A Monday Update: January 21, 2019

This photo was NOT taken today. This morning there's a blanket draped over my lap, the heat is on, and a second mug of steaming coffee is warming my fingers... and I'm still in Sanibel! The sun is shining, so I'm not complaining, but I feel bad for my friends and family in central NY where the wind chill is hovering around twenty below zero this morning!

It's been a good week here on the island - morning walks listening to RBG, a few bike rides (still on my old beach cruiser) and we picked up my sister-in-law at the airport on Wednesday. She's staying with my father-in-law for a few weeks, so there's even more family around.

Finished this week//

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life 

by Jane Sherron De Hart

I've read other books about RBG and this is, by far, the most comprehensive and complex - probably not for the reader with just a passing interest. Even as a read/listen combination, it took me nearly three weeks to finish. The audio version was excellent. It helped pull me through drier, more complex sections. Suzanne Toren was the perfect choice to narrate. I have much  more to say about the book, so look for a full review in a week or so.


Current reading//

Grand Hotel

by Vicki Baum

My "classic in translation" for 2019's Back to the Classics challenge, I didn't spend much time with this book last week. But that's more a reflection of the all-consuming nature of the RBG biography than on my level of interest or enjoyment here.

The Power of One

by Bryce Courtenay

This is the January selection for my book club back in NY. Obviously I won't be there for the meeting, but the book is very highly rated, was already on my radar, AND the recommending member said it was her favorite book of 2018. It's over 500 pages, so I used an audible credit to make it a read/listen combination. Just started last night, but so far I think it's going to be a winner!


On the blog//

Top Ten Tuesday: 2018 Author Discoveries


In the kitchen//

Remember that new recipe for lentil soup I had in the slow cooker last week? Well, it was really good! We gave half of it to my FIL to take home, so we had enough left for just one lunch. All three of us wanted it again, so I've already made a second batch.

In an effort to use up the miso I bought for the Maple and Miso Sheet-Pan Salmon, I decided to try the New York Times  Miso Chicken recipe. It was good enough to make again, but I much prefer their Roasted Chicken Provençal... a family favorite! I'm looking for more recipes that use miso if you have a favorite to share.

I'm still loving Whole Foods, too. Last week I came across a recipe for a Lentil Greek Salad with Dill Sauce that called for black (?!) lentils. I'd never heard of black lentils before but, sure enough, there they were on the shelf at Whole Foods. Guess what we're having for lunch this week?



Hope all is well in your part of the world. Did you get hit by Winter Storm Harper? What are you reading this week?