Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Too Many Books, Too Little Time

I had decided to stop buying cookbooks... but then I thought, "Can a person ever have too many cookbooks?" Well, maybe they can, especially if they are overflowing and spilling off the shelf.

Nonetheless, I have an addiction to good fiction and cookbooks. Can't resist either one!

I recently got a chance to read Until the Harvest by Sarah Loudin Thomas. This is her second novel and is a continuation (sort of) of her first, Miracle in Dry Season. That book told the story of Perla who always had her food multiply (in a five loaves, two fish kind of way). Until the Harvest tells the story of her son, Henry who I must say was the most annoying human in the world or in this book. The other main character is Margaret who has an awful mother, but saintly sister Mayfair. Mayfair is gifted like Perla is, though in a different way. The story explores the impact of Mayfair's gift, Henry's bad decisions and their effect on everyone and even Perla's past. I don' know if I will read another book by Sarah Loudin Thomas, I don't really like her style of writing. I  wanted the story to end and didn't feel any connections with the characters. I may decide to try this author again though, because I can't really resist a book. A free copy of this book was provided by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for this very honest review.

I just picked up my copy of "Infuse." Now this was a weird choice, since I do not drink alcohol and look weirdly at people that have stuff floating in their water. But I decided to give this a try because... I love Mason Jars. I have a ton of them that I never use, and this provides me with the perfect excuse. Infuse has recipes for oils, spirits and water. This weekend I will be trying the Jalapeno-Spiked Grapefruit Water, sounds weird I know, but I cannot wait! A review of this book will be coming up shortly.

Vegan with a Vengeance was my first vegan cookbook, and despite the fact that I love Isa Chandra, I did not love that book. So why did I buy the ten year anniversary edition? Because I have a problem... could not resist. I plan to try out a few of the new recipes in it as soon as I get a chance. The pizza dough recipe in that book is the best ever!

Finally, when a person realizes that a cookbook is not a good fit, the best thing to do is to find it a new home. Last week I found new homes for Vegan Taco and Salsa and Moles. Under no circumstances should you leave a cookbook languishing on your shelf. Give it to someone who will love and cherish it!

Now, there are not many opportunities to visit a fully vegan restaurant in Nassau, but I must give a shout out to Eat Right Delights. This is a new vegan take-out located at the intersection of Wulff Road and Market Street. The food is affordable and good. Please give it a try!