Grr. Argh.

Great. I lost a post. Thanks Blogger.

Adriana Trigiani Contest. 2 days late and 2 dollars short.

I missed this contest by two days. Way to go, Shel. Too busy, too much sunshine, too much energy from a toddler keeping me busy! :) Oh yeah, and that darn potty training. Whew!

I am still going to post it anyway. In honor of Mother's day and my love for all things written by Adriana Trigiani.

I have a soft spot for her books because I discovered them right after my Grandma died last year. I read Very Valentine and Brava, Valentine and for those of you who have not read them (shame on you!), they are about a granddaughter and her grandmother who run a shoe making business in NYC.

I adored them! They made me feel more at peace after losing my beloved Grams.

I am currently reading Don't Sing at the Table, her memoir about her own grandmothers. It's so very wonderful and my heart gets all warm and fuzzy when I am reading! I convinced my book club to pick it for our May choice. I can't wait to see what the ladies think

about it this week when we meet.

TLC Book Tours and Harper Collins are hosting this contest with Adriana. Details here.

I chose to post a recipe that my Grandma used to make all the time growing up and up until she was about 80. My mom took over making it at that time.

It is a simple Czech soup called Vomacha.

Certainly not fancy but when I eat it now, I always think of her. She put her love into it and I know she enjoyed making if for me, since i ate it with such gusto. :)

The contest required you to make it and post a picture. Since I am late in doing this, I don't have a picture but I will share with you all the recipe.

Vomacha

1 lb. green and yellow wax beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 potato, peeled and cubed

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. onion, minced

1 tbsp, head dill, snipped

1 cup of Half and Half

1/2 cup milk and 1 tsp. flour, stirred into a roux

5 hard boiled eggs, if desired, chopped

Cover with water in large pot, beans potatoes, salt and onion. Cook until soft. Then add dill, cream and gradually pour in roux, stirring constantly.

Bring to a boil, add eggs, or cooked diced chicken breast.

Be careful not to make broth too thin. More water may be added later if necessary.

If you like you can put in a little vinegar to taste.

I like how the recipes of my Grandma's were always written in her stream of consciousness. A little bit of this, a little bit of that and if you happen to have this, put it in there if you'd like :)

I miss you Grams.

Happy Reading and maybe eating! As always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there!

I've been a mom for three years now and though filled with challenges at times, it is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I have never felt more love OR fear, in my life.

I wouldn't trade it for nothing!

Hope your day is filled with love and relaxation.

red headed book child

Wrecker winner!

The winner of Wrecker by Summer Wood is...

nfmgirl

Thanks to all who entered.

Thanks also to the publisher for offering a copy to give away!

red headed book child

Darling Jim by Christian Moerk (review #121)

Darling Jim by Christian Moerk

Publisher: Henry Holt

Genre: Fiction

Description from publisher's website:

Fiona Walsh thought her family’s secrets would follow her to her grave, but when her diary is found by a young postman, Niall, the truth about her untimely demise—and that of her sister and aunt—begins to see the light of day. It’s the most tragic love story he’s ever heard.

Niall soon becomes enveloped by the mystery surrounding Jim—an itinerant storyteller who traveled through Ireland enrapturing audiences and wooing women with his macabre mythic sagas—though a trail of murder followed him wherever he went. The Walsh sisters, fiercely loyal to each other, were not immune to “darling” Jim’s powers of seduction, but found themselves in harm’s way when they began to uncover his treacherous past. Niall must now continue his dangerous hunt for the truth—and for the vanished third sister—while there’s still time.

And in the woods, the wolves from Jim’s stories begin to gather.

What a treat this book was. Thank you to my friend Cheryl for recommending it to me and then sending me her copy to read! This book has been out for a few years now and is available in paperback in most stores. The cover sets the mood quite well. It is a dark and moody and psychologically thrilling novel.

This book starts off with a bang, a suspense built so well that I could not put it down. The postman find the Walsh sisters and their aunt dead in their home obviously showing signs of murder. You want to know why. Why were the sisters locked up, one in a room, one in the basement and another in the crawlspace? What was the Aunt's motivation?

Was she indeed the killer?

From there the book doesn't stop. Another postman from a nearby town finds Fiona's journal in his dropbox. Her story is written at the end of her life, held captive by her aunt. Desparate and frantic, she pleads with the reader to listen to her story. And boy what I story it is.

Fiona is a school teacher, older sister to twins, Roisin and Aloife. On a bike ride to work one morning she comes across a stranger on the side of the road fixing his bike. Immediately drawn to him in a way she has never been to another, "Darling" Jim enters their lives.

He is charismatic, handsome and easily seduces most of the women in town, including their Aunt Moira. But after his relations with her, Fiona discovers his truth. He is also a murderer, preying on women, seducing them while his partner steals from them.

I've tried to write this review a few times over the last week. I finished it over a week ago and I just can't put in words how much I liked it. It had just about everything I love about a literary thriller in it. It had a beginning that sucked you in and a suspense that pulsed throughout the whole book. Who was this Jim? Why were his powers over women so...powerful? Why did no one believe Fiona and her sisters in how awful he was? And what really happened to them?

Review: 6/6

I would give this my highest rating. Sorry it is a short review. I've been having a hard time concentrating these days and focusing on writing a review. It's starting to get nicer outside and I am gearing up for BEA. Not spending too much time reading and reviewing it seems :(

But, this one is highly recommened for fans of well written literary thrillers. Well plotted, character driven and full of suspense. I was guessing right up until the end.

Definitely an author to keep an eye on.

Author Website:

Christian Moerk

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Year of Mysterious Giveaways: May

I am very excited this month to give away this new mystery. For those of you who have followed my blog before, you know how big of fan I am of Sandra Brannan. She was one of the authors I met last year the Book Blogger Convention. I read her first mystery novel, In the Belly of Jonah, on the plane ride home and I lOVED it!

I was lucky enough to kick off her blog tour last September for its release and I am lucky and honored to be here giving away an ARC of her second book in this series starring Liv Bergen.

I started this book right when I got it but I wanted to save it for my plane ride to NYC and have it fresh in my mind when I see Sandra again! She will be at the Book Blogger Convention again this year and she was kind enough to offer to take me to dinner in thanks! Can't wait!

Here is the description from Amazon. The book is out in June and I hope to have more to give away at that time and do other fun posts about it and about her!

The Annual sturgis Motorcycle Rally is no place for buttoned-down citizens - unless, of course, they are trying to hide a murder or two. In this second book in the eponymous series, Liv Bergen is back with a vengeance - a righteous one. The gutsy, sharp-witted amateur sleuth pulls out all the stops as she solves the murder of her brother Jens' fiancee, Michelle, and clears his name. As it turns out, more than one person in Liv's sleepy hometown wanted Michelle dead. A trail of clues leads Liv through the Black Hills, where she encounters half a million hardcore bikers and sideline gawkers - many clad in nothing but black leather thongs and bikinis - who have turned the place into a sodomitical playground saturated in booze. Further complicating matters, Liv is an eyewitness to a second homicide, which calls down upon her the uninvited attentions of the men- acing leader of a biker gang called Lucifer's Lot. The cat-and-mouse game that ensues puts Liv in the path of her admirer Streeter Pierce, who has gone undercover with a fellow FBI agent to find both Michelle's murderer and a perp the agency calls the Crooked Man. Liv taps every ounce of brains and brawn she has to avoid becoming the killer's next victim, which wins her the further respect of Streeter. By the end of "Lot's Return to Sodom", Streeter has shown his admiration for Liv by giving her Beulah, an FBI bloodhound who is certain to help them track down the still-at-large Crooked Man in book three.

Here is my review of In the Belly of Jonah if you are new to it.

Contest Rules:

* Please be a follower of my blog.

*Please reside in the United States.

*Please leave an email address

* Let me know if you have read In the Belly of Jonah

Contest runs May 3- May 31

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Year of Mysterious Giveaways:April Winner!

I am a few days late for announcing the winner.

So sorry!

Thank you to all for entering for last month! Stay tuned for this month's giveaway!

Our winner is Jenny from Take me Away!

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child