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Books On My Table

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I’m a lover of books and my choices are eclectic, depending upon my mood. I like a well-written story with action and thrills as well as those lighter stories with laughter and food–yes, even chocolate. Every now and then, I put together my list of entertaining books that I thoroughly enjoyed—some authors I sampled for the first time while others are like old friends.

If Dark Chocolate Demise, by Jenn McKinlay, doesn’t have you reaching for a delicious cupcake, then your snack-o-meter must be on the fritz!  Scottsdale, Arizona is doing its first “Annual Zombia Walk” and the Fairy-Tale Cupcakes crew, including baker, Melanie Cooper and  business partner/best friend, Angie DeLaura  are enthusiastically joining in the fun, providing the fancy cupcakes and a real coffin. But the fun becomes a nightmare when a real body, looking like one of their own, is discovered in the coffin. With the love-of-her-life, Joe DeLaura, staying away while prosecuting a high-profile Mafia boss, the realities of a Mafia boss’s revenge could be the real-deal. While Joe orders his numerous brothers to keep Mel safe, she charges ahead by baking her fairy Tale Cupcakes for her shop. With so much happening, Mel strives to ignore her numerous cupcake-eating-body-guards, does her best to de-stress and attempts to untangle her mixed-up love-life. Helped along by goodies like Dark Chocolate Demise, Marshmallow Mummies and Vanilla Eyeballs, Mel, Angie and her loyal crew eventually find the killer Zombie and their happy ending. This is my first Jenna McKinlay mystery but definitely not my last. Besides enjoying every cupcake crumb and calories, this cosy has a solid story, surprise twist and very likeable characters. Dark Chocolate Demise has the added bonus of some mouth-watering recipes to bake and nibble while enjoying this light-hearted read.

Nicola Furlong’s book Heartsong, is the first of the Sisterhood of Shepherds series chronicling the friendships, lives. loves and struggles of sisters Faith, Hope and Charly Shepherd.  Heartsong is Charly’s story of rebuilding the family nursery after a devastating storm wreaked its havoc on all the young stock. Fiercely independent, Charly must learn to accept help, even if it’s from her well-meaning, brown-thumbed brother-in-law who has yet to find his niche in early retirement. In the midst of the ups and downs of running a family nursery, the Shepherd patriarch reveals he has a secret—a promise made decades ago that he wants to fulfill before he dies. Nicola has written an inspirational tale that shows family is everything; love, loyalty and honour are unbreakable bonds. It is also a story of heartache, redemption, faith and new discoveries including the destiny of the Shepherd sisters on “Project Heartsong.” Besides being a well-known Canadian writer who loves chocolate, Nicola is also an avid gardener who knows her plants. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, especially if it contains another fabulous recipe like “Charly Shepherd’s Chunky Chocolate Cookies.”

Top Secret Twenty-One, by Janet Evanovich, has bounty hiunter, Stephanie Plum not only bringing back felons who skipped their court dates but is acting as mysterious Ranger’s assistant in hunting down an elusive and deadly Russian assassin. Both cases overlaps with Steph’s other assignments  and her boyfriend, Joe Morelli’s latest homicides. Somehow stuck with annoying Randy Briggs, the Trenton Hospital’s midget security guard, our fave bounty hunter dodges bullets, bombs and a pack of homeless Chihuahuas. While coping with all this, Stephanie muddles through Grandma Mazur’s bucket list which includes Joe’s scary Grandma Bella and a specific part of Ranger’s anatomy. Managing to escape the clutches of a killer. our fearless bounty hunter brings her felon to justice. But best of all, she gets to experience Morelli’s secret bucket list involving an egg-timer, a spoon and marshmallow fluff. Grab your copy of Top Secret Twenty One, a great any-time, light-hearted tale with plenty of laughter.

If you want something more with action, thrills and guaranteed to keep you reading through the night, then these stories will keep you turning the pages.

The Kill Switch by James Rollins, co-authored with Grant Blackwood, is the long awaited novel featuring Tucker Wayne and his loyal canine partner, Kane. Captain Wayne and his military dog, Kane, have been involved in Sigma Force assignments before but this is their first solo adventure showcasing the intelligence, abilities and stalwart teamwork of a military dog and his human partner. Completing one assignment of successfully protecting a Russian industrialist’s life,Tucker and Kane are assigned another task of bringing an arrogant Russian scientist, Abram Bukulov, back to America as quickly as possible. But no matter where they go, someone is betraying their whereabouts and they are relentlessly hunted by a team of deadly assassins, controlled by a mysterious Russian general bent on revenge and power. The Kill Switch is a heart-pounding thriller as on lyJames Rollins and Grant Blackwood can create—writing with real-time knowledge, up-to-date research plus a deep understanding of world politics and power. If you start this book, be sure you have no appointments or social engagements to interfere with a darn good story about a man, his almost human dog, a travelogue of lesser-known places they traverse and the evil people lurking behind public faces.

Don Easton is a former RCMP undercover operative who knows the criminal world extremely well. The Benefactor begins with the apparent accidental traffic death of a 75-year old woman until a closer look at the car links it to an organized Asian crime syndicate.. Undercover operative, Jack Taggart and his partner Laura Secord, once again dives into the gritty Vancouver criminal underworld—only this time, they uncover how extensive Chinese spies have set their tentacles uncovering both industrial secrets as well as the complex world of computer hacking of highly classified government files. Easton’s books have always been realistically entertaining as his characters are believable and the scenarios are right out of today’s headlines. He definitely knows his topics and has clearly lived through some of the hair-raising episodes. For exciting escapism and a darn good read, grab your copy of The Benefactor today.

Rick Molina is another writer who can take today’s headlines and build a credible story—Full Tilt is such a story. A young woman, burned beyond recognition and desperate to escape from whoever confined her, manages to gasp, “There are others” before she dies.  A search of the area where the fire began leads to the discovery of another body and a pendant, battered and charred but recognizable as a guardian angel.  Years ago, Kate Page and her little sister were each given a guardian angel pendant by their Mom. A devastating car accident plunges the car they were in into the river where 7-year old Kate desperately tried to hold onto her 4-year old sister’s hand, but the pull of the currents was too strong for young Kate and Vanessa was swept away..  Years later, a police enquiry about the angel pendant renews hope that somehow Vanessa survived. Now a leading journalist and single Mom to a young daughter, Kate begins an investigation of her own, wanting to believe that her sister is still alive. Readers are shown two sides of the story—the pain-staking and often heart-breaking police investigation as well as the traumatic ordeal of a sister, searching for her missing sib. It is an unbelievably sick psychotic who can patiently stalk and capture young women for his collection and enjoyment. It takes a certain calibre of writing to make this story believable and scary without sensationalizing it.  This is my first Rick Molina and it won’t be my last, but you will definitely want to keep a close eye on your daughters. . . .

Jayne Ann Krenz’s, story Trust No One is an entertaining, fast-read on a genre Krenz does best—mystery suspense with a big dollop of romance.  When Grace Elland finds her dream niche of creative marketing and blogging on social medias for her boss, motivational guru. Sprague Witherspoon, she puts her past behind her. But it all comes roaring back when she finds her boss’s dead body and a vodka bottle near him. Her recurring nightmare returns with a vengeance and being on the suspect list has Grace fleeing back to her lakeside childhood home for some peace and tranquillity.  Instead she begins receiving email from her dead boss.  Being an optimistic person by nature, she endures an uncomfortable blind date with her neighbour, a rich, pessimistic venture capitalist, Julius Arkwright, whop begins to realize something is troubling Grace. Threatened and stalked by someone, Grace turns to Julius for help. Now united as a team after a botched mugging, the pair make a list of potential suspects. With Julius’s mantras”Trust no one” and “Everyone has a personal agenda,” Grace stumbles onto the truth the same time Julius realizes who is behind everything.  Jayne Ann Krenz doesn’t disappoint. Trust No One is a suspenseful read with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.

Okay—that’s my list of entertaining books by writers who know how to grab your attention and hold it captive.  Let me know how you like these.

Happy Mother’s Day

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I got in this “Mom” thing late in life. By the time I met my Hubby, his son was almost 18 and at a sort of rebellious age. T knew his own mind, had definite ideas about his Dad’s love-life, was finding his own independence and buried himself by working on his numerous cars–one at a time, of course–while hanging-out with his friends and girlfriend.

I wasn’t into being anyone’s “step-mom” and figured I simply had a nice friendship with someone I liked; who had decidedly different ideas on leisure activities; who trusted me to navigate the unfamiliar streets of Vancouver to visit his family and who was brave enough to continue ballroom dancing with a partner who had 2 left feet to begin with and still had 2-left feet when we finished our classes. When J finally popped the question, there was no hesitation in accepting as we had known each other for a few years. By then, the thought of having a 21 year old step-son was not as daunting as I had first thought. T had evolved into a responsible and kind adult. While J and I enjoyed our engagement period which became a lengthy one, T married his high-school sweetheart and started a family.

The day I married T’s Dad, I officially became wife, step-mom and grandma to a 2-1/2 year old grandson and an 8-month old granddaughter.

Today, my two older grandchildren are hard-working, responsible young adults who have definite goals in life. My two younger grandchildren are active little girls who love everything in their world including their big brother and big sister.

Moms have a tough job. They deal with not only all the good positive stuff of motherhood but also the negative stuff like colds, flu and stuff kids get into as well as the day-to-day running of an active household. And for many others, there’s juggling in a full-time job as well. When Mom-job and day job collide, she manages to deal with both while keeping calm and relatively sane.

I feel very blessed to be a step-mom and grandma on Mother’s Day. I got here the easy route and appreciate what Moms go through. To all the Moms out there, know you are doing a great job. To all the Grandmas out there, you know you have done a terrific job when you look at the happy faces of your grandchildren. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you–give yourself a well-deserved pat-on-the-back!

The Luck of the Scoop

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When we were kids, I remember how we would scrupulously check our cookies to see if a sib had a bigger cookie or one with more raisins, nuts or chocolate chips. There would inevitably be a noisy outburst of “He/She has more raisins, nuts or chocolate chips in his/her cookie than I do.”  Mom would just sigh and say, “It’s the luck of the scoop—no one has more stuff in their cookie. And, all the cookies are the same size. It’s the scoopful of dough and you just have to live with it or forget about having a cookie.”

As we grew older and hopefully wiser, Mom’s words, the “luck of the scoop” stayed with me.  After all, that’s what Life is all about. It’s not just choosing that right fork in the road but the luck of the scoop that includes the good things and not-so-good things tucked in there. And, those scoops of Life includes any choices we make along the way—supported by our knowledge, bolstered by our experiences and pushed along by our impulses and Lady Fortune’s smiles.

An Open Letter to Pigs (And Other Picky Eaters)

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evanatiello's avatarEva Lesko Natiello

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photo by David Merrett

Dear Pigs,

By the way, may I call you that? Pigs? It’s meant with the utmost respect, and after all, it is your name. Believe me, pig. I’ve never used your name in vain when referring to perverts or sleazeballs. I don’t know who started that. Uncool. Nor have I ever said, “Go clean up, you filthy pig!” to either of my kids or my husband. Even that time when they were so foul I wouldn’t let them in the house without hosing off in the backyard first. I’ve read that elephants and rhinos are much dirtier than pigs, but the dirtiest of all, obviously, is the dung beetle. Just so you know, whenever possible I do correct people by saying, “Go clean up, you filthy dung beetle!”

Okay, that’s not why I’m writing you. I need to talk to you about the state of pigs…

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Scrubs

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Thank you for writing such a great post on being a Writer. I have reblogged you on chocofigbee.com

From The Laundry Room's avatarFROM THE LAUNDRY ROOM

I am a writer.

When asked, upon meeting someone new, “What do you do?” these four words are tough for me.  Lately, I’ve been wondering why.

“I am a writer,” sounds silly, whimsical, not quite, “I’m a circus performer,” but close.  They are fine words, even great, when I am in front of my computer, or when I close my eyes at night and wonder what the hell I’m doing.  I tell myself, “I am a writer.”  It’s what I do, but it doesn’t seem to ring glorious and confident out in the world, the real word.

The declaration, “I’m a writer,” is often met with, “Ah…” or “Really!?”

See?  Sort of the circus performer or the ballerina response.

After the initial surprise, the next step is what I call The Legitimizer.  People need to know if I am really a writer, a legitimate writer, and that always revolves around…you guessed it.

“Are…

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Almost April and Shorts

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The old adage, “Time is wasted on the young” makes tons more sense to me now than when I was in my 20s.  Back then, Time seemed to drag forever, especially on slow work days and when there was someplace exciting to be when the work day was over. Now it seems, Time is racing and even though obstacles and barriers are placed in its path, nothing and no one will slow its progress.

Checking my calendar, I suddenly focused on the fact that March is sprinting for the finish line and morphing into April–a super month of warmer sunshine, that colourful blast of more bountiful blooms in the gardens and best of all, less clothing. By less clothing, I’m thinking, stash away the heavy sweaters and winter coats–bring on the light jackets and short sleeve tops. The weather here may be warmer but it’s still too fickle deciding upon rain or sun, so only a hardy few are showing off by wearing tees, shorts and sandals. Did I mention that the few hardy souls have buff bodies and legs that go on forever?

Being short has its disadvantages. When I wear my shorts, what you see is all the leg view you’ll get. And that segues nicely into my next thought—I am on a searching-for-the-right-shorts mission. Like searching for the right bathing suit, finding the right pair of shorts can be quite daunting. Many are designed for itty-bitty waists and have enough spandex to lock a body into a highly contained package guaranteed not to pop open with a strategically placed zipper/button/snap in the right location. When the right body slithers into it and zips/buttons/snaps it closed, it looks spectacular–everything fits as it should and the person wearing it can still breathe quite normally. The length is short enough so that the wearee cannot bend over unless she wants to be arrested. There is still room enough to insert a tiny hand into the tiny front or side pockets.

My ideal pair of shorts must have an elasticized waistband with no zippers, buttons or snaps to worry about. It definitely has to have two deep side or front pockets for snacks, parking meter money, cellphone, keys and hanky. It has to be short enough to be called “shorts” and when I bend over, I’m definitely safe from being arrested for indecent exposure. AND my perfect shorts has to look good,  feel good and be in my favourite colour.  Simple, right?

I did find my ideal version of the perfect shorts but it was in the big ladies department. The small could fit me quite comfortably in one leg hole. Okay–back to my mission.  This may take my entire Spring/Summer.  Hmm-mm, where did I pack away my fave pair of faded denim shorts from last year? After all, it took me 10 years to have it “seasoned” with that faded, slightly ripped, holey look and best of all, it still fits!

Spring Has Sprung

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It seems that 90% of Canada is suffering through the worst Winter ever with blankets of snow and ice and blizzard conditions, while here in the “Banana Belt” of Canada, we have had an early Spring since late January.

My hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, situated at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, is enjoying a notably mild and warm Winter. Our only complaint in January were the days of cold and damp, often accompanied by that pesky rain–either spitting, drizzling or a horrendously heavy downpour—alternating with a day or two of sunshine. By early February, the downpours became light drizzles and the first of the early bulbs were poking their green shoots above ground. By mid-February, the mini-daffodils, the snowdrops, the crocuses: buttery yellow, creamy whites and gorgeous purples were taking over boulevards and front yards. By late February and the first week of March, the plum trees, the ornamental cherry trees and the magnificent bulbous heads of the pink and cream magnolias were colouring the boulevards and gardens. Now we are at mid-March and already a blizzard of pink and white blossoms have drifted onto lawns and sidewalks.

My friend, Jane Wilson’s recent blog titled “The Bulbs Know” found at:

https://janephillipsonwilson.wordpress.com/2015/03/07the-bulbs-know/  describes her wistful hopes for an early Spring and I fervently wish her an early one too. Other bloggers have noticed the new growth of blossoms and blooms in their neck-of-the-woods, so we know that Life does march on and the seasons will pass from a cold, gray Winter to a sparkling Spring.

I love Spring and its promise of new life, new beginnings and new challenges —after all, it is Spring that brings fresh starts and new hope everywhere.

Birthdays

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Recently celebrating a significant birthday  had me thinking some serious thoughts. One sobering thought being that birthdays are annual markers measuring significant stages of our lives. I hadn’t thought about birthdays much—it was just an event that I celebrated with family and good friends.

At one stage of my young life, I felt seriously ripped that my birthday happened right after New Year’s. How awful was that? By the time Christmas flew past and then the excitement of celebrating the New Year, along came my birthday which everyone felt too pooped to celebrate back then. Of course, now that I’m a mature and responsible adult with mature and responsible adult friends, logic flies out the window. We celebrate anything but if there’s someone’s birthday, then that’s a reason for party, cake and chocolates.

I can honestly say that I have never celebrated my birthday with such gusto and enthusiasm as I have these past few years. Blame it on the aftermath of Christmas and New Year’s. I like January because we also celebrate Chinese New Year’s at the end of the month depending upon the Chinese calendar. This year, however, Chinese New Year was later as it fell on February 19th, the Year of the Ram. But when it falls in January, the whole month is mine because Chinese New Year runs for two whole weeks—none of this one day celebration for us!

What’s really interesting is that the very young and the elderly are not at all bashful about disclosing their age. Being older is a badge of honour.

My little granddaughter will be 4 on February 28th. If you ask her how old she will be, she will gaze at you with her blue eyes, flash her dimples and proudly declare that she is “sebben.”  That happens to be her older sister’s age. At least I always thought it was but I’ve been corrected as Big Sis informed me, “I’m 8, Po-Po. I was 8 in August.” Whatever happened to my plump little brown-eyed cutie-pie?

My Mom has always been very private about disclosing her age to anyone other than her taxman and her doctor. When Mom moved to her seniors’ apartment and met her many neighbours, it was quite a revelation as all the ladies were eager to disclose their ages—after all, a number were already in their late 90s and four ladies ranged in age from 101 to 104. Mom’s older sister recently celebrated her 95th and her sister-in-law celebrated her 97th last October. Now my very private mother is telling her table-mates that she will be 90 in August.

With two aunts well in their 90s and my Mom almost there, I hope I’ll be blessed with longevity too—barring heart attacks, diabetes, the dreaded falls, the big “C” and whatever else lurks out there. Of course, there’s always the runaway truck/car/train or that big earthquake that’s long overdue on the West Coast or any number of events or other health crisis that may fall. BUT I’m not going to let the “what-ifs” stop me from enjoying my Life to the fullest. My wise Dad use to say, “If your number’s called, then you have to go. Just do everything you ever wanted to do before your number comes up!”

Thanks Dad–I’m finally listening. I’m grabbing Life by the coat-tails and not letting go.  .  .  .

Dark Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

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I have this mad passion for dark chocolate covered marshmallow hearts. You know—the after-the-holiday-is-over ones. They’re tossed in a basket and sold  2-for-1 since the store has to clear them in a hurry in time for the next chocolate marshmallow event, which is Easter.

The after-the-holiday-is-over chocolate marshmallows are the best. Of course, they are also called leftovers, but I prefer the term “aged.”  I get several “fixes” a year—the dark chocolate covered marshmallow hearts in February followed by the chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies and/or eggs for Easter. Sometimes, Halloween has the chocolate marshmallow witches while Christmas produces the chocolate marshmallow Santas. Natch, it has to be dark chocolate and since they’ve been around a while, the marshmallow has that chewy texture, not that airy, soft marshmallow that seems more egg whites and sugar than the slightly more set and chewy ones.

Chinese New Year hasn’t figured out the dark chocolate and chewy marshmallow treats yet. Instead we have these molasses Buddha and astrological animal’ shaped cookies; chewy deep-fried Chinese donuts with the red bean or lotus filling and the crispy, braided sesame mini-bread sticks—all of which are very good but they’re not dark chocolate over marshmallows.

On my Friday morning grocery run, I saw the basket of dark chocolate covered marshmallow hearts leftover from Valentine’s. Perfect! Grabbling a fistful and pretending they were for my grandkids, I contemplated in the car whether I should eat one on the drive home or wait.  Hey, marshmallow hearts wait for no man or woman when it’s screaming to be eaten now!  And yes, it was perfectly “aged”—tasty dark chocolate, chewy marshmallow and a mouth that wanted more. . . . . .

Love

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annettealaine's avatarIn Transition

Love is not perfect or pristine,

it’s not flowers or candy,

fancy gifts, or diamond rings.

Love is~

messy and sometimes dirty

it’s in the rough week at work

and the cough drops  purchased late at night,

it’s a buttercup picked on the side of the road,

and a bracelet made of clover blossoms,

placed on your wrist with a tender kiss.

©annettealaine 2015

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