Whoa! Where did the time go?! Well, a lot has been going on; but before I dive in, I wanted to share this last list of books I found in my drafts. I sure do have some catching up to do!

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This is probably my most diverse reading list yet. Okay, so there might be two cookbooks in here, but we’ve also got fiction, nonfiction, audio and a… play?!

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Weeknight Cooking for Two
by Kenzie Swanhart (nonfiction, cookbook) – worth a read

I love that all of these recipes serve just two people and have only 5-ish ingredients. I now own the cookbook and have flagged a dozen recipes, but I have yet to make one single dish. I’m still in the market for the best, flavorful tomato soup. So the Creamy Tomato Soup will be up first to bat.

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Overwhelmed:
Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time
by Brigid Schulte (nonfiction, audio) – worth a listen/read

If you are a mom, especially a busy mom… or one that feels guilty about anything for any reason, you should read this book. Don’t have time to read it? You should listen to it.

But this book isn’t all about motherhood, it’s about life… and work-life balance and our busy culture in America. There were times when this book made me downright mad. Because I listened to the audio, there was no way I could flag all of the pieces I wanted to.

But I love the perspectives and the bright spots. And there are good chunks of information at the end on what can be changed to ensure a more happy, fulfilling and less crazy-busy life!

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These is My Words:
The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901
by Nancy E. Turner (fiction) – must listen/read

I believe this book was on a list of books that all women should read. I honestly thought it was a true story until I got about a quarter through the book when U thought that it couldn’t be and had to look it up! It’s not entirely true, but inspired by diaries from one woman’s ancestors.

Think Oregon Trail, but in the Old Southwest. Arizona Territory to be exact. Covered wagons? Check. Snake bites? Check. Dysentery? Check. Only it’s So. Much. More.

I absolutely loved it and since the only way I could listen was via the downloaded audio on my phone, it kept my earbuds in and me cleaning up a storm! I’m thoroughly interested in listening to Sarah’s Quilt so I can remain in Sarah’s world for a while longer. (Not that I would have been able to successfully live in her world by any means!)

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Les Belles Soeurs
by Michel Tremblay (play, fiction) – SKIP

I don’t think I’ve ever read a play before… except maybe Romeo and Juliet in high school? Still, I think the written form of this script was lost on me, perhaps the English translation, too, since this was orginally written in Qubecois French in the 60s. I found the piece because it ended up on a list of Quebecois books before we went to Canada. I also read Tremblay’s The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant, which I didn’t really love either.

The women in this play were just nasty to each other and I didn’t really get anything out of the story. I had to look up other reviews on good reads to see if I really missed something. Those reviews are definitely mixed!

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Great Bowls of Food
by Robin Asbell (nonfiction, cookbook) – Skip

I am a sucker for a good bowl as shown here, here, here, here, here, and here. For me, it’s like healthy comfort food. What I did like about this book is that I discovered a few sauces to add to my bowl repertoire, such as the Creamy Goat Cheese and Tomato Sauce. What I didn’t like was that all of the bowls made four servings and weren’t always easily scale-able down to one. I also would have preferred the ingredient lists to be broken down a bit. You know, when a recipes shows “for the sauce” or for the “roasted vegetables” or when there are different pieces of the dish made separately, which often happens in bowl meals. I think that would have made them seem less overwhelming. I do think I may put the Cure a Cold Brothy Bowl in the rotation though, if I should have enough energy (and all the ingredients on hand!)

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Have you ever read a play??

Cheers~
Carrie