Library Loot LXXII

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 


Hello friends, how is everyone?
Things have been busy around here.. when are they not, right? Anna's in her second week of high school now and we are already counting the days down to summer! Oh yes, we are having that much fun. It's actually not that bad.. I think overall she's just not one of those kids who likes school and so far she says she's not crazy about any of her teachers and she barely has friends in any of her classes. She only has time go to her locker at the beginning of the day, at lunch time and at the end of the day, so she has to carry a lot of her books and notebooks around all day and up and down flights of stairs. Hey, at least it's exercise, right? Tonight is back-to-school night for parents, so husband and I will walk through her schedule and meet all her teachers. Maybe leave a little mommy & daddy love note in her locker.

In other news, Maria came home last weekend! Yay! Those two weeks were the longest we've ever been apart since she was born (since I was pregnant with her?) but frankly she was more traumatized by the three weeks she had been apart from her boyfriend for the first time in 3.5 years. Oh how their love-priorities change so quickly yet a momma's love never does.. sigh. Her boyfriend, Nick came home this weekend, too (he goes to school in NYC), so we had to share her with him, but we'll take what we can get! Actually, Nick wanted to come hang out at our house so he could visit with us, too, which was very sweet.

I picked up a pretty neat mix of books at the library in the last week or so, including an art how-to book, some cookbooks, a health and nutrition book, several graphic novels, and one novel.

a stack of library books

nonfiction: 
nigellissima by Nigella Lawson
VB6 by Mark Bittman
One Zentangle A Day by Beckah Krahula

graphic novels: 
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle adapted by Peter B. Gillis
The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle adapted by Ian Edginton
Amulet: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi
The Girl Who Owned A City by O.T. Nelson
One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry

novel: 
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The last one is a re-loot from last year. Planning to read it for R.I.P. VIII along with The Sandman graphic novel.

I also picked up (on a separate trip) three other books:

 

Another cookbook and graphic novel:
What Katie Ate by Katie Quinn Davis (not pictured - this is a re-loot)
What's For Dinner by Curtis Stone
A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel adapted by Hope Larson


See anything interesting in my stack?

I've skimmed through all of the nonfiction already and read a couple of the graphic novels. If you have any questions about any of them, please ask!

What are you reading from your library right now?

Library Loot LXXI

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 


I returned a whole bunch of library books before going on vacation, but as soon as we got home, I hit the library! I already had (have) several books on my reading queue right now, so I didn't get too many books. I didn't read much in July and because I've been doing some re-reading lately, I've fallen at least 10 books behind in my 2013 goodreads Reading Challenge to read 101 books by the end of the year. I really wish goodreads would allow us to count re-read books to our annual stats. I mean, I read the whole book again.. it should count! Anyway, to help me along a little bit, I decided to check out the graphic novel section for some quick reads. I was psyched to find some pretty awesome--and fairly grown-up-- newly released graphic novels at my library! Check it out:

Primates by Jim Ottaviani & Maris Wicks This one is a nonfiction book about three scientists who dedicated their research efforts to studying primates! Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Biruté Galdikas.

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Tim Hamilton So psyched about this one. I read and loved The Illustrated Man when I was maybe in 8th grade but never read Fahrenheit 451. I figured this was a great but sneaky way to catch up with this classic.

The Kite Runner Graphic Novel by Khaled Hosseini I know, I know... I should just read the full book. I even have it! My daughter read it this spring, loved it and implored me to read it, too. And I should. But when I saw the graphic novel I couldn't resist the temptation of a short cut.

The Pickled Pantry by Andrea Chesman Finally, as always I had to visit the cookbooks in the new book section where I found this delightful book on pickling. I'm planning on making at least one of the recipes and posting a review, but in the meantime, know that it is fabulous!


What do you have borrowed from your library?


Do you like pickles? Not just cucumbers.. pickled anything?!

Library Loot LXX

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

My 70th Library Loot post.

I'm hoping to go blueberry picking this or next week, so needed to borrow my favorite two canning books from the library.. Well Preserved by Mary Anne Dragan and Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan. Food in Jars also has some interesting rhubarb recipes that I'd like to try, especially since we got some rhubarb in our co-op box the other day and the rhubarb in my garden is happily producing stalks like crazy!

The Flexitarian Table grabbed my eye, so I brought that one home, too, but after quickly flipping through it when I got home, I don't see myself trying out any of the recipes. They look interesting and delicious, but more along the lines of food I'd like to try out at a restaurant and not go through a lot of trouble to make at home when I'm not so sure my family would be keen on the bold flavors and more unusual ingredients.

In fiction, I borrowed the second half of the critically acclaimed Persepolis story by Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Return. I read the first book, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood last month. Okay since typing this up yesterday, I finished Persepolis: The Story of a Return today.. 5 stars. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical memoirs particularly about personal growth during wartime.

I also borrowed A Tale For the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki for this month's book club. The author is Japanese-American and half of the story takes place in Japan, so it sort of goes along with the Japanese Lit Challenge I'm doing, although not technically. Still, I'm excited to read more Japanese fiction.

What have you borrowed from the library recently? 

What are you reading right now?

Library Loot LXIX

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

My second post this week! Hopefully this is a sign of more blogging to come. This week was crappy.. nothing terrible, just a few little sad things and few other things going wrong. Everyone seems kind of cranky and the weather's been lousy. Have you ever read me write so many negative things in one paragraph on my blog? I really try not to. Hoping to press that reset button over the weekend. :)

Here's a look at the books I've brought home from the library (libraries) since my last Library Loot post.

Borrowed from the library:

Travel books:
Hong Kong 
Kyoto 
Tokyo 
Japan 

Fiction:
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
The Sigh by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
A Midsummer Night's Dream graphic novel


Health & Cookbooks:
Meatless from the Kitchens of Martha Stewart
The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy 
(I'm doing this now! Will post more soon..)
Crazy Sexy Kitchen by Kris Carr
(I reviewed Crazy Sexy Diet HERE.)

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

This is the second book in the All Souls Trilogy by this author, which I'm greatly enjoying. I finished reading A Discovery of Witches for May's book club pick and promptly sought out its sequel. I really love Harkness' writing and the story is complex and enriching. I'm halfway through this one now then I'll have to wait with everyone else for the final book expected sometime this year or next, I suppose.



Bought for a total of $8 at my library's used book sale: 

The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller 
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Záfon (duplicate copy for my shelf) 
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Záfon 
Valeria's Last Stand by Marc Fitten 
The Shack by William Paul 
Young Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier 
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey 
His Mistress by Christmas by Victoria Alexander 
The Christmas Thief by Mary Higgins Clark 
All Through the Night by Mary Higgins Clark 
Dashing Through the Snow by Mary Higgins Clark 
Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark 

I've never read anything by Mary Higgins Clark, but since these were novella-sized books and Christmas themed, I thought they'd make a nice addition to my collection of holiday books. 

Have you read any of the books above? 

And then standing upright on the right in the photo, all by Anne Rice:

The Tale of The Body Thief 
Taltos 
Angel Time 
The Vampire Armand 
The Queen of the Damned 
Interview with the Vampire 

Some of these Anne Rice books are duplicates to books I already own, but my copies were in less pristine condition or missing their book jackets. I almost have a complete set of her Vampire and Witch books now. I think I need just one or two more, all of which I am determined to find in hardcover format at used book sales. Not sure if I'll ever read them all, but I do love how they look on the bookshelf. 

What have you brought home from the library recently?

Library Loot LXVIII

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

Well it appears my blog has turned into a simple string of Library Loot posts. I guess it's time I admit to myself that I'm a horrible juggling act lately. There's only so many bowling pins one gal can juggle--especially an uncoordinated one like me---before letting a few drop, I suppose. I need to think of a plan to get back into the groove because I miss it. Got any ideas?

In the meantime, here's a quick look at what I brought home from the library this week:

Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.
This is May's book club pick. One that has been on my tbr list for quite some time, but at the same time, not the one I voted for. Only because it is a long one. I'm still working on The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle which is very long and one in which I'm very much behind for the Read-Along. I worry that I won't finish it at all and that will leave me unsettled. However, I will still make a valiant attempt at finishing both of these books this month.

   

The Dark-Hunters, Vol. 1, 2 and 3 by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
I spotted these manga-style graphic novels of Sherrilyn Kenyon's first couple of Dark Hunter novels at the library and just had to borrow them. I read through all three in 24 hours and had so much fun revisiting this series that I read years ago when I first discovered romance novels. Sadly, my library doesn't have Vol. 4, but I will try to hunt it down at another library. Or just buy it and then donate it to my own library so they have the complete set. It doesn't look like any other volumes have been published in a couple of years. Too bad. They're a cute PG-13 version of the Dark Hunter stories.

Have you read any of these books? 

What have you borrowed from the library lately?

Library Loot LXVII

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

My turn on the holds list finally came up so I got my hands on Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and am reading that now for April's book club. Oops. Kind of late to the discussion, but I expect to finish reading it in a day or two. I'm about halfway through right now. It's not this superb piece of suspense but it's not terrible either. I think I have what's going on figured out and if I'm right, both Nick and Amy are liars, cheaters and manipulators. Not exactly compelling characters.

Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi caught my eye on the new books shelf (yet published in 2009) in part because of the yummy title, but also because her award winning graphic novel Persepolis has been on my to-read list for ages. So I should really be picking up that novel, but this one is shorter so I thought I'd be more likely to read it right now amidst a busy spring.

The Gardener & The Grill by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig. This delicious cookbook caught my eye at the library at the end of the gardening and grilling season.. . why it's still on the new bookshelf at the library, I'm not sure, but at least it was where I'd spy it again and this time I borrowed it. I've only casually flipped through it as of yet, but upon my cursory review it looks like a winner with a bountiful collection of fabulous recipes for all kinds of dishes to make with the grill. I cannot wait to read it more carefully and make some of the recipes. I would love to review this book for all of you before Memorial Day weekend so you can get inspired with grilling this season.

The 2nd Law by Muse. I fell in love with their single "Madness" the very first time I heard it. I haven't downloaded a Muse song in a while, so when I saw this CD come in to the library, I couldn't resist the opportunity to listen to all the tracks. I'm actually listening to it while I type this! So far "Madness" is my favorite track.

What have you borrowed from the library lately?

Library Loot LXVI {book sale}

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

It's been a whole week since my last post. I'm still not finding (making?) as much time as I'd like to blog. I have been reading a lot, which is definitely good, but unfortunately I'm just not juggling my time well and so I'm not sharing my thoughts on books, food, exercise, anything really. I have a few projects going on at home that are consuming a lot of my time and mental focus. While the idea of writing up a blog post is there, when the end of the day rolls around, I'd rather just decompress with a book. I'm sure many of you can relate.

This month's book pick for my online book club is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Have you read it? I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't. Anyway, my library has seven copies of this book. Yes, seven. I've been at the top of the holds list since the beginning of the month and still don't have this book checked out. I see on the online system that two people are overdue returning their copy. Driving me nuts. I should have just bought the book by this point, but now that I've waited three weeks and I'm next, I'm determined to get it from the library. You know as soon as I buy it, the library will call me and tell me they've got it waiting for me. Especially since it looks like the other five people all need to return theirs within the next couple of days. By the way, have you read it?

Last Friday I went to a used book sale at a local library and came home with this short stack of books:

I think it's a fairly eclectic mix of books, although it does reveal my love of romance novels.

The Honey is Bitter by Violet Winspear
The Lost by J.D. Robb et. al.
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
First Impressions by Nora Roberts
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeiser
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Have you read any of these? 

That little book at the top - The Honey is Bitter by Violet Winspear is a 1967 Harlequin romance! I couldn't believe it... older than me! I just had to have it. Paid 50 cents for it. I flipped through it and read a few passages. Not sure I can bring myself to read the whole thing. So archaic.. the language and the stereotypes. Ugh. But an interesting find, nonetheless.

Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn. Kind of serendipitous that I spotted this one because I was actually reading the pre-cursor to this novel, The Lost Duke of Wyndham (which I adored!), at the time. Of course, I came home to discover that I already had this book on my to-be-read shelf. A signed copy, no less. Ah oh well. Another 50 cents to a good cause. (I finished reading this one, now, too. Not as good as The Lost Duke).

That's about it for my library looting. How about you?

Library Loot LXV

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

It's library loot time, again. As always, I brought home more books than I can reasonably read over a couple of weeks, but oh well. I'm happy to have them on my shelf and hope to squeeze them all into my April reading list. Here's what I have out from my local libraries right now: 

My current library loot

Top 10 Iceland
A DK Eyewitness Travel Book
This is a colorful and informative guide to the 10 Best of Everything in Iceland. Yes, yes, I know.. you're thinking "Didn't you just get back from there? Shouldn't you have borrowed this book before your trip.. not two weeks after the fact?" Absolutely. BUT I just wanted to look at more pictures and read more about this lovely island country that I fell in love with. Now I can make a mental list of the places to go and things to do on my next trip there.

French Milk by Lucy Knisley 
Inspired by Beth F's review of Knisley's most recent book, Relish, for last weekend's Weekend Cooking post. I've never heard of this author before, but she sounded interesting. The library didn't have Relish but did have French Milk, so of course I grabbed it. 

Mirror Mask by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean 
Found myself in one of the local libraries browsing their graphic novel shelves for the first time and had to bring this one home. It's a novella graphic novel based on the film MirrorMask of which I have no idea what it's about. I'll find out, though! 

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami 
Reading this one for a Group Read-Along hosted by Ti who blogs at Book Chatter. Visit her blog HERE for more information. This will also count for one of my big books for orannia's Big Book Challenge 2013. I need to get cracking! ;) 

Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs
A graphic novel prequel story to her Mercy Thompson series, of which I'm a huge fan. I started reading this book as soon as I came home from the library and didn't stop until I finished it. I loved it. If you're a fan of the series, you'd probably like it, too. 

Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. 
It's Shaun Tan. That's enough of a reason, right? This, too, is a graphic novel. 

And that's about it! I've got bookmarks in four books right now.. reading bits and pieces from each one every day and not progressing nicely in any one of them. Time for me to focus and make some headway in the list of books I want to read this month! Wish me luck. :) 

What are you reading right now? 
Have you read any of my library books?

Library Loot LXIV

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

Crystal Cove by Lisa Kleypas 
Friday Harbor series, Book #4

The final book in the Friday Harbor series by Lisa Kleypas. This is a contemporary romance series with magical realism, although this particular installment was heavier on the magic than the others to the point at which I would say it's soft paranormal. I liked it more than I expected after having read some very so-so reviews. If you've been reading the series, grab this one from the library and dig it. It was fun!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is the March selection for an online book club to which I belong. I was so glad this book was chosen, because it has been on my to-read list for ages! This was just the push I needed to finally read it. I feel like I'm the last person in the world to read it--I anticipate a bunch of comments along the lines of "What?! You haven't read The Book Thief?" and "You have GOT to read The Book Thief right now!" I'm ready! 





Finally, I have some Used Book Sale loot to share. I managed to get to my library in the last hour of their four day used book sale last weekend and scored the stack of books pictured below for only $8! Quite the steal, if you ask me. I found a few romances, a few classics, a few newer fiction titles and a cookbook. I'm happy. 

Used Book Sale Loot
from my library

What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Where Angels Go by Debbie Macomber
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
How I Came to Sparkle Again by Kaya McLaren
Above The Thunder by Renée Manfredi 
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Lost Horizon by James Hilton
Pizza and other savory pies by Brigit Binns  [cookbook] 


See anything you like? 

What are you reading from your library right now? 

Library Loot LXIII

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

I haven't had a library loot in a while. Here's a look at what I've brought home in the last couple of weeks.  

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

I saw this book all over the place for a while late last year and when fellow readers lead by Joy of Joy's Book Blog expressed interest in reading and discussing it together, I decided to check it out, too. I only read some parts of the book and intend to share my thoughts within the next couple of days. Overall, I think this book contains a lot of valuable information and insights to the undervalued role of introverts in our society. 


 

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka graphic novel adapted by Peter Kuper

A Game For Swallows by Zeina Abirached 

I thought these graphic novels sounded quite fascinating. I really have very little knowledge about Franz Kafka - his life or his writing. I did read his wiki entry after bringing The Metamorphosis home so I'm curious now. 

I saw someone (I'm afraid I forgot who it was!) post a photo of A Game For Swallows on instagram with a quick rave assessment so I grabbed it off the shelf when I saw it at the library. It's a memoir inspired story about a family in Beirut during the civil war. 

A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean 
This is the first book in the author's The Rules of Scoundrel's series and it's been on my TBR for quite some time. I've read a lot of great buzz for MacLean's latest in this series, One Good Earl Deserves A Lover, but I am a stickler for reading these things in order so it was time to get this one at the top of the book pile!

 

Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas

A plethora of recipes for cooking those greens that are so healthy for you! I made a modified version of the Pad Se Ew in this cookbook tonight. I thought it was a very attempt at the authentic Thai dish, but it didn't quite pass the critics test, i.e., my family. We thought it was decent, but not as good as another recipe I've tried which is yet not as good as the local Thai restaurant. Lots of other recipes to explore in this one. 

What Katie Ate by Katie Quinn Davies

A cookbook with mouth-watering recipes and photos that are candy for the eye, this one is written by the award winning Australian based food photographer, Katie Quinn Davies. It's a visual delight. A culinary one as well, I'm sure. I need to experiment in the latter with this one.  Visit Katie Quinn's website at  http://www.whatkatieate.com/ 

A rather eclectic mix of books on my coffee table this month! 

Have you read or are you interested in any of these? 

I'd love to know your thoughts or comments on any or all of these titles. 

What books do you have out on YOUR coffee table? 

Library Loot LXII

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

I'm starting the new year with a nice, thick stack of books from the library--just how I like it. I got these several days ago and can't wait to dive in.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

For the Group Read I'm hosting. Please join us!

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

January's Book Club pick. Have you read it or seen the movie?

Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman

I've flipped through all the recipes.. I want to make everything. Next I'm going to read every page.

I had been on the hold list for Rod Stewart's new Christmas CD, Merry Christmas, Baby at the library since around mid December and finally got the call the other day that it was in. I debated whether or not to I still wanted and then thought why the heck not.. it's Rod Stewart singing Christmas music! I really like the CD, by the way. Very soothing but fun at the same time.

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

While I was at the library picking up the Christmas CD two weeks after I really wanted it, I decided to look for The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin--the book I'm considering reading for Joy's New Year's Resolution Reading Challenge, thanks to the idea by Vasilly (http://classicvasilly.wordpress.com/). I grabbed said book and then promptly proceeded to pull a whole bunch of books from the self help section into my arms, as well as some food & health related books and a cookbook in a different aisle. I'm pretty psyched to read through these books over the next couple weeks and hope they inspire me to live more fully, happily and healthfully in 2013. Here's what's in my stack:

Pictured above from top to bottom:

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff for Women by Kristine Carlson
A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen
A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Food Matters by Mark Bittman
This Is Why You're Fat (And How to Get Thin Forever) by Jackie Warner
Superfoods: The Healthiest Foods on the Planet by Tonia Reinhard

And finally...
A Year Of Pies by Ashely English

Because while I am all for thinking, living and eating for optimum health, I still plan LIVE. And therefore... eat pie. :)

Have you read any of these books?

Which, if any, of these books interest you?

Library Loot LXI

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

It's been a whole week since I last posted anything here. I didn't mean for that to happen! What started out as a small project to rearrange things in the living room to make room for the Christmas tree, I ended up organizing and purging things from my desk, a chest of drawers containing DVDs and CDs, the chest itself, and the coat and game closet. This little project took several days--not several hours like I originally anticipated. So I guess that's what I was doing when I wasn't blogging for a whole week. I have to say It sure feels good to have an emptier and tidier living room, but I sure fell far behind with things online. I'm looking forward to a relaxing week between Christmas and New Years!

I ran into the library to return some books last week and could not resist the lure of the new cookbooks shelf. I am on hold for the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook, for which I cannot wait, but grabbed these beauties to tide me over:

The Truck Food Cookbook: 
        150 Recipes and Ramblings from America's Best        Restaurants on Wheels 
        by John T. Edge 

Who doesn't love food truck food? I couldn't resist pulling this one off the shelf. I'm having fun flipping through the pages in a virtual tour of the countries best food trucks. So many familiar and unique, mouth watering recipes. Honestly, I won't likely make many of these recipes at home. They're generally the greasy, carb dense foods we all love and frankly, I think they'd taste so much better eaten on the streets! That's part of their appeal! At least now I'm inspired to seek out some food trucks in NYC the next time I'm there. At the top of my list is The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, because we all know how much I luurvve ice cream! (They have a shop, too!).

Soup of the Day: 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year 
       by Kate McMillan, photographed by Erin Kunkel 

Literally a recipe for soup for every day of the year. Monthly chapters start with a calendar and a recipe suggestion for each day. Many recipes follow the seasons making the most of seasonal produce, while plenty of them can be made any time of the year. Gorgeous photography rounds out the versatile offering of recipes that can be mastered by any level home cook.

I don't think there's a single recipe in this cookbook that didn't appeal to me. Most recipes call for chicken broth, but vegetable broth or in some cases, water, can easily be substituted for vegetarians. I personally prefer to cook without commercial stock, so I'd have to have a lot of homemade broth on hand to cook from this cookbook daily or even weekly. I hope to try or jot down a few recipes before I have to return the cookbook to the library!

True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure 
         by Andrew Weil, M.D. and Sam Fox 

The title says it all for this one. This cookbook's mission is to present the most delicious recipes made with fresh, quality ingredients that foster the health and well being of the diner. For someone like me who loves living and eating healthfully but also loves traditional, comforting foods and desserts(!), this cookbook is right up my alley. I'm still discovering all the recipes and essays this cookbook has to offer--it's definitely one worth several library renewals or even a permanent spot on my own bookshelf. The Chocolate Icebox Tart and Pomegranate Martini are just begging for a spot on my holiday menu!

Hope you check out these cookbooks!

What cookbooks have your attention right now?