December 2016 Cookbooks

Biscuit Head: New Southern Biscuits, Breakfasts, and Brunch by Carolyn and Jason Roy

All you have to say when it comes to food is biscuits - and I'm in! I wasn't familiar with the Biscuit Head restaurant in Asheville, NC before reading this cookbook, but now that I know about it I'll definitely check it out next time we're there. There is not much better than a really good Southern biscuit and this cookbook does not disappoint! The first chapter is biscuit recipes, then there are chapters about what to put "on your biscuit," "in your biscuit," and "on the side." There are definitely some recipes I'd like to try and if you're a fan of Southern biscuits for any meal then this cookbook is for you!

The Gourmet Kitchen: Recipes from the Creator of Savory Simple by Jennifer Farley

Jennifer Farley could never figure out what she wanted to do when she grew up. She had a variety of jobs and careers before deciding at the age of twenty-nine she quit her job and enrolled in culinary school. She started a blog to have a creative outlet for her recipes while in culinary school. This cookbook is a compilation of those recipes from her blog.

While I loved her late-bloomer story and the cookbook is full of beautiful pictures, there just weren't a lot of recipes that I wanted to try. It's not a bad cookbook, it's just not one that resonates with me and what I want to cook. But, good for Jennifer Farley for going for what she wants!

Rise & Shine: Better Breakfasts for Busy Mornings by Katie Sullivan Morford

I LOVED this cookbook! I love a good breakfast anyway, but this cookbook really gives a TON of great recipes and ideas for healthy, easy breakfasts. I was especially impressed that she had a recipe that mimics a Carnation Instant Breakfast drink (which I love). There are so many recipes I want to try from this book and if you're looking for some new breakfast recipes this is definitely one to check out!

The Whole30 Cookbook by Melissa Hartwig

I had heard of the Whole 30 movement, but I guess I didn't realize it was basically a Paleo diet. While I'm not against doing an elimination diet if you're trying to figure out food allergies/sensitivities, but I just can't get behind a diet that doesn't allow dairy, pasta or beans. I just have zero interest in trying to cut out cheese and pasta from my diet. If you're into Paleo this might be a great cookbook, but it wasn't for me.

December 2016 Reviews

Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It by Elizabeth Gilbert (ed.)

I really liked Eat Pray Love when I first read it, but it didn't inspire me to quit my life and travel the world. This book is a collection of people who's lives were changed when they read the book by Elizabeth Gilbert. Gilbert talks about the idea coming from people who would tell her their stories at book signings or events. Some of the stories were interesting, but some didn't really seem "life-altering" enough to merit a book about it. Also, the stories were mostly like a page or two (a few were longer), but I would have rather had fewer, longer stories that were more dramatically transforming. I thought this book was OK, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (Books & Banter and Evening Edition book clubs)

The Nightingale follows sisters Vianne and Isabelle as they try to survive in occupied France during World War II. Vianne's husband is sent off to fight and she is alone with their young daughter Sophie, so Isabelle comes to stay with them. Isabelle can sense early on that the Nazi occupation will only get much worse and decides to find ways to help the resistance movement. Vianne struggles to provide for her daughter as the war worsens. Both women will do things they never imagined both to survive and to resist the Nazis.

The beginning of this book was VERY slow and Isabelle's character was ridiculously irritating and immature. The story gets better and is told alternately by Isabelle and Vianne. Both women find out what they are really made of by the horrors of war. The ending is definitely a tear-jerker, but there are quite a few threads that are wrapped up a little too neatly. This is like the Hallmark movie version of a WWII book - it does show the horrors of war, but without giving anything away there were a few things that just worked out too well to be real. This doesn't even compare to All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr!

Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier by Scott Zesch

After I read News of the World by Paulette Jiles she referenced this book if anyone wanted to read more about the lives of Indian captives during the late 1800's, so I decided to check it out because I LOVED News of the World. The author decides to research this topic because his great-great uncle Adolph Korn had been captured by Indians as a child and lived with them for 3 years before his rescue. Zesch had always heard family stories that Uncle Adolph never really recovered from his capture and ended up living in remote caves at the end of his life. Zesch decided to do more research into children captured and briefly raised by Native Indian tribes to try to learn more about his uncle's experiences. There were a few children who had been captured and returned to their families who wrote memoirs about their experiences, but much of the first person information has been lost. But, as Zesch finds, almost all captives even when held for less than a year had a lot of trouble re-adjusting to "white" life and most didn't want to leave their Native families. 

While there was a lot of interesting information and stories, I wish that Zesch had told more of his uncle's story. I also wish there had been a little more information about why the captives bonded so easily with their Native captors in such a short amount of time. Overall, it was an interesting book, but in my opinion it could have been a little better/more clearly written.

The Colour of Lightning by Paulette Jiles

After I read News of the World I realized that Jiles had written this previous book about Britt Johnson and his family being captured by raiding Indians and his drive to get them back. This story is based on the real life experiences of Britt Johnson. The book is great, but I'm not going to lie the chapters of the raid on Johnson's family were rough and hard to read. But, his determination to get his family back and how he does it is incredible. My absolute favorite scene is when Elizabeth Fitzgerald (the other adult captured with Britt's wife Mary) beats the SHIT out of one of her Indian captors - the BEST. SCENE. IN. THE. WHOLE. BOOK.

Jiles does a great job of capturing the issues between Native Indians and Texans in this book and almost all the characters are based on real people and is pretty true to their real stories. Definitely worth reading and you'll be thinking about it long after you're done reading.

Rescuing Jesus: How People of Color, Women, and Queer Christians Are Reclaiming Evangelicalism by Deborah Jian Lee

I was hesitant to pick up this book because I thought it might be a super left-wing, trying to "reinterpret" the truth of the Bible kind of book. But, I was very pleasantly surprised. Lee started researching this book after her own conversion and later departure from evangelicalism. She focuses on three areas - race, women, and LGBTQ and how the Church has traditionally dealt with these issues (not always very well) and how the tide is starting to turn today in these areas. Each area features one main person who's story is told throughout the book - all people who grew up in traditional evangelical churches, but started to see flaws in some of the theology they were being taught. All three ended up doing phenomenal work that really is changing evangelicalism for the better. While I didn't personally agree with every sentiment expressed in the book, I do feel like all too often the Church is associated with right-wing Republican politics instead of the radical love that Jesus modeled - cultural Christianity instead of Biblical Christianity. Definitely an eye-opening and interesting book that will make you think about how the Church can be most effective today.

Braving It: a Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey Into the Alaskan Wild by James Campbell

I didn't know what to expect with this book, but once I got it in my hands I realized the author's cousin is Heimo Korth who is featured on the TV show The Last Alaskans. Campbell has traveled all over the world and spent a lot of time in Alaska, especially when he was researching the book he wrote about Heimo and his wife Edna's Alaskan wilderness life. When Campbell's oldest daughter turns 15 she wants to go on an Alaskan adventure with her dad. They start planning a canoe trip, but then Heimo calls and asks Campbell to come help him build a new cabin. Campbell goes and brings his daughter Aiden with him. The book is divided into 3 sections which detail 3 separate Alaskan trips he and Aiden take together. The first is helping Heimo build a new cabin the summer, the second they go back to help Heimo and Edna run their trap lines in the winter (avg. temp is -50), and the last trip is the canoe trip they were originally planning. During every trip Campbell gets to see his daughter grow and be changed by Alaska and the physicality of their trips and they develop a unique father/daughter bond as well.

Campbell is a great writer - the book flows really well and you just want to sit down and read it all in one sitting. He does a great job of describing the beauty and ruggedness of Alaska, but also the reality of the physical hardship of these trips and the work they do. I am looking forward to reading The Last Frontiersman, his book about Heimo and Edna. Overall, a great book that you won't want to put down!

A Celebration of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter was an amazing woman and she changed children's books forever with her Peter Rabbit series. In this book current children's book authors and illustrators share what Beatrix Potter's books meant to them and how she inspired them, then they illustrate a character or scene from one of her books in their style. I LOVE the Beatrix Potter books and I've read a few books about her life and she was really ahead of her time in many ways. My favorite illustrations in this book are Chris Haughton (p.29), Jen Corace (p. 59), Chuck Groenink (p. 83), and Matthew Forsythe (p.93). This is really a beautiful book and any fan of Beatrix Potter needs to see this one!

Troublemaker by Leah Remini

I heard about Leah Remini's split from Scientology when the news broke, but I honestly didn't think much of it. I knew Scientology was a cult, but I had no idea just how crazy and abusive it was until I started watching her A&E TV show. After watching one episode I was totally hooked and decided to read her book. There are a lot of obvious red flags, but what you don't know from the outside is how controlled EVERYONE is - including celebrities. There are a LOT worse things revealed in the TV show, but there is plenty revealed in this book. Remini obviously had some doubts all along about Scientology because she continued to have friends and employees who were not Scientologists (which is strongly discouraged), so when she left she did still have support. Not to say she didn't lose a lot - she did, but she had a career and family and friends outside of Scientology, which many people don't have. I have to give her a lot of credit for not only getting out of something so crazy, but for trying to make a difference by exposing the abuses of this so-called "church." Good for her! The world needs more Troublemakers!

November 2016 Cookbooks

Learn to Cook 25 Southern Classics 3 Ways by Jennifer Brule

I would never have thought I would be so impressed with a Southern cookbook written by someone who is NOT Southern, but I am! Jennifer Brule grew up in Columbus, Ohio and has lived with her family in Switerland and England, but for the last 10+ years she's lived in the South. Her parents were foodies before that was a thing, so she grew up in a family centered on food and cooking. It's no surprise that she went to culinary school and now teaches cooking. She was inspired by both her own global food travels and now living in the South to take 25 Southern Classics and give them 2 additional preparations. Each dish has a classic, contemporary, and international recipe. There were SO many recipes I want to try! This is a great twist on a more traditional Southern cookbook, while still paying homage to all the great Southern Classics. This might be one I have to buy!

How to Celebrate Everything by Jenny Rosenstrach

I loved Rosenstrach's first book, Dinner, a Love Story, based on her blog of the same name. And I like the idea of this book about celebrating more and creating family rituals and celebrations, but there weren't as many recipes that I'd like to try in this one. I also felt like it could have almost been 2 books - one with the recipes and one with the stories behind her family's rituals and celebrations. I like her stories a lot, but when I'm looking at a cookbook I don't want to stop for long stories before each few recipes. It makes sense, but I would have more preferred two separate books or at least all the stories in the first half, then the recipes all together in the second half. Overall, still a good cookbook with a unique theme.

Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard

I wasn't familiar with Vivian Howard before finding this book, but I love a good Southern cookbook. I liked how she organized the book not by type of recipe, but by the main ingredient - everything from okra to eggs, peaches to pecans. At the beginning of each chapter/ingredient Howard gives a few page introduction to that ingredient from her past or perspective. Howard grew up in the small town of Deep Run, NC and couldn't wait to get OUT. But, eventually she and her husband come back and decide they want to raise their family there, so they open a restaurant in Kinston, NC. Most of the recipes in the book are ones Howard has created for their restaurant - some old family recipes and some revamped Southern classics. Overall, it's a good cookbook, but it's HUGE, so it was kind of overwhelming to get through. There were a few recipes I'd like to try and I'd also like to check out her episodes of A Chef's Life on PBS.

Good Taste: Simple, Delicious Recipes for Family and Friends by Jane Green

Jane Green is one of my favorite authors, so when I got an email that she was doing a Kickstarter campaign to fund a cookbook I definitely wanted to get it. The cookbook is beautiful with great photos and her goal is to have recipes that are simple and easy, but look much fancier. There are definitely recipes I'd like to try. I'm just as happy with Jane Green's cookbook as I am with her novels, and I look forward to more of both from her in the future.

Homestead Kitchen: Stories and Recipes From Our Hearth to Yours by Eve and Eivin Kilcher

I'm a big fan of the TV show Alaska: the Last Frontier, so when I heard that Eivin and Eve were writing a cookbook I knew I would buy it. While I'm not trying to live the complete homesteading life of the Kilchers, I do try to grow my own food and make food from scratch. Sourcing food from quality and humane sources is important to me. This book is full of not just recipes from Eivin and Eve, but also writings about their views on food which I really appreciate. They are up front that not every ingredient they use will be available for the average home cook, but any of their recipes could be edited with ingredients you like and/or are available in your area. I was really impressed with this cookbook - both the recipes and the other content. If you're a fan of the Alaska: the Last Frontier TV show, it's definitely worth checking out this cookbook.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: a Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond

I love the Pioneer Woman's food, so this cookbook doesn't disappoint. I've had this cookbook for a few years since it came out, but only just now got around to really reading through it. I like that it's divided up by holidays instead of the traditional appetizers, entrees, etc. I also really like that each recipe has LOTS of color pictures of each step of the recipe. That way you can make sure as you're going that it's looking like it's supposed to. There are definitely lots of these recipes I'd like to try. If you're a fan of the Pioneer Woman definitely check this one out.

November 2016 Reviews

What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan

Rachel Jenner is struggling with becoming a single mother to her son Ben after her husband leaves her for another woman. About a year after their divorce she and Ben are in a local park when he disappears. Rachel is frantic with worry, but soon the media focuses on her and begins speculating that she did something to Ben. Throughout the 9 days Ben is missing Rachel realizes that almost everyone close to her are harboring dark secrets. She begins to doubt everyone. The story alternates between Rachel's perspective and the perspective of the lead detective on the case James Clemo. It's clear that after the case is over detective Clemo is struggling with almost symptoms similar to PTSD, but it's never quite clear what caused that. I was thinking there was going to be some huge reveal related to his character, but there never really was. I thought Rachel's character was very well done and you definitely felt for her as the story progressed. The author did a good job of giving quite a few possible suspects, so by the end I was surprised. Overall, it was a good, quick read. It's the author's first novel so I'll be interested to see what she writes in the future.

Black Man in a White Coat by Damon Tweedy, M.D. (Books & Banter book club)

When Damon Tweedy begins medical school he thinks that his race won't be an issue, but he moves into a world where race is often an issue for both doctors and patients. It starts when Tweedy is mistaken for maintenance staff by a medical school professor - the encounter really brings out a lot of racial insecurities in him. Often in school he hears about how certain diseases are more prevalent in blacks than whites. During his clinical rotations his race is often brought up by patients and other staff - in both positive and negative ways. This book is his sorting out how race affected his personal journey through medical school and into a practicing doctor, but also about race and medicine in general. I was surprised when black patients didn't want him to treat them because they wanted a "real" doctor and when other staff wanted him to take their black patients as if by being black he could somehow be a better doctor to a black patient than a doctor of another race. While very interesting and eye-opening, it's still sad to me that this is such an issue today. I'm curious (and somewhat worried) about what the discussion will be like in book club with this book.

A Robot in the Garden by Deborah Install

This was a complete surprise of a book! When I read a review of the book I thought it sounded interesting, but it was FANTASTIC! Ben has been in a funk ever since his parents died suddenly. He and his wife are growing apart and he is basically depressed and not really doing anything. One day when he wakes up there is a robot in his garden. It's obviously "retro" - not the new AI androids everyone is buying to help out around the house. But, Ben feels sorry for the robot, who calls himself Tang, and decides to try to find out where Tang came from. This turns into quite a journey taking Ben and Tang to California, Texas, Japan and Micronesia before finally returning home. During this process Ben starts to realize he's been grieving for his parents all along and just how much he misunderstood his wife as well. Tang ends up being the unifying force with Ben and both his family and the outside world. 

This was really a great book that had laugh-out-loud humor and some more serious themes. A completely happy surprise. I can't wait to see what this author writes next!

Indian Creek Chronicles by Pete Fromm

Pete Fromm decided on a whim to attend college in Missoula, Montana. His roommate introduces him to "mountain men" literature - stories of men who survived and/or explored the wilderness. Fromm and his friends romanticize these men and their stories and so on another whim Fromm agrees to spend seven months in the Idaho Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness protecting salmon eggs. He has never shot a gun, used a chainsaw, or chopped wood before. But, he will be (mostly) alone for seven months from October to March. On the way to his post in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Fromm starts to realize he is grossly unprepared for this job. The wardens show him how to use a chainsaw and break down a tree, but then they're gone. At first the days pass slowly, but over time Fromm starts to learn how to adapt to his new situation. It helps that he also has a puppy, Boone, for company. He's honest with his mistakes, but thankfully none of them are life-threatening. By the end of his seven months, he's actually craving the solitude that once drove him crazy. He has some once-in-a-lifetime experiences and also grows up from an immature college student into a man. This is a really unique and interesting book. He has a new book coming out soon and I'm looking forward to more from Pete Fromm.

What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross

When Lucy Wakefield can't have children she is grief-stricken. Her marriage falls apart and she just tries to go on with her life. But one day when she comes across a baby in a store cart with no parent in sight, she impulsively takes the baby and raises her as her own. Lucy is constantly worried that she will be found out, but she never is - until her daughter Mia is in college and a series of events work together to expose Lucy's secret. The book is told from many perspectives, but mainly Lucy, Mia, and Marilyn, Mia's birth mother.

I thought this would be a really interesting book, but it was just kind of mediocre. The first section of the book where Lucy describes taking the baby and the immediate aftermath was the best part. After that is got really slow and bogged down. Overall, it was OK, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

When God Doesn't Fix It by Laura Story

If you've ever struggled with why bad things happen to you, whether an illness, a strained relationship, or an unanswered prayer, this is the book for you. Laura Story had her life all planned out and it started with her marriage to Martin. But, after they had only been married a little over a year Martin started experiencing weird symptoms. It was eventually discovered that he had a brain tumor. They both thought once the tumor was removed, things would get better. But, they got worse - Martin almost died and needed to have other surgeries. His short-term memory is severely limited and he struggled physically as well. There were years of struggles for Laura and Martin, but through it all she was able to see God's hand in their lives so much more clearly. This book highlights the many lessons Laura learned through their on-going struggle - she thought people could only learn from their story when it had a happy ending. But, God showed her that He works best through our brokenness and sharing their story even when it's not over is what can really help people. At the end of each chapter Laura highlights a myth she believed before their journey and the truth God revealed to her about that myth - then they are all compiled at the end of the book. This is really a great story and a testament to God working through us even when things seem to be at the worst. 

Some quotes I really liked:

"I no longer believe the myth that trials are a curse. Trials are an opportunity. They are an invitation to do good works to glorify our Father in heaven, to transform our lives from the inside out, and to drive us into the arms and footsteps of Jesus." (p. 25)

"It's important to know that nowhere does the Bible promise that all our questions will be answered this side of heaven. God doesn't promise that our stories will make sense in and of themselves. But he does promise they will find their greater purpose in light of his greater story of redemption." (p. 141)

"The answer to why doesn't help us heal. But knowing that God's glory can be displayed, even in the brokenness of our lives, gives us hope despite our circumstances." (p. 142)

"God was asking me to reveal the brokenness in my life not to show how faithless I was, but how faithful he is. God wasn't going to use me in spite of my hard story; he was going to use my hard story." (p. 174)

"...I realized that when we're living in brokenness we can sometimes feel as though we're less than or not good enough. Sometimes that leads us to trying harder. Often it leads to us failing further. But we have to give up that idea and settle into who God created us to be." (p. 276)

Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes

Every time I think I have new favorite by Jojo Moyes, I read her next book and it's instantly my new favorite! She is just a wonderful author and this book does NOT disappoint. The main short story, really more of a novella, follows Nell on what is supposed to be a romantic trip to Paris with her boyfriend after he bails on the trip. Then there are 8 other short stories - all very different, but all fantastic. My favorite one was the last one, "The Christmas List." Fans of Jojo Moyes this is another winner!

Miraculous Abundance: One Quarter Acre, Two French Farmers, and Enough Food to Feed the World by Charles and Perrine Herve-Gruyer

Perrine and Charles Herve-Gruyer both had successful careers, but wanted to spend their days closer to the land. They were also concerned about where their food came from, so they decided to become farmers. Through trial and error they transform a small piece of land in France into a wildly productive food business. This book explores their farming philosophy and some of the the issues they've encountered and overcome. My main complaint about the book is that it's not a straightforward story of their farm. That is interspersed throughout the chapters on various topics/issues/philosophy/etc. It is an interesting book, just not exactly what I was expecting. But the biggest point is that they show that you can make a living on a a quarter acre of land if you plan well and use permaculture ideas - they commission a study to see exactly how much work and production goes into one 1/4 acre section of their farm and the results are astounding (pg. 118-121 for specific data). Definitely an interesting book and the color photographs really make the book because you get to see the spaces they've transformed.

Some quotes I really liked:

"Slow Food is often criticized as elitist. But that criticism is totally blind to the real issue. It is not important whether you or I or anyone else in the United States ever gets to eat some specific artisanal food. What's important is that it exists, that there is one small corner of the planet still unconquered by Kraft or Nabisco or Monsanto, one little rural holdout inhabited by a few hardworking people who still know what quality is and have a passion for producing it." (p. x of the Forward)

"Here is a definition of this system adapted to our latitudes, from Patrick Whitefield: 'A forest garden is a garden modeled on natural woodland. Like a natural woodland, it has three layers of vegetation: trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. In an edible forest garden the tree layers contains fruit and nut trees, the shrub layer soft fruit and nut bushes, and the ground layer perennial vegetables and herbs. The soil is not dug, and annual vegetables are not normally included unless they can reproduce by self-seeding. It is usually a very diverse garden, containing a wide variety of edible plants.'...If we abandon an agricultural area, it is the forest that will return naturally. Maintaining open space requires constant effort. The central role of the tree is becoming better appreciated. It fulfills a plethora of ecological functions, creates soil, promotes microclimates conducive to life, and stores carbon. It also beautifies the landscape and provides countless human services." (p. 128-9)

"Traditional agriculture was labor intensive, industrial agriculture is energy intensive, and permaculture-designed systems are information and design intensive. - David Holmgren" (p. 147)

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

After the Civil War Captain Jefferson Kidd rides from small town to small town reading the news of the world from various newspapers. He's lived through three wars, is widowed, and enjoys the freedom of not being tied down in his old age. While at one of his stops he is offered a fifty-dollar gold piece to bring a rescued white child back to her family. Johanna Leonberger's parents and younger sister were killed by Kiowa raiders and she was kidnapped and lived with them for 4 years. She is now 10 years old, does not speak English, and doesn't want to leave her Kiowa family. The Captain agrees to take her against his better judgement, but while traveling across the wild Texas territory the two form a unique bond. Once they reach her extended family outside San Antonio the Captain has to make a terrible choice that will ultimately change both he and Johanna's lives forever. This is a short, but fantastic book with two very memorable characters and would make a great movie! Definitely worth reading!