The BookFetish Blog

I know I missed last week. It was a busy Sunday last week, and Spring has largely arrived, so I was out enjoying it. But I’m back today! First up, another week without a wine. Maybe I need to rename this its properly spelled “Wind Down.” But this week it is a flavored sparkling water with a splash of vodka.

So what’s been going on? Book Club met Monday night and we talked about Jodi Picoult’s A Spark of Light. That review will be up later this week.

I went with friends to see Gogol Bordello in concert last week. And some other friends and I were able to get tickets to Phil Collins during a pre-sale this week.

I finished my taxes, and it’s good to have that out of the way.

I’m on the alumni board of my college. Our quarterly meeting was Saturday, and I was able to walk around campus a bit. Even though the campus is growing, it’s still beautiful. And if you’ve seen Sleeping with the Enemy, you’ve seen it, too.

Last night, I met with friends to watch the Atlanta United match. We were playing in Columbus, Ohio. The game had to be delayed for nearly an hour because of bad weather. The field was a mess- someone joked we needed to sub in Michael Phelps because there was so much water on the field- and I think the refs should have called the game. They didn’t. We lost. The first goal would have happened whether or not there was bad weather, so I’m not using that as an excuse. It was just a miserable match to watch, and you could tell both teams were pretty miserable playing it.

Two new recipes to share today- this lentil one is hearty, and a great substitute if you’re vegan or trying to eat less meat. I made it without the spaghetti squash. And I made these carrots, which I really loved. I didn’t have the dill for them, but I didn’t miss it. I hope I have some new selections for you next week. Currently reading The First Conspiracy and I’m about to pick out my new Book of the Month.

Best thing about this week? I was able to see my cousin Craig and his wife for lunch today. They were in town for something, and we were able to make it work.

Until next time!

Sorry I missed the Wined Down last week- it was the Atlanta United home opener, and we were down at the stadium to tailgate a bit before the match. I ran out of time!

But back at it this week. We actually have another match tonight, but it as 7 so more time today to do things like clean the kitchen, clean the cats’ litter box room, and clean the spare room. And I walked about 2.5 miles around my neighborhood- it’s a really nice here today after several days of rain, so I took advantage of being in the sun a bit. I don’t even have wine open right now- its Coke Zero right now.

So! What’s been going on? Well, Stephanie and I made two dishes that are winners for the lunch rotation. The first is Vegan and Gluten free (neither of which we are, we just like a variety of foods). Here it is- General Tso’s Chickpeas. This will definitely make it into the rotation, and if you’re a meat eater, the sauce should work for chicken, beef, etc.

The other we made was this one. A low-carb skillet, Keto friendly meal. Neither of us are doing Keto, but I tend to look for recipes using protein and veggies. I have to say, I didn’t add a huge amount of cheese to this one. You don’t need it- the flavor is great without it. I look forward to making this one again.

Cooking last week turned into a lot of fun- a couple of other friends ended up coming by and we turned it into a low-key friends day. Stephanie’s husband joined us later in the evening and we played a fun round of Cards Against Humanity. As wrong as that game is, I always laugh a lot when we play. And an impromptu day with friends that is filled with laughter and no drama (and a few adult beverages) and dogs playing is always a good thing.

I’m starting Spark of Light this week. My book club will be discussing it on March 25, so it will be fresh in my mind. And speaking of reading, it’s been a hectic few weeks at work, and I’ve been working a lot of long hours, so reading has been slow going. With the MLS season starting again this month, even my no-TV Sundays haven’t yielded much time to read. I’m anxious to get back to it.

I guess that’s it for this week. Things going on, so no cooking this week. But maybe I’ll have a few good “overheards” for you.

It’s match day! So this post is coming in a bit early. But Atlanta United kicks off at 6PM and I want to be ready for that.

It’s been a rainy day here, and I managed the Gym and the grocery store before settling in to read more of The Rules of Magic. I didn’t get to read as much as I had hoped to this week. I traveled for work and things were really busy.

I skipped Les Miserables this afternoon. I’ve seen it before and I hate missing it, but after being gone all week, there were things I just needed to do today.

The Atlanta United match will be an exception to my self-imposed no TV on Sundays plan. We are playing DC United and they always get under our skin.

I visited Barnes and Noble yesterday and bought some new books, so my to-read pile continues to grow. This month’s Book Club selection is Jodi Picoult’s A Spark of Light.  I’ll be starting that in the next day or so.

The house smells good. I roasted some chicken this afternoon. I chopped vegetables for a salad, and threw together a Georgia Caviar to take to my neighbors’ for the match. What’s a Georgia Caviar? Well, I can’t remember where I first heard of it, but it’s corn, black-eyed peas, chopped tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and green chiles tossed together and marinated in red wine vinegar and taco seasonings. I added black beans today, too, and I bought a trinity mix rather than chop the onion and green pepper. I like it by itself, but I also bought Hint of Lime chips to serve it with.

And I’ll have a glass of Apothic later. I like the Apothic wines- they’re not bad for a home staple.

It’s quiet now. Fairy lights and low lamps are on. The cats are all napping. It’s yet another dreary day here. The warm lights make it feel cozy.

And, that’s it for this week. Let me know how you are. What are you cooking? Reading? Enjoying?

Jeffrey Rinek’s In The Name of the Children is definitely not a read for everyone. It’s heavy subject matter: child murders and abductions that Rinek worked in his days as an FBI agent.

But for those who like this genre, this is one I recommend. Rinek recounts his cases in a matter of fact way. He’s not salacious in what he shares. But his absolute humanity comes through in each case he shares, and it is this humanity that really makes the book. You can tell how much he wants to help each victim and the victim’s family. He even manages to humanize the perpetrators in some instances, without letting them off the hook for their actions.

The most important thing I think Rinek does, though, is talk honestly the toll this line of work took on him emotionally and physically, and also that it took on his family.

It’s hard to say you enjoy a book like this, but this one is well-written and I’m not sorry I read it. As I said at the beginning, it’s not a read for everyone. When I was younger, I wanted to be an FBI agent, a profiler, really. I decided against it for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I thought “It’s one thing to read a book about how terrible human beings can be to each other. It’s another to look it dead on and know it for a fact.” I was afraid I would get into a vey dark place and not be able to come out of. That very nearly happened to Rinek. I’m grateful he shared his story.

It’s been a week! I’m enjoying a glass of Merlot tonight. It’s not my go-to red but it’s OK.

New book review coming this week! I actually wrote it last week, but forgot to schedule the publishing, so it will come out Wednesday, I think.

I wish I had more progress in books to share but this was a busy week. By day, I work in Technology consulting, and we have a big project getting ready to launch soon. That means some long days as we get everything as ready as we can for a smooth transition. It means I’m quite tired at the end of the day, so I am reading only a few pages here and there. But! Thursday was one such day, and I took myself out to dinner after work. I thankfully had my iPad with me, and as I sat at the bar eating dinner, I started reading Alice Hoffman’s The Rules of Magic, A Novel and it sucked me in, so there’s a third book in my am-reading mix.

I was also only meh about the food my friend and I cooked for our lunches this week, so I won’t share either of those. They weren’t bad, but I think I need to tweak the recipes a bit before I put them in a regular rotation.

I’m not listening to anything right now as I write this post, but I’ve had Nick Cave on heavy rotation this week.

I did a 5K with my cousin and some of her friends yesterday. In fact, Saturday was a pretty busy day all around and gave me one of my best “Apple Activity” days. That was a pretty cool thing, and a good motivation to keep working at being healthy.

Played Werewolf with some friends Saturday night. That was fun- a good group for that kind of game. Not the kind of thing that I am always good at, so I am glad I had a good time.

And to day I saw a play. An Octoroon. I don’t know how to describe it except to say “Wow” and its going to take a bit of time to digest all that was in it. Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins is an amazing playwright with a lot of things to say, and we need to listen to him. Actor’s Express theater, where I saw the production, offers this synopsis:

Trouble has been a-brewin’ at the Terrebonne Plantation since Judge Peyton died. Money is running out, an evil overseer is up to no good, and the heir to the estate is in love with someone he shouldn’t be. MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (author of the AE hit Appropriate) turns a nineteenth century melodrama on its ear in this combustibly hilarious, riotously subversive romp that hurls the antebellum south into a direct collision course with 21st century cultural politics.

(Actor’s Express Website)

If you ever get a chance to see it, do.

I guess that’s it for this week. What’s up for the coming week? Well, hopefully some reading. An Accreditation for work. Hopefully something fun to share next week.

Until next time…