The Pioneer Woman Cooks

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ree Drummond

I didn't know that I could have such a great time READING a cookbook.

The usual cookbook is just page after page of boring black and white text. Not so with the Pioneer Woman Cooks. Ree Drummond combines her love of family, food and ranching in a beautiful homage to the people, places and things that she loves.

Her photography is stunning. The visual step-by-step instructions are easy to follow, and the ingredients are items that you can find in a typical grocer store. Add to that the fact that the serving sizes fit a real family, plus it's all with food that you would want to eat makes this cookbook a true thing of useful beauty.

Ree isn't you typical ranch wife, she still craves sushi and Starbucks, but she was determined to make a home for her Marlboro man and her brood of children, so why not grab the bull by the horns and do the best that a city loving woman can do. Start a blog and learn to cook. Works for me.

Love this book and I look forward to reading more about her adventures on the Pioneer Woman blog.

The Cruellest Month

The Cruellest Month
(The second book in the Sheila Malory series)

Hazel Holt

Copyright: 1991

Apparently, everyone has a secret or two, so discovers Sheila Malory while she is at the Bodleian researching data for her upcoming article on little know Victorian authors; and meeting up with old friends.

The rather unpleasant Gwen Richmond was discovered crushed under an avalanche of old books. How could that have happened on its own, things like that don't just happen. But then again, Gwen was a blackmailer, so I guess something's are possible. Delving into Gwen's past, Sheila uncovers quite a few irregularities and with the help of an old journal, the truth soon comes to light.

Unfortunately, not all of the truths that Sheila finds on this trip bring her the peace of mind that she was searching for. Sometimes it's best to keep our past the past and hopefully, the future won't be tarnished with the unscrupulous deeds of others.

I enjoy these older cozy mysteries; they aren't clog up with over the top stupidity that seems to be prevalent in the genre day. Sometimes the writer will wander off the course a bit, but that's OK because there aren't pets with above human intelligence or a man rushing in to save the day. The stories stay true to what a good old-fashioned mystery used to be.

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Cast Off Coven

Juliet Blackwell

The second book in the Witchcraft Mystery series

Lily Ivory is not your average witch. She runs a vintage clothing store called Aunt Cora's Closet and has the magical ability to sense vibrations of the past from clothing and jewelry. When students are spooked at the San Francisco School for the Arts, Lily is called in to search for paranormal activity. She finds a dead body - and a closet full of old clothes with some very bad vibes.



Wench

Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Tawawa House in many respects is like any other American resort before the Civil War. Situated in Ohio, this idyllic retreat is particularly nice in the summer when the Southern humidity is too much to bear. The main building, with its luxurious finishes, is loftier than the white cottages that flank it, but then again, the smaller structures are better positioned to catch any breeze that may come off the pond. And they provide more privacy, which best suits the needs of the Southern white men who vacation there every summer with their black, enslaved mistresses. It's their open secret.

So Far This Year

Total Pages Read 7609
Fiction 11
Non-Fiction 3
Mystery (All Genres) 21
New Authors 22
Audio 9
Young Adult 1

Total Books Read 36


June Books:

Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs
Mrs. Malory - Investigates Hazel Holt
Killer Pancake - Diane Mott Davidson
Ghouls Gone Wild - Victoria Laurie
An Irish Country Doctor - Patrick Taylor
A Slice of Murder - Chris Cavender
Sworn to Silence - Linda Castillo
The Bride Will Keep Her Name - Jan Goldstein

Challenges:

Cozy Challenge: 11/10 (Completed)
First in a Series: 10/12
ARC Challenge: 5/12
Support Your Local Library: 18/25
Chunkster Challenge: 2/6
Reading From My Shelves Challenge: 12/50