Two For The Road by Ekta R. Garg

First off, if you haven’t read any “Stories in Pairs” before please be so kind as to go read my review of  Two for the Heart in which I explain how “Stories in Pairs” works (and review two of her other works as well, so really, this is a three-for book review sort of post – and you’re welcome for that). It is a neat concept but it does need a bit of explanation.

Click over here: -Two For the Heart by Ekta R. Garg-

Now that you’ve got an idea of the format I can tell you that after reading Two For the Road, I’m just as intrigued with these stories as I was with the earlier ones.

If the sign of a good story teller is to make you feel, “Whooo Boy,” then Garg is a good one! But in a way so subtle as to be surprising. The prose isn’t flowery, the stories aren’t fantastical, these are just people. People that could be you, or your neighbor, or the person on the bus. People told with such an honest simplicity that they can’t help but live on in your brain long after the story has been told.

If you look really closely at the tiny print on the cover you will see the reason I excitedly beat my husband awake the morning I received this book!

Would I recommend it? Yes I would. This is a different story telling format but I think it’s working!

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Close Up

Weekly Photo Challenge: Close Uppink day lilly

Close up, there are more colors, more curves, and the yellow of spilled pollen. Even so, it’s not a view I’m willing to trade for the whole flower:

P.S. I have an Instagram account now!

Love and Sloppy Joes

I made my kids sloppy joes.

This is a big deal.

This is an act that fully demonstrates my unending devotion to the little demons I have spawned.

Because sloppy joes are terrible.

I first discovered the terribleness of sloppy joes as a kid. Strangely enough it was shortly after I discovered that I liked sloppy joes. I, super picky eater of a kid, had just deemed them an edible food when I visited a friend and discovered the terrible truth.

All sloppy joes are not created equal.

Some of them are nothing more than a nasty mash of ground meat in tomato based substance (which I found palatable as a child because it was basically meat and white bread) but many rotten mothers hide vegetables in their sloppy joes. That’s right, vegetables hidden in what was thought to be delicious food. My faith in sloppy joes was shattered and never recovered.

But my hatred of making sloppy joes stems from more than just my childhood betrayal.  The real problem with making sloppy joes is the ketchup. It may be Un-American of me but I really hate ketchup. It’s not just that I dislike eating it. I’d really prefer not to smell it or have it touch me, or anything else within a 20 foot radius of me.

I seriously hate ketchup.

But I have girls who love ketchup. If they had their way everything would come with ketchup. Fortunately, they don’t have their way, they have my way. Because, in the monarchy that is our household, the queen refuses to deal with ketchup unless absolutely necessary.

This has resulted in a “sure kid, you can have ketchup with your hot dog but you have to be the one to touch the bottle and then you have to rinse your plate off when you are done before it goes in the dishwasher because I’m not getting near that evil substance” sort of policy.

I hear ketchup is made from tomatoes, I don’t find this to be at all plausible because tomatoes in all forms are quite palatable. Ketchup is not.

But…Ivy found a recipe all on her own for sloppy joes and asked nicely.  I shuddered as I read the amount of required ketchup and went to the grocery store for buns.

Because that’s how much I love my girls.

Then, because I do so love my children and regularly force them to eat things with asparagus and onions, I braved the ketchup and made them sloppy joes (without hidden veggies, because if I was going to make the stuff they were going to eat it!).

They looked nasty, they smelled worse, they brought back horrible memories of sneaky vegetable filled sloppy joes and the girls ate them all up and asked for seconds.

I cringed scooping up another sandwich but consoled myself with the knowledge that I had really showed my children how much I loved them, making them something special yet repulsive to me just because they are such good kids. Clearly this batch of slop should earn me extra special mom points and…

“Could you put extra ketchup on mine?”

What?!? Seriously? After all I’ve done!?!

I delivered the bottle to the table and backed away as Ivy applied more ketchup to her sandwich. Then Jane asked for ketchup, and a banana.

Kids, give them an inch and they try to take a mile. Clearly Jane was unsatisfied with the level of devotion I was showing and she’s going to stay that way.

The only food item that can compete with the horror of ketchup is the banana.

I love my children so much I made them sloppy joes, but there will be no bananas in the house while this queen is still ruling.

 

 

Eli’s Coming by Darcia Helle

The best aspect of this book was it’s compelling realism. The characters followed up plot twists with reasonably legitimate actions and…

OK.

Fine.

It’s possible that the Native American Tribe with the inherited powers that allow them to manipulate people’s energy isn’t totally normal. But it’s set up so well! And this is a supernatural suspense sort of book, so you’ve got to have something.

But in this book there is life beyond the supernatural suspense, you know, strangely like real life.

When the non-powered girl falls for the mysterious, handsome man (who, of course, has powers), yes she becomes involved in the plot line. She’s important to the story but the book does not revolve wholly around her and that was a refreshing bit of sensible writing!

Would I recommend it? If supernatural suspense is your thing, absolutely!

If you love a good suspenseful book and are willing to go along with some supernatural energy manipulating powers for the sake of the excellent characters, pick this book up!

If you hate “weird stuff” and prefer not to read while holding your breath and can’t stand a bit of bloody murder even when it’s really well written, then this one might not be for you.

As for me, I saw this was subtitled “Chasing The Night – Book 1” and there’s nothing I like better than a new series to follow!

Rosie's Book Review team 1

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.

 

Did I Just Say What I Thought I Said? XIII

It’s not very often that the sight of a three year old vigorously shaking an old yogurt container in the front seat of the truck makes me panic.

But sometimes it does.

And sometimes that panic is accompanied with a frantic scream of:

“Stop shaking the pee!!!”

Because, when getting ready to transport a urine sample for one of the cats, that’s exactly what I say.

Thank you for joining me in the latest edition of “Did I Just Say What I Thought I Said?” in which I share things that I never would have guessed,

A) needed to be said in the first place,

B) that I would need to be the one to say them and

C) that I wouldn’t just be saying them, I’d be yelling them.

I’m thinking of adding a new feature, arguments I never thought I’d be on the losing side of.

First up, why when the goal is to see the pee it doesn’t help to shake the container of urine.  While I was assured that “next time” she won’t shake it. It’s true, shake a container of cat pee hard enough and you will get to see it.

 

 

 

 

 

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

When a family friend tried to tell me about the book he was reading but was laughing so hard I could understand nothing more than “squirrel” and “superhero” I thought I’d better investigate further. I gently removed the book from the hysterically laughing seven year old’s hands to check the title and author.

A new Kate DiCamillo?

Good thing I was on my way to the library!

As soon as the book was in my hands I started reading a few chapters to the girls each night before bed.

There were nights that instead of the kids settling down when I read to them they started giggling like maniacs and shouting, “Holy bagumba!” at each other. Incidentally, while that is certainly a positive reaction to a book it is a pretty poor set up for getting young girls to fall asleep.

There were nights that Ulysses the flying squirrel was melting Flora the cynics heart, weightier issues than sprinkle donuts (and poetry) were being discussed and the giggles were more subdued.

And every night left them asking for “Just one more chapter!”

Would I recommend it? The girls liked it. “Holy bagumba!” is a new phrase in our house and I, hater of childish vocabulary, was happy to have my tongue trip over words like obfuscate and malfeasance! It’s silly and it’s sweet and you should read it to your kids just so you don’t miss out on the fun yourself!

Sunset Storm

I stood at the edge of the orchard, facing the southern sky, surrounded by the buzz and bite of mosquitoes and watched. Slapped mosquitoes and watched some more.  storm

 

As I fed mosquitoes the whole impressive show slid by, the sun set and I turned and headed back to my dark house.

The storm just before this one was more of a direct hit. No major damage but it’s been over two hours now and our power still hasn’t recovered!

Problem Solver

Jane looked at me, strawberry ice-cream ear to ear and neck to nose and said, “Mom, will you lick my nose off?”

Unperturbed with getting “no” for answer she took her sweaty little hand, smeared it all up and down her face, over her nose, held it out and said, “Well, then will you lick my hand?”

Then, still un-bothered by my refusal to lick anything, promptly wiped off her sticky hands on her car seat, gave me the half eaten, and now unwanted, ice cream cone and ran off to play.Jane at the top of the slide

 

So you see, it’s really not so bad that I forgot the napkins.

I was just helping Jane exercise her problem solving skills.