Books Archives - A Sweet Spot Home

{BOOKS} Bristol House by Beverly Swerling

April 1, 2013 By Carrie Leave a Comment

Once again it’s time for another A Sweet Spot: Home Book Review. (In case you’ve missed them, you can find my most current book reviews here, here, and here. To read my entire “Books” section of the website, click here.) While I have several book reviews coming up soon for cookbooks, today I’m sharing a novel…and Bristol House by Beverly Swerling is absolutely right up my alley when it comes to novels.

My quick rundown: Dr. Annie Kendall is an architectural historian who has fallen onto some hard times in her life. As a recovering alcoholic and mother who lost custody of her son, at 33 years of age, she’s seen her fair share of struggles. When an opportunity to work in London researching The Jew of Holborn from the 1500s presents itself, she jumps at the opportunity and temporarily moves to London. Now, here’s where things get odd….. While exploring the flat she’s renting, she walks into the back bedroom and sees…….a monk. But not just any monk, a monk from the 1500s, and he disappears as quickly as he arrives, thus introducing a supernatural element into the book. Shortly after arriving in London, Annie is introduced to a handsome journalist named Geoff. He’s smart, successful, and also looks exactly like the monk that Annie saw in her back bedroom. The two become an item and together, set out on a mission to uncover the mystery surrounding The Jew of Holburn, and what, if any connection this has to the monk who continues to make his presence known in Annie’s flat.

What I liked: I love stories that have a historical element in them, and if you can tie in a bit of the supernatural as well, all the better. I felt a real connection to the characters in the book, everyone it seemed, had experienced some sort of extreme trauma in their lives, which added to the connection the reader felt to them.

What wasn’t quite for me: While I feel that this book was a fairly fast read, the middle part did seem to go on a bit for my taste. The storyline gets a bit complex and occasionally I would find myself struggling a bit to catch up. It was nothing so severe that I felt I needed to put down the book, but occasionally, a little re-reading was required to catch my mind up on exactly where we were in the story.

Who will like this book: Fans of The DaVinci Code or similar books will most likely find this book interesting. The book is part novel, part history book, detailing the history of England, Judaism, and Catholicism. The characters are likeable and the relationships between them adds a nice dimension to the story. I very much enjoyed reading this book and wouldn’t think twice to recommend it to others.

Disclaimer: Books reviewed on A Sweet Spot: Home are read as Advanced Review Copies sent directly from the publisher via NetGalley. I do not receive payment for my reviews, and the opinions expressed in my reviews are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Beverly Swerling, book reviews., books, Bristol House, Catholicism, historical fiction, Judaism, london, novel

{Book Review} While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax

March 11, 2013 By Carrie 2 Comments

If you’ve spent any amount of time hanging around my Facebook page, you know that I’m a huge Downton Abbey fan. While admittedly, the third season was a lot to take, (and let’s not even begin to discuss my depression that followed the Christmas episode!) I find myself entranced with each and every episode. The gorgeous scenery, homes, costumes, even the social dynamic of that era all work together to make a show that’s sure to demand my full attention every time.

Because of that, I was instantly interested in reviewing While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax, and when it arrived, I was quick to dive in and see what it was all about.

Going in, I assumed that Downton Abbey itself would be a sort of sub-character in this book, and my assumption was correct. This book actually follows the story lines of four different characters, who all live/work in an upscale apartment building in downtown Atlanta. Samantha, Claire, Brooke, and Edward all know one another, but are living very separate and different lives under the same roof of The Alexander. It’s only when Edward organizes a weekly screening of Downton Abbey that the characters come together and begin to forge friendships that will see them all through some difficult times.

I’ve read quite a few books that follow a similar format; people becoming friends because of a cooking class, or a recipe club, or even a book club that gets together to discuss the books of one of my favorite authors of all time. This book is a quick, easy read that is perfect if you’re not looking for something too deep. It’s not going to change your life or leave you pondering the meaning of life, but if you’re looking to fill a few hours with something fun to read, I recommend you check out While We Were Watching Downton Abbey.

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: book reviews., books, Downton Abbey, easy read, fiction, novels, Wendy Wax, While We Were Watching Downton Abbey

{BOOKS} Mad Hungry Cravings

March 8, 2013 By Carrie Leave a Comment

I’ve been really fortunate to be given the chance to review some great cookbooks recently, but what I saw pop up in my inbox recently had me doing a little dance of joy in my chair! Mad Hungry Cravings from Lucinda Scala Quinn is a book that I’ve been anxiously anticipating hitting store shelves, so you can imagine my joy when I found out that I’d be reviewing a copy before it was actually released. (Side Note: On my trip to Martha Stewart’s headquarters in 2011, while walking back from lunch…I may have actually seen Lucinda Scala Quinn sitting in on a meeting that was going on at the time. And before I start sounding like a creeper, let me add that the wall to the room was entirely made of glass…I just happened to turn my head at just the right moment!)

As someone who gets serious cravings, whether pregnant or not, I knew that this book would be loaded with my kind of food. The type of food that is delicious, unpretentious, and the recipes don’t take all day to prepare, because for me, when a craving hits, it hits in a big way…I’ve got no time for slow roasting or marinating! (Not that there isn’t a time and a place for slow roasting and marinating!)

This book has a very cool and casual feel with lots of black and white photography interspersed amongst the recipes and you can practically hear Lucinda Scala Quinn saying the words she has written. It’s as if you’re having a casual conversation, and learning as you go…always a plus for me. The epilogue written by her son adds to the casual, family feel of this book.

This book is packed with recipes that you could prepare on a weeknight quickly as well as dishes that you’d be pleased to serve when entertaining. No matter the occasion you’re preparing for, this book will have a recipe that you can use.

Recipes that are on the top of my list to prepare from Mad Hungry Cravings include Croque Madame, Herb Flatbreads, Street Corner Pretzels, and New York Style Cheesecake. (Is is possible that I have a slight carb addiction?? Actually, to say slight is being kind…) I’m also anxious to try her version of a Grilled Caesar Salad. I make my own version each summer, so I’m looking forward to trying hers out as well.

Mad Hungry Cravings is a great book to have on your bookshelf for delicious and simple food…some a bit more calorie laden than others, but full of recipes can be prepared by cooks of all levels. And while I agree with most of what she has to say in this book, I believe I’ll agree to disagree with her when she says the idea of delivery pizza and hot wings doesn’t sound appetizing…

This is a great book, I highly recommend you picking up a copy when it’s released on March 19th.

Filed Under: Baking, Books Tagged With: baking, book review, books, Cookbooks, cooking, Lucinda Scala Quinn, Mad Hungry, recipes

{BOOKS} All The Light There Was

March 3, 2013 By Carrie 2 Comments

Last night, I stayed up waaaaay later than I’d planned so that I could finish reading the book I was most recently given to review, All The Light There Was by Nancy Kricorian. This book will be available for purchase on March 12th and if, like me, you’re a lover of historical fiction, you’ll want to get it immediately.

This book centers around the main character, Maral, a young girl growing up in an Armenian family in occupied Paris during WWII. Living together in a tiny apartment, she and her family must face hardships many of us will hopefully never know. Neighbors were taken away never to return and not enough food or medical care were just the beginning of the problems that this family would have to face. This story takes you from the beginning of the occupation of Paris through the end of the war. Even though the war had come to an end, the problems of those left did not end overnight. While this is a story about living in Paris during WWII, it’s also a complicated love story that will pull at your heartstrings.

All the Light There Was is a beautifully written book that you won’t want to put down. The story of Maral’s journey is full of sadness, made even sadder by the fact that it could have been anyone’s story living in Paris during this time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to friends, however, the last 25% of the book did seem to be a bit rushed to me. It was almost as though the author was trying to add too much information into too few pages.

I’ve read many books set in Europe during WWII, and I can honestly recommend that if you enjoy reading historical fiction from this era, you pick up All the Light There Was.

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: All the Light There Was, books, fiction, french occupation, historical fiction, novels, paris, wwII

Coming Soon…Lots of Book Reviews!

February 27, 2013 By Carrie Leave a Comment

If you hang around here often, you’ve noticed that lately I’ve been adding several book reviews to my site. I know it seems like they’re all coming at you all at once, and that’s because…..they are.

I’ve been using my couple of weeks off between finishing the spring issue of A Sweet Spot: Home Magazine and beginning the summer issue to do lots of book reviews. I’m such a book lover and when I was putting the magazine together, my reading time was severely limited. So, now I’m trying to play a little catch up and share some books with you that I’ve been lucky enough to get to read before they’re actually available.

So, here’s a little peek at what I’ll have coming at you over the next few weeks!

1. All The Light There Was: (Nancy Kricorian, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt} The book description stated that “All the Light There Was is the story of an Armenian family’s struggle to survive the Nazi occupation of Paris in the 1940s.” The striking cover of this book is what first attracted me to it, but the beautifully written story is what has truly drawn me in.

2. While We Were Watching Downton Abbey: (Wendy Wax, Penguin Group) Okay, let’s be honest…two words in the title are what made me want to read this book. And while, I understand that the program and it’s characters will play a role in this book, the true story in this book will be back story of the four characters that come together to enjoy their (and my!) shared love of Downton Abbey.

3. Bristol House: (Beverly Swerling, Penguin Group Viking) Historical fiction will always draw me in as a reader. I love learning about different times in history and places that I’ve never been. According to the publishing notes, this book is a story tells the stories of a modern day woman living in London and a fifteenth century monk living in Tudor England…and how their stories will collide. This is a book I cannot wait to read!

4. Whistling Past the Graveyard: (Susan Crandall, Gallery Books) This book was the first I received of all the novels I’m currently reviewing, so I’ve actually read a large portion of this book. It’s the story of a young girl named Starla living in Mississippi with her grandmother during the 1960s. When she decides to run away from home, she meets a sad woman whose life has seen some real ups and downs. Written from the perspective of a nine year old makes this story an easy read, and heartbreaking at the same time.

For those of you that aren’t serious readers of fiction, perhaps one of these books will interest you…

1. Cooking with Herbs (Lynn Alley, Andrews McMeel Publishing) The publisher’s description of this book states that, “In the fresh, vibrant pages of Cooking with Herbs, cooking teacher and best-selling cookbook author Lynn Alley offers fifty delicious recipes for cooking with ten of the most popular culinary herbs, as well as tips for growing your own fresh herbs at home.” Cooking with herbs and growing them in my garden is something I’ve been exploring more and more over the past few years, and I know this book will be a great help to me.

2. Dishing Up Virginia: (Patrick Evans-Hylton, Edwin Remsberg and Marcel A. Desaulniers, Storey Publishing) Am I a Virginian? No. Have I been to Virginia? Once…when I was a child. But, as someone who’s always wanting to learn about (and even better yet, SEE!) new places, this book interested me. Learning about dishes that have been served in this state since colonial times, and the way they use their geographic location to make fresh, amazing meals…I’m interested, sign me up!

3. Paris to Provence: (Ethel Brennan, Andrews McMeel Publishing) Tell me the title of this book alone didn’t draw you in…Paris? Provence? Yes, please! I’m excited to dive into this book and learn about the dishes of the part of the world. I expect there to be great, simple recipes and gorgeous photography.

So, please stay tuned while I dig into all of the amazing books, and share them with you in the coming weeks!