Several of my blog readers have recommended books to me and here are some that I finally had the time to read. You can find all of these books at amazon.com
Lee Child’s newest book is called “Worth Dying For”. I listened to this book while doing some sewing and on some car rides. I know I have said this before, but this character, Jack Reacher, that reoccurs in Child’s books is by far one of my all-time, favorite characters. He is an ex-military cop and he is making his best effort to right all the wrongs. This story takes place in Nebraska where he tries to help an injured, possibly abused, woman and well, lets just say he gets himself into a little trouble. And of course, he kits some butt. This book was hard to put down. Lee Child’s has a way of keeping me wanting more. Love that Jack Reacher.
“Breaking the Silence” by Diane Chamberlain is another book I read recently. This was the first time I read this author and I would definitely read more of her books after reading this one. The book gets started with the main character’s father dying. He makes an odd request. His dying request was for his daughter, Laura Brandon, to take care of a women she has never heard mention of before. Her fathers dies before she can ask any questions. This leads to a chain of events that will keep you reading to find out more as the suspense builds. The characters are very interesting. Put this on your list of must read books.
Get your tissues ready for this one. “Rescuing Sprite” by Mark R. Levin. Mark tells the story of his rescued dog, Sprite. After having their dog, Pepsi, for a couple of years his wife and son talked him into getting, Sprite. Of course, as with all dogs, the family fell in love with Sprite. Pepsi and Sprite became best of friends. Mark and his family soon find out that Sprite is older than was thought by the people at the shelter and….I think you know where this is going. I think I only went through about 1/2 box of tissues. My oldest, Sasha, will be 12 in February and well….you know…it makes you think how lucky we are to have our dogs. The loss is more than I can bear to think about. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it so I’m going to stop this review right here.
Another new author for me was Elizabeth Joy Arnold. I read her book about twin sisters called “Pieces of My Sister’s Life”. The story takes place in a small town in Rhode Island. Their mother leaves them with their father when the girls are seven years old and they never hear from her. Their father dies ten years later. They are both in love with their neighborhood friend, Justin. The story has some good twists and unexpected events to keep you wanting to continue reading. The second part of the book takes you from present day to events that occurred 13 years prior to change their lives forever. This book is well written and I liked the way the story and characters developed.
The last book in this blog is called “Body Work” and was written by Sara Paretsky. This book was recommended to me because one of the characters is named Karen Buckley. How funny is that? I understand that people actually pay to be a character in some books and I was lucky enough to get my name in for free! I think it was page 44 in the book the PI Googles the name Karen Buckley and the PI finds that one Karen Buckley was a quilter! That would be me. Awesome! Even though this is the first time I have read this author this is her 14th book featuring this private investigator, V.I. Warshawski. This novel takes her into the avant-garde art scene. The character, Karen Buckley, is a performance artist who is working in a local club. She allows customers to come onto the stage and paint her nude body. This is an interesting Karen Buckley character. Just slightly different than my own personal life! I love that the main character loves dogs. That always works for me. Again, there are a lot of very interesting characters and an intriguing story line.
Something interesting happened to me a couple of months ago. I was contacted by the “AudioFile” magazine. I’m sorry to say I had never heard of this magazine. OK, I think I did have a student a long time ago mention the magazine and then I forgot to follow-up on it. Anyway, they asked if they could interview me for the magazine. Apparently they like to feature a reader of audio books in each months magazine. Of course I said “yes” to the interview. I was so thrilled when I saw the photo of me that Joe took and the nice write-up in the December issue. It is one of the nicest photos. I say that because I do not generally like my photos and I actually thought I looked pretty good for a change. Below is a picture of the cover of the current magazine so you can look for it on the news stand. Or you can find more information by going to www.audiofilemagazine.com If you are an audio book reader you will like this magazine. It has great reviews and has lead me to more new authors.
The following recipe comes from Jane K. Wells. When I was teaching in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Jane served this at our evening get-together.
BEAN ENCHILADAS
2-10 oz. cans enchilada sauce
1 T olive oil
1 small onion sliced into rings
1 small red pepper, sliced
3 garlic cloves
1-15 oz. can black beans (drained) or 1 can refried beans
8-6″ soft corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Spoon 2/3 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of 2 quart dish
Heat oil and add onion, pepper and garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly
In medium bowl, combine onion mix and beans.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of onion mix along with 2 tablespoons of cheese in center of each tortilla.
Roll each tortilla and place seam side down into enchilada sauce. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. ENJOY!
I really liked Jane’s recipe but I tend to like more spices in my food so when I made it I added 1 tsp. of chili powder, 1 tsp. of cilantro, 1/2 tsp. of cumin and 1/2 tsp. of pepper. So, now you have a choice. Either way it’s a great recipe. Yummy.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!