Happy New Year!

I can't believe that this year is over!  It has been a difficult year for me personally.  I started going to the gym and changing my lifestyle and it has worked, but I still have a lot of changes to make mentally.  I tend not to be mean and even cruel to myself when things don't work out.  My resolution this year is to be kinder to myself and to practice self-compassion and self-care.  Here is a list of some of my favourite cookbooks that I have used over the past year:

Although this isn't my favourite cookbook, it is a must have in my kitchen as a reference guide.  My favourite recipe in this book are the quick drop biscuits which I adore because they are quick, easy and tasty.  They are the perfect accompaniment to stews, soups and as a side to roasts to soak up gravy.

Diane Kochilas is my favourite Greek cooking author!  Named after the island her cooking school is situated on, this is full of delicious and nutritious Greek cooking.  Also check out her website for more recipes here.

Oh, hello veggies and aren't you nummy!  Ottolenghi has done a wonderful job of getting my family to enjoy vegetarian food.  The Black Pepper Tofu is spicy and delicious and totally worth making as a treat every so often.  It is a little heavy than you think because of the sauce.  This is a family favourite as is the Shakshuka.

This is another book by Ottolenghi that is a family favourite!  This has one of our favourite recipes, Conchigle with yogurt, peas and chile.  While my husband and I love the recipe, we have made it simpler for our purposes and now we can have it made in 30 minutes or less.  We skip making the "green sauce" and instead use a microplane to grate the garlic directly into the yogurt, stirring in the feta, basil and peas just before adding the drained pasta.  It is easy to overdo it on the garlic this way as it won't smell fragrant until you add the warm peas.  When making the pine nuts and chile topping, add some onion as well and cook until caramelized.  Whatever you do, don't skimp on the olive oil!  Dump it all on top of a single serving bowl, then dish it out making sure to capture some of the onions, pine nuts and chile for each person!  Also, conchigle of the correct size (medium) can be difficult to find so use another type of pasta that is good for capturing sauce (rotini or orecciate for example).

Christmas Romances

Merry Christmas everyone!  Since it is the holidays, here is a fun list of some of my favourite Christmas Romances.

I love these stories by Grace Burrowes!  For me, the most memorable was Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish because it isn't often that a duke's daughter is abandoned by her maid with an unwanted child.  I read these all several years ago, but still remember them!

Lydia made a youthful mistake and hates that the local doctor is the only one who knows about it.  In the meantime, Dr. Jonas has feelings for Lydia, but she will not allow him to become closer to her.  At this magical time of year, will they learn to forgive and love together?  A novella that is part of the Brothers Sinister series, this comes after The Duchess War.

When a disheveled man comes crashing through the door to collapse at the feet of Violet Winterbottom, she is the only person who understands him.  She doesn't recognize him, but will they heal together?  A novella that is part of the Spindle Cove series, this comes after A Night To Surrender.

Princess Jacqueline of Sensaire has written desires in her diary that she would never reveal to anyone.  In a moment of boredom, Cam Westfall, Earl of Bedwyr, finds and reads her diary only to find that she is his new muse after years of writer's block.  How will Cam overcome the prejudices of the former Queen of Sensaire and Jacqueline find the courage to defy her duty to a cold-blooded marriage?  Read this book to find out!  The last book in the Prince Catcher series.

I really enjoyed this book!  When the Earl of Cleves returns to his childhood home in order to close the house permanently, he is shocked to arrive during a holiday party!  His childhood friend Thea is now the housekeeper and throws a holiday party annually.  She has been waiting for the Earl to return home in order to heal from scars left by the death of his brother and the abandonment of his father.  She engages in a campaign to get him into the holiday spirit.  Will he learn to live with the ghosts of his past or will they overcome him?  Although this is the third book in the Sutherland Sisters series, it also stands alone.

Romance Author: Anna Bradley

The Sutherland Scandals

I was trying to find library books to read on my kobo because I have a long bus ride coming up.  I saw one of her books was available and I'm always looking out for new authors, so I thought I would give Anna Bradley a shot.

A Wicked Way to Win an Earl is a book about the daughter of a scandal, Delia Somerset.  Although she despises the ton, Delia's sister Lily is desperate to escape the tediousness of their home and so accepts an invitation to a house party thrown by the Earl's sisters.  The Earl of Sutherland, Alec, is desperate to keep his brother Robyn away from this scandalous girl, but when he does, they discover that they have marvelous chemistry together and fall in love with each other.

A Season of Ruin is the story of Robyn Sutherland and Lily Somerset.  Lily Somerset is determined to use this season to find a husband who is steady and safe, but when she accidentally stumbles into Robyn's arms and is reported in a gossip column, all her plans are ruined.  When Robyn tries to help her dreams come true, it turns out that what she wants is different than what she needs.  Lily and Robyn clash so many times until they finally give in and get their HEA.

I would suggest reading these two books first since the sequel series are about the Sutherland Sisters and the rest of the Somerset family.  I'm so glad that I found her!  I really like this author!  She writes wonderful 3D characters who have multiple levels.  I kept thinking my kobo was going to overheat from the chemistry and love scenes they are so hot!  I would suggest this author for people who like steamy stories with strong female characters.

Buy or Borrow: Persona 5

I had no idea what this game was about when I borrowed it from the library.  Some people were talking about it in a chat of a live stream, so I thought I would give it a shot.  Persona 5 is about a person (you!) who is wrongfully accused and convicted of a crime.  While you are on probation, you move out and start attending a new school.  Along the way, you will make some new friends and work on developing your relationship with them.

I would suggest this book for people who enjoy Japanese Role Playing Games.  It is definitely more for a mature audience.  It is an adult game due to the language and subject matter.  I would suggest this for people who have played other JRPGs since it follows the same format.  there is a ton of replayability.  The only thing that drives me crazy is that there are only 16 save slots.  If you decide to start over, then you still only have 16 save slots instead of getting another set of save slots.  I'll have to complete the game first, then replay it again.  Also, it would have been helpful to follow a guide or walkthrough of some kind.

My verdict:  Given the amount of time it will take to play this game and the replayability, I would borrow to start, but buy eventually.

A "Serie"ous Review: The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin

I forget how I found this series.  I think it was during a brief period where I had just finished reading a number of romance novels and wanted some fantasy to read.  Once I started reading this series, I was pulled in and just had to read the next one!

The first book, The Fifth Season, is written from Essun's point of view.  It starts in the present with the horrific murder of her son and kidnapping of her daughter by her husband, but as she travels through her destroyed world, she also tells the reader about her past.

The middle book, The Obelisk Gate, is when her past and present collides at what she considers to be her new home.  This is when she discovers that no matter where she goes, politics will always be affecting her.  We also hear from Nassun what happened when her father kidnapped her and afterwards.

In this stunning conclusion of the series, The Stone Sky, it is told in several different voices.  The voice of Hoa, speaks of his and indeed, the earth's past.  Nassun has been forced to grow up all too quickly in this fifth season and we find out what choices she makes when she is pushed to the edge.  Will her mother's love for her win her over or will she decide that everything must be cleansed?

I really liked this fantasy series!  Although I'm not normally into something this gritty, it is nowhere near as gritty as The Game of Thrones.  I thought it was a good balance.  I found the last book a little heavy as she explores several serious topics all at once.  It was fascinating how she used the different voices to intertwine the stories and lessons, so it didn't necessarily come off as heavy handed as it could have.  She also tied up all the loose threads by the end of the book, which was amazing.  I highly suggest this series for all fantasy fans!

Review: Duchess by Design

Duchess by Design by Maya Rodale

The premise is very simple:  The duke of Kingston has come to New York City to find a heiress.  When he runs into a well dressed lady in the lobby of the hotel and sees her entering a room, he believes he has found his heiress.  Miss Adeline Black is a seamstress who wants to create feminine and functional clothing.  When she meets and flirts with the duke on her way to a fitting, she sees it as harmless, but when he finds out who she is and follows her back to her employer's establishment and she is fired because of his carelessness, she assumes that she will never see him again.

This book was amazing! I loved the characters and their very feminist point of views. I also liked that the setting was different because it was set in the Victorian age in New York City. It was really hard to put down because I wanted to see how each situation would resolve. Would she see the Duke again? When? Why? How were they going to resolve their different points of view? The main characters really had wonderful chemistry which resulted in an incredible steamy love scene close to the end. The conversations, including the witty flirty banter, between Adeline and Kingston were also so much fun to read.

I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

Review: The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

In a parallel Earth, a cataclysmic event occurs in which the capital city of the Empire is consumed in flames and threatens all life on the Earth. This story is about a woman and her search for her missing daughter after her husband murders their son after this cataclysmic event takes place.

This was an amazing book! It is written so well. I love the characters as they are so complex. I also truly enjoy that there are LGBQT+ characters in this book. I was a little confused at first as to what was happening since the author switches between the past and the present, but as the author approaches present day, I figured out what was happening. The world building is very good as well since you feel like you are somewhere similar, but not our Earth.  Also, when I downloaded the ePub, I was warned it was an ePub3, but I don't feel I missed out on anything by reading it on a "traditional" eReader. I can't wait to read the sequel!

I would suggest this book for anyone who is really into big worlds and don't mind the grittiness of the world.  So, people who enjoyed Game of Thrones, this book is for  you!

No New Blog Post This Week

I've been feeling kind of blah this last week what with being sick and not going to the gym, so I had to take some more personal time than normal.  We'll be back to our regularly scheduled blog posts next week!

Happy Hallowe'en!

I looooove Hallowe'en!  Dressing up is one of my favourite things to do, but one of my favourite parts of Hallowe'en is watching movies.  I've included some movies about Day of the Dead because it is so close.  Be sure to check these movies out from your library or see if they are available on Hoopla!

Here are some of my favourite movies to watch on Hallowe'en:

Jack Nicholson's Joker haunted my dreams as a child and every so often, it happens again.

I love this movie!  Those gargoyle monsters terrify me.

One of the best monster movies ever!  The raptors terrify me!

Family friendly:


                                                    


                     

Movies about Los Diaz de los Muertos:

Here are some movies that absolutely terrified me as a child and teen:

Technically, I know this is a Christmas movie, but it scares me so much!  They're so cute until after they're fed after midnight.

 

A "Serie"ous Review: Keeping Up With The Cavendishes

Welcome to A "Serie"ous Review.  This is where I review a series as a whole, rather than individual books.  

I love series that take place at the same time, but are told from different perspectives.  According to Maya Rodale's website, the books can be read out of order.  However, I would highly suggest reading Lady Bridget's Diary first and It's Hard Out Here for a Duke last.

The first book, Lady Bridget's Diary, is written from the point of view of Lady Bridget.  Although she is trying hard to fit in, she's having a hard time with all the rules of belonging to the ton.  Things don't get better when she slips and falls.  She records everything in her diary and when it goes missing, the whole family could be ruined.  How will she get out of this one?

The second book, Chasing Lady Amelia, is told from Lady Amelia's point of view.  When things go badly one night, she is drugged and she slips out when she hears someone singing.  She then spends a fabulous day out with a complete stranger.  What could possibly go wrong?

Lady Claire is All That is told from the perspective of Lady Claire.  She is an extremely intelligent person and the main reason she came was to attend lectures, but mainly to meet the Duke of Ashbrooke.

It's Hard Out There For A Duke is told from the perspective of the Duke.  He and Miss Green, the dowager duchess' companion, have a complicated relationship.  The prologue takes place before the main action of the other books.

I loved reading the Keeping Up with the Cavendishes!  The books are all based off other media.  Once you start reading, you'll find the similarities.  I enjoyed the characters because they are all complex and wonderfully written.

No New Reviews This Week

Hi everyone!
I have a family emergency, so I don't have enough time to write a post this week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers!  My sisters were visiting with their families and I didn't really get any time to write a review over the weekend.  During the week, I was helping my mom get the house ready.

Why don't you check out this Ultimate Guide to Handprint Turkeys?  Enjoy your day off!

Borrow or Buy: Lego City Undercover

I found out about this game from the Glove and Boot's Let's Play.  I miss them so much, but anyways, I started playing this game recently.  It is similar to all Lego games in that there is a story and then free play where you can run all over city getting your collectibles.  Like all of the Lego series, I suggest finishing the story first since that unlocks all of your abilities, so then you can go back and complete the story and get all the collectibles at your leisure.  It also makes running around the city way more fun since you don't get halfway through to getting a Super Build block, then having to stop, remember where it is and come back later.

Verdict:  Borrow.  It has been out for some time now, so there shouldn't be a crazy long wait list for it and even if there is a wait list, it is worth waiting.

Borrow or Buy: Ni No Kuni 2

I absolutely loved Ni No Kuni, so I guessed that I would love Ni No Kuni II.  I haven't finished it yet, but I have logged almost 50 hours of gaming time.  This is a long game and if you're going to go for all the trophies, most of which are hidden, you are going to need way more time.  Let's talk about the game itself before I give the verdict!

Skills Used:
Logic:  Like most JRPGs, there are battles to be fought and won, so you need to decide what weapons are the best to be used in particular circumstances.  There are also skirmishes where some parts of your party have an advantage or disadvantage against your opponent, similar to rock paper scissors.  You can look at the list of opponent's parties to see which is the best to bring.
Decision-Making:  In this game, you have a kingdom to run!  At the beginning, it is going to be hard, but gets easier as you go.  Don't worry, you can't really mess it up, so don't agonize over your decisions.
Cartography:  As usual, exploration is a HUGE factor of the game!  Not only is there a huge world to discover, but also tiny smaller worlds.  In addition, you can use portals to zap yourself from place to place, but you have to find them first.  Also, it is really important that you know how to read a map as there is a mini-map that is very useful.

Overall, this game is a lot of fun!  The art is amazing, but the cut scenes are kind of chunky since you have to advance the scene yourself.  It really is too bad that studio Ghibli wasn't involved this time.  The gameplay is very traditional for a JRPG in terms of battling monsters and levelling up.  You have no control over what stats your characters level up in, but they do learn new skills along the way!  Take your time with this game especially with the exploration.  Asides from a few side quests, there is no time limit with what you are doing.  Yes, you have to go to another place, but be sure to explore places thoroughly.  If you see an entrance, go in it as otherwise you won't have the name of the spot on your world map.

I would love to be able to buy it, but at $70 for a new copy and a 2nd hand one not all that much cheaper, I will continue to borrow until I am done the game.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary

I can't believe it has been 20 years since the first Harry Potter was published!  I remember waiting for the first book with breathless anticipation since the books were published in North America one year later than the U.K., so we had one year of hype leading up to the release of the first book.  Then my sisters & I stealing the book from one another whenever we had a chance.  We each had our own bookmark & tried to remember our page numbers so that we wouldn't lose our respective places.  Then, waiting on tenterhooks for the next book, which came out a year later.  I kind of feel sad for kids who can read the whole series now because as the characters learned and grew one year at a time, so did the reader.

When I think about it, there wasn't a lot of fantasy available for children and teens at the time.  Mostly classics like The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis & the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper.  Having read all these books several times already left me wanting more fantasy to read.  The high school I attended had some more fantasy books, but they weren't published specifically for teens.  They were adult fantasy books that would appeal to teens.

Harry Potter filled a niche that people didn't even knew needed to be filled.  Think about what has been published in children's fantasy since.  It is hard to imagine the literary landscape without Philip Pullman's Dark Materials, Rick Riordan's Half-Blood Camp or Holly Black's Blackwell Pages books, but I believe that they would never have been published without Harry Potter to set precedence.

Borrow or Buy: Megamind - The Ultimate Showdown

So, this is something that has been on my mind for a little while now.  I am an avid gamer, much to my mom's dismay.  I've always loved gaming!  When I was a kid, we used to go to my cousins house.  I've been borrowing games from the library for my consoles for YEARS.  I tend to treat it as a try before I buy.
I've been toying with the idea of reviewing games for a while now.  So, let's get started shall we?  Welcome to the first "episode" of Borrow or Buy!

I picked this up on a whim from the library last summer because I love the movie so much!  I was really hoping that it would be a continuation of the movie and it is, sort of.  You do play Megamind and you get all of the fun toys that were in the movie, as well on some   It was a short fun game which was perfect!  I also managed to get all the trophies without having to do anything which made the little completionist inside of me very happy.  Also, the problem is that there isn't any kind of replayability.  I think even kids who aren't super avid gamers would be able to finish this game in a week.  Also, it isn't all that popular, so renewals should be possible.

Verdict:  Borrow.  It isn't really worth buying given the short playtime and lack of replayability.

How I Got Into Romance

Hey everyone!
So, yeah, this is kind of an interesting way of how I ended up reading romance.  When I was a kid, my sister and I went for piano lessons on a horse farm.  While I was waiting for my sister, I would often be bored and started reading the books on the shelf.  They were Christian romance by Janette Oak.  Once I realized that I liked these stories, I ransacked my local public library that I could get to easily for Janette Oak.  I ran out rather quickly.  When I got to high school, I discovered fantasy and took my escapism in that form.  It wasn't until university at Wilfrid Laurier University that I rediscovered romance.  My "rediscovery" wasn't until university that I found a fellow romance afficiando (Leah, you had better be reading this!).  There was this great second-hand book store in a plaza close to the University.  Although I liked a number of books by Sandra Brown, the only one I owned was this one:

Actually, that's not true.  There was another one I owned by her, but I don't remember which one it was because I reread Hidden Fires so many times.  This was my first experience with historical romance novels.  I loved this book!  It was amazing.  Now I can't find it in any of my boxes and it makes me sad because it saw me through so many tough times.  I don't really like any of her newer works.  This book was my favourite.

I ended up giving up all pleasure books while I was at school.  Then, once I was done and ended up working at a library, I rediscovered romance novels and I'VE NEVER LOOKED BACK.  Don't get me wrong, I love fantasy.  However, while I love fantasy books that are thousands of pages long, I can achieve the same level of escapism and have waaaaay more romance novels that can scratch the same itch while waiting for the next fantasy novel.

Romance Is the New Hotness!

I'm not sure how it happened, but romance is the new hotness.  Declaring your love for romance is awesome!  I mean, Lindsay Ellis did it on her newest PBS video and now the Mary Sue has jumped in with this article (which includes the above video).
I love romance, especially historical romance.  I have so many favourite romance authors who I will review in the next few posts or if you're lucky, a YT video.  I'm working on it!
I love romance for so many reasons!  If you read a good historical romance, the author will leave you notes and you can go and have research fun.  But, let's face it...the reason to read a historical romance is to, well, romanticize the past.  I love historical romance!  Medieval, Tudor, Regency, I don't really care!  It let's me escape into the past.  Since Romance is the new hotness, I will be posting reviews of some of my favourite authors with book (or series) specific suggestions.

Author Review: Jane Ashford

Let's face it:  I love reading romance.  As with any genre, you have so many subgenres that it can be hard to figure out what you truly like.  Although I have a fondness for any historical romance, I particularly adore Regency romances!  The glamour of the ton, the clothes and the food all simply make a wonderful background for a good story.  There were also so much important events happening during this period that you can have a variety of plots as well.  However, sometimes you get so tired of spies and injured war heroes that all you want is a simple, sweet romance story.

This is where Jane Ashford comes in.  Although some of her earlier works are a little too simple (i.e. the main characters fall in love because they are supposed to), I simply adore her more recent works.  She doesn't include explicit sex scenes, but still conveys chemistry between the love interests.  I found that the earliest example of this was in The Headstrong Ward, where the ward butts heads with her guardian as the two slowly fall in love as well as correction misconceptions about each other.  Her newest book, Brave New Earl, has a wonderful plot and the two main characters have wonderful chemistry which she manages to convey without any explicit sex scenes.  I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

Review: My Little Pony: Ponyville Mysteries

If you know me, this shouldn’t come as much of shock, but I LOVE My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
I enjoy individual episodes, especially the episode where Rainbow Dash realizes that she loves reading.
That’s the librarian in me I guess.

During the summer, I had my niece staying with me and wanted to get her books from the library.  I was
delighted to see that they had thin chapter books called Ponyville Mysteries, so I picked up the first in the
series.  My niece didn’t read it, but I did. I really liked the book and now I want to read more of the series! Sadly, the ebook versions are only available in Kindle, so I’ll just have to read the paperbacks.

I loved the book because it featured the Cutie Mark Crusaders who are some of my favourite characters
(the episode where they actually get their cutie marks makes me cry EVERYTIME).  It was a quick read
for me, but for a new reader it would take longer. The vocabulary is simple enough to understand for
older readers, but requires prior understanding of the show. As for continuity, it would take place after
Season 5, but it is harder to place it more accurately than that as I don’t believe that Lilymoon has shown
up in the show (as of Season 7 at any rate) and I'm not really sure how canon these books are.

I would suggest this for ages 7+ who have a familiarity with the series because you need prior
understanding of the show.