(by Kate Morton, on my Kindle); several generations of women pepper this book with the story of their lives. It all revolves around a young girl who arrives on a pier in Australia in 1912 with no papers, no family. Nothing except a small white suitcase with little concrete information about her past. She’s four years old and keeps silent about what little she knows. Her story starts there, but then it jumps forward to 2005 when her granddaughter inherits a house in Cornwall (England), purchased by the grandmother and kept secret until after her death. There’s some secrecy going on with all the women. Then the story jumps back to 1975 when the grandmother is a middle-aged woman and you hear part of her story. Much of the book revolves around a walled garden at this house in Cornwall, and how it relates to the “big house” where the grandmother lived some of her early years. It’s quite a complex web of a family saga. I liked it, although each new chapter jumped to a different time, and it’s not until the last 10 pages or so that everything resolves. Good read.
(by Karen Harper, on my Kindle); this one is about a young girl from an impoverished family who is taken to Court and eventually becomes a playmate/governess to Elizabeth I (the story is based on fact, but is a novel). The two girls grow up together. It tells the story of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth I’s mother) and others of the court at that time, the intrigues, the murders, the beheadings, and the perseverance of all of the potential kings and queens. Fascinating story, particularly since we visited Castle Howard where where a small part of Henry VIII’s story transpires.
(by Julie Orringer, on my Kindle) too; a riveting story about a young Hungarian Jew who goes to Paris to study architecture, just before the start of WW II. He manages to scrape together enough money to eat, but barely, falls in love with an older woman, yet his work comes to the attention of some of the school’s teachers. He’s one of only a handful of Jews at the school. Then the Nazis begin invading. And the story goes into plenty of detail about the hardships, the imprisonments and eventual deaths of many of his friends and family. I could hardly put it down, though. Heart-wrenching, however.
– by Alison Weir (paperback from Costco). I was expecting this book to be along the same genre as Philippa Gregory’s novels – honing in on a particular English royal woman – telling her story in novel form. This is not one of those types. It’s non-fiction, and tells the factual story of Katherine Swynford, who eventually became the Duchess of Lancaster. But her journey from young bride to Hugh Swynford (this takes place in the 1300′s) to the Duchess is bursting with intrigue as she was John of Gaunt’s mistress for some time (eventually he married her when she was 46 (certainly an advanced age for that century), which caused all kinds of royal scandal). In that period of history no one related to royalty married for love. It was all about family, bearing many children to inherit land and wealth, to fight for the king, to maintain title and fortune. The Duchess’ children eventually became the House of Tudor (King Henry VII). Katherine Swynford was both reviled (because of her immoral behavior) and loved (by nearly everyone who knew her). Alison Weir is obviously a stickler for research – the footnotes comprise over 40 pages of fine print. She paints a different picture of this woman than was done by Anya Seton in her world-famous novel 
, first published in 1954. I was infatuated with that novel – it was one of my all-time favorites. But it’s a romance, and apparently many of the supposed facts – well, aren’t. Life in those times were not romantic. This Alison Weir book is not exactly easy reading; it’s almost like reading a textbook. But it’s fascinating and I’m enjoying it very much.
– by Jack Finney (paperback); read for one of my book clubs. Written in the 1940′s it was a runaway hit back then. An early look at time travel. It’s about a U.S. government experiment in the 1960′s (this is fiction, remember), sending a selected few men back to the 1880′s in New York City. They were told to observe. Not to change anything. To be unnoticeable. Yet one of the young men, just couldn’t quite do that (of course, otherwise there wouldn’t be a story!). It’s his adventure you read. The writer is a master at description. The reader feels transported to that time. Our book club really enjoyed it. Generally I’m not into that kind of book at all, but I found the book fascinating. There is a sequel as well, called From Time to Time.
— autobiography by Laura Bush (hardback from Costco). What a delightful read. It’s not about politics. It’s about Laura’s journey from her young years growing up in Midland, Texas to loving parents, to college grad to school teacher, librarian, to meeting George, whom she barely knew even though they grew up in the same small town, then marrying him. She didn’t come naturally to being a public speaker, but did it, to help her husband. I enjoyed reading about her early years more than the years at the White House. Much of that part was about all the social events required of the President and First Lady. Still interesting, though. I enjoyed the book very much.
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Looks like guacamole, doesn’t it? Wrong. It’s a smooth, unctuous spoon-able soup. Lovely on a hot, summer evening, in small glasses with some crushed tortilla chips on top and a little sprig of cilantro. It was VERY easy to make in the food processor. You just have to have some ripe avocados and some buttermilk. Very delicious.
Our neighbors gave us a bag of about 8-9 avocados – what a treasure! With avos costing upwards of $2 apiece, I was thrilled. I considered making avocado butter, an appetizer I’m fond of, but soup sounded more interesting. I looked up a few recipes, but nothing sounded just right, so I made up my own. I combined fresh garlic and salt in the food processor and let it sit while I gathered up the avos, limes, buttermilk, a green onion, seasonings (including cumin), champagne vinegar, cilantro and I crushed up some tortilla chips for garnish. I added extra salt, a little bit more buttermilk to get it the right consistency, some pepper and it was done. It chilled for a few hours, then I spooned it (carefully, I might add) into the little 4-ounce glasses I have that make a perfect hand-held appetizer. Even if you haven’t received a free stash of avocados, this soup is worth making.
Avocado Chilled Soup
Recipe By: My own concoction
Serving Size: 10
3/4 teaspoon salt — or more to taste
1 large clove garlic — minced
3 whole avocados
3 tablespoons lime juice — (about 2 limes)
3 cups buttermilk — or more if needed (I use low-fat buttermilk)
1 whole green onion — chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne — or other hot ground chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon champagne vinegar — or more to suit your taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro — chopped, plus extra for garnish
1/2 cup tortilla chips — crushed, for garnish
1. In the bowl of a food processor combine the garlic and salt. Puree until the garlic is finely ground. Allow it to rest while you gather the other ingredients.
2. Peel the avocados and drop them into the workbowl, then add the lime juice, salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, green onion, white wine vinegar and fresh cilantro. Blend briefly.
3. Add half the buttermilk, then continue to blend the mixture until it’s smooth. Add remaining buttermilk and puree again. Taste for seasoning. The mixture may need more salt and more lime juice. Adjust seasonings to suit your palate. If the soup is too thick, add more buttermilk or milk until it’s the consistency you think is right.
4. Chill the soup, then pour out into short glasses or bowls and garnish with crushed tortilla chips, a few sprigs of cilantro and a spoon. The soup is somewhat thick, so guests will want to use a spoon to get it all. Do serve small servings, as the soup is rich. And use it up within a day or so. It kept fine (the color) for 24 hours.
Per Serving: 189 Calories; 13g Fat (58.5% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3mg Cholesterol; 306mg Sodium.
One year ago: Simple Summer Squash
Two years ago: Lemony Green Salad
Three years ago: Meatloaf with Sweet and Sour Sauce (my old standby)
. I’d made a copy of the recipe and stuck it in my to-try book, and thought it would be appropriate for a large-group gathering. It could be made ahead (I did it the day before) and it’s supposed to be served at room temperature anyway.
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