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."

Capture the Moment by Sarah Wilkerson

     I'd love to say I got a huge rush when I got this book, but no. My oldest daughter moved home after five years and decided to open my box herself. She grabbed MY camera and MY book and just made herself at home while I was still at work. And then sent me a text saying how much she loves the book. Yeah, thanks.


     As a beginning photographer, she took some really great photos with the book as her guide. She does have the best natural light in her bedroom.  She took lots of pictures of herself along with our two Boston Terriers.  

     She did say the picture examples with the camera info on them were a great help.


So, that's her review. My review is:


     I really love the way it's written for hands-on moms. The photograph examples are just beautiful and really give you the confidence to replicate them.


    "Turn off your flash- Avoid red-eye and unexpected bright glares by turning off your camera's automatic flash. This will greatly improve the quality of your images in most situations."  This is probably the best advice to give a beginner, along with TAKE THAT CAMERA OFF OF AUTOMATIC!! Don't be scared, yall.

     Overall, great book, outstanding pictures, and perfect pictures. The only thing I didn't like was that all or most of the photos were taken by a Nikon or Cannon. I have an Olympus, so I was looking for other Olympus photos.  Not that big of an issue!

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

A Letter to My Mom created by Lisa Erspamer

       This book was very sweet to read. I thought I would just love it since I'm a mom, but it really made me sad.  It seems all these folks who wrote letters to their mom have a fantastic relationship with their mothers. I don't have a great relationship with mine. It's not that we argue or anything, she is just very distant, much like her own relationship with my grandma. It's rather strange, and I hope I am not like that with my own children. I didn't even get a call on my birthday last week, but I did get a status shoutout on facebook....


     I loved the letters of sacrifice, the mom who left in the middle of the night when she found out her husband was touching one of her daughters. "I want to thank you for your bravery on that late fall day in 1977. When I was nine, you walked into my room and said, "We're leaving your stepfather. You have ten minutes to take anything you can carry and want to bring along."" That is sacrifice that I've never known.

   
     The stories of these strong, loving women inspire me to become a better mother so that my own daughters will remember me this way. Now I'm just gonna cry for a minute and send this book to my best friend in New Hampshire who lost her mom at xmas.

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

Big Gay Ice Cream by Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint

     Where can I start with this book? The minute I opened the cover it was like a party was trying to escape. It's colorful, very organized and just so much fun.


     I couldn't wait to try a recipe, and since I only really like plain vanilla I knew it would be a challenge. I tried the Dulce de Leche. Good lord, I ate so much I had a stomach ache and then still couldn't stop.

     There are just so many surprises in this book, like what's between pages 80-81..., the testimonials are hysterical,  I have favorite books, but I am not sure I have a favorite ice cream book, until now.


     For Mother's day brunch, I'm making Bea Arthur Ice Cream. My mother in law is going to love it!!!  "Beloved Ms. Arthur: as you gaze down upon us from that lanai in the sky with a stiff drink in your hand, we ask that you please forgive us for using your name and the descriptive term "chunky" in the same recipe. By no means are we making a reference to your figure. It's just that this ice cream flavor is based on your soft-serve namesake, and it's, well, chunky."  Hysterical!!!


PS, STAY GAY!

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

Under Magnolia, A Southern Memoir by Frances Mayes

     I just can't tell you how much I loved this book. I love it so much I am going to read it a second time which I NEVER do.  Frances Mayes writes with such beauty all I can think about when reading her words is a river of satin.  It's so smooth and shiny and does nothing but flow.

     All my life I thought I was from a small town in Georgia until I went to South Georgia. Francis is from the tiny town of Fitzgerald, Georgia. And to most Georgians the only difference between South Georgia and Florida is the ocean. Just from reading about her life in this book I feel as though I spent a long time in Fitz. I feel like I know the river, the mill and Daddy Jack's house.  I feel homesick for a place I've never called home.

      She weaves the beautiful details of her life with grace and charm. This book is such a jewel to read and know. I adore every word on every page, and all the pictures. My goodness, she and her mother both are absolute beauties.

     I hope this book touches you like it has touched me. I am going to carry this across the street to my wonderful neighbor who is from Tifton, Georgia (another South Georgia town). She will adore it!

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

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden by Karen Newcomb

     I am Southern woman, which automatically means I garden. I have flowers and plants coming out my ears but what I've never had is a vegetable garden. That is my task this year. My wonderful friend has donated her plot of land for me to garden and I can't begin to tell you JUST HOW AFRAID I AM.  But like an angel from heaven I hear FEAR NOT, and blogging for books sent me this sacred book, lolol!

     With this book, I have already decided on what I'm planting and my overall design. I honestly feel I can't lose with this book by my side. Sounds corny, but it covers EVERYTHING. The author tells you when to plant, what to plant, what soil to mix, how much water, how much sun, and she covers any problems the plants may have. I think this book should be called THE PLANTER'S BIBLE AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS TRASH.  I posted a picture of the cover in a gardening group I'm in on facebook and my friend Dana immediately ordered it. I'd call that a win.

     I go check out my new garden area on Sunday and will blog about it with pictures every now and again. Thank you Blogging for Books for this book and I thank you, Karen Newcomb for covering every single thing I would worry about.

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

Ignorance isn't bliss, it's just plain stupid.

     Do yall remember the Lifetime movie about the grandfather who died and shortly after his granddaughter found court papers about a mystery child the grandfather had? No? Not a movie? Oh sorry, it's my real life. This is happening right now with my oldest daughter. The grandfather everyone loved and adored (even though I am his former daughter in law I still adore the man), passed away in November 2014, devastating the very small family. Soon after my 22 year old daughter found court papers stating he had this mystery son. Well, give a mouse a cookie or a mom who is an internet detective....  I found the mystery son. I contacted him and he's just great. Yesterday I get a fb message from one of his sons. And the floodgates open!  I am now in contact with the sons, their mother and one of the son's wife.  I could only say that it made my heart full and my cup runneth over. The problem is my daughters and I are the only ones in the family who want to have a relationship with them. I say there is nothing wrong in wanting to know your relatives, but there is everything wrong in continuing to deny their existence. We are trying to set up a first meeting with them as we are all so excited to meet them and vice versa. More details to follow.

He Wanted the Moon by Mimi Baird

     This book was very interesting and heartbreaking.  Dr. Perry Baird was a brilliant man, doctor, husband and father. He was also a prisoner of his mental illness.  When the author was six years old her father was institutionalized and never lived with the family again.  After decades of living her life, the author starts thinking about her father, gets some info from her cousin and her journey begins.

     Finding out your father suffered from manic depression probably isn't a good thing to hear, but to read his own words as he suffered from the episodes is a completely different thing. He was trying to publish a book on his illness, but I think it was a gift to his daughter, filling in some of the blank spaces she had.  Even if it is a terrible story.

     As her first book, I think the author did a wonderful job of telling a very personal story.   I wish Dr. Baird had been able to benefit from Lithium, and like the author indicates, there's really no telling what her father would have accomplished.

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

     

The Room by Jonas Karlsson

     Great things come in small packages. This little book was fantastic! I had been looking in all the local bookstores for The Room but no one had it. Thankfully I found it on Blogging for Books. It didn't take long to read it, not even 24 hours. The flow was great and the story never stopped dragging me in.

     Bjorn is a quirky character who thinks very highly of himself. He is judgmental and a loner. He's not someone I would like at all.  He left one job and started another, determined to climb the ladder faster than anyone.  And then he finds the room.

     The room is a place Bjorn can go to regroup, rest and relax. It doesn't seem to be anyone's office at the moment so Bjorn keeps going in. Only his colleagues say he is just standing by the wall in a world of his own.  Does the room exist? Who knows!  That's the part of the book I just can't figure out, kind of like the white gold/blue black dress. You just have to read it and decide for yourself.


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

 

It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell

     I was torn between choosing this book over another to read.  I read the reviews and it was split down the middle with mostly men saying the author shouldn't blame the food for being fat and with women empathising with the author about her eating disorder. So, I dove right in.  As a woman who is trying to lose weight I drank this book up.

     Andie's story was amazing to me. We didn't have the same childhood, but I could clearly understand it.  The attachment to food, the longing for her father's love and attention, yep, been there. I never had a weight problem until after having kids and a new marriage, but I know too well the relationship with food. I think all women eat their feelings, and Andie did.

     The one thing I loved about her story is that even though she struggled through years of being obese, she never let it really hold her back. She went to prom with THE guy, she went to college, she traveled.  I know the mask of happy too well, and Andie wore one for years. When she finally came to realize food is not the enemy and to move more is the key, I was just so proud of her. It really helped me with my weight loss too.  She said that food is not the problem, it's when you abuse food that's the problem. It rang too true. If I eat one small portion of anything, that's great, but when you have four bowls, it's out of hand. I have kept that in my head since reading it.

     I think this book is beneficial to anyone losing weight or struggling with keeping it off. It's not a book of fluff & filler, it's a real story, an inspiring story.  A story of desperation and of triumph. It will help you and lift you up!


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

Q&A a day, a five year journal

     This little journal is made for me! It's small enough to fit into my nightstand drawer and it prompts you with questions for each day to make the writing easy peasy!  I've never kept a journal and when I selected this one from Blogging for Books I thought I'd give it to one of my daughters. Too bad, so sad, I kept it.

     Each page (which has golden edges, FANCY!!) has a place to write in the year and several lines to answer the question with a few lines to elaborate. I can't wait until a year from now to see why I was sad today, February 3, 2015. The only thing I can think of would be the new diet I'm on and sad I can't eat a box of damn Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

     With my oldest daughter's birthday coming up, I think I will buy her one since I stole hers. What a great gift!

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

 

The Martian by Andy Weir

     Look, I am not a science fiction fan in the least. And I read the description of the book wrong, which I am now glad I did. I was expecting a book about an astronaut left behind and him struggling with missing his wife. Okay, maybe I had too much wine deciding on a book that night. The last thing I wanted was a science fiction love story. Gag.  How wrong I was.

     Picture yourself in the not so distant future, on a Mars mission.  A horrible storm descends on your crew, you are blown away in a gust, your crew thinks you are dead.  NOT!  Meet Mark Watney, from Chicago. Not the star astronaut, or the second, or even the third. He's just a run of the mill botanist/engineer astronaut...with the most hysterical sense of humor. I have laughed more with this book than I have with any other book I've ever read. I've told countless folks about the book, telling them they NEED to read it. As a matter of fact, I told the receptionist at my daughter's orthodontist this morning.

     Mark Watney is just this badass hero. CNN has a dedicated Watney Watch program. You go through the first part of the book with Watney's point of view, then you get NASA's. Some of the lingo is completely over my head, but it's few & far between. The humor is throughout. I mean, really, when an astronaut sends an email about boobies....c'mon.

     I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and was pretty sad that it ended. I would recommend this book a million times over!! Thank you Andy Weir!



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

Norah Jones

Funny how one song can take you way back.  I found my long lost cd case and found Norah Jones' first cd. The first guy I dated after my divorce gave me that cd on a date to the drive-in in Atlanta back in 2002.  So funny that I thought I loved that guy.  I guess it's unfortunate for him that he was the first man I'd been with since I was 15 years old, lololol. Wow. Um, sorry for that!  I saw him on facebook today, he has like five kids now. Good for him! Beautiful wife and family, all the things I would wish for him. Just listening to one cd brings it all back, erases all the years and takes me back to his car that night, him giving me his huge sweatshirt because I was freezing. I still have that sweatshirt. I think of him often, not as a regret but as thanks to opening me up to new things after being in a strangle hold of sorts for a decade. Thanks Matt, for showing me I can get over a terrible marriage and even worse divorce. I eventually found the man of my dreams and we have 10 years behind us and many more to come. <3

I am finally recovered from christmas

It seems like every year I am waiting on December. I am gathering clues all year from my family and friends on what to give them for christmas. I tell myself I have time, plenty of time to buy things, to decorate, to cook, to plan the family dinner... and then BAM, out of seemingly nowhere, christmas is here.

My oldest sister and her husband & son flew down to Atlanta from Iowa to spend the first christmas with us ever. They stayed at our house which was a little worrisome since we only have one extra bedroom. It all worked out and everyone was comfy enough, even though my youngest and their son slept in the finished basement on xmas eve.

We had the big dinner on xmas eve at our other sister's house, with my mother in law in tow. Contrary to popular opinion, I adore my mother in law, and still adore my exhusband's mother. I have been very lucky.

So, in addition to having family in town, staying with me, along with my mother in law for the night, I was working for my coworker while she was visiting with her family in Tampa for two weeks. She couldn't have picked two better weeks to go than over xmas, hardly any calls, hardly any work!

I pretty much drank wine every day of break so much so that I had an allergic reaction to my favorite wine. After one glass of cabernet shiraz, my nose closed up, my skin was patchy red all over, my ear was so red it looked purple and I had to drive to Kroger for benadryl!! I NEVER drive after any drinks, but since I was the most sober (only one glass) I had to go. I couldn't open the damn package and had to get the cashier to open it for me to take in the store... then I had to take two more the next day. All was well and I have only had one more glass since that night. Maybe since I'm not drinking as much I'll lose a pound or two. I'm a total fat ass. No, really.

And with that thought I need to eat lunch.  Ciao!

A Fifty-Year Silence by Miranda Richmond Mouillot

Have you ever gone somewhere and completely connected to the place? Felt as though you belonged there? That's what happened to Miranda as a teenager when her Grandfather took her to La Roche.  Her life since that trip had always pretty much had La Roche in the center.

Miranda's grandparents were Holocaust survivors, her grandmother an accomplished doctor and her grandfather worked for the UN and was a translator at the Nuremberg Trials.  They met while in college and married in the mid 1940's, had two children, then divorced and never spoke again.

When Miranda decided to tell their story, (being an only child, she felt it was left up to her to tell it), and along the way found out so much more than she thought she would.

This story touched me so deeply. It is beautifully written, and Miranda does a wonderful job of weaving the past into the present story.  You learn to love the carefree but devoted Grandmother and the grumpy, territorial  Grandfather.  It's a story of love, hardship, war, perseverance, history, anger and sadness.

I cannot wait to read another of her books, when she writes one! I could barely put the book down and now find that I too am missing her grandparents.

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