Making Mozzarella

My friend's husband gave her a cheese making kit for Christmas and she has been making cheese since then.  She is an excellent cook and know she can add cheese making to her list of accomplishments.  I am totally in awe that she can make cheese in her home. 

As fate would have it, this morning I was reading the Food Section of the Washington Post and there was a recipe for making mozzarella.  Maybe if I feel industrious I will try to make it.  Not sure.  I am including the link so that you can take a look for yourself. Making Mozzarella .

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman

If you love To Kill a Mockingbird as much as I do you might be aware of the "newly discovered" Harper Lee Novel that the literary world is all abuzz about.  Apparently the original manuscript written by Lee was not exactly what the publisher Lippincott was willing to publish.  But they liked her writing, thought she was onto something  and worked with her to revise her original manuscript and To Kill a Mockingbird was written and published.  It remains on most middle school/high school curriculum to this day.  I have read it multiple times and each time I walk away with a new perspective.

It turned out to be a mega hit, one that has  provided Lee with approximately 3 million a year in royalties.  Now the original manuscript is getting edited and there are plans to publish this "new" old novel.  It would seem that Harper Lee is in no physical condition to approve the publication of this book and their is a lot of controversy on the legal implications of publishing it.  From a purely literary sense, I am thrilled at the prospect of reading the book however, what is going to happen to the rights to the book and does the publisher really have the right to publish it. What are Harper Collin's rights.  Who is looking out for her and her property.  I look forward to seeing how it all works out. The new novel Go Set a Watchman is due to be released in July 2015. I am willing to go out on a limb and say it will be extremely popular.

For those of you who are not from the DC area and do not read The Washington Post I am sharing this link so that you can read this extremely interesting article. To Shill a Mockingbird

Boyhood

Every now and then I write about a movie I have seen.  Yesterday I watched the movie Boyhood.  The movie was shot over twelve years and  watching it I felt like I was reading a book.  It is a fascinating concept.  Usually when you watch a movie the plot develops very quickly even if it covers many years.  In this movie the director actually developed the characters over a long period of time and you can almost see  this family's life unfolding chapter by chapter. You get to watch the characters age and experience different periods of their lives. 

I don't want to give too much of the story away so I will keep this brief and hope that I whet your curiosity enough for you to watch the film. It is about a single mother raising two children.  Mason the youngest is six when we first meet him and Samantha is eight. They live in Texas while their Dad is in Alaska.  He will eventually return to Texas and the children's lives.  We get to watch this family as they go through their average life and deal with situations that I am sure many of you have experienced. You can feel their emotions.

I won't say more because I don't want to give anything away.  Watch it.

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher

I very rarely read short stories.  I guess it is because I love the journey of reading a full length book and watching the characters develop at a slower pace.  Every now and then I make an exception.  I think Jeffrey Archer is an author who writes short stories extremely well and I would highly recommend A Twist in the Tale and A Quiver Full of Arrows. 

If you are someone who only have a short window of opportunity than short stories are perfect for you.  You may want to consider  The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher or the other ones that I suggested above.

Today is National Read in the Bathtub Day

February is such a dreary month.  Perhaps that is why there are so many bizarre “holidays” or so I have read.  Of course there is Groundhog Day February 2nd.  Who can forget the movie starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell where he relieved Groundhog Day over and over again?  I liked the movie so much that I watched it over and over again. I mean it literally put Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on the map and made Phil the Groundhog a celebrity.  His success rate allegedly is 39% and this year at 7:25 am he saw his shadow.  No surprise there since the US is having a pretty hard winter.

Another February “holiday” is on February 4^th, Ice Cream for Breakfast day.  No offense but if I want ice cream for breakfast I do not need a holiday to give me permission.  I just eat it.

February 16^th is Do a Grouch a Favor Day.  If anyone in my family would like to do a favor for me maybe I will consider being less of a grouch.  No promises.

But my favorite February holiday is Read in The Bathtub Day.  What a great and relaxing way to spend an hour or so. I personally celebrate that holiday at least once a month.  I fill up the soaking tub, have a chilled glass of wine, light a candle (only for the scent of course) and sit back and read. 

For those of you who love cherry pie, make sure you enjoy one on February 21.  Isn’t that George Washington’s Birthday and isn’t there some type of cherry pie story?  Whatever, have a piece for just the simple fact that you can. Oh and don’t forget the dollop of ice cream on top.

First Frost

It was Super Bowl Sunday. It was dull.  It was gray.  It was cold and I felt like staying in all day. Even though it was a lazy day, I actually did not stay in my PJs .  I thought that would just not be right. So I sat down with the book First Frost.  This is the sequel to Garden Spells.

For those of you who like books with a hint of magic this is your type of book.  The two Waverley sisters have special gifts.  It is approximately ten years since we were first introduced to them in Garden Spells.  They both are now  married and have a daughter each.  They own their own business and are successful. But a stranger, really a con artist has arrived in town and may upset the apple cart.  The great thing about a sequel is it updates you on the characters you liked in the first book.  The bad thing is it is not always as good as the first one.  I still enjoyed the two books.

To Kill a Mockingbird Two?

Part of the curriculum of the English Departments in the United States includes the amazing novel To Kill a Mockingbird.  It is the kind of book you never forget.   I have seen the movie and I have seen it performed live and I have read it multiple times. 

Up until know Harper Lee has been a one hit wonder and that is ok.  I figure if you write one amazing novel in your lifetime that is better than a series of unforgettable ones. I just read in today’s Washington Post that there may be a second novel. As with many things there are roadblocks to getting it published that I hope are not insurmountable, but sign me up to read it when it is published. 

If you are curious, here is the link to the story in the Post Harper Lee's second novel and if you have never read To Kill a Mockingbird please consider putting it on your reading list.  It's a great book.