Spin by Catherine McKenzie

What would you do to get the job of your dreams?  Would it be worth telling tales about your newest friend?  Kate Sandford found her self in just that situation.  To be honest, so didn't expect to care about IT Girl Amber Sheppard when she met her in rehab.  It was only a means to and end and she really did want that job at the hottest music magazine The Line. In Kate's mind,  going into rehab was only a front, she didn't really need to be here, did she. 

Over the course of the day as I read this novel, I really got pulled into this portion of Kate's life.  At the age of thirty, so didn't have much going for her.  Sure she wrote free lance articles for assorted music magazines and newspapers, but she still lived the life of a starving student and that's who she found herself partying with at every opportunity.

I could totally feel Kate's confusion as she tried to sort out what her counsellor was trying to tell her at rehab and what she thought she knew about herself.  Did she need to be in rehab or was it only the story.  It was clear that she really was battling with this question. 

Thanks to author Catherine McKenzie for a captivating read.  I appreciated all the time that Kate spent examining how she read her life, and I know that when I think back on this book, I will find myself wondering what aspects of my life could use a little contemplation.

This is my first book for the 5th Canadian book Challenge and for the Under The Midnight Sun Readathon.

Canada Day Read-A-Thon - 2nd Update

All is well.  Had a lovely dinner break with the family and am ready to get back to it.  Am over half-way through Spin.  Totally enjoying it.  I can't believe how fast the last three hours went.  I was able to read about 2 1/4 hours.

Totals:
1 hour audiobook
3hours 55 minutes written.

Since Canada has several time zones, and we also have an off-shore participant, I am in the Eastern time zone, same as Toronto, Ontario.

Canada Day Read-A-Thon - 1st Update

I had just sat down to read Spin by Catherine McKenzie, and ten minutes later my son calls for a ride home from the gym.  Okay,   I have to pick him up, can't leave him there and there are no buses that come within kilometres of us.  Good thing I have Little Brother by Cory Doctorow on the ipod in the car.  By the time we arrived back home, I have 40 more minutes of that story under my belt.  Homeland security is now involved and there is talk of whether Marcus has been a really bad boy.  (don't want to give away anything here).

Back to Spin.  Kate is now in day 5 at her locked facility and is actually starting to process what she is hearing.

Reading till now:
1 hour audio
1 hour 40 minutes written

5th Canadian Reading Challenge & Canada Day Read-A-Thon

It's that time of year again.  Canada Day has come and gone, now to start reading those Canadian titles.  This is the 5th year of the Canadian Reading Challenge hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.   Please note that you don't have to live in Canada nor be Canadian to join the fun and enjoy this great Canadian writing.  All are welcome.  Visit John's site for further details and thousands of book suggestionsn.

Today for the very first time, John has included a 24 hour read-a-thon.  This is a great way to start off the 5th year of the challenge. 

I haven't joined into a read-a-thon before and think this will be fun.  I am ready.  I have been collecting books  for weeks.  I doubt I'll get through more than 2 maybe 3, but I wanted to be prepared.  I have already started listening to Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.  In the line up I also have Spin by Catherine McKenzie, Dust City by Robert Paul Weston, and The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton.  I might even squeeze in a children's book if I have time.  What would a reading challenge be without a book by Robert Munsch.

I'll be posting regular updates on my progress and will try and write a review when I finish a book.  Fortunately I already have cover photos.  Yippee.

Please check back and encourage me.  I'll check comments when I am ready to post and update.

Recipe Thursday -Sweet Potato Pancake & Lemon Smoothie

Cooked sweet potatoes were sitting in the fridge just daring me to find a fun and tasty recipe for them.  I pulled out one of my favourite vegetable go-to cookbooks, The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash and started looking.  This is a wonderful cookbook for vegetables as it is divided by vegetable.   My copy is a first edition from 1982, though there is a new printing from 2010 available. 

Each section starts with general information about the vegetable including how to grow it.  Next you learn about basic cooking and then there are recipes where the vegetable is the main ingredient.  I decided that sweet potato pancakes would fill my family's tummys nicely.  I made the waffle recipe and cooked it in pancake form.

Sweet Potato Waffles

This recipe makes light waffles; you can use the same batter for pancakes, but note that they will be fat and flyffy rather than thin and firm.

1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes

Melt butter; set it aside to cool slightly.  Sift dry indredients together.  Beat egg yolks, then combine with milk, sweet potatoes, and melted butter.  Stir in dry ingredients.  Beat egg whites until they form soft peaks.  Fold into sweet potato mixture.  Cook on a preheated waffle iron as instructed by manufacturer.  ( I found the batter rather thick and had to spread it on the pan, next time I would add an additional spoon of milk).

A few weeks ago I came across a site called The Smoothie Handbook.  It has recipes for more smoothies than I can make in many months.  I have printed out their free book and tried a couple of combinations.  I also signed up to receive weekly mailings.  In one of the recent mailings there was a recipe for a Lemon Smoothie.  This interested me.  Lemon is such a refreshing flavour I just had to try it.

Lemon Smoothie

1 lemon peeled, seeds removed
1 banana, peeled, can be frozen
1/2 cup water
sweetener of your choice (I used 3 dates soaked overnight in water and 1 good spoon of honey)

Put in blender and mix well.

I also added 1 scoop of rice protein powder.  The taste of this smoothie was rather tart even with the two sweeteners.  I had to strain it to remove the white membrane from the lemon.  This was not a favourite smoothie for my family.  My son wouldn't touch it and daughter had to add 2 more spoons of sugar.  The concept of it seemed wonderful, but the reality was too different.  Note that the other recipes we tried, we all found quite enjoyable.  I think it's realistic to share with my readers that not everything I make turns out as expected.

Are you in need of a foodie fix, hops on over to Beth Fish Reads for her wonderfully informative Weekend Cooking.  You'll find links to all sorts of food related posts.  Add a link to your own recent post.

No Books in Waterloo for the Summer!!!

One of the highlights of my Saturday morning is to read the 'Books' page in my local paper.  This is a full page containing book reviews, author interviews and whatever other literary treats can be found.

Imagine my shock and dissappointment this past Saturday when I read that for the next four weeks, this section will not be published.  What?  Everywhere I turn these days I am finding lists of suggested summer reading, tips on the hottest reads of the summer,  books not to miss this summer.  I have even come to realize that not everyone is like me, some people only read during their summer vacation.  What is going on here.  How can my paper  discontinue this section during this massive reading season.  Usually the paper is a great supporter of literacy, yet they are giving it a huge slap in the face.

I couldn't get this out of my mind.  I decided that I would offer my assistance to the paper.  I wrote the Editor a letter and copied my review of a book from a local author and sent it to them as a 'Letter to the Editor'.  I further informed them that I would do so for the next three weeks in a form of compensation for the missing Books section.

I invite the readers of my blog to also send one of their book reviews or perhaps a list of summer reading suggestions.  Letters can be directed to  letters@therecord.com.  Be sure to attach a cover photo of the book with photo credits, such they choose to publish your letter.

Needlework Tuesday - Back to Stitching

I'm back for my weekly needlework update.  I spent a bunch of time pondering last week why I haven't been doing much stitching.  I think I am spending so much time reading, that I just haven't gotten to it.  Time to move on to some of those audio books that I have been looking forward to.  This way I can stitch and read at the same time. 

Did I stitch this past week?  Yes. Not a lot, but much more than the week before.  I finally finished the metallic embroidery on the 'list block' for the Scribbling Women quilt.  Don't mind the strip of fabric lying across the last line of the list, that part is a secret.

Sei Shonagon, a Japanese woman portrayed in the book, wrote a lot of lists.  Since I found myself making lists while working on the quilt, I felt I would include a version of one of them here.  I debated check marks, but I like the simplicity of the bullets.

I've mentioned previously that my mother enjoys making fabric postcards.   She made me this one in June.  It measures about 4x8 inches.  It was hand delivered, thus no postmarks.

I"m planning to have a sewing day with my quilt buddies shortly and my mother is going to join us.  She already has her fabric cut for the project.

Needlework Tuesday is where I get together with my stitching buddys and we share our projects and encourage each other when needed.    Have you been stitching this past week?  Write your post and send me the link and I'll add you to our happy group.

Sherrie at Just Books has started her lastest doily. The colour she has chosen to stitch with is gorgeous.