When you work and go to school full time you don't have a lot of time to do anything else...because on top of work and your studies you gotta also take care of your household, cook, clean, prep, take care of your pups and man and take care of yourself. So oftentimes I was always so exhausted and just irritable...now that I am done school I am not sure what to do with myself...well, except study for the final exam of course.
The great thing though is that I have a bit of extra time to do whatever it is that I want to do. :)
This means, reading!!
I have more time to take that bubble bath at night without feeling guilty and reading a few chapters of a new book or taking time on weekend mornings to peruse through a cookbook. I haven't done this in a long time...and usually I am found reading at the gym while doing cardio if anything...or while waiting for Travis to finish work. But reading is supposed to be relaxing...and is one of the many things I do to unwind after a particularly hectic day. I just love books...and you will never see me reading digital copies (except at the gym...just one particular novel that I have on there)...I am all for the paper and smells.
So here are a few books that I am coveting right now.
Revival: A Novel by Stephen King - $17.99 CDN
This book won't be available until November 11th - but this is the kinda author that I just sit and eagerly anticipate new books from. He really doesn't disappoint. One book that I recently read of his that was pretty good was Mr. Mercedes and before that the follow-up to The Shining called Doctor Sleep. You can't really follow up The Shining...I must admit I was a tad disappointed, but it was still good none the less and wonder if they are going to make it into a movie.
They say that this new book is a masterpiece of King's. Let's see!
A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life.
In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs—including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.
Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family’s horrific loss. In his mid-thirties—addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate—Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.
This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It’s a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.
Dreamer's Pool: A Blackthorn & Grim Novel by Juliet Marillier - $19.44 CDN
I used to read a lot of Marillier's books growing up...and I am in desperate need of a good fantasty novel - as I am quite the fantasy geek. What better way then to see what Marillier has come up with this time. It's been quite a while since she has released anything so we shall see how this book plays out and if it will end up being a YA hit. This is also apparently going to be a series...I love series. ;)
In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she’ll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help.
Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters.
With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.
Sharks Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop - $15.64 CDN
I have been waiting for this book to become available in Canada and it finally has. I love foodie memoirs after reading Gail Simmons' book "Talking With My Mouth Full" - that's a great read if you want to read a memoir, by the way.
Anyways...this book kinda intrigues me, as the culture and food in Asia is so vastly different from our own so am curious to see how the author faired with eating some of what people may consider "crazy" food.
An examination of Chinese and Western attitudes toward food and each other.
After fifteen years spent exploring China and its food, Fuchsia Dunlop finds herself at her parents' kitchen table in Oxford, deciding whether to eat a caterpillar she has accidentally cooked in some home-grown vegetables. How, she wonders, can something she has eaten readily in China seem nearly unthinkable to eat in England? This question lingers over her memoir.
What leads some Chinese people to enjoy the slither of shark's fin and ox's throat, which seem so alien to westerners? Do the Chinese really eat everything, and what does that tell us about their culture? What do our own culinary prejudices tell us about ours?
With stories and recipes from across China, Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper is the long-awaited narrative nonfiction debut from one of the most gifted writers on Chinese food to emerge in recent years.
The Thug Kitchen Cookbook - $29.95 CDN
I am hearing very verrrry good reviews on this book. The cover alone makes my mouth water! So am eager to get my paws on this cookbook, not only that but it's also a healthy eating cookbook as well! So am looking forward to what sort of recipes are in here. :) I also love how it's down and dirty, nitty gritty, no BS type-a cookbook as well from what I have seen so far.
Thug Kitchen started their wildly popular web site to inspire people to eat some Goddamn vegetables and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Beloved by Gwyneth Paltrow ("This might be my favorite thing ever") and named Saveur's Best New Food Blog of 2013 — with half a million Facebook fans and counting — Thug Kitchen wants to show everyone how to take charge of their plates and cook up some real f*cking food.
Yeah, plenty of blogs and cookbooks preach about how to eat more kale, why ginger fights inflammation, and how to cook with microgreens and nettles. But they are dull or pretentious as hell — and most people can’t afford the hype.
Thug Kitchen lives in the real world. In their first cookbook, they’re throwing down more than 100 recipes for their best-loved meals, snacks, and sides for beginning cooks to home chefs. (Roasted Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos? Pumpkin Chili? Grilled Peach Salsa? Believe that sh*t.) Plus they’re going to arm you with all the info and techniques you need to shop on a budget and go and kick a bunch of ass on your own.
This book is an invitation to everyone who wants to do better to elevate their kitchen game. No more ketchup and pizza counting as vegetables. No more drive-thru lines. No more avoiding the produce corner of the supermarket. Sh*t is about to get real.
A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in my Farmhouse by Mimi Thorisson - $28.84 CDN
I have been perusing Mimi Thorisson's blog a few times and all I have to say is *gorgeous*, so when I found out that she was coming out with a cookbook I had to immediately go to Amazon and save it to my wishlist. I know that this cookbook is going to be jampacked with the most gorgeous images of food and Mimi's farmhouse (not to mention Mimi herself) and can't wait until this book will be released on October 28th.
When Mimi Thorisson and her family moved from Paris to a small town in out-of-the-way Médoc, she did not quite know what was in store for them. She found wonderful ingredients—from local farmers and the neighboring woods—and, most important, time to cook. Her cookbook chronicles the family’s seasonal meals and life in an old farmhouse, all photographed by her husband, Oddur. Mimi’s convivial recipes—such as Roast Chicken with Herbs and Crème Fraîche, Cèpe and Parsley Tartlets, Winter Vegetable Cocotte, Apple Tart with Orange Flower Water, and Salted Butter Crème Caramel—will bring the warmth of rural France into your home.
Strong Is The New Skinny: How to Eat, Live and Move to Maximize Your Power by Jennfer Cohen, Stacey Colino and David Kirchhoff - $15.16 CDN
I recently read through a book called "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" and although it was chockful of useful information I also couldn't totally relate as the author was a man. I know that this doesn't matter...but I guess kinda in a way it does, as I would love to read the perspective of a woman lifting herself and so stumbled across this book. I feel (after looking through this) it's a little easier to understand and not so patronizing as the other book kinda was. So would like to see what these authors have to say about lifting weights and getting that optimal hot body in the gym. I need a little more motivation so think this would be the perfect book for that.
LEANER, STRONGER, FITTER…FASTER
Sick and tired of hearing what’s wrong with you and your body? You’re not alone. It’s time for a new conversation—and a new plan for treating, feeding, and moving your body in ways that build on your strengths inside and out. Strong is sexy. Strong is powerful. Strong is achievable.
With STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY you can say goodbye to body-bashing and physical faultfinding, and instead learn to embrace, not just how it looks, but what your body can do—from pushups to pull ups and box jumps to rope climbs, nothing is out of your reach. Strong Is the New Skinny offers a reality-based diet, lifestyle, and fitness program (the “SINS” plan, for short) so you can:
• Maximize your potential, as well as your energy, vitality, and power.
• Train your brain—develop resilience and mental fortitude in every area of your life.
• Add muscle, increase speed, and enhance flexibility.
• Strengthen your arms, back, core, and legs—and crank up the challenge when you’re ready for the next level.
• Torch fat with Strong Moves: a series of heart-healthy H.I.I.T. workouts that take as little as 10 minutes.
• Kick-start your Get-Fit, Get-Fierce plan with the Strong Seven—7 days of 7 power foods.
Whether you’re just getting started or training for a challenging physical event, this book gives you all the tools you need to become leaner, fitter, and stronger: nutritionally, physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
GO HARD OR GO HOME…
The Skinnytaste Cookbook: Light on Calories, Big on Flavor by Gina Homolka - $17.50 CDN
This is another super popular blog turned into a cookbook (maybe one day I'll be in the same boat?? Lol) by Gina Homolka - I am always looking for healthier ways to cook and get all the nutrients PLUS flavor into my meals. Since Travis is going to be going on a little health-kick journey with me come Monday this would be a great cookbook to have in our arsenal of healthy eating cookbooks. Can't wait to see what delicious recipes await!
Get the recipes everyone is talking about in the debut cookbook from the wildly popular blog Skinnytaste
Gina Homolka is America’s most trusted home cook when it comes to easy, flavorful recipes that are miraculously low-calorie and made from all-natural, easy-to-find ingredients. Her blog, Skinnytaste is the number one go-to site for slimmed down recipes that you’d swear are anything but. It only takes one look to see why people go crazy for Gina’s food: cheesy, creamy Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli with only 420 calories per serving, breakfast dishes like Make-Ahead Western Omelet "Muffins" that truly fill you up until lunchtime, and sweets such as Double Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies that are low in sugar and butter-free but still totally indulgent.
The Skinnytaste Cookbook features 150 amazing recipes: 125 all-new dishes and 25 must-have favorites. As a busy mother of two, Gina started Skinnytaste when she wanted to lose a few pounds herself. She turned to Weight Watchers for help and liked the program but struggled to find enough tempting recipes to help her stay on track. Instead, she started “skinny-fying” her favorite meals so that she could eat happily while losing weight.
With 100 stunning photographs and detailed nutritional information for every recipe, The Skinnytaste Cookbook is an incredible resource of fulfilling, joy-inducing meals that every home cook will love.
Do you guys love to read and if so what sort of books are on YOUR wishlist? I love reading blogs where they share what sort of books it is they like to read and then it gives me some new ideas. :)
There are some books by Paulo Coelho that I would like to add to this list as well. I just need to reread The Alchemist first because for some reason, I am missing something! So asked a friend her thoughts on the book as well, then will go from there. I just feel like I need to GET it before going onto something else.
Anyways - happy Monday! Let's hope this day goes by super fast!!
-S.*
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