Book Review - The Midnight Side

Book Review

The Midnight Side - Natasha Mostert

Bookshelves: Adult, Mystery, Paranormal

Rating: 3 of 5 stars (It was ok)

Recommended Age: Adult

Adultery, Stalking, Some romance (one sex scene), Murder

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Isa receives a phone call from her cousin in the middle of the night, her cousin is trying to ask for her help and warn her, but later that day she will find out her cousin died 2 days ago.  Isa, while mourning the loss of her lover, follows the request in the will that she fly to England and handle some loose ends.  While there Isa has more interactions with her new cousin and finds herself in the middle of a web of lies, deceit, obsession and revenge.  

This was a good read.  It's pretty detailed, but definitely more mystery than anything else.  There are some intense scenes, but I wouldn't label it as thriller.  The pacing was ok, but kind of slow.  The mystery is really what pushes you through.  You want answers.  You are given a couple of options for who the murderer/stalker is, but I wasn't too shocked at the end.  There is a nice little twist in there though that I wasn't expecting. I would've liked more on the paranormal side.  She talks about it a lot, but avoids the phone calls and dreams and we just have ideas of what "could have..." 

I do like the setting, while never having been to South Africa or London I have no idea to it's accuracy, but thanks to the description would be willing to go and find out.  

Isa wasn't my favorite character.  I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her.  She was just so easily led.  First without Alette all during their childhood, she talks of them being best friends, and all I could see is the dominant part that Alette played to her submissive.  Then again through her romantic relationships as well.  I think I would've loved Alette much more as a main character, if she wasn't, ya know, dead and all.  The men all had some level of creep to them which was a little off putting.  I didn't really want to see her with any of them.

This was my first Natasha Mostert and I heard Season of the Witch is even better.  Will be reading that one soon.  

Thank you Portable Magic LTD!

Happy Reading!

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Recipe Review - Pretzel Dogs

Pretzel Dogs

******

 

(This picture could have been better had my son and daughter not snatch some up the second they came out of the oven!)

One of my husband's favorite things that I make is pretzels.  He loves them and always complains I don't make enough, even when I make double.  I saw this recipe HERE on Buns In My Oven and knew I had to try it.

In this case, I didn't have to change anything, she did an amazing job.

First I started by getting the yeast prepped.

Then made the dough.

After letting it rise, I cut it into 8 pieces with my pizza cutter sprayed with non stick cooking spray and then rolled my ropes out on my mat.  I love the dimensions on this thing makes it so much easier to mindlessly shape.

Once rolled, my kids helped me wrap them around the hot dogs.  

If you've ever made pretzels before or bagels, you've done the baking soda bath before.

Then into the oven.

Then prepare for deliciousness.  The only thing I change about this recipe is the quanitity.  Everyone wants seconds! 

You can print the recipe right off her page HERE.

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Pinterest Attempt - Copycat Costco Muffin Recipe (Almond Poppyseed)

Pinterest Attempt - SUCCESS

Copycat Costco Muffin Recipe (Almond Poppyseed)

So while looking for muffin recipes on pinterest I saw this:

found HERE

and had to give it a go.

I tried the Almond Poppyseed Flavor.  It was a success.  I probably won't make this recipe too often because I am not a fan of cake box mix, but if I need something fast and delicious, I will keep it handy.

Here's how mine turned out.

Do you notice how half of them are bigger than the other?  I was experimenting there as well.  One time when I was watching The Next Great Baker I saw one of the contestant use a 1/4 c. measuring cup to fill the cupcake tins.  I usually use a cookie scoop and do 2-2 1/2 scoops depending on the recipe.  I figured I'd try the 1/4 cup with these muffins and see what happened.  It depends on what you are looking for.  The 1/4 cup ones were definitely fuller and hang over the edge.  If you want it to stay straight with your liner I'd stick with the cookie scoop.  The larger ones did seem to bake more evenly, they didn't have the brown ring near the liner.  I know some people like just the brownie edges so maybe you like the slightly different texture of the ring, again, personal preference.

I think for me it will depend on if I'm doing cupcakes or muffins.  If I'm frosting or decorating them, I'm not going to want this floppy edge hanging over the side.  But if I'm just doing a muffin, I might be more prone to adding a little more to each.

Happy Pinning!

  

Bible Paper Dolls - Jonah

Bible Paper Dolls - Jonah & the Whale

Bible Paper Dolls

Jonah & the Whale

My kiddos LOVE our Book of Mormon paper dolls.  They love taking them to church or anytime we ask them to do a quiet activity, at least one of the kids will turn to these.

We were having an FHE on making hard choices, and choosing the right even when it's hard and the Bible story of Jonah was the perfect fit.

Unfortunately as I was drawing these, our external hard drive not only crashed, but cleared many documents off my computer as well!  It was terrible, but at least I have the finished product.  I scanned them in, so you can print the color version, at this time however; I don't have just black and white.

First I started with the background, the ocean and a beach will be a perfect match for a new file folder.

Since the boys absolutely love the action scenes, I made a slit in the whales mouth so Jonah could slide inside.

I made two Jonah's, one with a smile and one with a frown.

 I made 2 pages of background, 2 Jonah's and 6 others (people from Ninevah or sailors), a ship, a whale, clouds and a sign for Ninevah.

I printed out the backgrounds, colored and then glued them onto manila folders before laminating. I printed everything on cardstock and then colored and laminated for durability.

Here are the free printable links:

Background #1

Background #2

Jonah - People

Jonah - Extras

Ship

Whale

Happy Creating!

**Just a note, I've discovered that Scribd is no longer accessible for free.  I am now using Google Drive to allow uploads of PDFs and JPEGs.  Please let me know if there are any problems.**

Book Review - Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Book Review

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy - Karen Foxlee

Bookshelves: Middle School, Adventure, Fantasy, Fairy Tale

Rating: 3 of 5 stars (It was ok)

Recommended Age: 8+

Short chapters, some violence

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ophelia is a quirky small girl who recently lost her mum and uses a "puffer" for her asthma and pulls on her braids. She is infatuated with science and when she finds a boy locked in a room inside a museum he tells her that she must help him "save the world." In order to do this she has to let go of the science and possibilities and allow herself to believe in magic and believe in herself.

This is a good middle school or younger chapter book read. A retelling of what seems like a mash up of a few fairy tales but especially The Snow Queen. I really liked the setting in the museum which sometimes can be too much but I think it worked well with this story. I loved the Marvelous Boy's backstory, although I wish there was a little more to it. I think that because of it's intended audience, there are a few points that are really laid out over and over as the reader will probably make the connections well before the characters do. This might be redundant for some older readers. The chapters are short but the reading is relatively easy. There is no language and there is some violence, but pretty minimal. The action moves pretty quickly to keep a younger set intrigued. 

I will add this on the list of books for my kiddos.

Thank you Random House Children's for this opportunity.

Happy Reading!

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Book Review - Defy (Defy #1)

Book Review

Defy - Sara B. Larson

Bookshelves: Young Adult, Teen Romance, Fantasy, Fairy Tale

Rating: 3 of 5 stars (It was ok)

Recommended Age: 17-18+

The romance is pretty mild, there is violence and death, breeding houses (aka house of rape) makes me lean toward a much older teen audience.

** spoiler alert ** 

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Defy. The beginning immediately hooked me as we meet Alexa and her brother Marcel standing in front of their burning home as enemy soldiers are on their way. We learn that orphan girls are sent to a place called the breeding house (which scared and intrigued me all at the same time). In an attempt to save his sister, her twin brother Marcel convinces Alexa to cut off her hair and pretend to be a boy to be sent with him to be trained into the kings army instead.

If you read the excerpt you might think Mulan right away. This is not a good comparison. I would definitely shelf this book in the ya romance section. There is a love triangle, think Team Rylan vs. Team Damien, and our female lead just happens to kick butt with a sword, arrow and hand to hand combat. 

I didn't find this book to be driven by the world created or the magic, so I wouldn't necessarily shelf it in fantasy. I found the characters more of the leaders. Alexa could kick butt, since she was little, her father trained her well so she makes it quickly into the prince's guard. I thoroughly enjoy a kick butt heroine and I did like Alexa at the beginning. I liked the fight scenes and Alexa's drive and determination. I liked the boys' banter you normally miss out on in ya novels. I felt like you really see two Alexa's throughout the story. One at the beginning, and one once the romance begins. There were two things that bothered me about Alexa. In the beginning we are constantly being told how she is blushing or getting hot around boys and how she can't feel or act that way because another boy wouldn't do that. I would have rather seen it instead of being told over and over. We know that she is pretending to be a boy and boys wouldn't usually blush when another takes off his shirt. But if she hasn't been discovered for the past 3 years, why the sudden worry she can't control herself now? The other thing is after the romance begins and she's training. She admits defeat and gives up. A girl who doesn't cry through everything she's seen, especially with what happens in the first quarter, but now all of the sudden she's going to cry and pout and want some comfort food and cuddle time because someone beat her in training. What the heck? Who is this girl? I didn't feel like she was the same Alexa. I know that she was pretending when she was Alex, but one person finds out she's a girl and she's suddenly a sappy puddle of emotions? We see the old Alexa here and there but the whole crying, emotional thing went a little overboard. I expected a meltdown, a good cry, and pick herself up and fight to change it, which she does eventually, but keeps returning to those tears on the way.

Damien was alright, but I didn't feel the connection we kept reading about. Rylan was way more solid to me, probably my favorite character. But sadly he gets the friend card early in the triangle. I did enjoy a lot of the smaller characters, though they weren't given much time. The triangle romance really captivates a lot of the book, so expect it. 

The breeding house of course bugged me, as it was a house of rape to create more boys to add to the king's army, but there wasn't more on that. It was so unique and it was a huge point in the beginning I really thought it would mean more to the plot but it was just a background feature. There seemed to be a lot of background missing. I'm thinking this may be a series, and more answers will be cleared up later, but if this is it, there were a lot of unanswered questions. There were some twists and turns in certain spots, but the main plot was somewhat predictable. The magic and sorcerers was pretty basic, not much new there. The ending was well rounded, not cliff hanger not complete closure. I wasn't happy with Alexa's decision at the end, but I have a feeling this isn't the end.

Overall though it was a decent read. I was eager to keep reading and find out how it all panned out.

I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys a ya romance with a kick butt heroine and magic. I am curious as to the remaining questions, so I will be watching for the next in series.

Thank you Scholastic for this opportunity.

Happy Reading!

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Recipe Review - Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

*****

During story time last week, my son decided to "read" a cookbook.  He found my book Whoopie Pies and he begged and pleaded with me to make one.  We decided on the Chocolate Chip with Marshmallow Cream filling.  True to my nature, there was trial and error and we adjusted a few methods or ingredients to what worked best for us.

First we made the cookies.

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Cookie Recipe PDF HERE

Start with preheating your oven to 375*.
With all my cookies I don't do the mixing flour, salt and baking powder/soda together thing.  I always cream my shortening/butter (always at room temp) with sugars first.  Then I add eggs, vanilla and my little powders, salt/baking soda/baking powder.  I find that if you add them in with the liquid of the eggs and vanilla they get combined just as well as when blending with the flour first.  Except this way, you create less dishes.  I am all about less dishes.  I haven't met a recipe yet where doing this caused trouble.

But back to the baking.  In my Kitchenaid mixer (what would I do without that thing?!) I beat together
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. shortening
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar.
I let the mixture run a few minutes until it was light and creamy.

The next step calls for buttermilk.  I don't keep buttermilk as a standard in my kitchen.  Very rarely do I ever buy it, because I find, when baking, a simple mixture of vinegar and milk is a much cheaper way to achieve the same results.  So the recipe calls for 1/2 c. buttermilk.  Instead I pour 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar into a measuring cup and then fill with milk until the total measures 1/2 cup.  I let this sit for a few minutes and it "sours."

So to my bowl, I added
2 large eggs
1/2 c. poor man's buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
I mixed this until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl I combined 2 Tbsp. milk, 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. white vinegar.
When you do this, it will start to rise and foam so make sure you put it in a bowl or measuring cup larger than what is needed.  This is what gives it that light and airy texture.  Anyone remember the working volcano from science class in elementary?

I alternately added the milk mixture and 2 1/4 c. flour and beat just until combined.  Don't overbeat!
Then I handmixed in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips.

Now it's time to bake.  I love my stoneware.  I use it for all my cookie baking. They are always baked perfectly even, no burnt bottoms and doughy middles. I lined my stoneware pans with parchment paper.  Then I used a cookie scoop (mine scoops about 1 Tbsp. balls) and dropped 1 Tbsp of cookie dough onto the parchment paper with enough room for rising.

I baked only one sheet at a time at 375* until the edges began to turn brown.  Mine took about 11 minutes.
If you are using metal cookie sheets it will probably be less, maybe 10 minutes.  If you are using dark metal even less.  Know your baking equipment!  If most cookies are overdone at 10 minutes, either your oven runs hot or the pans you use heat faster, adjust the time as necessary.  I know stoneware takes a while to warm up, unless my pans are already preheated I always need to add a minute or two to most recipes.

Remove from oven and let stand on pans for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Cool cookies completely before assembling whoopie pies.  

While the cookies were cooling, I began with the filling.  We went with a traditional Marshmallow Cream filling.

Marshmallow Cream Filling Recipe PDF

The original recipe calls for Marshmallow Fluff but I'm all about store brand knock offs and mine came out great.
I used my hand mixer (my kitchenaid was dirty from the cookies ;) to beat together
1 1/2 c. marshmallow cream (a 7.5oz container = 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 c. shortening
I beat this until it was smooth and fluffy which took a few minutes.
Then I added
1 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
I kind of mashed the sugar into the cream mixture with the beaters so when I turned them on the sugar didn't poof everywhere.  After it was mashed down I beat it for a few more minutes.   It took about 3-4 minutes to get it fluffy, but I got a great forearm workout out of it.

Once the filling was ready and the cookies were cooled.  I put the filling in pastry bag fitted with a large open circle tip.  I piped the filling on the flat side of one cookie covering the whole bottom and then topped with a second cookie.

These were delicious and my kids couldn't be more pleased with the results.
I tried using a whoopie pan for these and I wasn't as pleased with the results as I was with my stoneware.  With my stoneware I definitely had to wait til it started to brown at the edges before removing them from the oven.  One batch I pulled out too quickly because it hit the 10 minute mark and they deflated almost immediately and we really enjoyed the puffy version better although taste wise both were good.

For More of my Recipe Reviews visit:

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Book Review - The Tyrant's Daughter

Book Review

The Tyrant's Daughter - J.C. Carleson

Bookshelves: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (It was good)

Recommended Age: 16+

There are some pretty deep issues in this book, there are some disturbing images,  alcoholism, an assassination and war.

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. 

I will be honest and I wasn't really sure if I would enjoy this book going into it. I am the kind of person who shudders at most news because I find it incredibly depressing. I avoid politics and have my husband give me the highlights on all things international. I am so glad I gave this book a chance. This book was a real world wake up call for me through the eyes of a teenage daughter of a country's unloved dictator. 

We meet Laila after she, her mother and younger brother flee to the United States after her father, once the leader of their country, is assassinated. Laila struggles to adjust to her new world and how to incorporate all things American including new friends and boys. Her younger brother seems to adapt quite quickly because of his younger age but still holds on to the idea that he should be "king" of their home. Laila finds herself testing the waters and dipping her toes in rebellion. Laila begins to settle into her new skin but finds all the things she once thought concrete and true begin to unravel and fall apart, beginning with her parents. 

I really enjoyed the characters. I love the way her mother was written. She was so manipulative and worked every angle so she could get what she wants, which is to return to her country with her son in power. Just when I think I have her figured out, I'm bombshelled by reality. I liked Laila, there was a lot more to her than many one-dimensional characters found in many ya novels. She didn't feed into the typical teenage stereotypes but she was realistic with toeing the line here and there. I really felt for her as she was discovering the truth about her father from another side. I loved watching her grow while she makes decisions that will define where her loyalties lie. There were some characters that were kind of flat. I liked Ian and Emmy but didn't find much depth to them. They were sweet and nice in every way and even when they were upset it didn't really have much impact on the rest of the story. Looking back I realize that all of the American characters were pretty stock. The CIA agent was pretty stereotypical, brushing off the teenager and focusing on the end game no matter what leads him there. Amir seemed to be multi-faceted but we didn't get to see very much of him, so I'm pretty reserved on making judgments on him. There was some coming of age type romance as Laila is discovering who she is and what she wants, but it isn't your typical choose-a-side-triangle!

The whole plot was a strategic chess game and I loved all the twists and turns made. It wasn't as suspenseful as I anticipated, but it was the intrigue and my curiosity that drove me because I had to find out who's treachery would land them on top. This is definitely a thought provoking book. It is not a light easy read, it really helps you see that not everything is black and white. While we sit a world away from international conflict even the tidbits we get from one side do not a clear picture make. There is a lot of grey area when we aren't in the situation, when we can't see each side. A rebel is not always bad or good, to some a dictator is seen as a king and others a monster. This book really made me realize how many of my frustrations and decisions are definitely first world problems. This book helped me to consciously remember there are not only two sides to every story, but multiple stories on each side. 

The only thing I really felt lacking was closure. I am unsure if this is a stand-alone or a series. Depending on that, I could change my review. The ending seemed a little rushed, lines are drawn, loose alliances formed and that's it. I want to see how it pans out later. I also would like more of Amir or the rebels.

All in all, I am very glad I was given this opportunity. This book opened my eyes and I like seeing more. Thank you Random House Childrens, Alfred A. Knopf BFYR, and Netgalley!

Happy Reading!

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Book Review - Endless

Book Review

Endless - Amanda Gray

Bookshelves: Paranormal, Romance, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Rating: 3 of 5 stars (It was ok)

Recommended Age: 15+

Some romance, Ouija board, domestic violence and family execution 

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. 

Endless was a good read from a very promising author. She wrote her story well. We are introduced to Jenny who is quite the oddball out who avoids human contact when she can and almost always wears gloves. When she can't avoid touching others she gets a glimpse into their past lives before their reincarnation. A devoted artist, she finds herself following her dad in architecture because she's afraid of being a little too much like her mom who would often disappear and died years earlier. Jenny is forced into angry teenager Ben's life while helping her dad. There's little connection at first, but through a mysterious music box they make a connection and the two find themselves as devoted friends. The music box and Jenny's special gift aren't the only connections she has with the past. As she finds herself dreaming of her own past life, one in particular, as a princess in Romanov, Russia. Quite the surprise for Jenny arrives when the love of her life as the Russian princess shows up at her art show, but there is little time because there are others trying to take him back.

The characters were decent, my favorite being Tiffany who turns out to be such a devoted friend. Jenny wasn't a particularly strong female lead, she also wasn't the someone-come-and-save-me-helpless-girl either. She was willing to stand up for those she loved. The romance itself was abrupt, but considering the love is already formed when she is a Russian princess it's hard to see how they fall.

I enjoyed the story. And I enjoyed the plots. There were however, in my opinion, too many plots at once. We have this really cool gift that Jenny has been given, historical fiction with a Russian princess who is brutally murdered, and time travel from her beloved after she has been reincarnated. I think each of these would have made a wonderful book on their own. The gift of Jenny's doesn't really go anywhere and I would have liked there to be more with it. It doesn't help or hinder or have any affect on the story line which was somewhat disappointing. 
Then there's the Russian princess. It was very well written and I was eager for Jenny to fall asleep so I could get these little tidbits, I found myself eager to do some research on the Romanov family and Russia after reading this book. The time travel seemed too easy. We only see Jenny's side of it, and perhaps that's why I felt this way, but I would've loved to see what Nickolai actually went through to get back to Jenny.   

I love the cover, just gorgeous.   

Happy Reading!

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Book Review - Days of Love and Blood

Book Review

Days of Love and Blood - R.S. Carter

Bookshelves: Post-Apocalyptic, Zombies, Science Fiction, Romance

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (It was good)

Recommended Age: Adult

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. 

I must admit I was a little turned off by the cover. But the draw? "A post-apocalyptic zombie book for women. Without the zombies."
It had me. Curiosity filled me. I'm not usually a fan of zombie books so I wasn't expecting too much but I was pleasantly surprised. The writing was smooth and the plot kept me intrigued. As a wife and mother I connected with Carson, I understood her feelings and her willingness to do anything to protect her child. Especially after witnessing her husbands murder. I like how each chapter starts out as a reminiscing of her life before the virus. Her life with Ritchie. It really gives depth to her character. The book starts off quick. I thought the whole thing would be full of just crazy zombie decapitation but it wasn't. (Don't worry, There is plenty thanks to our heroines fierce katana skills) But I really liked how they found a way to build their own little town and means for survival and how they formed new bonds and relationships. There was a lead, perhaps a possible sequel? It was a fast paced enjoyable read and I will definitely keep an eye on this author in the future. There is language, sometimes very strong, sex, rape and murder.

Happy Reading!

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Book Review - Why Can't I Be You

Book Review

Why Can't I Be You - Allie Larkin

Bookshelves: Chick-Lit, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (It was good)

Recommended Age: Adult

I really loved this book. The characters were very real and I found myself wishing I was Jessie Morgan so I could be in that group of friends. I didn't think I'd race through this book because it's not adventure or a thriller but even though I started it late at night, I couldn't put it down. The situations seemed very genuine. I really love how Jenny used the situation to really put into focus her own life and change what she needed to. It was good to see that not everything in Jessie's life was perfect or it would have been too much. There were moments of regret and friends that aren't actually such great friends. My only disappointment is that it was over too quickly! I wanted more! I wanted more of what happens to Jenny after her life-changing experience. I'm eager to read more by this author and have heard that "Stay" is a great read. 

Happy Reading!

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Book Review - The Sweetest Dark

Book Review

The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark #1) - Shana Abe

Bookshelves: Series, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Young Adult

Rating: 3 of 5 stars (It was ok)

Recommended Age: Adult

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I really liked the basis with dragons and stars. I felt it was pretty unique. I liked the main characters, and hated the ones you were supposed to hate. I did find some of the writing style a little confusing. The jumping back and forth between points of view didn't flow really well to me. I was a little disappointed that we were given a setting around WWI but then it's just in the very background. I felt it was a very creative setting for a young adult novel and would have loved more of it weaved in. The ending was sad but I will continue to the next in series to see how the rest of the story plays out.

Happy Reading!

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