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."