Please excuse the mess while I play around with the window dressings a little. A friend of mine started making me a banner months ago, but he never finished. You know how life gets in the way sometimes, and you get side-tracked. But he was doing a great job with the banner, and I decided that I was going to utilize the proto-type, and see how it goes. So you may see this site go through a few renditions while we play around with it.
Feel free to give any feedback on the banner or other layout choices. All feedback is appreciated!
Note: The truck in the image is one that I got a picture of a couple of years ago. We were on our way over to my step-brother's house, and had this truck in front of us. It had the stereotypical big tires and American flag flying in the back bed. I asked my boyfriend to get a shot of it, because it epitomized the "redneck world" that I grew up in! (However my friend did take some liberties with the truck, adding "FERD" and the "RED NEK" license plate!) The truck that we had in front of us yesterday with the dead wild hog strapped to the top of a cage in the back of a truck would be a close second contender for the stereotypical redneck truck!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Book Giveaways in Blogworld (03-06-10 edition)
NOTE: A reminder that you are free to email me about any giveaways that you are having, if you want me to blog them, and I'll be happy to try to post them even if I am not entering them. Just include a link to the giveaway, what you are giving away, how many copies are being given away, and the deadline in order to assure being included. Email me at nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com.
Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:
Seductive Musings is giving away a copy of Some Like It Rough. Deadline is March 6.
In Which a Girl Reads is giving away a book of your choice (under $20). Deadline is March 6. International!
Books R Us is giving away 3 copies of the audiobook The Unnamed. Deadline is March 7.
US/Canada only.
The Review Broads are giving away 5 copies of Next: A Novel. Deadline is March 12. US only.
Fantastic Book Review is giving away a copy of Before I Fall. Deadline is March 12. US/Canada only.
Peeking Between the Pages is giving away 3 copies of Apologize, Apologize. Deadline is March 13. US/Canada only.
Peeking Between the Pages is giving away a hardcover copy of The White Queen. Deadline is March 13. International!
Peeking Between the Pages is also giving away 3 copies of Laura Rider's Masterpiece. Deadline is March 13. US/Canada only.
*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week. Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration!
Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:
Seductive Musings is giving away a copy of Some Like It Rough. Deadline is March 6.
In Which a Girl Reads is giving away a book of your choice (under $20). Deadline is March 6. International!
Books R Us is giving away 3 copies of the audiobook The Unnamed. Deadline is March 7.
US/Canada only.
Pixiepine Blog is giving away a copy of Rabbit Food Cookbook. Deadline is March 8. US/Canada only.Book Soulmates is giving away 2 copies of Hush. Deadline is March 9. US/Canada only.
Historically Obsessed is giving away a hard copy of Impatient with Desire. Deadline is March 8. International!
Bookin' with Bingo is giving away a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. Deadline is March 10. US only!
Fantastic Book Review is giving away a copy of Before I Fall. Deadline is March 12. US/Canada only.
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time is giving away This One is Mine. Tell 'em nfmgirl sent you! Deadline is March 13. US/Canada only.This is Not My Day Job is giving away two prize packs: two YA books or a 9 West Kendall Hobo bag. Deadline is March 13.
Peeking Between the Pages is giving away 3 copies of Apologize, Apologize. Deadline is March 13. US/Canada only.
Peeking Between the Pages is giving away a hardcover copy of The White Queen. Deadline is March 13. International!
Peeking Between the Pages is also giving away 3 copies of Laura Rider's Masterpiece. Deadline is March 13. US/Canada only.
All About {n} is giving away 3 copies of four different audiobooks: Marriage and Other Acts of Charity: A Memoir, The Swan Thieves, I Am Ozzy and The Unnamed. Deadline is March 13. US/Canada only.At Home With Books is giving away 2 copies of Magnolia Wednesdays. Deadline is March 16. US/Canada only.
Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 5 copies of Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven. Deadline is March 13. US/Canada only.
Peeking Between the Pages is giving away 3 copies of This One is Mine. Deadline is March 14. US/Canada only.
Hist-Fic Chick is giving away a copy of Our Hart: Elegy for a Concubine. Deadline is March 14. US only.
Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3 copies of One Life to Give. Deadline is March 15. US only!
Readaholic is giving away 5 copies of The Ultimate NASCAR Insider's Track Guide. Deadline is March 16. US/Canada only.
Luxury Reading is giving away Black Hills and Drood to 3 winners! Deadline is March 17. US/Canada only.Alaine is giving away 1 of four books! Deadline is March 31. Open International.
Libby's Library News is giving away 3 copies of Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven. Deadline is March 18. US/Canada only.
Bookin' with Bingo is giving away Every Dog Has a Gift. Deadline is March 18. US only.
Cherry Mischievous is giving away a three-pack of YA novels: Beautiful Creatures, Shiver and The Dark Divine. Deadline is March 19. International!
Peeking Between the Pages is giving away a copy of The Wives of Henry Oades. Deadline is March 20. US/Canada only.
Libby's Library News is giving away 5 copies of Prime Time Health. Deadline is March 24. US/Canada only.
Luxury Reading is giving away a copy of Pride and Prejudice: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. Deadline is March 24. US only.
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read is giving away a $25 gift card to the book depository. Deadline is March 26. International!
All About {n} is giving away 3 copies of This One is Mine. Deadline is March 26. US/Canada only.
All About {n} is giving away 3 copies of Slip of the Knife. Deadline is March 26. US/Canada only.
All About {n} is giving away 3 copies of Apologize, Apologize! Deadline is March 27. US/Canada only.
Peeking Between the Pages is giving away 2 copies of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. Deadline is March 28. US/Canada only.
Extreme Reader Book Reviews is having a huge Mega Swag and More contest! Deadline is April 10. International!
*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week. Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration!
Referencing Friday REVIEW: The Florida Keys Cookbook: Recipes and Foodways of Paradise by Victoria Shearer
Think of the Florida Keys and think of a food paradise: fresh from the sea stone crabs, yellowtail snapper, and sweet shrimp; fresh from the dooryard garden key limes, mangoes, avocados, and papayas. Toss in the influence of a variety of ethnic food traditions - from Afro-Caribbean and Cuban to Spanish, Asian, British, German, and Italian - and the result is a diverse and vibrant culinary scene. The cooks of the Florida Keys have been transforming local ingredients into memorable meals for generations, and now so can you. The Florida Keys Cookbook is a fascinating combination of food history, local lore, and mouthwatering recipes from restaurant chefs and home cooks. With more than 175 recipes, fun archival photographs, and lots of engaging anecdotes, this cookbook lets you capture a taste of the Keys and celebrate its flavors in your own kitchen.
Try these Florida Keys sensations at home:
Crab Claw Bisque
Rosemary Roasted Boniato Fries
Basil-Crusted Yellowtail with Herb-Tomato Sauce
Sautéed Snapper with Champagne-Tarragon Butter Sauce
Wasabi Grilled Grouper
Mama Louise's Jerked Pork Chops
Bourbon Barbecued Baby Backs
Classic Arroz con Pollo
Bahamian Bread Pudding
Calamondin Cake
Key Lime Cheesecake
Tres Leches Cake
My Thoughts
I have been trying to get into eating more locally grown food, which means eating seasonally. So I've been looking for a good "Gulf Coast Florida cooking" kind of cookbook. It's taken awhile for me to find one that really appealed to me, but I spotted this one at the Naples Zoo when I was visiting there with my father and nephew.
This book not only captures the flavors of south Florida, but the "flavor" of south Florida. There are stories about the history of different foods commonly found in this area, which is so much a part of this area. There is a conglomeration of cultures and gastric influences in south Florida: native Seminole, Spanish, English, Bahamian, Cuban, Puerto Rican and more recently Haitian. This book captures those influences beautifully (well, maybe not the Haitian). Mangoes, guavas, pineapple, pork, shrimp, spicy peppers, and black beans. This book is full of them, and they're the flavors that I love.
I'm a fan of chipotle, and this is a recipe I'd love to try. I already have a delicious chipotle-black bean recipe that I enjoy, but this would be a nice hot, cheesy version:
Black Bean-Chipotle Dip with Fresh Tortilla Chips
1 package (8) 8-inch flavored flour tortillas
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet onions, like Vidalia
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup diced plum tomatoes
1/3 cup bottled picante sauce
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 (15-0z) can black beans, drained
1 tbs fresh key lime juice
1/4 cup finely shredded Colby Monterey Jack cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Place tortilla wedges on ungreased baking sheet. Toast in oven for 8-10 minutes, turning several times, until browned and crispy. Cool chips and store in an airtight container until needed.
- Heat olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and saute for 4 minutes or until tender.
- Add diced tomatoes, picante sauce, chile powder, cumin and black beans. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove skillet from heat. Partially mash black bean mixture with the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher.
- Stir in lime juice. Add cheese and stir until it melts. Serve warm or at room temperature with crispy tortilla chips.
My Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Introducing Thursday: Savage by Richard Laymon
London's East End was rather a dicey place, but that's where I found myself, a fifteen-year-old youngster with more sand than sense, on the night of 8 November 1888.That was some twenty years back, so it's high time I put pen to my story before I commence to forget the particulars, or get snakebit.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
What's Releasing (03-03-10 edition)
What's releasing the week of March 8:
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler
The hilarious new book from the star of Chelsea Lately and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea .
Get ready for big laughs as Chelsea Handler lets loose with more comic personal essays. In this new, no-holds-barred account of life on the ridiculous side, Chelsea mines the wealth of material that is her family, her sex life, her career, and her distinctively outrageous worldview. Here is young Chelsea discovering "The Feeling" during a third-grade sleepover and getting shafted by clueless parents over Cabbage Patch dolls...and grown-up Chelsea at the mercy of the remote control, Lean Pockets, and Sex and the City —but still managing to convince her boyfriend that there are Swiss Army knives in the soles of her $16,000 shoes. Through it all, Chelsea never lets anyone off the hook, even herself, as she delivers page after page of irrevent humor, biting wit, and deliciously off-kilter entertainment.
Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life by Frances Mayes
In this sequel to her New York Times bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, the celebrated "bard of Tuscany" (New York Times) lyrically chronicles her continuing, two decades-long love affair with Tuscany's people, art, cuisine, and lifestyle. Frances Mayes offers her readers a deeply personal memoir of her present-day life in Tuscany, encompassing both the changes she has experienced since Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany appeared, and sensuous, evocative reflections on the timeless beauty and vivid pleasures of Italian life. Among the themes Mayes explores are how her experience of Tuscany dramatically expanded when she renovated and became a part-time resident of a 13th century house with a stone roof in the mountains above Cortona, how life in the mountains introduced her to a "wilder" side of Tuscany—and with it a lively engagement with Tuscany's mountain people. Throughout, she reveals the concrete joys of life in her adopted hill town, with particular attention to life in the piazza, the art of Luca Signorelli (Renaissance painter from Cortona), and the pastoral pleasures of feasting from her garden. Moving always toward a deeper engagement, Mayes writes of Tuscan icons that have become for her storehouses of memory, of crucible moments from which bigger ideas emerged, and of the writing life she has enjoyed in the room where Under the Tuscan Sun began.
With more on the pleasures of life at Bramasole, the delights and challenges of living in Italy day-to-day and favorite recipes, Every Day in Tuscany is a passionate and inviting account of the richness and complexity of Italian life.
The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
From Dagger Award–winning and internationally bestselling author Alan Bradley comes this utterly beguiling mystery starring one of fiction’s most remarkable sleuths: Flavia de Luce, a dangerously brilliant eleven-year-old with a passion for chemistry and a genius for solving murders. This time, Flavia finds herself untangling two deaths—separated by time but linked by the unlikeliest of threads.
Flavia thinks that her days of crime-solving in the bucolic English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacy are over—and then Rupert Porson has an unfortunate rendezvous with electricity. The beloved puppeteer has had his own strings sizzled, but who’d do such a thing and why? For Flavia, the questions are intriguing enough to make her put aside her chemistry experiments and schemes of vengeance against her insufferable big sisters. Astride Gladys, her trusty bicycle, Flavia sets out from the de Luces’ crumbling family mansion in search of Bishop’s Lacey’s deadliest secrets.
Does the madwoman who lives in Gibbet Wood know more than she’s letting on? What of the vicar’s odd ministrations to the catatonic woman in the dovecote? Then there’s a German pilot obsessed with the Brontë sisters, a reproachful spinster aunt, and even a box of poisoned chocolates. Most troubling of all is Porson’s assistant, the charming but erratic Nialla. All clues point toward a suspicious death years earlier and a case the local constables can’t solve—without Flavia’s help. But in getting so close to who’s secretly pulling the strings of this dance of death, has our precocious heroine finally gotten in way over her head?
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea HandlerThe hilarious new book from the star of Chelsea Lately and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea .
Get ready for big laughs as Chelsea Handler lets loose with more comic personal essays. In this new, no-holds-barred account of life on the ridiculous side, Chelsea mines the wealth of material that is her family, her sex life, her career, and her distinctively outrageous worldview. Here is young Chelsea discovering "The Feeling" during a third-grade sleepover and getting shafted by clueless parents over Cabbage Patch dolls...and grown-up Chelsea at the mercy of the remote control, Lean Pockets, and Sex and the City —but still managing to convince her boyfriend that there are Swiss Army knives in the soles of her $16,000 shoes. Through it all, Chelsea never lets anyone off the hook, even herself, as she delivers page after page of irrevent humor, biting wit, and deliciously off-kilter entertainment.
Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life by Frances MayesIn this sequel to her New York Times bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, the celebrated "bard of Tuscany" (New York Times) lyrically chronicles her continuing, two decades-long love affair with Tuscany's people, art, cuisine, and lifestyle. Frances Mayes offers her readers a deeply personal memoir of her present-day life in Tuscany, encompassing both the changes she has experienced since Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany appeared, and sensuous, evocative reflections on the timeless beauty and vivid pleasures of Italian life. Among the themes Mayes explores are how her experience of Tuscany dramatically expanded when she renovated and became a part-time resident of a 13th century house with a stone roof in the mountains above Cortona, how life in the mountains introduced her to a "wilder" side of Tuscany—and with it a lively engagement with Tuscany's mountain people. Throughout, she reveals the concrete joys of life in her adopted hill town, with particular attention to life in the piazza, the art of Luca Signorelli (Renaissance painter from Cortona), and the pastoral pleasures of feasting from her garden. Moving always toward a deeper engagement, Mayes writes of Tuscan icons that have become for her storehouses of memory, of crucible moments from which bigger ideas emerged, and of the writing life she has enjoyed in the room where Under the Tuscan Sun began.
With more on the pleasures of life at Bramasole, the delights and challenges of living in Italy day-to-day and favorite recipes, Every Day in Tuscany is a passionate and inviting account of the richness and complexity of Italian life.
The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan BradleyFrom Dagger Award–winning and internationally bestselling author Alan Bradley comes this utterly beguiling mystery starring one of fiction’s most remarkable sleuths: Flavia de Luce, a dangerously brilliant eleven-year-old with a passion for chemistry and a genius for solving murders. This time, Flavia finds herself untangling two deaths—separated by time but linked by the unlikeliest of threads.
Flavia thinks that her days of crime-solving in the bucolic English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacy are over—and then Rupert Porson has an unfortunate rendezvous with electricity. The beloved puppeteer has had his own strings sizzled, but who’d do such a thing and why? For Flavia, the questions are intriguing enough to make her put aside her chemistry experiments and schemes of vengeance against her insufferable big sisters. Astride Gladys, her trusty bicycle, Flavia sets out from the de Luces’ crumbling family mansion in search of Bishop’s Lacey’s deadliest secrets.
Does the madwoman who lives in Gibbet Wood know more than she’s letting on? What of the vicar’s odd ministrations to the catatonic woman in the dovecote? Then there’s a German pilot obsessed with the Brontë sisters, a reproachful spinster aunt, and even a box of poisoned chocolates. Most troubling of all is Porson’s assistant, the charming but erratic Nialla. All clues point toward a suspicious death years earlier and a case the local constables can’t solve—without Flavia’s help. But in getting so close to who’s secretly pulling the strings of this dance of death, has our precocious heroine finally gotten in way over her head?
Also available:
- Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
- Bone Fire by Mark Spragg
- Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight by Karl Rove
- The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession by David Grann
- The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong by David Shenk
- Hell Gate (Alexandra Cooper Series #12) by Linda Fairstein
- How to Never Look Fat Again: Over 1000 Ways to Dress Thinner--Without Dieting by Charla Krupp
- The Silent Sea by Clive Cussler
- So Much for That by Lionel Shriver
- Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Backlash by Aaron Allston
- The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-and a Vision for Change by Annie Leonard
- The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
REVIEW: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
SynopsisAgainst all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.
About the Author
from her website
Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.
While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.
Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you’re much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you’re not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Well, that’s the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part fantasy/war series, The Underland Chronicles.
At present, Suzanne is hard at work on the third book in her sci-fi series, The Hunger Games.
She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.
My Thoughts
When I started this book, I crossed my fingers and toes, closed my eyes, and chanted, "Please let it be as good as the first, please let it be as good as the first." Well, it wasn't. It was even better!
This book picks up in the lives of Katniss and Peeta following their win of The Hunger Games, and their win over The Capitol. They live on eggshells as they try to keep The Capitol pacified, but unrest is rising in the districts. And The Capitol is not happy-- not one little bit.
I don't want to say too much, as I don't want to give up the twists and turns that make this book so much fun. Katniss remains as spirited and impulsive as she was in the first book. Poor Gale is in torment over the relationship between Katniss and Peeta, but is still strong and convicted. Peeta and Prim remain as sweet and good and pure as driven snow, and Haymitch remains the antithesis of them, tied up and buried under his past with the help of a drunken haze. The mysterious entanglements of the districts, their history, The Capitol, and underground movements slowly begin to unravel and reveal themselves.
If you've read The Hunger Games, and you enjoyed it, please, please, please crack open Catching Fire today. You won't be disappointed!
So...when does Mockingjay, the third book in the series, come out? *sigh*
My Rating: 9 out of 10
Monday, March 1, 2010
Mailbox Monday (03-01-10 edition)
Mailbox Monday is brought to us by The Printed Page. Whoops! I think I missed last week. In my mailbox over the last couple of weeks I've received:
Worst Case by James Patterson Won from Bookin' with Bingo
Best case: survival
The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. His parents can't save him, because this kidnapper isn't demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury. In this exam, wrong answers are fatal.
Worst case: death
Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can't begin to understand what could lead someone to target anyone's children. As another student disappears, one powerful family after another uses their leverage and connections to turn the heat up on the mayor, the press—anyone who will listen—to stop this killer. Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, who send their top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker. Bennett's life—and love life—suddenly get even more complicated.
This case: Detective Michael Bennett is on it
Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI's intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most devastating demonstration yet—one that could bring cataclysmic devastation to every inch of New York. From the shocking first page to the last exhilarating scene, Worst Case is a non-stop thriller from "America's #1 storyteller" (Forbes).
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova Won from Thoughts from an Evil Overlord
Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe has a perfectly ordered life—solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient. In response, Marlowe finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments this genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to Robert Oliver and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism. Ranging from American museums to the coast of Normandy, from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love, THE SWAN THIEVES is a story of obsession, the losses of history, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
The Cougar Club by Susan McBrideWon from Books on the House
Meet three women who aren't about to run and hide just because the world says they should be on the shelf and out of circulation.
Kat
Her life seems perfect until she loses her high-powered advertising job and catches her live-in lover in a compromising position-with his computer!
Carla
This sexy TV news anchor is in danger of being replaced by a twentysomething blond bimbo. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was the up-and-coming star?
Elise
A married dermatologist, Elise thinks her plastic surgeon husband is playing doctor with someone else.
Kat firmly believes that aging gracefully isn't about giving up; it's about living life with your engine on overdrive. So this unofficial "Cougar Club" quickly learns three things about survival of the fittest in today's youth-obsessed society: True friendship never dies, the only way to live is real, and you're never too old to follow your heart.
I also won Yoga for Athletes by Pulse Yoga from Just for Me and You.
Thanks to everyone!
