"Batch" by Joel MacCharles & Dana Harrison | Book Review

Batch by Joel MacCharles & Dana Harrison

Publishing Date: May 3, 2016
Pages: 352
Publisher: Appetite by Random House
Links: Goodreads | Indigo | Book Depository | Amazon

It all started with a blog. In 2008, the food blog "WellPreserved.ca" was created; it now holds more than 700 recipes and has inspired a food festival, pop-up events, and even a graphic design company.

The first part of the book gives you instructions on seven different styles of preserving, including fermenting, cellaring, and infusing, which are the methods I used in the recipes I'll talk about at the end of this post. For complete beginners like me, these chapters will basically be your preserving Bible because they give you the basic knowledge you need to get started.

The recipes are organized by ingredient, which makes grocery store trips a dream when you're making things from this book. In each chapter, you'll learn a few different ways to preserve an ingredient, such as peaches, peppers, and meat. At the end of each chapter, there are recipes that show you the delicious ways you can use the preserves you've just made.

Along with each recipe, you can see the level of difficulty which, as a complete newcomer to preserving, I really valued. I wanted to start off easy so I could learn along the way and work up to some harder recipes.

Clockwise from left: Penne a la Chili-Infused Vodka (p. 178);
Fermented Pancakes with Maple Syrup with Dried Blueberries
(pp. 140 & 132); Fridge Pickles (p. 194)

The first things I made were Fermented Pancakes with Maple Syrup with Dried Blueberries. The maple syrup was easy to make, but you need to be very careful not to burn the syrup because that can happen in an instant. The pancakes were time-consuming (as pancakes generally are) but completely worth it because in all honesty, they are the best pancakes I've ever had - and my whole family was in agreement! My only problem was that there seems to be a missing step in the recipe - it never tells you what to do with the egg yolk mixture. Basically though, you just have to combine everything.

The pickles were by far the easiest recipe I made, and they were such a yummy snack.

Being the pasta freak I am, the penne recipe was definitely my favourite out of all the things I made. The recipe calls for chilies, but I went a step down in heat and used jalapenos instead. This recipe is SO delicious, I can't recommend it enough. It was my first time eating and making penne a la vodka, but it certainly won't be the last time!

I'm really pleased with how all the recipes I tried turned out, and I'm looking forward to trying more of these recipes and methods this summer when there are more foods in season!

*This book was sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

My Goals and TBR List! | Bout of Books 16

Hey guys! A few days ago I announced that I'm once again participating in Bout of Books. I'm very excited to say that I'm a Bout of Books "expert" this time around, which means I'll be visiting lots of blogs and cheering people on (which I encourage everyone to do anyway)!

Over the course of the week, I'd like to read:

1. The Voodoo Killings by Kristi Charish

2. You, Me and the Rest of Us: #NewYorkStories by Alex Clermont

3. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Goals:

• Read 2 novels
• Read 1 short story collection
• Participate in at least 1 Twitter chat
• Participate in at least 3 challenges
• Make daily progress posts
• Read for at least 1 hour per day

What do you want to read during Bout of Books?

"Sirocco" by Sabrina Ghayour | Book Review

Sirocco by Sabrina Ghayour

Publishing Date: May 3, 2016
Pages: 240
Publisher: Appetite by Random House
Links: Goodreads | Indigo | Book Depository | Amazon

The word "sirocco" means "a hot, dry wind blowing from East to West, often carrying with it flavours of the Mediterranean". And this cookbook is exactly that.

Sabrina Ghayour is back with her second cookbook, full of delicious recipes from the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The recipes are inspired by the flavours of the East, but use the ingredients and cooking styles of the West. From snacks to main dishes to desserts, Ghayour uses simple, everyday ingredients to make wonderfully flavourful food.

As I flipped through this book looking for recipes I wanted to try, I found myself flagging practically everything - the recipes just sound (and the photography looks) that good!

As the introduction suggests, it's easy to find most of the ingredients required in this cookbook. For the recipes I decided to make, all the ingredients were either things I had at home, or things that we regularly buy for our household anyway. It was convenient to not have to look for "special" ingredients!

Clockwise from left: Dark Chocolate & Pistachio Cookies (p. 219);
Kofta Burgers (p. 181); Two-Cheese Melts with Thyme-Roasted
Onions (p. 30); Grape Leaf-Baked Feta (p. 81)

I ended up making two appetizer/snack recipes, one main dish, and a dessert. All of them were delicious. I think my personal favourite was either the Kofta Burgers or the Two-Cheese Melts with Thyme-Roasted Onions, but it's a tough competition.

Everything was pretty simple/easy to make and didn't require a whole lot of effort, which is a plus. I think people of most skill levels in the kitchen would be able to make these recipes with no problems.

To top it all off, these recipes are approved by everyone in my family who tried them, which means that in some cases, they're even picky-people-approved!

Sirocco is full of simple, delicious recipes and it has quickly become my favourite cookbook!

*This book was sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

May TBR Pile!

This month my aim is to read four books: the three pictured, plus an ebook.

1. The Voodoo Killings by Kristi Charish

2. The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone

3. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

4. You, Me and the Rest of Us: #NewYorkStories by Alex Clermont

March/April Book Haul!

Hi everyone! I hope you're all well. Today I come to you with my March/April Book Haul. There was no haul last month because I had something major happen at the end of March and just did not feel up to writing anything for a while. But here we are now - on to the haul!

1. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware                       12. Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

2. The Snowman by Jo Nesbo                                    13. Binge by Tyler Oakley

3. The Voodoo Killings by Kristi Charish                     14. This is Happy by Camilla Gibb

4. Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid                                  15. Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins

5. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld                                  16. Bream Gives Me Hiccups by Jesse Eisenberg

6. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh                          17. The Searcher by Simon Toyne

7. The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone                             18. Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

8. Night Film by Marisha Pessl                                   19. Blown Red by Susan Philpott

9. Sirocco by Sabrina Ghayour                                   20. Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash

10. Batch by Joel MacCharles & Dana Harrison           21. Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

11. Spark Joy by Marie Kondo

"Spark Joy" by Marie Kondo | Book Review

Spark Joy by Marie Kondo

Publishing Date: January 5, 2016
Pages: 291
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Links: Goodreads | Indigo | Book Depository | Amazon | Kobo

Spark Joy is the companion to Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. In this illustrated guide, Kondo explains her KonMari method in-depth to prepare you for clearing your life of all the "stuff" that doesn't add joy to your life.

The ultimate goal of the KonMari method is for you to find the things that spark joy in your life. All else can be discarded, with a few exceptions, such as essential tools and utensils.

Kondo encourages you to touch and hold every item as you're tidying, in order to feel that spark, or lack thereof, that it emits. She believes that if you pay close attention to an object and the way you react to or feel about it, you'll know whether it sparks joy in your life.

She also stresses the difference between tidying and cleaning, and this is something major that anyone interested in tidying needs to pay attention to. Moving things around and wiping the bookshelf they were on is not tidying - it's cleaning. Tidying is when you actually clear your space of things you no longer need or want.

The KonMari method is very much a way of life, and not one I can see myself completely dedicating myself to. There are, however, some great tips on tidying, regardless of whether or not you intend to immerse yourself in this way of life.

The most valuable section for me personally was the one where we learn that the order in which you tidy items is of the utmost importance. Like most people, I've always tidied by area, but this is inefficient because things in a certain category pop up in other places and when that happens, I'm practically back at square one. It makes so much sense when the information is presented, but it's something I'm not sure would have occurred to me on my own.

Spark Joy is a great book for you if you're ready to revolutionize the way you tidy. If you're not at that stage yet, there are definitely still some great tips to learn from this book.

*This book was sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

"Taking Leaps and Finding Ghosts" by Janet DeLee | Book Review

Taking Leaps and Finding Ghosts by Janet DeLee

Publishing Date: May 1, 2015
Pages: 253
Publisher: CreateSpace
Links: Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

At the age of fifty eight, Ginny Lawther decides that she can still take a leap of faith in order to accomplish a dream. She just needs some support from others doing the same. Ginny starts the Ideal Life Club and meets three other people who need support following their dreams...and one who needs help with a ghost problem. They have their action plans in place, but will they be able to achieve their dreams with all the ghosts that keep popping up?

This book is absolutely delightful. It's a funny, hopeful story that makes you want to get up and take your own leap of faith and follow that dream that's been niggling at your mind.

The characters are so very different from one another and yet they come together to support each other and make sure each of them knows they can take steps to achieve their dreams. I felt like I was there in the Ideal Life Group with them, and am actually currently coming up with some steps I can take to put one of my own ideas into motion.

I really identified with the characters' desires to follow their dreams and admired their bravery and determination to take a leap of faith in order to do so. I especially related to Hilda and Jerry, who wanted to make crafts and be a musician for a living, respectively. They wanted to do something creative for a living but struggled to figure out precisely how to do that. In this day and age, it seems like almost everyone wants to do exactly that, and you have to have something really unique in order to be successful. And they certainly have that!

I love the way the characters' stories interweave, and in many ways, they show us how interconnected our lives are on this little planet of ours. The ghostly apparitions really brought everything and everyone together to get to the bottom of some mysterious happenings, and I love that the group could come together in such a way to try and help each other.

My one complaint in all this is that there are quite a few grammatical errors, but if you're not as particular about grammar as I am, then this really isn't an issue.

If you're looking for a little push to follow a dream, or if you're just looking for a sweet, optimistic read, this is the book for you.

*This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

"Eligible" by Curtis Sittenfeld | Book Review

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Publishing Date: April 19, 2016
Pages: 656
Publisher: Random House Large Print
Links: Goodreads | Indigo | Book Depository | Amazon | Kobo

Even if you've never read Pride and Prejudice (like me, I say ashamedly), you probably know the story: girl's family is pressuring her to marry, girl meets guy, girl thinks guy is a snob, girl and guy fall in love. This is of course an oversimplified summary of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy's beautifully complicated relationship, which is retold in Eligible.

This is the story of Liz Bennet set in our modern era. Liz lives in New York City and writes feminist articles for a women's magazine, but heads home to Cincinnati after her dad has a heart attack. She quickly learns that her family needs her more than even she could have guessed. And along the way, she meets a tall, dark stranger...whom she finds repulsive.

Almost everything in this story has been adapted to modern times. Curtis Sittenfeld addresses a lot of the issues we deal with in modern-day life, including racism, trans- and homophobia, fat shaming, classism, and pressure to marry. Since the Bennets (particularly Mrs. Bennet) consider themselves part of the upper class, we see a lot of the wealthy and their prejudice toward minorities. Some of the aforementioned issues are much more prevalent in today's society, while others have been around for centuries and show just how little we've changed in some ways.

With regards to marriage, many of us are still under a lot of pressure from our parents to get married, although not quite as early on in our lives. Rather than the young age of 20 that she was in the original story, Liz is 38 in this retelling, while her older sister Jane is nearly 40. There's still a lot of pressure to marry, it's just that in modern times, you have longer before your parents start losing hope.

This story is very much written in the style of the original in terms of having old-timey words and cadence, yet it still feels like a modern style because of the story. It's a really cool juxtaposition!

I love the ways in which the author changed the sisters' relationships. The way Liz and Darcy's relationship gets started, for example, is perfectly adapted to how we do things now. I can absolutely see that whole scenario playing out in real life. And Jane and Chip Bingley's storyline - another fantastically strange relationship I can picture.

I'd go so far as to say that most of the Bennets are unlikable in this story because of their, well, pride and prejudice, and yet I'm compelled by their stories. Eligible is definitely a book I'm going to pass along to friends and family who love Pride and Prejudice.

If you're in the mood for a fun, long read, then cozy up with your favourite drink and enjoy this modern retelling of a wonderful classic.

*This book was sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

I'm participating in Bout of Books 16!

Hi everyone! Since I love Bout of Books so much, I'm participating once again. I love how supportive everyone is of each other and how low-pressure the read-a-thon is. All you have to do is set your intentions to read, and do your best! Plus, there are always fun challenges and discussions to take part in. Here's the official blurb:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books Blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Let me know in the comments if you'll be participating! :)

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Devil and the Bluebird

 "'Waiting On' Wednesday" is a great way to get excited about upcoming releases - you get to share which not-yet-released publications you can't wait to read!

This week, I'm waiting on:

Devil and the Bluebird
By Jennifer Mason-Black

Publication Date: May 17

I think most people who know me, know I love books, movies, TV shows, anything that involves the supernatural. This YA book involves a devil-at-the-crossroads, magic, and a search to save someone the main character, Blue, loves.

From Goodreads:

“Devil-at-the-crossroads” folklore finds its way to YA via this moody, magical tale

Blue Riley has wrestled with her own demons ever since the loss of her mother to cancer. But when she encounters a beautiful devil at her town crossroads, it’s her runaway sister’s soul she fights to save. The devil steals Blue’s voice—inherited from her musically gifted mother—in exchange for a single shot at finding Cass.

Armed with her mother’s guitar, a knapsack of cherished mementos, and a pair of magical boots, Blue journeys west in search of her sister. When the devil changes the terms of their deal, Blue must reevaluate her understanding of good and evil and open herself to finding family in unexpected places.

In Devil and the Bluebird, Jennifer Mason-Black delivers a heart-wrenching depiction of loss and hope.

What are you waiting on this week?