Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Library Loot XXII


Library Loot is a weekly blog event that encourages bloggers to share what books they borrowed from the library that week. To participate, simply make your Library Loot post on your blog and link it using the Mr. Linky link at Marg's blog Reading Adventures or Eva's blog A Striped Armchair. This week's link up is at Eva's.


I can't believe it's time for library loot again. I didn't plan on borrowing more books this week, but you know how it is when you love books...

In fiction:


Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen

I need to read a book with the name of a body of water in the title for the What's In a Name? Reading Challenge that I'm participating in and while I had a book tentatively chosen from my TBR shelves, I was kind of keeping my eyes out for a different selection. I just happened to see Tomorrow River displayed on a table near the main desk at my library, the cover having captured my attention. When I read the title I thought "Hey, I could read this for the Name challenge!" Then I read the inside flap and decided the story was something I'd like to read and voila! I checked it out.

Tomorrow River takes place in a small community in West Virginia during the summer of 1969. It is the story about an 12 year old girl named Shen Carmody who sets out to discover some answers about her troubled home life. Shen's mother disappeared a year ago and her twin sister Woody hasn't spoken a word since their mom has been gone and their father spends most of his nights drunk and mean. Shen decides it's time for her to find out what exactly happened to their mother.

It sounds kind of heart wrenching, but I'm also counting on it being an uplifting coming of age kind of story for these two young sisters.

In non fiction:

Jams & Chutneys:
Preserving the Harvest by Thane Prince

Yet another book on jams and preserving. There's just something so appealing to me about preserving fresh fruit or vegetables from the garden or farm. Making your own jam from scratch is such a rewarding experience. I think it tastes so much better when it's homemade because it's made with love and every bite is filled with memories of the summer.




A Homemade Life:
Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg

This book has been on my list of books to borrow from the library for a while now. Molly Wizenberg is the author of the popular and successful food blog Orangette and now this book. A Homemade Life is a culinary memoir of sorts as Molly shares stories from her life and the recipes that accompany them. It's really a joy to read.


What is your favorite food to prepare from scratch?

Right now, I'm into making homemade jams. I also love making homemade ice cream and fresh salsas in the summer.



10 comments:

  1. Looks like you have some good library books! I honestly don't know what my favorite food to make from scratch. Although, I do find the most fun at baking.

    I hope you're having a good day.

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  2. Enjoy A Homemade Life. I really liked it.
    I don't make much from scratch. I'd love to make jam but canning scares me.

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  3. Hi Christine
    Great question. My fave thing is homemade pasta sauce. I'm Italian descent so I better know how to make it. I make a huge pot & freeze it in portions so we can even have it on a week night. BTW The question reminds me of that old joke about the newlywed woman who went to the store looking for a box of scratch because her hubby wanted everything made from it LOL.

    Being a tomboy my mom despaired about my lack interest in kitchen stuff. I married it a male Martha Stewart so I learned a lot.

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  4. Christine, I hope you let us know what you think of your random pick "Tomorrow River." It sounds really interesting.

    I love to bake... but making cookies from scratch has to be my favorite -- that and pies, all types of pies. :)

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  5. Hey! How's Harry Potter coming along? :)

    My favorite food to prepare from scratch is lentils... love lentils.

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  6. Brandy...
    I love to bake from scratch, too. Everyone loves home baked treats, right? :)

    Linda...
    I'm enjoying A Homemade Life very much. I read a little bit here and there over the days. I'm noticing more and more that you and I read a lot of the same books--across a lot of different genres, too! You have great taste! LOL! ^_^

    OH! And don't be intimidated by canning jam! It's not that hard. Did you see my strawberry jam post several weeks ago? Piece of cake! :) Also, you can always start out making freezer jam like I did, and then move on to processing later.


    Mary G ...
    Mmmm. Homemade pasta sauce is the best. I make a very basic one that cooks up in 20 minutes or so, but have never made the kind that you cook for hours and hours and feeds an army like Italian families do. So yummy.

    LOL re: the newlywed looking for a box of scratch at the market! I never heard that one before!!

    alisonwonderland... ... Thank you!!! :D

    Hilcia...
    I will definitely let you know what I think of Tomorrow River when I've finished. I think I'll need a box of tissues for this one. I already shed a tear at page 10. Sheesh.

    Homemade cookies are the best. Homemade pies, too! Definitely worth the calorie splurge if it's homemade.

    Mariana...
    Harry Potter is not coming along at all. I keep coming up with excuses, but my youngest just reminded me yesterday that I promised to read it in the summer and it's definitely summer. LOL. August. I'll read it in August.

    Lentils are tasty! And thankfully don't take as long to cook from scratch as many other beans.

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  7. I really want to try some canning too!

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  8. Love the Jams & Chutneys cover!

    Isn't Harry Potter your big book challenge book Christine? I have an idea about how to read it - an idea that is currently working very well with a big book... :)

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  9. Pasta is definitely the best choice if you have a big family. I remember when I was in my buenos aires apartment in Argentina, I cooked it almost everyday, I saved me in several ocassions. If you want to know how to do it right, you just have to try till you hit the nail in the head.
    Brooke

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