Sunday Salon: 11-15

Yesterday, I finished But Not for Long by Michelle Wildgen, an odd book set in Madison, Wisconsin, over three days (!) that focuses on three members of a sustainable-foods cooperative house. Throw in a mysterious lake incident, an area-wide power outage, and a housemate's alcoholic, estranged husband, and you have the potential for an interesting book...that ultimately falls flat. I was disappointed in this one, especially since I loved the author's debut novel, You're Not You.

I'm finishing up A Friend of the Family (review posted Monday), and then I'll (finally!) start John Irving's Last Night in Twisted River. This is one that I bought, but I've had to put it on hold until I finished up a round of library books. It's been calling my name!

Finally, stay tuned for Tuesday, when I start the new Cook from the Book cookbook challenge over at Tales from the Fridge.

P.S. Don't forget...if you participate in my "Waiting On" Wednesday meme, be sure to stop by and leave a link to your post so we can all see what you're anticipating reading!

Weekend Cooking: Three New Cookbooks

Beth Fish Reads hosts a Weekend Cooking meme, which is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: book (novel or non-fiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, recipes, etc.

Here are three hot-off-the-press cookbooks that are waiting for me to dive into! Don't worry...I'll be sure to post my favorite recipes from them, too!

(All descriptions from Amazon)

The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions by Katie Lee
A guide to enjoying great food with good friends around the Comfort Table, Katie Lee's simple recipes for cooking and entertaining guarantee the best kind of meals -- ones prepared with love that turn every occasion into a celebration.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond
The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a homespun collection of photography, rural stories, and scrumptious recipes that have defined my experience in the country. I show my recipes in full color, step-by-step detail, so it's as easy as pie to follow along.

The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knock-Out Dishes with Down-Home Flavor by Matt Lee and Ted Lee

Matt and Ted Lee were raised on long-simmered greens, slow-smoked meats, and deep-fried everything. But after years of traveling as journalists and with farm fresh foods more available than ever, Matt and Ted have combined the old with the new, infusing family recipes with bright flavors. Using crisp produce, lighter cooking methods, and surprising combinations, these are recipes to make any night of the week.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Secrets of Eden

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Secrets of Eden

By Chris Bohjalian

Publication Date: February 2

From the author's Web site:

"There," says Alice Hayward to Reverend Stephen Drew, just after her baptism, and just before going home to the husband who will kill her that evening and then shoot himself. Drew, tortured by the cryptic finality of that short utterance, feels his faith in God slipping away and is saved from despair only by a meeting with Heather Laurent, the author of wildly successful, inspirational books about . . . angels.

Heather survived a childhood that culminated in her parents' murder-suicide, so she identifies deeply with Alice and George's daughter, Katie, offering herself as a mentor to the girl and a shoulder for Stephen - who flees the pulpit to be with Heather and see if there is anything to be salvaged from the spiritual wreckage around him.But then the State's Attorney begins to suspect that Alice's husband may not have killed himself. . .and finds out that Alice had secrets only her minister knew.

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!

Review: Remedies by Kate Ledger

"Whatever had kept her marriage aloft had begun its slow exhalation, and what was left in her hand was like the string of a deflated balloon."

Simon Bear is a respected and well-loved internist, albeit with some questionable medical treatments, operating his Baltimore practice from a wing in his stately home. His wife, Emily, is a partner in a PR firm, and while she's successful at work, she feels like a failure as a mother to their sullen and rebellious teenage daughter.

The tragic loss of the couple's firstborn, as an infant, created a fissure in the foundation of their marriage, and years of refusing to talk about it or grieve properly have served to steadily widen the crack.

When Simon discovers and tests a surprising new treatment for chronic pain and Emily begins an affair with an old boyfriend, the rift grows larger. And, just as Simon realizes he needs Emily more than ever, if only more professionally than personally, she realizes that she doesn't need him at all anymore.

Although neither Simon nor Emily were particularly likeable characters, I nonetheless cared about their respective fates, wondering how, and when, their poor decisions would catch up with them. Ledger's writing is powerful, as she has a talent for "just right" descriptions. She deftly tackles big issues and thoughtfully examines the unraveling of a marriage, exploring how much pain can be endured before a breaking point.

Library Loot 11-8

Library Loot is hosted by Reading Adventures. Here's what I picked up from the library this week:

But Not for Long by Michelle Wildgen

A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

Family Album by Penelope Lively

New York: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel

I also got Remedies by Kate Ledger, which I'm finishing up. The review will be posted later today.

What books came your way this week?

Weekend Cooking meme

Beth Fish Reads hosts a Weekend Cooking meme, which is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: book (novel or non-fiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, recipes, etc.

This weekend, I made one of my favorite football-season recipes, Brunswick Stew from The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking.

2 (15-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans creamed corn

2 (13-ounce) cans chicken

2 (10-ounce) cans BBQ pork
1 (14-ounce) bottle ketchup

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, and cook on low for two to three hours. Best served with Jiffy cornbread or, amazingly, Ritz crackers.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Heights

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Heights

By Peter Hedges

Publication Date: March 4

From Amazon:

"Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights. As he says, "I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I'm now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver." Now, Kate is not inherently ordinary. But she aspires to be. She stays home with their two young sons in a modest apartment trying desperately to become the parent she never had. They are seemingly the last middle-class family in the Heights, whose world is turned upside down by Anna Brody, the new neighbor who moves into the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn, sending the local society into a tailspin."

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!

What I've Been Reading

I've completely gotten out of the book reviewing routine, and I know that I need to find a format that works for me (and my schedule!) to post write-ups of books that really spoke to me. It doesn't help that there have been quite a few books recently that just haven't been able to hold my interest long enough to finish.

That said, the beginning of a new month has inspired me. I've resolved to post one book review a week. I'm ready to get back into it!

Just to get up-to-date (and so I can start from scratch), here's a quick list of books that I've read within the past month that I really enjoyed:

The Wide Smiles of Girls by Jennifer Manske Fenske

Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan

Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton

Prospect Park West by Amy Sohn

Thanks for being patient while I have just been posting Waiting on Wednesday previews lately! New book reviews are on the horizon!

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Three Weissmans of Westport

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Three Weissmans of Westport

By Cathleen Schine

Publication Date: February 2

From Amazon:

"Sisters Miranda, an impulsive but successful literary agent, and Annie, a pragmatic library director, quite unexpectedly find themselves the middle-aged products of a broken home. Dumped by her husband of nearly fifty years and then exiled from their elegant New York apartment by his mistress, Betty is forced to move to a small, run-down Westport, Connecticut, beach cottage. Joining her are Miranda and Annie, who dutifully comes along to keep an eye on her capricious mother and sister. As the sisters mingle with the suburban aristocracy, love starts to blossom for both of them, and they find themselves struggling with the dueling demands of reason and romance."

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Melting Season

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Melting Season

By Jami Attenberg

Publication Date: January 21

From Amazon:

"Catherine Madison is headed West with a suitcase full of cash that isn't hers. She's just left the only home she's ever known, a small town in Nebraska, after the only man she had ever known, her husband, Thomas, deserted her. She's also left behind her deepest, most shameful secrets-among them a dysfunctional family she's never quite been able to escape and a marriage whose most intimate moments have plagued her with self-doubt. On the road, she was going to become a new person. Or so she thought.

But running away from the past isn't as easy as she had hoped. When Catherine reaches Las Vegas, she forms surprising new friendships that compel her to reveal what she had sworn she'd keep hidden, and teach her what human connection really means. Armed with this new knowledge, she is finally emboldened to uncover the truth about her family, come to understand what destroyed her marriage, and prevent her troubled sister from repeating her mistakes."

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!