Friday, February 27, 2009
Thistle & Twigg by Mary Saums
Jane Thistle, recently widowed buys a country home in a remote section of Alabama. She befriends Miss Phoebe Twigg, longtime resident of the small, nearby town of Tullulah. And since this is a "cozy" mystery the reader need not wait too long for the friends to discover a body. For me the attraction was learning bits and pieces of Jane's life as a former spy. And her spy skills come in handy for the exciting conclusion. The author has a lot going on with touches of the supernatural, Indian legend, and fraud. Jane was very funny taking on the bad guys, a little like Miss Julia gone rouge. And her friend Phoebe, accessorized with with her newly hand decorated AK-46 proved to be good back-up.
To Buy or Not to Buy Organic by Cindy Burke
This little book will help you decide if you want to spend your money on organic products. I often try to buy organic if my wallet can take the hit so I was very happy to find some of the foods I purchase were listed on the authors "Clean Fifteen". These are foods most pests don't want to bother with so very little, if any pesticides are used. Blueberries are "clean" as is broccoli.
On the flip side you may want to consult the "Dirty Dozen", foods you should only eat if they are organic. Pesticide residue remains on food even after washing thoroughly and some products require a lot of chemicals to ward off pests. Some of these foods are strawberries, red and green peppers and spinach.
This probably won't be your most exciting read of 2009 but it may help you make more economical decisions at the grocery store.
On the flip side you may want to consult the "Dirty Dozen", foods you should only eat if they are organic. Pesticide residue remains on food even after washing thoroughly and some products require a lot of chemicals to ward off pests. Some of these foods are strawberries, red and green peppers and spinach.
This probably won't be your most exciting read of 2009 but it may help you make more economical decisions at the grocery store.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc
Despres, Loraine. The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. 342 pp.
If you enjoy romances that pull on your heart strings, this debut novel by screenwriter Loraine Despres is a must read! Here's the plot synopsis from the back of the novel:
"It's a steamy June afternoon in Louisiana, circa 1956, and Sissy LeBlanc is sitting on her front porch, wondering—half seriously—if she could kill herself with aspirins and Coca-Cola. She's been living in stifling old Gentry since the day she was born and trapped in a sham of a marriage to PeeWee LeBlanc since she was only seventeen. In short, she's fed up, restless, and ready for an adventure. Sissy just never imagined temptation would come into her life that breathless summer day as she sat smoking on her porch swing. For although she may have been fixated on the taut muscles of the lineman shimmying down the telephone pole across the street, she hadn't allowed herself to imagine that he'd be none other than her high school sweetheart, Parker Davidson, who left town fourteen years before without so much as a wave good-bye. But suddenly, here he is, standing in her very own kitchen, sipping Coke over cracked ice and leaning in for a kiss that will stir up more excitement than Sissy could have ever imagined…."
I just finished reading Scandalous Summer for the second time, and again I found myself unable to put the book down. The unexpected twists and turns of the plot (it's much more than a happy ending!), as well as my sympathetic feelings for Sissy, "the princess" who married "the toad" for all the wrong reasons, contributed to my enjoyment of this novel. The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc is a hilarious, thought-provoking read that is sure to warm you up any time of year!
Erica
If you enjoy romances that pull on your heart strings, this debut novel by screenwriter Loraine Despres is a must read! Here's the plot synopsis from the back of the novel:
"It's a steamy June afternoon in Louisiana, circa 1956, and Sissy LeBlanc is sitting on her front porch, wondering—half seriously—if she could kill herself with aspirins and Coca-Cola. She's been living in stifling old Gentry since the day she was born and trapped in a sham of a marriage to PeeWee LeBlanc since she was only seventeen. In short, she's fed up, restless, and ready for an adventure. Sissy just never imagined temptation would come into her life that breathless summer day as she sat smoking on her porch swing. For although she may have been fixated on the taut muscles of the lineman shimmying down the telephone pole across the street, she hadn't allowed herself to imagine that he'd be none other than her high school sweetheart, Parker Davidson, who left town fourteen years before without so much as a wave good-bye. But suddenly, here he is, standing in her very own kitchen, sipping Coke over cracked ice and leaning in for a kiss that will stir up more excitement than Sissy could have ever imagined…."
I just finished reading Scandalous Summer for the second time, and again I found myself unable to put the book down. The unexpected twists and turns of the plot (it's much more than a happy ending!), as well as my sympathetic feelings for Sissy, "the princess" who married "the toad" for all the wrong reasons, contributed to my enjoyment of this novel. The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc is a hilarious, thought-provoking read that is sure to warm you up any time of year!
Erica
Monday, February 2, 2009
Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
A cheeky, biting history of Puritan New England, specifically Massachusetts Bay Colony with emphasis on Gov. Winthrop and the outspoken Roger Williams. The author is witty and funny but makes no pretense of her skepticism of religion even as she dives headlong into religious history. Most interesting is the chapter on Anne Hutchins who along with Roger Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island. Anne was probably the first "modern" Christian in America believing everyone's salvation was an individual choice through accepting Christ.