Review: Leaping Beauty by Gregory Maguire

by Carol6 Comments
(Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6) This was a cute collection of fractured fairy tales, each with animal stars. Amber (11) and I read it together over several evenings and both enjoyed it.  There are eight tales, each recognisable but transformed. In addition to Leaping Beauty, there is Cinder-Elephant whose pie pan shoes were perfect. We met So What, a chimpanzee who moves in with seven circus-performing giraffes. I think one of my favorites was "The Three Little Penguins and the Big Bad Wolf." The youngest penguin has an artistic streak that made the story truly funny. And there's Little Red Robin Hood, who likes to pretend he's a superhero. The little robin was called Little Red Robin Hood, because he was a red robin. Also, when he grew up, he wanted to rob the rich birds of the forest and give their worms to the poor birds of the forest. (pg. 107) I think Amber was about the perfect age for this one....
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Review: A View from the Back Pew by Tim O’Donnell

by Carol10 Comments
Tim O'Donnell takes us on a journey from his life in Catholic school, annoying the nuns, to college including a study abroad time in Rome, and into his career. Through it all he is searching for a deeper spiritual connection to God, rejecting the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church that he feels had kept him separated from God. O'Donnell does a good job of discussing his personal spiritual quest. His stories are amusing, his tone is conversational, and he comes across as an honest, caring man. He takes some difficult concepts and makes his view of them accessible. First, I should mention that yes, I'm a Christian, but I've been attending the same United Methodist Church since I was like 8, so I don't have the same issues that O'Donnell does from his Catholic upbringing. I never felt that the church stood in the way of a personal relationship with God, I feel it encourages it. Also,...
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Teaser from The Black Echo

by Carol13 Comments
Bosch didn't remind Sakai that it was he who had been driving the ME wagon that dumped a body strapped to a wheeled stretcher onto the Ventura Freeway a few months back. During rush hour. The stretcher rolled down the Lankershim Boulevard exit and hit the back end of a car at a gas station. Because of the fiberglass partition in the cab, Sakai didn't know he had lost the body until he arrived at the morgue. (from The Black Echo by Michael Connelly) This one has me hooked. I may even have to get some chores done around the house this afternoon so I have an excuse to listen to it more. Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers. I borrowed my audiobook from the library and the above is...
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Short Story Monday: Dolly’s Trash and Treasures by Lawrence Block

by Carol7 Comments
I've read at least one full-length book by Lawrence Block before, one of his Bernie Rhodenbarr series, but I don't remember which one. I also enjoyed his story in the Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop collection, so I expected to like this one too and I wasn't disappointed. The subject of hoarding is popular lately, from tv shows to books. It seems to both fascinate and repel people, and this story is Block's contribution to the phenomena. The story is told in a unique format. It's all dialogue and short passages giving us the inner thoughts of the main character, Dorothy, or Dolly to her friends. In the beginning of the story, two representatives of Child Protective Services show up at Dorothy's door, telling her that the neighbor's are worried about her children. Dorothy explains that her children left, they couldn't stand living with her stuff anymore so they took off, maybe went to live with their father. After seeing the state...
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Weekend cooking: My favorite stuffed shells

by Carol16 Comments
They're not pretty, but these stuffed shells are absolutely delicious. They are from my Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics cookbook, probably my favorite of all my cookbooks. They're not the standard shells stuffed with a ricotta cheese mixture and marinara sauce, they're kind of tacoey. Stuffed Pasta Shells Makes 6 servings Ingredients: 12 uncooked jumbo pasta shells 1 medium onion 1 pound lean ground beef 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder 3 ounces cream cheese at room temperature ¼ cup taco sauce Cooking spray ½ taco sauce 1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese ½ cup crushed corn chips 1 medium green onion with tops ½ cup sour cream Directions Boil the pasta shells uncovered for 11 to 13 minutes until tender. Drain. Peel and chop the onion. Cook the ground been and onion over medium-high heat 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned; drain. Stir the chili power, cream cheese, and ¼ cup taco sauce into the beef. Heat over medium-low hear 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Heat oven to 350º. Spray a 8-or 9-inch...
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