Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Rate: 4 Stars
Age: 8 and up

I have had many people recommend this book to me and I have kept putting it off because it just didn't sound like a book that would be my thing.  It finally took my niece literally shoving the book into my hands for me to read it, and I'll admit, it still took a few weeks for me to actually pick it up.

From a grammatical point of view this book is superbly written! (except for one section where nothing is capitalized and there are no quotations for when people are speaking...)  As far as the plot goes, I am still trying to figure that out.  I understand the point of the book now, but for me it was slow moving and a little confusing how they kept jumping from different perspectives. 

The pinnacle of the book for me was towards the end when the middle school director gives a speech.  I was misty eyed through the whole part, and his speech alone is what brought me up to 4 stars.  The emphasis is on choosing to be kinder than necessary and that is actually a goal that I am working on with myself and my children.  Every night in our family prayers we ask for help in being kinder, we have for years, and because of his speech at the end...this book will now be one that I read to my children here in a few short years to teach them about both acceptance of differences, and for the huge emphasis on kindness.

This book is appropriate for all ages, there is no questionable content or language.  This is a fast read with very short chapters that have just enough humor and intenseness to keep young readers attention.

Chicken and Rice Salad

Chicken and Rice Salad

Growing up, this was one of the only ways to get me to eat rice.  This make ahead salad is cold, creamy, and tangy.  It's hard to stop eating it once you start.  I made a few modifications to this recipe, my grandma's recipe calls for water chestnuts....no thank you.  If you choose, you can add a 4oz can, it's up to you.

Ingredients:

1 cup Dry White Rice  (Cook according to package directions)
1/4 cup Salad Oil
1T White Vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

Combine cooked rice with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

3 Green Onions thinly sliced
1/2 cup Green, Yellow or Red Bell Pepper, chopped*
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
1/3 cup + 1T Mayo
1/3 cup + 1T Miracle Whip
1T Lemon Juice
3 Cups Cooked and Cooled, Diced Chicken

Combine all remaining ingredients with the rice mixture. and chill until ready to serve.  This tastes great with fresh garden vegetables like tomato's or cucumbers.

* The recipe calls for Green Peppers, I use Yellow for 2 reasons.  One, I like them better since they are sweeter.  Two, My daughters actually eat them without a fuss.  Use whichever you prefer.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

3 Stars
Age: 17 and up

To sum this book up, it was kind of strange...but yet I liked it.  To me it took the fey world to a different level.

The story is told from several perspectives which I didn't care for, but everything comes together decently.  I don't think I will continue the series though.

Content:  Not much casual swearing, the F-bomb is dropped twice and Christ's name is used in vain once.  There is a lot of talk about and illusions to sex, but nothing graphic.  I'm honestly not sure if I would let my daughter read this one.

Defiance by C. J. Redwine

4 Stars
Age: 16 and up

I enjoyed this book.  It kept me engaged and wanting more.  The heroine is strong, but reckless and the author does well at having the hero keep her somewhat contained but still keeping her in charge.

The plot was full of twists that kept me guessing.  The story is unpredictable and I will most definitely continue the series.

Content:  Not for the week constitution; there was a decent amount of blood and callous gore.  No swearing worth mentioning and only a handful of kisses.

The Trials of Apollo 'The Hidden Oracle' by Rick Riordan

3 Stars
Age: 16 and up with a good moral discussion before and after.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

I thought it captured the same charm that the first Percy Jackson series had which was refreshing because I HATED the Hero's of Olympus books.  My downfall to this one was the constant references to homosexuality and the flat out flirting between Nico and Will.  For me that warranted the loss of 2 stars.

Content:  no kissing, no love scenes, no swearing.  Excessive gay references.  I probably would not let my children read this which is a shame, because it had the potential to be a seriously cute, awesome, fun book.  But I dont feel it was appropriate for the age it is intended.

Tomato Bisque Soup (4 Ingredients and Easy!)

I love Tomato Soup!   This soup is creamy, tomato-y and savory.  Even my picky 6 and 3 year old kids clean their bowls with this!

A few years ago I was introduced to Tomato Bisque while eating lunch at work, and ever since I have been trying find ways to recreate it.  I happened onto a recipe a while ago, but it was complicated and dirtied a bunch of dishes and then you had to blend it in batches to get rid of chunks and took way more time than I wanted to spare.  I created this recipe on a happy accident and it turned out almost identical to the one I have been searching for and only took a fraction of the time!

Ingredients:

2 24oz Jars of Mezzetta brand Homemade Marinara Sauce*
8oz Cream (1 small carton heavy whipping cream)
1/4 cup finely shredded Carrot
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
Pepper to taste.  (No salt, the sauce has salt already and the parmesan gives it the savory flavor)

Dump the jars of marinara sauce into a large saucepan.  Add in cream and carrot (I use a tiny cheese grater or a microplane to grate mine). Bring to a simmer until the carrot is soft, stirring often.  Add in parmesan cheese and stir until melted into the soup.  Serve hot and enjoy!

* I have been trying out many different kinds of Spaghetti sauces for two reasons: 1- My husband hates it.  2- I have become very aware of ingredients and what is good and what is honestly unnecessary.  I found this Mezzetta brand and saw that the ingredient list is pure ingredients, there are no preservitives, and no high fructose corn syrup.  Just real ingredients.  I made it into spaghetti and after trying the sauce I thought wow, this would be a good soup just by itself...lightbulb... and here we are.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

4 Stars
Age: 15 and up

I've put off reading this book for a long time, I didn't think it sounded all that good.  But like I have mentioned in other posts I have been going through a dry spell with good books.  So when it was suggested to me again I decided to give it a try.

This book was flat out enjoyable!  I love it when the heroine follows her own rules and doesn't care what the 'betters' think.  I found myself grinning in several parts at America's actions.  I will most definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Other than excessive paragraph breaks within quotations I thought the book was well thought out and her writing style is easy to follow.  There is humor and intrigue, people you want to love and people you want to slap.  I would highly recommend this to anyone!

Content: There is less than a handful of light swearing and a few make out scenes.  Overall clean, I would be fine letting my daughter read this.