What Alice Forgot

I read What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty for book club. I thought it was a great novel for book club discussion. It is about a woman who hits her head and forgets the last 10 years of her life. She doesn't remember her 3 kids or that she is getting a divorce. Everyone in my bookclub enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a friend.

Outlander Kitchen

 I went to a book signing for the release of Outlander Kitchen: The Official Outlander Companion Cookbook. I wish they had food to sample because everything in this cookbook looks delicious. They were serving Laogharie's whiskey sour at the event. This book signing was hosted by The Poisoned Pen bookstore. If you are in the Phoenix area you should stop by. They have lots of autographed books. The Poisoned Pen is a great independent bookstore. 

4014 N Goldwater Blvd #101

Scottsdale, AZ 85251 

 Each recipes has a quote from the Outlander book that inspired the dish. This is Pheasant and Greens  at Ardsmuir- inspired from Voyager, chapter 11 "The Torremolinos Gambit" 

Outlander Kitchen is fun to read yet the recipes are doable. I found the pictures inspiring.

A Window Opens

After finishing Voyager (the 3rd book in the Outlander series) I came back to a book I started reading at the beginning of 2016- A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan. This book is about a modern day woman juggling it all...A husband, kids, dog, work, friends. I really like all the pop culture references in this novel. Alice, the main character, is very likable because she loves books.

Dragonfly in Amber

My Outlander obsession continues. I couldn't put this book down so I had to get it on the iPad (for reading in the dark) and in paperback (to carry whenever I have a spare moment to read). The second book wasn't as wonderful as the first but I still love the characters.

Outlander Series

 In January after reading Wildflower by Drew Barrymore I was still floundering with books. I was listening to more podcasts than reading. I came across What Should I Read Next? It's a short podcast usually 20 minutes. The concept is simple. Guest come on the show and list 3 books they love, 1 book you hate. Then the the host recommends your next books to read.

Thanks to What Should I Read Next? I came across this little doozy! 

I couldn't put this book down! It's pretty steamy. It has things that I like...Time travel, love story and history. You will fall in love with the main characters Jamie and Clarie. I am already on book 2. I haven't seen Outlander on Starz. I wanted to read the 1st book before I watched the show.

Kitchens of the Midwest

Kitchens of the Great Midwest  is J. Ryan Stradal's first novel. The book is peppered with recipes.  I almost had to stop reading because it made me so hungry! Every chapter is a short story that adds up to a wonderful novel. Loved this book.

The Hive

Mean Girls for grown ups with British slang.

Saint Mazie

 I had a long list of books I wanted to read this summer and this book kept popping up on Must Read List of 2015. Saint Mazie is a roaring 20's good time girl with a heart of gold. This book is written as a diary of a common person who was known as the Queen of the Bowery. Mazie loves the bums, dirt and grim that make up New York City. She sits in her cage, the ticket booth at the Venice movie, watching life go by. I really liked the format of journal entries. I didn't want this book to end.

The Book of Speculation

I picked this novel merely for the cover. However the story had enough mystery to keep me reading to the last page. If you like carnival stories with tarot cards and curses you'll enjoy this book.  It reminds me of Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. 

Maine a novel

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan is about 3 generations of women. It focuses most on Mother/Daughter relationships. The reviews on the back of the book leads you to believe this novel is a comedy but really it's a sad story of 4 lonely women trying to find their place in life. The one thing that kept me reading is each woman is a circumstance of their own time. Things that were taboo in 1951 you wouldn't blink an eye at in present day. J. Courtney Sullivan is a great at interwoven storytelling however I prefer her novel The Engagements.

The Vacationers

 The Vacationers is a thoroughly modern novel by Emma Straub. It's about a New York family on vacation in Mallorca, Spain. So if you can't go on vacation this summer just google Mallorca images and you will wish you were there! Franny and Jim Post are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary and their daughter's graduation from high school. I enjoyed this book. It is really about family and the people we make our family. A great beach book.

   Jim kissed Franny on the forehead, which Sylvia and Bobby pretended not to see. All four Posts held their breath simultaneously, each wishing for the moment to last. Families were nothing more than hope cast out in a wide net, everyone wanting only the best. Even the poor souls who had children in an attempt to rescue a dying marriage were doing so out of the misguided hopefulness. Franny and Jim and Bobby and Sylvia did their silent best, and just like that, for a moment, they were all aboard the same ship. 

This isn't Mallorca but it ain't half bad either.

A Touch of Stardust

I didn't intend on reading two books in a row that take place during World War 2...I read the first chapter and I was hooked. I really enjoyed A Touch of Stardust. If you love old Hollywood you will relish this novel. It takes place during the filming of Gone With The Wind. 1939 was a BIG year for Hollywood. Along with Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith goes to Washington were all made that year. Kate Alcott's attention to detail is wonderful. The characters are likable and timeless.

At the Water's Edge

When I heard the author of Water for Elephants was coming out with a new historical fiction novel I was super excited. Sara Gruen does a lot of research and it makes her books so interesting. I had such high hopes for this book because it is set in Scotland during World War 2. Unlike Water for Elephants  I didn't root for the main characters. They were just 3 spoiled rich people sailing off to Scotland in the middle of WW2 to find the Loch Ness monster. The main character Maddie becomes likable by the middle of the book but the ending really spoiled it for me. I know it's about the Loch Ness monster but it was just to outlandish.  Blah.

Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe

The first book I've finished reading in 2015 is Jenny Colgan Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe. I read this book for a couple silly reasons...1) I wanted to prolong Christmas. My Christmas FLEW by! I thought if I read a book about Christmas in London and New York it would make the season last a little longer. 2) I got an iPad mini. I have been using the iPad mainly for reading Ebooks. A coworker told me about this GREAT website BookBub. You can find books in your favorite genre for 99 cents. It's not just apple but amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe is a sweet book with recipes. It isn't thought provoking or earth shattering but it satisfied my sweet tooth for Christmas.

The One & Only

 I made it through 4 chapters of The One & Only by Emily Griffin. It's chick lit set in Texas and the main character, Shea LOVES football. With the NFL season underway the last thing I need in my life is MORE football...so I didn't finish this one. Go Bolts

The Heiresses

I read this book purely for the cover…Central Park…Tiffany Blue I'm sold. I am a little embarrassed to admit I read The Heiresses By Sara Shepard. This novel is filled with scandal, murder and mystery.

Cafe Chloe

 Recently I had brunch at Cafe Chloe. It's in the East Village near Petco Park. It is a quaint cafe with great food. 

 It's the kind of cafe you could sit and enjoy a book.

 I ordered eggs over red and orange peppers with pine nuts on top.  

 French Toast no maple syrup needed.

Living that Paris life for an hour.

Cafe Chloe

721 9th Ave.

San Diego, CA 92101 

Cleaning is a drag

Cleaning is a real drag! However a book about cleaning can be funny. My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag…And Other Things You Can't Ask Martha By Jolie Kerr is a hoot. This book really has cleaning advise for everything under the sun. How to clean your washing machine. What you should and shouldn't use on wood or laminated floors. Great book full of cleaning information.

The Fault in Our Stars

There is SO much buzz about this young adult novel I couldn't help myself. At first I found this book hard to read not because it's about kids with cancer but because of the pretentious musing of teenagers. It kind of reminded me of Dawson's Creek. None the less I kept reading because I liked the main character, Augustus Waters. Gus was written for all girls to swoon over him. I think reading this book at 16 and reading this book at 36 years old is a different experience. I could see how teenagers would think this a great love story and ugly cry while reading. I did not cry…I got sad but I just could't dive deep into The Fault in Our Stars. My big beef with this book is anyone who doesn't have cancer CAN'T say anything right! Anything a healthy person or adult says is misconstrued and met with sarcasm. The more I think about this novel the less I like it. I'd recommend Me Before You by Jojo Moyes before you read The Fault in Our Stars.

The Invention of Wings

I just finished reading The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Before Oprah picked this book to be in her book club I had already read good reviews about The Invention of Wings. Although the book is about slavery I was surprised that I didn't want to put it down. I think it helps that the novel's chapters are broken up between the 2 main characters, abolitionist Sarah Grimke and South Carolina slave Handful. Every other chapter is a different voice and I think that helps the book flow. I think I could have read this book in 2 days if it weren't for the harsh subject matter and brutal treatment of people.
Needless to say this book was very thought provoking and amazing.