Book Intro: Eldest, by Christopher Paolini

Sometimes nothing beats a trip through a whole book series, and I'll tell you I'm relishing in these ones! 

Eldest

by

Christopher Paolini

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust.
Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle–one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.
Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life.  

I'm pretty excited, and nothing beats my comfort books. (Plus comfort food…) 

Book Intro: Eragon, by Christopher Paolini

I have hated almost every book I've read thus far. Actually I take that back, hate is a strong word. I find myself so busy lately though with my work, and home life that reading books outside of my "comfort zone" becomes difficult. I feel that a lot of the books I have thus far read, really deserve another chance in the Summer for when my life gradually slows down again. I know a lot of people have a hard time changing, and I'm a liar if I said I wasn't one of them - hell I'm probably the least likely to change my habits. Therefore expecting me to be sold on new book genres is a pretty tough sell, and even though this is considered a young adult book I absolutely love it. So welcome to the world of Alagaësia folks!

Eragon

By

Christopher Paolini 

Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.

I hope you all will indulge me with a fun read, and honestly sometimes going back to books we love help us remember why we adore reading in the first place. If Eragon doesn't seem interesting to you, then don't worry - just check on in for the food!

Book Intro: Flower Net, by Lisa See

I was given for Christmas a vintage Chinese cook book, and I mean the good Chinese cooking. Not what you get here in the United States. Needless to say it's something that I wanted to find a book for in order to cook from it, and of course a few other people did as well… So therefore I chose the following book: 

Flower Net

By

Lisa See

In the depths of a Beijing winter, during the waning days of Deng Xiaoping’s reign, the U.S. ambassador’s son is found dead–his body entombed in a frozen lake. Around the same time, aboard a ship adrift off the coast of Southern California, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stark makes a startling discovery: the corpse of a Red Prince, a scion of China’s political elite.
The Chinese and American governments suspect that the deaths are connected and, in an unprecedented move, they join forces to see justice done. In Beijing, David teams up with the unorthodox police detective Liu Hulan. In an investigation that brings them to every corner of China and sparks an intense attraction between the two, David and Hulan discover a web linking human trafficking to the drug trade to governmental treachery–a web reaching from the Forbidden City to the heart of Los Angeles and, like the wide flower net used by Chinese fishermen, threatening to ensnare all within its reach.

I hope you will all follow along! I also can't wait to read another Lisa See book, as I do love her writing style. Stay tuned for a recipe following this post!!

Book Intro: Daggerspell, by Katharine Kerr

I most definitely wanted to pick a fantasy, I also wanted to pick a book by it's cover. Therefore I ended up with Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr. I have no idea what I'll think of this book, but I figured - hey I like that cover!
I'm not sure how I'll be cooking for this book yet, and I have yet to read some as I was just taking a Knife Skills class tonight at Kitchen and Cork in Scarborough. (Amazing class by the way!)

So tune in tomorrow for a mystery dish from Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr!

"Even as a young girl,  Jill was a favorite of the magical, mysterious  Wildfolk, who appeared to her from their invisible  realm. Little did she know her extraordinary  friends represented but a glimpse of a forgotten past  and a fateful future. Four hundred years-and many  lifetimes-ago, one selfish young lord caused the  death of two innocent lovers. Then and there he  vowed never to rest until he'd rightened that  wrong-and laid the foundation for the lives of Jill  and all those whom she would hold dear: her  father, the mercenary soldier Cullyn; the exiled  berserker Rhodry Maelwaedd; and the ancient and  powerful herbman Nevyn, all bound in a struggle against  darkness. . . and a quest to fulfill the  destinies determined centuries ago. Here in this newly  revised edition comes the incredible novel that  began one of the best-loved fantasy seers in recent  years--a tale of bold adventure and timeless  love, perilous battle and pure magic. For  long-standing fans of Deverry and those who have yet to  experience this exciting series,  Daggerspell is a rare and special treat."

Book Intro: Midnight Bayou, by Nora Roberts

I'll admit, I've never been a romance novel fan. But if I was never a mystery fan and liked the number one admitted author of that category, then I think a fair place to start would be Nora Roberts for a romance novel. I also can't help but love the toss in of some paranormal aspects that are supposed to be present in this book either.

So from now on I'll be delving into a New Orleans romance novel, featuring some ghostly apparitions!

Midnight Bayou

By

Nora Roberts

"Declan Fitzgerald had always been the family maverick, but even he couldn't understand his impulse to buy a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans. All he knew was that ever since he first saw Manet Hall, he'd been enchanted-and obsessed-with it. So when the opportunity to buy the house comes up, Declan jumps at the chance to live out a dream.
Determined to restore Manet Hall to its former splendor, Declan begins the daunting renovation room by room, relying on his own labor and skills. But the days spent in total isolation in the empty house take a toll. He is seeing visions of days from a century past, and experiencing sensations of terror and nearly unbearable grief-sensations not his own, but those of a stranger. Local legend has it that the house is haunted, and with every passing day Declan's belief in the ghostly presence grows.
Only the companionship of alluring Angelina Simone can distract him from the mysterious happenings in the house, but Angelina too has her own surprising connection to Manet Hall-a connection that will help Declan uncover a secret that's been buried for a hundred years."

I'm not sure how I'll like it, but hey I'm intrigued! If anything I will say I'm excited for some good ol' Louisiana cooking for this month, so stay tuned and catch whatever I'll be whipping up for food tomorrow, and whatever else may come throughout the month!

Book Intro: The Clearing, by Thomas Rydder

I told all of you that after reading The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais that I needed a break. No not a break from reading, I could never do that, but I needed a break from just regular fiction. I needed something different. I probably spent about the last two weeks browsing for a new book that would be unique, and different from what I normally read but still had some fantasy thrown in the mix. It turns out that the book I chose was also going to be great for an October read, a fantasy thriller featuring werewolves? Can you say hello Halloween!? 

That's precisely the book I've chosen for the next month, and I can't wait to read it. It's called The Clearing by Thomas Rydder. It's been given great reviews, and some other readers have mentioned his book is reminiscent of a Stephen King novel.

I have no idea what I'll be cooking up for next month, but I know it's going to be a lot more work for me than The Hundred-Foot Journey was. I think I'm up for the challenge though. It will also give me a chance to take this book and put my own twist on passages in the form of food. (Not to mention I'll be cooking lots of Pennsylvanian Dutch!)

Without further ado, I'm going to include an excerpt from Amazon for the book, as well as a the awesome cover art.

The Clearing

By

Thomas Rydder

After twenty years in the Marine Corps, Major Frank Cutlip comes home to the quiet hills of his beloved Pennslyvania to take up a new life as the sheriff of Allegheny County.
Professor Beth Lowe took up a post at Paxton University because she became enamored with western Pennslyvania's charms, a more enduring love than she thought she would ever feel for a man.
When Beth's dog is savaged by wolves, their peaceful lives are shattered, and their fates entwined. On the brink of death, the dog not only survives but grows larger… and more vicious. A thousand-year cycle of carnage is reaching its climax once more, and the peaceful wooded hills will soon be smeared with blood.
Sheriff Cutlip leads his community in a hunt for the hidden terror, but then his own brother is bitten, his blood corrupted by the ancient evil. The sheriff must confront terrible choices, and he can't do so alone.
'The Clearing' - a novel of ordinary people thrown together in extraordinary circumstances.

Book Intro: The Hundred-Foot Journey, Richard Morais

I decided I was going to start out easy with this new blog - after all I am still reading Harry Potter. Yet that doesn't mean I want to skimp out on what content I want to read myself and post about.

I don't know how I stumbled across this book, I know that a long while back I had bought The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais when I was out at a local book store in Portland. I never read it though, let's just call it bad timing. Never buy more books when you're about ready to move out of an apartment. Because I'm pretty sure that I had packed this book into the Goodwill donation box by mistake. 

Now that the movie came out recently in theaters (no I haven't seen it yet!) it reminded me of how I had purchased this book so long ago and not been able to find it. 

So lo and behold I bought this book on my Kindle in about thirty seconds - and thus far have been devouring it in the past hour.

The best thing too is how this book will introduce the wonderful style of Indian cooking in my household. I can already imagine some of the dishes I'm going to cook up for us this coming week!

Here's a short synopsis from Amazon on The Hundred-Foot Journey for those of you that would also like to read this book now. At the end I also plan on publishing my own review per completion of this novel.

The Hundred-Foot Journey

By

Richard Morais

"That skinny Indian teenager has that mysterious something that comes along once a generation. He is one of those rare chefs who is simply born. He is an artist." And so begins the rise of Hassan Haji, the unlikely gourmand who recounts his life’s journey in Richard Morais’s charming novel, The Hundred-Foot Journey. Lively and brimming with the colors, flavors, and scents of the kitchen, The Hundred-Foot Journey is a succulent treat about family, nationality, and the mysteries of good taste.
Born above his grandfather’s modest restaurant in Mumbai, Hassan first experienced life through intoxicating whiffs of spicy fish curry, trips to the local markets, and gourmet outings with his mother. But when tragedy pushes the family out of India, they console themselves by eating their way around the world, eventually settling in Lumière, a small village in the French Alps.
The boisterous Haji family takes Lumière by storm. They open an inexpensive Indian restaurant opposite an esteemed French relais—that of the famous chef Madame Mallory—and infuse the sleepy town with the spices of India, transforming the lives of its eccentric villagers and infuriating their celebrated neighbor. Only after Madame Mallory wages culinary war with the immigrant family, does she finally agree to mentor young Hassan, leading him to Paris, the launch of his own restaurant, and a slew of new adventures.
The Hundred-Foot Journey is about how the hundred-foot distance between a new Indian kitchen and a traditional French one can represent the gulf between different cultures and desires. A testament to the inevitability of destiny, this is a fable for the ages—charming, endearing, and compulsively readable.