Haven't done this in a long time....
English language gets one millionth word. (via KR Blog and CNN, respectively)
Also from KR Blog: JD Salinger More Salinger here.
How to use sticky posts in blogger at The Urban Muse.
Health Care Reform Will Benefit the Arts (via VQR)
I have another post over at The Imperfect Parent Blog. Octomom, aka Nadya Suleman, signs a deal for a reality show and a "autobiographical" book.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m a little burnt-out on the big-family-I-Gave-Birth-To-A-Million-Kids shows. It’s losing its appeal, its freshness, its ability to cause morbid fascination. At least for me.
Want to read more?
Take a look at my previous posts
Did you catch the live blogging of the Jon & Kate season premiere? It's fun.
Sweet! From Agave to Turbinado, Home Baking With Every Kind of Natural Sugar and Sweetener
Mani Niall
Da Capo/Lifelong Books
288pgs. $18.95
ISBN: 978-1-60094-0
I knew there was a reason I loved Da Capo/Lifelong Books. It's the cookbooks. They have some of the best I've come across. One being Sweet!, a mouthwatering collection of recipes using every kind of natural sugar and sweetener. It's not just cupcakes and cookies we're talking about here, either (although, they are yummy too!). Even the cover and pictures inside are gorgeous and delectable!
The book also features recipes for candy as well as Maple-Chile Salmon, Banana Upside-Down Muffins and Maple Pecan Sticky Buns. YUM! All using the traditional and alternative sweeteners some of us might not be so familiar with: turbinado, muscovado and demerara.
Niall gives us a short introduction to the history and use of these sugars as well as a great resources section for finding all the different sugars.
The recipes are easy to follow, quick to make and delicious to eat. What an absolutely creative and tasty detour from run of the mill deserts!
For more information, visit
the Da Capo Site
&
Mani's Test Kitchen
Hate List
Jennifer Brown
Little, Brown Publishing
408 pgs., $16.99
ARC ISBN: 978-0-316-06848-2
Recently, I had the opportunity to grab an Advanced Reading Copy of Jennifer Brown's book, Hate List (due out in September 2009 from Little, Brown Publishing). The premise of the book concerns Valerie Leftman who, with her boyfriend Nick, created a 'hate list'-a list of all things and people she and Nick hated. Eventually and somewhat unexpectedly, the boyfriend opens fire in the high school cafeteria using the Hate List as inspiration and Valerie thus lives and deals with the consequences of the shooting in the months afterward.
I found the story to be quite timely, especially with the recent stories of bullying in the news and it's consequences.
I was quite impressed by the book. Even though it is intended for young adults and is marketed as such, I think it has the ability to cross genres. The language of the book captures that of being in high school and is intelligent. The seriousness of the book and its subject is a departure from what Jennifer Brown is most known for: humor; and lets the reader know of her versatility as a writer.
Be sure to grab your own copy when it becomes available in September 09. It'll be worth it.
By the way, I said I'd give a truthful review, whether it was good or bad. I truly enjoyed the book-I'm not just saying I did because she's a colleague of mine!
