Used Bookstores. They're Back!

I found this article that  Used Bookstores are making a comeback.  I can't tell you how excited that made me.  One of my favorite things to do was to go into a bookstore and just browse. I rarely made a visit without a book jumping off the shelf and right into my hands.

It wasn't like a needed another book since I always have a stack next to my bed.  It was more like I wanted another book. That stack must stay stocked.  Amazon effectively removed most of the brick and mortar stores.  I am guilty of assisting with the retail store's demise. I buy most of my books online from Amazon.  It is convenient, economical and quick and there are no bookstores near me.

Then I read an article that Used bookstores are making a comeback.  Here is the irony.  Used bookstores can beat or meet Amazon prices and here is the benefit for me, I can browse the shelves again. The only thing I wonder about is will they have the books I want to read.  I guess I can take this opportunity to catch up on books I might have missed.  Anyway there seems to be two used bookstores pretty close to where I leave.  I guess I just might have to check them out.  What do you think?  Care to join me by checking one out by you?

The Quartet: An Interesting Orchestration

I am not a history buff but I am fascinated by the Revolutionary period and the early days of the colonies. Reading the first few pages of this book changed my whole perspective of that time period.  I learned in my history classes that the thirteen colonies no longer wanted to be ruled by a country that was so far away and had very little knowledge of what life was like there. And I naively thought the decision to revolt against England was a decision made by all the colonies acting as one.

The fact is that all the colonies wanted freedom from taxes and rule by England but as individual states not as a collective.  Naive me, I thought it was one for all and all for one.  Not even close and Ellis put things in perspective.

First of all it could take days to get from one State to another. Horseback and carriage not trains, planes and automobiles. So a person travelling on horseback could average maybe twenty or thirty miles a day on a good day.  Secondly most people lived and died within a thirty mile radius of where they were born. It took three weeks to receive a letter.  So you can readily see why people were more concerned about their immediate community rather than between Massachusetts and New York  or Pennsylvania and Virginia. They did not care about one nation under God with Liberty and justice for all.

The colonies won the Revolutionary War but it was in the 1780's that a group of men worked hard to steer away from the Articles of Confederation and a State based government to a Federal government whose job was to look out for all the American people. In fact the only thing the Articles of Confederation did was to draw all 13 colonies into a friendly pact.  Kind of like the UN where things are discussed but each state is responsible for itself.

Ellis brings a little different slant as to why the "Founding Fathers"  followed the path away from State rule. Rather than looking at the formation of a United States for economic purposes he looks at it as formed for political purposes.  The protagonists of his story were George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison along with a supporting cast that included Thomas Jefferson.

These guys worked together to set the agenda for the what would become the present day Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  They "conspired" to mold the States into a National entity with one government.  This was quite an undertaking since people at that time really had little interest in one government to rule all.  They were just focus on their communities and their States' agenda.

What has always fascinated me about this group is how this handful of people created a government that still is in place today roughly two hundred and thirty five years later.  It is mind boggling that a government was formed  in the 1780's that was designed to govern about two million seven hundred people (give or take a couple thousand people) and thirteen states on one coast. That same structure for lack of a better word is still what holds our country together. Amazing.

Boys in the Boat

First let me say before reading this book I knew nothing and I mean absolutely nothing about the sport of Crewing.  Second while I had some knowledge of the Great Depression I did not realize that it was accompanied by dust storms that literally made the sky gray from coast to coast.  Nor did I know about the bad weather conditions during the 1930's making life even more miserable.

So I picked up the book The Boys in the Boat tentatively after all it is a non fiction book and I am very selective when it comes to reading non fiction. I am so glad because it is in my top ten best reads of this year.

The book, in case you are unaware of the subject matter, follows the University of Washington crew team on its journey to the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin.  I worked and went to college but jobs were somewhat plentiful during my years, at least if you wanted to work in retail and food service.  But to read about how hard these men worked to scrap together enough for tuition and board is incredible. This determination to get through adversity was the same stuff they needed to row and win.

Since the Olympics were to take place in Berlin, the author does a good job talking about what was happening in Germany and who were some of the main players.  The reader gets enough from the text to know that Hitler deceived everybody.  For the Olympics he literally scoped people off the street and placed them in camps and white washed everything so it looked all clean and bright.  He put on a dog and pony show and the world fell for it.

If you have not read this book yet than I hope you put it on your must read list. If you have a reader on your holiday list this is a great book for them.

Winter Stroll

I am continuing to read holiday based fiction.  Winter Stroll is the second book in a series. Winter Street was Hilderbrand's holiday themed book from last year. Check out my post on this blog.  All the characters are in this new book Winter Stroll and like the previous book really nothing has changed.  The characters are still in a chaotic state.

This isn't your typical romance where everything works out in the end.  It doesn't so if that is what you are looking for, Forget about it!

While it appears as if some of the characters have moved on in their life, events happen that throw them in turmoil. Mitzi is with George but she is so unhappy.  Kelley seems to have moved on but he still misses Mitzi.  All the kids have found significant others with the exception of the youngest who is in the military and MIA but their lives in one word, Crazy.

When I finished this book I certainly could see another holiday themed book being written for next year.  But I liked this book because it is more than holiday fluff and I like this author.  Give it a try.

Corned Beef and Potato Latke Sandwich

During my search for something good to make for dinner I found this recipe.  I love Reuben sandwiches so when I saw this recipe with corned beef I thought how intriguing. Instead of bread the person used potato pancakes. So here is the link for the video. The new corned beef sandwich. Enjoy!

It Christmas time In the city of DC

When I was young my family made a trip to DC during the holiday season.  We stayed at the Hilton on Connecticut Avenue NW and had a blast.  We did all the tourist type things you do when you come to DC during December including touring the city at night to see the National Christmas tree lit and of course to see the White House. It was magnificent.

 I absolutely love the White House.  When you think about it you are walking in a building that was first occupied by John  and Abigail Adams.  That was in 1800 and every President and his family since then has lived in this house.  So much history.  

For those of you who don't live in the Washington, DC area or for those of you who aren't able to see the White House decked out in it's Holiday Finery check out these photos.  It is so beautiful

Have a Foodie on Your Holiday List? Here is a suggestion

 I was drawn to the tile of this book right away. Who knew there was a list of foods to eat before you died. Who new I had to add food to my bucket list. Mimi Sheraton certainly felt she needed a food bucket list but that would make sense since she was a food writer and food is her life.

I am happy to say that I do not have to start from ground zero when trying to check off the foods on the list. I have eaten many of them and I ate them in their country of origin. How can you not eat fish and chips or cornish pasties when you are in England. Although we make a mean baguette in the United States, there is something about eating it in France that really changes the taste. Maybe it tastes better because of the wine and cheese I had as an accompaniment. Kartoffelsalat in Germany is delish when eaten mitt bratwurst.

Any self respecting New Yorker cut their eye teeth on bagels and bialys. And lastly at every holiday meal my grandmother made the most mouth watering Chicken Fricassee with Meatballs. It was a requirement. My mom came close to duplicating the dish and I come in third place. Of course Grandma and my Mom never used a recipe.

These are just a couple after all there are 1000! So I guess I am going to have to get eating. It is going to take me at least twenty years to make it through most of the list. I say most because there are some foods I will not be eating in my lifetime. I am shooting for at least 900. Care to join me?

Anyway this a fun and interesting book so you might want to give it a try. If you have a foodie with a tablet or a kindle on your holiday list you may want to order it for them.  The price is right and there is no shipping cost.  Oh and it is delivered in 30 seconds to a minute.  Don't know how long Amazon will have it at this price so if you are interested click on this link.

Did You ever Have a Family

The theme in this book is incredibly timely especially given the recent events in Paris and other places in the world.  It shows you how fragile life is and what can happen in an instant.

June had so much going for her.  She had a boyfriend she cared about and a daughter she was building back a relationship with who was to be married.  In fact it was that event, the wedding, that had brought everyone who was important to her house.  In an instant it was all gone.

After the dust settled, June gets into her car with only the clothes she has worn for days and just drives.

The most interesting thing about this book is how the author chose to write it. June is certainly the central character but it is written through the eyes of all the others touched by this tragedy as well as June's.  So you really don't hear her voice often but by the end of the book you know her and the other characters.  I really loved how the author developed the story.  Give it a try.

Cold Feet at Christmas all for forty nine cents

Every year during the holiday season I seek out fun holiday themed books.  I love a good holiday romance where there are happy endings.   Usually I read them and then blog about them but I just had to bring this one to your attention.  It's Called Cold Feet at Christmas and I found it on amazon.com for .49 cents.  Yes that is correct the cost is forty nine cents.   Who ever wrote the blurb about what it is about caught my attention so I downloaded it to my kindle.

If you want to take a chance and read it with me then download it.  I don't know how long amazon will keep it at this price.  They tend to change prices daily so get in on it now.  Click on the book or my link.

A Memory of Violets: A Novel of London Flower Sellers

This was more of a feel good novel rather than a deep, complex one.  The one thing most of the characters have in common is they were the lower class in London.  Many worked in the flower market similar to Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.  Most of the characters were orphans with disabilities who sold flowers so they did not end up in the work houses. 

A kind man, Mr. Shaw, has founded an orphanage and flower business and provides a safe haven for these girls.  They are well feed and have a respectable position. Tilly has been hired to act as House mother.  When she is shown to her room, she feels a presence and finds a diary written by Florrie one of the former residents of this house.  Florrie writes about the sadness she feels after losing her sister Rosie while at the flower market.  She does not know what happened to Rosie and is hopeful that she and her sister will be reunited.

    

The story lines for the characters are nicely woven together and the book is a nice read if you are looking for something on the lighter side.

To get more information check out this link A Memory of Violets.

Stuffing Oneself on Thanksgiving

This past summer my husband went to the Doctor for a physical and his blood pressure was up and when he stepped on the scale, well let's just say wake up call.  He came home and said he needed to make some changes and my daughter and I jumped on the band wagon.

For the women of the house the pounds are coming off so slow it is unbearable but we are not giving up.  Like most men his weight loss is very obvious.  That brings us to Thanksgiving our most beloved holiday and meal.

I have decided to modify the meal.  Turkey is turkey.  Into the oven it goes keeping it very simple just herbs, salt and pepper.  The modifications are the side dishes.  Sorry Campbell's soup no green bean casserole this year. The green beans are fresh and i have added some red onion, fresh mushrooms fresh garlic and a little olive oil.

The stuffing, you must have stuffing so I am cutting the amount of bread in half and adding a lot more carrots, celery and onions.  No sausage in the stuffing this year.

There will be mashed potatoes but no  butta (that's butter in Long Island ease) just low sodium chicken broth.  I only made a small amount knowing they probably won't be eaten.  Just a hunch.

Lastly I am making a potato pancake but it will be mostly shredded zucchini.  All this will mean squat if we put mounds of food on our plate so portion control is the buzz words of the day.

I will let you know how they like the modified meal.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I am not a Crafty Person But!

I don't consider myself a crafty person but a lot of my friends are and so they sort of rub off on me.  Well maybe just a little.

Last night I went with a good friend, one who is extremely artistic, my daughter and her daughter.  I think we all had a blast even though I found it a bit stressful.  You know all that pressure to get it right.

Mine is the one on the left. At the very least I hope you can tell it is a tree with red leaves. All in all I think it was a success.

I have other friends who can turn almost anything into something wonderful.  Case in point take a look at these earrings my friend Pam helped me make.  Can you believe they are pennies.  Thank you Mr. Lincoln.

So when I was browsing and looking for good things to read I found these fun crafts. Check out these Projects.  Creative people are so awesome and when they take everyday things that probably wold get thrown out and make them into something wonderful it is so inspiring.  Enjoy!

In the Kitchen With Bob Happy Holiday

I am a QVC fan.  During the holiday I would say I buy most of my holiday gifts from QVC and Amazon.  Ok I am a QVC Junkie.  I got hooked on QVC when I was pregnant with my daughter and I couldn't sleep at night.   Now with netflix, cable and satellite TV there is tons of things to keep you amused but back twenty years ago there was crap on at midnight.

Then I discovered QVC. Kathy Levine became my best friend figuratively speaking of course.  My second favorite host was Bob Bowersox.  He had a show on Sunday called In the Kitchen with Bob where he demonstrated how to cook while selling great kitchen gadgets. The good thing about Bob was he was trained as a chef so he brought some credibility to the show.  Bob has since left but he did write a Christmas Cookbook.

What I like about this cookbook is it is divided up into different types of holiday meal.
The recipes are also designed to feed 15 to 20 people.  This is great because ordinarily I cook for only 3 to 4 people and cooking for a large group can be intimidating for me.  It just seems that the recipe never tastes as good if you double, triple or quadruple the ingredients.

So if you are cooking for a crowd check out Bob's Book.

Thank God for Betty Crocker

Usually I like to sink my teeth into Holiday romance novels.  I like the feel good themes of them. They are usually set in some snowy wonderland and the couple always ends up happy by the time the book ends.  So like real life.  Yah right!  It's all about fiction people.

This year I decided to mix it up a little by throwing cookbooks into the mix.  I love to entertain during the holiday season and I am always looking for interesting dishes to add to my repertoire. So I went searching for some good holiday cookbooks.

How many of you out there learned to cook using the Betty Crocker cookbook?  I did.  Maybe it was because it was the only cookbook my Mom owned (wedding gift) or maybe it is because a lot of the recipes were basic and pretty straight forward.  Either way I don't care it was there and I used it as my foodie bible. Turns out that Betty Crocker also has a Christmas cookbook. There are a few interesting recipes, nothing that is really gonna wow you but it is worth a look.

For those of you interested, there is an updated Betty Crocker cookbook called Betty Crocker Cookbook: 1500 recipes for the way you cook today. There are a lot of wonderful cookbooks out there but the Betty Crocker cookbook is truly designed for those who are either new to cooking or who are like myself, cooking challenged. So you may want to give it a try.

And don't think for a second that I am going to give up on my quest for the perfect holiday novel.  If and when I find one that is worth sharing I will let you know so keep an eye out on my blog.

Amazon Built A Store. Why Bother?

If you follow what  Amazon does and since I am a prime member I do, you probably know that they opened a "bricks and mortar" store.  How disappointing! I mean I was impressed that Amazon conducted its business completely online.  Now they open up a store.  Why?  It's not like it's a huge warehouse.  It's a smaller sized store located among other stores.

From what I read, it is like the bookstores that use to be in all the malls but don't exist there anymore.  Maybe because Amazon kinda sorta put them out of business.  It used to be fun going to the mall and browsing those book shelves then finding a book bringing it up to the cash register, maybe find a book mark to use and scurry home to read my new book.

Now to be truthful, I don't have the time to go to a mall and browse.  In fact, 85% of my holiday shopping is being done online.  The boxes are being delivered as I write and all I have to do is go home and wrap.  I got free shipping and did not have to use gas in my car or fight for a parking spot.  Win, Win and win.  And all the people on my list who don't live close to me, why they are in my address list on the websites and all I have to do is click and it is sent to them.  No Post Office run for me.  Again, win.

Right now Amazon has only one store.  People are lining up to enter the book store. It only accommodates 150 at a time therefore the line. Allegedly and I have no proof since I did not go to the store, the stock consists of mainly new releases.  Again I say Why and Why bother?  Furthermore, why would people continue to go to the store.  After all these years, Amazon has trained us how to search and click.

Maybe Amazon will open other stores.  Maybe one will be located near me.  But unless Amazon changes how it operates online, I think I will stick to purchasing online. Don't get me wrong, I probably would go once.  I mean I don't want to be completely close minded to this idea but what would get me to go back?  This is the question every marketing person for a store tries to discover.

And again for maybe the third or fourth time,  I ask Why? Why Amazon would you open a physical store when you do online better than almost everyone else?

In case you are interested in someone else's opinion you can read This man's opinion on Amazon's Stores.

Leftover Turkey makes Great Sandwiches!

So her is another when I was growing up on Long Island stories.  

Back in the day when I was growing up on Long Island, Thanksgiving was a big deal.  My family and our relatives always got together.  The location of the meal would rotate between my Mom and my two aunts.  It was and still is my favorite holiday of the year.

Why?  Because it is all about getting together with people you like, laughing, eating and just having a good time. No presents or other stuff to get in the way. There were a lot of us back then.  My grandparents were alive and my cousins would always come with all my aunts and uncles.  So the table was full.  It was fantastic.

I loved it when we hosted because my Mom would make a huge turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole of course.  Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving without grean bean casserole made with Campbell's cream of mushroom soup.  It still served at my Thanksgiving Table to this day.  Hosting it meant that there was a good chance there would be turkey leftover.  Turkey tastes great with a slice of jellied cranberry on a fresh roll with a little thousand island dressing.  

I am sure many of you have your own favorite leftovers dish and if you would llike to share them with us I would love to hear about them. That is why when I saw these terrific sandwich ideas I just had to share them with you.  So check them out

Sandwich recipes for leftover turkey, not your boring everyday sandwich.

Yes I read alot but do I get it?

I read a lot.  Obviously I write this blog about reading. I try to read one to two books a week but that really depends on what is going on in my life.

I read for many reasons; relaxation, escape and knowledge just to name a few.  I used to read just fiction but recently I have delved into the world of non-fiction and I am glad.

I came to a realization.  You can read a lot but you may not be getting everything the author is trying to communicate with the reader.  I found this to be particularly true when I read the book Wicked.  It was a book club selection and I am glad because I just didn't get all the deep hidden meaning or maybe it wasn't deeply hidden.I just didn't see it.  So while I liked the book when I read it, I liked it a whole lot more after having our discussion.

The author took certain situations or scenes that are common in many books.  For example characters sitting down eating.  I remember reading the dinner scene in the book coincidentally entitled The Dinner.  Two couples, family members get together at a restaurant where as they sit and eat, a serious discussion ensues. The dinner while appearing outwardly to be just an ordinary dinner really is a tense situation at which difficult decisions need to be made and not all are in agreement.  The author did a great job of using a dinner gathering to bring the characters together to tell the story.

When I saw this book I just knew I had to read it.  It is very interesting and very readable and very helpful.

Alaska

I decided to explore the NY times Bestseller list from years gone by and happen to land on the year 1988.  There is nothing magical about the year for me.  No sentinel events that year. What drew my attention to this list was the book itself.  I have read books by James Michener and loved them and really this one is no exception.

The book starts out, like many of his books with a thorough description of the land and the early settlers.  Alaska has a most interesting story behind its formation as a land mass.  I am not a geology or geography student but during my studies I have read about the plattes that lie below the surface of the earth and their constant movement and I did find it incredibly fascinating that the land mass of Alaska now situated up by Canada once existed somewhere else. Several places to be exact.

Due to Sarah Palin's comment about seeing Alaska from her house she has brought a lot of attention to the state.  I am going to give Ms. Palin some credit when it comes to that statement.  I am going to assume she meant that since mainland Russia is approximately 55 miles from mainland Alaska that Alaskans and Russians are metaphorically speaking, neighbors.

Anyway the book starts millions of years ago and works its way up to more modern times. Michener even manages to give such great descriptions of the prehistoric animals that you feel like they are almost human. In fact the thing that draws me to James Michener is his amazing prose.  If you haven't read him before, give him a try.

Take a Class online? Maybe or Maybe not

I am sure that many of you have taken classes online.  I have taken my fair share.  I have a love hate relationship with them.  On the one hand you can’t beat the convenience.  Look what happens when the weather is bad. You get stuck in traffic and end up arriving late to class or worse case not at all.  And then there is snow when all the colleges cancel or delay the start of class. (Darn a snow day who wants down time anyway). I can’t tell you how many times I have left work to go to class and run into significant traffic.  Walking in once the class has started and apologizing to the Professor is not a comfortable situation.

If you are taking an online class you don’t miss a thing.  There is also no commute.  You can get home from work, put on your sweats, sit down at your computer and take class.  Wait a minute you can change into your sweats and go to class but there is still the issue of the commute.

The biggest downside of taking online classes is that you lose human interaction.  I love sitting in class and hearing different points of view.  It adds so much to the reading assignments and lectures.  You also meet people you would never meet anywhere else.  It’s fun to make new friends and you already share an interest, the class.

Our society has become impatient.  People just want to get the information and move on.  I am often guilty of that myself since I work in Information Systems and my job demands that I find answers and find them quickly.  But I still love to be in a collaborative learning environment that is face to face with other real people.  I love the immediate feedback you get when you are sitting in an actual classroom. I took a writing class this past summer and the Professor was excellent with feedback and answering questions but it took 24 and sometimes 48 hours.

If our college age children get their entire education online how will they meet friends that might last them a lifetime or where would they get the life lessons they get from going away to school.  Many people meet their significant others in an educational setting.  What will take its place?

Then I read this article about taking cooking classes online. I often go to you tube to see how to make a dish that requires a little more skill but somehow it never looks the same. I am a barely average home cook.  What I mean is that I can prepare fairly healthy meals for my family that they eat and sometimes enjoy. So I have taken cooking classes.  These have been in person and they are so much fun.  Maybe because each time I went the people were great and the chef had us drinking margaritas or wine.  I don't know I just like being there.

I know I will continue to take online classes.  It is just to convenient not to but I will also still take classes in a real classroom with real people. Here is an interesting article you may want to read Virtual College.

Read this article about taking online cooking classes.  See what you think.

Nemesis

I have read many books by this author and always enjoy them.  I like the fact that there are multiple story lines that usually tie into each other.  In this book I did not see the tie in of the two but that's ok.

Sherlock and Savitch are once again the main characters.  They make a nice team.  Sherlock is flying home from New York to Washington DC and foils an attempt by a terrorist to blow up the NY airport.  At the same time a bomb is set to go off at St Patrick's Cathedral.  The Cathedral is crowded because there is a funeral service about to begin and it just so happens that the Vice President of the United States is attending.

Unlike many other suicide bombing scenarios the so called terrorist at the New York airport did not seem hell bent on killing people so Sherlock was able to avoid a horrible outcome by disarming the terrorist.  This set her in the sights of the group behind this bombing and the FBI is concerned that other situations like this may occur and of course it does.

Savitch on the other hand is dealing with a psycho using mind control to get people to kill each other.Like I said I don't see the relationship between the two story lines but they work alone as well.  I guess it keeps Savitch occupied and away from Sherlock.

Again sadly this book like The Goldfinch and Radiant Angel centers around a weapon of mass destruction which has become an all to come theme in today's literature.  That being said if you are a Catherine Coulter fan read Nemesis.

Can You Stand It? Pumpkin Pancakes

I am going through so much pumpkin I think I will just buy it by the case. There are so many great recipes.  Feel like having pancakes for breakfast? Check out this pumpkin pancake recipe.  YUM!

Pumpkin Pancake Recipe (Martha Stewart)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
Powdered sugar

Pumpkin Pancake Recipe (Martha Stewart)
Maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and dry seasonings.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin, butter, and an egg. Fold the mixture into the dry ingredients.
3. Place a skillet over medium heat, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of the skillet, and cook about 3 minutes on each side until done. Serve warm with powdered sugar and maple syrup.
4. Try Them you will like them.

The Goldfinch

Unfortunately so many books I have read lately start out with a bombing of a well known location.  In this case it is a museum in New York.  There are casualties and one of them is a young boy Theodore Decker Mom. As he crawls out he has a chance encounter with a man who gives him a ring  and ask him to give it to his friend. He also find the painting The Goldfinch.  He and his Mom had just been talking about it.  It was one that had impressed her. This chance meeting and the painting would have a huge impact on his life.

Theo's Dad is out of the picture so he ends up staying with the family of his friend.  He was traumatized of course who wouldn't be after crawling out of a bombed building, death everywhere but he was healing very, very slowly.Then his father showed up and when I say father I mean this in a strictly sperm donor way because he was not the greatest human being and could barely take care of himself.  He is a gambler living in Las Vegas with his girlfriend in a community where the builder went bust. They are drug addicts.   It is a desolate community where Theo is isolated and left to basically take care of himself. His life is changed forever.

Since 9/11 life has changed so dramatically.  Growing up I had an occasional death touch my life. One weekend we were playing tennis with a friend and the next weekend she was gone.  Heart issues.  But not once did I think that if I got on the subway or the Amtrak a bomb might go off.  Sure that was happening in the middle east but this was the US.  How truly naive of me.  How sad it is for our children.

This book was on the NY Times 2014 bestseller list and won the Pulitzer prize for fiction.  It is a must read if you have not read it already. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Is this Baseball or Football?

Back in the days when I was growing up on Long Island, I was a Met's fan.  Lucky for me there were a lot of boys in the neighborhood who  liked baseball and I would tag along with them.  My best friend at the time had two older brothers and once they were able to drive they were nice enough to have her and me tag along.

We would sit in the nose bleed section and I mean at the tippy top of the Shea Stadium with our coke (the beverage) and hot dog and I was really happy to be there and watching the game.  Unlike football, baseball does not translate well on television. You need to be there to truly experience the game.

I realize I was young and saw the world through rose colored glasses but I do not believe there was as much crap going on as what went on at Game two of the National League Division series,  Utley broke Tejada's leg.  Watching the video you see how brutal the play was and yes the umpire ruled it a fair play but it was brutal and a leg was broken.  In fact it looked like he didn't even care about  making it on base.  When did baseball become football?  Is this how we really want this game played.

And now Utley is appealing the suspension. Maybe he will say it is done all the time.  Maybe he and his team have been reviewing game tapes to gather evidence showing that this happens all the time.  But honestly enough is enough.  If I was the governing body listening to the appeal I would say to Mr. Utley "You know after carefully considering your argument for appeal I think that a two game suspension is not fair.  In fact, I change the ruling to a suspension of all games in the remainder  of this season and five games in next years season.  Thank you for your appeal."

Matt Harvey is talking about  getting "revenge" in the next games. That is not the way to go here.  This isn't a gladiator sport.  This has to be settled by the league and the players.Someone has to say enough is enough and make some changes.  Play nice guys, my kids come to the games with me and I don't want them to see this kind of play.  You are role models whether you like it or not so act accordinlgy.

ESPN  has an article and a video.  Watch the play yourself.

My Continuing Pumpkin Recipe Quest

Anybody who knows me, knows how much I love macaroni and cheese.  I also love pumpkin and as I keep saying 'tis the season to eat pumpkin.

So it is my turn to host book club.  Our book club protocol is when you host you are responsible for making the whole dinner.  I really like this because I get to plan the entire meal.  I made grilled chicken and then I thought wouldn't it be great to make pumpkin macaroni and cheese.  I started with a regular mac and cheese recipe made with velveeta.  Got to make mac and cheese with velveeta.  But to make it a little smoother I added a small cream cheese and some shredded cheddar.  Than I added a can of Libby's pumpkin puree.  The picture above is what it looked like right before I popped it in the oven.  Let me just say it has a million calories.

To counter act the million calorie mac and cheese, we started out with a veggie platter and cheese and crackers.  After all when you are watching your calories veggies are a good thing right?  Ok a little rationalization here, but it was Friday night, one day off from counting calories every now and then never hurt anyone.  I know more rationalization. I also served a salad that is good.  By the way the book that was discussed was The Goldfinch. Fantastic book.  I will be posting about it next Saturday.

Next week is girl's weekend at the beach and I am bringing a pumpkin lasagna.  To "reduce" the number of calories I am putting my own spin on the lasagna.  I will get you the recipe after the beach weekend.

Have a great week!

Speak

What an interesting book. It is all about humans who are trying to communicate with each other but are unable to do this successfully.  It is a bit sad but I think there are many people in the world who have difficulty connecting with other people.  Social interaction is exhausting to them. Smart phones haven't helped.  I have seen teens sitting on my couch texting one another rather than talking.  How many have used texting to deliver a message they don't want to say face to face?  Don't get me wrong I love to text.  It's quick and easy but it is no substitute for sitting yakking with friends.

In this case several of the characters try very hard to find love and a place where they can belong but sadly they find they are more comfortable with mathematics and algorithms.  Several of the characters turn to computers and artificial intelligence to fill the void.

The author has chosen to use characters that are very different from each other. all from different time periods.  They all bring their own unique voice to the story.Three of the characters are computer wizards writing programs that  ultimately lead to the creation of "bots". These bots are programmed to learn.

One character is a young girl who had a babybot that was taken away from her and she finds she can't function without it. She can't leave her bedroom and ends up talking to Mary3 a bot born from the genius of those computer guys. And just to add depth to the story line the reader hears from a bot itself as it lays dying in some hanger. Has this bot developed feelings or is it just reviewing its memory banks as its power supply dwindles.

The book brings up some very interesting points. Give it a try. Click on the book for more info.

Make Your Own Spice Mix

The holidays are not that far away.  I try to start to make my list early because I like to finish my shopping right after Thanksgiving.  There are some people I have a very hard time deciding what to get.  That is why I found this book so interesting.  It is more of a mini cook book since it is only 34 pages.  Storey Publishers actually calls it a bulletin.

Whatever you want to call it, I liked it because it contains "recipes" for spice mixes such as Pumpkin Pie spice and Italian Spice mix.  During the holiday I bake cookies although my cookie repertoire is extremely limited to drop cookies.  So I thought to make up for my lack of cookie skills I can add a jar of spices.  I even thought I could make a quick bread like pumpkin and add a jar of pumpkin pie spice.

Anyway whether you choose to bake or cook or not there are some interesting mixes that you may want to use in your kitchen.

Picks From The Past

My neighbor just had a baby.  If you are a woman and you have had a baby you might remember the nights you spent feeding the baby or rocking the baby to sleep.  You are up. The baby is either eating or in the process of falling asleep and there you are sitting or rocking. So you have some down time even if it is the middle of the night and if you were like me, I could not sleep nor did I fall asleep after I put the baby down. 

 I asked her if she had a chance to read anything while she has been home on maternity, pretty much expecting an answer of I really have been too busy or too tired to read anything at this time.  But that was not the answer I got. She read on her e-reader.The e-reader has become a beautiful thing to use during the feeding or rocking period.  It is light weight and you can change the page with one hand.  

Her answer to my question of, had she read anything good was surprising and a little bit brilliant.  She said she choose books from previous years' bestseller list.  What a great idea they are so much easier to find. Not as many people waiting for them especially if you go the library route which I often do. So I decided I would go this route as well.

I went to the NY Times Bestseller lists for inspiration and arbitrarily choose the year 1988 to start.  There is no scientific reason or no major event in my life that lead me to this year.  I just started there and I found the book Alaska by James Michener. I have read several of his books such as Hawaii and Chesapeake which I really enjoyed.

If you have read any of Michener's books you know that he does a great deal of research on the setting for the book as well as the history of the people.  He also writes about multiple generations thereby leading his readers through history spanning many years.

The one thing you need to know about Michener is his books are long and very detailed.  If you can get passed those two things I think you will really enjoy the books.

Alaska is 868 pages so it may take me awhile to make it through the book.  Check back in a couple of weeks.

The Knockoff

The fashion industry is a tough industry to be in.  One day you are the it person and six months later you are out.  It is an industry that caters to youth.  I remember an interview that Katie Couric had with Sophia Vergara.  Katie asked Sophia who was about to turn 40 if she felt like 40 was the new thirty.  Sophia's answer was quick and firm.  The answer. NOOOO!

This book is fun with sad undertones but triumphant at the end. Imogen is the editor for a magazine.  She is diagnosed with cancer and takes six months off for surgery and recovery. When she comes back her former assistant Eve who had left to get her MBA is now back and is making many changes.  The major change taking the magazine from a print version to completely digital.  Trying to edge Imogen out Eve takes every opportunity to embarrass her.  But while Imogen is not tech savvy she is smart and she knows the industry.  Best of all she knows people and has developed relationships with them.

Eve underestimates her opponent by thinking that Imogen is unable to compete.  This seems to be a constant theme in books and the workplace.  Millennials like Eve think that once you turn 40 you are a fossil but perhaps what they do not take into consideration is that while many 40 somethings did not grow up in the same tech culture, they are just as smart.  The difference, they are learning on the fly.

Read The Knockoff

First Ladies Cokie Roberts

Check out this post First Ladies On my new site

Robin Roberts

I love Robin Roberts.  I loved Good Morning America when she and Diane Sawyer were the anchors. Josh Elliot being on her right didn’t hurt anything either, great sense of humor.  The Chemistry between the team was great.  I still watch Good Morning America but not as religiously. It is still a good team just not the same.  But nothing stays the same and change is good.

Before the world new Robin was sick, ABC had Katie Couric guest host on GMA.  I was outraged thinking that Robin was going to be replaced and I was one of I am sure many people who wrote ABC to give them a piece of my mind.  Then came the announcement that she was sick and it saddened me. It wasn’t that she was being replaced, it was that she was sick.  She had become so much of my morning routine I felt like my friend received the diagnosis.

This book is about her battle and “recovery” thankfully from MDS.  The title of the book Everybody’s Got Something was something her Mom would say.  It is so true don’t you think.  Everybody does have something going on in their life.

My Mom had her special saying to me.  I remember complaining about this or that and saying how unfair things were.  She would say to me Life is not Fair, you just have to deal with it.  Maybe I should write a book Life Isn’t Fair.

And one of my all time favorites that I use over and over again is from Roseanna Roseanna Dana “It’s always something”  Another very good title.

I chose to listen to this book rather than reading it mostly because Robin read the book herself and it made it so much more meaningfull. The book was actually very relevant to me right now.  Several of my friends are facing health struggles and I think she put things in perspective.  It is very hard to see people you care about in pain.  You want to do things for them but don’t know what to do.  She gave some great suggestions and I hope my friends tell me when they need me to step in.

Read the book or listen to the audio version.