Read On :: Book Picks from Lynn Green

Lynn, my friend & former boss back in the day, is kicking off another series for us!

(Yes, there is a theme here - my life being not-so-exciting I'm using this blog to peak into others'.)

My best book finds always come from hearing about what others are reading. Since having a good book going is a must, this series asks what my best-read friends have on their bedside tables. As the editor in chief of BookPage, a magazine about books, Lynn is an expert on this topic!

Lynn's picks have never steered me wrong. Her descriptions make me want to read every one of these, but I think I'll start with The History of Love. Let me know what you think of the series!

-Stephanie

What's on your bedside table now:

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
The current pick of my book club. It’s a sweet romantic novel about a British widower who falls for a Pakistani shop keeper in his village, upsetting many of his very proper friends and neighbors. The author, Helen Simonson, has some very insightful things to say about human relationships and the difficulties in crossing cultural boundaries.

Book you can't wait to read next:

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, the story of three very different sisters who come back home to their small college town to care for their mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Their father is an eccentric Shakespeare professor who frequently communicates with the family by quoting the Bard. I love family stories, and since I’m one of three sisters myself, this novel sounds like it was made for me.

 
Last book you recommended to a friend:

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
This is not exactly a sleeper since it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2009, but it’s a quiet book, with amazing power to get right to the heart of its characters. Olive, in particular, is a character I’ll never forget — feisty, flawed and heart-breaking.

Favorite author(s):
I tend to read a book or two by a lot of different authors instead of picking one author and sticking with him (or her). A few contemporary authors that I really admire are Jonathan Franzen, Barbara Kingsolver, Ann Patchett and Michael Lewis.

Last book that made you neglect everything else to finish:

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, an epic historical novel by an amazingly talented writer -- sort of Shogun meets The Da Vinci Code. I’m a slow reader but I finished all 500-plus pages of this one pretty fast because I was dying to know what happened to the two star-crossed lovers.

Favorite book you read with a book club:

The members of my book club tend to have very different opinions on books, but we all agreed that The History of Love by Nicole Krauss was wonderful — and it also prompted a great discussion.

Favorite book as a child:

The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth. First published in 1956, and it’s still good!

Favorite book to give as a gift:

I just gave Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken to my mother-in-law because she was dying to read it. Everyone I know who has read this book raves about it. And it’s a wonderful choice for men who aren’t big readers because it includes sports, war and survival — three great topics for macho-readers!

Magazine(s) you love to subscribe to:

The New Yorker

Magazine you love to splurge on at the grocery:

Self — I am TRYING to get fit! Aren’t we all?

Cooking with . . . Gwyneth Paltrow

Images from Vogue

This spring Gwyneth has a new cookbook coming out called My Father's Daughter. And guess what? I'm going to interview her!!!!

At least, I think so. I hope so. My other favorite person on the planet, Lynn at BookPage, is working to set this up. Although I offered to go to London, GP's people have agreed to a 30-min telephone interview. Alas, a date has not yet been set. So keep your fingers crossed.

By some miracle, I received an advance copy of the book and set about cooking up a few of her recipes. First up: GP's signature dish, Perfect Chinese Roast Duck, and Bruce Paltrow's World-Famous Pancakes. Funny that these 2 happen to be relatively unhealthy, considering the GP is famous for her crazy diet regime.

Bruce's pancakes got the thumbs up from Caroline and her playdate Maddy. The biggest hit - the warmed maple syrup. The adults enjoyed how thin & light they were, with the perfect tang of buttermilk.

And my first attempt at roasted duck was not a total failure. The duck was great and even the hoisin sauce turned out damn good. But the homemade sesame pancakes were a total flop. Fortunately flour tortillas made a good stand in.

This week I'm going to channel GP with some stinky cheese and Galician Albarino wine (her favorite according to Spain . . . A Culinary Road Trip) while watching a marathon of Possession, Sylvia, and Great Expectations. 

I'll keep you posted on the interview - think happy thoughts for me!

Library find . . . Where's Walrus?

Caroline has a new favorite book that we picked up at library storytime last week. It's called Where's Walrus. She of course has to read it each night before bed and has been reading it to herself as well. 

I say "reading" because there are no words, just pictures of a crafty walrus who gets loose from the zoo and has to hide in various disguises to elude the zookeeper on his tail.

Now you can visit Mint for a chance to win a copy of the book and a framed poster of an illustration.

And check out this cute video of the illustrator

Cooking with . . . America's Test Kitchen

I love America's Test Kitchen - now that I don't have cable, their PBS show is one of my favorites. Editor Christopher Kimball just wrote a great post with his 10 favorite cookbooks. I can't wait to find them at the library. Plus there is a special 15% coupon for Barnes & Noble .

My favorite cookbooks:

The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook

One of the best wedding gifts we received (along with the knives) this book really helped this newlywed couple learn how to cook the basics (french toast, roast chicken). Great recipes for the everyday or a fancy dinner party celebration.

Deceptively Delicious

A gem from Jessica Seinfeld. She's fun and relatable - she struggles to get her kids to eat vegetables too! She makes classic dinner recipes - meatloaf, chili, tacos - leaner with ground turkey and low fat cheese while not losing the taste factor. Her desserts with beans or spinach hidden inside are amazingly deceptively delicious.

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

This door stop of a book sat on my bedside table for a month while I slowly read my way through it. And it was not an easy read in bed! But who knew you could do so many things with beans? Amazing. Bittman is a great kitchen coach - he builds your confidence that you can whip up an amazing meal with simple, easy ingredients without needing a recipe.

Clean Eating Magazine

Just got a subscription for my birthday, and I'm really enjoying their creative and fresh recipes. It's a good in-between of Cooking Light and Gourmet. They help dispell the myth that eating well is expensive with their budget friendly meals.

What to get? . . . First Birthday Ideas

1. Custom name print 2. Helium balloon 3. Henry's own book 4. Curious George and Richard Scarry magnets 5. Little Bear book  6. Personalized chair

Henry's first birthday is in a week and a half (can't believe it!) and I'm struggling to decide on the perfect gift. Still overwhelmed from Christmas, I cannot imagine more toys. 

I remember Caroline loving the mylar Dora balloon her wonderful Auntie Sus got her - it totally got C out of the post-nap funk and into the party spirit! Such a fun, simple gift.

Love the cute-as-a-button magnets from my super talented babysitter. (I'll just have to make sure Henry does not eat them.) Check out her two Etsy shops, Parsnip and Pear and Poppy and Pinecone.

Anyone else have other good first birthday ideas?

Something to read . . . Ape House

Mommy is still trying to find ways to get out of the house and have some adult conversation. To that end, I invited myself to join a friend's book club (thanks, Nikki!). The next pick is Ape House by Sara Gruen. 

Anyone want to read along?

You may remember the author from the fantastic Water for Elephants. Soon to be a movie with the hottie Robert Pattinson (aka Edward) and Reese Witherspoon. Looks like the film is coming out April 22. Check out the trailer here.

Poster from here - a website devoted to all things Kristen & Robert. Hilarious.

Eat this . . . Perfect Halibut

Lest my 3 readers think that all I do is shop...

Yum, dinner tonight was a delicious creation from do it Delicious, the website from Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry's wife).

I highly recommended the Perfect Halibut Over Spinach recipe. Even got a thumbs up from the hubby and Henry (Caroline was more interested in her Dora popsicles).

I've loved many a recipe from her two books, Deceptively Delicious and Double Delicious!. The dessert recipes - healthy & yummy - are amazing. My faves are the chocolate chip cookies (with chickpeas!) and the ginger cookies (with black beans!).