– by Neil White (on my Kindle) – a really, really interesting book. It’s a memoir about the year the author spent in prison in Louisiana. About his sanctimonious attitude when he arrived there (he was convicted of kiting checks trying to keep his publishing business afloat) and what he learns during his year. But as much as it’s about his life as a prisoner, it’s more about the other residents of the prison – the last remaining lepers (Hansen’s Disease) who are provided for in the facility. Neil White is quite a character and I wondered more than once if he was ever going to “get it,” that he was greedy and egotistical. The book wasn’t published for about 10 years after his release, so at least he didn’t profit immediately by telling tales. The epilogue was so sad – listing the deaths of many of the leprosy patients and some of the inmates he came to call friends. One person at amazon commented that it was not worth reading because the author profited from his incarceration, and that he didn’t appear to have redeemed himself. I disagree – I think he did. If he didn’t, then he knows how to spin a good yarn. I choose to believe he learned a whole lot about himself and where his life took a (wrong) left turn, and that he’s trying to atone for his failings by publishing the book. You decide.
- by P.D. James (on my Kindle) – if I hadn’t read about this book in the Los Angeles Times a week or so ago I’d never have pursued this book. It’s nothing even close to her wealth of books of the mystery genre. But yes, it IS a mystery (not something I normally read) but it takes place about 5 years after Pride and Prejudice leaves off. That was the hook for me. An entertaining read and a way to keep in touch with all the lovable (and not-so) characters from Jane Austen’s classic. It’s not a page-turner in the true mystery-murder style, but it’s fun to read.
– by Judith Ryan Hendricks – I picked up this book at a lending library I use now and then. I have to laugh, though – the collection of books (probably numbering about 350 or so) is divided by paperback and hardback. And then by color. COLOR? I find that so ludicrous. But anyway, the title caught my eye. It’s definitely a novel, about a youngish woman who’s been a baker and a chef, but who is suddenly single. It’s about her struggle to find herself, to find a new rhythm of life. In the telling of the journey some recipes are included (baked goods, including bread-bread), which are available on the 
– by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) – most everyone who reads blogs knows about Ree – the Pioneer Woman, from Pawhuska, Oklahoma. She’s always entertaining, whimsical and enjoyable to read. A couple of years ago she wrote a memoir of her romance with Ladd, her now husband. I can’t count how many times, as I was reading this, that I was LOLing (Laughing Out Loud). She is such a witty writer and knows how to tell a story. Even though I know she married Ladd and has since had 4 children, I was caught up in her story from the first page. I wrote it up in more detail on
– (on my Kindle) Michael Tucker (from L.A. Law some years ago) and his wife, on a whim almost, buy a home in Umbria. An old, old, old house with two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, I think, and a nice terrace (where a lot of living goes on in Italian homes and families). It’s the story of the purchase itself, the friends they meet, the neighbors, how Michael finds the best butcher(s), bakers and candlestick makers. It made me long for another trip to Italy, actually. They enlarge the home, although they’re not there for most of the construction. It’s a similar tale to Frances Mayes’ books and Peter Mayle’s books too, but it’s different. Tucker is a TV star; his wife’s a stage actress. They live on some higher plane than I do, for sure, with lots of friends with connections. But it’s a cute story and I enjoyed it clear to the end.
(Stacy Schiff); 
; and 
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It was some years ago I was reading some recipes at egullet.com. And I ran across this recipe. Naturally, the title gave me pause. Huh? Well, if you click over to egullet you can read the story yourself. And it was the story behind it that got me to print out the recipe at all. But you don’t have to – here is what it says . . .
Linda was married for many years to an utter and total cad. When they had been married for about 10 years, her MIL [mother-in-law] shared with her The Totally Secret Family Recipe for some da—ed salad dressing with the admonition “this recipe will NEVER go outside the family; do you understand.” Actually, the dressing was quite good (a lot of anchovies and garlic).
Anyway, some years after the sharing of said recipe, the Total and Utter Cad got worse and worse and worse and it was divorce court (he had 9 other women on the leash). Lots of fiscal stuff involved, and actually, the Total and Utter Cad ended up going to jail (fraud), but his parents still blamed her.
The first thing she did was distribute said recipe to every person she had ever met. She said it felt almost better than the day in court.
Linda’s friend wrote up the recipe and published it on egullet. So, it’s all these years later and I’d never gotten around to making this dressing . . . until the other day. I had all the ingredients (well, I didn’t have tarragon vinegar, but I used basil vinegar instead). You do need to use sturdy lettuce for this salad – the dressing is very thick – in the best sense of the word I tell you it’s kind of like sludge in its viscosity. I actually added just a tiny slurp more oil to the blender because I could hardly get it to . . . well, blend. Pour it into a container and let it chill overnight. Do not use it immediately because the flavor won’t develop until the next day. Take the dressing out of the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before you need to use it. It’s kind of hard to know how much dressing to use – I start off with a scoop of it (smaller than I think I need) and toss and toss and toss and add more once I taste it. You kind of have to mash the lettuce around to get the dressing to spread. But it’s worth the effort. We liked it. I haven’t tried it with low-fat cream cheese . . . might be an idea to see whether it made any difference. Anyway, if you try it, think about Linda, who got her revenge!
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Divorce Salad Dressing
Recipe: submitted from a user at egullet.com
Servings: 36
6 slices thick-sliced bacon — chopped
4 small anchovy fillets — drained
1/4 cup green onion — minced
8 ounces cream cheese — softened
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup tarragon vinegar
3 cloves garlic — peeled, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Fry the bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Crumble the bacon and reserve.
2. Mince up the green onion, including some of the dark green tops and set aside.
3. In a blender combine the anchovies, cream cheese, oil, vinegar and garlic. Puree until smooth. My addition: If mixture is too thick, add a tiny bit more oil. Pour the dressing into a refrigerator container and stir in the bacon and onions. Chill the dressing overnight to allow flavors to develop. Serve on a salad with sturdy greens like Romaine.
Per Serving: 90 Calories; 9g Fat (92.5% calories from fat); 1g Protein; trace Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 9mg Cholesterol; 69mg Sodium.
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