Pasta Wars by Elisa Lorello

Pasta Wars
by Elisa Lorello

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Release date: January 17, 2017
Publisher: Adaptive Books
Genre: Humor, Romance, Food, Italy
Paperback: 256 pages
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
There are two kinds of people in this world; those who love coconut and those who hate coconut.

Slim, successful, and soon to marry the man of her dreams, Katie Cravens is leading the life she always wanted. As the face and CEO of Pasta Pronto, a “Carbs for the Calorie-Conscious” line of frozen food, Katie chooses to live life like one of her Slimline Spaghetti dinners―no mess, no surprises, and everything tied up in a neat little package. But when Katie’s fiancé runs off with another woman and a quality control fiasco sends her customers running for the hills, it’s time for Katie to make a change.

Her company’s salvation presents itself in the form of a partnership opportunity with the legendary Ristorante Caramelli of Rome, and Katie has no other choice but to jet off to Italy to convince gorgeous, hotheaded co-owner Luca Caramelli that she’s a worthy partner. Gaining Luca’s respect proves harder than Katie could have ever imagined, however, when he insists that she must learn how to cook―and how to eat―true Italian food before he will ever agree to their companies’ partnership.

Katie and Luca's tension in Italy mounts into a fierce public rivalry that erupts back in the States with a nationally televised cooking competition. As Katie tries to channel her inner Mario Batali to win the competition, she must choose between the flavorless prepackaged life that she worked so hard to maintain and the mouth-watering uncertainty of a life chock full of carbohydrates and Caramellis.

My two-bits:

There is some arm chair traveling to Italy with this delightful sort-of coming of age romantic read. At first, I found the main character, Katie, to be a bit annoying. But as the story progressed, her character developed into a more likable and better person.

The topics of food and cooking brought about thoughts on eating healthy and cooking from scratch.

I especially loved the descriptions of preparing and cooking pasta. Made me want to make pasta despite not having recipes provided.

Issues of diet and self-image also are touched upon in this story.

Got a sense of what it is like working for a small company in the food industry.


About the author:

Elisa Lorello was born and raised on Long Island, the youngest of seven children. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and launched a career teaching rhetoric and composition. She has been teaching first-year writing to university students since 2000, but went on sabbatical in fall 2012. Elisa spent six years in North Carolina, where she split her time between teaching and writing, and returned to the northeast in October 2012.

Elisa is the author of the Kindle best-selling novels "Faking It" and "Ordinary World", "Why I Love Singlehood" (co-authored with Sarah Girrell), and "Adulation".

Some of Elisa's favorite pastimes include chocolate, reading, and walking. She is also an avid fan of Duran Duran, pop tarts, and finding the perfect shade of lipstick.

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* review copy courtesy of publisher

On Rue Tatin by Susan Loomis

On Rue Tatin:
The Simple Pleasures of Life in a Small French Town
by Susan Loomis

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Published: 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: France, Travel, Cookbook
Paperback: 304 pages
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
The story of our adventure, our move to Rue Tatin, began some thirteen years earlier, when I first went to live in Paris.

Beguiling, aromatic memoirs of a cookery writer, settling in a small Normandy town, very similar in flavour to Under the Tuscan Sun.

The second house that Susan Hermann Loomis looked at in the small town of Louviers was perfect. Dilapidated, rambling, crumbling walls which were covered with faded paper, it had been a convent. So Susan, her husband, luckily a sculptor and builder, and small son, moved in – to spend a year and more, rebuilding, finding new hidden treasures of their house, and discovering their neighbours, and the life of a small French town.

Some of the great pleasures of the book come from sharing in Susan Loomis’ daily journeys: to the market, to the butcher and the baker, talking to the shop keepers and the teachers at the school, and meeting the clergy who tramp through their garden. As her son joins the local school, as Susan’s cookery work gets underway, so the reader is part of all the human – and gastronomic – experiences that shape this very French town.

PeekAbook:



My two-bits:

This tale presents food (french flavors), people (mostly local) and small town idiosyncrasies in a charming way that one can't resist but add it to a future European travel itinerary.

I could see how the process of setting up house and learning the culture of this area can provide inspiration to creative souls.

Delicious recipes are shared along the way to tempt non-cooks (like me) to give a try.

~*~
* part of SF Travel Book Club

Four Chambers by Julie Wright

Four Chambers
by Julie Wright

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Blog
Twitter @scatteredjules

Just released: May 1, 2016
Publisher: Heart Stone Press
Genre: Romance (clean)
ebook
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
"Give me the paint," I said, hoping Janette heard the threat in my voice. She was coming seriously close to getting demoted from favorite roommate to homeless person.

Every time Andra Stone crosses paths with Everett Covington, trouble follows. First she loses her scholarship, then she loses the apartment she’d wanted more than anything. But tragedy hits hardest when she loses her grandmother—the best friend Andra has ever known. She determines that Everett is a talisman of ill fortune. When Everett comes to work in her hospital and is applying for the same position she’d been working toward since residency, Andra believes him to be her personal poltergeist.

The human heart has four chambers—four chances to get it right. Andra has only one chance left.

My two-bits:

In a contemporary setting, this romance took me into the world of medical students. I liked learning about some of the details in the time and care they put into working towards becoming a medical doctor.

Despite the push-pulls of the romance, I liked how this couple built a solid friendship along the way.

The insert of Miss Pearl, her wisdom and matchmaking continues to be a treat in this Matchmaker series that I have been enjoying. I look forward to her encounters when reading this series.

About the author:

Julie Wright wrote her first book when she was fifteen. She's written over twenty novels since then. She is represented by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger Inc. She is a Whitney Awards winner for best romance with her book Cross My Heart and a Crown Heart recipient for the novel The Fortune Café.

She has one husband, three kids, one dog, and a varying amount of fish, frogs, and salamanders (depending on attrition).

She loves writing, reading, hiking, playing with her kids, and watching her husband make dinner.

She hates mayonnaise.

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* courtesy of eBooks for Review -get free ebooks to review (here) -Thanks!

* part of POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER SERIES (here)

Stacking the Shelves - 7.9.16

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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FREE: for Kindle prime members

Midair
by Kodi Scheer
-New Adult, Paris
Amazon | Goodreads
For Review:

Chasing Fireflies
by Taylor Dean
-Romance
courtesy of eBooks for Review -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

In America
(Wayfarer Trilogy #3)
by Nina Romano
-Historical
courtesy of courtesy of Turner Publishing -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads -giveaway ends July 20
From BEA:

GOT some France theme...

Constellation by Adrien Bosc
-France, Historical, Biography | Amazon | Goodreads

The Only Street in Paris by Elaine Sciolino
-France, Travel | Amazon | Goodreads


GOT some Asia theme...

The Conjoined by Jen Sookfong Lee
-China, Canada, Fiction | Amazon | Goodreads

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
-Korea, Fiction | Amazon | Goodreads

Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse
-Japan, YA | Goodreads

GOT some Graphic Novels...

Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel
-Graphic Novel, YA | Amazon | Goodreads

The World According to Wolverine Matthew K. Manning
-Graphic Novel, Superhero | Amazon | Goodreads


AND watched: in theatre

Captain Fantastic (2016)
Director/Writer: Matt Ross
Starring: Viggo Mortensen
-Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, challenging his idea of what it means to be a parent.

Oscar nominated for Best Actor.
Loved the dynamic of this family and how they gelled. Makes you think about parenting styles and what we want of our kids.

Tickled (2016)
Director: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve
-Documentary | imdb | my rating: 5
Journalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesnt stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.

=====> This starts out amusing and funny, but turns into something chilling.

AND binge watching: on HBO

Game of Thrones
tv series, season six
Creators: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Based on book by: George R.R. Martin
-Adventure, Drama, Fantasy | imdb | my rating: 5
While a civil war brews between several noble families in Westeros, the children of the former rulers of the land attempt to rise up to power. Meanwhile a forgotten race, bent on destruction, plans to return after thousands of years in the North.

=====> Through a generous friend, I am able to watch the sixth series via HBO. LOVING it!

Currently flipping through: from the library

Big Eyes
The Film, The Art
by Leah Gallo
-Art, Non-fiction
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> Also pictured above is the DVD which I plan on watching as well. It looks so small compared to the grand coffee table art book.

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

First Comes Love
by Emily Giffin

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BookExcerpt
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Twitter @emilygiffin

Just released: June 28, 2016
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Women's Fiction
Hardback: 400 pages
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
Time is a tricky thing, Daniel said to his mother when he was still very young. When you wanted to savor something, it would speed by in a blur. When you wanted to get past something, it would drag on forever.

Growing up, Josie and Meredith Garland shared a loving, if sometimes contentious relationship. Josie was impulsive, spirited, and outgoing; Meredith hardworking, thoughtful, and reserved. When tragedy strikes their family, their different responses to the event splinter their delicate bond.

Fifteen years later, Josie and Meredith are in their late thirties, following very different paths. Josie, a first grade teacher, is single—and this close to swearing off dating for good. What she wants more than the right guy, however, is to become a mother—a feeling that is heightened when her ex-boyfriend’s daughter ends up in her class. Determined to have the future she’s always wanted, Josie decides to take matters into her own hands.

On the outside, Meredith is the model daughter with the perfect life. A successful attorney, she’s married to a wonderful man, and together they’re raising a beautiful four-year-old daughter. Yet lately, Meredith feels dissatisfied and restless, secretly wondering if she chose the life that was expected of her rather than the one she truly desired.

As the anniversary of their tragedy looms and painful secrets from the past begin to surface, Josie and Meredith must not only confront the issues that divide them, but also come to terms with their own choices. In their journey toward understanding and forgiveness, both sisters discover they need each other more than they knew... and that in the recipe for true happiness, love always comes first.

Emotionally honest and utterly enthralling, First Comes Love is a story about family, friendship, and the courage to follow your own heart—wherever that may lead.

My two-bits:

This is one of those comfy reads where the characters are introduced with all their faults along with their fumbles through their present day lives.

Issues of grief and sibling relations are prominent in this story.

About the author:

Emily Giffin is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. After practicing litigation at a Manhattan firm for several years, she moved to London to write full time. The author of seven New York Times bestselling novels, The One & Only, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love The One You're With, Heart of the Matter, and Where We Belong, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children.

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* review copy courtesy of and part of Summer Reading Challenge (here) @booksparks #SRC2016 #BestSummerEver