2014 - Book 16

"The Raven Boys" - Virginia

This was a rather intriguing book. It was difficult to get into at first because there were a lot of characters introduced at once, and they all have really odd names, which made if hard for me to put a mental face to each person. Finally about halfway through the book I had most people figured out, but then as I neared the end, it seemed to me that there were far too many things that weren't resolved yet. Go figure, this is another in a series of books. I think there are supposed to be four books, but only the first two are out yet. They should not be allowed to put series books on this 50 States of YA list, because then I have to read way more than 50 books in order to truly get the whole story. I would be interested in reading the rest of this series, just to find out what happens, but I don't absolutely have to, I don't think.

I have some weird premonition that I'll write a book someday and work really hard at it and then some young person with hardly any literary training will just tear it apart (kind of like I've been doing to most of the books on this list) . . . we'll see if I eventually get a taste of my own medicine. So, if there are any authors out there reading this, I apologize for being so harsh on so many of these books, but I'm just trying to tell my opinions about the books, and I understand that lots of people like lots of different things. That being said, this book, besides being difficult to dive into, was lacking a little bit. Some of the character development was really shallow, and it was clearly written to be a series, which I think is kind of a cheap money-making scheme. If the book you write is so excellent it deserves continuation, so be it, but if you write a rather lengthy book (408 pages) just to foreshadow for the rest of your books, I feel a little taken in. There were quite a few plot elements introduced in this book that didn't have any sort of purpose or conclusion . . . yet. I'm assuming they will come up and be resolved further along in the series, but I did leave some questions at the end. Oh well . . . it really was a rather interesting story, kind of a paranormal / magical teen thriller about psychics and magical forces with a good bit of history mixed in too, so if that's your cup of tea, then maybe this series is for you. I did like the story better than the previous book I read by this author "Shiver", the first book I read this year. So all-in-all, I'd give this one a pretty medium rating . . . definitely not the best book I've read, but not nearly the worst either.

Here are a few recipes to share too: orange cardamom bunnies (here is another link to a site with pictures) and sauteed chicken breasts with balsamic vinegar pan sauce.

Bunnies :)

I made the bunny rolls to take to my family's Easter gathering. The rolls were actually very tasty, most dense and bready than pastry-like, but still good. The dough cutting directions were a little confusing, so really read through the whole thing before you start cutting it. Also, the 4 large bunnies are huge . . . I think making 20 smaller bunnies would be a better idea.

Glazed . . . yum

As for the chicken dish, it was VERY vinegary. It smelled a lot stronger than it tasted, but it was still too strong. Also, I've never made polenta before, and I don't think it turned out very well. The polenta in the recipe's picture looks kind of soft and creamy, and mine was more solid and grainy . . . not so good. That might have been my fault for being an inexperienced polenta-maker, but I think the recommendation to serve it over orzo would have been much tastier. So, I won't be making that dish again, but if you really like balsamic vinegar, than maybe you should give it a try.

That's all for now, have a great week :)

2014 - Book 15

"Devilish" - Rhode Island

This book was different from a lot of the other ones that I've read. The story wasn't as gripping as something like "Divergent", but it was interesting. Not many people write about demons and selling souls to the Devil nowadays. It was a bit chilling, but still intriguing. I didn't like how cupcakes became a tool of demons, though ;) On a serious note, since I believe that demons are real, it was kind of scary to think of how they might be operating in our world today. Hopefully the next book I read will be a bit more lighthearted.

I have a few recipes to share today, pepperoni pizza lasagna rolls, strawberries and cream cheesecake, and bird's nest cookies.

These were all actually pretty good. The pepperoni pizza lasagna rolls were pretty easy and very tasty. I don't even like lasagna that much. The only thing they were missing was a stronger pepperoni flavor, so I think chopping some up and putting them in the sauce would be a good idea.

This cheesecake was way better than my first attempt at cheesecake (Oreo Cheesecake). This one was very creamy and the baked strawberries added a really nice flavor. I had to bake it a little longer than the recipe called for (I waited until the center was at about 150 F). Give this recipe a try, you won't regret it :)

The final recipe, bird's nest cookies, turned out a bit drier than I was expecting, but were actually pretty good . . . similar to a shortbread cookie. I found the speckled peanut butter M&Ms and they looked cute in their little nests. A good spring cookie :)

Enjoy your week :)

2014 - Book 14

"The Queen of Kentucky" - Kentucky

Yup, you guessed it . . . "The Queen of Kentucky" is, in fact, set in Kentucky ;) This book was actually pretty descent. If you've seen the movie "Mean Girls", the story line is very similar, but I found this one more enjoyable and the characters much more endearing. The book chronicles the drama of being the new girl in school and starting Freshman year wanting more than anything to fit in. There is a lot of the usual teen problems, but also some bigger ones, and quite a few quirky characters so I think almost everyone will find someone in this book that they can relate too. Is it my favorite book? No, but it was a good story and I'd recommend it, especially for younger teen girls who are nervous about high school and trying to fit in.

My recipes to share this week are both sweet ones, chocolate chip cookie in a cup, and homemade pound cake.

The chocolate chip cookie in a cup was just okay. I wouldn't make it again, but I was really desperate for a chocolate chip cookie, so I tried it. It did taste more like cake than a cookie, and the recipe says that might be because I cooked it too long, but honestly, it did not look done any sooner than when I took it out. So, it was a sugar fix, but it wasn't very good.

This was the "before baking" picture. I didn't bother taking an "after" picture because it just wasn't that good. 

My second recipe was much better. I got this really fun book from some friends as a house-warming present: "Cupcakes, Cookies, and Pie, Oh My". Since we were going over to their house for dinner, I decided I should make a dessert out of the book. Most of the recipes include a lot of store-bought ingredients, and this was no exception, but I figured I could make it a little more homemade by making the pound cake myself. It turned out pretty well and stood up to all of the craziness I put it though (with much help from my husband who did all of the painstaking marshmallow work). The cake got a little hard on the outside, but that didn't really detract from the flavor at all. Let's be honest though, this isn't really about the cake . . . it's about the SHEEP :)

I only made 4 instead of 7 . . . that was plenty. 

Isn't he ADORABLE??? Quite filling too . . . at least two servings, if you can bear to eat him at all

I also whipped up some cream and put it on top of the leftover cake with some strawberries for dessert another night . . . yum.

Whew, that's a lot of dessert :) Hope you all have a great week.