New Reviews

Wow, it's been awhile. I have been so buried doing the RT reviews that I rarely have time to write up any others.
Here are my latest though:

The Bounty Hunter and the Bride

Chocolate Beach

Hopefully there will be a few more soon! I have got to learn how to handle all of these different reviewing sites and balance with the magazine. It's difficult, because there are so many books that look so good! I just want to read them all, and it's hard because I just can't.

Long time no see!

It has been awhile, hasn't it?
Life has been busy, both with reviewing, coordinating reviews, and going on a cruise to Mexico :)
It was wonderful and very relaxing.

Here are the latest reviews that have been posted:

A Bigger Life

My Heart's in the Lowlands

Red River (audio book review)

Reading Between the Lines

Hopefully I will have more time to read for both my TBR challenge (which has fallen by the wayside) and for website reviews soon.

Nothing new

I haven't had any new reviews posted lately. I have a couple to write up, but I have mostly been focusing on my RT books because we're leaving on a cruise in a couple of weeks.

As soon as I get something written, I will surely post!

TBR Challenge

I just completed the first book in my "Cut down the TBR Stacks" challenge. I completed The Bridesmaid by Hailey Abbott, which was the first book on my shelf.

I now must read another review book, Reading Between the Lines by Rick Hamlin.

The next book after that, on to a "B" author, is The Miss America Family by Julianna Baggott

Then I have to start on the April RT books. Sigh. I just finished last month and here's this month knocking at my door.

A New Year

I cannot believe how quickly time passes. I just wish there was a way to slow things down so I can enjoy them more.

I have had one review posted recently:
The Christmas Bus

My big news is that I have been named Senior Inspirational Reviewer for Romantic Times Book Reviews Magazine. I'm thrilled...I am sorry that Bev is going, but excited for a new opportunity for me.

I am currently doing a buddy read (re-read for me) of one of my favorite books:
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. It is a comfort read, even though it is massively long. The characters are so endearing and enduring.

It's almost Christmas!

Here are my newest reviews:

Hazardous Duty

The Pew

The United States of Arugula

I'm about halfway through my RT books for March (due at the beginning of January) and still getting ready for Christmas. I'm way behind this year, I can' t believe how much stuff I've left until the last minute.

And some more

How My Breasts Saved the World

Dial L for Loser

A couple more coming this week. I decided to start earlier on my RT books so I didn't get caught so behind this month.

Latest Reviews and 2007

I have been so lax here in the last quarter of the year with blogging, and even with reading. I've slowed way down and I'm not sure exactly why it's happening.
Here are my latest reviews:

A Full House of Growing Pains

Freefall

The Man with the Iron Tattoo

C'est la Vie


I have decided to do a TBR challenge for 2007 and make a point to read at least two books from my tbr shelves each month of the year. I want to read at least one book from each author's last name, and since I'm missing a couple, that should be just about right to reach my goal. So January will be my "A" and "B" author months...the books I plan to read are:

The Bridesmaid by Hailey Abbott and
Riggs Park by Ellyn Bache

I just picked the first book from the A's and the first book from the B's. My RT schedule for December is brutal, so hopefully it will calm a little in January so I can fit this in.

Latest Reviews

Too Many Secrets

Saint

52 Family Time Ideas

I think that's it for right now. I'm behind on my write-ups as usual too. Hopefully I'll get at least three more done today and tomorrow so they will be off my shoulders before the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

November Reviews

My newest posted reviews (still way behind)

The Man with the Iron Tattoo

Younger

Love You, Mean It

More to come, I'll post as they do...

New reviews

Again, sorry it's been so long since an update from me!

Calm, Cool & Adjusted

Cursed by a Happy Childhood

Bittersweet 16

I have more reviews turned in awaiting posting, and I have four books sitting here waiting for me to review them. Just not enough hours in the day!

Weekly Update

I am slowly catching up. I actually got my RT reviews done a week before the deadline, I'm doing pretty well! I can now try to work on my website review books, I have tons and tons and I get overwhelmed just looking at them.

New this week:

The Sea Serpent of Grenadier Pond

The Christmas Letters

Between: A Girl's Guide to Life

I should have quite a few more next week. I am going to really push myself to get more books read this week.

Recent Reviews

Latest reviews:

Landon Snow and the Island of Arcanum

What is Heaven Like?

The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions

Kiss the Cook/Bride

The Red Gloves Collection


It's a double deadline month for Romantic Times, which is keeping me really busy reading review books. Hopefully I'll finish them this week so I can get the reviews written and spend the next few weeks whittling down my other review pile as well as reading a couple of books for fun. I really want to read at least two books from my tbr mountain this month. They keep arriving from paperbackswap and I just don't have time to read them, there are so many that look so good!

I may get to go to the Seahawks game next Sunday, depends on whether the other person hubby invited can go or not.

I'm not a good updater

Sorry for the infrequent updates. I'm not doing a very good job at keeping my schedule straight. I've really overwhelmed myself this fall, and I am not sure what needs to go, but something definitely does. I have two RT deadlines this month, the first is tomorrow and fortunately, I only had two reviews for that one. The next one is at the end of the month, and I have at least four for that one.

Here are my most recent reviews I've had posted:
She Who Watches

RV There Yet?

The Confident Woman

Playstation Nation

I only read 10 books this month, that is an all time low for me. I need to get busy reading much faster.

I am enjoying the new fall TV season. I can't wait for the premiere of Lost this week. At this point, the only new show I'm watching is Vanished, but I'm going to watch The Nine on Wed. All of the other shows are ones from last year and before. I just don't have time for anything new!

It's been awhile!

This has been a crazy end of the summer. We went on vacation to the beach for a week, and then it's been busy trying to get the younger kids ready for and started in school and our older daughter back to college, which is where we delivered her yesterday. I did get quite a few reviews written this past week, I have been working hard! I will get back to my regular routine of recipes and reviews in a week or so, once I have the fall routine down a little better. Until then, here are the latest reviews I've had posted:

Between Heaven and Ground Zero

The Overachievers (excellent)

Tasty Temptations

Consider Lily

Apples of Gold: A Parable of Purity

Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam

Real Stuff

Grace Notes

Everyone Worth Knowing

Suburbanistas

One Cold Night

Fix-It and Enjoy-It! Cookbook


I just finished up my Romantic Times books for the month, and I haven't started anything new today. I have been reading like there's no tomorrow! I do think I'm going to start Pledged by Alexandra Robbins. I loved The Overachievers, and I like Robbins' writing style. Since I was in a sorority in college, I'd like to see how it mirrors my experiences.

Reviews

Havent' updated for awhile. Things always get so busy when it's RT time of the month. We've also had a lot of activities going on around here--swimming lessons, gymnastics, etc.

Some new reviews posted:

Creating an Intimate Marriage

Irish Girls are Back in Town

Monkey Love

I promise I'll be better with updating once school starts again and life returns to some semblance of a schedule.

Reviews

Two new reviews

Down Came the Rain

Something that Lasts

Will post some recipes and pictures later.

Bluebarb Crunch

Here's my newest review posted:
The Nannies

My mother-in-law gave me a bunch of rhubarb, and being a rhubarb novice, I had no clue what to do with it. I found this recipe in my Bed and Breakfast cookbook:

Bluebarb Crunch
4 cup rhubarb cut into l-inch pieces
2 cups blueberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water

For Crumble/Crunch Topping
l cup all-purpose flour
l cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter or margarine - melted
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375In a large bowl combine rhubarb, blueberries, sugar, flour, cinn, lemon ju and water. mix well. Pour into a greased 9 by 12" baking dish.For topping, in a small bowl combine topping ingredients, sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake 45 min. until rhubarb is tender.

Zabaglione

Well, the other night I had made the chicken marsala, and now I have this big bottle of marsala wine...what to do with it? I didn't have the ingredients to make tiramisu (but I will be getting them soon!) but I did have some berries that needed to be used. So I whipped up some zabaglione.

It was VERY easy.

I put a pot of water on the stove and got the water hot/boiling. Then I used the large stainless steel bowl above and put the following in the bowl:

4 egg yolks

4 teaspoons sugar

4 tablespoons Marsala wine

I wisked the mixture constantly, making sure the bowl didn't touch the water, until it became thick and creamy. It took about 5 minutes. That's it!

It was really delicious with the berries, everyone in the family enjoyed it.

I'm currently reading Family by Karen Kingsbury and listening to The Husband by Dean Koontz

Salmon

I love salmon (I can't help but hear Kelly Pickler's pronunciation in my head when I type that). It's very inexpensive here on the west coast at this time of year. I found this recipe in Giada's Family Dinner book and it's delicious. She calls for broiling the salmon in the oven, but I put it on the grill so I didn't have to heat up my kitchen, it worked wonderfully that way.

Broiled Salmon with garlic, mustard, and herbs

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

3/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme (I didn't have any so I used dried)

1 Tablespoon white wine

1 Tablespoon olive oil

nonstick cooking spray

6 6-8 oz. salmon filets (I used half a salmon because it was cheaper)

Lemon wedges

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, both mustards, rosemary, and thyme. Mix in the wine and oil. Set the sauce aside.

Preheat the broiler. Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray (I sprayed heavy-duty foil with non-stick spray) Arrange the salmon fillets on the baking sheetand sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Broil for 2 minutes. Spoon the mustard sauce over the fillets. Continue broiling until the fillets are just cooked through and golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to plates and serve with the lemon wedges.

We had fresh green beans and twice baked potatoes along with the salmon. Very delicious meal.