Book Chatter

I haven't chatted about books in quite awhile. Haven't been reading all that much, although I've wanted to it just hasn't happened. That's what happens when you have a new dog in your house.
Actually I'm really ready for a week off -I know- I've only been back to school for 8 weeks but I am already feeling kind of burnt out.  I am teaching 3 totally different classes- the prep work keeps me jumping! Plus a new dog at home, and some health issues with my 85 year old mom. Way too much to deal with. I will say this month is flying right by-it will be Thanksgiving break time before I know it. I really like that weekend-so much less demanding than Christmas!  Actually, November is usually  a pretty quiet month-plus I have a fun weekend road trip planned which always breaks things up.
Anyhow, back to books!
Recent Readings:

This book was enjoyable. Its a series of articles from the LA Times that the author wrote while traveling for a year with his girlfriend. I like how it wasn't as much about the places but more about a different theme at each stop.

And this other book is really enjoyable. I don't know how much is actual family memoir and how much is author embellishment, but I've learned a lot about living in the Soviet Union from the start of that nation (when the Czar line ended and the Communists took over) through decades that follow until the author and her mother immigrated to the US. And its also about food. Anya von Bremzen has written some cookbooks that received A+ reviews. She also does a great job of character building. Her characters are pretty eccentric in ways too. Makes it lots of fun!

And I've added a few cookbooks to my cookbook obsession.

(If only I should cook half as  much as I read cookbooks.)

I love Joy Wilson's blog-Joy the Baker. This is her second cookbook, and I pre-ordered it because i loved her first cook book. (Joy the Baker). The first recipe I think I am going to try this weekend is her pineapple breakfast rolls, or maybe her blueberry pancake muffins. Or....she comes up with the most clever recipes. 

I give that cookbook a 5 star rating for all you bakers. Here's another 5 star book-a little more highbrow in set up, but still, pretty nice.

Haven't tried anything from this book yet either. I like the recipes, and many of them look pretty homey and easy. There's nothing jumping out in my head that I really need to try, like the Joy Wilson book, but I will definitely try my hand at some of these. And if not, I really enjoyed reading this book.

And I've had this craving to pull out some children's book that I haven't read in years. Here's my latest. There's still a few hanging around from when my daughter was a little.

What have you been reading lately?