In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FROM NETGALLEY:

The Kitchen Magpie A Delicious Melange of Culinary Curiosities, Fascinating Facts, Amazing Anecdotes and Expert Tips for the Food-lover by James Steen

Review: The Family Dinner Cookbook Recipes and Inspiration for Quality Time Together by Compiled by Barbour Staff

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Enhance your quality “together” time with The Family Dinner Cookbook. . .featuring loads of easy-to-prepare, delicious dishes plus prayers and inspiration. Approximately 300 hand-picked recipes for simple meals, desserts, no-bake dishes, and more will delight the taste buds of even the choosiest eaters in your family; and a generous offering of smart, fun, creative tips and ideas will inspire you to spend quality time together with your loved ones.

MY TAKE:
A lot of cookbooks promise easy recipes but they're not always as quick and simple as they seem to be.

In The Family Dinner Cookbook Recipes and Inspiration for Quality Time Together, readers get easy-to-prepare dishes, some of which can be done by children. There are also quote, Bible verses, and suggestions for theme nights.

One thing I like about this book is that the recipes really are easy. There are sandwiches and no-bake desserts, so of course, those are pretty easy to prepare. However, I appreciated the couple of recipes that made use of microwaves, since I don't really have a lot of time to cook. I tried the omelet in a mug recipe since it seemed really simple and I had the ingredients on hand. It turns out, though, that we were out of cheese so I had to make do without it. The resulting omelet was pretty bland, but it was fluffy and firm enough. I think the shredded cheese would have definitely made this taste great.

I also liked that the recipes use ingredients like canned soup, frozen vegetables, and mixes. I know that fresh stuff always tastes better, but when you're really busy, these will do in a pinch. The kids' recipes are pretty simple and easy to, with some of them being more of an assembly thing than a cooking thing.

There's also a conversion table, which was pretty handy and informative, although I did wonder what it was doing in the middle of the book.

The graphics and layout are eye-catching and fun. The Bible quotes and other quotes were a nice touch, but they don't always relate to food, so adding some of them felt like a little bit of a stretch.

Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. The recipes are easy to follow.
2. The food looks delicious.
3. It's something the whole family can enjoy. 

THE BAD:

1. The cooking connection of some of the quotes feels a little forced. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

If your soup has been oversalted, cut up a raw potato or two and drop into the pot.

READ IT IF:

1. You're looking for recipes you can prepare quickly.
2. You're looking for recipes you can do with your kids.
3. You like cookbooks that have quotes in them. 

RATING:


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Review: He Texted The Ultimate Guide to Decoding Guys by Lisa Winning, Carrie Henderson McDermott

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

You’re a busy, intelligent, modern woman. You stay on top of work e-mail. You “like” all the baby photos your sister posts on Facebook. You found your dream job through LinkedIn. But when your crush texts you “Sup?” every few days, yet never asks you out, what the hell does that mean?
These days, dating is more confusing than ever. Friending? Following? Liking? Poking? Linking? LOLing? WTF? In an era when FaceTime is no longer the same as face-toface, it’s no wonder you can’t tell if he’s into you or just really into his iPhone.
This hilarious and essential guide from the founders of HeTexted.com—with totally straightforward guy sight from the HeTexted Bros—will help you autocorrect your digital dating life, from decoding your Facebook friendships, to reading the intentions behind guys’ perplexing texts, to deciding when—if ever—you should text him first. It’s He’s Just Not That Into You for the digital age and What to Expect When You’re Expecting . . . a second date—all in one invaluable package!

MY TAKE:
If you've ever wondered what guys really mean when they text you something, you might find this book interesting.

In He Texted The Ultimate Guide to Decoding Guys, the two female authors and three male panelists give the lowdown on what texts means depending on where you are in your relationship. It also includes things you should look for or watch out for when it comes to male behavior, and also how you should conduct yourself.

I found this book enjoyable especially since the format wasn't completely what I expected. I thought it would be like most self-help books, with pages and pages of explanations and only a few examples and insights from real men. This book puts the focus on the opinions of the panelists and shows what certain words and actions most likely mean.

There are chapters starting from when you first make contact until he says he loves you. My favorite chapter, though, is the one wherein the typical male Facebook wall is decoded. There are things here that I never even thought would be relevant but the explanations make sense.

However, since every guy is different, and cultures tend to differ, I'd take some of the things said here with a grain of salt. Most of it probably applies to all, but it may help to trust your instinct a little bit too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. You get opinions from men and women panelists.
2. The presentation is fresh and fun.
3. It covers period from before until you're in a relationship. 

THE BAD:

1. Not all of the advice given would apply to every guy, although most does.

READ IT IF:

1. You've ever wondered what a guy's text really means.
2. You want a guy's opinion on what a guy's text means.
3. You want a book that covers the pre-relationship as well as the relationship period.

RATING:


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Review: The Wobbit A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

The sequel to the parody of the sequel to the prequel to The Lord of the Rings
When Aaron Sorkinshield and his band of Little People embark on a totally feasible quest to reclaim the hoard of Academy Awards stolen from them by the lonely Puff the Magic Dragon, senile wizard Dumbledalf suggests an unlikely and completely unqualified accomplice: Billy Bagboy, an unassuming wobbit dwelling in terrorist-riddled Wobbottabad.
Along the way, the company faces Internet trolls, moblins, one really big spider that must be at least an inch and a half wide, and worse. But as they journey from the wonders of Livinwell to the terrors of Jerkwood and beyond, Billy will find that there is more to him than anyone—Tolkien included—ever dreamed. Propelled to his destiny by a series of courageous adventures and indented paragraphs, Billy will set out on the greatest YOLO of all time . . . one that leads deep into the dark caverns hiding a mysterious man named Goldstein, who’s just trying to have a nice seder.

MY TAKE:
I've read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I've only seen the Hobbit movies and not read the book.

In The Wobbit A Parody, Billy the Bagboy joins Dumbledalf, Aaron Sorkenshield and the rest of the Little People in their quest to the Mountain with Zero Friends and retrieev the awards stolen by Puff the Magic Dragon.

Most of the major scenes in the book are scenes I recognize from the movie. So if you've seen the movie but haven't read the book, you would still be able to follow along.

The characters are also mostly the same, although there are a few characters here that are obviously not in the books, namely Doc from Snow White and three sisters who bear a very strong resemblance to the Kardashian sisters.

There are a lot of pop culture references in the book, and there's some mixing and matching of characters from different fandoms. Dumbledalf, for example, is a combination of Dumbledore and Gandalf.

The sense of humor used in the book can feel almost nonsensical at times. Overall, though, it's like reading a novel version of MAD magazine, if you can picture that.

One thing I wanted to note, though, was Dumbledalf telling Billy to be careful of Filipinos. Since he didn't elaborate, I don't quite know whether to be proud or offended. Since this is a parody, I'll just let this one slide.

Thanks to NetGalley and Touchstone for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. There's plenty of pop culture references.
2. You don't necessarily need to have read The Hobbit in order to appreciate this one.
3. The book isn't afraid to poke fun of itself.

THE BAD:

1. The sense of humor and writing style might not appeal to everyone.

READ IT IF:

1. You like parodies.
2. You like books filled with pop culture references.
3. You find sarcastic, nonsense, tongue-in-cheek humor funny. 

RATING:


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Review: Dawn: Diary One by Ann M. Martin

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Can Dawn find a life in California to match the one she left behind in Connecticut—or has too much changed between her friends?
At Vista, eighth graders are required to write personal journals about their experiences. Meet thirteen-year-old Dawn Schafer, the crunchy and health conscious member of the Baby-Sitters Club, who has returned to California to live with her father, stepmother, and brother. Dawn is thrilled to be reunited with her old friends Sunny, Maggie, and Jill.
It’s not always easy to keep the group together, though—things are changing fast since they moved the eighth-grade classes into the high school. With new social demands and decisions to make, Dawn sees just how much her old friends have changed since she moved away. Or is she the one who is different now? It’s time for this independent girl to let go of the life she had across the country and figure out just where she belongs now.
This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Ann M. Martin, including rare images from the author’s collection.

MY TAKE:
My favorite Baby-sitters Club members are Kristy, Mary Anne and Claudia, but I really can't resist reading anything from the BSC series so I gave this book a try.

In Dawn: Diary One, it's a new school year for Dawn and her friends in California. However, instead of being the rulers of middle school as eighth-graders, they're now at the bottom of the food chain in the high school building. Some of Dawn's friends welcome the chance to change and grow up, but while Dawn is excited, she's also not too sure about some things.

I've always thought of Dawn as Mary Anne's sister. In this book, I got to learn more about her and was able to see her personality.

Dawn has some interesting friends in California. Sunny is a bit of a rebel, Maggie is a perfectionist, and Jill is immature. She also meets two new friends, Ducky and Amalia. It was then that I remembered that several years ago, I read a book told from Amalia's point-of-view. That's probably one of the reasons I liked her right away.

The plot is pretty simple, I guess. It's about friends growing up and changing. Dawn's main conflict here is dealing with the changes in her friends and within her family. It's a little bit after-school-special-ish, but it's still a fun read. I did get thrown a little bit when the girls thought about watching movies on a VCR. I don't think kids nowadays have ever seen one in person.

Thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Media Teen & Tween for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. Young girls can relate easily to the story.
2. The characters are interesting.
3. It's a fun and easy read.

THE BAD:

1. Dawn's conflict isn't too heavy.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

My body is a temple. I put only the purest of things into it. Like Mountain Dew and Pez.

READ IT IF:

1. You liked the Baby-sitters Club series.
2. You are a fan of Dawn.
3. You like after-school specials.

RATING:


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Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sometimes I just don't understand friends.

Review: Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks Create Extraordinary Dishes from the Ordinary Ingredients in Your College Meal Plan by Priya Krishna

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Transform your dining hall meals into gourmet feasts! Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks offers 75 amazing and creative recipe ideas that use items readily available in your college dining hall. Any night of the week, you can dine on tzatziki chicken salad, quesadillas, sloppy joes, lemon-pepper pasta, fried rice, scalloped tomatoes, chicken and waffles, Asian nachos, or bruschetta. You'll also discover how to create mouthwatering custom desserts, from peach cobbler and chocolate bread pudding to peanut butter mousse and sweet potato pie. And don't skip breakfast, when you can savor chilaquiles, avocado toast, eggs carbonara, or mango parfait. Make the most of your college meal plan with Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks!

MY TAKE:
I'm more of a baker than a cook, so any book that is easy enough for me to cook from is always welcome.

In Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks Create Extraordinary Dishes from the Ordinary Ingredients in Your College Meal Plan, readers can choose from a number of recipes that can transform their usual food choices to something different and possibly more palatable.

There are plenty of recipes to choose from, but since I'm not too fond of yogurt and granola, it narrowed my choices down a little bit. I did find a few recipes I liked and might try, specifically the Spanish rice and the toasted honey and cheese roll. I was intrigued by the olive oil chocolate sundae, which sounds gross but also fun to try.

I liked the book's colorful layout and graphics. My favorite parts of the book, however, where the charts. One of these charts showed you what ingredients to add to a basic burger to get another burger. Another chart showed what tea to add to hot chocolate to create a new variety of hot chocolate There's also a chart that arranges the desserts in the book based on how savory or sweet they are.

The only thing I wasn't too sure of with this book is, since I'm used to precise measurements in baking, I'm a little thrown by the fact that there's no measurements given. The purpose of that is so readers can experiment, so if you're a fan of experimenting with taste, this should be for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing, LLC for the e-ARC. Publication date of Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks Create Extraordinary Dishes from the Ordinary Ingredients in Your College Meal Plan is on May 14, 2014.

THE GOOD:

1. The recipes are easy and look delicious.
2. The charts make you want to start experimenting with food right away.
3. The book is neatly organized. 

THE BAD:

1. No measurements are given. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

I tried it anyway and discovered that the ice cream totally transforms the olive oil, giving it this amazing sweetness. 

READ IT IF:

1. You're bored with your usual dining options.
2. You like experimenting with food.
3. You are looking for dishes you can cook quickly. 

RATING:


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