Your toolkit: How to Survive in Ancient Egypt by Charlotte Booth

When I was young, there was one museum near my home.  I periodically visited there with either my family or school.  The highlight of these visits for me was the small collection of Egyptian artifacts.  Eventually, I grew up and moved to a very large city with an incredible array of art and artifacts from  several of the Egyptian dynasties. I have visited often and  I have stood in the Temple of Dendur many times.  I’ve read some on the gods and goddesses but I have never read a book like this one.

Charlotte Booth puts the reader right into ancient Egypt, as a person who was living there at the time.  This readable book is packed with information.  There is a section on history followed by many sections on every day life.  For example, these include food and diet, getting a job, beliefs and rituals,staying healthy, stepping out in style, passing time in the capital an obeying the laws.  The book also includes maps, illustrations, timelines and more.

I loved this book with its deeply engaging take on history.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

#HowtoSurviveinAncientEgypt #NetGalley

Some more escape reading: Mary Stewart

Mary Stewart is probably the very best writer of classic women’s suspense stories.  She is so literate, often beginning chapters with quotes from Shakespeare.  The novels contain mystery and romance and are wonderful for escape with their idyllic settings.  Highly recommended and available as e books for between $1.99 and $3.99.  Worth indulging in.

Have you read novels by Ms. Stewart?  Would you agree?

Time to eat: Dinnertime for Zaza by Mylo Freeman

Dinnertime for Zaza is a short, colorfully illustrated title for young listeners.  The story is simple; Zaza makes dinner for all of her stuffed animal friends.  She is a nurturing caretaker to them and encourages them to eat well.  Then Mommy comes along and Zaza has her own dinner.

Not at all complicated but cute.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

#DinnertimeforZaza #NetGalley

Look at what’s coming: The Algonquin Reader Spring 2020

I anticipate new books coming out in just the same way that kids anticipate those December holidays; I can’t wait.  This reader has features seven intriguing entries, including one by Julia Alavarez, author of Afterlife, in it she talks about her family’s escape from the Dominican Republic. This is followed by a chance to start reading her new novel. The Mountains Sing is about the Viet Nam war.  The author brings the children and women to life in this book.  Also featured are entries by Jill McCorke, Richard Farrell, Larry Watson, Shruti Swamy and Caroline Leavitt.  Each book excerpt is preceded by something that the author has written to introduce it. There is probably at least one title here that each reader will enjoy.  Can’t wait for the pub dates.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Look for this collection on line at no charge.

#TheAlgonquinReaderSpring2020 #NetGalley

Until you can fly to Paris: French Cooking for Beginners

Paris is one of my favorite cities and my trips to France have always meant so much to me.  For sure, I can’t go  now but I can happily imagine myself there as I browse through the gorgeous photos and recipes in this cookbook.

The book includes 75 recipes organized by Breakfast and Eggs, Appetizers, Salads and Sandwiches, Soups and Stews, Main Courses, Sides and Vegetable Dishes and Desserts, so something for everyone here.  The book begins with an introduction to French cooking, everything from salts, vinegars and mustards to Les Halles.  You can even learn to read French wine labels!

Just a sampling of the recipes, these from the breakfast section, include Almond Brioche Toast, Crepes Suzettes, Basic Quiche, Eggs Poached in Red Wine and more. The recipes are complex enough to be involving, maybe a good thing for our current moment.

This is a lovely cookbook.  Take a look, even if just for the photos.

Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.  All opinions are my own.

 

From the publisher:

french cookbook, cooking, french cooking, french country cooking, french pastry cookbook

A sample bite from the book: French Onion Soup

Prep Time: 10 Minutes // Cook Time: 2½ Hours // Makes: 8 Servings

French onion soup is perhaps the most iconic and well-traveled of all French dishes. Worldwide, it has seduced more stomachs than even our beloved New England clam chowder, which, incidentally, is based upon another French export. I once read that onion soup was “invented” by Louis XV. In this histoire, Louis was out hunting with the boys when they returned to the hunting lodge and found nothing but a couple of onions and a bottle of Champagne in the cupboards. What was a poor monarch supposed to do but improvise? The truth is that onion soup has been simmering in farmhouse kitchens since the birth of time; it is a dish born of frugality and circumstance. There are many versions, and mine is the remembered flavors from my youth—the way my family made it. Please feel free to substitute my Homemade Chicken Stock (page 70) for beef broth or even water. The real flavor comes from the deep caramelization of the onions. The croutons and cheesy topping are key to the success of any onion soup. I like to use Emmental and mozzarella in a three-to-one ratio. The mozzarella really adds a beautiful molten quality. Add as much cheese as you want.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat, melt the butter until foamy. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

2. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are very brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Adjust the heat even lower, if necessary, to keep them from burning. The sweetness and richness of flavor comes from this step.

3. Sprinkle the onions with the flour (if using; this addition gives the soup a bit more depth and body). Add the stock, wine, thyme, and bay leaf and simmer until golden brown with a rich taste, about 30 minutes.

4. While the soup is simmering, make the croutons. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the baguette slices directly on the oven racks and bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and preheat the broiler.

5. In a small bowl, combine the cheeses. To serve, ladle the soup into 8 ovenproof bowls, and then top each with 2 bread slices and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Working in batches if necessary, set the bowls on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 strips bacon, diced
  • 4 sweet onions (2 to 2½ pounds total), sliced paper thin
  • 4 garlic cloves, mashed
  • 10 cups Homemade Chicken Stock (page 70), beef stock, or water
  • 16 baguette slices
  • 6 ounces Emmental cheese (or Gruyère, Swiss, or Cantal), shredded
  • 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Welcome back, Ms. Spencer-Fleming

The New York Times Book Review by Marilyn Stasio

It’s such a cheat to throw suspicion on the clearly blameless protagonist of your story, yet writers do it all the time. Even a pro like Julia Spencer-Fleming, whose mysteries featuring Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne are such a pleasure, resorts to that narrative device. In HID FROM OUR EYES (Minotaur, 339 pp., $27.99), Van Alstyne, now the police chief of the rugged Adirondacks town of Millers Kill, came under suspicion in 1972, when a dead woman in a white lace minidress turned up in the middle of Route 137. Now, another victim — “pretty, young, all dressed up, with no shoes or pantyhose” — brings back this lawman’s memories of what it’s like to be innocent but unable to prove it.

Because Millers Kill is a small town, the mystery unfolds like a classic country whodunit, complete with lurid back stories for all the righteous grown-ups. And because Van Alstyne is married to an Episcopal priest who is expecting their first child, the human elements cushion the scenes of violence. Tough, but kind of sweet, if you know what I mean.

My review of this book:

Julia Spencer-Fleming pens one of the best mystery series around. I recommend her books most highly and I have read them all, starting with In the Bleak Midwinter. The setting is upstate New York and the region is brought to life in a way that makes a reader feel that they are there. The protagonists, Clare and Russell are adults with histories; both were in the military. Clare is now an Episcopal priest while Russ is the head of the Millers Kill Police Department. Over the course of the series, readers get to know these real, flawed and genuine adults well.

It is best to read this series in order. Long term readers will be ecstatic to spend time with Russ, Clare and those in their world after a long hiatus between the last book and this one. In this entry the main story is complex as it involves three murders; one took place in the 50s, one in the 70s. No spoilers so I can’t say more.

If you know Clare and Russ, I hope that you will be as delighted as I was by their return. If you are new to the series, you are lucky as you have nine books to look forward to. Mystery readers, please check this series out. Ms. Spencer-Fleming, you have not lost your touch!

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this read in exchange for an honest review.