Book Journey

Gretel and The Case Of The Missing Frog Prints by PJ Brackston and read by Kate Reading

Published on February 17, 2016March 31, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

No, not my typical read/listen… but a story based off Hansel and Gretel,

a play on words in the title and that cover… how could I pass the temptation? ~Sheila

Many years have passed since Hansel and Gretel had that fateful day the witch lured them to her house made of cake and candy. Sadly, not a whole lot has changed.

Since that sugary encounter, neither Hans (yes he goes by Hans now) and Gretel (now 35) have had a hard time with their eating habits….both of them craving sweets constantly and always up for a bite to eat.

When Albrecht Dürer the Much Much Younger’s valuable frog prints go missing, he does not hesitate to call the best Private Investigator money can buy, Gretel. Yes, THAT Gretel. Gretel leaps at the chance to take on such a case, bribing her hefty brother to go with her with the fact that the city’s Annual Sausage Festival will be taking place around the area she will be investigating.

Having grown up on stories like Hansel and Gretel (which now come to think of it is a HORRIFYING story of attempted cannibalism) I was interested in exploring an adult version of the siblings. I listened to this on audio with narration by Kate Reading which was a big plus for the story.

I initially thought I would be listening to a middle grade (MG) story but please note, depending on the child, this may not be for them. There is a part of the story where Gretel is undercover in a Brothel for a time. I have to add, completely unnecessary to the story line and without that the book would have been wonderful for middle grade children as there are encounters with talking mice, and solving the crime itself would be something I would think children would have fun figuring out.

For the reasons I mention above, I was disappointed. I looked on-line and did not see on the sites I looked at any age suggestions for this book. While nothing is really said to make this book inappropriate, an inquiring child may inquire what a brothel is. This is entirely my opinion as all my reviews. What initially I thought I could promote as a family listen on a car trip, in the end I cannot say that.

Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 8 hours and 14 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Audible.com Release Date: January 15, 2015

Morning Meanderings… The Wine and Words 2016 Line Up

Published on February 17, 2016February 17, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

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Wednesday and I just keep adding to my “to do’s.” It is for that reason, I am always excited when I check a big task off and I can d that now with the 2016 Author Line Up for Wine and Words. It is our 4th year of doing this event and I enjoy the little details of making this work SO MUCH.

When it comes to finding the author mix I use several different methods to choose who to invite:

Watch best-selling book lists
Watch sites like Goodreads and Amazon for reviews
Recommendations from people in our community
Our local Book Store. I speak with the employees about what people are asking for.
At least 2 of the authors we try to be Minnesota authors.
YOU. My trusted book loving friends who review some pretty sweet books.

Next I am looking for a diverse genre mix. I want the authors to appeal to different people. For instance, perhaps the North shore mysteries that William Kent Krueger and his protagonist Cork do not speak to you, but Kathleen McCleary’s women’s literature does. In many of the cases, at the time of lining up the Wine and Words authors, I have not read them myself. It is always fun to introduce even myself to new authors.

So…. here they are. 2016 Wine and Words:

Brian Freeman is an international bestselling author of psychological suspense novels. His books have been sold in 46 countries and 20 languages and have appeared as Main Selections in the Literary Guild and the Book of the Month Club. His seventh novel SPILLED BLOOD won the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the annual Thriller Awards presented by the International Thriller Writers organization, and his fifth novel THE BURYING PLACE was a finalist for the same award. His sixth novel THE BONE HOUSE was a finalist for Best Audiobook of the Year in Thriller/Suspense.

“This guy can tell a story,” says bestselling author Michael Connelly.

Helen Klein Ross is the author of What Was Mine, a novel published in January by Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books, a People magazine pick for “Best of 2016”. Her novel Making It: A Novel Of Madison Avenue (Gallery Books, 2013) is an e-book that experiments with digital epilogue. She is the creator and editor of The Traveler’s Vade Mecum, a crowd-sourced poetry anthology forthcoming in September from Red Hen Press. Her poetry, essays and fiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times and in The Iowa Review where she won the Iowa Review Award for Poetry in 2014. Helen spent decades as a writer/creative director at global ad agencies on both coasts. She graduated from Cornell University and received an MFA from The New School. She lives with her husband in Manhattan and Salisbury, CT.

New York Times Bestselling novelist Joshilyn Jackson is the author of six novels: Someone Else’s Love Story , gods in Alabama, Between, Georgia, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, Backseat Saints, and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages, won SIBA’s novel of the year, three times been a #1 Book Sense Pick, twice won Georgia Author of the Year, and three times been shortlisted for the Townsend prize.

A former actor, Jackson reads the audio versions of her novels; her work in this field has been nominated for the Audie Award, was selected by AudioFile Magazine for their best of the year list, has made the 2012 Audible All-Star list for highest listener ranks/reviews, and garnered three Listen Up Awards from Publisher’s Weekly. In 2012 Jackson began reading the audio versions of books written by other novelists, beginning with Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer.

Allen Eskens is the award-winning author of The Life We Bury, published in October of 2014. It was named one of the best books of the year by Suspense Magazine and MysteryPeople and was named a finalist for six different awards including the prestigious Edgar Award. His second novel, The Guise of Another is out in October of 2015.

Allen Eskens grew up in the wooded hills of Missouri and, after high school, migrated north to pursue his education. He acquired a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Minnesota, and a Juris Doctorate from Hamline University School of Law.

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Devonshire Scream, her 17th Tea Shop Mystery, releases March 1, 2016. Little Girl Gone, the first book in her Afton Tangler Thriller Series written under her real name of Gerry Schmitt, releases July 5, 2016. In her previous life she was CEO of Mission Critical Marketing (with offices in Minneapolis and Austin, TX), authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a U of M professor of Chinese art history, enjoys travel, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

There they are! Glad to have the line up in place! Thanks to a great team and a great venue to work with, the rest of it comes fairly easy.

the good liar by nicholas searle

Published on February 16, 2016February 16, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Roy is not too hard on the eyes for a man in his 80’s. He can carry on a friendly conversation and he knows how to put someone at ease. When he meets Betty through an online dating service, that is exactly what Betty see’s in Roy. A nice polite older man that she would not mind spending time with. In fact, much to Betty’s family surprise, Roy is soon living with her.

There is of course more to Roy than meets the eye. Roy is a long time con artist. He has spent a lifetime of finding ways to separate people from their money and if he does say so himself, he is good at it. Betty is financially set and thankfully Roy thinks, she is not a bad looking woman for her age which is a little bonus while he works his way into her finances.

Betty is just happy to have someone to spend her golden years with. She is willing to overlook the little things, like the mess that Roy makes just about every time he uses the bathroom, or how he disappears to take long walks when ever she is cleaning up around the house, and even how her grandson has a feeling that something about Roy isn’t quite on the up and up…

Words that come to mind: Disconcerting, page turner, twisted.

Entering in to the pages of The Good Liar I felt I had an idea of what it was about and where it would go.

I was wrong.

While I encountered a story of deception and lies, I truly had no idea as to what length this would go in. Roy is one of those people that ooze dishonesty. He truly is a perfect unlikable character. He has no qualms in who he hurts to achieve his goals and is one of those people who for the most part remain emotionless. I am pretty sure there were many parts of this book I real with a scowl on my face. Boo! Bad guy! Boo!

But…

there is more to this story.

I found the book to be engaging. I turned the pages quickly wondering where the story would go. As the story unfolds many of the chapters take you back in time to Roy in previous years, in previous scams…. some of these chapters in the way they were written I found to be a bit choppy. The time line was not always disclosed and especially in the earlier chapters as I was getting a feel for the read, I found it would take me a page or two into a chapter t get where this was taking place and when. As I tend to like a faster paced read (mostly), there were parts of this book that felt as though it was more wordy than it needed to be. That said, I still found The Good Liar to be worth my time. It is the type of story that you hear about happening in real life; however I have never read any fiction based on this story line.

That, I found refreshing.

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Harper (February 2, 2016)

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to

spend time in a bit of a twisty turny world of Roy and Betty.

Morning Meanderings…. SPOILER Alert

Published on February 16, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

The older posts that seem to create the most attention here at Book Journey are the SPOILER pages. I created SPOILER pages back in 2010 when I wanted so badly to talk openly about a book experience but could not put what I wanted to say in a review for fear of ruining the book for someone who had not read it. I even made a Sample Spoiler Page so those who were choosing to read a spoiler page knew EXACTLY what to expect.

I don’t use it often, only when I absolutely have more to say about a book and want to be able to talk about it freely with those who have read it.

On February 6th of this year, my Spoiler Page for Me Before You by JoJo Moyes received 3,978 views. It is not unusual for a spoiler page to pick up interest when it is going to be a movie, but this still surprised me. When Gone Girl first became a big deal with the movie following, that spoiler page was receiving close to 5,000 views a day for close to a month.

Recently the ROOM Spoiler Page had a rise in views as well which makes sense due to the upcoming release of the movie. Hot topic on that post? Breast feeding. Always has been.

I love spoiler discussions because they are kind of like a book club. You all have already read the book. There is a good chance in a great read that you have an opinion. It is fun to vent, share, show your love or hate for a book. Strong emotions are what drives a great spoiler page.

Come to think of it, I am due for a read like that. Have you read anything lately that is Spoiler Page Worthy? A book that you just want to talk about?

Morning Meanderings…. Weekend Project and Thinking about BOOKS

Published on February 15, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

Monday! In an odd way, I have been looking forward to this one. In the past weeks, months, I have felt like I have been moving through pea soup. Everything seems to take twice as long to accomplish. My brain has felt foggy, it has been hard to hold a thought and while I had ideas and plans, they tended to fizzle out and I would easily lose the desire for them.

For someone who has always thrived on ideas and making things happen… this has been concerning.

Yet – something has always remained true throughout all my life trials. I always seem to dig up that desire to DO again. It crinkles up in the corner of my brain, ideas… projects…. ways to connect people….

Even now. This time around when I was not sure what would become of me as I battle through day-to-day fighting off depression and debilitating grief…

the ideas are itching at the corners of my vision and I feel as though I now can start to grasp them and MOVE. In a way it is a sigh of relief.

I have not reached this alone, nor do I think I would have. I have been blessed and surrounded by many friends, family, and a community that has wrapped its arms around Al, Brad, and I and helped us. I have had so many opportunities to be with people and cry and be sad and share this deep sadness. It is through that, that I have began to maybe not heal – but level out somewhat. I know my limitations, and I stick with them. I do not put myself in situations that I know will be hard on me. It means saying to things that at one time I would not have missed. I know this will be a lifelong healing process and I am ok with that. My kid is worth every tear.

And that I have learned, is ok.

Ok – if I keep going this direction I will have to change the post title 🙂

Over a nice fairly quiet weekend I worked on a project for our home.

I found the pieces on Amazon. The 12 picture frames, the clock piece, and the vinyl saying. I picked out the pics from the stash I have and used the top of one of our 20 gallon crock nightstands to make the circle.

Then….

it all went on the wall.

It was fun to do and I LOVE it.

On the bookish side of this post, I have been working on Gatsby things, finalizing Wine and Words author line up, book sale in March prep, and that inkling in my head? It is bringing out plans for an Edible Book Fair, Harry Potter event plans with the new book, A fall book club in a bar called something like Books and Brews, a possible Author breakfast…..

I am in here – somewhere.

Saturday Snapshot and Weekend Cooking w/ The Bookies

Published on February 13, 2016February 13, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

Saturday morning. Saturday has always been my favorite day of the week. When I was younger it was the day of no school (and no school the next day to worry about!) and when I grew up (term used loosely) it was the day off of work, home with my kids, and no work or school the next day. Now I still like Saturdays. They have become the day that Al and I usually go out for a while in the late afternoon to a movie or for appetizers, or to some other adventure. I like that we take the time to connect when even now with me at home, we still are busy running in different directions during the week.

This past Tuesday our book club met for the review of The Life We Bury. There are many things I adore about our book club and the little extras we do really make me smile. With the protagonist being from Austin Minnesota, the home of SPAM, we had some fun. Here are a couple of recipes that you could use when you read the book, or just because you are fascinated with meat in a can like I am. 🙂 I am posting these recipes for weekend cooking.

SPLIDERS (SPAM Sliders)

You will need:

a package of Hawaiian rolls

a can of SPAM

a package of Swiss Cheese slices

butter

onion

a tasty mustard

Set over temp to 350 degrees. Open up each Hawaiian roll and lightly butter. Slice SPAM into 1/4 inch slices and place one slice on each roll. slice in half of fourths (depending on your cheese size) the Swiss cheese and place a slice on each roll on the spam. Add a little slice of onion, optional. Place all rolls in a 13 x 9 cake pan and place in oven until cheese is melted and sandwich is hot to the touch – 7 to 10 minutes. Serve hot with the mustard or mayo. Great for a movie night or any gathering.

I personally was surprised that I liked these. I have SPAM memories as a kid and I think that was the last time I ate it. SPAM today is not like SPAM was then, the jelly coating I remember around the meat that grossed me out is no longer there. The sandwiches were actually tasty and if I had not known it was SPAM I don’t think I would have guessed.

Cheesy Baby Reds (as found on the SPAM website)

Ingredients

1 12-ounce can SPAM^® Classic, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
12 ounces whipped pimento spread
24 baby red potatoes, cut in half
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped chives, for garnish
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. In large skillet, in butter, heat the SPAM® Classic until lightly browned. Drain well.
Whip the pimento cheese spread in a blender until smooth. Place pimento cheese spread in a large bowl. Add the SPAM® Classic (reserve about 1/3 for garnish) and diced red bell pepper.
Thoroughly wash and clean the potatoes. Cut in half and scoop out the center of each with a spoon or Parisian scoop. Mix the olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Coat the potato halves with the mixture and place on a baking sheet, cut side down. Bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes or until soft when pierced with a knife.
Remove from oven and fill center with the SPAMento™ cheese mixture. Garnish the filled potatoes with the reserves SPAM® Classic, chives and a dusting of cayenne pepper, if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 48.

These were so good and I would totally make these!

As for a little Saturday Snapshot, I thought I would add a picture of our dogs this past week. Bailey(the white one) is 18 years old. Really, the miracle dog. A couple of years ago he started having seizures and then after a month they went away and we did not see him have another one until last month. It is horrible to see, but remarkably he comes out of them and goes on like nothing happened. The vet says he is not suffering in any way, he is not in pain and lives for his age a healthy lifestyle. Sammy ( the black one) has just recently taken to hanging out with Bailey a bit more. This was a cute picture of sleeping close together. Almost like Sammy is protecting him or being supportive.

Along The Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams

Published on February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

Beatriz Williams is an author I was introduced to a little over a year ago. Her books open worlds I have not walked in but love the opportunity to join her rich vibrant characters on their journeys… this book, like her others, is a treasure to embrace.~Sheila

Pepper Schuyler has the world by the tail in 1966. She is beautiful and she knows it. She is confident, and captures side ways glances from most men when she walks into a room. She is also, currently, pregnant. No worries though, Pepper has recently restored a beautiful vintage Mercedes that has just sold for an astonishing price. This, Pepper thinks, will set her and the baby up nicely.

Annabelle Dommerich is thrilled with her new car purchase. Sure, she paid way too much, but this particular car and she have a history and that makes it all worth it. And when she meets the young and vibrant Pepper, Annabelle almost has to laugh, Pepper reminds her so much of herself when she was that age.

Annabelle takes an astounded Pepper under her wing and invites Pepper to stay with her. And as the two women become fast friends, Annabelle’s story unfolds, of house parties, an injured acquaintance, a Nazi husband, a Jewish lover, and a hair raising escape in one Mercedes years ago.

Ahhhhh. Reading (or listening in this case) Beatriz Williams books is something that I find hard to describe. The stories are vivid and of a time I have not lived, but the writing makes me wish I had. I enjoy reading about protagonists like Pepper, strong-willed women of a time when strong women were the exception.

The Infinite Sea is told in the time of Pepper and Annabelle meeting one another in the 60’s, with Annabelle’s story of her own youth being weaved in throughout the book. It is a brilliant read. One I personally devoured every chance I could get.

I listened to this on audio, Kathleen McInerney is a narrator I have enjoyed before and she has the perfect narrative voice for this book. Highly enjoyable.

Note: There are other books featuring the Schuyler sisters (Pepper is one of three). To my understanding this is actually the third book, I believe each book stands on their own and I did not feel that I needed the other two books to make sense of this one. The other books would be: The Secret Like of Violet Grant and Tiny Little Thing. Both books, I hope to enjoy sometime soon.

Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 15 hours and 43 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Audible.com Release Date: November 3, 2015

Becoming Steve Jobs by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli

Published on February 11, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Steve Jobs has been called many things from genius to jerk. When it came to his work life and his vision he did not care if you were family, friend, or person who could make his life a whole lot easier. He was focused to a fault. He was outspoken, irritating, irrational, and cocky. So how did such a man who was even fired from his own company, make such a big impact on the way we live today? How did someone like this carry a vision that literally has employed millions of people all over the world and his products become practically a household staple?

Statements taken from those who knew Steve well from family members, friends, co workers and competitors, paint a picture of Steve and it is not necessarily the one you think. Here you will learn about the man who struggled with his failings and worked to maximize his strengths. Always ambitious, always forward thinking, Steve Jobs.

If you have hung around here long you probably know I have been fascinated with Steve Jobs for a long time. I have read many books and listened to many audio about this man. I don’t condone the way he treated people – but much like in my own life, when I see someone acting out or in a way I find aggressive, I always wonder what the underlying story is. I have felt this way about Steve. I believe another reason I like reading about him is that I LOVE the fact that he was not necessarily the brains behind the company. He was the visionary and what he could not do himself, he found people who had the power to take his vision and make it real. I too love to come up with the “what if’s” and bring other people into that vision to make it a reality. I hope I don’t do it as aggressively as Steve, but I sure hope I tap into that passion.

Honestly, no matter how you feel about the man – I think most of us have to admit to owning an Apple product or an IPAD, IPOD, IPHONE, ITunes… Think of how our world has changed around these products…. think about how we connect so much more than we once did, and how Steve’s vision raised the bar for all who follow in his footsteps to make the next big thing.

I did thoroughly enjoy this book. As I mentioned, I have read much on Steve Jobs and this book was not rehashing the same information. This book, personalized him and I really liked that. It gave me more insight in to why Steve was the way he was. I liked hearing about the man behind the hype. This book will take you from the start of Apple, to the competitors he battled as well as friended, all the way to his final battle with cancer, that sadly, he did not win.

I listened to this on audio with George Newbern narrating. It was a wonderful insightful listen that I would encourage anyone to take the time and listen to. No matter what your opinion of Steve, I feel the world suffered a great loss of a man with amazing vision and an ability to have others respond to his vision.

Listening Length: 16 hours and 21 minutes

Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (March 24, 2015)

Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Crown Business; First edition (March 24, 2015)

Morning Meanderings…. A New Harry Potter Book? I Am Not Sure…

Published on February 11, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

I swear some days my sheltered world surprises me.

I am not a newspaper reader. I am not a news on TV watcher. I do not follow any website for the “happenings” in our world – either entertainment wise or real world stuff. I used to…. but now my world is all a little too real and raw and so I miss much of what is going on unless someone tells me. I like living in my Hobbit Hole.

And that is how I missed hearing about the new Harry Potter book.

and honestly, I am not sure how I feel about it.

Of course back when the books were coming out and we were drawing to a close in book 7….. I wanted more. Shoot – who didn’t? Yet as time went on it became a household discussion here. I still wanted JK Rowling to find a loop hole in her ending and bring the story back…. perhaps the rebuilding of Hogwarts and continue the story through the next generation, Harry’s, Ron’s Malfoy’s kids. I honestly wanted to keep the magic going…

and Justin did not.

When we talked here, Justin (wiser than me and clearly less muggle in him) knew that continuing the story would only create dissatisfaction. The books were too good, he would tell me. They are better off left as is.

And as time went on, as much as it pained me to admit it, I began to agree with him.

So here we are.

In case any of you were as oblivious as me (thank you for that if you were) here is the basics of what I know:

JK Rowling, after years of saying there would not be a continuing story, has indeed written an 8th book that will release as the others did, on midnight of July 31st. As I type this, there is a lump in my throat because it was Justin and I who would plan crazy things to grab the book hot off the shelves at midnight each release. I have to wonder, how I do it this year.

To my understand, as I try to catch up, there is a play in London with the same title as the book. The push was that HP fans who were unable to get to London to see the play wanted a book so they too can be a part on this experience. JK Rowling and the Publisher Little Brown came to an agreement to give the fans what they wanted.

The official synopsis is:

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

It’s new. Admittedly it is exciting. And of course for me, a bit sad. “It’s happening,” I think…. and I have to do this one alone.

What do you think of this new development? Are you YAY for it? Or NAY leave it alone? Is Rita Skeeter retired now? What ever happened to Hagrid? I would love to know your thoughts. 🙂

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens – Bookie Book Club Review

Published on February 10, 2016February 10, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

I recently reviewed the book The Life We Bury. This post is my book clubs review.

I was excited for this review and curious what the Bookies would think about this read by a Minnesota author, centered around a college student, an autistic brother, a non reliable mother, and a dying murderer.

Our discussion was really centered around the character development in the story. Each of the characters are well-developed, something we agreed that we like in our reading. We had a chance to get to know everyone represented – and each of them had something in their life that they buried. It really made the title so appropriate, after all… don’t we all have something in our life that we bury, work to keep from resurfacing?

We felt as a whole that book was one that was easy to fall right into. From page one many of us sank right into the smooth writing. While the group felt over all that the story was a little predictable, no one faulted the book because it was such a well written read.

Each of the characters that surround this book have a story. Some, as in most books, we were able to see flush out more than others. Author Allen Eskens however gave us enough bread crumbs on the less developed characters to see who they really were as well.

Over all the book for us rated a solid 4 out of 5. We enjoyed the book and enjoyed the Minnesota setting which we found familiar. Plus… we learned a little more about SPAM. 😉

Why Does This Book Make For A Good Book Club Read?

The life We Bury provides a Midwestern setting that is evenly paced. The book never feels overly hurried, giving readers a chance to really sink into the character development.
There are great opportunities to discuss what we feel we bury in our own lives – either past or presently.
The fact that our protagonist Joe is from Austin Minnesota, the home of SPAM (which Joe states in the book) opens up some fun opportunities for your group to explore SPAM either through cooking or through trivia. Our group did a little of both 🙂

Discussion Questions and ideas for your group

Above: We had fun finding food that went with the book. Thai Curry spam meatballs, spam with cheese and red potatoes, fish to represent the fishing in the book, and lots of yummy extras of wild rice soup, bread, bars, dips, crackers, bread and cheesecake.

Note: The sandwiches upper right were my quick recipe of wanting to make something with SPAM. They were Hawaiian rolls, spam, and Swiss cheese. I heated them in the oven until the cheese melted. I called them SPAMwiches, Spliders (SPAM Sliders), and SPAM burgers. 😉