Ok. Apparently, I am keeping with my trend of being behind on my book posts. Reading isn’t a problem in this busy time of life but finding time to blog and cook in the middle of my daughter’s band practices and competitions…well, that is another story. So, here you go…
Truthfully, I had already cooked the chili. I found this interesting recipe where you can add sauerkraut to give it a German flair. Therefore, I used my special sauerkraut recently bought at Germanfest in my community and VOLA! A new recipe…
Now to the three books I have recently read…
1) the “good” – Not a Happy Family: A Novel by Shari Lapena
If you want to read that makes you thankful you are not rich and hate your family, then this is a book for you. I have to admit, I really had no clue who committed the murders until the very end.
Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there, and Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich. But even all their money can’t protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught Easter dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated.
Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did someone snap after that dreadful evening? Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions? That must be what happened. After all, if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this, you’d know.
Wouldn’t you?
2) the “gooder” – Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell
A friend recently suggested this book. If you like creepy, horror-type stories, this is for you. It is not “Michael Myers” type horror book but has just the right amount of terror that keeps you reading and guessing throughout the book. I do like how he “solved” the issue. I think many of you may like this book.
A romantic cabin getaway doesn’t go exactly as planned.
High up on the windswept cliffs of Pale Peak, Faye and Felix celebrate their new engagement. But soon, a chorus of ghastly noises erupts from the nearby woods: the screams of animals, the cries of children, and the mad babble of a hundred mournful voices. A dark figure looms near the windows in the dead of night, whispering to Faye. As the weather turns deadly, Felix discovers that his terrified fiancée isn’t just mumbling in her sleep – she’s whispering back.
Originally a contest-winning story on reddit.com’s horror community NoSleep, Stolen Tongues has received widespread acclaim and has been optioned for film.
3) the “goodest” – The Night Portrait: A Novel of WWII and da Vinci’s Italy by Laura Morelli
Loved, loved, loved this book! I am not sure why I never watched The Monuments Men but this book introduces what this group did to save stolen artwork by Hitler’s men, specifically da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine.” I love how she tells the story of da Vinci and the lady behind the painting while at the same time telling the story of Hiter’s men stealing the artwork and how the artwork was found. It is incredibly written, and I can’t wait to read her additional books.
Milan, 1492: When a 16-year old beauty becomes the mistress of the Duke of Milan, she must fight for her place in the palace—and against those who want her out. Soon, she finds herself sitting before Leonardo da Vinci, who wants to ensure his own place in the ducal palace by painting his most ambitious portrait to date.
Munich, World War II: After a modest conservator unwittingly places a priceless Italian Renaissance portrait into the hands of a high-ranking Nazi leader, she risks her life to recover it, working with an American soldier, part of the famed Monuments Men team, to get it back.
Two women, separated by 500 years, are swept up in the tide of history as one painting stands at the center of their quests for their own destinies.
I would tell you that I will do better at doing one post per book but making no promises at this point! LOL So…happy reading!
