China Rich Girlfriend

jacqui_monet
March 1, 2019

Title: ChinaRich Girlfriend

Author: Kevin Kwan

Series: Crazy Rich Asians, number 2

Genre: Adult/ Romance/ International

Pages: 479

This book, the second in the CRA trilogy did not disappoint at all! The story picks up 2 to 3 years after the first and, my goodness, it doesn’t miss a beat. Like all good soap operas we’ve got a car crash, plastic surgery, social climbers, meddling parents, a wedding, shopping sprees (in Paris!) and fabulous parties.

We’re reaquainted with past characters and introduced to a host of new ones who are hell bent on shaking things up. I loved seeing where Rachel, Nick, and Astrid are in their lives and seeing previous side characters like Kitty Pong become more fleshed out was fantastic. Kevin Kwan continues to do a great job at peeling back the curtain on the ultra elite VVIP life. I eagerly await book three.

Ratings

Plot: 5/5          Characters: 5/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

Crazy Rich Asians

jacqui_monet
February 22, 2019

Title: Crazy Rich Asians

Author: Kevin Kwan

Series: Crazy Rich Asians, number 1

Genre: Adult/ Romance/ International

Pages: 546

I  enjoyed this book a lot. It was a pretty quick read and I appreciated that the author used authentic slang from the different languages that the characters speak and included a glossary for those terms and them bottom of each page.

Even though many of the characters come from obscene amounts of money, they still felt like real human beings. None of the characters were “all good” or “all bad” which tends to happen in these types of stories. Everyone had their own motivations, hopes and dreams. There were also a ton of characters, so I liked that the author titled the chapters with the character whose POV we were experiencing.

I’m definitely going to read the rest of the trilogy and watch the film.

Ratings

Plot: 3/5          Characters: 5/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

Sadie

jacqui_monet
August 30, 2018

Title: SADIE

Author: Courtney Summers

Series: N/A

Genre: YA/ Thriller/ True Crime Fiction

Pages: 320

Check out my Two Minute Review of SADIE on my ‘booktube’ channel:

Don’t forget to visit:

Sadie’s Cinnamon Toast

Sadie’s Cinnamon Toast

jacqui_monet
August 30, 2018

In the book SADIE by Courtney Summers, the title character spends the  majority of her time making a good life for herself and her sister. She takes on the responsibility of being “the parent” after her mother skips town. even though she doesn’t have much to give, she gives her sister her all. I think that cinnamon toast is one of those foods that is so incredibly simple to make as well as being super inexpensive because most people already have all of the ingredients in their pantry. Cinnamon Toast can make a great after school snack, a sweet treat after dinner or even a yummy breakfast when paired with some fruit!

You will need:

2 Tablespoons of butter (melted)

3 slices of bread

1/2 Tablespoons of Cinnamon

2 Tablespoon Sugar

Small bowl, Toaster (or toaster oven), Basting/BBQ/or Pastry Brush

Directions:

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Lightly brush butter onto one side of the slices of bread. Sprinkle with sugar mixture.

Repeat on the other side of the bread slices.

Toast coated bread slices to your desired firmness. I like for the crust to be crispy but not burned.

Alternative:

You can sub the butter for a butter based cooking spray or a cooking oil that doesn’t have a strong flavor.

Mama Molony’s Pasties

jacqui_monet
October 20, 2017

Growing up in a small town in Kentucky in the 50s boys like Stone Molony were lucky to have nearly every meal cooked at home. I love pasties and they seem like jut the kind of thing Stone’s mother would whip up for a quick lunch. Check out the completely customizable modern day recipe down below:

You will need:

Shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar but you can use any type that melts well)

Croissant dough (2 packages)

Sauce (I used BBQ for this particular set)

Cooked Meat (I use lil’ smokies that I cut into quarters but you could LITERALLY use any thing shredded or cubed)

Cookie sheet, owl, spoon, oven

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven per the instructions of your croissant dough.

Separate the croissant dough triangles.

Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and spoon onto half of the triangles.

Place the other half of the triangles on top and pinch closed.

Bake in the oven per the instructions of the croissant dough.

Literally. That’s it and it’s so, so good. You make substitutions to make it your own. You could even use biscuit dough instead of croissant dough. Go for it! Have fun! But be ware that this does  NOT reheat well.

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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Witches of East End Book Review

jacqui_monet
October 25, 2016

witches

Title: Witches of East End

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Series: Witches of East End (book 1)

Genre: SciFi, Fantasy,

Pages: 288

Ok, so my favorite writer for the past few years has been Melissa de la Cruz of the Blue Bloods and the Ashleys series. I have loved almost every book that she has written. I mean, there was one that I got less than a chapter into and pitched it. But this book was great! In keeping with the Halloween theme I read The Witches of East End.

The Witches of East End is the first in her series about a pair of sisters and their mother who try to live quiet lives without magic in a simple cottage in the Hamptons. Now, I feel that I must add that this is not a “pretty, rich, white girls with problems they created” type of book. In fact, not all the problems that come their way are their fault. Trouble tends to come to them because they are a little too generous. You see, they have been banned from using their powers but then one of them does so to help a friend who’s been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant. Then they all start helping people. THEN they get accused of being witches. So much for laying low. The story is really interesting and has since become a series on Lifetime which is also pretty good.

Speaking of series: if you have read the Blue Bloods series of the same author (which you should in order to be able to laugh at certain jokes) you will recognize characters that have cameos. I’m not saying that you should read all of those to be able to understand this book, but I am saying that you should read this between Blue Blood books 7 and 8. Mimi talks about some of the action that takes place in this book, therefore it’s crucial for BB fans to read this.

 

Check out the links below to get the book yourself:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Cleo’s Pumpkin Spice Pound Cake

jacqui_monet
October 16, 2016

The girls of Monster High are definitely of the “pumpkin spice latte” persuasion. Concerned with friends, fashion, boys and trying to pass their classes the ghouls are basically your average teen aged girls. That being said, grab your apron ‘cuz it’s time to get baking!

You will need:

Flour 1 ½ cup

Ground Cinnamon ½ tsp

Salt ½ Tbsp

Egg White 3

Baking Soda ½ Tbsp

Baking Powder ½ Tbsp

Ground Cloves ¼ tsp

Ground Nutmeg ¼ tsp

Sugar 1 ½ cup

Fat free Vanilla Yogurt ½ cup

Canned Pumpkin 1 cup

2 bowls, 1 oven, sifter, whisk, greased loaf pan

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Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Sift flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves and nutmeg into a bowl.

In a larger bowl, whisk together sugar, yogurt and egg whites.

Stir in the pumpkin.

Stir the dry ingredients from earlier.

Transfer the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes.

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Once completely cooled I like to top it with a powdered sugar glaze. It’s just about equal parts of water and powdered sugar. It should be smooth and slightly runny.

Alternative:

Instead of a loaf pan, you could use mini Bundt cake pans.

You can also sub the powdered sugar glaze for store bought cream cheese frosting. YUM!

Monster High Book Review

jacqui_monet
October 8, 2016

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Title: Monster High

Author: Lisi Harrison

Series: Monster High (book 1)

Genre: YA/ SciFi

Pages: 246

Review:

So I started reading Monster High by Lisi Harrison, and when I say “started” I mean that I’ve inhaled all four of the original books. Ms. Harrison is the woman who brought us The Clique and Alphas. That being said, although I initially loved the idea of famous monsters’ children (or grandchildren) attending a normal high school while reluctantly “hiding with pride” I was afraid that the story would be well, shallow.

Ms. Harrison’s characters in her previous stories have tended to be incredibly one dimensional. I am glad to share that this series has been great. Heck, she even has a mean girl learn her lesson. Unlike Sharpay from High School Musical who has to relearn her lesson over and over and… Done with the rant. Anyway…

I love her decision to use nearly all of the different characters that Universal Studios explored in the 1930s. The books have everything from swamp monsters to mummies and Hyde to the son of Medusa. All of the characters are very different from each other and even though some of them are popular kids at the school, Lisi Harrison does a great job at making sure that they all have different goals and anxieties. Not all of them are popular by the way, some of them are practically invisible to those around them especially Billy (but he actual is invisible).

There is also a good mix of “normies” or normal kids like Melody and her sister Candace who move to Oregon from Beverly Hills at the beginning of the first book.

I say read the books or buy them for a teen girl you know. It’s a great way to introduce SciFi to younger people without being too out there. Another plus is that it’s a series and introducing a series to a young reader is the best way to ensure that they continue reading. Simply put: if they love the characters, they will want to know what happens to them.

Remember, if this book interests you, check out the links below to experience Monster High for yourself.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Audio Books

*Side note: my brother Josh and I plan to be dressing up as Clawd and Clawdeen Wolf, the werewolf siblings at the high school, for Phoenix ComiCon next year. There is also a cartoon for Monster High on youtube, but be aware that it doesn’t follow the story line of the books AT ALL. Think of cartoon as more of an extended epilogue. I still think it’s kinda cute though. They have also released some full length animated features and a live action film is in the works (supposedly).

Taking The Stage Book Review

jacqui_monet
September 5, 2016

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Title: Taking The Stage

Author: Paige Parsons

Series: n/a (well, not yet anyway)

Genre: Romance, Interracial Romance (BWWM)

Pages: 134

Taking the Stage is the debut novel of Paige Parsons and I have to say I loved every second of it. I’ve never read a romance novel with the intention of  sharing my experience with the public, but I’ve decided to go for it anyway. You know, why not?! That being said, let’s jump right in to it.

This book centers around the working and personal relationships of stage manager Robyn (Roby) Rose and her director Joseph (don’t-call-him-Joey) Davis. Roby has moved back to her home state of Arizona because she suffered a massive personal blow; she caught her husband with his head between the legs of a hot young teacher. Considering that he was the principle of the school that both women worked at, he’s lucky there wasn’t a messy lawsuit along with professional embarrassment. Roby, however, stuck it out for the rest of the school year and then bounced which is more than I can say for myself, I honestly would have walked right out of his office never to be seen or heard from again.

Anyway, after a few weeks or so in good old AZ, Roby is settling into a new apartment and is handed a job at a theatre in town. Roby is chronically late to everything which drives Joseph crazy. He wants to resolve the problem and gives her a choice: 1) every minute late will be docked from her pay or 2) each minute results in a swat. A SWAT!! As in, spanking. There is spanking in this book! At first I thought, “Mm sounds like a sexual harassment lawsuit to me,” because well, he is her boss. But as the book went on I became okay with it  because the spanking wasn’t sexualized. What was sexy though, was the dialogue and their inner monologues about each other. I could feel the sexual tension between them as the story progressed. Throughout the novel, our potential lovers deal with family, meddling mentors and an old flame come back to town in the form of a desperately needed leading actress.

Now, I know I listed above that Taking the Stage is an interracial romance novel but I didn’t really touch on it. In all honesty, the book doesn’t either. The most we get is the occasional description of her skin comparing her to chocolate, which I hate! Why are black characters always described in conjunction with food? Ugh. We don’t describe white characters as mashed potato colored. Anyway, I did like that race never came up. Roby’s blackness is never used against her nor is Joseph’s whiteness used against him. Seriously, I loved that this is a modern story and that race just isn’t an issue.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. Once I got past the um “original” spellings of Roby’s sisters’ names, Taking the Stage ended up being a very quick read. In fact, I wish the book had been a little bit longer; I could stand to know a little bit more about what happened between Joseph and his ex. But when all is said and done, this novel was fun and sexy and full of accurate theatre lingo. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially my theatre friends.

Check the links below to get this e-book for yourself!

https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Stage-Paige-Parsons-ebook/dp/B01IWQEP3G#nav-subnav

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taking-the-stage-paige-parsons/1124141693?type=eBook