Book Synopsis
Jenné Claiborne grew up in Atlanta eating classic Soul Food--fluffy
biscuits, smoky sausage, Nana's sweet potato pie--but thought she'd have
to give all that up when she went vegan. As a chef, she instead spent
years tweaking and experimenting to infuse plant-based, life-giving,
glow-worthy foods with the flavor and depth that feeds the soul.
The
result? Her first cookbook, SWEET POTATO SOUL, offering 100 vegan
recipes that riff on Southern cooking in surprising and delicious ways,
beautifully illustrated with full-color photography. Jenné revives the
long tradition of using fresh, local ingredients creatively in dishes
like Coconut Collard Salad and Fried Cauliflower Chicken. She improvises
new flavors in Peach Date BBQ Jackfruit Sliders and Sweet Potato-Tahini
Cookies. She celebrates the plant-based roots of the cuisine in
Bootylicious Gumbo and savory-sweet Georgia Watermelon & Peach
Salad. And she updates classics with Jalapeño Hush Puppies, and her
favorite, Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls.
Along the way, Jenné
explores the narratives surrounding iconic and beloved soul food
recipes, as well as their innate nutritional benefits--you've heard that
dandelion, mustard, and turnip greens, okra, and black eyed peas are
nutrition superstars, but here's how to make them super tasty, too.
From
decadent pound cakes and ginger-kissed fruit cobblers to smokey collard
greens, amazing crabcakes and the most comforting sweet potato pie
you'll ever taste, these better-than-the-original takes on crave-worthy
dishes are good for your health, heart, and soul.
My Review
I am a long time vegetarian, a southern girl, and a great fan of soul food ... so Sweet Potato Soul immediately appealed to me!
The first thing to know: this is a beautiful cookbook, with great food photos. The recipes are laid out one to a page, with ingredients and 1-2-3 directions, just the way I like.
I really loved the introduction on southern food. Jenne Claiborne even details pantry items for southern cooking, southern fruits and vegetables, spices, baking staples, sweeteners. There is a short section on varieties of sweet potatoes!
I also loved her Five Healthy Rules I Live By (p. 19, longer details in book!):
1. Avoid all animal products.
2. Eat your colors.
3. Don't count calories or protein.
4. Go 80/20. (unprocessed/processed)
5. Make everything delicious.
Now on to the recipes! In Sweet Potato Soul you will find:
Breakfast
Salads and Soups
Greens and Sides
Mains
Sweets and Drinks
Pantry Staples and Sauces
I have three things I look for in cookbooks:
Are the recipes vegetarian (or can I tweak them to be veggie friendly)?
Yes, this is a vegan cookbook!
Are the ingredients readily accessible at any grocery store?
Yes, the ingredients in this book are delightfully accessible foods that should be available anywhere.
Are the recipes straightforward and easy to make on a busy work night (i.e. 30 - 60 minutes tops)?
Most of the recipes are pretty straightforward. Some do include multiple steps. For instance, Low Country Grits (which looks amazing!) does require the cook to also make either Creole Red Bean Sausage or Smoky White Bean Sausage ... so not a great work night recipe.
To give you an idea of the delicious variety of recipes in this cookbook, here are a few that particularly appealed to me: Sweet Potato Skillet Home Fries, Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie, Bourbon BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches, Georgia Watermelon and Peach Salad, Coconut Corn Chowder, Jalapeno Hush Puppies, Spicy Fried Cauliflower "Chicken," Happy Hearts "Crab" Cakes, New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice, Cajun Blackened Tofu Sandwich, Smoky Black Eyed Pea Cakes, Georgia Pecan Pie, Ginger Kissed Peach Cobbler ... and this is just a small sampler!
I rate this vegan cookbook five stars and highly recommend it to anyone who loves southern cooking, vegan cooking, or vegetarian or "Meatless Monday" cooks who want to add more plant based southern food to their diet!
I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books.
Book Synopsis
The beloved author of the Little House books was not only one of
America's great pioneer storytellers but a woman of vibrant faith.
A Prairie Girl's Faith provides
the first extended, in depth discussion of the Christian faith of one
of America's most beloved pioneer women--Laura Ingalls Wilder. Although
the faith of the Ingalls' family pervades books in the Little House
series, the more specific details of Laura's faith have never been fully
explored. It took extraordinary pluck for anyone to survive the
harshness of frontier life--from the heartbreak of sudden crop losses to
murderous storms to unrelenting loneliness. This book reveals how in
surviving, the brave Laura drew not just on her character, but found
encouragement, strength, and hope in her relationship with God.
My Review
A Prairie Girl's Faith: The Spiritual Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder has a unique focus on the faith of Laura Ingalls Wilder, as a person and a writer. The book also looks at faith as it is presented in the beloved Little House on the Prairie book series.
I have been a great fan of the Little House series since childhood, and was intrigued by this book from first mention. It far surpassed my expectations. The writing by Stephen Hines is lively and engaging, with many anecdotes I have not read before -- and specific examples of faith from the books.
Topics covered in this book include the Ingalls family, the relationship of Laura and her husband Almanzo, Laura and her daughter Rose, the writing of the Little House books, and more.
Stephen Hines posits: "Throughout the eight original titles there are, in the foreground, references to Scripture, hymns, and prayer -- to a daily life that experienced the reality of God" (p. 5). He then gives many detailed and fascinating examples of faith in the books.
One example is songs in the books. There are at least 126 songs mentioned in the Little House books, and a number of these are hymns and spirituals. This book looks at music in the Little House books in detail.
The Ingalls family originally belonged to a Congregational church, but since that denomination was not as prevalent on the frontier, the family (who moved several times) also actively attended a Methodist congregation. As someone who believes in ecumenical Christianity, I loved this passage: "There was a great spirit of ecumenicism in those days, and the Congregationalists generously shared their building with the Methodists and the Baptists until they could build their own houses of worship. Once they did, Episcopal services were sometimes held at the Baptist church. And when the Catholic church burned down, it received help and the offer of a meeting place from other churches in town" (p. 172).
There was a good deal of information about Laura Ingalls Wilder's early writing in The Ruralist and other publications. I found this fascinating, especially as it tied into her development as a writer.
The author does discuss the sometimes delicate relationship between Laura and Rose, and their work together. He directly addresses Rose's involvement in the writing process.
There is a lovely section about Christmas stories in the Little House books, and the Christmas music featured in these stories. I found the details about Christmas music over the years very interesting.
A Prairie Girl's Faith also has a section of The Church Potluck. This section features a number of recipes from friends of the Ingalls family. Anyone who has an interest in food history, as I do, will love this section of the book.
There are a couple of Appendixes in the book. One featured a fascinating interview with Laura's friend Neta Seal. I loved the glimpse of Laura's later life that was shown in this interview. There is a lovely anecdote about Laura and Almanzo's dog Ben:
"They always had bulldogs after I got acquainted with them . . .
Here's a funny little story about the dog. He had a boil on his jaw; and when it went to hurting him so bad, he'd come in and lay his head in her lap and look up as if he was saying, 'Can you do anything for me?' Then she would get some salve and rub it on his jaw. When that was done, he would go back and lay down. Finally, it was healed.
Mrs. Wilder - I always called her Mrs. Wilder - didn't even have a dog after he [Almanzo] went away" (p. 177).
I highly recommend A Prairie Girl's Faith for anyone who has an interest in Laura Ingalls Wilder's life and work. It is a richly rewarding read.
Author Bio
Stephen Hines is a recognized authority on Laura Ingalls Wilder and has
authored several best-selling volumes on her life, including Little House in the Ozarks.
He grew up in the midwest in an area where Wilder once lived. Hines was
the founding Director of Communications for the Tennessee Department of
Children’s Services and has held several editorial positions in
magazine, newspaper, and book publishing. The author is a contributor
to www.littlehouseontheprairie.com. He lives with his wife, Gwen, in
Nashville, Tennessee.
I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books.
Book Synopsis
Based on Maja Säfström’s delightful book The Illustrated Compendium of
Amazing Animal Facts, this collection of 50 collectible postcards is the
perfect way for animal lovers and art lovers to share and collect
Maja’s charming illustrations.
Housed in a keepsake box and
arranged, much like a recipe box or card catalog, in tabbed sections
(air, forest, sea, etc) this postcard box lets the user share all the
curious knowledge and amazing artwork that makes Maja’s book so special.
From the Otters (they hold hands when they sleep in the water so they
don’t float away from each other!) to the elephant (mother elephant
pregnanices last two years!) each postcard presents a unique look at the
animal kingdom that will delight and astound. 50 postcards; 25 designs
repeating, printed on toothy uncoated stock, with the animal’s
biological classifcation on the back.
My Review
Amazing Animal Facts Postcards is such a lovely and unique box of animal postcards to color! I loved this postcard set from first look. It is a well made box, designed with a top that opens up like an old fashioned recipe box. Inside there are dividers: Sea, Forest, Field, Jungle, and Sky. There are animal postcards in each section (50 postcards in 25 designs). The postcards are a nice heavy cardstock, with a charming illustration and information about the animal on the front, and place to write a message and address the card on the back. For instance, the Sea section includes: Blue Whales, Penguins, Starfish, Turtles and Tortoises, Sharks.
I love the the beauty of the illustrations by Maja Säfström. The only thing I wish is that there was less black in the illustrations and more open spaces for coloring. Some of the cards have quite a bit to color, and others have very little because of the heavy amounts of black shading.
The little animal facts are informative and fun as well. For instance, I had no idea that Blue Whales have belly buttons!
This would make a fun set for a child or classroom as well as for an adult to color, stamp, and send. I also think it would be a fun and creative gift.
Author Bio
MAJA SÄFSTRÖM is a Stockholm-based illustrator and architect, and the
author of The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts. Follow her
on Instagram at @majasbok.
I received this postcard set from Blogging for Books.
Fiddler on the Roof was reissued in book format (Crown Publishers) in 2014 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Broadway play. The play, based on Sholem Aleichem's stories, has a book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
Fiddler on the Roof tells the story of Tevye and his family, living in Anatevka, Russia, in 1905. Tevye delivers milk in the village. He has a sharp-tongued wife, Golde, and five daughters. The three oldest daughters are young women who are interested in romance and matrimony, although they have ambivalent feelings about matchmaking. This is seen in the song "Matchmaker, Matchmaker." The town matchmaker suggests that Tevye's oldest daughter, Tzeitel, should marry the village butcher, Lazar. Tzeitel has other ideas about this match, since she is in love with a tailor that she has known since childhood, Motel.
After Tzeitel finds her match, her sister Hodel falls in love with a young man who is political named Perchik, a tutor to the girls in the family. Then sister Chava falls in love with Fyedka, a young man who is not Jewish. Each romance takes the family further from the tradition they grew up with.
As the play moves on, there is more political unrest, and Jews are being forced to leave their homes and villages. As Tevye's family prepares to move, a fiddler plays a song. Life with family and love and traditions will go on, but it will be different.
I grew up in a family that loved musicals - both movies and plays. I have heard the soundtrack to this play many times and enjoyed the 1971 movie starring Chaim Topol, but I had never read the play. I really enjoyed reading the lyrics to the songs I grew up listening to and reading the story with its humor, warmth, and gravity.
I heartily recommend this play to anyone who loves theater. I am sure that I will enjoy rereading it again in the future.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
It is a delight and a rarity to read a new book and to know, from the first few paragraphs, that it is a book you will read again (and again). Dancing on the Head of a Pen: The Practice of a Writing Life by Robert Benson is one of those unique books.
This book about writing and spirituality combines some ideas from two of my longtime favorite books, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (about writing) and Take Your Time by Eknath Easwaran (about slowing down to live mindfully).
The book is composed of twelve short chapters that deal with creativity, inspiration, the practice of writing, the technique of editing, and slowing down to write and to live.
Robert Benson recalls a trip he made as a young man in his MGB convertible. He rode out west in a leisurely way, enjoying the trip, and stopping when he felt like a break. This is a metaphor for his way of writing. He espouses writing 600 words a day, stopping at that point, and then starting the next day at the same point. He recommends writing with the barest of book plans - a list of stories, but not an outline. He reminds writers of the inspiration that can be found in reading their old journals, walking, and just being quiet. "Do not be afraid to be quiet. Never be afraid to be alone" (p. 25).
I also love his idea of writing for a jury box. Before starting a new work, he constructs a jury box of 12 readers that he imagines experiencing his book. I think this is a really unusual and creative way of looking at a writing audience.
Robert Benson also talks about "Hat Tricks" and the three hats that a writer must wear: beret (creative writer), baseball cap (rewriter) and fedora (business person who handles the synopsis, cover letter, etc.).
He recommends making a shelf for influential books that inspire and motivate your writing. I found this idea intriguing as well.
He talks about things that inspire: journaling, a swipe file (i.e. newspaper stories, random lines, and anecdotes), a book of quotes, and a spare parts file (items edited from your work but saved for later). He recommends collecting things that move you, reading aloud, blogging, and writing letters.
He also talks about the power of walking, observing the world, and thinking as you walk. Dylan Thomas inspires this idea: "A poet is a poet for such a very tiny bit of his life; for the rest, he is a human being, one of whose responsibilities is to know and feel, as much as he can, all that is moving around and within him" (p. 131).
I truly cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone who loves to write. It is sure to find a place on my personal shelf of books that influence and inspire me.
For more information:
Robert Benson's biography
A sneak peek at the book Dancing on the Head of a Pen
Robert Benson's website
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
