Thursday, July 28, 2016

Books read Jul 28




 The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks
Have read many of the authors other works and have enjoyed them. This one starts out in the present day and she is finishing up her sculpture of the mermaid. It's a big commission. Tess is back with Peter and Buzz maintains the cottages.
Tom Grace shows up and is given the keys to the lighthouse keeper's cottage a gift from Frank. Only he, Buzz and Frank know of what's happened. Dean is now incapacitated and Tom tends to hes every need. He looks forward to the new adventure and maybe even a local job as he's a school teacher.
Then the book goes back to 1877 where we learn of the legends surrounding Cradle Harbor Maine and the mermaid festival, etc.  Lydia and Linus are taking care of the lighthouse, she is relieved he will not be on the sea and her nightmare might go away...she's not able to have babies either...
Alternating sections from the present to the past make this book like actually having two books in one and you hope they will connect with one another, down the road.
Love learning about mermaid purses and hearing of the wind chimes and their connection to the mermaid song... Love hearing the legends and being so close to the water and what it all encompasses.  Love the DASH!
Beautiful magical majestic stories. Q&A at the end along with discussion questions.
Won this is a contest.





 The weekenders by Mary Kay  Andrews
Like these books as they portray real life of today's women's struggles and goals and accomplishments.
Wendell had first started dating her during high school and he promised her a lot. He has a hard time of making them complete.
Riley heading to Belle Island with her daughter, Maggie and her puppy Banks waiting for him to show up for the weekend and she's afraid he's not going to make it.
She realizes her daughter is growing up so fast, she'll be a teen soon. Wendell is working lots more hours and he spends lots of money on handbags for Riley and other expensive things for his daughter.
Full Moon party sounds like a blast. Although I vacationed and lived on an island I didn't go to the parties as there was more drinking and smoking than what I wanted to partake.
Chapters alternate from the past to the present so we can get more clear picture of Riley and Wendell during their teen years.
Hard getting used to all the female friends and all their kids at the first. She's served on the deck of the ferry-he is asking for a divorce!
When the girls arrive at the house they notice a foreclosure on the front door. Their remote controls won't work now....they have nowhere to go but her parents house... Sheriff shows up she hopes to clear up the locked doors but that's not the news he's there to tell her!
Lots of questions ....Why had her husband emptied all bank accounts even her $6 million trust from her family...Wendell had helped her drunk brother with many events and they were entwined in the family development business...
Book also follow Nat, the ferry captain among other jobs. love how he looks after Riley and Maggie. Riley hopes the family can help with finances but there are so many that hold secrets from one another.
Lots of twists, great book of mysteries, secrets, bit of romance, sex and family holdings and dwelling into it all.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).



One Pot, Two Plates: 50 Best Pressure Cooker Recipes That Are Perfect For Midweek Meals (Good Food Series)
What I like about this book is that each recipe starts with a fresh page, shows a picture of the completed dish, list of times: prep and cooking, servings
and then ingredient list.  Detailed settings for the pressure cooker and how to even make it tastier.
Has a list of some nutritional information, fat content is not broken up into various parts, does not have sodium content but most of the ingredients are on the healthy side, all but vegetable shortening which I'd substitute.
Even has a cheesecake you can make in the pot.
Will be trying this new yogurt recipe tonight.
A KEEPER!



Freezer Meals for Every Kitchen: Top 50 Freezer Meals That Everyone Will Love by Reese, Michael
Starts out with why and how you can freeze foods for use later saving you time and money.
Chart of what foods freeze well and also a chart of those foods you should not freeze.
Also a chart showing how long to keep the frozen food safely before eating.
How to prevent freezer burn and other tips.
Chart of meals, 3 meals a day for a week.
Each recipe has a list of ingredients and how to make it and how to unfreeze it to eat. No pictures and no nutritional information.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.



Make Ahead Meals: Stock Up On These 44 Fridge And Freezer Friendly Meals Ahead Of Time, And You'll Never Go Hungry Again-Save Time And Reduce The Stress ... Slow Cooker Recipes, Make Ahead Paleo)  by Maggie Bradley
Like how this book is divided into sections. Each recipe has a list of servings it will make, ingredient listing, how to cook and how to freeze and in what kind of containers.
No pictures and no nutritional information.


Freezer Meals: 365 Days of Quick & Easy, Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Families (Freezer Recipes, Freezer Cooking, Dump Dinners, Make Ahead
Like that this book is divided into a few sections, very easy to look up a specific section.
Has a chart that will tell you how long you can keep the item in the freezer-quick reference. Also has some handy tips when freezing some foods.
Each recipe has list of ingredients and how to put it all together and how to freeze it.
No nutritional information and no pictures and no serving sizes.


The astronomer and other stories  by Betts_ Doris
Like books about astronomy as I learn new things.
Rural NC and story of relationships. The new boarders take up his time but there are discussions of love, loss, etc.
Interesting how they used the black soot from the chimney in many ways before the war.
2 young girls in one story imagine spies in a house nearby....
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).


 The princess and the pony   by Beaton_ Kate
This audio book is about Princess Pinecone for a birthday gift. A big strong horse and one fit for a warrior princess. Other princesses over the years have received amulets, shields and other warrior items.
The pony she had she was not able to teach warrior moves in the battle.
She does not quite get what she wants....funny children's story.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

 The magic of the Glits  by Adler_ C. S_ (Carole S.)
Jeremy summer at Cape Cod-he has a cast on his broken leg and he has to babysit the 7 yo girl-Lynette.
He invents the game, the glitz to keep her busy.  They do spend time at the beach, just not near the water because her mother had drowned.
After the cast he picks up hanging out with his male friends playing ball, etc. He brings her with him...
He helps her get over her fears and he needs to have some more responsibility.  Her father wants to put her in an orphanage and then she wishes on the glits that she felt.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).




Some other summer  by Adler_ C. S_ (Carole S.)
Lynette is overjoyed Jeremy will come to the farm. He will come visit with her at the farm. He's 17 now and her cousin Debby is around and he pays more attention to her.
She pretties her horse Penny and then she will clean the house again til he arrives in the afternoon.   Lynette has a crush on him and she wants to marry him when she grows up. Love the area of Glens Falls as we have relatives there and have visited and walked the lands.
Like all the talk about the horses and the trails they take. They have put Jeremy to work and he's enjoying learning new things. then Debby returns.
She has a plan when the younger cousin Eddie has harmed her horse...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).


 Best Egg Roll, Spring Roll, and Dumpling Recipes from Mama Li's Kitchen
Was looking for a recipe as my husband used to buy these and misses them. The recipes themselves are very basic with regular ingredients to use.
Many different methods of how to cook dumplings, egg and spring rolls, etc.
Listings of what ingredients to have on hand and list of different methods and why you'd use them vs. another.
Not only the recipes for making the items but also the sauces.
Many methods also of folding the various rolls and dumplings. Will have to try these. There are few pictures of the finished items and no nutritional information.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.



 AARP June/July 2016
Lots of useful music about health, finance and preparing for when you are older.
Enjoyed all musical interludes from many different genres.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).



Vegetarian Quick & Easy - Under 15 Minutes: (100 Simple Natural Food Recipes) (Weight Maintenance & Low Fat Lifestyle) (Vegetarian Weight Loss) (Special ... & Vegetarian Recipes Collection Book 2)
Have made some dishes and looking for something different. Starts out with other works by the author.
Explains what a vegetarian is and the benefits and how to time manage.
Even has recipes for kids to make and parties along with romantic and some for busy moms.
Each recipe starts out with why the dish is good and servings, and ingredient list and how to make it.  No nutritional information and very few pictures.
So unfamiliar with some of the ingredients. 
Summer pasta salad looks real good to eat!



 Attractions by Joshua Smith
Book starts out with him and his family at the amusement park. It's summer and the heat and lines of people waiting are getting to him. There is no place among family outings to get it on with his wife.
They each design their own cars and then they get to ride in them. The father and son in one car, the mother and two girls in the other and they race against one another to design the one that will give them the most points.
He keeps imagining women and their parts as he gets turned on even more. He wonders at times if it's all a dream...
 Excerpt from another story is included.



 Goodbye for Now by Laurie Frankel
Book starts out with Sam and he's designed a dating program and it's a big hit. He likes Meridith but it takes time for them to really see one another.
After her grandmother passes away he sees how sad she is and knows he has a program using AI that can help and it does and it doesn't.
Really strange happen and they open it to others to try out as they are suffering also. Unheard of what happens next... Few characters easy to keep track of what they each are doing.
Love the scenery and places visited in the book, near Seattle as we've been to many of them.
I received this book from a contest I won.
 
SURFACE  by Stacy Robinson
Story line sounded intriguing. Starts out with Claire and Michael and they have a son Nicholas who's home for the summer from boarding school. He's now 17 and he meets up with his other friends at night.
As Michael has left the country to do business one of his associates shows up and he and Claire hit it off-he's got info on a new project and she questions him about it. What ensues is they end up in bed and he drops his cocaine that Nicky finds and uses-and Nicky is a diabetic.
He ends up in a coma and surgeries and then Michael sends him to a rehab hosptial in LA and Claire goes with him.
Story goes back in time so we can understand Michael and Claire's relationship before they got married, then we are back in the present at the LA rehab place. Nicky is showing progress but Michael who flies in from Denver, CO doesn't think as much as he should be improving. Nickys sees himself as a retard.
Quite a few twists to the story and then other events on top of that make this a good read. Action, mysteries, loss, travel, new friendships and betrayal. She is able to uncover some things that lead her and her friends to think Michael is having an affair. She does learn what it's all about and so much more and she meets him headon with how she can help him.
Like how the book got it's name and yes the mother in law knew it from the start. Crazy plan of hers to help her and her son survive. it's never going to work...
I received this book from The Kennsington Books in exchange for my honest review

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