Library Loot: 2/25

I'm just a few pages away from finishing Secrets of Eden...and six new books from my library reserve list came up this week. As usual, I can't decide which one to read first...!

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Model Home by Eric Puchner

The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens

The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine

Eight White Nights by Andre Aciman

Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Library Loot is hosted by ReadingAdventures.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Husband and Wife

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Husband and Wife

By Leah Stewart

Publication Date: May 4

From HarperCollins:

Sarah Price is thirty-five years old. She doesn't feel as though she's getting older, but there are some noticeable changes: a hangover after two beers, the stray gray hair, and, most of all, she's called “Mom” by two small children. Always responsible, Sarah traded her MFA for a steady job, which allows her husband, Nathan, to write fiction. But Sarah is happy and she believes Nathan is too, until a truth is revealed: Nathan's upcoming novel, Infidelity, is based in fact.

Wise, funny, and sharply drawn, Leah Stewart's Husband and Wife probes our deepest relationships, the promises we make and break, and the consequences they hold for our lives, revealing that it's never too late to step back and start over.

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Nobodies Album

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Nobodies Album

By Carolyn Parkhurst

Publication Date: June 15

From Amazon:

Bestselling novelist Octavia Frost has just completed her latest book—a revolutionary novel in which she has rewritten the last chapters of all her previous books, removing clues about her personal life concealed within, especially a horrific tragedy that befell her family years ago. On her way to deliver the manuscript to her editor, Octavia reads a news crawl in Times Square and learns that her rock-star son, Milo, has been arrested for murder. Though she and Milo haven’t spoken in years—an estrangement stemming from that tragic day—she drops everything to go to him. The “last chapters” of Octavia’s novel are layered throughout The Nobodies Album—the scattered puzzle pieces to her and Milo’s dark and troubled past.

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Last Time I Saw You

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Last Time I Saw You

By Elizabeth Berg

Publication Date: April 6

From Amazon:

From the beloved bestselling author of Home Safe and The Year of Pleasures, comes a wonderful new novel about women and men reconnecting with one another—and themselves—at their fortieth high school reunion.

To each of the men and women, this reunion means something different—a last opportunity to say something long left unsaid, an escape from the bleaker realities of everyday life, a means to save a marriage on the rocks, or an opportunity to bond with a slightly estranged daughter, if only over what her mother should wear. As the onetime classmates meet up over the course of a weekend, they discover things that will irrevocably affect the rest of their lives.

In this beautiful novel, Elizabeth Berg deftly weaves together stories of roads taken and not taken, choices made and opportunities missed, and the possibilities of second chances.

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!

Giveaway Reminder: The Murderer's Daughters

Have you entered my giveaway yet for a copy of The Murderer's Daughters??

You have until midnight CST on Sunday, February 7.

Click here to register!

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Every Last One

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Every Last One

By Anna Quindlen

Publication Date: April 27

From Amazon:

"Mary Beth Latham is first and foremost a mother, whose three teenaged children come first, before her career as a landscape gardener, or even her life as the wife of a doctor. Caring for her family and preserving their everyday life is paramount. And so, when one of her sons, Max, becomes depressed, Mary Beth becomes focused on him, and is blindsided by a shocking act of violence. What happens afterwards is a testament to the power of a woman’s love and determination, and to the invisible line of hope and healing that connects one human being with another. Every Last One is a novel about facing every last one of the the things we fear most, about finding ways to navigate a road we never intended to travel, to live a life we never dreamed we’d have to live but must be brave enough to try."

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!

PLUS: Check out my giveaway of The Murderer's Daughters, a previous WOW pick, in the post below!

Quotables with Randy Susan Meyers

When I'm reading, I love coming across "just-right" passages that have me reaching for my quote book. With this in mind, and as a twist on an author interview, I'm starting a new feature on the blog, Quotables, in which I present authors with a meaningful (to me) quote from their novels and ask them to speak to it in whatever way they wish.

First up is Randy Susan Meyers, author of the newly released The Murderer's Daughters, a heart-wrenching story of two sisters in the aftermath of the murder of their mother by their father. I highly recommend this book. It deals with heavy issues, but it's a compelling read, as each sister, while remaining close to each other, deals with the tragedy in vastly different ways.

One of the quotes from the book that really stuck with me was:

"Maybe when we recognize the trivial for what it is, we can concentrate on what we love most, what we most treasure."

From the author:

The above quote from the last quarter of The Murderer’s Daughters sums up much of my book. Lulu, a doctor, and one of two sisters who’ve witnessed their father kill their mother, hears these words from a dying patient.

Of the themes that surfaced as I wrote this book, perhaps one of the strongest is the manner in which folks execute appalling deeds over meaningless issues. So many of the batterers with whom I worked in a Massachusetts batterer intervention program permanently damaged their families and their relationships over issues such as unwashed dishes and already-spent money. In The Murderer’s Daughters, a man kills his wife, stabs his daughter, and immediately loses his family and his freedom. He was drunk. His goal was to win back the love of his wife. Instead, he fights with her over a small sum of money, an escalating battle in which his rage culminates in murder.

Perhaps if we took a moment during times of anger (and it is possible; we just tell ourselves that it isn’t) and determined what our true goals were, tragedies—permanent and temporary—could be avoided. And there would not be so many children who end up as the collateral damage of family violence.

St. Martin's Press is providing a giveaway copy of The Murderer's Daughters. Leave a comment by midnight CST on Sunday, February 7, and I'll randomly pick a winner.

Weekend Cooking: A Restaurant, a Recipe, and a Cookbook

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

If you read this blog, you know that I LOVE Top Chef, and one of my favorite contestants was fellow Southerner Richard Blais.

So, when I heard that he'd opened a restaurant here in Birmingham, I was beyond excited. Flip Burger Boutique is billed as "Fine Dining Between Two Buns" and features 20 different varieties of out-of-the-box burgers.

My mom and I shared the fried pickles, which had a light tempura-style batter and came with the most amazing Ranch dressing (that we kept dipping our forks into!). I had the po boyger, which was a shrimp patty with Old Bay mayo, shaved lettuce, tomato, fried lemon, and Tabasco.

Speaking of burger twists, here's my favorite topping for a grilled burger at home: Dill Pickle Remoulade. Once you have this, I promise you'll never go back to ketchup and mustard.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup dill pickle relish, drained
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Finally, to bring this post around to books, Top Chef's third cookbook will be released this summer, How to Cook Like a Top Chef. I'm really looking forward to this one:


"This cookbook and culinary primer in one features recipes from all six seasons of the show and season one of Top Chef: Masters, along with insider techniques from everyone's favorite contestants and judges. Covering everything from knife skills to sauces and sous-vide, How to Cook Like a Top Chef teaches aspiring chefs what it takes to be a star in the kitchen. Packed with exclusive content including a foreword by Top Chef: Masters winner Rick Bayless, original recipes from contestants, behind-the-scenes interviews, juicy trivia, and tons of tips and tricks this volume is as indispensable on the cook's countertop as it is essential reading for Top Chef fans."

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Stormchasers

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Stormchasers

By Jenna Blum

Publication Date: May 27

From the author's website:

"The Stormchasers is a contemporary novel set in the fictional Minnesotan town of New Heidelburg; the city of Minneapolis; and the lonely, majestic rural corridor of Tornado Alley. The novel focuses on the Hallingdahl twins, a brother and sister who are both fascinated with severe weather. The brother, a stormchaser, is also bipolar, and his sister is his caretaker; when the brother’s disorder causes a terrible event, the sister struggles with how to keep it and its aftermath a secret. As the novel follows how the twins’ bond twists and changes, The Stormchasers explores the question of how much we owe our siblings—and at what cost to ourselves."

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!

Weekend Cooking: Cookbook Preview

Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

Here are five new soon-to-be-released cookbooks that I have on my wish list.

Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

"With this follow-up to her successful Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, she serves up more homey, Southern-inflected fare from her country music kitchen. The meat of the book is rib-sticking classics for both special occasions and weeknights." (Publishers Weekly)

Pig: King of the Southern Table

"From bacon to barbecue, from pork loin to pork belly, James Villas presents the pride of the South in all its glory. 300 mouth-watering recipes range from the basics like sausages, ribs, and ham to creative ideas like hashes, burgers, gumbos, and casseroles." (Amazon)

Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook

"Chefs Bromberg, founders and owners of numerous Blue Ribbon restaurants, share an eclectic and appealing array of recipes, modified for the home cook. Lavish photographs complete this worthwhile, appetizing collection that will delight cooks, not to mention the people they feed." (Publishers Weekly)

The Good Stuff Cookbook

"One of the most popular contestants ever on the hit television show Top Chef, Spike Mendelsohn is one of the hottest celebrity chefs on the scene. Here he serves up fast, fun, and fresh recipes for classic fare like burgers, sides, shakes, and desserts, as well as menu suggestions for all types of events, from big parties to casual family dinners." (Amazon)

Giada at Home

"The newest cookbook from De Laurentiis straddles two continents with wonderful recipes from Italy and California. Chock-full of mouthwatering dishes for easy entertaining, this appealing collection is supplemented with informative, short essays on ingredients." (Publishers Weekly)