Well, this will not be a book review. This is my nudge to you, to please believe that you can make a difference in bettering our planet. Make small changes, they add up to great accomplishments. Recycle, compost, reduce water consumption, omit chemicals, quit smoking, bike/walk instead of driving…so many ways to make a change.
I just watched an episode of Oprah for Earth Day, boy, really cannot stay unaffected after this episode! Please take the time to visit www.savejapandolphins.org and help stop the slaughter of these wonderful dolphins. A signature is all that is needed.
Happy Earth Day!
M.
I read The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins; a feel good romance novel. As I mentioned in previous posts, I love romances. I equate them to what people classify as “chick flicks”. So any who… I enjoyed the book, worth the read.
So, falling in love, do we have control over who? The book is about falling in love with your first husband’s brother. Is this situation ever okay? Do we control who we love, when we love and how we love? Dating a friend’s ex, getting involved with a past Love’s brother, all scenarios I would say no to, but should I be more open minded?
Reading The Next Best Thing made it all okay, even necessary. So, is there a situation that makes things like this okay? Am I one of the few who felt that falling in love with your past Love’s brother is rather yucky? What if you feel it’s wrong but still fall in love? Should you act on that love…after all finding love isn’t easy? Should you instead avoid it at all costs…after all what about your integrity?
Falling in love, how much control do we really have over it or better yet how much control should we exercise over it?
M.
I love to cook and best of all I love barbecues! Try this simple recipe for chicken I got out of The Backyard Barbecue Cookbook
Glazed Chicken Quarters
Needed:
- 160z can of pineapple slices
- 6 chicken leg and thigh quarters
Marinade:
- 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1/2 cup of ketchup
- 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 crushed garlic clove
- salt and pepper to taste
Drain the pineapple slices and reserve the juice. Combine all marinade ingredients and place chicken and most of the marinade in a plastic bag. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Cook on a preheated lightly oiled grill. Turn chicken often and brush with remaining marinade until juices run clear; about 30-35 minutes. This recipe serves 6.
It’s that simple and so yummy! As a side, I pat dry the pineapple slices, brush them with the marinade and grill them as well, yum.
Give it a try..let me know what you think.
M.
Author Danielle Steele was on The View yesterday and I caught just very little of it. Joy asked her why she never writes sex scenes, the response was that she always prefers to close the bedroom door. Something about not being a voyeur was mentioned although I cannot recall who said it. So I got to thinking about the whole topic.
I have read all sorts of sex/love scenes from implied to explicit, and I cannot say that one way of writing is more entertaining than another. Let’s face it, although romances are my favorite read, be it suspense, comedy, heartfelt, yadda..yadda, the thread of the books tends to be the same, familiar, therefore it’s all in the details. Some stories/books could have been more interesting if they would have been a little more detailed including the love scenes and others I couldn’t believe were classified as contemporary romances because I found too explicit. Some are just boring because of their lack of details, and the familiarity of the story line.
I think that it’s best to not have a firm opinion on the topic. Whatever you enjoy works for me. Written well, any type is worth the read. Tsk, tsk, ladies keep an open mind!
M.
Tags: Danielle Steele, Novels, Reading, romance, The View
Well, Spring has sprung! With Spring comes a somewhat shedding of clothing, and with that the pull to shed pounds. I feel like all I see is a frenzy of weight loss headlines urging us to walk off belly fat, get ready for your bikini, move, tone, run, eat, don’t eat that! Ah ya ya, which should I do first? The information is all good and true but let’s face it, it really shouldn’t be about fitting into a bikini or panicking about the shed of coats and sweaters. Although, most of us know that we should shed extra pounds strictly for health reasons we tend to devour and worse yet, need, the allure of promises to vanity. Hm, interesting. What? Common knowledge you say? After all we are a society hooked on sensational propaganda, and the me factor is a constant concern. So is everything we are reading about weight loss and health, and more importantly, the way the information is delivered to us, helping us or is it actually hurting us? I am not sure of the correct answer here. One can debate that as long as you are getting healthy then who cares about the reasons. If so why are so many on a constant yo-yo ride? Up for debate my bookworms! None the less, reading can certainly drive us to many interesting destinations. The power of the written word, truly amazing!
M.
When I had my son, Christopher, I had the opportunity to open myself up to the wonderful library of books available to children. Some, from my childhood, I revisited, and others I enjoyed for the first time. One book that was new to me yet first published in 1952 is Charlottes Web
Fern Arable, is a young girl living on a farm, when she hears that a runt born to her father’s pig is destined to be killed because of his size, she runs screaming to her father. She persuades her father that the piglet has a right to life, after all would he have killed her if she was born too small! This young tenacious girl promises that she will raise the piglet on her own, that he, the piglet, will be absolutely no problem to the family, and she names him Wilbur.
This young tenacious girl promises that she will raise the piglet on her own, that he, the piglet, will be absolutely no problem to the family, and she names him Wilbur.
Fern succeeds in raising Wilbur all too well. Soon, Wilbur is too large to keep and Fern is forced to sell him to her uncle, Homer Zuckerman. So off Wilbur goes to a farm where his only purpose is to keep growing until he is becomes a meal! Fern still visits, but Wilbur learns of his fate and gets depressed. Crying in a corner of the barn, Wilbur, is heard by Charlotte, a big hairy, orb weaving spider who lives above the sty, who decides to help him. This smart sassy spider decides, with the help of Templeton the resident rat, and some of the other barn animals, to spin a message in a web. She writes out, “Some Pig”, and soon people from all over come to witness this amazing web and the pig who inspired it.
The story has more twists and turns that I will leave to you and your little one to discover.
All in all, Charlottes Web, is a fantastically entertaining story for all ages, packed with life lessons sure to please.
M.
Suzanne has picked great reads and with her choice of Still Alice by Lisa Genova she has picked another winner. This is a story about a 50-year-old woman who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University, and her very sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer’s disease. as I read the first part of Still Alice
M.
Happy 2010 bookworms!
I kept meaning to read, The Lovely Bones
Wow, what a story! I have never read anything like it. It’s brutal, and beautiful all at the same time. The novel is about a fourteen year old girl who is brutally abused and murdered by a neighbour, and is now trying to adjust to life in heaven. On earth, her family is left to deal with her murder, a harsh reality that takes years to come to the slightest of acceptance, and which takes each member on a different path. This novel is compelling. It has been said to be, “Stunning and unforgettable.” I completely agree!
I will not say too much more…yet, but will revisit blogging on this one after I view the movie. I doubt that any movie can do this superbly written novel justice. I am anxious to see.
M.
Tags: Novels
Nora Roberts’ book two in the Bride Quartet, Bed Of Roses
The novel begins with theses two lines;
Romance, in Emmaline’s opinion, made being a woman special. Romance made every woman beautiful, and every man a prince. A woman with romance in her life lived grandly as a queen, because her heart was treasured.
So very true, so well said, or in this case, so well written. Isn’t this the very allure of romance? If you look up the word, you’ll find definitions such as; a love affair, or, ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people; love, even, a mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful. All true, yet, Nora Roberts, at least in my opinion, really captures the meaning of romance with those two lines.
Snuggle into a warm blanket, in your favorite sitting area, with a hot chocolate, and read this novel, you will not be disappointed. The holidays are fast approaching, Bed Of Roses
Happy Holidays!
M.
Tags: Gifts, Nora Roberts, Novels, romance
So, at times, quite often in fact, I can be Mrs. Procrastinator. I have received a couple of questions concerning my twitter account, and have failed to update you properly. I am simply, thebookwormcafe on twitter. Now, I know that that is what I should have been all along but what can I say…..actually not much, except, “What was I thinking?”.
So, come follow me…, http://twitter.com/thebookwormcafe …..let’s follow each other; another avenue to chat, ah the wonders!
Catch you on Twitter,
M.
