holiday reading

Looks like I've actually put away quite a few books since I last posted a list. The first was "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer. I read "Into Thin Air" several years ago and had mixed feelings about it when I was done. I felt the same with this book. It was interesting - but...

I have the movie on my Netflix list - it will be available in February - and maybe reading the book will give me a better appreciation of the movie - or vice versa. I think maybe it's that his writing is very intense, and I feel totally drained when I'm done.


"The View from Mount Joy" by Lorna Landvik was good. Landvik is from the Twin Cities, so I have a built-in interest in her books. I don't think she's the best author I read - but I usually enjoy reading her. This was like that - yeah, read it - but don't expect it to be the highlight of the year for you. (Wow - makes you wonder why I'm doing this post, doesn't it????)

Now, William Kent Krueger, I'm totally into. I have the next two Cork O'Connor books sitting on my little table - I can't wait to get at them. He tells a really good tale - and I totally love all of the Native American info he includes.

This is the third Baldacci book I've read - and I'm a fan. This was a really good one. Mark has read two of them and likes them also.

This is the second in a trilogy by Louise Penny - "A Fatal Grace" - I love her books!!! I love the people in her stories - I love the little town she sets her stories in - READ THESE!!! I just received an email notice from our library that her third book is on order - they're only getting 7 copies, but I am number 3 on the list - yay!! I can't wait.

This is the first book I've read by Jodi Picoult - but now she's on my radar. "My Sister's Keeper" was a great book - parts were very hard to read - parts were so uplifting. It's a story of a family whose second child develops a rare form of leukemia - and basically they choose to have a "designer baby" to help her. I can't imagine the choices families have to make when they're faced with this - but this book deals with it beautifully.

a cozy mystery and a cookbook

I just finished a delightful book that Nan at "Letters from a Hill Farm" ( lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com ) recommended awhile ago. "Still Life" by Louise Penny is a cozy mystery. www.suite101.com/article.cfm/detective_fiction/97341 describes cozy mysteries as:

"Traditionally, the cozy was a British novel featuring sweet elderly women and other harmless protagonists. Now, however, cozies take place in every place and time. The genre is gradually broadening as popularity increases. Most cozies are written for women and are a series, probably appealing to women who once thrived on Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. "

There's more if you want to read it. But this could be an apt description for why I like them. This book is set in a small town outside Montreal, Quebec. It's picturesque, the characters are wonderfully quirky and likeable, and the book has just enough French interspersed to make me feel like my French lessons are paying off. (Don't worry, if you read the book, you'll understand the French whether you have studied it or not!) This is book one of a trilogy - I just requested book two at the library - can't wait to see what happens next!

Trailhead at "Mountain Time" ( mountaintimeblog.blogspot.com ) requested the recipe for the pot pie I had in my last post. It's from "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook." I bought this cookbook about 3 years ago, and I love it! It has homey, everyday recipes - that always seem to turn out perfect. Everything I've made from it so far has turned into one of our favorites.

CHICKEN POT PIE

Serves 6 to 8

Total time 1 hour 10 minutes

4 tbsp unsalted butter

3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 onion, minced

salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp minced fresh thyme

or 1/2 tsp dried

1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c dry sherry

3 c low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 c heavy cream

2 bay leaves

pepper

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts,

trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (uncooked)

1 c frozen peas

2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

Pie dough or Cream Biscuit dough

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes.

Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Stir in flour. Slowly whisk in the sherry. Stir in the broth, cream and bay leaves.

Simmer until the mixture is thickened, about 10 minutes.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir the chicken into the sauce and continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Discard bay leaves and stir in the peas and parsley.

Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

If using pie dough, roll it out into a 15x13 inch rectangle and drape over the dish and trim.

If using biscuit dough, cut the dough into eight 3-inch biscuits and lay over the filling.

(Note: the filling must be hot when you put the pastry or biscuits on top or the topping will be gummy.)

Bake until the topping is a golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

CREAM BISCUITS

Makes 8

2 c all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 c heavy cream

Heat oven to 450 degrees (if just making biscuits).

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.

Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until the dough forms, about 30 seconds. (Do not overmix)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Pat dough into a 3/4-inch-thick circle. Cut the biscuits into rounds or wedges.

If making biscuits (not pot pie), bake until golden brown - about 15 minutes.

books, books, books, and a movie

I haven't done a book post for awhile - and I've read some good ones. "When Crickets Cry" by Charles Martin was really good. It was a bittersweet story about a man's struggle to survive after his wife's death - and a young girl's friendship giving him a chance for redemption. His story is told in flashbacks which I found very effective.

"The New Year's Quilt" by Jennifer Chiaverini is the latest installment in the Elm Creek Quilters series. It fleshes out a lot of stories that we've read in previous books about Sylvia Compson - and does it very nicely.

For a long time I avoided John Grisham books - I felt that after his first 2 or 3, he was writing for the movies. But his later books have redeemed him in my opinion. This one is not a lawyer book - it's about an NFL player who doesn't survive the NFL - and finds himself in Parma, Italy playing in the "Pizza League." I decided to read "Playing for Pizza" because the first time I went to Europe, I accompanied Mark on a business trip to Parma. We enjoyed our visit there - and I enjoyed reading this accounting of some of the sights I saw when we were in Italy. A light read, but entertaining.

This year, ABC has a Friday night show called "The Women's Murder Club" - that is based on James Patterson's mystery series. I watched the first TV show and liked the characters and started reading the series. I'm on the waiting list at the library for the 7th one now. The main characters are very fun and Patterson tells a great story.

I liked his writing so much that I also started his Alex Cross series - "Along Came a Spider" is the first in the series. I just finished it and enjoyed Alex Cross and the story a lot. I'm totally into mysteries right now, and I'm enjoying Patterson's stories.

Another writer that I just started reading is David Baldacci. I had read several reviews on blogs praising his books, so when I found "Saving Faith" on a garage sale this summer, I picked it up.

That book was so good, I requested "Absolute Power" at the library. I'm about halfway through it right now. Baldacci is excellent!

Another favorite writer that I don't think I've blogged about is Vince Flynn. He lives in the Twin Cities and his books are also excellent. His protagonist is an undercover CIA agent.

Over the weekend, we watched "Hairspray." Too funny. Seeing John Travolta and Christopher Walken in drag is worth the price of admission!

Some good reading

A Thousand Splendid Suns is Khaled Hosseini's second book. It tells the story of life in Afghanistan through the eyes of two women - from their childhood to adulthood. It's a beautifully written book. I find it almost impossible to imagine the life he describes - which I think is why I enjoyed this book so much. It made me laugh and cry - and most of all think.

Nora Roberts is one of my all-time favorite writers. I love the way she develops her characters and her story lines. I have honestly never been disappointed in one of her books! Her newest release is High Noon. It's another winner in my opinion.

summer reading

Bought this book at a garage sale last Thursday. Finished it yesterday so my mom could take it with her when they leave this week.

This was Barbara Parker's first book - a nice little murder mystery. She's now written several other books using the same characters. I love reading series books - I'm always a little sad when a book ends if I've enjoyed the characters.

I enjoyed her writing style and the story. I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series at the library.

fun summer reading

I finished Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews, and I'm now 2/3 of the way through Savannah Breeze.

This is great summer reading!! Fun characters - crazy plots - and very easy reading.

must get photos

I have a zillion things blooming in the gardens, but can't seem to find the time to take photos! Maybe tomorrow. I've been busy pulling seaweed from the lake, working on my paying jobs, and watering, watering, watering. Love the summer weather, but gardens are very thirsty.



However, I did find time to read this new book by Deborah Crombie - "Water Like a Stone." I love her books. They are English mysteries - there's a name for the type of story she writes, but it's late and it escapes me now... Anyway, she has a series of books starring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James - and I would recommend reading them in order. I have totally enjoyed each and every one so far - and this latest one was great.


Happy Belated Birthday, Mike! I'm a slug, but will be calling you soon - promise!

house of sand and fog

I just finished House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. What an intense, powerful novel this is. We watched the DVD a year or so ago, and I was impressed with it, but guess I didn't realize it was based on a novel. It's not that you will actually enjoy this book - it is NOT light summer reading, but he writes very powerfully. I wanted to shout at the characters, "don't do that!" I cared about the characters and I read it like you would watch a train wreck. The ending is inevitable (although not what you will probably expect), but you can't tear your eyes away.

I have two books waiting at the library for me - Savannah Blue, which has been recommended by Lynne at http://www.lynneslittlecorner.blogspot.com and Zoey at http://www.perennialpassion.blogspot.com as good summer reading! And a new novel by Deborah Crombie, an author I discovered this last year and absolutely love.

I think after House of Sand and Fog, these two will be very welcome!!!

buds yesterday, blooms today

This has been the most fragrant year. The lilacs earlier were wonderful. And now the roses and bearded iris are fabulous. When the wind is right, the house is filled with a wonderful scent, and the yard and gardens even more so. It's great!

This is Carefree Beauty - yesterday I showed you a closed bud. This was one of the first roses I purchased - many years ago. It's been moved a few times, and just keeps on keepin' on. It has a slight fragrance - some days very fragrant, other days not. I love it.

This is the Japanese or anemone peony that I showed just opening yesterday. I don't think I ever really knew the name of it. It's one of my favorites - I love the single bloom - so loose and blowsy. It reminds me of a girl at a summer dance.

This isn't a great photo - I really do have to learn to use this camera more effectively!! But wanted to show you how much prettier the fountain is with blooming things at its base. Here you see Marie Bugnet rose and the Japanese peony. It would have been good if I'd cleaned the fountain and turned it on too, no doubt!

This is Marie Boisselot again - these blooms are the size of my hand - just huge. (Well, my hands aren't THAT big, but you get the idea - big blooms.)

One of the pretty little spiderwort plants I have scattered throughout my gardens. Such a sweet little bloom - and they have a really long bloom time. Some people don't like how wild or messy the leaves are, but they fit into my gardens perfectly.

This is Kansas again - this is really much redder in the garden - not a true red, but darker than it shows here, I think. I have it planted beside a false indigo, which is in bloom now too. The combo is very pretty. (of course every photo I've tried to get of the two together has not turned out)

This is what I did yesterday - the garden originally ended at the fairy's feet. I'm not real big on borders usually, but this shady area does have a border of variegated hosta. So I continued the border - making it deeper - and (maybe by next year!) fuller. I think I'll stick a few caladium corms (or whatever they are) in here this year just to fill it in a bit later this year.

This is Kobie's favorite chair in the yard - it's in a nice shady spot just for him. Sometimes he shares with me, but he always seems to hog most of the chair. However, if I have the super expensive cushions out on the other chairs, and he has dirty feet, those are his favorites. He's really a joy to have around.

I just finished this book - "The Divide" by Nicholas Evans. I enjoyed his previous three books, and this one was really good too. He tells a good story and really develops his characters well, I think.

May reading

I realized last night that I had neglected to post about some books I've read this month. They were pretty good, so wanted to tell you about them.



I really like William Kent Krueger. He lives in St Paul and writes mysteries. I like his writing style and the way he tells a story. I also enjoy the native American stories that he weaves into his books.





"Purgatory Ridge" and "The Devil's Bed" were both very good. ""Purgatory Ridge" is part of his Cork O'Connor series - and I would recommend reading the series in order.


"The Devil's Bed" is a stand alone novel.




Nadine mentioned reading "The Little Prince" in French for class. I know this is a classic and almost everyone has read it - but I hadn't. So I was thinking I would have a better chance of translating and knowing the storyline if I read it in English first!!! Good book.

done whining (for now)

So, earlier I did a really whiny post - it's too windy, it's too dry, I'm tired of the McMansion construction across the street, I'm very tired of all the dirt coming from said construction, I'm even more tired of all the big truck traffic and noise from said construction, the porch screens are so covered with cotton from the basswoods you can't see out, I read a good book but it was depressing, etc etc - blah, blah - yadda, yadda.

While trying to decide if I actually wanted to publish that post (because once I downloaded all these petty grievances, I didn't feel like I was going to crash after all), I went blog surfing. And found one called Beach(s) that is filled with gorgeous photos of gorgeous beaches around the world. And then my internet connection failed. And then the wind died down and the sun came out (for maybe 5 mins, but still...). So I went out and hosed off the porch screens and floor - and, well, everything on the porch actually - and that made me feel much better. And then I noticed that I have a couple new roses blooming, so I went in to get the camera. Just then the sky let loose and we got a very brief, but very welcome rain shower. And now I really feel much better. I'll have to get those garden photos later, but it's enough for me right now to know they're out there blooming away.






This is the book I just finished. It's very well written - and tells a story of farm life that I enjoyed a lot. However, it also tells a story of a family imploding. And it was depressing. But I'm glad I read it.

keeping busy

Okay, I'm beginning to see the problem with doing a garden blog. When you actually have time to blog, there is nothing happening in the garden - and when the garden is going full steam ahead, you are BUSY!

If the wind dies down a little tomorrow, I'll have to try and get more photos - but have False Solomon's Seal, Solomon's Seal, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, centaurea (above - mountain bluet), Johnson Blue geranium, false indigo, and a handful of other things blooming. The tall bearded iris is almost ready to pop open and the peony buds are showing color. Fun!

I have 2 gardens left to weed and mulch - and then I can start over again. I noticed on my little walk-around today that I have trees and weeds growing in the "done" gardens already.

Went and bought potting soil today - so there is hope that I'll get containers at least started sometime soon - not sure why that's so hard to get at this year.
Just finished "Obsession" by Karen Robards - I like her books - kind of lightweight, but good. I honestly didn't know the punchline on this one until I got there - love when that happens! It had a waiting list, so dropped it off today after I finished it and picked up 3 more. Perfect summer day for me: walk dogs and garden in the morning while it's cool, swim once the water warms up, and sit in the shade with a good book in the heat of the day - heaven!

catching up

I've been a slug!! Wednesday was our anniversary - 37 years (OMG) - and I guess I haven't recovered yet. Actually, just busy with different things - not a lot of new photos from the garden - etc.

We had a very nice anniversary. Mark had to go to Chicago to meet the new boss Monday and was back home about 11 am Wednesday, so we did a late lunch - very nice. Then late afternoon/evening we ran some errands and had a light dinner. So, pretty quiet - but a very nice day.

Last Sunday, the flippers two houses down invited us over. I think they invited other neighbors and friends of theirs, but when we were there it was just us. They're fun and we had a good time. Lynn made fondue - hadn't had that in a zillion years. Yummy cheese fondue with bread cubes and stuffed pasta, and a decadent chocolate fondue with fresh strawberries and chunks of angel food cake. Very good!

Earlier on Sunday another couple who lives on our street came down for awhile - we had helped take care of their sweet little dog while they were out of town. Just a nice hour or so of chatting - catching up - thinking we really need to make more time for relaxed visiting.

Yesterday I went to visit my sister who was babysitting her 5 1/2 month old granddaughter. Had 2 wonderful hours of baby time. She is adorable - all smiles - and now she's "talking" a lot - too cute.

In a couple hours we're meeting Kyle and Leah for lunch - I've only met Leah once before, so really looking forward to getting to know her better.

So that catches you up pretty much on "life with Kris"! We actually had about 2/10 inch of rain yesterday - could use quite a bit more. It's grey and really windy out today - so not great for photo taking. The dwarf iris in the first photo are heavenly - they smell wonderful. I checked my soil temps Thursday - 65 to 70 in most of the gardens! - so if the wind dies down, I can start putting on mulch (after removing the zillions of tree seedlings that are growing very nicely).

We've watched a couple movies this last week - Night at the Museum and The Queen. Both were pretty good - we enjoyed them.

I've read a couple books - The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton was really good - I've read 3 of her books and they are all very well-written.

Also The Quilter's Homecoming - by Jennifer Chiaverini. I can't decide if I really like her books or not. I've read them all, and I think how cool it would be to know how to quilt, and I like her stories - but there is something about her writing that bugs me - not sure what, just me, I'd guess!

I just started one by William Kent Krueger - I'll let you know what I think - so far it's looking pretty good.

some books I've liked

Several years ago, I found a book at the library called English Cottage Gardening for American Gardeners by Margaret Hensel. The foreword was written by Tasha Tudor, who I had never heard of before. The book included photos of her incredible gardens in Vermont at Corgi Cottage.

Recently I saw Tasha Tudor's Garden on someone's blog and decided to check it out - and found out part of her story. She's a famous author and illustrator of children's books primarily, and her artwork is as beautiful as her gardens.

This book has really wonderful photos of her gardens and includes some of her illustrations as well.

Because I was curious about her other books, I also checked out these two - A Time to Keep and The Tasha Tudor Cookbook. Her drawings are simply wonderful. Her trademark seems to be drawing very intricate borders around each illustration.

I have now put all of her children's books on my list at the library and will order them up a few at a time. The stories are written for the 4-8 age group (at least ones I've seen), but the illustrations make them keepsake books, and I may have to watch e-bay and amazon to see if I can afford any for my own collection!

The cookbook has old-fashioned recipes that most of us probably grew up with. I'm going to try some that sounded particularly yummy. She illustrates each page of the book and tells a little story about each recipe - like describing holidays and family events that the recipes were favorites for her childen and friends.

Her home is called Corgi Cottage because she has several Corgyn (her term for plural corgi dogs). The buildings are newer but built to look old and she lives a very simple, old-fashioned lifestyle. I really found the story of Tasha Tudor to be fascinating.

I am about half-way through Come Back to Afghanistan by Said Hyder Akbar. It's very well written and tells a story of post 9-11 Afghanistan, after the Taliban was ousted from power there, through the eyes of a California teenager. It's very interesting.

I also recently read two books by Masha Hamilton - Staircase of a Thousand Steps and The Distance Between Us. They are both interesting - telling stories about the Middle East. I liked her writing style a lot

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