A Year of Pies, by Ashley English

Oh happy. The team at 5 Minutes for Books were given the opportunity to choose from a new selection of cookbooks produced by Sterling Publishing for review purposes. We divvied up the list, each choosing cook books of interest to us individually. If you track with 5 Minutes for Books, you can see some of the new cookbooks being released. (There also might be a chance to win a few. *wink*)

At any rate, one of the books that I selected as wanting to try was A Year of Pies because, come on, who doesn't like a good pie? (By that I mean, "Who doesn't like a good home baked pie?" I'm not fond at all of pre-made pie crusts. My mother spoiled us rotten with delicious homemade pie crusts and so my own family will experience nothing but!)

Bookworm3, my current youngest and resident sous chef, was also delighted with this book on sight. ("Eat! Book! Eat!") We looked through it together.

First off, the book opens with a picture of a stack of colorful pie plates. That's to get you in the mood. And it worked. Then comes recipes for any variety of pie crusts, including: ye olde basic crust, chocolate cookie crust, gingersnap crust and a graham cracker crust, among a few others. There are pie dough tips set alongside lots and lots of pictures. Then comes the recipes which are divided up by season. Some of the recipes included in this book:

* lemon meringue
* buttered rum shoofly pie
* gingersnap key lime pie
* strawberry crumble
* peaches and cream crumble top pie
* sweet potato pie
* pumpkin pie
* chai spice apple pie

There are also main meal pies and things pie-like:

* winter greens and cornbread quiche
* chicken pot pie
* leek and potato tart
* turkey shepherd's pie

Pie! Pie! Pie! It's all so satisfactory. Now the question is: where to start first? We have some out-of-town guests this weekend and I'm thinking a yummy chicken pot pie is exactly what is in order. (I also have a ton of potatoes on hand at the moment so we might have to check out that leek and potato tart.) It is always a good idea to make pies when there are plenty of people to share it with! It lessens the risk of having too much pie to eat all by one's self.

A Year of Pies: A Seasonal Tour of Home Baked Pies is a beautiful book. It is paperback and so the pages do not lay down flat. That's probably the one and only drawback that I see, given the fact that pies, especially, involve messy hands and lots of flour! But otherwise this is a nice little treasure book of pies and I'm happy to be adding it to my home collection. If you check back with me after the weekend, I'll let you know in the comment section how any number of these pies that we tried out this weekend came out. We shall see!

Thanks to Sterling Publishing for sending a copy of this book my direction in exchange for my honest opinion.

You can check out another recipe book which I also reviewed over at 5 Minutes for Books today. The title (to tempt you with?): Coming Home to Sicily. (Linked to my review.)

5 Minutes for Books (Note for Giveaway)

First of all, HAPPY ST. NICHOLAS DAY! We're all getting over a bout with the Christmas stomach bug (if you attach the word "Christmas" to it, that makes it better, right?) and so I'll take a break from an original review today and highlight some reviews that I've recently written for 5 Minutes for Books. All titles are linked to my review.

First up there was Until We All Come Home. Really, I had so much to say about this one that I seriously considered writing up a second (lengthy) post to share here. But then I thought maybe most of my thoughts were better left unsaid.

This book deals with the topic of international adoption - a topic I care about! However, I found a lot within the book to raise speculations and questions from those who do not favor the idea of a.) adoptions and/or b.) international adoptions, specifically. (Yes, such people do exist.) In retrospect, I'm STILL not sure whether this book is a blessing or a curse but as I say in my official review of it: we need to remember that each person's adoption story is different than any other, just like every birth story is different. Remember that!

The next one is Train Tracks. I didn't even finish this one but I felt so strongly about it that I wrote up a review anyway. And Jennifer graciously let me post my very frightfully honest thoughts. This is a book I believe you will want to avoid.

Author of Guess How Much I Love You is BACK with The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare. Now, in this case, you are going to WANT to hightail it over and read my review. Better still you will want to leave a comment there in order to be entered to win one of FOUR COPIES which I have to giveaway. There are a few days left to enter so . . . hop to it! ;)

What's On Your Nightstand

Yay! It's Nighstand time over at 5 Minutes for Books!(***Or rather, it will be - TOMORROW. I believed myself to have set this post to publish tonight but apparently I had a little accident and it posted this morning instead.) I really have found my Nightstand posts to be so helpful in keeping my reading goals these past few months in particular. I'm trying to make sure I'm setting up reasonable goals and expectations for myself to help me effectively chip away at my TBR list. This is also helping me to keep track of which review copies I really need to get to next. I love looking back and what my goals were for last month to see if I actually succeeded at them. This month I didn't completely succeed, but I won't be too hard on myself. (heh)

Looking back to last month I said I wanted to read:

I wanted to finish The Man in the Iron Mask and I did! Woot! Thanks to a light attack of some stomach virus and a day in bed, I finally got the thing read. I should have my review up . . . soon-ish. There's a book club to deal with first!

Uncle Tom's Cabin. I'm supposed to have this read by Friday for the Reading to Know book club. So. I will. (ahem)

One of the review copies I was hoping to finish last month was Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. I read it, cautiously wrote my review of it, and still found people to be *clears throat* passionate about their comics. I learned more about Marvel Comics than I really wanted to know. At any rate, I linked the title to my review which posted at 5 Minutes for Books if you'd like to learn more about that particular book.

HARRY POTTER! I did read it and shared my (very long) thoughts on it this past week. Click on "HARRY POTTER" to read what I had to share. ;)

Angels in the Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth. Epic fail. (I'm starting to become really annoyed at myself for not getting to this one.)

So, what are my goals for October? Let's start with Angels in the Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth.

And while we're at it, I'd like to re-read Choosing Gratitude. (Linked to my original thoughts.) Annette at This Simple Home recently read this for the first time and I wanted to re-read along with her. Alas, I seem perpetually behind people in my reading of books by at least a month. It's time to catch up! (I also have this title on my Fall Into Reading Challenge list so as to give myself special permission to get to it!)

I would like to finish Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition which I am about half way through. I started it a few weeks ago and have been snatching it up in between chapters of The Man in the Iron Mask.

Other than that, I have a bunch of review copies that I'd like to zoom through as quickly as is humanely possible during November so that I can have a relaxed reading month in December. I have in my stack:

• The Story of Ain't: America, Its Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published. This was released in early October and is now at the top of my Need to Read stack. Physically speaking.
• Stressed-Less Living: Finding God's Peace in Your Chaotic World is an interesting title that I'm not quite sure what to make of. I've read the first chapter and anticipate it being a fairly quick read. Mostly because I don't feel stressed at the moment.
• Double Blind: A Novel - I accepted this one for review - the latest by Brandilynn Collins - because I've heard so many people rave about her. I thought now was a good opportunity to check her writing out.
• How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto. I like wine sometimes. (Mostly blush/dessert wines.) I'm curious!
• Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere - I will either find this one interesting or horrible.

But the review copy that I'm probably most looking forward to is:

Women, Slaves, and the Gender Debate: A Complementarian Response to the Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic. I want to read this one in conjunction with Uncle Tom's Cabin so I should be getting to it fairly shortly!

I suppose in summary I'm saying that I hope to decrease my review stack significantly with the goal of relaxing during December and setting myself up to accomplish more of my personal reading goals in January. (Because yes, I'm the type of person who thinks ahead that far. And farther, really.)

What's on your nightstand!? As always, I can't wait to find out!

What's On Your Nightstand

It's Nightstand time at 5 Minutes for Books!!! And like many of you who are also participating in Katrina's Fall Into Reading Challenge at Callapidder Days, I've already stated my main reading goals for the fall.

My husband can attest to the fact that I first LOVE looking at The Big Picture, and after I've done so, then I like to break things down into manageable goals. So while I did already list my overall fall reading plans, I'm very happy to break this down by month. First though, I have to look back at last month's Nightstand post and see how I'm doing tracking with my goals. (Reading is a serious business you know. Must. have. serious. goals.)

For September I had said I wanted to read the following . . . 

• Professionalizing Motherhood. I read it and it's linked to my review. Overall, I was not very impressed or moved.
• The Man in the Iron Mask. I was supposed to have read this in conjunction with Sarah at Library Hospital during the month of August. She read it and I didn't. However, I did start it! I'm about halfway through. (I was sidetracked by Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms which Jennifer and Amy both recommended with very good reason. Then I read the sequel. I now need to get back to MitIM.
• I also planned on reading Pursuing Peace and did so.  (Linked to my review.) I recommend it, generically, to Christian humans everywhere.

As for my specific goals for the month of October . . .

Uncle Tom's Cabin, which was selected by Barbara at Stray Thoughts for the Reading to Know book club.


Marvel Comics: The Untold Story which is due to be released at the first of October. I'll be reviewing that one at 5 Minutes for Books so you'll have to look for it there. As usual, when the review pops up over at 5 Minutes for Books, I'll mention it on my (Reading to Know) Facebook Page.

Angels in the Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth which is a must re-read for me (and it's also on my FiR Reading Challenge list).

Lastly, *drum roll please* . . .  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! I have tried to successfully wait until I truly was the very last person on earth to read this series before I did so. Jonathan and I have only ever read the first one - years ago - and both of us are kind of curious about the series so we're going to read through it alongside one another and watch the movies. At least, we probably will. It's a loosely stated and held to goal. (We also just recently watched the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies for the first time. We liked the first one, didn't like the second or third and are waiting to see the fourth.) Eventually Sometimes On rare occassions we'll take the time to catch up with whatever is popular. Anyway, Potter Fans shouldn't hold their breath while waiting for us to catch up but they can perhaps smile a bit that we have finally come the conclusion to give it all a shot. Hmm?

Now. What's on YOUR nightstand this month!!? I'm off to find out (if you're linked up to 5M4B that is!) If you aren't linked up, I'm always happy to hear about what you are reading in the comment section here below.

Books, the Great Outdoors, and I Don't Know What Happened to Summer

The truth is, I have a pile of books sitting on my desk - which operates as my "Nightstand" - which are waiting to either be read or reviewed. I need the inspiration to sit down and type. But alas, the inspiration has not arrived. When it does, I'll have regular posts again.

I have been reading - both to myself and to the children - and so that's good. As I confessed last week, we hadn't been reading much aloud and it was clear we were all missing that time together. Not only have we been reading picture books (Thomas the Tank Engine, may he live forever!) but also chapter books. We finished the following two this past week (and so I intend to participate in Read Aloud Thursdays soon!):



We finished Ramona the Brave in three days flat. And that was only because we weren't home for one of those days. Otherwise we would have finished it in two! Big hit.



I had a review go up over at 5 Minutes for Books that I find interesting due to the author's position on keeping books. Clearly she doesn't read very much. (She reads. She just doesn't understand the value of books in general.) You can read my review of Live More, Want Less by clicking on the title there.



On a completely different subject:

We've taken a lot of time to be outside the past few weeks, taking advantage of Oregon's brief summer. There is a mountain that is all of 5 minutes from our house and we've been exploring its many trails this summer. Here is a picture from one of our hikes:



Speaking of spending time out of doors . . . thanks to our lovely local Nana, Mommy and Daddy were afforded the opportunity to go jet boating down the Rogue River this past Monday. It turned into an overnight trip which made it an extra special trip indeed! We had such a lovely full day on the river. It was so much fun to have an adventure all to ourselves. Here's a picture from our trip - which even though it doesn't have a copyright notice on it, let's pretend it does, k? ;) I don't know which one of us took this picture. We were tossing the camera back and forth a bit as we wound down the river. Every time we turned a corner we were met with something lovely.


And today, at the time you read this post (more or less) we'll be taking Bookworm1 for oral surgery. He has an extra tooth (ever heard of these things?) that we have affectionately been calling "spike." Today my oldest bookworm will be placed under general anesthesia as it is time for spike to go! Prayers for a safe, effective procedure are most appreciated!

I think it'll be a quiet weekend, but then I always think that and then discover it isn't. Life is just zooming by. Is August really almost over?!?!?

Where Am I?

Uh, hmm. So I had all of these great plans for the weekend and some of them happened but most of the ones involving books, reading and getting ahead did not.

That said, I did . . .

. . . have a date night out with my husband. (We went to go see a somewhat local production of The King and I which was remarkably well done and great fun.)

. . . provided lunch for a crew of friends who were helping some friends move into a new (and magical!) house (that I love)! Very happy for their blessing of a new (fabulous) home. I look forward to spending time there.

. . . canned 13 jars of pickles with my husband. (Overkill.) We also tackled 25 lbs. of tomatoes. And we're still married, yes, we are!

. . . had an outrageous attack of allergies - which I have never had before. So right now I'm holing up indoors, medicated, and trying to remember not to open any doors to the outside.

Since nothing happened on the reading front this weekend, I'll point you to some that I wrote for 5 Minutes for Books which have appeared over there within the last few months. (I'll point you to my favorites at any rate!)



Review of Hank the Cowdog

Please tell me you've read Hank. If not, please tell me that you will give it very serious consideration! I read this one several months back with the Bookworms, but just never got around to posting about it. Until now. Over at 5 Minutes for Books.

By the way and for the record, Bookworm2 just walked up to the computer and saw this picture of Hank. His response? "Oh, he's a funny, funny dog!" A ringing endorsement!




Review of Where's Waldo: The Search for Lost Things

I can't say I'm a big fan of Where's Waldo because some of the illustrations are inappropriate for young kids, in my opinion. (I refer to the scantily clad females I've seen in some pictures.) However, I didn't see anything that bothered me in this new puzzle book which features Waldo and his friends. I've set aside my review copy of this book to give to Bookworm1 when he's ready for it.



Review of The Backyard Homestead

Months (and months) ago, I mentioned that I had received a copy of The Backyard Homestead and liked it. I shared my garden-ish thoughts in this review. You'll have to excuse me if I am amused by my own gardening skills (or lack thereof). Up until this year, I've killed everything that I've ever tried to grow. The tide has turned and our thumbs seem to be turning a shade of light green. (And as for our zucchini plants?! We planted FOUR but only one has lived and is producing. It is enough.)

;)

Kids' Picks: Dragons and Mice

We've been doing a lot with our library lately and just returned home with another stack of books yesterday. (There are books littering the floor of our home. Literally. I'm trying to sift through books as quickly as possible because I think books are what is making our house messy at the moment!! Is that a bad thing? You tell me.)

One book on the living room table is a new one from WaterBrook Multnomah Press entitled The Dragon and the Turtle.



I pulled this one out to read with Bookworm1 (age 3 1/2) and it received an instant request for a re-read. (We've read it quite a bit, actually!)

This tells the story of Padraig the Dragon who befriends Roger, the lost turtle. Roger has lost his home while out on a pirating expedition. Padraig befriends him and helps search out and find Roger's home by flying over the island. He is on the look out for a brown home that sounds like singing, smells like cookies, and tastes like strawberries (from the bushes out front.) The key verse surrounding this book is Proverbs 17:17 which says, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." There is a small study guide after the story which prompts children to think about what it means to be friendly and helpful towards other people.

The illustrations by Vincent Nguyan are perfect for the story. He gives the dragon a friendly look and feel, making both Padraig and Roger look like baby versions of the animals. This is appealing to my three year old who has recently dubbed all baby animals as being "so cute." At the very end of the book there is also a recipe for Chocolate Chip Snappers for anyone interested in a chocolate fix!

Thanks, WaterBrook for the opportunity to check out this new book!

Next up!

Some time back I said that I was going to talk about Christopher Churchmouse and I haven't gotten around to it quite yet.


A few years ago I stumbled across a copy of The Christopher Churchmouse Treasury and snatched it right up! Growing up, Christopher Churchmouse was a bit of a celebrity in our house, given that my brother is named Christopher. Finding a cute little character to teach some moral and Biblical lessons no doubt delighted my mother to no end. I, of course, liked the name but also just enjoyed the mouse and remember reading these books with my brother when he was 4-6 years old.

I picked up this copy of the The Christopher Churchmouse Treasury and tucked it away until just recently. Figuring Bookworm1 was about ready for them, I pulled out the book and I was not at all disappointed by his reaction to the stories. The Treasury includes 6 Christopher Churchmouse stories: Rainy Day Rescue, A Load of Trouble, The Shiny Red Sled, A Flood of Friends, A Short Tail and The Tattletale Tongue. Each one focuses on a specific Bible verse and shares a lesson through the Churchmouse interactions with each other and their friends.



Written by Barbara Davoll and illustrated by Dennis Hockerman, these books originally appeared in the late 1990's. They are kind of hard to find these days, but I highly recommend them should you stumble across them. Davoll and her husband apparently have (and do?) operate a Christopher Churchmouse ministry to connect with children. You can learn more about that on their website if you'd like.

In the meantime, if you want to check out what other books are littering our floors, our tables and every chair in the house - visit Reading My Library to see what we've been hauling home recently!