Donia Bijan grew up in a family that appreciated good food. Food to her was a language all of its own, it was used to celebrate as well as substantiate, is was used in times of great joy, and n times of sorrow. Growing up in Iran, Donia was surrounded by foods that were a part of her families life… loaves of bread were sliced in thick slabs and covered in fine cheeses and tomatoes, roasted duck, leg of lamb, homemade jams and fresh brewed teas were a breakfast staple. Her father, a doctor, would not have his family wasting money on foods they could buy on the streets when they could make their own mouthwatering delicacies better than any thing purchased. Her mother a nurse, would share her time between her family, the kitchen, and the hospital. Many childhood memories were in that kitchen as vegetables were cut for thick stews, and batters stirred for mouth watering baked goods.
Then in 1978 when the Islamic revolution threatened their safety, Donia’s family fled to California, where the food of then and now formed a bridge to the life they had left behind. Donia grew into a love for creating foods that created togetherness, and to her fathers disappointment (he wanted her to go into medicine) yet her mothers unending support, Donia took the steps needed to become the award winning chef she is today.
From the Persian world of her youth, to her new life in America this book walks up through Donia’s time at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to apprenticeships in France’s three star kitchens, back to San Francisco where she opened her own now famous bistro.
Recipes I made this afternoon... Orange Cardamom Cookies and the Persian cardamom Tea
For a girl who does not really like to cook, I sure do read a lot of cooking related books. 😀 Honestly that baffles me a bit too… but as I type this and really think about it, I am mesmerized by those who can cook…those who can take a table full of ingredients and create a master piece.
I don’t think it is so much that I do not like cooking, as I have yet to find the patience it takes to do it right.
From the moment I laid eyes on this book I knew I wanted to read it. It sounded like the just the type of story I enjoy reading. Donia family brings to the table a memoir of family and traditions, and foods that would make the strongest of readers salivate page to page.
Along side Donia’s story of growing up surrounded by an appreciation for fresh foods, and wholesome meals, she leaves us with trails of recipes sprinkled throughout the pages. While some looked delicious but I felt I was not skilled enough to put it to the test, others sounded down right doable, and I put my basic skills to the test today of placing ingredients together to make the delectable Orange Cardamom Cookies along side the Persian Cardamom Tea…
the results were delicious. I think I now know what is going into my Christmas goody bags…. 😀
Donia’s story is an incredible journey that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a wonderful memoir filled with a family that feels like you are sitting at their glorious table.
Orange Cardamom Cookies
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
grated zest of 2 oranges
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
Beat butter in a bow with an electric mixer until it whitens. Add the sugar and blend well. Add teh egg yolk and orange zest. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt, cardamom, and poppy seeds. Once mixed, add to the butter mixture and mix until a dough like consistency.
Form the dough into two logs, roll in waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a sharp knife, cut the chilled dough into 1/2 inch rounds and place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Bake 12 – 15 minutes until edges of cookie are golden brown. This dough will keep well in the freezer up to 3 weeks.
Persian Cardamom Tea
Bring kettle to a boil. Swirl some of the boiling water into teapot to warm it then dump water back into kettel. Measure 2 heaping teaspoons of Earl Grey tea leaves and 1 crushed pod of cardamom and place in tea pot. Add the boiling water to pot and let steep for ten minutes.
Pour a cup of tea and then pour tea pack into tea pot to to warm cup and to make sure color is even.
Yesterday I put up a post inviting you to ask me anything and today I would respond to those questions. Your questions were fun… and funny and the rest of this post is dedicated to the answers:
Well…. I am wearing my FAVORITE flip flops around the house. I picked these little jewels up at a clearance sale hmmm… about three years ago. They have paint on them, they are cracked on the bottom and I LOVE them! 😛
How did I meet Al?
This is a great story! I worked as a manager at Domino’s Pizza fresh out of High School. Al came in one day for an interview, he was a drummer in a band and had long hair (funny… as now he hardly has any hair!). The interview went well but as we finished up I told him that in order to work there he would have to be clean-cut… hair above the collar line. He got up and walked out of the interview. 😯 Three days later, he came back clean-shaven and was hired. A year after that we were engaged. 😛
What is the craziest thing I have ever done?
Oh wow… where to begin. I have done a lot of CRAZY, but I guess most recent in memory would be actually three things, all from this year… one would be jumping into the frozen lake in a prom dress for Special Olympics, and two would have to be colliding with the dude in front of me in June, going 18.6 miles per hour on my road bike on the two-day tour for MS. The crazy part is that instead of going home after being ambulanced off the trail to the emergency room, I stayed day two and cheered for my team. My bike, was in no shape to ride day two… neither was I. 😛 And finally it was the Warrior Dash first time in Minnesota that I refused to cancel just because I had a cast on.
Crazy #1: Dressed for ice plunging success... click on pic to go to postCrazy #1: After The PLUNGE!!! March 2011 in Minnesota. BRRRRRCrazy #2: Click to see this post
Crazy #3: The Warrior Dash in a cast! Click on pic to go to post
I wish I had pushed myself more in High School, but sadly I did not. I went more in the direction of Drama class and working on the year book. If I were to do it over again… you bet I would try out! 😀
What were my favorite memories from High School?
I had a hunky hunky boyfriend (yes I said hunky… yes I said it twice). My car was a black firebird and I loved that car! My BFF and I used to go everywhere in it!
When I wake up in the morning, do you immediately grab some coffee, and then go to the computer? Or do something else…
My morning routine is pretty consistent. I get up in the morning and head into the bathroom and flip on my IPOD to the audio book I am currently listening to. I listen to that all through getting ready. Then I enter the kitchen, turn on the audio book in my CD player on the counter (different audio) while I make coffee and arrange everything I need for work.
Finally, I sit down at the table, and yes, pop open my emails while I have my COFFEE and then I write the morning meandering. If I am lucky, I have a book review ready to schedule to go live in the late morning.
As far back as I can remember I have been a book-worm. In 2nd grade I won the book-worm award… I loved to read, slowed down a bit out of high school and in the early years f my marriage and then came back full force to books.
What gave you the idea to create a book blog?
Oddly, it was my Pastor who led me to blogging. He knew I always wanted to write and helped me set up my wordpress blog. This forever, was not my first blog… my first blog was Straight On Through and was just random posts about life and happenings and the occasional book. After about a year of that I started this one to keep track of my book reviews as more of a private book log of what I have read as opposed to the journals I kept of my reading… the rest is history 😀
For the most part – yes. I was born here in Brainerd. In 8th grade after a house fire my mom and I went to live with my aunt and uncle in Soldotna Alaska for a year and I actually started and finished 8th grade there. Afterwards we came back to Brainerd and rebuilt on the same property, which is the property I live on now. 😀
What are you hoping to find under the Christmas tree?
OOH – good question! My gift from Al is already on my kitchen table, the Cricut and cartridges! From my sons I have asked them to pick a book off my wish list which I have up in the tab area of this blog for easy access! 😀
Lately…. sporadic. Seems like life has been very busy lately between work and other commitments… at times I mean to write a post at night but find I can not concentrate because I am too tired. Then, like this weekend, I get in some great reading and blogging time and all is well with the world again. 😀
In good times – I write a morning post of whatever is happening in my life and in the evenings after Al has gone to bed I read and write book reviews.
What is a hard decision you had to make but you don’t regret?
That one is easy, putting our dog down in October. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. It sucked. It hurt like hell. BUT – I also know it was the right thing.
Yes, as much as possible I do and love it when I am current in my reviews. 😀
What’s a typical day like for you?
Crazy. But really, whose life isn’t? On a typical week day I:
Get up around 6:30 am
Get ready for work, get the coffee on, and write my morning post
Work 8:00 am – 3:00 pm where I create, run reports, go to meetings, plan upcoming events, return calls to people, set up class schedules, keep current on invoices, reserve space…
3:00 pm – if out of the office on time I try to hit the gym for an hour of cardio, or a group power class
I guess I have never really thought about this! Thinking about it now thoughI am going to say hummingbird. They are fascinating!
If you could have a secret hideaway anywhere in the world, where would it be?
If I told you it wouldn’t be much of a secret now would it! LOL Actually if I could go anywhere to be alone I would love it to be warm secluded beach house right on the beach somewhere. I could read and write at my leisure!
On average I would say one to two hours a day. I read a lot in the evenings, and if I have time on weekends. If you counted audio, I probably get in 2 hours of audio in onaverage per day betweengetting ready in the morning, drive time, and cooking in the evening where I listen to audio while I am in the kitchen.
How many hours do you spend blogging vs actually spending time online?
Ugh… do I even want to know the answer to this question? 😛 Lets see, my actual blogging per day is probably about an hour average. My on-line time per day between emails, words with friends on Facebook, and reading other blogs, probably add a couple more hours to that. Of course some days are less… but yeah – some days are more. 😯
What is the one book you’ve recommended the most to people this year?
I think that has been The Knife Of Never Letting Go. This series blew me away and I think everyone needs to read it.
What book would you want to receive for Christmas this year?
There are a few I really am anxious about but I think I would really like The Future Of Us by Jay Asher. He impressed me so much with Thirteen Reasons Why.
I love your blog and notice that though you have such a busy life you still find time to write blog posts and reviews. What is your secret?
COFFEE. 😛Actually I think it is because I have a husband who is out of the house from 5:30 am – 6:00 pm (sometimes later depending on the time of year). We had our kids early so we are young for them to be all grown up and gone but they are. I work 25 hours a week and that leaves me with quite a bit of reading and blogging time.
Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition?
Our holiday gatherings are usually just us and the boys and we like to spend the afternoons and evenings munching on left overs from the big dinner, snacking, and watching movies and playing board games. 😀
When a new book is published and you know you want to own it, do you tend to buy it in print or for your Nook?
I buy the book. Honestly, I have not done much with my NOOK an I know I need to change that. I am still a real book girl. I like that I can loan out a book-book to anyone.
Vicki at I’d Rather Be At The Beach asked:
Were you popular in school?
Define… popular. LOL Actually I was more in the middle group. I wasnt a jock or a brain.
Did you get good grades?
This is another of those times when I want a do-over. I did ok in school but I really did not push myself and my mom did not really push me either. I know, in hindsight I could have done better. As it was I did ok, I was mainly C’s and B’s. I loved all my reading and writing classes… hated math. Still do. 😀
Name the one thing you MUST do on your “Bucket List”
In a soon to be released post you will see some of my crazy plans for 2012… one thing on my bucket list that I still hope to do is ride a mechanical bull. 😀
Will you move to Florida so I can go biking etc. with you?
I don’t think I will move to Florida however I do love it there! My son is currently in the Navy in Jacksonville and you never know when I may decide to pop that way. I also want to VERY BADLY go to Harry Potter World, so depending on where you are, maybe we can get that bike ride in, or at least a trip to a coffee shop to chat and a book store. 😀
Who are your favorite female and male actors?
BRADLEY COOPER! Oh… did I answer that too quickly? 😳
Denzel Washington DENZEL!!!
Natalie Portman
Jennifer Aniston(although some of her movies – not so much)
Angelina Jolie (I know I know.. but I love the Tomb Raider movies!)
What wonderful book would you recommend I read in the coming year?
The books I have been recommending as of late are the Chaos Walking Series which starts with The Knife Of Never Letting Go. Fantastic! Also, if you love the 80’s and have fond memories of video games, movies, and popular 80’s stars… I highly recommend Ready Player One – oh and please listen to it on audio. 😀
Millie asked:
How did you get started in your book club? How does your book club select a book? How can I start my own book club?
I started Bookies back in August of 2001. It started as a way to bring people together who I worked with. At that time I had been at Wal-Mart for 10 years and thought it was sad we didn’t have connections beyond the time clock.We started with 3 people… it grew from there. We have met every month since August 2001. Over 112 meetings now!
We select books by vote. We ask that each person bring a book suggestion to the meeting. It must be a fairly new release (so we can find copies) and it must be in paperback (to keep our cost down).
To start your own book club I say just do it! Pick the first book, share what you are planning to do with those you would like to be involved. If you are open to anyone joining, post about it on Facebook. Pick a place and a time to meet and go from there. The library has meeting rooms if you are looking for a public place to meet – or a coffee shop or restaurant is fun too.:D
The Bookies Book Club 2011 Queen Event (click on pic for post)
What do you call soft drinks where you live? Soda? Pop? Soda pop?
Pop. It’s funny you ask. I have relatives in California who call it Coke. All of it. “Can I grab you a Coke?” they would say and I would respond no, I like Pepsi. 😛
What goodie are you going to make for the holidays? (I need ideas too!)
Time is of the essence so I am thinking I am going to make some cookies (recipe is going up later today in a Weekend Cooking post), Chocolate and Caramel covered pretzel rods, and Chocolate Biscotti – which is always a hit. I will post the other two recipes this week. 😀
Do you own a Time Turner like Hermione? Otherwise, how on earth do you keep up with your busy schedule???
I wish I owned a time turner! Now I want to go back to my above answer to Kathy about what I would like to see under the tree! Totally time turner. 😀 As far as my schedule I just go and go and go… and then I crash for a day or two (like this weekend). I can keep the pace up for only so long and then I don’t want to leave the house, talk on the phone, or socialize in any way (beyond this blog). Yet, once I recharge, I am itching to go go go again!
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
There was a time I would have said Florida… I love WARM. I hate COLD. But, now there is so much I do love about Minnesota, our seasons are intense, but beautiful (except winter). I love my friends, I love the bike trails, the long distance rides, adventures, hiking… Winter I could go to Florida… 😀
Which side of the bed to you sleep on standing at the foot and looking toward the headboard?
I sleep on the right side of the bed at home. Oddly though, if I go to our cabin and Al is not with, I choose the left side there.
Are you a back, stomach or side sleeper?
Stomach and side, but never on my back… I have no idea why….
Is there a question that you are hoping no one asks, if so, what’s the question?
What are you wearing? LOL…. that’s just an awkward/creepy question always!
Marce from Tea Time With Marce asked:
Where has your favourite vacation spot been?
I am going with Costa Rica. It was a gorgeous trip and we were able to explore a rain forest and swing through it too! Fantastic place we stayed at – all-inclusive and the tan I got and the books I read!
Have you ever did extreme sports and if not would you?
Define extreme… LOL… actually I am going to do the Tough Mudder event coming here in May. It is supposed to be really extreme and I am scared and excited all at once! I will talk more about this in the next few weeks. 😀
What has been your favourite Spoiler book button conversation so far?
Excellent question and man, I miss that spoiler button…I need some big exciting/controversial books to hash out! The Hunger Games spoiler page still gets hits, people yelling PEETA at me….LOL, The Lightning Thief made me the most angry, but ROOM by Emma Donoghue was probably the best with even a little conversation with the author!
SO wow, that was a lot of fun! Thanks for the questions 😀
If one day you and your family are outside your home ready to witness a significant event… a meteor about to hit the moon. You are all excited as thought you are going to witness an eclipse, but then… when the meteor does hit, the moon is pushed closer to the earth.
Suddenly… people are in a panic, due to the moons pull, tidal waves start taking out cities near the coast, earthquakes and intense storm patterns make up the days and the nights. Electricity is on again off again and the grocery stores have been cleared out and closed. What is left of the gas is now $9 a gallon and nothing is open anymore – not even McDonald’s.
Life as we knew it…
is no more.
This is what happens to Miranda, her two brothers, and her mother when the meteor hits the moon. Suddenly the most important resource of all…
is hope.
Ok… so funny story. About a year ago my friend Amy and I were driving to my cabin up North. On the way Amy started talking excitedly about this book… “It was so real,” she says excitedly, “everything comes to a stop… no longer did the world have use of computers, cars stopped along the roads, stores closed – basically the world comes to a screeching halt!”
I agreed, it did sound like a fascinating book and had been in the back burner of my mind ever since that conversation.
When I started reading Life As We Knew It I knew what she meant… all a little too real, and I had the second and third books in hand ready to go on to them. Upon seeing Amy recently I told her, “I am finally getting into that book, Life As We Knew It, that you recommended so long ago to me. I am loving it, why did I wait so. long?”
“What was it called?” she asked, looking confused.
“Life As We Knew It,” I replied, “you know the one you recommended to me about a year ago while we were going to the cabin.”
Amy thought for a moment. “Oh, you must mean One Second After. That’s the one I read about all the computers and everything stopping and sending the world back into the dark ages. I have never read Life As We Knew It.”
Me: “oh.”
LOL
SO anyway, I read the wrong book – for the right reasons and I have to say it was a wonderful read.
Life As We Knew It is all to real. When the meteor knocked the moon closer to the earth causing all these repercussions (tidal waves, earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, and of course, wide-spread panic) I could imagine all to easily that happenings.
Grocery stores quickly empty, vandalism becomes huge, and as days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, people are afraid to leave their home. If you are lucky enough to have a wood stove – AND lucky enough to have fire wood, that wood is kept inside your home. Rooms are blocked off to conserve heat in one main area and food is rationed to the point of days of fasting and choosing which one meal you want a day – breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
In a world of overabundance, where I almost daily stop by a store to pick up something I need to make dinner, run into a gas station for a diet Dr Pepper, or Twizzlers, and occasionally have to hit the local book store for that “must read”, the idea is down right frightening.
Looking around my own home I wonder how long I would last with the canned goods in the cupboard, blocking off our windows with sheets of plywood so people could not see in at what we have…
Life As We Knew It is written wisely from 16 year old Miranda’s point. I think a book like this being written from the point of view of a young adult is wise because while obviously the situation is unbelievably hard, the voice of Miranda keeps it from being too heavy. She of course, mourns her dreams of dating, loss of school friends, and the swim team.
The book is very realistic as this family goes through the “what if’s”, as things seem to go from bad to worse, food becomes low, electricity is a thing of the past, there is fear of running out of firewood to keep the house warm, and then… the well runs dry… no more water.
I am currently listening to the second in the trilogy, The Dead And The Gone on audio. Interestingly enough it is being told from the exact same time frame, but this time it is told from a teenage boys perspective in New York, where Miranda is in Philadelphia.
And uh yes, at some point I guess I do need to read One Second After 😛
In closing, I want to leave with you with this song. I love the song anyway, but now find it very fitting for this book:
Ok this is a total shameful taking of another persons idea from another blog. Jill at Fizzy Thoughts posted on this just yesterday. I loved the idea of being able to ask her anything, and I did. 😛 Then I went back and peaked at her post again later in the day to see what others were asking her. They had great questions.
I have always been one of those people who when one of those questions surveys have been sent by email from a friend, I have to fill them out, no matter how dorky they are. (You know the ones, :what time did you get up this morning? What was the last thing you ate? What are you wearing on your feet? Last time you cried?”)
Anyhoo…. this morning I scanned through any pics I could possibly use for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot, which is what I usually do on a Saturday morning. We were suppose to go to a Christmas Party last night with friends and I thought that would give me good footage for pics but Al (hubby) was tired after a long day and I admittedly was nose deep in a book and did not mind staying home either. Anyway – no party no pics…
This morning although I have many posts to write, I did not want to… as the morning inched on… I could not come up with what I wanted to chat about today. Then…. I thought of Jill’s post again. Yes, I could take questions today, and tomorrow morning I could answer them. This could be fun.
So there it is, a confession, a party fail, a little laziness, and finally… this post.
SO ask away! And be sure to check out Jill’s post too, she had some fun questions that I wanted to know the answers to as well.
Ask me anything in the comments below, and tomorrow morning I will post my answers. 😀
“I do not tell lies. Mother used to say that this was because I was a good person. But it is not because I am a good person. It is because I do not tell lies.”
~Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night
When Christopher Boone’s neighbor’s dog is killed with a garden fork, Christopher is falsely accused of the crime. Christopher is 15 and autistic. Christopher knows he did not kill the dog and says so as he does not lie. And he does not joke, because he does not understand them, so he is telling the truth.
Christopher loves Sherlock Holmes and decides he is going to investigate what happened to the dog, just like Sherlock Holmes would do. Christopher’s investigation leads him to not only find out about the dog but some deep secrets about his own family.
Being autistic makes the investigation all the more difficult as Christopher calms himself by solving math problems in his head, will not eat any food that touches another food or is the colors yellow or brown, and screams if he is touched.
Many years ago, so many I do not recall the year (at least 5 years ago) but I do recall we were in Grizzley’s restaurant, my book club the Bookies reviewed this book. At the time, I was baffled by it. I loved the synopsis, but the book, told from Christopher’s perspective, was difficult to follow and the pages of math problems went right over my head (I have always said I am a word girl, not a number girl). 😛
Yet, many in my book club raved about this read. One girl in particular had so many great things to say about it, I felt I obviously had missed something and vowed to try it again some day. Since that time the book has sat, like new, on my book shelf… waiting on me.
Recently, I seen the audio version on audible.com on the sale list. I have said many times that audio can make the difference in a book that I may find difficult to read, so I thought I would give it this second try.
I am so glad I did! Christopher came alive for me through the narration of Jeff Woodman. Christopher’s character is brilliantly smart and remembers every detail. Suddenly I found myself longing to know more of this autistic boys story and I learned to love his dry humor as he did not get sarcasm and took everything someone said literally.
Author Mark Haddon writes an amazingly deep and loving story for his debut as an author. This was no easy task to take on and Mark handles the inner workings of Christopher’s autistic mind like a pro. The characters all felt real, at times painfully so, as you seen close up that we as human beings are flawed in so many ways.
Highly recommended in audio. Treat yourself to this one!
Good morning and happy Friday! I am super excited about this weekend because I mostly….
have no commitments 😀
Ok, yes we do have a Christmas party to go to tonight… and yes I have yet to put the tree up, and yes I still have some Christmas shopping to do…
BUT – I have no “have to do’s” and I have no time commitments. Does that make sense? 😛
Recently one of the two bookish Secret Santa programs I signed up for this year arrived at my door. The books were deliciously wrapped and it all looked so sweet I thought I would wait to open it until Christmas…
and then..
I stopped over to see Cass at Bonjour Cass! and read her post on the great bookish gifts she received AND then she talked about how her Secret Santa was Amy at Amy Reads… so I went there to see her great gift and well…
I caved.
This morning along with COFFEE CUP, I opened my precious gift and…
Utah Chocolate Truffles... which are DELICIOUS!
Fun book marks!
My New Books!!!
Thank you Suey!!!
So there it is… Suey from It’s All About Books is my Secret Book Santa! And I have two gorgeous books to read and chocolates to enjoy and awesome book marks and chap-stick and some hand lotion. What a great way to start the morning 😀
This morning I am going to write a couple posts, continue listening to Curious Incident Of The Dog On The Night and finish reading Life As We Knew It. This afternoon I am going to go workout, catch up on laundry and do a little shopping.
At fourteen years old, Jane Lynch had a dream of becoming an actress. She started sending out letters which, when anyone bothered to reply were kind rejections or advice giving such as, “get some professional training and look us up in five years or so…”
Jane however did not give up and as her book is titles, by a series of Happy Accidents, her dreams eventually did come true. Jane’s story however is not without hardships. Jane suffered from anxiety and a lack of self-worth. She felt unsure of herself and out-of-place in her own skin.
This audio is pretty funny as Jane pushes her book at a book store:
proximity -you do not have to throw people away, you can decide how close you want to keep them. Not everyone has to be a best friend some can be good friends, and some can be acquaintances.
~Jane Lynch
Confession: I have never watched Glee. Ok, I have seen maybe a partial episode, but I have never sat down and watched it. However, I did recognize and know Jane from other roles she had played… little roles that eventually led her to bigger roles. (I am pretty sure she is the nurse in a Gilmore Girls episode but I can not find a you tube slip to back up that statement…) She was for sure on Two and A Half Men, Julie and Julia, 40 Year Old Virgin, Criminal Minds, Boston Legal, Desperate Housewives, Friends, King of Queens, Gilmore Girls (Yes! I knew it!), and many more.
I wanted to listen to her book because 1. she is funny like a cross between Tina Fey and Ellen Degeneres and 2. I really wanted to know more about her story.
I enjoyed Jane’s story very much, it just was not as humorous as I thought it was going to be. While there are many funny moments (I do think I snorted at least once), it’s also a coming of age story, and a hard one at that as she worries about her sexuality, and an early fondness for alcohol.
I enjoyed hearing about Jane’s life and how she came to be casted for Glee, which turned out to be the career move she needed to go mega star. Her story interested me so much that now I think I need to start watching Glee. 😀
Christmas is in the air, and along with the smells of gingerbread, pine, and holly, there also seems to be something else… a feeling of…
magic.
Gaby Summerhill is filled with a sense of something big is about to happen and through a series of videos to her grown children, 54-year-old Gaby shares a special message:
She is getting married.
Yes, Gaby, widowed for three years now, is asking all her children to come back home to where they had all their family memories and join her as she marries….
well.. that’s the fun isn’t it?
Three men have asked for Gaby’s hand and she is thrilled with the asking, but nobody, including the groom himself knows who will be Gaby’s husband until the wedding on Christmas.
Gaby feels that by generating this excitement it will create an atmosphere worthy of coming home too, and that is what she wants most of all… her grown children, busy with their own lives and the chaos within, have grown apart from what Gaby knew was once a tight knit family. Perhaps they will come to be together for Christmas… for a wedding…
Hmph. Every December our book club (yay Bookies!) chose a Christmas style read for our December gathering. In past posts I have mentioned that I find these books almost impossible as they are usually too light and perfectly (gag me) fluffy to get a real good read out of them.
I really thought we were going to be safe with Patterson.
Personally, I liked Gaby’s grown kids… each dip we had into their lives made me wanting to know more, Claire and her abusive drug addicted husband and troubled teen son Gus, Emily the lawyer go getter who runs from one project to another and has an adoring handsome doctor husband, Lizzie who’s husband Mike is a sweetheart who also has cancer, and son Seth who is a writer and lives his wonderful girlfriend Andie. Each of their stories could have been a book in itself…
But no, the story was about Gaby who had three men on the hook and thought it to be fabulous. My thoughts and the thoughts of the majority of the Bookies was what a selfish woman. Gaby was a little too self-centered for my liking. While the book was meant to be a sweet Christmas read of family coming home, I never got the sense that coming home was hard on anyone. There was no conflict between the siblings or Gaby that made the pull of the mystery wedding a necessity. I got the feeling that they would have come home for Gaby’s if she was mailing the mailman while standing in the front yard (and seriously, I am surprised he also was not a contender…. 😛
Over all the book read like a rush. It felt hurried and pieced together, a dabble into this life, a dabble into that. In the end, while I have to admit it was a lot better than some of our Christmas reads we have had in the past, it was not a book I would recommend to others.
*To give you my true feelings… I actually went to Wal-Mart looking for a pinata that could represent Gaby… I thought it would be fun to smack “her” with a stick. Lucky for her, I could not find one that fit the character – however I do reserve to hold on to the pinata plan for a future read. 😛
Overall the Bookies rated this on a scale of 1 -5, a 2.8. Most of the ratings were low but a couple hit middle 3’s and we agreed that as a Christmas read – we have read a lot worse.
Another crazy evening last night but oh so much fun! Our book club the Bookies gathered at Susan’s house for our annual Christmas Party and December book review. This time, it was also a baby shower for our newest bookie , Beckett, who was born to Laura in October.
The time together of course was awesome. We all brought something to share for our gathering, so the food was plenty!
And Susan’s husband had made up a little holiday tree to get us in the mood:
Ok but back to the food…
Punch and wine, homemade candies, sandwiches, fettuccine, salad, shrimp and dip, and more.
Then we gathered in the living room to eat and discuss out review of The Christmas Wedding (review up later today!). After the review we had Laura open up baby gifts and then after the baby gifts, we had our annual party where we each have brought a gift around $10 that we roll dice to see who gets what. I came home with some lovely Tastefully Simple products.
Laura, beautiful mommy to Beckett
...and Beckett being held by Bookie Amy!
All in all, it was a good time… and our January read was chosen as:
I have a big day at work today and tonight we have the student Christmas Party which all I know is I am handing tickets out for prizes and apparently helping set up a gingerbread building contest in the gym…. it sounds….
Brooke Madison Bowers. Everyone in St. Dennis, Maryland knew her name. After all she was the prettiest, most popular girl of her town. Star of the pageant and Prom Queen, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Brooke would go far. She married the man of her dreams and Brooke’s happily ever after seemed to all be falling into place…
but things can happen…
When her husband is killed while serving in Iraq, a very brokenhearted Brooke returns to her hometown along with her young son, to be close to those who love her.
When Jesse Enright moves to St. Dennis to run the family law firm, Brooke catches his eye and his heart in short time. But Brooke has no intention of putting her own heart on the line again and Jesse finds that if he wants any chance at all with Brooke he is going to have to wait for her to first come to him.
Ummmm…. so Sheila, I didn’t think you really enjoyed romance novels?
This is true… but every once in a while a book comes along that I am drawn to despite the genre. Honestly, reading that synopsis, doesn’t it remind you a bit of the movie Hope Floats? In both cases you have a popular, beautiful woman who returns to her home town after things go wrong in her marriage. She is afraid to love again but along comes a guy who seems to be so right… yet the woman is afraid to put herself out there… I love Hope Floats. I own the movie.
Ok.. I drifted…
Hometown Girl is part of a series called The Chesapeake Diaries. I admit, I have not read the previous books and I am curious about them. While I did not need the other books to get into this one, there are friendships around Brooke (especially in the beginning) that I feel had I read the previous books I would have felt more in the know.
While it is true romance stories are not my genre of choice, this is just a sweet read. Honestly, I rooted for Jesse. I love the fact that Brooke runs a cupcake shop, it just feels like a sweet story and a nice place to live. I liked the characters and am drawn to read the other books just to get to know them better. In fact, I enjoyed Mariah Stewarts way with words so much that I have been checking out some of the many other series she has written.
Book Journey 