Sharing a memoir and two cookbooks with you today. While I enjoyed reading each, I struggled to 'rate/review' two of the three.
Glitter and Glue When Kelly Corrigan was in high school, her mother neatly summarized the family dynamic as “Your father’s the glitter but I’m the glue.”
After college, armed with a backpack, her personal mission statement, and a wad of traveler’s checks, she took off for Australia to see things and do things and Become Interesting.
This is a book about the difference between travel and life experience, stepping out and stepping up, fathers and mothers. But mostly it’s about who you admire and why, and how that changes over time.
Quick Take: I often struggle with mother/daughter/family stories, and this was the case with Glitter and Glue. While I did not love this book, I did appreciate the story, and like I often say 'who am I to rate someone's life story'.
I read several reviews on goodreads hoping to have an ah-ha moment before writing my review. For me the story has a good message, yet reads bland at times. My favorite part was probably the last page, when she looks for the family online.
Source: Review Copy (netgalley)
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My Paris Kitchen (Pub Date, April 8): A
collection of stories and 100 sweet and savory French-inspired recipes
from popular food blogger David Lebovitz, reflecting the way modern
Parisians eat today and featuring lush photography taken around Paris
and in David's Parisian kitchen.
In
My Paris Kitchen, David remasters the classics, introduces lesser-known
fare, and presents 100 sweet and savory recipes that reflect the way
modern Parisians eat today. You’ll find Soupe à l’oignon, Cassoulet, Coq
au vin, and Croque-monsieur, as well as Smoky barbecue-style pork, Lamb
shank tagine, Dukkah-roasted cauliflower, Salt cod fritters with tartar
sauce, and Wheat berry salad with radicchio, root vegetables, and
pomegranate. And of course, there’s dessert: Warm chocolate cake with
salted butter caramel sauce, Duck fat cookies, Bay leaf poundcake with
orange glaze, French cheesecake...and the list goes on. David also
shares stories told with his trademark wit and humor, and lush
photography taken on location around Paris and in David’s kitchen
reveals the quirks, trials, beauty, and joys of life in the culinary
capital of the world.
Quick Take: I enjoy reading cookbooks for the stories, ingredients, and understanding how a dish is made more than the actual process of cooking! This book is filled with stories and having spent time on the streets of Paris I was able to imagine the places, kitchens, moments.
The photography is wonderful, the recipes are well planned and easy to follow. This book contains everything you could ever want; it's a good must have cookbook for any kitchen.
Source: Review Copy (netgalley)
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Simple Thai Food (pub date, May 13): Thai takeout meets authentic, regional flavors in this collection of
100 recipes for easy, economical, and accessible Thai classics—from the
rising star behind the blog She Simmers.
All
of Leela’s recipes have been tested and tweaked to ensure that even the
busiest cook can prepare them at home. With chapters on key ingredients
and tools, base recipes, one-plate meals, classic rice accompaniments,
and even Thai sweets, Simple Thai Food is a complete primer for anyone
who wants to give Thai cooking a try. By the end of the book, you’ll be
whipping up tom yam soup and duck red curry that will put your local
takeout joint to shame. But perhaps more importantly, you’ll discover an
exciting new world of Thai flavors and dishes—including Stir-Fried
Chicken with Chile Jam, Leaf-Wrapped Salad Bites, and Crispy Wings with
Three-Flavored Sauce—that will open your eyes to all the wonderful
possibilities that real Thai cooking has to offer.
Quick Take: This cookbook was a challenge for my family since I'm a vegetarian and my husband doesn't like chives or onions. {ha}. It has sparked an interest to go to the local Asian market for spices, which I view as a step in the right direction.
Have you tried cooking traditional Thai? Do you have any favorites?
Source: review copy (netgalley)
The start of the NYC marathon: is this photo exciting or overwhelming to you? It's overwhelming to me but now that I'm ready I'm shifting from fright to excitement. It will be incredible to see the 2014 photo and know I'm there, somewhere!
Synopsis: Since its original publication in 2010, Kari Chapin's The Handmade Marketplace
has inspired thousands of crafters around the world to find the courage
and know-how they need to make money -- and even to make a full-time
living -- from doing what they love best. Now, this best-selling guide
has been completely revised and updated to include solid information on
the latest on-line and social media opportunities for sales and
marketing, as well as fresh advice and invaluable tips from successful
crafters and artists. With Kari Chapin at your side, you can live a more
creative life and enjoy a lucrative career at the same time.
Quick Take: Take one step into my workspace, and you will find yourself surrounded with skeins of yarns, supplies, patterns, bookshelves and my desk. I'm enjoying making small items, knowing the difficulty and challenge can be high for me.
Quick Take: This is a lovely cookbook, filled with photography and recipes yet reads more like a memoir. Don't worry though, you will find a variety of recipes from easy to complicated, arranged seasonally... with what's fresh in the garden that day. 
Why I picked it: I have been wanting to read this book since reading Amaryllis in Blueberry, which I loved. 
