Black Earth

Reading this book was hard for me. How so many people can follow the words of one man.  To be honest I couldn’t finish it,  my family is German and I was getting sick. I will try again in the future but do recommend this book.

Unfair by Adam Benforado

          This book was made for me. I work for two criminal defense attorneys and the other paralegal I work with has her Masters in Psychology.  We know a thing or two about the Justice system, or so we thought.

          The first story about David Rosenbaum was perfect. Unfortunately, I can see it happening in my own town as our county has an interstate running through it. Homeless camps all over, and so many transients. Thinking that David was just another drunk, he lost precious time and paid with his life.  I know it's only human to think drunks and druggies aren't as urgent as a prominent citizen, but they are sons, daughters, sisters, brothers also.

          I've also just taken a class on the Psychology of Criminal Justice. It mirrored the book in a lot of ways: interview techniques, lineups, eye witness testimony.  Lots of great info with the class and it appears that our minds and memories aren't as sharp as we think.  There are thousands of innocent people in jail based on faulty eye witness testimony.

         Basically, I think in the court system, it's pretty much the luck of the draw with some judges. We have one judge in our county who is known as the "Hanging judge". He does not put up with any crap. But, if you have another judge, you just may slip on by.

          One of the attorneys I work for is a public defender, and just like in the book, PD's really don't do the jobs like a paid attorney would.  It shouldn't be that way, but it is. We have a ton of folks who can't afford an attorney and are in their 10th cycle and expect to have the best. It's not happening. The other attorney I work for is not a PD, and he is awesome. It's not just a job for him, it's his name!

     All in all, I think this is an excellent book and gives an interesting insight into the world of criminal justice and the Supreme Court.


 "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

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Avenue of Spies by Alex Kerhsaw

          Alex Kershaw did not disappoint with this book. I loved the way he has you jump right in and caught in the story in the first sentence, "A shell exploded."  I've read many books on Nazi Germany but this was a great story about a family caught up and in the Resistance.

          Sumner Jackson and his wife Toquette were right in the thick of evil, living on Avenue Foch, a fancy area in Paris.  When the SS came through with their wave of terror, they took over Avenue Foch, all except an apartment belonging to the Jacksons.  Sumner, Toquette and their son Phillip lived amongst the most vile soldiers for years, all while helping the Resistance right under their nose!  Unfortunately, they were caught and sent to prison camps. I won't give away the ending, but it was excellent.


          The Jacksons are heroes of the war that I'd never known about. There are probably thousands of them out there, just waiting for their story to be told.  If you are looking for an action packed story, please read this book!


          "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

   

I took a chance on a work of fiction, which I never read. I guess I'm an old stick in the mud because I just could not get into it. It was a great book for fiction lovers, I know it would be! I just couldn't.   After seeing that I had predicted the first twist, I was just blah. If you need a story of heartbreak but then sweet hope, this is the book for you. It's romantic and funny, an older man teaching a younger man new tricks, but in the end it's the older man learning from the younger one.  I feel terrible about the bad review, it's definitely me, NOT the book.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."  and I'm terribly sorry for the bad review!!!!!

Legend by Eric Blehm

     I thought I'd made a terrible mistake choosing this book. I love non-fiction, it's my favorite genre, but what do I know about the Vietnam war?  It was over before I was born and none of my close family was in it.  I begrudgingly started Legend and thought, meh...another war book.  Have you ever watched the best, suspenseful movie?  This book is better. I stayed up way too late last night, couldn't put it down! I finished it today at work. We had no clients all day so thankfully they didn't have to see me throw my hands in the air, cover my head with my hands, slap the desk, curse and then cry.

    Roy Benavidez grew up as a migrant farmer. He got in a little trouble here and there but always remembered his grandfather's words: IF SOMEONE NEEDS HELP, HELP THEM.  Roy decided to join the Army and realize his dream of being a paratrooper.  He married and with one kid on the way he was deployed to Vietnam.

     If there is a story to be told, this is one of them, and Eric Blehm did an excellent job.  I've learned so much just reading this one book, I feel like I'm fluent in the Vietnam war.

     I want to talk about this book to everyone and tell everyone what happens so stop me.  I will, however, leave you with my favorite quote from the book:

      "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things.  A man who has nothing which he cares about more than his personal safety is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." ~John Stuart Mill.


                                                     

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

   

Street Vegan by Adam Sobel

     I love to cook, I love cookbooks and my husband is a vegan. I thought I could handle this book, no problem. I was not prepared for this awesomeness. I decided to make the Gooey Salted-Caramel Pecan Turtle Bars.  The description says, "Think of these as your secret weapon for cookie exchange parties (yes, they exist, and you should have them often).  Better than any boring cookie, these bring together a great variety of textures and flavors;and yes, the fact that "turtle" rhymes with "girdle" will make them a hit among every crowd, even burlesque Republican rappers."  Not that I know what a burlesque Republican rapper is...

     So, I started.

     I made the shortbread crust easily. Okay, I didn't really clean my area very well, and my husband hates the cord which hangs from underneath the cabinets, yall. I get it. 

     

     Here's the crust before baking. The picture is wonky, but it doesn't matter, the crust was easy peasy!

    Next up was the caramel. 

     Now, I was born and raised in Georgia, but I have never in my life smelled molasses. I warn you to never do it.  It's awful. It should come with a warning label. Mercy, okay, I regrouped and finished the caramel.  

     I just have to tell you how easy the recipe was to follow, and even though I didn't have a candy thermometer the book says to wait 15 minutes for the temperature to rise enough.

      

     And this is the finished product. I'm waiting for the turtle bars to "set".  I can't wait to eat them!  So, if you want to eat like a badass vegan, and not eat rabbit food, get this book. I'm putting post it notes on all the recipes I'm going to try this week. The recipes are clear and concise. Adam Sobel explains everything so well and even in the beginning tells you what you need in your pantry.  Good luck and don't smell the molasses!

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."