Inferno by Dan Brown

Getting lost in books . . . . Traveling through stories . . . . Becoming “friends” with main characters . . . . I love to read. It is a hobby I’ve enjoyed all of my life.

Since becoming a mom, though, my time to read is quite precious, so I’ve struggled to find a good fit with fiction. I’ve read plenty of nonfiction (parenting book, anyone?), but I don’t want any overly predictable fluff, I don’t want to cry, and I don’t want to be so annoyed at the ending that I throw the book across the room.

Enter a dear friend lending me her new copy of Dan Brown’s Inferno.

I’ve only had it for a couple of days and am already more than half-way through it. The story line is predictable in that Robert Langdon is running for his life within the first few chapters, but it’s engaging.

It flows.

It sucks me in and transports me to Italy with enough description to imagine the scene and not bog down the pace.

Simply said, it entertains me.  Who could ask for more?

Inevitably, the question in a couple of days will be, “What should I read next?” So if you have any recommendations, that follow the above requirements, I’d appreciate them. If it makes me laugh, that’s an added bonus. 😉

Thoughts of My Mom

I saw a contest for Mother’s Day that asked you to submit something you remember your mom always saying or telling you. I thought about it and was saddened to realize that I have nothing. I remember Mom’s endearments, but she didn’t have something she said very often. A year after her passing was not the time to realize this.

However, a day or two later I realized that while I don’t have her words, I do have her actions. She embodied the idea that actions speak louder than words.  She taught by example in how she lived. She was comfortable with herself, which allowed others to be comfortable themselves. She was kind, loving, and patient, very patient. She was a benevolent dictator in how she mothered me. 🙂  And while she taught me more than I can say, I’m especially grateful that she taught me how to love, how to be a lady, and how to be a great mom.

Even though I wish I had some thought or platitude of hers to hold, I’m grateful for my memories of her and of us as a guide for how to live and love.

Book Review: Simply Delicious Amish Cooking by Sherry Gore

Simply Delicious Amish Cooking is a collection of recipes and stories from an Amish community in Sarasota, Florida.  It has a variety of recipes (lots of desserts!), and the stories provide insight into the daily lives of the Amish.

The recipes are for good, simple food.  There isn’t anything fancy, and most ingredients are already in your kitchen.  I was surprised to see many recipes use processed foods (canned cream of ___ soup, Velveeta, etc.).  Since I avoid using those, and anything with a lot of sugar, this limits the recipes available to me in general.  That said, there are recipes that offer a fresher choice.  See the Pinecraft Winter Salad on page 79.  Also, I know this will be a go-to source for a great dessert to share with others.

The book is spiral-bound and lays flat, which is helpful in the kitchen, and the included pictures are mouth-watering.  I thought the cover would be a little sturdier, though. The first recipe (Honey Wheat Bread) has a typo.  The ingredients list says 1/4 cup of flour, but the instructions have 1/2 cup listed.   I don’t know which is correct, but would like to find out.

I give this a 3 out of 5 star rating because there are many recipes I will not use.  I am glad to have it as part of my collection for the stories and the simple options that you don’t find in every book.

Full disclosure for FTC purposes: I received a free copy of this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review.

Words

I’ve been working on a few posts this week, but nothing is ready to publish. Most of the reason is that it’s a trying week of motherhood, but another part of it is that words to satisfy my ideas currently escape me. I came upon this quotation that sums it up, “How strangely do we diminish a thing as soon as we try to express it in words.” ~ Maurice Maeterlinck

With that in mind, I’ll let things continue to simmer, particularly a small tribute to my mom, and return another day.