Thursday, April 18, 2024
Review - The Rom-Commers
AUTHOR: Katherine Center
NARRATOR: Patti Murin
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?
Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies—good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates—The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!—it’s a break too big to pass up.
Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone—much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script—it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.
But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter—even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules—and comes true?
REVIEW: I've always been a huge fan of Katherine Center, and I've read about 80% of everything she's written. Her books are usually big hits for me, but I have to say this one was just "okay". I believe the main thing that turned me off to this book is the dialogue repetition. There was a ton of repeat questioning between the characters, which drove me bonkers. Also, the hero, Charlie, grated on my nerves a bit in the beginning. I enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the first half, and Charlie finally redeemed himself toward the end of the story. The narrator was good and very entertaining, but listening to the repeat dialogue almost made me DNF this audiobook. I actually read the last few chapters of the eBook, and it wasn't nearly as annoying. Unless you're just a HUGE fan of audiobooks, I would recommend reading the print or eBook version instead.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)
Monday, April 15, 2024
Recipe - Protein Waffles
- 2/3 cup 4% milk fat small curd cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
- 1 cup oat flour (or grind old-fashioned rolled oats in blender)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
DIRECTIONS: Heat a waffle iron on its medium setting.
Place cottage cheese, egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar, if using in the blender. Add 6 tablespoons water, oat flour, baking powder and salt and blend until mixture is smooth batter. Transfer to a medium bowl using a spatula to get all the batter out.
Beat the egg white to soft peaks then fold into the batter.
Spray pre-heated waffle iron with oil spray. Pour batter into iron (about 1/4 cup) and cook until golden brown and steam is no longer being released.
NUTRITION INFO: 2 small waffles (1/2 cup batter), Calories: 121 kcal, Carbohydrates: 12 g, Protein: 8.5 g, Fat: 4.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Cholesterol: 81 mg, Sodium: 224.5 mg, Fiber: 1.5 g, Sugar: 1.5 g
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
Friday, April 12, 2024
Review - Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
AUTHOR: Matthew Perry
NARRATOR: Matthew Perry
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”
So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.
In an extraordinary story that only he could tell—and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it—Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening—as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.
REVIEW: Matty, Matty, Matty. *heavy sigh* I planned on reading Matthew's biography as soon as it was published, but I never got around to it, and listening to the audiobook now that he's no longer with us was such a bittersweet experience. Like millions of other people, I adore Friends, and Chandler Bing will always be my favorite character on the show, but now that I know the struggles Matthew went through with addiction, watching this beloved sitcom takes on a whole new meaning. Listening to Matthew tell his story made me laugh, it made my jaw hit the floor, and it also broke my heart. I literally sobbed when he described the day he found God and how that relationship altered his life, and the sincerity resonates so much in his voice that you can't help but feel it too. His biography was such an eye opener for me. I'm so thankful I've never struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, and I'm so glad Matthew was able to find some happiness and tranquility in his life before he passed away. I only wish his dream of having a wife and children had come true before that fateful day. Matthew, I pray your soul is at peace now. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Recipe - Italian Sub Salad
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 cups chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce, chopped
- 6 ounces thin sliced turkey, chopped
- 2 ounces thin slices genoa salami, chopped from about 6 thin slices
- 3 ounces turkey pepperoni, chopped
- 2 ounces Capicola, chopped
- 1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella & provolone mix, low moisture
- 1/3 cup cherry tomato, chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup pickled pepperoncini or banana peppers, sliced (plus 1 tablespoon brine)
- 1/4 cup black olives, sliced
DIRECTIONS: In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and 1 tablespoon brine from pepperoncini.
Add a large bowl add the lettuce, turkey, salami, pepperoni, Capicola, cheese, tomato, red onion, pepperoncini, and black olives.
Drizzle in the dressing when ready to eat and toss to coat.
NUTRITION INFO: 2 cups, Calories: 298 kcal, Carbohydrates: 11.5 g, Protein: 22 g, Fat: 19 g, Saturated Fat: 5.5 g, Cholesterol: 71.5 mg, Sodium: 1573.5 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 5.5 g
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Review - Educated: A Memoir
AUTHOR: Tara Westover
NARRATOR: Julia Whelan
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag". In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father's junkyard.
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.
Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.
REVIEW: If there's one thing I can say with no hesitation that I honestly and truthfully understand, it's dysfunctional families. With that being said, there were many parts of this book I could identify with, which made it personal for me. Still, when it comes to having the most dysfunctional family I've ever read about, Tara Westover wins hands down. Her story drew me in right away. (Also, I highly recommend the audiobook version because the narrator, Julia Whelan, did an excellent job). I lost count of the number of times my jaw hit the floor, and I went through SO many emotions while listening to this book - anger, heartache, shock, disbelief, etc. Some of the things Tara went through with her family just blew me away and her amazing way with words made me feel like I was there witnessing it all. I can't recommend this book enough. Miss Westover is a wonderful writer, and I hope she decides to publish more books in the future.
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