First off, I just have to say this is a gorgeous cover with all of the texture and colour this is one of my favorites.

Just at the beginning of WWI, some nations have taken to steam-powered machines and some have taken to more animatistic made machines that they use for battles.

Aleksander Ferdinand has been kidnapped after his parents were killed by their own people.  There are only a few who are still faithful to Aleksander and his beliefs, and have taken precautions to keep him safe.

Deryn, a girl who is clambering at the bit to be able to become a pilot has disguised herself to try and join the British Air Service.  With her taking chances the way she is one thought came to me – will she be discovered? what will happen if she is?

With war starting, will both sides be able to reclaim or overcome the other side to get what they want?

I have to say, this is a great book for kids who in my case with my son is a reluctant reader, and when this book arrived he was actually interested in what it was all about.  It is also great for those exploring what genre’s of books they will ultimately want to read in adulthood to help them decide.

My son is reading this at school and at home, it is really holding his attention, and he is actually talking about what he thinks may happen in the chapters he hasn’t read.  Will Deryn be discovered, will the war change things that were once quiet and calm? What will really happen when the machines take over Europe, or when the Animals take over? The humour is great as well I find it is quite agreeable for kids.  I did hear my son chuckling at a few passages while he read quietly and then asked what part he was at, and once he told me I chuckled as well.

Like I mentioned before, the texturization of the dust cover as well as the full colour diagrams and illustrations in the novel make it quite unique and would be a keepsake just for that alone.

Scott’s Website

Simon and Schuster

If you are contemplating starting to grow tomatoes, or just have a love of eating them then this book is definitely for you.

This smallish hardcover book has literally everything you will need to start to grow your first tomato plants to adding to your repertoire of gardening.

The detailed advice on every part from growing, varieties, diseases, pests, growing them in the ground, growing them in bags, pots or hanging baskets.

There is also a section for when you are ready to harvest, a selection of over 30 recipes to entice you to use your bountiful harvest of tomatoes.

I was really impressed with the full colour photographs and diagrams, along with the descriptions makes this in my opinion the Tomato Lovers Bible.

Who knew that there are over 5000 different varieties of all shapes and sizes that first originated in the western coastal highlands of South America that were grown by the Aztec’s and Mayans.  They also grow wild in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Northern Chile and Peru?

Here is a sampling of the full colour photographs and details from part of the book -

DK Publishing

Sofia’s Website

Posted in Entertainment / Real Life Events, Non Fiction, Recipies, Self Help Tagged: 2009, Books, DK Canada ]]> http://serendipiter.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/tomato-a-guide-to-the-pleasures-of-choosing-growing-cooking-gail-harland-and-sofia-larrinua-craxton/feed/ 6 travelsofabookworm 002 003 005 004 http://serendipiter.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/help-me-jacques-cousteau-gil-adamson/ http://serendipiter.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/help-me-jacques-cousteau-gil-adamson/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:26:55 +0000 Marci http://serendipiter.wordpress.com/?p=1427 ]]>

I have to say this little book had me laughing out loud, I just loved it.

This is a reprint of Gil’s work that was originally published about 10 years ago by a small press The Porcupine’s Quill, which until now had a limited print run and was quite hard to find.

Through the eyes of oldest Hazel along with her younger brother Andrew are born into an eccentric and quirky family.  Through vignettes of the short stories, they have travelled and lived in Australia when their father taught there then moved back to Canada.

Talking about her family through her eyes, as only one could – her brother that once just stopped speaking and read books instead; her father the amateur inventor where the house they live in has been re wired more than once; the house is strewn with old and new inventions; the grandfather who once kept a deceased dog in the back of his car and drove around for a while.

There were many instances where I either laughed out loud, shook my head, and jaw dropped at the antics this family encountered.  Unbelievably funny, with a side of insanity will have you in the same boat as I was – in stitches, unable to comprehend what else was in store while being a part of this family.

Immensely addictive, full of personal insights and flowing like poetry, this would be a great book for an afternoon of reading when you need a pick me up on a snow falling day in front of a window with a hot beverage of your choice.

House of Anansi

Gil Adamson’s Website

I have to say, this book totally blew me away with its really strong narrative,  literally whisking me away to a place that I have lived close to in Northern Ontario that I had a hard time to even take a breath, much less do anything else until I finished the book.

I had heard all of the buzz surrounding this particular book, but I am now a confirmed new fan to Joseph’s works.  I will be looking for Three Day Road as well, the book he published before Through Black Spruce.  It is also book two of a three book trilogy, where Three Day Road is the first book, but they are also stand alone books.

Will has been a Cree bush pilot for decades and finds himself in the hospital suffering from a coma.  Annie, his niece has her own problems as well.  Looking for her sister that succumbed to the modelling world and some of its perils is number one on her agenda.  The family hasn’t heard from her in months, they are worried, and want to know if she is still alive.  Something happened to her when she was in New York smoozing with people in the industry and all of the deals and plans they have for not only one another but themselves as well.

Will, Annie and the rest of the family come from a small northern Ontario community that is mostly inhabited by native people.  They use snowmobiles in the winter to travel across the lake to other parts of the area, as well as hunt and fish.  In this cold climate, the smell of black spruce, the wood burning stoves, and the problems of drugs and alcohol gives this book the authentic yet real problems that this and other communities face within the Native community.

As Will is laying in his coma, Anne comes to him to tell her story of how finding her sister is becoming a lost cause and how she feels about the whole situation – her sister, her boyfriend who is involved with drug dealing, and the modeling world may have added to her disappearance.  Annie goes to Toronto where she started her modeling career where it then takes her to Montreal and then to New York.  The rumours and conflicting stories don’t bode well for her sister she feels; and praying that she is safe somewhere, anywhere, so that she has enough time to find her.

Will in his own way is communicating how he ended up in this whole predicament – the persons who are responsible, the reason why.  Will has other demons as well – alcohol, losing his wife and young child in a house fire shortly after being married all contribute to how he lives his life now, and the dreams still yet to be realized, with a woman who he has been friends with for years, but just got reconnected.

Rife with heartbreak, fierce love – for one another and others, ancient feuds that have gone on for years with no chance of reconciliation, along with the bonds that hold friends and family together are just impeccable.

I have to say that if I didn’t already know the area Joseph talks about in the novel I think it would have been a totally new experience of seeing it through his eyes for the first time; alas, since I do know the area, I can re imagine the sights and sounds of a small town far away from the nearest larger city, isolated with the cold Ontario winter howling in the background.  The rich and storied cast of characters along with the storytelling will want you to savour this novel and then possibly re read it again to gain a different perspective each time you do.

Through Black Spruce won the Scotia Bank Giller Prize for 2008, CBA Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year for 2009, and was long listed for the I.M.P.A.C Dublin Award in 2009

Penguin

Quill and Quire’s Review

Joseph’s Website

I wasn’t online or able to listen to the announcement when I was out and about earlier today,but have already placed holds on 2 more books at the library, 2 they didn’t have and I haven’t checked out one last book yet, but here are the books and the people who are defending their choices -

Defended by Perdita Felicien

Defended by Roland Pemberton

Defended by Simi Sara

Defended by Samantha Nutt

Defended by Michel Vezina

Now, there are also some really great contests in keeping with the theme – From now until March when they start to really tear down and build back up the books they are defending from the other panelists; they have book giveaways if you go HERE and check back often as they will change frequently.

Then, they also have a contest where the winner will win a Sony E Reader (how cool is that)  and you can find it HERE

And, last but certainly not least if you missed the announcement like I did you can view them all on the radio, yes, I just said that you will know what I mean when you watch the announcement live on the radio from earlier today

What are YOU going to read ??

I was a bit sceptical about this book when I received an email for it, but alas, it had me intrigued just by the content of what may or may not be in the book.

With the advent of all of these celebrity shows that tout how slim, skinny or large one or many celebrities have become is basically 6pm news nowadays.  The images of slim people exercising, on diet plans are on every channel that you may or may not watch on a continuous basis 24/7 wanting you to buy that excercise system, go on that diet, or make you feel even worse about how your body image is against one or any people who are healthier and look like they are having way more fun then you have had in a while.  Remember those?

Love Your Body, Love Your Life will hopefully assist you to diminish or end the 5 negative body obsessions, and have you start to live happily and confidently, as well as end the self-destructive thoughts and behaviours that we all do at one time or another.  Yes, you heard me right.  We ALL do it even if we do have a healthy self-esteem.  We are human after all.

It all talks about the 5 steps to end Negative Body Obsession and to start living happily and confidently…

Throughout the book I felt and this is my opinion, it was giving me a case of negative body obsession by how many times it referred to it.  It is threaded throughout the whole book, no matter the positive things it wants you to do.  Like an addiction, that negative body obsession is lurking behind the blinds watch out ! mentality.

Yes, we all have negative images and thoughts that come to us throughout a variety of outlets – television, internet, radio, magazines, but that doesn’t mean that we have to be a size 2 like the model do we? We can be healthy, by doing what we can with what is in our control – eating healthy, controlling our portions, decreasing our junk food binges.  Getting more excercise.

Now, for me I didn’t relate to this book.  For one, the old message of Negative Body Obsession or Image was throughout the book.  I feel as thought if you want to get over the negativity of how you are feeling, the author could have just described it in one chapter and then went onto the more important aspect of the book – giving you the tools you need to overcome feeling like this.

There is quite a long list of recommended reading in the back as well for you to peruse and pick and chose at your leisure.

Author’s Website

Adam’s Media

Lilly and Val have been best friends since childhood.  As a way of being better friends and combining their love of cooking they came up with The Recipe Club.

As there are only 2 members, they would send letters back and forth to one another with recipes sometimes because of how the other was feeling and to lift their spirits, and to add to the mix of what was going on their lives at the time.

Once adults, a situation happened that threw them apart, then the letters and recipes stopped.  After the death of Val’s mother, the emails started again, as well as arguments from the past have come back into focus – Lilly’s father paying for Val’s education, the way he paid more attention to her then Lilly; the unknown history that both sets of parent’s had that have now come to the surface, with new and old feelings that haven’t been dealt with.

As the years went by, the girls eventually went their separate ways Val becomes a doctor, Lilly wanted to become a singer and performer, but eventually becoming a caterer.  When they start to communicate once again it is like a long-lost part of them has been stitched back together.  They love and admiration for one another back as it was before.  As they are older now, they come to the things that have spilt them apart in the first place.  With neither wanting to talk about it, it does get solved and both eventually realize that they are the ones that were somewhat taken advantage of, and with that and dealing with it; they become even better friends for the long-term.

With the recipes that are included in the book, they are quite interesting.  You can use the recipes in your own home.  For me it showed the real basis for making and keeping a friendship.  It was also the ability to reclaim the friendship that was once abandoned long ago.   The family dynamics was quite interesting, yet unorthodox as well.

The Recipe Club

The Recipe Club on ABC’s Good Morning America

This book is also being published by HarperCollins in a new edition.

This book I have seen in my Grandmother’s kitchen as well as my Parent’s kitchen many years ago.  Since my heritage is Ukrainian with Czech I am posting this post to see if this will work any more than the appeal I have posted on Facebook.

For the last few years, I have been missing the smells coming out of my parents kitchen with the smells of Poppy Seed Roll among other things I do not have the recipes for, that suffice to say had taken advantage of since I was a child when these heavenly delights came out of the oven and ready to eat.

This is a Canadian book that was first published in Winnipeg Manitoba by Savella Stechishin 1957.  Here are the details

Stechishin, Savella ([1957] 1995). Traditional Ukrainian Cookery (18th ed. ed.). Winnipeg: Trident Press. ISBN 0-919490-36-0.

Now that being said there are a few copies on Amazon and elsewhere I have looked with prices of over $250.00.  I think that is an outrageous price to pay for a used and somewhat damaged book – either the dust cover is missing, or the pages are creased or the binding is falling apart in one way or another.

So, if anyone comes across this particular book, in whatever edition, I am willing to pay a maximum of $50 for the book.

This book brings really fond memories of my grandparents and parents all huddled in the kitchen making some of these delectable dishes to the table to be able to have a taste and enjoy one another’s company.

Booking Mama and Bermudaonion have been doing a virtual cookie swap the last 12 days, and I posted my recipe here.  I did add one picture of one of the kids artistic endeavour on the page, and here are the rest.  In getting into the spirit, I thought I’d share the other pictures.

Aren’t they creative??

Make sure you check out all of the recipes that are being posted today !

In the fall of 1954 Hurricane Hazel hit Toronto with such a force that killed 81 people and injuring many more.

Ray and Mary Townes who were recently married have that typical Canadian life – he being a police officer and Mary a nurse that anyone would want to have and see from the outside as one that is destined to succeed.  Ray is not only young but being hailed as a hero on that fateful night that the hurricane hit, he has a lot to live up to.  Mary, a young nurse working at St. Joseph’s has that persona of a Florence Nightingale working the night shift in her own way.

50 years later, Ray is on his deathbed from emphysema just by chance reading the paper one morning  Ray has made the papers once again;  with the same picture that had haunted him then as it does now.  Mary is still irked to this day about their life so long ago, just waiting patiently until Ray breathes his last breath; what she thought they once had as you will see is a total fabrication, or at least it is in her eyes and she will have nothing of it.  She also knows more than she is letting onto;  Ray, who is telling the whole story throughout this work of fiction that had me engrossed to the point of stalking the characters in a way that you are allowed to when reading a book.

The story itself jumps from present-day to those fateful days when Hurricane Hazel hit, with all of the force it intended.  Ray seems to think that coming clean after all of these years will absolve him of the things that he hadn’t had the guts to reveal to his loving wife Mary.  He fully intended to, but when things got right down to it, he chickened out.

Mary finding the notebook in-between his bed wasn’t exactly the cleverest place to hide his journal for anyone not to find it, but when Mary goes back, she can’t find it with all of the secrets her husband kept from her.

Like I had stated earlier, I was literally stalking this novel – it didn’t matter if I was reading it, or it was sitting on my table eyeing me from where it sat, the story along with all of the characters were on my mind like a woman possessed wanting to know if Ray and Mary would reconcile before Ray took his last breath, or would the animosity of all the heartbreak and sadness of things already done would still fester like a wound would that hasn’t been tended to.

I wasn’t disappointed in the least.

ECW Press

I love to give out free stuff, but there are times that it is not fun.  Here are some instances…

1.  You have entered the information in the comments section, when it specifically states to use the contact form to do so.

2.  The information you need to enter is not included

I will not enter anyone in giveaways if this information is not followed.  I get so many entries that it is hard for me to add you to the mix, if the requirements are not followed.  I would love to add you, but if you do not fill out ALL of the information I have requested to make it easier for me and for you, then it isn’t really fair is it?

Thanks !

I was asked by some wonderful publicists at Penguin Canada what would be a great way of talking about Kate Jacob’s new book Knit The Season, and the only thing that came to me was to have a giveaway of …Mitts.  They are handmade by yours truly, 100% acrylic, and washable.  The image I have attached is what they look like, although, these are already spoken for, so you will have a choice of colours – Navy Blue, Beige, and a Grey/White mix with Black tops.

Now here are the rules:

ONE entry PERIOD ! per person, ip address, household. (and if you come across this post on a freebie site, you will also be disqualified)

Open to CANADIAN residents ONLY (sorry US and European people)

1.  In the message part of the contact form, tell me what it was about Kate’s previous 2 books that makes you want to read the third book  Knit The Season.

2.  You MUST include your name and mailing address (or you will not be entered)  along with the question.  NO PO BOXES

I have THREE pairs of mitts to giveaway, so that means one pair per winner.

THEN…

You must use the Contact Form on THIS blog <—–CLICK AND ENTER ALL OF THE INFORMATION – Name, Address, Answer to the question, OR YOU WILL NOT BE ENTERED ! Whatever comments are posted will NOT be treated as an entry.

Giveaway ends on DECEMBER 10, 2009, so that the packages can be sent from the publisher on the 11th to make sure you get them in time for Christmas.

Now, I just received my copy yesterday, and there are some great looking recipes, and one or two knitting patterns as well in the back of the book.  So, when you go to buy your copy if you are a knitter, try them out.  I know I will once I have finished ready my copy.

Good Luck to all that enter!

Special Thanks to Barbara at Penguin Canada for supplying the shipping costs for the mitts!

This is the first book that I have read by Marian and I have to say, I am sitting on the fence.

Marian writes about a 4 plex townhouse at 66 star street, where there are some very eclectic characters in the mix.  The differences almost immediately discernable, yet they all come together in the end by a force that is in the stars so to speak.

Kate is the one that owns the top flat, who works as a PR representing rocks bands that are making their comebacks to the spotlight, who is turning 40 and has never been married.

There are 2 Polish men that share a flat with Lydia who are cab drivers.  Yes they share a flat, but what else will they share? Only time will tell.

Jessica is the octogenarian in the building.  She is the brains behind the whole building.  She brings into the mix her foster son who is starring in his own TV gardening show that is being recorded.  Did I mention she is also a pay per talk psychic as well?

Then there is Meave and Matt who have been married for a few years, and are happy the way they are, or at least it looks and feels that way until you dig a bit deeper into their lives.

Then there is this force of sorts that is the buildings guardian angel so to speak, who oversees everything, good and bad, feels what they feel and think in quiet ways.  St first the residents do come across this “being” that is looking over them, which makes some think they are being watched, but nothing comes of it, until the last day of the 60 that this “being” is there for and needs to make a huge decision about who and when.

I liked the way that Marian tackles some of the really tough issues of today – older parents aging and getting ill, violent acts that may take hold of a person after the fact, instead of keeping it all buried and not dealt with.

I think that if it could have been laid out differently than  adding a fantasy twist to it, but it was ok.

Penguin / Michael Joseph

When I received the offer to read and review this book it had me intrigued.  Even the title had me wondering right away what it was all about, and I have to admit, I was laughing out loud laughing, shaking my head, and open mouth shocked at some of the stories in this collection from the Heeb Story Collection.

From scoring drugs for your uncle, to spending a New Year’s Eve with porn stars (yes, you heard me correct) it was a hilarious ride into what is to be Jewish, and the stories of living anywhere in America , and what it could have in store for you.

There are 50 stories from the downright laugh out loud laughing funny to sentimental of what it meant for these people to be “Jewish”.

Strangely unique, it had me reading story after story wondering what was next in the queue.

I loved it.

View Video

Charlie Noble, retired from the Coast Guard is living a serene life on his boat on the waters in the Pacific Northwest.

Switching gears from working full time to retiring / investigations brings him the case of a unusual sort – a couple literally disappears off the grid on their boat near a section of water that is known as “Whiskey Gulf” where the military test fires torpedoes and other weapons.  Much advertisement is given to when these tests are being done, but in this instance they were well clear of the area, and all of a sudden just disappear off the face of the earth.
They radioed in for help, but no one was able to help them before radio contact could determine where exactly they were and how to get to them in dense fog.

As the boat club nearby wants to know what happened to their sailing friends, Charlie is asked to take a look into what he can find out, and give their friends some measure of relief in knowing any kind of information he can find.

As Charlie starts to take a look around and make inquiries he reveals a possible torpedoing to their boat, which was way off in another section of the water where they were and where the testing was taking place.  Now the Canadian and American military officials aren’t saying a word, Charlie thinks there is more to this then just a stray torpedo; He was right.
Will Charlie and his friend Raven be able to find the couple in such difficult circumstances?

In the twists and turns and absolute stop dead in your tracks adventure or terrorists, past alliances, and broken friendships, Charlie takes you the reader off on a water adventure full of descriptive narratives that will have you wanting to take a trip to the Pacific Northwest to experience the wild forests, the water, the beauty and most of all a different lifestyle that I have had the opportunity to experience when I lived in British Columbia.

It was for me a visit back to a place that I have experienced for myself and was missing it so much as I was reading the book.  I will definitely have to take a trip back out west to be able to experience it all again even if, for a short time.

Author’s Website

Vanguard Press

One Day, Dan Page is at work as a pilot for the police force.  He returns home one evening to find his wife not home and walking around the house some of her items are missing.  While in the kitchen, he finds a note short but sweet from his wife saying she went to her mother’s for a bit of a breather.

Feeling a bit worried, he calls his mother in law to find out she hasn’t arrived yet.  Calling airlines and such he finds out she is driving the 7 hr leg to her mothers by car.  He instantly gets more worried learning about this.

On her trail, he contacts the police in the area that he is flying into and finds that she is there in a small town that no one really knows a whole lot about, except for one thing – the lights at night.  It has been a strange phenomenon for many many years.  People come to just look at the lights, but no one really knows what or who is causing it and why people are so mesmerized by them.  People are drawn to them, excited by them; others cannot see them at all.

On the night he finds his wife, she is sitting looking at the magical power the lights have by just watching.  A man who is also there is angry and starts yelling, as he does this he starts shooting into the crowd not caring who or what he hits.  As a bus just stopped moments before, he has killed many people screaming that the lights are nothing.  There are now more questions then answers given for the lights.  No one seems to know the answers.

There used to be a military installation outside of the small town that is now deserted.  The fences and signs all say to stay away and not to enter the premises.  No one knows that there is a secret to the land and what the government doesn’t want to be known about what is there still.  Will their plan be to deny as they do from time to time, or will it be time to let the cat out of the bag so to speak, and let everyone know what it is, and how dangerous it is?

I am kind of on the fence with this book.  I liked the action and the intrigue, but felt it was a bit long winded for my taste.  The action storyline seemed to take longer them expected to take place, and them it did I wasn’t satisfied.  To be totally honest, it lagged in the parts that it should have been making me turn the pages.  For me, it just failed to keep me entertained for any amount of time.

David’s Website

Just when you thought you were safe right, and I just returned home from the library unscathed from picking up any more books then I can possibly handle, the wonderful and funny Deanna at HarperCollins Canada has posted a new reading challenge.  This is how it works:

This is the called the IMPAC Reading Challenge – Since there are many HarperCollins books on the list, go and read say 6 of them between now and April 14th (that is when the shortlist is announced) you will have a chance to win a really awesome prize pack – 10 Harper books of YOUR choosing !

So, if you have read any of these books before, THEY DO NOT COUNT!  But, there are still some really great titles, As I have already placed holds on three of them…Can you say Addict ?!?!

Alaa Al Aswany, Chicago
Louis Bayard, The Black Tower – My review
José Rodrigues dos Santos, Codex 632
Louise Erdrich, The Plague of Doves
Richard Flanagan, Wanting
Jeffrey Ford, The Shadow Year
Hilary Jordan, Mudbound
Dennis Lehane, The Given Day – My Review
James Meek, We Are Now Beginning Our Descent
Donna Milner, After River
Tom Piazza, City of Refuge
Ross Raisin, Out Backward (God’s Own Country)
Ron Rash, Serena
Marilynn Robinson, Home – My Review
Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain – My Review
Neal Stephenson, Anathem – My Review
Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap
Tim Winton, Breath - My Review

Now, once you are done reading one or all six make sure you email Deanna at deanna.mcfadden(AT)harpercollins(DOT)com to let her know that you have read, adored, tweeted, stumbled upon, Facebook it (basically where ever you talked about it online) so she can keep count, and you will be well on your way for a chance to win some great books ! Or, just go the The Savvy Reader to read some more about it

Lately, I have seen these posts in my reader and asked around today who and what it was all about, and Bermudiaonion and Booking Mama were the ones to start this up.  So, thank them in getting me sucked in ahem involved !

This recipe has been a favorite of mine for about 5 years now, and when my son and the girl next door were younger.  I would make the dough and then have them together for the afternoon and we would roll out the dough, cut them into shapes, bake them in the oven, and devour as many as we could.  Last year, I went to my son’s school with the cookies already made with piping icing and icing paint (which I will add to the recipe below) where they got to decorate their own cookies to hang on their tree or just eat!

Gingerbread Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup fancy molasses
1/4 cup black strap molasses
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp each baking soda, salt, cloves, and cinnamon

* If you want to make larger cut out cookies, I recommend making a double batch of the dough*

Method:

In large bowl, beat shortening with sugar until fluffy; beat in egg with the fancy and black strap molasses.

Stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cloves, and cinnamon; with wooden spoon, stir into molasses mixture in 3 additions until well combined, using hands when mixture becomes too stiff to stir.

Gather into a ball.  Divide into half; flatten into discs.  Wrap each in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.

Between sheets of waxed or parchment paper, roll out each portion of dough to 1/3 inch thickness.  Remove top sheet of paper.  Using 3 inch or desired shapes cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes, re rolling scraps.  Transfer to parchment paper lined or greased baking sheets.  Freeze for 20 minutes or until firm.

Bake in 325 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch.  Makes about 60 cookies (depending on the size of the cookie cutters)

Piping Icing

For this, you will need piping bags, tips and all of the other accessories you will want or need for doing this.

In bowl using electric mixer, beat 2 tbsp meringue powder with 1/4 cup water.  Slowly beat in 2 1/3 cups icing sugar until stiff, about 4 minutes.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Icing Paint

In bowl, whisk 4 cups icing sugar with 1/3 cup water, adding up to 2 tbsp more water if necessary to make spreadable.  Makes 1 1/2 cups.

** With the above icing recipes, cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to prevent drying out.  You can refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  Divide and tint with paste or liquid food colouring if desired.

Ben has run from his life in England to Greece.

Just separated/divorced from his wife and child, he is running from something that isn’t inherently known right away.  They want to talk to one another, but there is never a good time since Ben is in Greece, and his wife is in England taking care of their child.  Could it been the differences in class and social standing? Could it have been an affair?

Ben is also a student attempting to finish his Spartacus thesis in Archaeology from Oxford.  When he finds a job working at a meat grill, he comes across one of his colleagues that let it out of the bag that he is travelling to a dig not far from where they are.  Not being terribly close and each having presumed assuming of one another, they leave one another as they found one another.

Unknown to Ben, this group of diggers have something hidden that he wouldn’t even begin to imagine, after he joins their ranks, how it all fits into the scope of what they are digging for, and why they are even there in the place where they are in the first place.

Curious after a jackal has invaded the digging site and left them a portion that they hunted, they decide it is time to let Ben into the fold on a night of hunting the jackal.  As disturbing as Ben and literally me as I read it, it seemed to be some sort of initiation into being “one of them”.

Which, he regrets almost immediately.

I liked the writing switching between his life in England and the things that haunt him there and what happened to his marriage, then in between his notes from his thesis about Spartacus and all of the battles won and lost in that era was quite fascinating, which in a strange sense have some strange similarities in both, but in different ways.

I almost tired of the story, as the real reason why they were all there in the first place was slowly being played out, but then again it could have been possibly that thriller/ adventure reading part of me that expected it quick and then on to the next thing.  I was just about ready to give up when in the last pages it was revealed, and what a reveal it was.  It left me with a few questions –

Are we always sure of what was want when we make a decision?

Do the secrets we keep hurt us when they are revealed, or when they are kept hidden for a period of time?; Would it cast us in a different light if we opened up about it right away, or if hidden for an amount of time then revealed?

If we are in a group and have close ties to the people we are in the group with, would the ties that bind, bind us forever whatever happens?

Do we want to be happy, or do we want to be right? Can’t be both I am afraid.

HarperCollins

If you want to see who else is in the blog tour, and get some more information check out the blog tour page HERE

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

Sharon was walking back to her offices to retrieve her cell phone when at the same time someone was breaking into her offices to take whatever information she had on a case her team was working on when the intruder finds her and shoots her in the head.

Later on at the hospital, she is diagnosed as being “locked in”.  Locked in syndrome is a rare phenomenon where the person is completely paralyzed but yet can still understand and interpret the world around them without being able to communicate.
Her staff wonders if it is connected to one of their cases that they have worked in the past or if it is an active case.  As they comb their case files for clues, the thought in the back of the minds of everyone is will Sharon survive? Is she alive? Will her husband survive himself after being such a hardened and angry person before he met her? Will he have what it takes to find what and who ever did this to his wife and get the justice that they deserve?

As the case continues on, more clues are uncovered; Sharon is recovering more and more as more clues come to surface.  Will she be in this state for ever and live out her life communicating with only her eyes or will she rebound and come back to the self she once was and live her life with her husband and live happily ever after?

Filled with action, intrigue, and a bit of personal loss and suffering in San Francisco between many classes of people it was a fast paced thriller/ action/ adventure book that will be a great book to read on a rainy / snowy Saturday or Sunday covered with a blanket drinking a cup of tea or hot chocolate.

Read an Excerpt