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Hello, my name is Kelly and I welcome you to the Bookend Diaries book blog. I created this blog to share my own reviews of existing and new books, to discuss with other readers what we’re currently reading, update you on my book club picks, and of course, to ultimately support the work of the authors we all enjoy. I am addicted to reading and I thought this would be a great way to reach out to other readers who are as obsessed with books as I am.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Big Bowl of Love by Cristina Ferrare



*** Purchased Barnes and Noble

Synopsis

“Cristina is probably the best cook I've ever met, other than Maya Angelou and my own mother. She's cooked three Christmas dinners for 80 people, and I was sitting at the table for all of them.” -Oprah Winfrey

For New York Times best-selling author Cristina Ferrare, “family, cooking, food, and bringing people together [are] a passion.” That same irrepressible enthusiasm infuses A Big Bowl of Love, Ferrare's homey collection of more than 150 recipes for everyday meals and celebrations. Each dish has been tested, enjoyed, and cherished by Cristina's family and friends, as well as by viewers of Cooking with Cristina--a series of cooking segments that aired on the OWN network (Oprah Winfrey Network).
Cristina's natural warmth, generosity, and creativity is preserved in every bite of these dishes--and this busy professional, wife, and mother shows how to shop, set up a pantry, and use cook once, eat twice recipes to make preparing and enjoying meals easy and fun.

My Review Comments:

What can I say, this is just a wonderful cookbook. I love to cook and this book is so well executed with ingredients that are not hard to find. The images and the presentation of the food are breath taking and it will make you want to entertain and host a party and feel at ease. It has some unique recipes from her Italian background and some Greek recipes from her husband’s background. To me is great that she was able to combine the two different cultures in one cookbook. I not only will turn to this cookbook and use it as a great resource, but I will proudly display it in my kitchen. For anyone that loves to cook or loves to collect cookbooks this is a must have to add to your collection.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon




*** courtesy of Random House

Synopsis

In Turgeon's surprisingly dark retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, two women pine for the affections of a prince: mermaid Lenia, who pulls Prince Christopher from the sea, and Margrethe, the princess of the rival kingdom, who witnesses the rescue from the convent where she hides from the war raging between their two kingdoms. Lenia, who falls instantly in love with the prince, sacrifices the sea, her voice, and her health to be with him on dry land. Meanwhile, Margrethe believes that marrying the prince would unite their kingdoms, but when she arrives to arrange it, she finds him already enraptured with Lenia. While he remains unaware that the girl he loves is also the mermaid who saved him, Margrethe recognizes her rival immediately and puts into motion a plan to send the ailing mermaid back to the sea and save her own ravaged kingdom. Turgeon has done a superb job of creating compelling characters and conflict from a story already familiar to readers.

My Review Comments:

This is a summer beach read for anyone that wants to escape into a classic twist of a fairytale style book. I really enjoyed the concept of two different worlds colliding. This book is told from the dual perspectives of Princess Margrethe and Mermaid Princess Lenia. In this way she is able to place you right into the emotions of both of the main characters and truly see things from their perspectives regarding Prince Christopher. It is magical in the description of life under the sea and life above land. As all fairy tales do, this one has a moral. You will learn the pitfalls of selfishness and the virtue of selflessness. There is also an element of spiritually concerning souls and afterlife. If you grew up reading Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales as I did, you will love the adult version by this author.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Mailbox Monday



The Silver Bowl by: Luanne Rice
book courtesy: Penguin House


The Beach Trees by Karen White
book courtesy: Penguin Group


Slow Dancing on Price's Pier by Lisa Dale
book courtesy: Berkley Publishing Group


Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris
book courtesy: The Author