Walls, Jeannette - The Glass Castle

I loved this memoir and am passing it on to sister Holly to read next. I recommend this book to anyone who ever thought his/her childhood was a bit crazy and abnormal. This family was downright nuts. But a feel-good story too.
Read. Laugh. Cry. Wonder at the craziness...feel good about your own parenting/family.

best ever scrabble game

Here's that scrabble game from Saturday. Check out my seven letter word "RELISTED" right in the middle of the board. 448 for me...

vacation week is over

Ah it was so lovely. I did so many wonderful things. And I got lots of rest in too. I made my favorite dish (Cape Malay Curry). I read four books (see below). I shopped. A Lot. I napped. I spent time with various family members. I cleaned (a bit). I played several games of scrabble.

(I'll post a picture of my record-high game tomorrow after I get it off of my phone's camera. I scored 448 points. Rick scored 200something...It was awesome! Well for me anyway. Though he assured me that he enjoyed watching me do it. My lowest scoring word (except for the last one when I used my last two tiles to go out) was 22 points. Wow!)

The cats enjoyed my vacation as well. And not just because they love naps. (I think they would have taken those whether I'd been home or not.) What they really liked was conning me out of extra cans of cat food. On "normal" days, they split 1 can when I get home from work. During the vacation, they managed to beg 2 cans out of me every day...fat cats.
rj

Fairstein, Linda - Lethal Legacy

It has been a long time since I've read on of Fairstein's books...a long time since she's had a new one out. One thing I love about my favorite characters in my favorite books is how picking up a new one instantly transports me back into their story. This new book was no exception. It was great to reconnect with my old friends Alex, Mike and Mercer...and the mystery kept me guessing right up to the very end.

Berg, Carol - Daughter of Ancients

A perfect end to the story; though I would love it if the author would write more "chapters" to it.

Berg, Carol - Soul Weaver

I read book three of the series in one day...cover to cover...with a few breaks in between. I love vacation days.

Berg, Carol - Guardians of the Keep

Book two was much better than book one and hooked me into the series. Perfect vacation read.

very busy week

I have had a very busy week so far. Work has been intense. A big chunk of my job is sorting through details and solving problems. Monday and Tuesday brought a whole host of them. My hope is that today will be quieter.
Next week I am on vacation. Traveling up north for a couple of days and then I'll have a few days in town to wander aimlessly...maybe some movies, plays, coffee shops, books, buy some stuff to make the condo better. The week is wide open.
rj

Berg, Carol - Son of Avonar

I liked the ending of this book more than I liked the beginning. In fact, I almost stopped reading it about half way through. It started in present time and then tried to tell the history of the story as though it was memories of the main character. It really didn't gel very well.
Hopefully now that we are well acquainted with the main characters, book 2 will start out great and continue great and end great as well...
rj

Harris, Charlaine - From Dead to Worse

Alright, book 8 was all about character development. There was a small mystery, but for the most part it was about extending our knowledge of our favorite characters and adding a few new ones to keep the series alive.
I still loved it and am looking forward to book 9 "Dead and Gone" which comes out on May 5.

Now for a little break from reading as I put my messy house in order and give my head a rest.
rj

Baker's One Bowl Brownies

These are the incredibly delicious brownies I made yesterday for Curt's SuperBowl party. From scratch, indeed. Yum! Yum!

Baker's One Bowl Brownies
4 squares BAKER'S Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
3/4 cups butter or margarine (1 1/2-sticks)
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9- by 13-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan to form handles. Grease foil. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on High for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar, stirring until well blended. Beat in eggs (one at a time) and vanilla until well blended. Add flour and nuts, and stir to incorporate. Stop stirring when no traces of flour remain. Spread in prepared pan.Bake for 30 to 33 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few fudgy crumbs. Do NOT overbake. (It's better to underbake brownies than to overbake them.)
Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature or frozen for up to 2 months.. Makes about 24 brownies.

Harris, Charlaine - All Together Dead

Book 7 was a quick read. (Well, the whole series has been quick, really.) I enjoyed the change of scenery and the new vampires (the Vampire Summit takes place in this book). I also got to hope a little more for Eric to win Sookie's heart.
I'm well into book 8 now, and book 9 doesn't come out until May. So, I'll have to wait a bit after this book before the series goes on.
rj