Happy Tuesday, dear readers! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt from That Artsy Reader Girl is Debut Novels I Enjoyed. So, in no particular order, here we go...

📙 The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian 

📗 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

📘 The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

📕 The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

📙 Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

📗 The Maid by Nita Prose

📘 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

📕 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnis Garmus

📙 Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah

📗 Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (I’m not 100% positive this was her debut novel. Anyone know?) 

TITLE: The Dutch House (audiobook)

AUTHOR: Ann Patchett

NARRATOR: Tom Hanks

RATING: ★★★★

REVIEW: First of all, I believe Tom Hanks has officially become one of my favorite audiobook narrators. He did such an outstanding job with this book, and I honestly didn't want it to end. This was my first time reading Ann Patchett's work, and my emotions were up and down throughout the entire story. Having a child with Type 1 diabetes, the parts with Maeve struggling with the disease left an all too familiar ache in my heart. I loved every character - even the evil step-witch, Andrea - but Danny and Maeve were my favorites. Between my two parents, I've been through many divorces, so it was easy to sympathize with them and the complexity of emotions they dealt with as children and adults. Patchett's writing is flawless, and I was fully immersed from the very beginning. I look forward to reading more of her work. 

DIRECTIONS: Place the chicken breasts, 1 at a time, in a Ziploc bag. Pound the chicken breast to an even thickness, about ½ inch thick, being careful not to puncture the bag. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, apple sauce, onion, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, if using and sesame seeds. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade and transfer the remainder to the Ziploc bag with the chicken. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour. Over medium-high heat, grill the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes or until it no longer sticks to the grill. Turn the chicken, spoon the reserved ¼ cup of marinade over each breast and grill an addition 2 to 3 minutes. 

NUTRITION INFO: 4 oz, Calories: 180 kcal, Carbohydrates: 9 g, Protein: 25 g, Fat: 4.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 73 mg, Sodium: 666 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 6 g

(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)

AUTHOR: Nita Prose

RATING: ★★★★

REVIEW: I’ve been a fan of Molly the Maid and Nita Prose from the very beginning. (Molly has always reminded me of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory - one of my favorite TV shows). This novella wraps up a lot of things and offers the reader a satisfying happily-ever-after for Molly and her one true love, Juan Manuel. Although it’s very predictable, and I saw the ending coming from a mile away, it still brought a huge smile to my face. I hope Nita decides to write a new book giving us a glimpse into Molly and Juan Manuel’s marriage and (I hope) parenthood. If you love Molly the Maid, then you’ll enjoy this quick little read. Recommended.

(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Toss the blueberries in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Combine remaining flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk well. In a medium bowl, mix egg, sugar, vanilla, melted butter, apple sauce, and zucchini. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into the prepared 9×5-inch loaf pan. Bake 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let it cool before slicing.  

NUTRITION INFO: 1 slice, Calories: 111 kcal, Carbohydrates: 21 g, Protein: 2.5 g, Fat: 2 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 15.5 mg, Sodium: 124.5 mg, Fiber: 1.5 g, Sugar: 8.5 g

(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)

Happy Tuesday, dear readers! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt from That Artsy Reader Girl is Throwback Freebie, so I looked through some of the old prompt's, and I decided to go with my top five audiobooks. I listened to my first audiobook in October 2023, so I'm still kind of new to the game, but now it's my favorite type of reading format. I will admit, though, that I can be very picky with them. If I don't like the narrator right away then I won't finish it, and I also have favorite narrators that I seek out, like Katie Schorr, Julia Whelan, and Therese Plummer. Here are my top five audiobooks from the past few months. Happy Tuesday! 

🎧 The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson - This audiobook is narrated by Katie Schorr, and I fell in love with her style of narrating right from the start. She truly brought Cussy Carter and the other Appalachian characters to life. The Book Woman’s Daughter is the second installment of the Book Woman series and another favorite narrated by Katie Schorr.  

🎧 Emergency Contact by Lauren Layne and Anthony LeDonne - My favorite type of audiobook has both male and female narrators, and Tim Paige and Brianna Cohen are amazing. This is an enemies to lovers rom-com, and Tim and Brianna recited all the snarky dialogue between the two main characters perfectly. I literally laughed out loud SO many times while listening to this one. 

🎧 How to Walk Away by Katherine Center - Therese Plummer did an excellent job narrating this book, and that includes the male dialogue parts also. She kept me fully immersed in this love story from beginning to end. 

🎧 The Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson - I don't have the words to adequately describe just how much I loved this book's narrator, Robin Miles. She is absolutely incredible. 

🎧 Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - An audiobook that's 21 hours long has GOT to have a great narrator, and Charlie Thurston is amazing. He kept me entertained through it all, and I was actually sad when it ended. 

BONUS: Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover - If you've read Educated, then you know the horrors that author Tara Westover endured. Narrator Julia Whelan has a mesmerizing voice, and she also did a great job with the male characters in this book. 

Are there any audiobooks you recommend? 

FOR THE SHRIMP:

DIRECTIONS: Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet on medium-low heat. Add the onions, peppers, salt and pepper. Toss well to coat and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, season the shrimp with chipotle chile powder, salt, and pepper. While the onions are cooking, heat a large skillet on high heat. Add oil. When the oil is hot add the garlic and shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove from heat. Add juice from the lime and cilantro. Toss well. Combine with the cooked onions and peppers and serve with tortillas. 

NUTRITION INFO: 2 fajitas, Calories: 357 kcal, Carbohydrates: 40 g, Protein: 46 g, Fat: 9.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 274 mg, Sodium: 831.5 mg, Fiber: 19 g, Sugar: 11 g

(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)

  

  

AUTHOR: Rob Lowe

NARRATOR: Rob Lowe

RATING: ★★★★

REVIEW: Like most women my age, I had a crush on Rob Lowe during my teens. Some of my favorite movies from the 80's starred him - St. Elmo's Fire, Class, and About Last Night, just to name a few. I don't know how to put it other than he was just downright beautiful. That shaggy brown hair, the piercing blue eyes...*happy swoon* I decided to go with the audiobook version of Stories I Only Tell My Friends because, first and foremost, I wanted to hear his sexy, silky voice narrating it. In the end, I learned a lot about Rob and many things that were brand new to me. (Am I the only one who didn't know he was into politics?) I would gladly recommend this book to everyone, especially if you're a child of the 80's, like myself. Thank you for the walk down memory lane, Rob!