I was so excited that the authors created a gluten free book for this series (there are several books in this 5 minutes a day series). Good quality gluten free dinner bread is really hard to come by. Store bought bread is fine for sandwiches, but sometimes I really miss French bread, challah, and Italian bread.

First, let me say that the bread from this book is very good. It’s not exactly the same as gluten bread, but it’s incredibly close. I’ve made several recipes from the book. I recommend it but suggest you understand what’s involved before jumping in.

Secondly, this is most definitely NOT 5 minutes a day. Here’s how it works. First you need to make the flour blend and you probably don’t have all the flours you need at home so you have to go buy them.

Boule, basic artisan bread

You need to mix the flour and have a place to store it because the mix is not used up by making one batch. Then you make the dough. It has to sit out for 2 hours, then you refrigerate it. The day you want to bake some, you have to measure a pound of it and let it sit out for an hour. You need to preheat the oven with a pizza stone and a pan of water. Then you bake the bread on the pizza stone. If you use parchment paper under it, you have to pull it out halfway through (I did this because I do not have a pizza peel and did not want to buy one). It bakes for 45 minutes. Then you are supposed to let the bread cool completely before eating (2 hours). To accomplish all of that for dinner, I would need to start right after lunch. Not really doable on most days.

That being said, the bread is really, really good. The basic artisan bread recipe makes a bread that has a wonderful crunch on the outside and a good texture on the inside. The flavor is good. It’s not gummy or sandy as some gluten free breads are. It’s also not too heavy and not too light.

I also made another recipe from the book for the challah bread and from that I made challah, cinnamon rolls, and monkey bread. All three were very good. That dough is very wet and sticky and hard to manipulate but I managed. It’s basically the same many step scenario with this bread as well, however it was really wonderful to finally have challah again after years without it.

Boule, sliced

The only book I have that rivals this is How Can It Be Gluten Free, which has hands down the most amazing dinner roll recipe you will ever taste in your life. Both books require their own flour mix, so now I’ve got two containers in my pantry, plus my containers of Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Flour Blend and Cup4Cup.

I was so excited that the authors created a gluten free book for this series (there are several books in this 5 minutes a day series). Good quality gluten free dinner bread is really hard to come by. Store bought bread is fine for sandwiches, but sometimes I really miss French bread, challah, and Italian … Read more →

Please welcome my friend Donna Hull, who blogs at My Itchy Travel Feet and has just published an ebook called New Mexico Backroads Adventure. I eagerly bought and read this ebook since we’ve been to NM and plan to go again. It’s the perfect little guide for a weekend trip and Donna tells you where to stay, where to eat, what to see and how to get there. It’s a must-have. Today Donna is sharing some information about 5 places to see in NM beyond Santa Fe, which is where we visited when we went.

Five New Mexico Destinations Beyond Santa Fe 

What could be better than a fall road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico? There’s a nip in the air as you explore the shops and restaurants bordering The Plaza, browse the art galleries on Canyon Road or admire the paintings in the Georgia

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

O’Keeffe Museum.

After experiencing Santa Fe’s history, architecture and art, I recommend extending your trip to more off-the-beaten-path destinations in New Mexico, where history ad culture are combined with adventure.

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

One of the nation’s highest suspension bridges is located near Taos. Sidewalks lead to a viewing platform where visitors look over the rail to the Rio Grande River some 650 feet below. During the tourist season, artists—many of them Native American—set up near the bridge to sell handcrafted items.

El Morro National Monument

Through the years, when visitors stopped to refresh themselves near the limestone outcropping of El Morro National Monument, located near Grants, they left their mark on the walls. While modern visitors are not allowed to add to history’s graffiti, they can observe petroglyphs from ancient travelers, inscriptions left by Spanish conquistadors and messages from adventurous explorers traveling the West. If you’re looking for more of an adventure, climb the trail to the top of Mesa Rock to explore an ancient pueblo.

El Malpais National Monument

The lava flows and cinder cones of El Malpais National Monument offer dramatic scenery worthy of a hike or two. According to the National Park Service: “This stark landscape preserves one of the best continuous geologic records of volcanism on the planet. El Malpais is also located near Grants and is easily added to a road trip that includes El Morro National Monument.

Vietnam Veterans National Memorial State Park

Before the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. was even a drawing on paper, Dr. Victor Westfall had erected a chapel overlooking the peaceful Moreno Valley to honor his son, David, a 1986 casualty of the Vietnam War. Located near the popular resort, Angle Fire, the memorial includes a visitor’s center where a moving HBO documentary, Dear America, Letters Home From Vietnam, depicts scenes from the Vietnam era as actors read letters written by soldiers, friends and parents. It’s a moving stop on your New Mexico tour.

Santuario de Chimayó on the High Road to Taos

There’s plenty of history and culture to be found on the High Road to Taos (a route that travels between Santa Fe and Taos). And Santuario de Chimayó is one of the most interesting. According to legend, a miracle occurred here around 200 years ago. Since then, pilgrims have come to the church to be healed, scooping a spoonful of sacred dirt into vials to take home with them. If a healing occurs, the pilgrim returns to the church and leaves braces, crutches or rosaries behind as a show of thanks. While you’re here, stop in at one of the weaving shops to purchase an exquisite Chimayó weaving to take home along with your spoonful of sacred dirt.

As you can see, New Mexico is brimming with off-the-beaten-path culture and history just a few miles beyond Santa Fe. Which adventure will you choose?

Donna L. Hull writes about active travel for baby boomers at My Itchy Travel Feet, The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Travel. Read more about off-the-beaten-path travel to New Mexico in her latest book: New Mexico Backroads Weekend Adventure.

Please welcome my friend Donna Hull, who blogs at My Itchy Travel Feet and has just published an ebook called New Mexico Backroads Adventure. I eagerly bought and read this ebook since we’ve been to NM and plan to go again. It’s the perfect little guide for a weekend trip and Donna tells you where to … Read more →

My friend Meredith Resnick has just published a very helpful book about coping with the narcissists in your life. Surviving the Narcissist is a 30 day plan for how to get over or cope with this relationship in your life. I found this book to be eye-opening. It might just be the little nudge you need to solve some relationship problems! I had a chance to ask Meredith some questions about narcissism:

What is a narcissist?

Someone who lacks empathy, who is grandiose, who takes advantage of others, those are hallmarks traits of a narcissist. However,  narcissists can also be very charming, often taking on the personality of the person from whom they want approval. They do this because they themselves feel that there is nothing inside them–in other words, that they are nothing–and so instead of drawing on internal strengths, they take from others, and relegate to the other person their own feeling of emptiness and nothingness. This is called projection. (By the way, the emptiness or nothingness I’m referring to in narcissism is not the same as what is discussed in Buddhism.)

Why is it so hard to get over a narcissist?

Denial is a big part, and understandably so. The narcissistic person is wounded, however, they relegate this wound to the other person. Without realizing it, the other person starts to behave as the wounded one, something the narcissist needs to feel — momentarily — whole. But as the other person wakes up, the narcissist then senses that the other person might be getting a clue as to what’s going on, and then becomes needy and apologietic. The pattern repeats and morphs. All this is unconscious, of course, adding to the crazy-making. My first book, Narcissism: Surviving the Self-Involved goes into more detail about these and other dynamics. My new book, Surviving the Narcissist: 30 Days of Recovery, helps in the healing.

My friend Meredith Resnick has just published a very helpful book about coping with the narcissists in your life. Surviving the Narcissist is a 30 day plan for how to get over or cope with this relationship in your life. I found this book to be eye-opening. It might just be the little nudge you … Read more →

When I heard that Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese by going to be published by my friend Stephanie Stiavetti and her co-author Garrett McCord, my first reaction was to drool. Because an entire book about macaroni and cheese is possibly the evilest, most wonderfulest thing I could imagine. Then I started to wonder, what exactly could Stephanie be up to? How many recipes for mac and cheese are there? Well, it turns out there are more than you can imagine. Stephanie was kind enough to send me a book and then kind enough not to get mad at me when it sat on my desk for several months while I waded through an incredibly complex work and personal time. I’ve finally shoved some other things to the side and gotten down to enjoying this book.

First let’s talk about the concept of the book. This is not a throw a recipe together from your pantry kind of cookbook. You need to plan ahead to make these recipes. Each recipe specifies a particular artisan cheese (I cannot fathom how much cheese Stephanie must have tasted and how she can still fit in her pants).  The recipes revolve around these very special cheeses and are meant to highlight the amazing flavors of said cheeses. And although she has chosen the most perfect cheese for each recipe, she offers alternatives if you don’t have access to a wonderful cheese shop. Which I don’t.  At first I was kind of put off by this. I mean, it can be hard enough to source the ingredients in recipes, but to have to order artisan cheese? Well, it seemed a bit nuts to me. However, the recipes are exciting enough by themselves so even if you use grocery store cheese (which I do!), you will still find a lot of things in this cookbook you’re going to want to make. With your grocery store cheese. And they’re going to knock your socks off because the flavor combos are amazing.

Since I am gluten and lactose intolerant, I was hoping for a little recognition and there is one recipe that uses gluten-free pasta, however I am not one to stand on ceremony so I always make my own substitutions in recipes for my own dietary issues. Here are the recipes I can’t stop thinking about and will be trying:

Humboldt Fog with Grilled Peaches and Orzo

Paneer, Pineapple, and Cucumber Pasta Salad

Early Autumn Pasta Salad With Fiscalini Bandage Wrapped Cheddar and Fuyu Persimmons

Roaring Forties with Honey-Roasted Delicata Squash, Sage Butter, and Rotini

Raclette with Cornichons, and Sauteed Onions

Red Hawk Macaroni with Prosciutto and Raspberry Jam

Pumpkin Stuffed with Fontina, Italian Sausage and Macaroni

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Lenora Goat Cheese, Star Pasta, and Crushed Gingersnaps

Orzo Pudding with Poached Dried Fruit

As you can see, this isn’t blue box mac and cheese. And really it’s not a mac and cheese cookbook. It’s a cheese and pasta cookbook, done creatively with massive attention to detail. It’s filled with gorgeous photos and tons of info about cheese, so you can become a true expert just by holding it in your hands and breathing it in.

If you love cheese and love pasta, you want this book on your shelf. There are so many times when a pasta dish seems like the solution to my dinner dilemmas, but my repertoire is getting a little tired. These recipes will spice that up for me, giving me some new go-tos I can shop for in advance and have at the ready.

When I heard that Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese by going to be published by my friend Stephanie Stiavetti and her co-author Garrett McCord, my first reaction was to drool. Because an entire book about macaroni and cheese is possibly the evilest, most wonderfulest thing I could imagine. Then I started to wonder, … Read more →

I tend to be a big unconventional when it comes to parenting.  Both of them have  told us how shocked their friends are that we don’t have time outs, curfews, phones that are taken away, or a lot of disagreements with them. When my kids were babies, I parented by instinct a lot. Even though everyone said not to, our babies shared our bed, my husband kangarooed our son in the hospital (that got a lot of looks), I breastfed on demand, talked to them as if they understood me, and did crazy things like taking my newly 1 year old outside to stomp in mud puddles. I’m not big on following what you’re supposed to do in most instances.

I was interested to read Christine Gross-Loh’s new book, Parenting Without Borders: Surprising Lessons Parents Around the World Can Teach Us, because I do think there is a lot we can learn from other cultures when it comes to parenting. We as Americans are a bit stubborn when it comes to parenting – certain that our way is the best and that other methods are weird. There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about Asian parenting styles, fueled by The Tiger Mom. I was ready to read what other parenting styles really are like.

Gross-Loh’s approach is one I really liked. This is not a book that tells you everything you’re doing wrong. In fact, she points out the benefits of American parenting styles throughout the book. What she does offer however, are lessons she learned from other cultures that could be helpful to American parents. I was fascinated to learn that in Japan, preschoolers spend most of their time in unstructured play, outside, with other children. The teachers hardly intervene at all, believing that children need to learn to work out their own problems. Many other cultures spend a lot of school hours teaching children living skills – cooking, homemaking, etc. yet they score higher on standardized testing than Americans. Scandinavians spend much less time in school total than our kids and do better than we do.

There are kindergartens in Germany in the woods – literally open air in the woods – where the children spend most of the day doing outdoor activities. There is a tremendous emphasis on children being outside and playing in so many other cultures.

Gross-Loh lived in Japan and raised her children there for several years, so she has great insight into Japanese parenting. She not only shares the way parents in other countries do things, but she analyzes why they do things that way. In Japan they emphasize getting along with others and being part of a group, while here we are all about fostering individuality. I was fascinated to consider the cultural reasoning behind parenting techniques.

She points out in Japan parents are very involved with their babies (they are carried often and sleep in a family bed exclusively) and slowly step away as the kids get older (first graders are expected to walk to school alone). In the U.S., family co-sleeping is considered wrong by most parents (and doctors) and babies are supposed to learn to sleep alone, yet as our kids get older we micromanage and helicopter parent them – almost the exact opposite of what happens in Japan. And honestly when you think about it that way, it makes a lot of sense to do things the Japanese way.

While I really loved this book, most of her real experience is in Japan, although she visited Korea, China, Finland and talked to parents from other countries as well, and did a lot of research into parenting in other countries, presenting the result of many studies. However, there is little or no information about South America or Africa, where I imagine parenting styles are quite different from ours. That would have been an interesting addition to the book.

There’s a lot of information in this book that will make you think about why you parent the way you do and how some small changes might benefit  you and your child. You will really feel comfortable with Gross-Loh’s tone, which I found to be very supportive, gentle, and friendly.  She is quick to point out the benefits of all the parenting styles she discusses, while never making you feel that any choice you make is wrong. She merely presents other ways of doing things, never labeling any approach as better than any other. Instead, she lets you make up your own mind about what works. Finally, a parenting book that doesn’t make you feel guilty! Gross-Loh also tells you how she has tried to incorporate some of the parenting styles into her own family and how successful that has been.

I definitely would give this book as a baby shower gift and as a gift to new moms for sure. And if you have young kids, this is a book you must read. If you have trouble putting your baby to sleep in his crib (or getting him to actually sleep in it!) you HAVE to read this because it makes it clear co-sleeping is not dangerous, and in fact, the studies in the book show it actually is safer (contrary to what the medical establishment tells us). There’s also lots of great ideas about kids and food, and how children in other cultures learn to eat healthy food, in the right amounts, and listen to their bodies. That is something Americans definitely need help with.

I highly recommend the book and know it will enlighten any parents who reads it.

P.S. If you want to get a taste of the book, read the author’s HuffPo piece here.

I tend to be a big unconventional when it comes to parenting.  Both of them have  told us how shocked their friends are that we don’t have time outs, curfews, phones that are taken away, or a lot of disagreements with them. When my kids were babies, I parented by instinct a lot. Even though … Read more →

Did you ever feel as though maybe your doctor, your child’s doctor, and the companies that sell you products for your child don’t always have your best interests at heart? I think we’ve all had at least twinges of these feelings from time to time, and if you’ve had a bad experience with a doctor or hospital, you might feel very strongly about this.

Jennifer Margulis sees a pattern in all of this, and she wrote a book called The Business of Baby to investigate exactly what’s going on. (Disclosure: I did the index for this book, which allowed me to read it very carefully and is how the manuscript came into my hands. Please note I was not asked to write a review nor was it a condition of my creating the index. I don’t think Jennifer even knows I am writing a review). The book offers some very shocking facts.

Did you know it makes more financial sense for your doctor to do a C-section than to help you deliver vaginally?

Can you believe that the U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in developed countries?

Would you have imagined the U.S. has higher infant mortality rates than Scandinavian countries?

And did you know that the baby wash used in most hospitals has a laundry list of chemicals in it, including formaldehyde?

Ever wonder what happens to your baby’s foreskin after a circumcision? You probably didn’t know it’s often sold (for profit!) and used in beauty products and other surgeries.

Your prenatal vitamins? Full of chemicals.

Did you know medical students are taught to treat birth as an illness, not a natural process?

Did you know that many experts believe vaccinating a baby before one year of age is not only pointless, but dangerous, and that the infant’s immune system is not developed enough to actually make use of the vaccine? The list goes on and on.

Margulis did extensive investigative reporting for this book and even traveled to Scandinavia to find out why they do birth better. Her revelations are eye-opening. She displays a health care system that focuses only on profit.  She shows us how far our birth and baby health care system has gone awry – pushing women and children into situations that are unhealthy for them while financially benefiting doctors, hospitals, and corporations. Her complex web of interviews with doctors, midwives, nurses, parents, and researchers paints a fairly grim picture of the options available to women and families in the U.S.

Margulis is out to make her point in this book – that point being that pregnancy, birth and infant care are overmedicalized, endangering women and children. If we took a step back and allowed the process to be less medical and more natural, she believes we would have better outcomes and healthier moms and babies. She does not lay out the opposing  argument for you, so this is not a balanced take on the topic, but instead is one written from a very passionate viewpoint.

That being said, no matter what your feelings are about this topic, this is a very important book to read. You’ll be shocked, you’ll be angered, and you’ll start to think about how the system may have manipulated you without you even knowing. Even if you question Margulis’s conclusions, the evidence she presents will make you think and begin to wonder if your best interests have been pushed to the side in the race to make more and more money.

And maybe all of this will make you think about what the alternatives should be. Margulis is a proponent of midwives, homebirth, and breastfeeding, and suggests we need to reduce ultrasounds in pregnancies, change the vaccination schedule, and rethink what well baby care ought to be. Some of her views might shock you, but others might hit home. This book is going to start a national conversation about our preconceived notions about pregnancy, birth, and baby care. You want to read it so that you can form your own opinions.

Did you ever feel as though maybe your doctor, your child’s doctor, and the companies that sell you products for your child don’t always have your best interests at heart? I think we’ve all had at least twinges of these feelings from time to time, and if you’ve had a bad experience with a doctor … Read more →

I’ve been plowing through a lot of books lately. Here are some that I’ve gone to bed with (ooh la la):

Six Years by Harlan Coben: I prefer the Myron Bolitar series that Coben writes, but I’ll read pretty much anything the man produces. I was vaguely confused through this book though because it felt like it was a very similar to story to something else I’d read, which I still can’t put my finger one. Coben is great with suspense as always and the twists and turns will keep you turning pages as the narrator decides to track down the love of his life six years after she suddenly married someone else. He learns she might be in danger yet no one will give him a straight answer – there’s a big cover up in place and it seems everyone is involved. I was a little displeased when the entire story came to light (I wasn’t quite buying all of it), but it was still a good read.

Night Moves by Randy Wayne White: I’m a long time fan of the Doc Ford series, partly because it takes place on Sanibel Island, Florida, one of my most favorite places in the world.  In this story, Doc Ford sticks close to home for his adventures, tracking down some lost US planes that may have crashed in his neck of the woods years ago. The story moves at a pretty good pace and of course his side kick Tomlinson is in full goofiness throughout. I admit to being a bit annoyed at how women are always falling all over Doc Ford. In this story he grows closer to one woman and begins to think about settling down. No surprise, since White thanks his “life companion” in the acknowledgements for the first time- seems White himself has settled down and is making Doc Ford do the same. The added bonus in this book is an amazing dog. I hope the dog becomes a regular because I love him.

Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton: I was hesitant about reading this but, but I love sleuth Kinsey Millhone so I couldn’t resist. This book contains short stories about Kinsey that were written years ago and then some stories about a character named Kit Blue, heavily based on Grafton herself. I confess I couldn’t get through the book. The Kinsey stories are missing all of her great sidekicks – landlord Henry and Rosie at the Hungarian restaurant. They were also tied up too neatly and quickly for my tastes. The Kit Blue stories didn’t draw me in at all. This one was a miss. I should have listened to my gut, I guess.

[Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associates member and earn a very small commission on sales made following links from my site]

I’ve been plowing through a lot of books lately. Here are some that I’ve gone to bed with (ooh la la): Six Years by Harlan Coben: I prefer the Myron Bolitar series that Coben writes, but I’ll read pretty much anything the man produces. I was vaguely confused through this book though because it felt … Read more →

No matter how much of a foodie you’ve become, I will bet there is at least one packaged snack you still love. As a kid, you probably ate more of these kinds of foods than you might want to admit now. As for me, I still have a thing for cheese puffs (although I now buy the organic, gluten-free version) and I have fond memories of Hostess cupcakes, mostly because I watched other kids get them in their lunches and I never did (as an adult, I found them pretty bad: dry and tasteless, but they remain as a symbol of childhood to me!). Oreos and Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies were other childhood favorite of mine though and I have a weird memory of taking an empty egg carton and putting one Oreo in each section and eating out of it while reading one of the Little House on the Prairie books.

Whatever your secret craving or childhood obsession, you probably never thought you could recreate that food at home yourself. Now you can. The fun new book, Classic Snacks Made From Scratch by Casey Barber (Ulysses Press) has 70 recipes for all sorts of foods you could only buy in a package until now. Nutter Butters, Oreos, Fudge Stripes, Mallomars, Entenmann’s Donuts, TastyKakes, Twinkies, Cheez-Its, Pop-Tarts, Doritos, BBQ potato chips,  Klondike Bars, Funyuns, Fudgsicles, fruit roll-ups, and even Peeps made it into the pages of this book of 70 recipes.

This isn’t a cookbook you’re going to cook from every day or even every weekend, but it is definitely a fun resource to have on had, particularly if you have kids, or if you just like to challenge yourself to recreate foods.  Barber calls for some ingredients that might be harder to find (like cheese powder or buttermilk powder), so plan ahead for your binge. The recipes are all rated for difficulty level which is a nice feature, but there is no nutritional information (probably a good thing!). This book is simply pure fun. Just paging through it will give you a thrill as you slip past all the stuff you used to eat (or still eat on occasion) or dream about eating.

I made the tater tots recipe from the book. I had some trouble grating the potatoes, but it may be that my potatoes were cooked longer than they should have been. When I mixed it up, it just looked like mashed potatoes – it lost the texture of grated potatoes (again, I think this was my bad). They fried up nicely though and looked good. My kids both liked them. They tasted like potato balls to me, mostly because it didn’t have the right texture, but it got a thumbs up from the people who really matter. I probably wouldn’t make this again – I make fried food very rarely as a special treat and I think I would rather have French fries! But if you’re looking for a good tots recipe, I would definitely try this one.

Tater Tots

 

Print

Author: Casey Barber

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• Tots
• 1 lb russet potatoes
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• Coating
• 1 egg, whisked with 1 tbsp water for egg wash
• 2 cups panko

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Scrub potatoes, then puncture with one or two tines on all sides with a fork. Wrap in foil and bake for 45 min to an hour until on the tender side. They should retain some firmness.
3. Unwrap the potatoes and allow to cool, then peel the skins off by hand.
4. Grate the potatoes into short and chunky strips using a box grater. Mix with flour, cheese, garlic salt, salt, and egg in a bowl, using your hands.
5. Put the egg wash in a bowl and the panko in another bowl. Roll a small ball of potato with your hands and form into the cylinder tot shape. Dip in egg, then in panko. Repeat. Place on a baking sheet and freeze for an hour.
6. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Cook in batches, until golden brown then place on a paper towel on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.

3.2.1215

No matter how much of a foodie you’ve become, I will bet there is at least one packaged snack you still love. As a kid, you probably ate more of these kinds of foods than you might want to admit now. As for me, I still have a thing for cheese puffs (although I now … Read more →

I usually only review books I loved, or books that are just so wildly unique and different that I can’t help myself. Today I need to write about Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn, but I can’t say that I loved it.

Here’s the scoop. Queen Elizabeth (yes, her) feels a bit down – Diana’s death, royal divorces, the fire at Windsor Castle, etc. all have made her feel out of whack. So suddenly she takes off on her own, traveling by public (gasp) train to Scotland to see the royal yacht Britannia again (she’s become a tourist attraction, no longer serviceable). This is the synopsis that sucked me in. I’m sort of fascinated by the royals, adore Scotland, and have actually visited the royal yacht Britannia. This was right up my alley.

Turns out the book is also about a cast of characters the Queen meets along the way, as well as a couple who work for her. While their stories are interesting (a young woman who has been almost traumatized by men, a lady-in-waiting who is aging, a dresser for the Queen who is also aging and has little financial resources, two members of the staff who are gay, and a man of Indian descent who works in a cheese shop), they just didn’t have the same pull for me as that of the Queen. I wanted to know what she was thinking, feeling, experiencing, and doing more than I really wanted to know about the other characters. In hindsight, I can see the story was well-crafted and the other characters were interesting in their own right, but I was hungry for more about the Queen, when really this was almost a mix of short stories about the other folks.

And the royal yacht Britannia played too small a part! The Queen was terribly fond of the yacht, and even cried when it was retired. I just felt the book ought to have spent more than a couple of pages on it! I bought a teacup and a bag with the embroidery pattern that was on the Queen’s headboard on that yacht. I can envision every room I saw. I wanted a fully fleshed out account of it. I wonder if the author even actually visited the ship, to be honest!

All of that being said, this is a fun romp in royal what-if land. Who wouldn’t love to be inside the Queen’s head for a bit, to know what it’s really like?

I usually only review books I loved, or books that are just so wildly unique and different that I can’t help myself. Today I need to write about Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn, but I can’t say that I loved it. Here’s the scoop. Queen Elizabeth (yes, her) feels a bit down … Read more →

I read this book in a day, while I had a migraine: it was that good. Couldn’t put it down. You first find out a tween’s mom somehow has disappeared, then you get the back story. Bee, her mom Bernadette, and her dad live in Seattle in a crazy old building that was once a home for girls. Her dad works for Microsoft. Her mom has great achievements in her past (which are slowly revealed), but currently is persona non grata among the moms at Bee’s school. Bee’s mom is slightly wacky, but does it go beyond that? The story involves things like an Antarctic cruise, a mudslide, robotics, a virtual assistant, an unplanned pregnancy, and some mighty cool architecture. It’s about getting over the past, forgiving yourself, keeping marriage alive, hearing your inner voice, and never giving up. The story builds to the mom’s disappearance and then Bee’s search for her.

The author is a TV writer, who wrote for Mad About You, one of my favorite shows, and Arrested Development. If you like those shows, you will love this book. It is snappy, fast, and always twisting.

My favorite thing about the book is that it is primarily made up of correspondence: emails, letters, reports, and notes. I am possibly the world’s biggest fan of this kind of book. Meg Cabot wrote a couple that were all email. Then of course there is the all-time great, A Woman of Independent Means, made up only of letters. I love the way a story unfolds through letters and email and will take that any day over some long-winded descriptive novel that waxes poetic constantly.

This book was fun, unexpected, heartbreaking, a little haunting, and a great mystery. I was sad when it was over and wanted more! The characters are all fascinating and distinctive people with just enough quirks to make you question their behavior for a few seconds at every turn, as they reveal new sides to themselves that are always unanticipated.

I read this book in a day, while I had a migraine: it was that good. Couldn’t put it down. You first find out a tween’s mom somehow has disappeared, then you get the back story. Bee, her mom Bernadette, and her dad live in Seattle in a crazy old building that was once a … Read more →