Kathy Harriott

Review: Golden Son by Pierce Brown

I received an advanced copy of Golden Son from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

After reading Red Rising, the first book in this trilogy, I was really looking forward to Golden Son. What I loved about the first book in the trilogy – Red Rising – was the development of the relationships between the characters and how they made it through together. In Golden Son, it was sometimes hard to tell who was a good guy and who was a bad guy. I found myself rooting for Augustus and his men and then all of a sudden remembering that Augustus was actually a bad guy. Golden Son blurred the lines between who was good and who was bad. While I wouldn’t say that Golden Son wasn’t a well written book, it didn’t suck me in like Red Rising did. I hope that the third book, when it comes out, will satisfy all of my questions.

Not a bad read.

The expected publication date is January 13, 2015.

Review: Invisible Ellen by Shari Shattuck

Ellen Homes is invisible. Abused and abandoned as a child, she finds comfort in food and observing others. Most people overlook her and she likes it that way.

One day, on her way to work, Ellen decides to step in and prevent a blind woman from being mugged. Thus begins the unusual friendship between Ellen and Temerity. Somehow her blind friend, Temerity, can “see” the real Ellen.

Ellen keeps watch over her neighbors. She considers them her pets. They are: “T-bone” the drug dealer and “Heidi” the lonely pregnant woman across the courtyard. When T-bone, whose real name is J.B., is robbed and shot, Ellen and Temerity begin “sleuthing” to find the culprit.

Meanwhile, “Heidi” – whose real name is Cindy, is miserable because she is about to give up her baby for adoption. The father of the baby was killed in Iraq and a crushed Cindy is unable to handle the baby on her own. When a letter from the sister of the baby’s father is accidentally delivered to Ellen’s apartment, she and Temerity try to find a way to get the sister and Cindy together.

At work, Ellen gets involved in trying to help a coworker out of a rough situation.

Ellen, who used to like being invisible, is now finding ways to help others, and in doing so, finds herself. This was a heartwarming book about friendship, personal transformation, and the power of connecting with others. It is one of my favorite books of 2014.

You can purchase the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local independent bookstore. Don’t forget to check your local library too!

Review: Life and Death on the Tamiami Trail – Sheila Marie Palmer

I really enjoy when Amazon recommends a book that catches my eye. Several weeks ago, I spotted Life and Death on the Tamiami Trail in Amazon’s recommendations for me. If you live in or have visited Florida, you know that the road from Tampa to Miami is affectionately known as the Tamiami Trail. It goes right through the community where I live. I love to read books that visit areas I live in or have visited. This was my kind of book. Here is a little bit about the book.

Life and Death on the Tamiami Trail by Sheila Marie Palmer

When Sarasota Sheriff Bernie Raines is called in to investigate a murder at a local gypsy bar, she finds her old childhood friend, Zindelo, is the prime suspect. She has not seen him in many years, yet she finds it hard to believe that he did it. In order to prevent anyone questioning the integrity of her investigation, Bernie calls in her friend Sheriff Buck Davis to help.

Bernie and Zindelo lived in the same housing complex when they were children. Zindelo and his family are gypsies. When Bernie and Buck question the gypsies Dukker, David the Giant, Zindelo, and Elle the Midget, they are given cryptic answers. Dukker, who is the king of the gypsies, tells Bernie that they will cooperate but she only has a week to figure out who killed Mr. Verde and why, clearing Zindelo – or he will run. The only way to do this is to dig deep into her past and fill in the missing blanks of her memory.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were believable and the mystery of who the murderer was and exactly what happened, kept me interested and reading well past my bedtime. A page turner with local references, Life and Death on the Tamiami Trail, is a winner in my book.

The Punta Gorda Library, where I work, celebrates our local authors by inviting them to come chat with our patrons, sell and sign copies of their books, and get their name out to the public. I enjoyed the book so much that I contacted Sheila Palmer and hoping she would be interested in visiting. SHE WAS!!! Sheila Palmer visited the Punta Gorda Library yesterday, November 4, 2014. Her local author table was well visited. Sheila graciously donated a copy of each of her books to the library. They will be available for patrons to check out and enjoy.

I purchased autographed copies of both of her books to send to my mother. I have been collecting autographed local author books that I think she will enjoy as time and finances allow. I can’t wait to send them to her!

I am 60% of the way through the second book – Life and Death on Siesta Key and I am looking forward to more!!

Sheila Palmer visits the Punta Gorda Library 11/4/14

You can visit Sheila’s website for more information – www.sheilamariepalmer.com. You can buy the book or ebook from Amazon by clicking HERE or from Barnes and Noble by clicking HERE.

Don’t forget to check out the what programs are being offered at all four of the Charlotte County Libraries. You can visit the website by clicking on The Charlotte County Library System.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Five Minutes Alone by Paul Cleave

I received an advanced copy of Five Minutes Alone by Paul Cleave from NetGalley.com in exchange for my honest review.

Think what it would be like if crime victims were granted 5 minutes alone with their attackers. It is a common request that police receive. “If you find the person who did this, please give me 5 minutes alone with them…”

When the body of a recently released convicted murder is found hit by a train, Theodore Tate, tries to determine if it is a suicide or a murder. Theo consults with his friend, Carl Schroeder, an ex-cop who was shot in the head six months ago, leaving him emotionless. Carl was the investigator on the case of the rapist who was killed. Once it is determined that the rapist was murdered, Theo begins to think that the murderer was the woman who had been raped but also that she had help. While following leads, two more rapists are killed, and everyone on the police force seems to be cheering on the killer, whom the media has dubbed, The Five Minute Man.

When The Five Minute Man actually kills an innocent man, Theo and Carl find themselves battling each other.

This tense thriller had me on the edge of my seat and found me giving up my precious sleep time to race to the stunning end.

Is the Five Minute Man a good guy or a bad guy? Read the book and let me know what you think.

Five Minutes Alone by Paul Cleave is set to be released on October 21, 2014. Buy a copy or check it out at your local library.

Thanks for reading.

Review: Don’t Look Back by Gregg Hurwitz

I received an advanced copy of Don’t Look Back by Gregg Hurwitz in exchange for my honest review.

Since meeting Mr. Gregg Hurwitz at the Punta Gorda Library earlier in the year, I have read three of his books. I started with The Tower, which was good. Second I read “Troubleshooter” which was a high octane shoot em up police procedural story. I was excited to get a chance to read “Don’t Look Back”.

After her husband leaves her for another woman, newly single mom, Eve, decides to go on the trip of a lifetime to the jungles of Mexico. She hopes to rediscover the woman she lost in her marriage.

At the resort, Dias Felices Ecolodge, Eve and her fellow visitors shop for native crafts and explore the jungle. During one of their outings, Eve witnesses a man mistreating an indigenous woman. While investigating the man and the disappearance of the previous occupant of her hut, Eve discovers the mans identity as well as the lengths that he will go to to keep his identity secret.

The brutality of this stranger is a contrast to the beauty of the jungle surrounding them. Visitors Eve, Jay, Will, Claire, Sue and Harry and their hosts Neto and Lulu are thrust into a life and death struggle to escape from a man who has everything to lose if they get away.

I had a terrible time putting this book down. I found myself wanting to give up sleeping and eating in order to finish.

“Don’t Look Back” will keep you on the edge of your seat right to the very, unexpected end.

The book is scheduled for an August 19, 2014 release.

Thanks for reading.

Find it on Amazon at Don’t Look Back by Gregg Hurwitz

My go to recipes.

Everyone has a set of “go to” recipes that they make when time is short. Here are some of my easiest and tastiest go to recipes.

BROWN SUGAR PORK CHOPS

I got this recipe for Brown Sugar Pork Chops from Weight Watchers many years ago. It is yummy andy you can make it with bone in or boneless chops.

Ingredients

2 pork chops (boneless or bone-in)

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp brown sugar

a sprinkling of low sodium soy sauce

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray casserole dish with Pam and place chops in dish.

2. Top each chop with 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp brown sugar

3. Sprinkle with low sodium soy sauce.

4. Cover casserole with tin foil. Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes.

5. Remove tin foil. Bake an additional 15 minutes.

6. Serve chops with sauce made by butter, brown sugar and soy sauce.

We enjoy this served with a side of rice and some vegetables or a salad.

Orange and Rosemary Chicken

I don’t remember where this recipe came from. I played around with the original recipe until I got it just right. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved (or 1 can of white whole potatoes)

1 Tbsp rosemary

1 clove garlic, smashed

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Juice of 2 oranges (squeezed halves reserved)

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-highheat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside. (Skip this step if using the canned potatoes)
Crush the garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes and put in small bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 orange and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken, cover and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken; add potatoes to the skillet and drizzle with the juice of the remaining orange. Add the squeezed orange halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Pork with mango barbecue sauce

I didn’t have any barbecue sauce in the house, so I came up with this tasty recipe. This recipe is great for those days when you are working late and will not have time to “whip something up”. It is also great for pot lucks.

Ingredients:
4 pound pork roast
1 cup mango rum
1 pkg frozen mango (or 2 fresh mangoes cut up)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
hot sauce to taste

Place pork roast in crockpot. Season with salt and pepper
Place the rest of the ingredients in crockpot.
Cook on Low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours
Take pork out of crockpot. Place on plate and shred with fork (watch out it is hot). Return shredded pork to crockpot.
You can eat like a stew or place on a tasty roll.

Kathy’s Awesome Chili

INGREDIENTS:

“Here’s a chili recipe you’ll love using meatloaf mix.. Other ingredients include beer, strong-brewed coffee, unsweetened cocoa powder and ground cumin.”

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground meatloaf mix

1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer

1 cup strong brewed coffee

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

3 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 (15 ounce) can navy beans

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, and ground meatloaf mix in oil for 10 minutes, or until the meat is well browned and the onions are tender.
2.	Mix in the diced tomatoes with juice, dark beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth. Season with chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander and salt. Stir in 1 cans of the beans. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Let me know if you try any of these and then share YOUR favorite go to recipes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!! – Barbecue for two.

With no family nearby, planning a 4th of July barbecue is a little lonely. What is a girl who loves to cook to do??? Make a special barbecue for her husband and herself.

I started up the charcoal grill and threw on two turkey burgers and two steak burgers.

While the burgers were cooking, I sliced up some onion and dusted them with flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. I then fried them until they were golden brown and crispy. I also spiral cut a zucchini and did the same.

When the burgers were cooked, I threw American cheese on the steak burgers and some feta cheese on the turkey burgers.

Here is the steak burger with bacon, frizzled onions, and cheese on a pretzel bun.

Here is the turkey burger with frizzled zucchini, onions, and tzatziki on a pretzel bun with some frizzled zucchini on the side.

Both of us were FULL….but we left a little room for dessert.

Mike had strawberry shortcake.

Since I am allergic to strawberries, I had black cherry shortcake. It was delicious because I cooked some fresh black cherries in some black cherry balsamic vinegar. OH YUM.

So, it is possible to have a delicious, gourmet 4th of July barbecue for two.

I have to make special mention of the turkey burgers. Heartland turkey burgers from Walmart were a BIG surprise. Delicious and juicy without that weird turkey taste. I recommend them highly.

Happy eating!

This meal inspired me to post again!

It has been so long since I posted a food blog. I have been feeling rather uninspired. Until today!

After a wonderful visit to the Punta Gorda History Park Farmers Market, I was inspired to make something delicious with corn on the cob. After looking around to see what other ingredients I had on hand, I decided to make Frogmore Stew or Low Country Boil.

New red potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage, and shrimp boiled in a pot with Old Bay Seasoning. I did not have the hot sausage that the recipe I found called for, so I substituted chicken and apple sausage.

I cut the original recipe from 12 servings to 2 servings.

4 cup water
2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
10 new red potatoes
2 corn cobs cut into 3 pieces each
2 chicken and apple sausages cut into pieces
12 shrimp

Place the 2 tbsp of Old Bay Seasoning in the four cups of water. Bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil for 10 minutes. Add sausage and boil for 5 minutes. Add corn cobs and boil for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and boil for another 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink. Drain and enjoy.

Dinner was delicious and it has inspired me to start keeping up with my food blog again.

How to be a good library patron

I have been working in a public library as a Library Technician for 5 years and I am still shocked at how poorly people take care of the materials they check out. Today we had a patron return a book he had just checked out because when he started to read it he noticed pencil marks throughout the book. I will now be spending several hours erasing all of the markings in a 200 + page book. Torn pages, spaghetti sauce, sand, water damage – you name it, we see it. My favorites are books returned with water damage that are still damp, but the patron claims that it was this way when they checked it out 9 weeks ago. Yeah…right.

I thought it might be good to create a “how to” list to help people be good library patrons.

HOW TO BE A GOOD LIBRARY PATRON

Don’t lie. If you spilled something on the book you checked out, bring it in to us. We are more than willing to work with you if you are honest.
If you know that your dog likes to chew on books, don’t leave your library books where your dog can get them.
READ the circulation policy handout we give you. This will help you avoid fines. Claiming we never told you that late fines for DVDs are a dollar a day per movie is not an excuse. We give EVERY new card holder a copy of our circulation policies.
Peanut butter & jelly + little fingers + DVD = a DVD that won’t play. Please supervise your children when they are using library materials.
We understand that you need to study for your GED, SAT, Praxis, nursing exam – but please don’t check out the study guides and never return them. There are others that need to study too.
Writing in library books is NEVER acceptable. If you want to write notes in the margins of books, buy your own copy.

Review: The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

The Chase is the follow-up to The Heist, introduced us to tough-as-nails FBI agent, Kate O’Hare and master conman, Nicolas Fox, who have been forced to work together to catch the world’s most wanted and untouchable criminals.

In The Chase, Kate and Nick are targeting Carter Grove, a former White House Chief of Staff who has a collection of stolen artwork, one of which is about to set off an international incident with China. How does one go about taking down such a powerful and dangerous man? With more con-artists, Kate’s ex-military father, and a lot of explosions.

The chemistry between Nick and Kate is palpable. Nick is forever flirting with Kate, who is always reminding herself that Nick is a criminal. I really like these two characters together and I am looking forward to seeing how their partnership blossoms.

As a Jersey girl, I enjoyed the Stephanie Plum character in Evanovich’s other novels. However, I like the Fox and O’Hare novels much better. Maybe it is the lack of New Jersey stereotypes that are in her other books, but I found The Chase and it’s predecessor, The Heist, to be much more enjoyable.

I received a free copy of The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for reading.