Lynnie
Cookbook
During
this time of year I'm always looking for new ways to use some of the
bounty from my CSA share as well as any excuse not to turn on the oven. Using
the grill gives me the best of both worlds, typically with delicious results.
The Gardener & the Grill by Karen Adler and Judith M. Fertig had a lot to offer & had some great ideas not only with
fresh seasonal vegetables, but also with the proteins we know &
love. None of the recipes seemed needlessly difficult either- most were
very simple, a few ingredients to greatness- kind of dishes. I got a lot of great ideas from this cookbook and am looking forward to the opportunity to use some of them.
Amy 
Lynnie
young adult, fantasy, action/suspense
In Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, Mare Barrow has grown up being a Red--categorized by the color of her blood. She's known nothing but hardship, as most Reds are conscripted to war or have menial jobs and live in deplorable conditions. The Reds are ruled over by the Silver-blooded, including the royal family. The Silvers are born with abilities that allow them to keep the Reds in line through fear and intimidation while the Silvers live in luxury.
That was then, this is now, and due to circumstances beyond her control, Mare has displayed her own magical ability--one that a person with red blood should never possess. As she is assimilated into Silver society, the story becomes a game of who can be trusted and how long secrets can be kept.
Amy's review
At first, I didn't think I would like this book. First, the title is similar to another book, The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory, and I dislike unoriginality. (And, it turns out the title isn't even accurate for this book.) Then, I started reading and the story appeared to be a mashup of a bunch of other very popular YA stories and, did I mention, I dislike unoriginality. I saw strong similarities to storylines from Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Cinderella.
But, the more I read, the more I started enjoying the story on its own merit. It's not perfect and has some holes (like the premise of Gods making the decision to live on Earth and make life miserable for humans and the fact that the bad guy was obvious to me from the start) but it was fun. I enjoyed the cast of characters and the locations in the story. I liked the sibling relationships. The action was enjoyable and the tempo was fast-paced. I ended up staying up LATE because I couldn't go to bed without knowing how it ended!
I'll certainly read the next one when it comes out and it looks like there are some novellas on the way too (a trend which, on principle, I don't appreciate unless the novellas are free so I'll keep my fingers crossed). I'd like to see what comes next for this cast of characters.
Lynnie's review
I really enjoyed this book though I agree with Amy that there is a lot in Red Queen that you've seen before in other YA fantasy fare. The narrator, Mare, does a great job of teaching us about the world she lives in as she is learning about it herself. There was a lot happening in this novel and if you buy into the premise of the book, the world that Victoria Aveyard created is never dull. I particularly enjoyed that even though the book flirted around the edges of several potential romances, those really took a back seat to the advancement of the story and the action.
I was a little frustrated by the ending, but it's what I've come to expect from any book series. That said, I'm looking forward to reading about what happens next- bring on the sequel!
Lynnie 
Cookbook
I almost gave this one star but the recipes all sounded wonderful, so I'm feeling generous.
That
said, I've rarely met a cookbook I didn't like and I had high
expectations for this one because of the restaurant's reputation. I
think that if you are a fan of San Francisco's The Slanted Door restaurant, you'll enjoy the
stories contained in this cookbook about the restaurant's evolution, but
since I just wanted some tasty recipes, I was an unappreciative
audience.
As for the recipes, with the exception of very few, I'll never make any of them- they just aren't practical for home
cooking. In a lot of ways that makes sense- you go to the restaurant to eat things you can't or won't cook at home and this cookbook certainly did whet my appetite for Slanted Door's Vietnamese specialties. It's kind of a genius move by Charles Phan because really, everything looked delicious (if impractical for the home cook). In the end it
just wasn't the cookbook for me. If you're a cook who lives near a well-stocked International market however, you may find this book much more appealing than I did.
Lynnie 
young adult, science fiction, dystopian
The 100 is another book with a great premise and a mediocre execution.
I really liked the idea of this book- Earth (at an unknown time in the
future) has suffered a nuclear catastrophe and some humans have existed
on a space colony, waiting for Earth to become habitable again. Because
of the limited resources on the space colony, rules and laws are
strictly enforced- adults who break rules are executed, while children
who violate the rules are "confined." The colony's limited
resources are dwindling, so a decision is made that it's time to send a test group to Earth to test its habitability. Who
better to send than the expendable, confined youth of the colony?
When
the teens arrive on Earth, they must figure out how to live, how to trust
(remember they are all criminals), and how to survive. Meanwhile their
vital signs are being sent back to the colony in order to find out if Earth's
environment has improved enough to live there permanently.
I enjoyed parts of the story- usually
when it stayed on task. Many of the characters were amusing and the story of teens trying to set up a society was entertaining. We thought
the "romance" aspects of the story were very awkward though- as if the action and dialogue were taken out of a Harlequin novel and plopped into the middle of this adventure. Also, throughout the book the phrase, she/he "could
see his lips moving, but his ears couldn't hear the words" was used
about a half dozen times or more, to the point of distraction. Is there
not another way for Kass Morgan to portray a person's shock? We also felt that the story of Glass and Luke who were back on the colony, was a distraction from the main storyline.
All of the action was taking place on Earth and when the book focused
there it was strongest. I imagine that the story of Glass & Luke
will make more sense in future books, but in this book we were simply frustrated every time a chapter focused on them.
We
listened to the audiobook version of The 100 during a recent road trip
and the narrators were wonderful. They really brought the characters to
life and made the book more enjoyable. We also started watching the tv series after reading the book and while I hate to admit it- we like it better than the book. The story and characters are tighter and more focused (& very different!).
Overall though, an enjoyable idea. I think teens will like the way the story unfolds more than adults will.
