Woohoo!! It’s the weekend!! Aren’t you excited? I don’t know about you, but I was seriously looking forward to the weekend. It seems the closer we get to year-end, the busier the weeks become. I love staying busy, but it sure can drain you. What do you have planned this weekend? Anything fun? Share your plans in the comments! 🙂

I have some reading planned. SURPRISE!! Or not, because by now you’ve all realized that I’m a bookworm and read almost all the time. So this morning Baxter and I are enjoying the cool, crisp morning air with a cup of coffee and the last few chapters of The Bat by Jo Nesbø. I really can’t wait to read the rest of the Inspector Harry Hole novels. Nesbø’s writing style is so fluid and he really knows how to draw you in but make you work for the ending. I still haven’t figured out who really is the bad guy. I almost don’t want this book to end, but alas, I have two Library books due Monday so the ending is inevitable. Next up for the books due back to the Library on Monday is How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue and The Cake Therapist by Judith Fertig. I absolutely LOVE reading books about food, chefs, bakers, cookbooks, I mean I could go on and on about it. I just love food.

Which brings me to my all about food portion of the weekend. I’m going to be making a turkey meatloaf, not sure what style yet but thinking southwest. A friend of mine brought in some fresh veggies from his garden, so I have some jalapeños to use! I also have plans to go to a local bar/restaurant tonight to see my dear friend AJ Dinoto and his band JAWS play some classic rock. His band is always a blast to listen to and I can’t wait to kick back and have a drink and some food with friends. More to come on that outing and stay tuned for the turkey loaf results, I have a really good feeling about it! Mmmmm home cooked food! I might even have some sort of baked surprise up my sleeves for this weekend…. 😉 Until then, Happy Reading!

Woohoo! Best day ever when there is book mail and the Fall FabFitFun subscription box waiting by the mailbox when I got home!! The first package I open is my book order from Thriftbooks and to my surprise…. there is a book that I sure as heck didn’t order! Hmm… ok Thriftbooks are you tying to tell me something by sending me, The Complete Book of Food Counts by Corinne T. Netzer?? I mean, I know I’ve had a few extra cheats here and there but come on! LOL 😂 Time to call the customer service line and let them know I got a book I didn’t want.

Next I opened my Fall FabFitFun box and ohhh my lord is it amazing!! AMAZING!! It came with two adorable hand towles for my kitchen, a cute little ceramic tea pot for steeping loose leaf tea, some beauty/bath products, wireless bluetooth headphones, a new Luna bar (already ate it and it’s delicious!!) and a gorgeous Vince Camuto vegan leather tote!! It’s a deep brown with black accents. 😍 I’m in love again! They give you the most amazing beauty products!! I received a shower gel by Skin&Co Roma- Blue in Capri with notes of Alpine Rose, Sage, Wild Basil and Autumn Blossom. I know which shower gel I’m using next! 🛀 I also received 2 individual Glamglow Bubblesheet oxygenating deep cleanse mask, a beautyblender for contouring, Grown Alchemist Hydra-repair day cream for my face, and Farmacy Dew It All total eye cream! I’m in beauty heaven, seriously.

If you’ve never tried FabFitFun before you should seriously consider it!!! I have a $10 off your first box for the first person who wants it! Ok enough shameless marketing for things I love. I have some reading to do and I’m just getting to the really good part of The Bat by Jo Nesbø. I love how he incorporated some aboriginal stories into the book. Happy Reading friends!

Hi everyone! Boy has this been a crazy past couple weeks! Between work being insane as we ramp up to meet our first quarter deadlines, having my Uncle stay with me last week and then visiting my parents last weekend, I am utterly exhausted! Not that I didn’t enjoy all my time with family, I’ve barely gotten any reading time in! Our weather the last few days has been prime for staying home with a snuggly pooch, blanket and a book. Lucky for me I’m getting to do just that! In my favorite book group on Facebook, Bookaholic Cafe, I decided to ask what the other members favorite weather for reading was. The most common answers were 1) Any Weather, 2) Rainy, gloomy days and 3) Snowy cold days. I couldn’t agree more!! 😊

My reading plan for Today is to finish my two current reads! Mister Tender’s Girl by Carter Wilson, which is turning out to be an amazing Psychological Thriller. I just got to a hugeee plot twist and was up late reading until I could not keep my eyes open any longer. The second book, which is for book club, is In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. This is a great Historical Fiction novel that I first read (most but not all) in one of my Spanish college courses. It depicts what life was like in the Dominican Republic during the reign of the dictator Trujillo. The story follows the Mirabel sisters and their involvement in the rebellion against Trujillo’s dictatorship. It’s a very moving novel and I’m happy to finally get to read it start to finish. This book full-fills the requirement from the 2018 BookRiot Read Harder challenge for an assigned book that you hated or never finished.

Up next on the TBR……

– The Bat by Jo Nesbø

– The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King

– Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

The Bat and The Inconvenient Indian are reads for my book club as we follow the 2018 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge. The Bat is for the topic of a book of genre fiction in translation and will be my first book of Nesbø’s. The Inconvenient Indian meets the requirement for a book of colonial or postcolonial literature. Both books I am really looking forward to reading! Death by Dumpling is a just for fun and should be a quick cozy mystery, which is a new genre I’ve gotten into lately. I’ve been trying to expand my genres lately, as I usually just read fantasy. Do you have a favorite genre, or a new genre you’ve recently dipped into and really like? Share below! I’d love to hear about it. 😊

Well there are pages to turn and Baxter snuggles to be had. Happy Reading! 💕

So this weekend I’ve been visiting my parents at home. I still call my childhood house home, do you? Even though I call my apartment home. I guess home is more of a relative term. Anyways, we’ve been having a blast! Mom and I did some shopping yesterday before we babysat my niece and nephew for a few hours. Boy the kids sure keep you busy!! There was lots of reading, and puzzles, and pretend fishing! We also wrangled some dinosaurs! Needless to say once it hit 10:00 pm I was utterly exhausted! No bedtime read for me! *gasp* I know, what’s wrong with me?! I did quite a bit of reading this morning in the tranquility of the house. The sounds of outside coming from the dining room where the deck door was open to the screen.

This weekend has also been another 36 hour readathon with my favorite bookish Facebook group, Bookaholic Cafe! I haven’t had a ton of reading time, but I’ve still jumped in with what I have read and participated in other people’s posts. I have 3 reads going concurrently, and am hoping to finish at least one of them this weekend. It will most likely be Afterlife by Marcus Sakey. It’s getting so intense!! I almost can’t take it. 😂 Afterlife is a fantastic Dystopian novel that brings into light string theory and multiverse ideas with a slight religious touch of the biggest question. What happens to us after death? Is there a Heaven and Hell, or some sort of Afterlife? The book makes you think, but also provides characters that you connect with and feel for, with that edge of your seat action. I’ve been needing a book like this! Thanks Amazon Kindle Unlimited!! 🤓

Now that my laundry is done and packed up in the car, it’s time to get back to reading. Baxter and I will be hanging out with my parents for a few more hours yet before hitting the road. Until next time and happy reading!

Happy National Book Lovers Day!!! Wow, so exciting! So tell me, what have you been doing to celebrate Today? Are you re-reading a favorite book? Or maybe you’re reading something that’s been on your TBR for a long time? How about celebrating by making a new book purchase?

I started off Today by listening to some more of my current audiobook read, Afterlife by Marcus Sakey. It’s becoming quite the captivating story and I love the narrator. Her voice is very calming but expressive in all the right places and when her accent comes out it’s endearing. Can’t figure out what her name is, I’ve borrowed the book from Kindle Unlimited and it came with the audible narration. For more info, see the details below:

“The last thing FBI agent Will Brody remembers is the explosion—a thousand shards of glass surfing a lethal shock wave.

He wakes without a scratch.

The building is in ruins. His team is gone. Outside, Chicago is dark. Cars lie abandoned. No planes cross the sky. He’s relieved to spot other people—until he sees they’re carrying machetes.

Welcome to the afterlife.

Claire McCoy stands over the body of Will Brody. As head of an FBI task force, she hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks. A terrorist has claimed eighteen lives and thrown the nation into panic.

Against this horror, something reckless and beautiful happened. She fell in love…with Will Brody.

But the line between life and death is narrower than any of us suspect—and all that matters to Will and Claire is getting back to each other.

From the author of the million-copy bestselling Brilliance Trilogy comes a mind-bending thriller that explores our most haunting and fundamental question: What if death is just the beginning?”.

I’d also like to read a little more of In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, as next weekend I’ll need to talk about it at book club. Maybe I’ll even get a few pages of my current Thriller, Mister Tender’s Girl by Carter Wilson read. So many books, so little time! Happy Reading!

So I have a houseguest this week!! My Uncle is staying with me while he takes a class for a certification. I’m excited to have someone around to share a meal with and converse with after work. Not that I don’t enjoy talking to Baxter, but it’s just not the same. Plus I don’t get out to his neck of the woods that often. So last night for dinner I took him to one of my favorite local pubs, Tap and Mallet, located in the South-wedge area of Rochester, NY. They have a fantastic menu with everything from burgers with a twist, salads, pub regulars (fish and chips, bangers and mash, etc), to some vegan options. Some of my favorite menu items are any of the poutine items, and regular burger called Neither Horse nor Radish. It has cheddar, pickled red onions and horseradish aioli, it was delicious! My Uncle ordered the fish and chips, which is one of the best I’ve ever had, and he enjoyed it. Tap and Mallet is also a great place to grab a cold, refreshing brew! They have quite the beer list and their drafts on tap are ever changing.

For Dinner tonight I grilled venison and served steamed green beans and smashed garlic butter baby potatoes. I still swear by charcoal being the best grilling option. The flavor is absolutely amazing. 🤤 I dare say we went back for seconds with beans and taters. I just love a good meal that reminds me of family dinners growing up. Venison and potatoes are one of my favorite meals we had.

I’m off to clean up from dinner and then read a little of a book. Haven’t read very much in the last week, but getting back into the swing. Have a good evening y’all!

One month has flown by and I’d like to take a moment and thank everyone who has visited, followed and commented. Your support is greatly appreciated. Drinks anyone? Cheers!

Ok so because I can’t share drinks with y’all in person I figured I’d share something else with you. One of my favorite and incredibly sinful recipes. Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies…. from scratch!!! These brownies are sure to be a crowd pleaser, but I have to warn you, you’ll want to keep them all to yourself!

Ingredients:

Fudge Brownies

• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter

• 8 ounces coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate

• 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar

• 3 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Raspberry Cheesecake Layer

• 8 ounces (224g) cream cheese, softened

• 1/4 cup (50g) sugar

• 1 egg yolk

• 1/4 cup (80g) raspberry preserves/jam1

• raspberries for topping

Directions:

1 Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 11 x 7 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside. Set out 8 ounces of cream cheese for the cheesecake layer and allow to soften as you prepare the brownies.

2 Make the brownies first: Melt butter and semi-sweet chocolate in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly (about 6 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (about 15 minutes). You may also stick the chocolate/butter mixture into the refrigerator to cool to room temperature quicker.

3 Stir sugar into cooled chocolate/butter mixture until combined. Add in the eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour and salt. Pour batter into prepared pan, reserving 1/4 cup of batter.

4 Make the cheesecake swirl: With a hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat the softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolk, and raspberry preserves in a medium bowl until completely smooth – about 1 minute. If you’d like a pinker cheesecake layer, add 2-3 drops of red food coloring. Dollop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture on top of the prepared brownie batter. Drizzle with the last 1/4 cup of brownie batter. Glide a knife through the layers, creating a swirl pattern. Press a few raspberries into the top.

5 Bake brownies for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean – which may be shorter or longer. Just keep your eye on them and test with a toothpick. Mine took exactly 35 minutes. Cover the brownies after 20 minutes to avoid the top from browning too much and too quickly. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares, at least 4 hours. I set mine on the counter for 30 minutes, then in the refrigerator for 2 hours which sped up the process.

6 Make ahead tip: Brownies stay fresh stored in the refrigerator for 1 week – and may be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

I do not however, recommend snacking on these while reading. You might leave some chocolatey fingerprints on your book. 😉

Happy August! The last real month of summer, anticipation of kids going back to school and the last of the obnoxious heat we’ve been having! While some people take that last family vacation before the craze of school, sports, work life balance arrives, I’ll be adventuring through my TBR pile. Usually I don’t put much thought into what I’m going to read and just pick on a whim, but I thought I’d change it up and put together a pile. The book club reads are slightly unavoidable, but the plus side is we get to pick our own book as long as they fit with the topic for the month. I’m behind on a few topics, so this will be a good catch up month for me. Then I picked the “other” reads, ya know… the fun ones! Who am I kidding?! All my reads are fun.

For Book Club there are three topics that I’ll be completing this month. An assigned read that I never finished (In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez), a book of genre fiction in translation (The Bat by Jo Nesbo), and a book of colonial or postcolonial literature (The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King). Then I picked a Cozy Mystery, a Psychological Thriller, two fluffy Chic Lit books (about food of course), and another book in The Chronicles of Narnia. I’ll have my hands full, but I’m excited for all of these! Aren’t you? To all my Bookaholic friends and followers, do you plan your monthly TBR or just go with the flow? How about trying to make sure what you read has a wide diversity of genres? Drop a comment below and share! 🙂

 

** Fun Fall themes coming soon so stay tuned! **

So, I just completed a 12 week wellness plan that was gluten free, grain free, and dairy free. I also did not eat red meat. Ok Ok, I had a few cheats, but mainly stayed on course. My main reason for doing this was to see if it would lessen the amount of migraines I was getting. I suffer from chronic migraines, and have been experiencing debilitating migraines since early childhood. Well not any longer!!! (knock on wood) Amazingly enough, cutting out gluten and dairy and processed foods has significantly reduced my migraines, especially the intensity of them! HOORAH! Well, I decided that I deserved a little cheat meal this weekend, especially because I’ve been feeling so down trying to get better from this viral infection. So I pulled out my trusty little Weber Charcoal grill and fired it up!! I grilled some seasoned burgers, crazy jane salt and a paleo season mix I found at Wegmans! My oh my, they were very tasty!

Since I’ve been knocked down with this viral infection, I’ve slept a lot and read a lot. Can’t complain, am I right? I finished The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, which is a classic and one that I always enjoy. I finished Killman Creek by Rachel Caine, which is the sequel to her Stillhouse Lake novel. If you love a great Psychological Thriller involving a serial killer than this series is definitely one you want to start reading! The third book in the series, Wolfhunter River, is available for purchase starting March 26, 2019. The anticipation is real!!!! After becoming addicted to this series, I will definitely be reading more of Rachel Caine’s other written works.

My new read of the weekend, which I’ll most likely finish tonight, is called The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert. I am a sucker for a good love story with a main theme being food. I am absolutely swept away with Amy E. Reichert’s ability to suck you in and make you wish you were the one falling in love with the ridiculously perfect fictional hunk and extremely hungry for every kind of food that has been mentioned in the book so far. WARNING! Don’t read Amy’s books if you’re hungry! Kind of like never go grocery shopping hungry! Hahaha. The bio reads, “You’ve Got Mail meets How to Eat a Cupcake (which is up soon in my TBR) in this delightful novel about a talented chef and the food critic who brings down her restaurant – whose chance meeting turns into a delectable romance of mistaken identities. In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lou works tirelessly to build her beloved yet struggling French restaurant, Luella’s, into a success. She cheerfully balances her demanding business and even more demanding fiancé…until the morning she discovers him in the buff – with an intern. Witty yet gruff British transplant Al is keeping himself employed and entertained by writing scathing reviews of local restaurants in the Milwaukee newspaper under a pseudonym. When an anonymous tip sends him to Luella’s, little does he know he’s arrived on the worst day of the chef’s life. The review practically writes itself: underdone fish, scorched sauce, distracted service – he unleashes his worst. The day that Al’s mean-spirited review of Luella’s runs, the two cross paths in a pub: Lou drowning her sorrows, and Al celebrating his latest publication. As they chat, Al playfully challenges Lou to show him the best of Milwaukee and she’s game – but only if they never discuss work, which Al readily agrees to. As they explore the city’s local delicacies and their mutual attraction, Lou’s restaurant faces closure, while Al’s column gains popularity. It’s only a matter of time before the two fall in love…but when the truth comes out, can Lou overlook the past to chase her future? (compliments of Goodreads bio page)” So there ya have it, I’ve been suckered in with food and love! I’m signing off! ~Happy Reading!

We had a huge system of storm cells pass through earlier this week. Thunder storms, heavy rain and that disgustingly thick humidity. Unfortunately I tend to be a human barometric pressure gauge and was down for the count for a day or so. Not much reading to be had in that state. That’s where the convenience of audio books come in though! Some people will argue that audio books aren’t reading, and if we’re being literal then no they aren’t, but you’re listening to a story and once the story is over you’ve still completed it. So give yourself a break and live life on the edge! I’ve been enjoying the sequel to Rachel Caine’s Stillhouse Lake, Killman Creek. Which is the continuing story of Gwen Proctor, formerly known as Gina Royal, the ex-wife of a serial killer. Well her ex-husband Melvin Royal has escaped from prison and is hunting Gwen and their two kids down. It’s a very terrifying situation that Gwen faces head on with the strength only a mother could muster. Now she’s on the hunt with an unexpected ally, Sam Cade, the brother of one of Melvin’s victims. This has been a thrilling series and I can’t wait to see how this book ends.

I’m one of those 9-5 er’s, more like 7:30 -4, so it’s time to get to work and face what the day brings. Not that I won’t be constantly thinking about my books! Happy Friday Eve everyone, and to all my fellow bookaholics… Happy Reading! 🙂