Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

by Bernard Clayton Jr.

5 stars

30th Anniversary Edition, 704 pages

Published Nov. 25, 2003 by Simon & Schuster (first published 1987)

 

I love this cook book! I got this for my birthday a few years ago and it's my go-to bread baking cookbook. It is chock-full of recipes that I actually want to bake. Everything from basic loaf bread to sopapillas, crackers, and ethnic breads.

It doesn't go extensively into method, but I wasn't looking for that. It's very easy to read, and I like Clayton's writing style. It's very down to earth and friendly. I also like how the author heartily approves of substitutions. Some authors won't even entertain the notion. 

I've made fabulous dinner rolls, bread bowls, potato rolls, sandwich bread, sweet cinnamon bread, hamburger buns, and many other recipes. I am happy to report that they all turned out exceptionally well.

This is a must-have for any serious, or wannabe serious baker.

Inheritance

Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4)

by Christopher Paolini

2 stars

860 pages

Published Nov. 8, 2011 by Alfred A. Knop

 

What a boring book. Which makes me sad and a bit mad that I spent how many hours reading and reading, just to get to an "eh" ending. But do you know what really irks me?? All the freakin' loose ends!!! Who was Angela, really? Who was the woman with the sword-fighting teen-age girl? What happens to Elva when she grows up? What about the dragons? Do Eragon and Arya ever get together? Did Jeod ever get to ride Saphira? And what happens to King Orrin? Oh, sooo many loose ends ...
This book would greatly be improved with a lengthy epilogue. An EPILOGUE, I say!!!

Heartless

Heartless (Parasol Protectorate #4)

by Gail Carriger

3 stars

385 pages

Published July 1st 2011 by Orbit

 

A solid fourth performance by Gail Carriger. I love these books! The wit, the charm, the manners! 

So why did I rate this only 3 stars? Unfortunately, the story was weak. The plot thin. In my view, the book only acted as a bridge to the next book in the series.

Yet, that major flaw was oddly easy to overlook because Carriger's writing style is so entertaining and engaging. Her vocabulary is incredibly extensive. After reading a few chapters, I always feel smarter!

I will read the next book in the series.

Floors

Floors (Floors #1)

by Patrick Carman

3 stars

261 pages

Published Sept. 1, 2011 by Scholastic Press

I read this book with my 8-year-old son as a bedtime story over the course of a few weeks. He absolutely loved this book!

He loved how the main character - Leo - went on a sort of scavenger hunt and discovered secret floors in the hotel where he lives.

My son also liked the minor robot character - Blop. He thought he was hilarious.

As an adult reading this, I can see flaws in the story and writing - mostly the blatant mirroring to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - but this does not translate into a bad book for children. Children have the ability to just enjoy a book and not analyze like adults do.

More than the book itself, I enjoyed the chance I had to read with my son. I will be checking out Number 2 in the series, because he's asked for it already. Yay!

Brisingr

Brisingr (The Inheritance Cycle #3)

by Christopher Paolini

3 stars

763 pages

Published Sept. 20, 2008 by Alfred A. Knopf

 

I re-read this book, and I have to agree with my first review of this book. SOOOOO slow!! And nothing of true substance happens. Honestly, this book could use some major condensing.

This was the slowest paced book of the three I've read. Lots of character development, but not much actually happening. I counted two battle scenes, which was far too little to keep me happy! I hope the last book will be a bit more of a page-turner.

Towering

Towering

by Alex Flinn

2 stars

293 pages 

Published May 14, 2013 by HarperTeen

I am pretty bummed I had to give this book so few stars. It had such potential - part love story, part paranormal mystery - but the execution was lacking.

"Towering" is touted as a modern re-write of the Rapunzel tale, but the only tie-in the book contains is that one of the protagonists has long hair, which she cuts to make a rope so she can escape her tower prison/safe-house. The rest is an anti-drug PA (which I'm all for: Drugs=Bad!), but it just didn't jive with the spirit of the original Rapunzel tale. That, paired with poor character development, uneven pacing, and too many unanswered questions at the abrupt and unsatisfying ending made this book an unfortunate and forgettable work.

I did dig the book cover, though.

Dream of Time

Dream of Time

by Nancy J. Price

4 stars

424 pages

Published July 9, 2013 by Synchronista LLC

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised with this debut novel by Nancy Price.

If you can get past the bland title, and the confusing beginning pages, this book will reward you with hours of entertainment and rich San Francisco history. A perfect beach read.

Time travel is a tricky subject to get right to have it be believable.  Price solves the problem and impossibility of physical time travel by having her main character’s psyche travel back and occupy the body of a girl who has “died.” Basically her “host” was brain dead, and Robin – the heroine – takes her over.

I was enthralled with the story – once I figured out what was going on. Perhaps the author meant for this confusion to be present, since it mirrors the confusion the main character deals with in the book’s opening pages. The writing flows well, and the pacing is steady and well done.

The ending was complete and logical. It was a mite predictable, but happily Price throws in a bit of an unpredictable twist to make it more interesting.

Through the entirety of the book, bits of San Francisco history are worked into the story. Obviously, the author loves the city and has a depth of knowledge to match – the book is not only a love story between a man and woman, but between an author and a city. Price has clearly done mountains of research, which only fleshes out and humanizes historical San Francisco.

I loved Robin. Price develops her protagonist extremely well. She is a modern single mother who loves her children fiercely. I connected with her on this level and could see myself thinking the same thoughts Robin does. I also admired how Robin wasn’t obsessed with greed and trying to make her “Now” self rich by abusing her “Then” status. She only wanted to help others and prevent bad things from happening to people. I’m not sure how many people presented with such an opportunity would go down that path. I’d probably invest in something!

The love story between Travis and Robin/Gennie is genuine and lovely. And I appreciated the glossed-over sex. I also respected the lack of cursing and general bawdiness that usually accompanies adult fiction – especially when there is a romance angle. This is a book I would be comfortable recommending to my friends.

I am delighted I got to read this book. A solid first performance for Price, and I genuinely hope there many encore performances from her.

Thank you NetGalley and Synchronista LLC for the opportunity to review this fabulous ARC.

Eldest

Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle #2)

by Christopher Paolini

4 stars

668 pages 

Published Aug. 23, 2005 by Alfred A. Knopf

 

A super-quick review. I re-read this book in my quest to finally finish the series. And it takes a lot for me to re-read something.
I again enjoyed it quite a bit.

But I'm hoping that all these loose ends get tied up neatly at the end.

Sleep Solutions

Sleep Solutions: Quiet Nights for You and Your Child From Birth to Five Years

by Rachel Waddilove

3 stars

 

192 pages

Published April 1st 2013 by Lion Hudson

 

I picked up this book hoping it would offer some different advice from the hundreds of other books out there written by so-called experts on getting your baby and/or child to sleep through the night. My 10-month-old still gets up once during the night wanting to eat. Even after we used the "cold turkey" method of sleep training.

Unfortunately, this book offers nothing new. It's the same advice, the same reassurances, the same everything. The only positive spin I can put on this is that since everybody is giving the same advice, it must be good advice.

In the book, Waddilove provides a rough "sleep timeline," where a parent can see approximately what a normal sleep schedule looks like. She does warn that a parent must be flexible. I agree. Flexibility is the buzz word of parenting. I wasn't a fan of the timeline idea. I felt like it was too rigid a concept to be offered in sleep solutions book. Not all babies will conform to such an idea. Nor all parents. But it can act as a decent guideline.

I do like how Waddilove is a firm, no-nonsense, yet loving, advice-giver. She is calm and confident in her reassurances. That is a definite plus for us sleep-deprived, half-crazy parents. I also appreciate her little spirituality blurb at the end of the book. It's refreshing to be reminded that our little angels are not "of the devil!" - even if they act like it sometimes.

I do like the way that the book is divided into chapters: each stage of growth is pinpointed, with special emphasis on newborns and the first year. So you can zero in on your child's age and see exactly what Waddilove says your child should be doing.

Also positively, at the end of each chapter, she relates a couple of case studies of people who successfully got their child to sleep better by using Waddilove's advice. While these testimonials help give hope to those of us who have a "waker," it also can be a source of depression - "Why can't MY baby be like that? Why don't these solutions work for me?"

Although this sleep book is organized well and provides the same advice as any other sleep solutions book, it just doesn't provide anything MORE. But it does give parents another resource to validate what all other "sleep experts" are saying.

Thank you NetGalley and Lion Hudson Plc for the opportunity to review this book.

Beautiful Darkness

Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles #2)

by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

3 stars

503 pages

Published Oct. 12, 2010 by Little, Brown and Company

The second book in the "Beautiful Creatures" series was ... well, gothic, dark, depressing, sad and at time really confusing. But it was also pretty thick on plot and character development - yay! I thought it was well done, mostly. There were problems with a few things: 1) Pacing was molasses at times, especially at the beginning. I almost quit the book 40 pages in, I was so bored. There's only so much self-loathing I can take from a character. 2) The book was so flippin' looooong. I mean, 500 pages?? The book definitely could have used an editor who ain't shy with her "delete" key.
That being said, it wasn't unreadable. It WAS entertaining and clever; it just wasn't a stay-up-all-night page-turner.
Some new baddies are introduced in this book - ones with strange superpowers and abilities that defy "the order of things." And that helped move things along.
I wonder if I'll read Number 3. I've actually got it already. Let's see if it grabs me.

One Hundred Candles

One Hundred Candles (Past Midnight #2)

by Mara Purnhagen

3 stars

240 pages
Published Feb. 15, 2011 by Harlequin

In all honesty, I probably should give this 2.5 stars, but since I liked the first one pretty well, I'll bump it up.

This book was not quite like the first one. It was much, much more dark. The "entity" bugging the main character was not a sad 16 year old.

The book was creepy, which if that's what you are after, it will fit the bill. I'll actually probably read the next in the series if I can find it.

Emblaze (The Violet Eden Chapters #3) by Jessica Shirvington

Emblaze (The Violet Eden Chapters #3)

by Jessica Shirvington

3 stars

415 pages

Published October 11th 2011 by Hachette

I liked this book, the third installment in the "Entice" series. But for some reason, I was thinking this was the last book and was all excited to finally see Violet get to be with who she is meant to be with. But nope, I was was sadly mistaken. Plus there's a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, not a horrid one, but one that will prevent me from ignoring the rest of the series.
I hope the next book will be the last. It's difficult to follow a series when each new book comes out a year or two later. That's why I've given up on some series such as L.A. Meyer's "Jacky Faber" books. Ten books and counting. Crazy.

Entice

Entice (The Violet Eden Chapters #2)

by Jessica Shirvington

3 stars

 
438 pages

Published Sept. 4, 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire (first published Mar. 29, 2011)

I suppose this was a good book. It had all the required elements for an exciting paranormal YA novel. Action, star-crossed lovers, strong(ish) female main character. But it wasn't fabulous. I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that the "bad" boy got shafted in the love triangle (stupid love triangle!!). Maybe it was that the writing was a bit rough. Maybe it was that the plot wasn't fleshed out well enough for me. Definitely part of it was all the unnecessary swearing.
Despite these flaws, I read the book in two days. And I'll probably read the rest in the series.

Past Midnight

Past Midnight (Past Midnight #1)

by Mara Purnhagen 

3 stars

216 pages 
Published Sept. 1, 2010 by Harlequin Teen 

If you like the TV show Ghost Hunters, this book is a must-read. It has all the lingo used on the show - EVPs, apparitions, de-bunking, etc. So brush up before you pick this up.
I liked it pretty well. Ghost stories are always better when you read them. And this had a spooky, yet lovely plot.

Above World

Above World (Above World #1)

by Jenn Reese

4 stars

368 pages
Published Feb. 14, 2012 by Candlewick Press

Finally a book with a new, fresh idea! Those are harder to come by in YA literature nowadays. Most books gravitate toward vampires or werewolves. Thanks for that, Stefanie.

This story revolves around a girl who is a "mermaid" who tries to save her people (a genetically-altered people who live in the sea, and "breathe" water with the aid of technology), because the technology is started to fail. She embarks on a journey "above world" - which is to say, air and land, to find allies.

I don't want to give too much away, though. It's a good read. 

Recommend.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

5 stars

 
274 pages

Published July 29, 2008, by The Dial Press

 

I've read this book twice, which is rare for me. I don't usually deem a book good enough to spend time on twice, but this one did! And still does. I expect I will re-read it in the future, I loved it that much! I wish Mary Ann Shaffer were still around to write more fantastic books.
Here are my two reviews:

The first:
I rarely give 5 stars to any book, but I really loved this book! It was clean and uplifting - I would recommend it to my sisters and maybe even my mom. I liked the happy ending. I wish more books had that.

The second:
I just reread this book. And I still absolutely give it 5 stars! I think it's one of my favorite books ever. Wonderful, witty, poignant, informative. Love, love it! Please read it. Recommend to all!

At Home

At Home: A Short History of Private Life

by Bill Bryson 

3 stars

497 pages

Published Oct. 5, 2010 by Doubleday

 

I've given up on this book, which is sad because what I did read, I liked. It was just too long and too verbose, and I just couldn't get into it enough to read it all the way through.

The book details each room in Bryson's home in England, its history and reasons for the room's existence. I didn't even mind the various tangents Bryson travels on - since there is only so much information you can tell relating directly to a hall or kitchen, etc. Each chapter is chock full of trivial details all delivered in Bryson's patented dry wit. This is actually the first of his books that I haven't been able to finish.

I'm just glad I can return this book to the library and get it out of my house.

Unbroken

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

by Laura Hillenbrand

5 stars

473 pages

Published Nov. 16, 2010 by Random House

 

Wow.
What a book. Once I got into it (and that didn't take long), I couldn't put it down. Heartbreaking and inspiring. I cannot believe what this man went through - from the Olympics to POW camps. He lived a BIG life.
I recommend to everyone.

Lily Chin's Crochet Tips & Tricks

Lily Chin's Crochet Tips & Tricks: Shortcuts and Techniques Every Crocheter Should Know

by Lily Chin

2 stars

208 pages

Published Oct. 13, 2009 by Potter Craft

 

 

Whenever I'm not reading, I'm crocheting. And I love it. It keeps my hands busy while I watch a movie, you know, instead of eating ice cream or popcorn or some such. I call it my "Crochet Diet." So I try to check out any book that will help fuel my yarn addiction. I thought this book fit that bill.

Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed with it. Although this book contains a few good tricks, if you've been crocheting for a while at all, they aren't that great. Plus the writing is way too verbose and technical.

More pictures are needed! And not the drawn ones, either. Real photographs are the way. Especially beautifully photographed ones.

I'll keep looking.

The Accidental Sorcerer

The Accidental Sorcerer (Rogue Agent #1)

by K.E. Mills

1.5 stars

535 pages

Published Jan. 1, 2009 by Orbit (first published 2008)

 

 

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I was excited when it started out so great: humble magician gets a Bruce Banner-type zap and taps into huge reservoir of magic to become a super-sorcerer. Cool.
But then I started getting into the meat of the story - and it was flimsy. I wanted steak ...nah, a hamburger would have done, but all I got was tofu. Plain.

Blech.

My biggest complaint was the writing. Everything was italicized. It got annoying. The characters would talk to each other so intensely, but NOTHING was really said. (Note to authors ... overuse of italics is ANNOYING!!) And if you're British, the swearing was off the charts. And unnecessary. It did nothing to further the story.

And the characters ... ugh! The only one I even slightly liked was Monk. He was smart and funny - and mostly absent from the story, so he didn't have time to bug me! I despised Reg (the bird) intensely. She had nothing positive to say, ever. And Princess Melissande - the poster child for denial. Unlikeable characters, all. Even the minor characters were hateful.

I will not be reading anymore in this series.