Recipe ; Zucchini and Pancetta Stir Fry

Zucchini and Pancetta Stir Fry. Great as a side or a meal. Either way, a great choice.

INGREDIENTS AND PREP

2 zucchinis halved and sliced
3oz thinly sliced Pancetta - roughly chopped
1 medium onion - roughly chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Olive oil - enough to coat veggies and pan
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat pan on medium-high. Add all ingredients. Cook to preferred softness of zucchini.

Book Review ; Killer Chef

I have never been able to finish a James Patterson book. Until now. I picked up a few off of other peoples shelves while visiting friends and family. We see his books everywhere. I recall even getting one from the library years ago just to see what all the hype was about. Due to the fact that when I was younger I was mainly a fantasy reader I was not drawn to any James Patterson book I had ever picked up and opened the cover of.

I won this book Killer Chef and some other bookish goodies from a book group I am a member of on Facebook. The book group is called Book Lovers of Kentucky.  If I remember correctly, when I joined, the member count was well under 1,000 and now it is over 4,000. In just a few months. That alone should speak volumes about this group of readers. The group does weekly giveaways, polls,and daily good fun discussing books and reading reviews with each other. I had won 2nd place in a contest on the page and got to have first pick of a group of Bookshots by James Patterson and of decided on Kiler Chef for the simple fact of I enjoy cooking. Along with this book I also won a necklace, an amazon gift card, and bookmarks.

A few days before learning I had won this book I had learned James Patterson books are mostly co-written. This added to the odd list of things that had turned me off to the author before. Bookish pet peeves are real over here. I have never been a huge fan of oversized hardbacks (unless they are leather bound classics). It always screamed arrogant to me that the authors name is so huge on most covers in comparison to the title name. I understand why his covers are this way but when he has actually only written by himself about 50 of the 130 books his name is on the cover of, because he is smart and loves money. But it has made me roll my eyes and pass up on his books more than once. But I must be wrong about this guy because he has sold over 300 million copies worldwide. So what do I know?

Now, with all that said. I enjoyed the book. Kiler Chef was written by James Patterson and Jefferey J. Keyes. The book was a quick and pleasant read other than he few parts that made me think to myself, okay the main character is hot and everyone wants him. We get it. Outside of that, the words were direct and the fulfillment of my need for a fast paced action/mystery was sufficed.

The main character is a popular food truck owner that works alongside his ex wife/best friend and he is also a private detective. People in New Orleans begin dying from poison being put in their food at local restaurants. This jalapeño-poppin’ hunk has a lot going on. And I am still wondering how he never gets heart burn from his eating habits. It may have had a rushed ending but the point of the Bookshots books is to keep the books short and affordable. I’d read another one of James Patterson’s ghostwriters books. I wouldn’t mind grabbing a couple to read while on vacation. Definitely fit better in my handbag than most of the books that I have read this year. That’s always a plus.

Recipe ; Bacon and white chocolate cheesecake

Bacon and white chocolate cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

Approx 6 slices of bacon cut in half

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup stevia

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

8 oz of cream cheese

1 tsp coconut oil

3-4 Ghirardelli white chocolate chips per slice of bacon

(Fun fact : 1 serving size from this is bag is about 33 chips and that adds up to approx 9 grams of carbs per serving. Split that up into even smaller servings and it can be low carbish)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix lemon juice, lemon extract, cream cheese and stevia until smooth in mixer.

2. Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge while cooking bacon.

3. Fry bacon slices

4. Let bacon cool and remove cream cheese mixture from fridge.

5. Pipe cream cheese on top of bacon.

6. Add a few white chocolate chips on top.

Recipe ; Keto Cheesy Garlic Loaf

Keto Cheesy Garlic Loaf

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/3 cups almond flour

1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

1/2 cup butter

8 oz cream cheese

8 whole eggs (room temp)

1 tsp sage

1 tsp rosemary

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp Italian seasoning

1.5 tsp baking powder

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Mix butter and cream until smooth with beaters in medium bowl or in mixer

2. Add Rosemary, Sage, and Italian seasoning to mixture until fully combined

3. Add eggs and continue to mix until smooth

4. Add flour and baking powder mix well. Mixture should become slightly thick

5. Grease two meatloaf pans

6. Fill each about half way with batter 

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Do toothpick test to make sure done.

Recipe ; Almond Flour Pancakes

Almond Flour Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon water

2oz cream cheese

2/3 cup almond flour 

1 tsp baking powder2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1 tsp stevia

Butter and syrup (sugar free syrup for low carb option)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add all ingredients to blender. Start with the eggs, cream cheese and water first so the dry ingredients don't stick at the bottom.

2. Blend until smooth. Let batter settle for 2 minutes.

3. Set heat to medium heat on non-stick skillet. Use about 4 tablespoons of batter per pancake.

4. Once you see bubbles starting to form on top of the pancake, flip it. Cook until both sides are browned. 

5. Repeat until batter is used up.

6. Top with butter and syrup.

Book Review ; In A Dark, Dark Wood

In A Dark, Dark Wood --- By Ruth Ware

I have found that in a Ware book the middle tends to get sluggish and muddy but I do love her twisted endings. For the most part the book is a quick and easy page turner. A woman wakes up in a hospital bed after a bachelorette party, badly bruised and bandaged with memory loss.

No, it is not the women's edition of Hangover. Many people complain about the characters of this book from other reviews I had read about and I don't really have any except one. There is an annoying and emotional as hell friend who throws the party. And wow she worked on even my nerves at times. The characters are in their 20's or so and catty and "immature". Ummm, yeah. Most people in their 20's are exactly that. So I'm not sure what planet these people are from that I read reviews from but... it didn't make me grimace when reading how these people acted because that's how most people just are at one point or another.

The book was consistently okay and not spectacular. This was not surprising because neither was the other book I read by Ware called The Woman in Cabin 10. I will not be rushing to pre order any books by Ruth Ware but if someone gifted me one, I would read it. I at least know that the first five and last 5 chapters will be awesome.

Book Review ; The Chemist

The Chemist ---- By Stephanie Meyer

Paranormal Young Adult author to now Adult Spy author?! What?! Who does that?! Stephanie Meyer does that. The author of Twilight. I have never read a spy book and probably would not have any time soon if Meyer had not written this book. So thank you Meyer. 

This is about a bad ass scientist who has to take action into her own hands and sees the job from the other side. Action scenes in the book are pretty awesome and intriguing. The real detailed science stuff like the vile number and code had me speed reading at times through the book. 

There is a romantic interest and his brother who are also main characters. The brother is also a top notch spy but is stubborn as a 3 year old. The romantic situation happens very quickly and is odd. But when you know, you know, right? 

I'm glad I read the book even though it was so long and didn't need to be. Hats off to Meyer for refusing to get stuck in one singular category and for broadening my reading interests.

Book Review ; Where The River Runs

Where The River Runs

Patti Callahan Henry

This story is based mostly in the unspoiled and beautiful South Carolina lowcountry. It begins with a heartbreaking scenario in which a graduation goes in the worst direction. There is fire and death and destruction and heart break and a community is torn. 

Sent away to her grandmothers, Meridy, moves on in life and goes to university and marries a husband who becomes a successful lawyer. Meridy has a sudden change of heart when she takes a step back from the good life and her "friends". She begins to question everything and heads home to the lowcountry.

At the age of 40 she is finally getting closure to her past, strengthening family bonds, working on reawakening and saving her marriage, and taking the blame for her mistakes.

Finding yourself and balance in life is an amazing thing to experience at any age and reading about it in the way that Patti Callahan Henry has just makes it that much more charming.

Recipe ; Quick Lemony Country Greens

Quick Lemony Country Greens

INGREDIENTS:

10 oz country greens (collard, mustard, and turnip mix)

1 tablespoon coconut oil or oil of your choice

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup veggie stock or water

2 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat, add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds

2. Add Greens, stock or water, cover and cook until tender (about 10 min)

3. Add more liquid if necessary 

4. Sprinkle with lemon juice

5. Add butter and replace lid while fixing plates

6.Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe ; Coleslaw

Quick and easy creamy coleslaw recipe that the husband and I made yesterday.

The amount we used was for our family of 5 and plenty of left overs.
This side dish or pulled pork sandwich topper will feed approx 8-10

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cabbage (diced)
2 carrots (peeled and diced)
1 cup mayo
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons of celery seed
1 tablespoons of onion powder
1 tablespoon of salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all diced cabbage and carrots. In smaller bowl combine all remaining ingredients and whisk.

Pour dressing over cabbage and carrots.

Toss until fully coated.

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours and for up to 24 hours (refrigerating longer will lead to a softer slaw)

Book review ; Frindle

Frindle 

By : Andrew Clements

Synopsis: Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up at school-and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration of his best plan ever, the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country and there's nothing Nick can do about it.



Review: When two of your children say "Mom, you'd really like this book. You have to read it." What do you do? You apparently end up loving the book and reading it in one day. And then you end up glad that they have given you this gift of engagement into something that you can both enjoy, from them and their little hearts.

I was honestly dreading reading a kids book at first. But soon I learned how foolish I was. This book is adorable. A shit-stirring prankster kid who is making up a new word and driving his school by storm. But then the word becomes so much more. How much can one harmless made up word change? The poor strict teacher who just wants some peace in her class just fans the fire with more fuel when she tries to slow down its growth. Who would think reading about an imaginative kid and a dictionary obsessed teacher could make you have the feels? Almost in tears and grinning is where this book left me. Oh, to be a smart mouthed trouble making 5th grader again. Or oh, to deal with quick thinking children at my age now. Or oh, how will I feel when even more time has passed looking back at certain situations that are similar to this one I read about in even the smallest ways. I hope I don't ever forget reading this book.

Recipe ; Italian Sausage

Italian Sausage (and how to get that great snap)

Have you ever made Italian Sausage and wondered why it doesn't have that snap that we all know and love?  The secret to the snap is to boil the meat. Or have you wondered why it's browned before it has cooked through? My mom always had to tell me to "turn the burner down". Maybe, that part is just a me thing. But I know a sausage should snap and I'm going to share with you how to get that.



INGREDIENTS:
Italian sausage
Minced garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 large onion (sliced)
Bread of choice for bun (optional)



1. Poke holes into each sausage a few times on each side

2. Lay garlic and enough chicken stock to coat bottom of pot with medium/low heat for 5 minutes

3. Place sausage in pot and fill with the remaining amount of water it takes to cover sausages

4. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to low/medium.

5. Simmer until firm. (Approx 5 min)

6. Heat and oil large skillet. (High heat)

7. Remove sausages from pot and set into skillet to brown. (keep pot liquid on low for keeping sausages warm after cooking if they will not be immediately plated.)

8. Add onions to be cooked for approx 5mins.

9. Cook sausages through. 165 degrees internally is done.

Review ; Forever

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)

By: Maggie Stiefvater

A werewolf love story, continued from Shiver and Linger told from the point of view of Grace, Sam, Isabel, and Cole with a small prologue from Shelby. The series is set in the small fictional town of Mercy Falls.

Not only is Forever now one of the best books I have read in the past year and not only is Maggie Stiefvater now one of my top 5 fave authors ever, she managed to tear my heart in two and then glue it back together and did it in a surprising way.

I had faith in her to rekindle my love for the series even though Linger had left me with doubts. Those doubts being that the story would not be able to take a hold of me again like it had in Shiver and with this book she delivered! I hoped that Linger was the build up to great things and it absolutely was.

Not ever having doubt in Maggie Stiefvater's ability to paint her beautiful descriptions in any of her three books I have read, that always stayed throughout them all. Actually, this third book included more playful and expiremental structures, which I absolutely appreciated.

The most action and adventure so far is found within this third book of the series in the Mercy Falls world and I am looking forward to reading much more of Stiefvater's writing.

Book Review; Skin Deep

Skin Deep
By: Anna J. Evans

"Between pleasure and pain, between passion and obsession, a fine line is drawn.."

Synopsis:

When she's kidnapped from the bar where she works, Nicky has to admit that she's strangely aroused. She's always known her possessive ex-lover, Jackson Bledsoe, a notorious tattoo artist, has a kinky side. But even for him, this is wild.

Jack has his reasons. Nicky and he share the same tattoo - a fallen angel that got under their skin a long time ago. Now there is only one way for Jack to rid himself of his obsession with Nicky: put her back under the needle and get rid of the piece of art that made them one.

It's bringing out the submissive in Nicky - the chance to give her body over to a dominant male and pierce the boundary between pleasure and pain. Under Jackson's artful control, Nicky must confront her darkest desires and most sensual fears. As she and Jackson feed each other's addictive hungers, the game begins. It's only a matter of time before it goes to far....

--------------------

Review:

Two foster kids who were high school sweethearts, trying to protect each other but kids can only deal with so much. Due to the abuse surrounding them and happening in the foster home they end up not being together. Promises were left high and dry and hearts were broken.

They grew up to become extremely successful. One a tattoo artist/reality tv star and the other a famous model. Jackson can't shake the feelings he has for Nicky even after all these years have passed. So he comes up with this twisted plan to deal with things in this crazy way that make total sense in his mind. By kid napping Nicky. Makes total sense right? Riiiiight... great plan.

Well, his tactics may be a bit extreme but the feel you get from the BDSM in this story is not so extreme. It's a smooth, easy, and quick, hot read. Not much for shock value, at times I would call it softly intense. When you read about BDSM or think about reading it you would not usually expect it to be touching little love story. At least, when I think back on other BDSM books I have read, that is not what the story was like at all when it comes to shock value.

I appreciate that there is no filler in these pages, meaning when an author adds unnecessary words to the page to try and make the book something it is not. Even if that something it is not is as simple as - long. Anna J. Evans has written many books but I don't find myself planning on starting a collection of her stories. This short 265 page book left me nicely surprised and gave me the romance novel that had a little extra bite that was nice to read in between some heavier subject matter and longer books .

Book Review ; The Nest

The Nest
By: Kenneth Oppel

There is a new baby! This big bro should be excited, right? Well, he is not. Steve's families baby who is never mentioned by name is ill. The house is constantly worried and stressed. But there are "angels" that come to Steve in his dreams saying they will help the baby if Steve just says "Yes." Soon his dreams become dark. Reality becomes questionable.

Once I got into the pages that this beautiful cover surrounds I soon realized that this was an on the lower end of middle grade reading as far as difficulty goes. BUT! Between the award winning art and the great story I couldn't put it down.

When a kids book can bring a tear to your eye .. you simply say, "Yes."

Recipe ; Cranberry Balsamic Chicken Thighs

Have you ever gone on Pinterest in search of something and tried it out and it was a total fail? Well, this was not the case here. I had a big bag of cranberries that I hadn't quite finished off and didn't want to see go to waste and I found a recipe and dove in. I am just going to put it like it is.... This stuff is damn good. I found a recipe from www.cottercrunch.com and wow. I didn't follow that recipe exactly but this will now be something I make gladly in my kitchen often and I figured I would give credit where credit is due. If you are a fan of tangy, juicy, and just something different... give this one a try. (I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, I am looking forward to making this with skin on next time. Oh my goodness.) One pan dishes will always have me as a fan.

One Pan Cranberry Basalmic Roasted Bonless Skinless Chicken Thighs
(Now, that's a name. Haha)

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup of fresh cranberries
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Sage (light sprinkle. A little goes a long way.)
Italian herbs (sprinkle)

1tbsp. Sugar free syrup
1tbsp. balsamic vinegar
(These two ingredients will be mixed and you want this amount listed above per piece of chicken you will be cooking to coat chicken with later in the cooking process.)

Marinade:
1/3 cup cranberries
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sugar free syrup
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

Blend marinade ingredients until liquified.

Pour marinade over chicken and coat evenly.

Cover and place in fridge for 30 minutes or up 24 hours.

-----

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add additional cranberries, sage, and Italian herbs to dish.

Spread evenly on and around chicken.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Brush chicken with syrup and balsamic vinegar combo you made.

Cook additional 10 minutes.

Spoon pan sauce and cranberries onto chicken when served.

-----

You can thank me later :)

Recipe ; Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

I have never been a big fan of having to scroll through a page forever to get to a recipe. Sometimes it's nice to read these cute and quirky and sometimes amazing stories that are attached to a recipe that has been post. That's not happening here today. I had an hour long class this morning, the normal stuff that housewives do and then it looks like we did nothing.. yeah I did a bunch of that today, I have been cooking for a few hours, I have kept my two dogs and toddler alive, and the house did not burn down or even come close to it. Success! I still have a lot to get done, as do most of the people who are reading here. This has been a quick and easy go to in my house for years. Maybe now it will be for you as well. Maybe it already was and this is a reminder of how much you like it and it's not getting made for dinner tonight. Let's get to it.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 lb of ground beef
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 head of cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5oz)
1 can of stewed tomatoes (14.5oz)
1 can of tomato sauce (8oz)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper



DIRECTIONS:

Add oil to large pot.
Set over medium heat.
Cook beef until no longer pink.
Add onion and cook until tender.
Put in garlic and continue to cook for about 1 minute.

Put chopped cabbage and remaining ingredients into pot.
Bring to a boil.
Put your pot lid on and simmer for 30 minutes...
Or until cabbage is tender.

EASY AND PAINLESS AND DELICIOUS!




(Serves approx 6-8)

Book Review ; Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil

Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil
By: John Berendt

Synopsis:
Genteel society ladies who compare notes on their husbands' suicides. A hilariously foul-mouthed black drag queen. A voodoo priestess who works her roots in the graveyard at midnight. A morose inventor who owns a bottle of poison powerful enough to kill everyone in town. A prominent antiques dealer who hands a Nazi flag from his window to disrupt the shooting of a movie. And a redneck gigolo whose conquests describe him as a "walking streak of sex."

These are some of the real residents of Savannah, GA., a city whose eccentric mores are unerringly observed-and whose dirty linen is gleefully aired- in this utterly irresistible book. At once a true crime murder story and a hugely entertaining and deliciously perverse travelogue, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is as bracing and intoxicating as half-a-dozen mint juleps.

Now if you go somewhere out of town and are shopping and eating your way through the city and pick up a book that is in multiple shops. What do you do? When you are looked at multiple times by people who ask if you've ever read this book while conversing about Savannah, Georgia and your answer is "No." and they look at you in shock, what do you do? You buy the book. And in my case, you buy the book based in Savannah while shopping in Savannah. And you buy in on River Street. In between stopping at all the 5 places you will eat that day because the food is so good everywhere you go there isn't enough time to just eat like a normal person and go home after vacation saying you tasted Savannah.

Savannah is the place where they ask you if you want a sweet tea "to-go" when you're done with your meal. Hell, some places do it without even asking. They just know the answer is yes. If you don't eat your way through Savannah you are wasting a trip. Swear.

I mean it. You must eat everything.

Okay. I'm done telling you what to do in Savannah. And I'm not going to ramble about Savannah anymore. Maybe I will do an all Savannah blog post one day about my experiences there.

Annnnnd on to the book review...

Liked this book but wish I liked it more. It's full of southern charm and crazy. Drag queens and voodoo. Debutant balls and high tea. At times it was very dry and at other times I found myself laughing out loud. It did actually take me two tries, to not DNF this book. But I am glad I picked it back up that second time and saw it through. Mostly because I felt I needed to out of the love of Savannah. Not because I was going to regret not finishing the book for the sake of it being a book I started. It's a pretty good read that spreads out some scandalous happenings from an outsider who is amazed and not used to the south I know and love.

There were many characters introduced and some were underdeveloped. I think it may not have been so dry at times if they had been built up more personally. It is a true murder mystery and is written to give some sort of privacy to those involved but it's the south. I'm sure all these peoples neighbors know exactly who is who without having to google a darn thing. Thankfully, the south sure can gossip or this book that lasted 4 years on The New York Times Bestseller list would have never came to be.

"Rule number one: always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's thane you find out everything you want to know."

Book Review ; Girl In The Woods

Girl In The Woods : A Memoir
By: Aspen Matis

This book is about a rape victim who decided to find herself and her voice once again. The second night she was at college in Colorado she was raped and tried to struggle through her freshman year before deciding she needed to do something and have her fresh start. Her family hushed her attempts to reach out or speak up about the horrible thing that happened to her. She decided to hike the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada and recorded her journey.

I feel semi uncomfortable reviewing a memoir. Especially when something traumatic has happened to the author. Who am I to give a rating to a victims story? So first off I will applaud Aspen Matis' journey to reclaiming her life as her own and over coming the many feelings and scars that are left behind for the victim to deal with once the dust has settled. I applaud each of her accomplishments.

The only thing about this book that I didn't like was that she was so repetitive about the fact that she had been raped. AND IT'S WHY THIS BOOK CAME TO BE. And how insensitive, right?! No. Not that she kept talking about it but HOW she kept repeating it. Say it every day. Scream it every single day so everyone knows what kind of person that boy is that did this to you! Don't let it be forgotten. Unless you are ready for that in your own personal time and choice. Don't be silenced though. Say it as many times as you need to.

Usually when a book is written it is written solely for its readers, correct? But this was also written as her release. If you are going to say it over and over and write a book about it maybe change up the flow, the approach, or the presentation of the words on the page a little. To be brave enough to write this book is amazing. I probably would have given it 4 stars on Goodreads instead of 3 if it had been not so repetitive. But then again, when something like that happens it is what it is. And you are the one who has to repeat the details in your mind for the rest of your life because they are real and unchanging. See, awkward to review... and I hope this book leaves some people with hope that life will go on after the violation of some scum that found their way into their lives. 

"No one causes rape but rapists."

NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT TELEPHONE HOTLINE

1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

Book Review ; Linger

Linger
The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2
By Maggie Stiefvater

(Breakfast and Linger on day 2 of reading)

I will start with I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing BUT Linger is basically like the first book of The wolves of Mercy Falls... but in a mirror... and in reverse. Sam is human and Grace feels like she's going to change constantly. Grace is smelling like wolf and running a fever pretty consistently throughout the book. Grace and Sam are hopelessly in love still. And is Isabela is logical when everyone else is being a basic dumb teen and twiddling their thumbs. Then there is the addition of Cole, the damaged rockstar.

There is much less wolf action than I expected in this book. I actually spent more time being pissed at Grace's parents than any other feeling I had from Linger. Most of the time reading this follow up to Shiver I was like okay maybe they'll get to the obvious issue on the next page. Did not happen until 90% of the book was read.

Even though it seems I may have been miserable and disconnected with the series at this point due to my gripes so far due to pace and my sudden annoyance with this teen romance, the pity parties, and suddenly out of left field super controlling parents, I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!

It took me 5 days to finish this 360 page book. One of those days I didn't read at all because I was not feeling well and my energy needed to be focused elsewhere. So 4 days and done. I really could not get through it fast enough. I had to know what happened.

Now, with all this said Maggie Stiefvater could probably write a book about shadows on the walls over the course of a week and I would devour the book because I enjoy her writing style so much. The addition of damaged rockstar Cole was great and I believe he will be playing an important part in book 3, Forever.

All in all, if you LOVED Shiver then I would absolutely recommend this book and of course if you just inhale the freshness of Maggie's writing I would say indulge some more. If Shiver left you not filled with the urge to grab Linger immediately I would say don't. As for me, I will be picking up the next book in this trilogy very soon. Forever is next.

Recipe ; Banana Pie

My husband and I first made this recipe back before Thanksgiving. We knew we wanted some kind of banana dessert but neither of us were really feeling the typical Banana Cream Pie or Banana Pudding recipe that everyone knows and loves. We were looking for something new but seemingly “safe”. Frugal is always nice as well. Which this pie certainly is. It was a hit at the family gathering. We will be making this for many years to come.

INGREDIENTS:

1- pre made pie crust

2- sliced bananas

1- 8 oz whipped cream container

1- can of sweetened condensed milk

Enough cocoa to sprinkle a dusting on top of pie

DIRECTIONS:

Fill large pot with water and submerge can of sweetened condensed milk. Bring to boil and let continue to boil for 3.5 hours. Add water as needed to keep can submerged. You will soon have Dulce de Leche.

Bake pie crust by following directions on packaging. 

Spoon sweetened condensed milk from can, once cooled enough to hold, into pie crust. Add layer of whipped cream and then add a section of sliced bananas on top. Repeat until pie crust is filled. 

Sprinkle how ever much cocoa your heart desires on top. 

In all honesty we didn't feel like going to the store for cocoa the first time we made it and cocoa is not something we used to keep in the pantry so we just used a packet of hot chocolate to sprinkle on top when the pie was ready to go. We now keep cocoa stocked but there's a lot of times a simple substitution and way to keep from driving to the store for that one ingredient you don't happen to have. I love taking advantage of recipe substitutions. Simple right? Enjoy!

Do you have any simple pie recipes to share or some favorite substitutions? Feel free to leave them in the comments section.

Bookish Survey

I came across this bookish fun piece called A to Z Bookish Survey that is hosted by Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner. Apparently it originally came from a BookTube video and has made its way into Blogs. The post I found it on was from the blog www.brinsbookblog.com and is from 4 years ago but I am going to play and get into these questions a bit.

AUTHOR YOU HAVE READ THE MOST BOOKS FROM:

If we are talking in a lifetime, it would be R. L. Stine. I was a Fear Street junkie. I could read three in a day with ease. Loved those books. I also read a lot of Poe back then too. It’s funny that I read so much of it and was asked last year if I could recite any of it and I realized I couldn't. FAIL. So luckily, my dad got me a massive Poe edition and this year I will be rereading a lot of his work. 

But if we are talking about since adult life kicked in and since I recently in 2017 just got back into reading I would have to say it would be Ellen Hopkins. I love her style and content. She writes about teens and young adults from all walks of life that hit hard spots in life. She formats her books as poetry. It’s genius I tell you! (And thank you husband for guiding me to these books in the used books store www.royaloakbookshop.com that day I dragged you with me!!)

BEST SEQUEL EVER:

I haven't read any trilogies or series in quite some time. I read Twilight when it came out. I read 50 Shades. More recently, The Collector trilogy, which includes The Butterfly Garden and Roses of May (book 3 is being released in the spring). And I am now reading the second book Linger, in the Shiver series. No sequel sticks out to me in any of these titles. That is unfortunate. BUT I am a huge fan of Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. And there was Scarlett. The, do I dare say it, “follow up” book by a different author by the name of Alexandra Ripley years later. Some people hate that this book ever made it to print but I loved it so I’m going to call this one “the best sequel” I ever read.

CURRENTLY READING:

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater who just happens to be a fellow Virginian.

DRINK OF CHOICE WHILE READING:

Coffee! 

E-READER OR PHYSICAL BOOK:

I got back into reading due to my e-reader and amazon prime. *tips hat to them* BUT I am a physical book girl. Always have been, always will be. Rebuilding my personal library has felt great and I will enjoy watching it continue to grow. I like the smell of a bookstore and the feel of the differences in them while I indulge in their pages. Yup, book addict anonymous here I come.

FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DATED IN HIGH SCHOOL:

Well, I will say this while I am thinking on it… definitely not Sam from Shiver. That’s the guy you marry many years later down the road and you wonder why you didn’t meet him sooner in life. (Because you were a wild child and he would have ran and hid in a cave, Tonya. That's why.)

I really am thinking way too hard about this. Actually found myself looking at my GoodReads “read” list and can not think of any of them being like the type of guy I dated in high school. And I’m glad because boys in high school kind of sucked. And these guys I have read about, even if they “sucked” at life they were romantic and sweet with one lucky lady. And in high school, I was not that lucky or a lady. Yay for silly romance and an even bigger YAY to my husband for not sucking and for not meeting me any sooner than he did. How did this conversation even get here? Wow, Tonya. Haha. NEXT QUESTION PLEASE!

GLAD YOU GAVE THIS BOOK A CHANCE:

A Venom In The Blood by Eric van Hoffmann. This is not a book I ever would have bought. I was leaving a used book store www.mckayusedbooks.com and sometimes I will check their free book bin. Two women were also going through the bin and the other woman asked what's this book about? I am assuming the older woman had picked it up and cracked it open before i had walked up seeing as it had no book sleeve because she knew that it was about “a serial killer”. The second woman dropped it back in the bin and I picked it right up. This book was about the only serial killer couple of their sort. The man and woman were a couple and both took part in the assaults, abuse, and worse that were done to their victims. It’s a pretty messed up book. It’s real life horror. Real monsters. Kind of scary to be reminded that people like this aren't just made up from some off the rails imagination. It’s a sick book. Glad I read it.

IMPORTANT MOMENT IN YOUR READING LIFE: 

Getting Amazon prime for one. That got me back into reading. Making a Goodreads account for sure because that encouraged me to read more books in 2017 than I had read in total for the past 10 years. Reading short stories online also got me back into creative writing since 2016. And in 2017 I turned my personal/low carb Instagram into mostly bookish posts for the last half of 2017. Finally, starting this new blog in 2018. It’s been a busy writing and reading time in my life since 2016.

JUST FINISHED:

I am getting tired of talking about Shiver. The book I finished before that was A Girl In The Woods. Loved it. A great memoir about getting back to yourself after a traumatic situation. 

LONGEST BOOK YOU’VE READ:

I read a massive collection of Poe that my uncle got me when I was younger. It was leather bound and beautiful. Probably close to 1,000 pages. Unfortunately I no longer own it. One day I will find it and replace it. No luck so far though. There are so many editions of Poe. 

MAJOR BOOK HANGOVER BECAUSE OF:

The Chemist - Stephanie Meyer. Oh my goodness. Glad I read it. But the hangover lasted about a week long. 

NUMBER OF BOOK CASES YOU OWN:

Right now, just one. Shouldn’t need any new ones until 2019 due to my “book buying ban”. Which I can get into more detail about at a later time. 

ONE BOOK YOU HAVE READ MULTIPLE TIMES:

War Of The Worlds - I have probably read this about 10 times in life. I used to have this oddly small paperback version and LOVED IT. I actually loved it to death, it eventually fell apart. I’d like to find a replacement for that one as well sometime. Great book.

PREFERRED PLACE TO READ:

My bed or couch.

QUOTE THAT INSPIRES YOU/GIVES YOU ALL THE FEELS FROM A BOOK YOU’VE READ:

Let’s go with some Harry Potter. I just watched all the movies recently for the first time and really liked them. “It is our choices Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

READING REGRET:

Not reading Harry Potter when it came out. Now I am 32 and trying to get to it. Eventually, I will.

SERIES YOU STARTED AND NEED TO FINISH: (all books are out in series)

Shiver(read), Linger(reading), Forever(next). I don't think I have ever started a series and not finished it all the way through in my life. Not that I can remember.

THREE OF YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOKS:

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

The Butterly Garden by Dot Hutchison

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

UNAPOLOGETIC FANGIRL FOR:

Ellen Hopkins, Stephanie Meyer, and probably Maggie Stiefvater if the rest of her books are as good as Shiver.

VERY EXCITED FOR THIS RELEASE MORE THAN ALL THE OTHERS:

The Summer Children by Dot Hutchison

&

A Sin Such As This by Ellen Hopkins

I can’t pick just one and you can’t make me.

WORST BOOKISH HABIT:

Probably dog earring my paperbacks and cracking their spines also. Paperbacks take a beating from me usually.

X MARKS THE SPOT. START AT THE TOP LEFT OF YOUR SHELF AND PICK THE 27TH BOOK: 

A Magical Touch by Jennifer Taylor. A bunch of old Harlequin Romance novels were gifted to me in 2017 and I have only gotten through less than a handful of them. Hopefully this year I will knock out about half of them. My whole top TBR shelf is totally full of them. 

YOUR LATEST BOOK PURCHASE:

Haven't bought a book in a while but picked up a book for my son yesterday out of a free book bin while I was running errands. It’s Lords Of The North by Bernard Cornwell. My son is really into historical fiction so I grab them whenever I see a great deal and what better deal is there than free?!

Zzz-SNATCHER BOOK (LAST BOOK THAT KEPT YOU UP WAY LATE):

Traffick by Ellen Hopkins 

Well, that was fun. You should give it a shot and tag me on Instagram or comment here with your blog link with your responses.