Author: Kathy Harriott

My husband, Mike, and I moved from NJ to Southwest Florida in September 2006. I currently work for the local county Facilities Dept. and fill my free time with crafts, reading and my experiments in the kitchen.

All things HUMMUS!

I used to think that hummus looked like flavorless baby food.  Whenever it was offered to me, I would turn my nose up at the tan mush.  One day, a coworker brought in homemade hummus with warm pita bread.  That is when my love of hummus began.










2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 – 15 oz can pumpkin
1 can garbanzo beans
1 garlic clove chopped



Hummus Made Easy. He bought some for me and tonight I tried it.  I have to say that it was very good. I made the Classic flavor with reduced sodium garbanzo beans. It was so good that I’m planning to go out and get a bunch of mix and beans to keep on hand in case of spontaneous party. 

If you think you don’t like hummus, give it another try.  I’m glad I did.

Review: Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Sometimes adults miss some of the best, most uplifting stories because they are packaged in a book written for juveniles.  This is why I aim to read at least ONE of the Sunshine State Young Readers Award books each year.  Beginning the end of April, I start checking to see if the list has been published.  Once it is, I make a checklist/bookmark for the patrons of the Charlotte County Library System.

The 2013 – 2014 Sunshine State Readers Award list for grades 6 -8 included Wonder by R.J. Palacio, which was about a ten-year-old boy who was born with facial deformities.  It remains in my list of top ten most moving books that I have ever read.  I can still get choked up thinking about the story.  It was THAT good.

I haven’t had a chance to read anything on the 2014-2015 list yet, but I have my eye on Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.  Here is a video about the book from http://www.booktrailersforreaders.com

This year (2016-2017), one book on the list jumped out at me.  It was a big book and was listed on the grade 6-8.  When I read the description, I knew I had to read this book.  Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan.  Here is the book trailer.

The story begins when a boy named Otto becomes lost in the woods and is helped by three prophetic sisters who gift him with a quest and a harmonica. What follows is the story of the lives of three people who’s lives become interwoven through ownership of the harmonica – Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy.  The book deals with the treatment of Jews in Germany during WWII, the treatment of orphans in the US during the Great Depression, and the treatment of Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor. The author wove all of the stories of these people together in such a beautiful way and then the ending connected them all through music.

If you can, I suggest getting your hands on the audiobook.  The story was enhanced by the wonderful music that was interspersed through the audiobook.   I listened to the book while driving to and from work.  I am so glad that I did.

Thanks for reading.

Follow me on Twitter to try to win a copy of the Nora Roberts ebook that I am reading

My author I’ve avoided (see previous post.) for the month of June is Nora Roberts.  I thought I would give everyone who follows me on Twitter @KathyLoves2Read a chance to win an ebook copy of the same book that I will be reading this month – In From The Cold. This is a MacGregor’s novella. One I have finished the book, I will share my review and hopefully the winner will also contribute his/her comments.

Go here to find out more.

Good luck.

If you want to purchase a copy to read along, here is the link.

Thanks for reading.

Another great meal from the Ravenous Rhino food truck

Tonight we stopped at the Ravenous Rhino food truck for dinner.  This is our second visit to this fantastic restaurant on wheels.  Mike had the Hogzilla burger, which is stuffed with bacon and cheese.     He happily ate it before I could get a picture.

I had the pulled pork sandwich (above) with their granny smith apple coleslaw.  It was the perfect meal.  I’m so happy that we stumbled upon this food truck and write about it here.
You really MUST try them.

Some really good books I’ve read recently

As you can imagine, I’ve been reading a lot. Between the books I read at night and the audiobooks I listen to while driving to and from work, I am more than halfway through my goal of 80 books for the year.  Maybe I’ll hit 100!  Here

My mother, Patrica Angus, told me about a writer I had never heard of before, Diney Costeloe.  I chose The Sisters of St. Croix, a book set in Nazi-occupied France at the beginning of WWII.  The main character, Adelaide, finds out that the man she thought was her father is not.  She heads to Our Lady of Mercy convent in France to find out more about her birth father, who died in WWI, from his sister, the Reverend Mother. Adelaide and the nuns are caught up in the German occupation and have to deal with how it affects their beliefs and their lives.  They become involved in the resistance and sheltering Jewish orphans from the Germans.  It was a heartwarming, frightening, and well-written book.

The Sisters of St. Croix

After reading The Sisters of St. Croix, I had The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah on my to read pile. I usually don’t like to read historical fiction back to back.  In this case, I ended up reading historical fiction set at the same time in the same place – back to back.  The stories had many similarities including strong women secretly fighting their own war against the German occupation.  The fact that the things that occurred in both of these books actually happened is heart wrenching.  I recommend that you read both books.

The Nightingale

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick was a delight to listen to.  I absolutely love listening to someone with a British accent read.  The story was very enjoyable. Arthur Pepper is a widower who decides he is finally able to go through his late wife’s belongings a year after her passing.  While going through her closet, he finds a gold charm bracelet hidden in a boot. He has no memory of ever seeing this bracelet.  What do the different charms – an elephant, a tiger, a paint pallet, a book, a ring, and a heart- represent?  While looking at the elephant charm, Arthur notices a phone number engraved on it and calls the number.  This phone call starts Arthur on a quest to find out about the rest of the charms. This quest uncovers some happy and some painful things about his wife’s life.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

What have you been reading or listening to?

Thanks for reading.

My foray into “guy” books

 

Yesterday was my father, Richard’s 79th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!  I have childhood memories of him reading Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey book all the time.  In my mind, these books were “boy books”, so I never wanted to read them.  I figured they would be filled with saloon girls, shooting, and cussing, so I never had any desire to read them. This is the reason I chose a Louis L’Amour book for my May “authors I’ve avoided” book.  Let’s just say that I was pleasantly surprised.

 

The book that I chose to read was Tucker.  I have to admit that I went to the paperback shelf at the Punta Gorda Public Library, where I work, and chose the smallest book out of our Louis L’Amour paperback collection.  I just didn’t think I’d make it through a long, boring western and I didn’t want to fail to read another of my chosen authors (see previous post about trying to read Diana Gabaldon).

 

Shell Tucker and his father were just finished selling some cattle from their ranch as well as some for their neighbors.  While heading back home, Shell and his father had a disagreement parted ways a short while.  When he cooled down and went back to meet up with his father, Shell found him with a broken leg from falling off his spooked horse.  His horse had been stolen, along with the money that they were bringing back to the neighbors.  It seems that two of Shell’s “friends” Doc Sites and Kid Reese, whom his father did not approve of, had hooked up with an outlaw and stole the horse and money.  When Shell’s father succumbed to his injuries, he decided that he had to follow the outlaws and get that money back, saving his father’s reputation as well as the ranch.

 

Shell follows Doc, Kid and Bob Heseltine through the South West, trying to get the money back.  He puts so much pressure on the outlaws that they can’t even enjoy the money.  Several times, Heseltine and his girl, Ruby, try to have Shell eliminated without success.  Finally, Heseltine says he gives up and hands the money over to Shell and says to leave him alone.  It looks like the worst is over, but Heseltine comes back and tries to kill Shell again, but he isn’t as fast as Shell.  Finally, Shell has the money and can head back home.

 

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will be slipping a Louis L’Amour book into my reading schedule once in a while.  It wasn’t overtly “guy”-ish.  It was just a good story with well written characters.  I’ve become a Louis L’Amour lover and I’m proud of it!
I hope you give a different author or genre a chance.
Thanks for reading!

Trying new things

I love to try new recipes.  Earlier this month, Chef Warren Caterson come to the library where I work and did a cooking demonstration.  I have both of the chef’s cookbooks Table for Two: The Cookbook for Couples and Table for Two: Back for Seconds. Because of Chef Warren’s visit to the library, I became brave enough to cook some tuna steaks.  Pan-seared Tuna Steak with Sesame Oil was the recipe I tried.

Not only was this delicious for me, but my husband who doesn’t eat fish, ate it and said he would like to add this to our dinner rotation.

Thank you Chef Warren Caterson for the inspiration.

I tried…really I did

In my post on January 9, 2016, I gave a list of authors that I have avoided reading for one reason or another.  So far I have made it through a James Patterson, a Danielle Steele, and a Robert Galbraith without much trouble.  Then came April.

For April’s author, I chose Diana Gabaldon.  Oh how I wish I hadn’t.  I have twice tried to read Outlander.  Both times I gave up.  I just couldn’t get into it. Since I didn’t want to try again to read an 850 page book that I have given up on twice or listen to the 32 hour and 43 minute audiobook, I decided to try one of Diana Gabaldon’s smaller tomes.  I chose to listen to the 9 hour and 24 minute Lord John and the Private Matter.  After 1 hour and 4 minutes of listening to Lord John try to get a peek at his niece’s fiance’s schmeckle (yes, I said SCHMECKLE!) to see if he has the pox (aka syphilis), I couldn’t take it any more. I give up.  I just can’t do it.

I am not a “you read that tripe?” snooty reader.  If you enjoy Outlander and the rest of Diana Gabaldon’s books, I’m glad for you.  As for me. I tried but I just can’t…

Thanks for reading.