November Book Haul!!

jacqui_monet
November 18, 2016

 

So, I absolutely love to read as you all know. This has lead to some interesting opportunities for me lately. I have been asked by up and coming authors to beta read their manuscripts, sent ARCs to read and I’ve been asked to make videos reviewing books by the authors who wrote them. What?! Starting this blog and actually starting to do what I love has been amazing. So amazing, that I’ve decided to start a Booktube channel!

For some people I’m sure that could have seen it coming, but I didn’t. I had no idea that I would end up here! Anyway, I want to say thank you for supporting my blog and interacting with me on social media. You all are amazing.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do for my first video and after doing some brainstorming I decided on a book haul video! I went to Barnes and Noble and accidentally spent more that I planned and didn’t even buy what I went in for. Ah, such is the life of a bookaholic.

Check out my first video below:

Around-the-Table Lasagna

jacqui_monet
November 17, 2016

In The Porcupine of Truth Carson Smith’s family has never been close. His grandfather ran out on his grandmother, his dad drank himself right out of a relationship with his mother and his mother has always been, well, an ice queen. Family dinners were never really a thing that Carson got to experience growing up, but it’s something that he and his friend Aisha  find themselves desperately needing. Living most of his life in New York I thought, what would more fitting than one of the most amazing dishes you can snag in the Big Apple? With all of the Italian restaurants (and all of the Italian Nonnas in every neighborhood), lasagna is a staple! Below is a recipe so easy, even Carson could make it.

You will need:

Box of lasagna noodles (I mean, you could make it fresh but that requires a lot of work appliances that most folks don’t have.)

Water for boiling

Ricotta Cheese 1 tub

Shredded Cheese

Ground Turkey 1 lb

Spinach (washed)

Salt

Garlic Powder

Optional: olive oil

Cooking spray

Bottle of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I like Ragu’s Chunky Sun-dried Tomato and Sweet Basil. Or, you could be fancy and make your own.)

13×9 baking pan or casserole dish, large pot, large frying pan, strainer

Oven, stove

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

In the large pot boil water and cook the lasagna noodles per the box’s instructions.

Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey in the frying pan season with garlic powder and the optional olive oil. Strain and return to the pan and mix in the spaghetti sauce. Let it simmer.

 

Let’s talk layering: this part can be a little tricky if you have over cooked you noodles. The order that I think is the best/easiest is as follows:

Noodles. Spread ricotta cheese evenly. Meat sauce. spinach. Repeat and then, if you have anything left over, add meet sauce and a couple of spoonfuls of ricotta.

 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 mins. Remove foil and sprinkle on a layer of the shredded cheese. Bake for another 10 mins.

Alternative: If you want to assemble one day and then bake on the next you will have to refrigerate it and then bake for 40 mins covered, sprinkle the shredded cheese and then bake for 10 mins uncovered.

This lasagna recipe is so easy! Pair this with a simple salad and some garlic bread and your family won’t know what hit ’em!

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The Porcupine of Truth

jacqui_monet
November 7, 2016

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Title: The Porcupine of Truth

Author: Bill Konigsberg

Series: N/A

Genre: YA/ Coming of Age

Pages: 336

Review:

Okay, I’m just going to start this off by saying that I absolutely loved The Porcupine of Truth. I like, jump-up-and-down-cried-in-the-middle-recommend-it-to-everyone loved this book! I connected to this book in a way that I haven’t experienced in a really long time. Seriously, I haven’t sobbed while reading since Shadows in Flight, the final book in the ‘Bean Saga’ of the Enders Game series.

So what’s the book about in a nutshell? The Porcupine of Truth follows teenagers Carson and Aisha and they search for his grandfather. See, Carson’s dad is dying and he wants to reconnect the two before it’s too late. What starts out as an hours long trip ends up being and epic journey across the western United States. During their trek, the friends learn a lot about each other and even more about themselves. This book is about growing up and coming into your own; discovering what makes you you.

I don’t want to say anything about the plot. So much happens that I feel the slightest  detail will give something away. I will say that I think everyone should read it. I gave it to my brother to read and if they made a movie I’d watch it. Heck, if they made a miniseries I’d watch it. This book made me laugh out loud one moment and cry the next. Mr. Konigsberg wrote an incredible and I found myself very deeply moved. That’s it, that’s all I can say.

 

Check out the links below to get the book yourself:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble