That's What Jenni Said

With two hours on the train daily for my work commute I enjoy a great deal of leisurely reading. Had a bit of drama midweek when I realized I left my Nook (the eBook reader sold by Barnes and Noble) on the train. Crossed my fingers and prayed that someone turned it in to lost and found, but no such luck. Friday rolled around and I can’t be without my books for long, so I forgave my carelessness and ordered myself a Kindle Paperwhite eReader (I was very happy with my Nook but B&N is discontinuing them, acknowledging that Amazon has won the market share war for eReaders). Here’s a summary of what I’ve been reading since last weekend: A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz I have owned this cookbook for many years, and rely on it heavily – not so much for the recipes per se (although they are perfectly adequate) but for the liturgical calendar details included in the text. Ms. Vitz has grouped recipes together along the following lines: recipes for days of rejoicing and celebratio...

One of the best aspects of being a book reviewer is the exposure to authors with whom I was not previously familiar. Instead of choosing books to read through my normal method - perusing the shelves at Barnes and Noble and admittedly judging by the covers – I’m voluntarily reading pretty much every book that comes my way via publishers seeking feedback. This weekend I started and finished Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford. It’s set in the early 20th century against the backdrop of the great depression and focuses on a Chinese mother and son that have been torn apart by excruciating circumstances. I absolutely could not put this book down. Ford’s prose is beautiful and evocative. He expertly pulls readers into the story right from the first pages. I identified with this young abandoned son as we came to know him in his orphanage home. I felt his sadness as it was recounted by Ford; my heart welled up with anticipation and hope as his heart pounded with excitement of the same. Buoyed...