this lavish keepsake volume for the many devoted fans who yearn to learn the stories behind the stories.
The Outlandish Companion is separated into 11 parts along with an Annotated Bibliography and appendixes that include very interesting information. I found that I like how this book is organized. The organization lends itself beautifully for a reader to skip around to the parts of interest.
Part one: Synopses
The first 4 books are covered in this part. Each book is summarized (if you will) along with quotes from the particular book interspersed amongst the summary. Each book summary contains some interesting insights as to what was happening - surmising what a character was thinking as to why they said or did something. I read the synopses for book 4 - Drums of Autumn. The synopses was a great way to refresh my memory as to what happened in the story.
The synopses are great, good for a refresher. If you want the tone and emotion of the story, you must read the books.
Part two: Characters
Where characters come from: a very cool section. It was fun to read how Diana Gabaldon came about the characters of the Outlander stories. The first section describes how the characters where developed, she likens several characters to either a ...
mushroom (they just "pop"up) - Example, Fergus
onion (has several layers as they "develop slowly through multiple layers of personality) - Example, Jamie and Claire
Hard Nuts ( "characters that are important for the role they play not their personality or action" Having to develop this character seemed to be the hardest for Gabaldon.) - Example, Brianna
This part also has Gabaldon explaining how physical descriptions, idiosyncrasy, cultural background, back story and a intuitive approach help in developing the characters. She also describes how she came up with several of the character names.
Loved this whole section on Where characters come from.
Another section in part two is: Cast of Characters
This section is like an encyclopedia of the characters. The characters are listed in alphabetical order and have special denotations for: characters who were historically real, characters who are real people/friends of the author, characters who are not actually seen in the books, ex. Jamie's parents and minor characters. Each character also has denotation for which book(s) they appear.
This section was fun for me to look up some characters that I could not quite remember their significance or when I was just plain curious about what was written by their name.
I Get Letters... appears in part two.
This section deals quit a bit with horoscope. This was not very interesting to me, so I skipped over this part.
Magic, Medicine, and White Ladies was a very interesting section in part two. I have found the aspect of healing-medicine in Claire's character to be very intriguing. I have for a very long time, prior to reading these books, wonder how life was for those who lived hundreds of years ago. I always find that I am thankful for living in this time as our medicine is so very helpful. The medical issues that Claire deals with, the herbs she uses, the treatments - all very much fascinate. This section deals with the whys and hows of Claire as a healer.
Part Three: Family Trees
As one reads on in the Outlander books, the relations become a bit hard to keep track. This section does a nice job giving an overview of the families and their connections.
Part Four: Comprehensive Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
OK...there are many words during my readings that I did not know how to say or what they meant. This section was fun. It reads like a translation book...Gaelic and French words.
Part Five: Outlandish Web Sites and Online Venues
Very brief section. I did not browse through much listed.
Part Six: Research
The amount of research that Diana Gabaldon has done is very impressive.
This section gives an overview on how she has done her research.
Part Seven: Where Titles Come From
Not only does this section go over the book titles, this section also gives a "rational" explanation for time-travel and why only a few people are able to do this traveling. A lot of thought has gone into making this area plausible...believable.
Part Eight: The View from Lallybroch
This was a cool section as it featured many different items that are named in the book, their significance and meanings along with illustrations of said items. A few items that are named: Castle Leoch, Scotch pearls (Jamie's mothers that he gave to Claire), Claire's wedding ring, etc.
Part Nine: Frequently Asked Questions
Just that, a FAQ section.
Part Ten: Controversy
This was interesting as it deals with sex, foul language, homosexuality, abortion and wife-beating.
I found this section to be intriguing. These are all areas that I noted with various degrees of comfort so I found it interesting to read Gabaldon's view on these issues.
Part Eleven: Work In Progress - excerpts of future books.
This section gives an excerpt of Fiery Cross.
Appendix II: Gaelic Resources
Interesting area if you are interested in a few Gaelic resources
Appendix III: Poems and Quotations
I liked this section as there are several poems and quotes spoken of through out the books.
Overall, The Outlandish Companion is a fun book to read. A book, not necessarily to be read from beginning to end. I, myself, skipped around in the book. I enjoyed reading little tidbits here and there. If another companion book for the books after Drums of Autumn is published, I will purchase. For me, this book provides a nice Jamie and Claire fix without actually reading one of the actual books.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
Angels & Demons
by Dan Brown
copyright 2000
Back Cover:
An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target. When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to his first assignment to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati...the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The Illuminati has now surfaced to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy -- the Catholic Church.
Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces they have hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival. Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair...a clandestine location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.
Critics have praised the exhilarating blend of relentless adventure, scholarly intrigue, and cutting wit found in Brown's remarkable thrillers featuring Robert Langdon. An explosive international suspense, Angels & Demons marks this hero's first adventure as it careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war.
First Sentence:
High atop the steps of the Great Pyramid of Giza a young woman laughed and called down to him. "Robert, hurry up! I knew I should have married a younger man!" Her smile was magic.
Angels & Demons poses many theological and scientific questions. A war between science and religion. There were so many questions, so many facts (art history, tombs, tunnels, architecture in Rome) along with Illuminati - did it really exist??? How about the Catholic Church - the politics, the pope election...fact? Hmmm...my brain is spinning, trying to make sense, trying to understand. There is a huge part of me that is cringing.
Why cringe? I cringe whenever I read something that seems to try and portray us humans (science, what ever) as more powerful and knowledgeable than God. I hold a great respect for the institution of religion...of the Catholic Church. However, I am not so naive to know that the Catholic Church at one point was very powerful in the world of politics, history, the building of nations, the downfall of individuals who want to speak out for their faith that was different from the Catholics. Regardless, the core is that they do believe in Christ Jesus as our Savior so I do have a respect.
I did, however, find the story interesting. I found myself caught up in the intrigue, the mystery, the action. I found that I read this book at a slower pace than usual as I needed time to process the story - the information. The beginning, due to huge amount of information was a bit slow but around pg 236 I found that my heart started to pound. The story became intense. I had to finish...I had to know what happens.
The character of Robert Langdon was one who posses a vast amount of knowledge in art history (symbology). He is jolted into a world of life or death. Yet, he is not a man who is physically forcefully rather, he is a man whose intelligence and knowledge if forceful. He intrigues me...I like him.
I was most definitely drawn to the characters in Vatican City. Some characters I was drawn to more while others not so much. They held my interest, they provided twists and turns that I really did not expect.
Vittoria was silent for a long time. "Science tells me God must exist. My mind tells me I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to."
The most impressive thing about Angels and Demons is the way the author drew me into the setting - the surroundings.
As an example, St. Peter's Basilica. I have a fascination with St. Peter. This fascination started when I visited my brother in Israel (Feb. 2008). While in Israel, we visited the Old City - Jerusalem. While in the Old City, we visited St. Peter's church which is amazing. This was the place were Jesus was imprisoned. I experienced very overwhelming feelings. I cannot even express the impact this visit made. This made Brown's description of St. Peter's Basilica very intriguing. His writing enabled me to visualize the surroundings. I can only imagine how incredibly awesome a real life experience would be upon visiting this site.
Langdon had never seen St. Peter's from the air. The marble facade blazed like firs in the afternoon sun. Adorned with 140 statues of saints, martyrs, and angels, the Herculean edifice stretched two football fields wide and a staggering six long. The cavernous interior of the basilica had room for over 60,000 worshipers...over one hundred times the population of Vatican City, the smallest country in the world.Incredibly, though, not even a citadel of this magnitude could dwarf the piazza before it. A sprawling expanse of granite, St. Peter's Square was a staggering open space in the congestion of Rome, like a classical Central Park. In front of the basilica, bordering the vast oval common, 284 columns swept outward in four concentric arcs of diminishing size...an architectural trompe l'oeil used to heighten the piazza's sense of grandeur.As he stared at the magnificent shrine before him, Langdon wondered what St. Peter would think if he were here now. The Saint had died a gruesome death, crucified upside down on this very spot. Now he rested in the most sacred of tombs, buried five stories down, directly beneath the central cupola of the basilica.
Angels & Demons was intriguing, interesting and packed with action. The story is plot driven versus character driven. While unsettled with the overall science vs. religion theme, I was very much enthralled with the action and the resolution certainly hit me from left field. I am unsettled by the ending as it certainly was not what I was expecting nor am I am pleased.
Overall, I enjoyed Angels & Demons.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Some interesting information/sites:
Lisa Jackson Read-a-Fest Wrap Up
I jumped on the Lisa Jackson Read-a-Fest rather late. I decided to read a few books for this fest in late May - started my readings in June. I planned the books to be read to also work for the 1st in a Series Challenge.
The Read-a-Fest is now over. I did well as I read all of the three planned books. I am thinking, that if I started in on this fest sooner, I would have read more books by Lisa Jackson.
Books read:
My favorite of three is Hot Blooded as it was a change of pace, for me, in the romance world of reading.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
What's On Your Nightstand? July 2009
I am posting about my goals for the month of July.
It seems that I have an obession with the library. Yes, I read about a book review, said book is appealing - I place book on library hold.
Currently, I have 35 books checked-out from my library. Crazy!
Now, some of these checked-out books are my children's but regardless...35 books!
No more holds will be placed until 3/4 of books checked-out have been read.
July's reading will be mostly dedicated to those books that are sitting on my piano. Those library books plus a few challenge books which are also sitting on my piano.
Seriously, I so love...yes, love this series!
I have completed books 1-6. They are tremendous! Must reads!
I am now going to read the Outlandish Companion. Yes, I am a bit of geek with this series. I am curious and want to know more.
This book is not apart of the challenge. I have listed here because it makes sense.
Ranger's Apprentice Series Challenge
(this is my own personal challenge - I want to read this series including the ARC I received before it's U.S. release in August 2009 - a total of 6 books)
Author: John Flanagan
5 Minutes for Books (August 4th)
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong (library book)
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay (library book)
One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon
Mom-Musings : Kids' Choice Pick (this is my own personal challenge - I want to read at least one book/month that one of my girls are reading or read.)
Ereth's Birthday by Avi
Artemis Fowl - The Eternity Code, book 3 by Eoin Clofer
Reading thru the Library Stack Challenge
This is my plan. Will I finish all these books? Not sure. I know that I will most likely add in books based on my whim...whim of moods.
My priority is to read the library stack first and then move onto my challenge books.
I am excited about all the selections for the month of July.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Hot Blooded by Lisa Jackson
Hot Blooded
by Lisa Jackson
copyright 2001
Challenge:
Back Cover:
First One Dead Body...
A prostitute lies strangled in a seedy French Quarter hotel room. Miles away, in a rambling plantation house on the sultry shores of Lake Ponchartrain, popular late-night radio host Dr. Samantha Leeds receives a threatening crank call. All in a day's work for a celebrity. Who would think to link the two?
Then Another...
A second hooker's corpse turns up. Samantha's ominous caller persists, along with a mysterious female claiming to be a woman from her past -- a woman who's been dead for years. With Detective Rick Bentz convinced that the serial killer prowling the shadowy streets of New Orleans is somebody close to Samantha, she doesn't dare trust anyone. Especially not Ty Wheeler, her seductive new neighbor who seems to know more about her than a stranger should.
...And Another
Somebody has discovered Samantha's darkest secret. Somebody is convinced that lives must be sacrificed to pay for her sins. So far, the victims have been strangers. Prostitutes. But as a cunning, cold-blooded killer grows bolder, Samantha wonders in dread if she will be the next to die...
First Sentence:
"That'll be thirty-seven dollar," the cab driver muttered, breaking into Samantha's thoughts.
When I started reading Hot Blooded I expected a romance suspense novel. I thought the "suspense" part would take a back seat to the "romance". I was wrong, I felt the suspense, murder mystery certainly took the forefront in the story. Hot Blooded was a nice change of pace for my romance readings. This story, for me, was riveting and had my heart-racing.
I liked Samantha. Overall, I thought she was played smart. Ty, he was a mystery...for a time. The other characters held enough interest that they helped make the intrigue of the story stick. I would have liked more character development but truly...the story itself of "who dunnit" was enough to keep my attention and interest.
I will say, I did figure out a couple of the characters and where they stood in the murders. I knew the ending would play somewhat as it did yet, that did not spoil the story.
I did enjoy Hot Blooded. It was a nice change of pace.
Rating: 3.5/4 stars
Monday, June 22, 2009
Internet Readings: A La Carte - Week of June 1 - Week of June 15
spiritual, cooking, activities, crafting, funny, serious, life...
A La Carte....Enjoy!
A La Carte....Enjoy!
The Correct Way to Weigh Yourself - Take A look at this link. It is sooo funny!
How Many Cars does Toyota Sell in Scotland anyway? - Another funny link that you must view.
Highlighting a few Book Blogs
Friday, June 19, 2009
Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman
Radiant Darkness
by Emily Whitman
copyright 2009
Challenge: Once Upon A Time III Challenge (mythology)
100+ Reading Challenge
Back Cover:
Persephone lives in the most gorgeous place in the world. But her mother's a goddess, as overprotective as she is powerful. Paradise has become a trap. Just when Persephone feels there's no chance of escaping the life that's been planned for her, a mysterious stranger arrives. A stranger who promises something more—something dangerous and exciting—something that spurs Persephone to make a daring choice. A choice that could destroy all she's come to love, even the earth itself. In a land where a singing river can make you forget your very name, Persephone is forced to discover who—and what—she really is.
First Sentence:
"Persephone. Daughter of Demeter, the harvest goddess. Kidnapped and forced to__"
Wrong! In every book of myths, the same; in every book, wrong!
Right from the opening...right from the prologue I was captured.
The first person point-of-view is spell-binding as the story is told in a quick and smooth pace.
Radiant Darkness is of finding where your gifts lie, finding strength within yourself and finding love. This retelling of Persephone and Hades was a very enjoyable read.
The "voice" of Persephone took us from a girl who was searching for meaning and purpose to a person who knows herself-her purpose.
The "voice" of Persephone let me, the reader, know how she was swept off of her feet-how deeply Hades effected her.
The author kept to the major details surrounding Persephone, Demeter and Hades, however, she added some twists and turns of her own. I must admit, I prefer the author's upbeat and positive bent on the story. Happily, I have found that I now appreciate the Greek Myth far greater than I did before the reading of Radiant Darkness.
Radiant Darkness simply is a magical, wonderful and enjoyable story.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Notes: I enjoyed the story of Radiant Darkness so much that I decided I needed to read up on the Greek Myth of Persephone, Demeter and Hades.
I read the story of Hades, the story of Persephone and Demeter in the book titled: Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaires.
The myths told in this book are beautifully written with fabulous illustrations.
While the Book of Greek Myths is marketed towards youth and in large part the Homeschool community, I say, this book is great for every home. This book is great for youth and adults alike.
Read for Challenges:
Once Upon a Time III Challenge - Completed, book list
Once Upon a Time III Challenge is hosted by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings. This is my first time with this challenge but this is Carl's 3rd time hosting this challenge.
Once Upon a Time III offered the choice of 6 different challenge quests. All the quests sound interesting and challenging on different levels.
The quests:
The Journey
Quest the First
Quest the Second
Quest the Third
Quest the Fourth
Short Story Weekends
Quest the First:
Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time III criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.
My List:
A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (fantasy - completed May 2009)
The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick (folklore - completed May 2009)
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (fairy tale - completed May 2009)
Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay (fantasy/historical fiction - completed May 2009)
Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman (Greek Mythology - completed June 2009)
I had a lot of fun with this challenge!
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