Two Books, One Winner

Carrie1 Comment

I have been reading a lot over the past years so I figured that I can start a new blog spot comparing two books that I have read that are similar.  The first two victims are Gone Girl and The Cuckoo’s Calling.  Both of these books are mysteries about a girl’s questionable death which makes them easy to compare.  While one put me to sleep, the other left me on the edge of my seat.  The winner and loser is revealed below.  You can read them both for your self to judge or you can trust my opinion.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn *****

I simply could not put this book down.  The first part of the book is from Nick Dunne’s perspective.  I felt like I was looking in on his life.  Nick Dunne is a character for which you feel sympathy.   He returns to his house only to discover that his wife is missing.  The book is a detailed description of the events that unfold the truths of her mysterious vanishing.  The author changes it up when she gives us a new perspective.  You will just have to read the book to experience the tantalizing events on your own.  I would also like to note that Ben Affleck is making a movie out of this titillating tale.  Isn’t that just another enticing reason to read this book?

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith **

At the time of it’s publication, no one knew that Robert Galbraith was the pseudonym of JK Rowling.  Some refer to this book as a brilliant mystery, however, I would say it is nothing of the sort.  Unlike Gone Girl, you are not sympathetic to any of the characters.  Though JK Rowling tries to lure you in by using a war vet with a prosthetic leg, Detective Cormoran Strike’s character does not lend himself to any emotional attachment for the reader.  As we follow the detective’s investigation of the suicide of supermodel Lula Landry, we are not drawn in to the story.  The reader is bombarded with a series of interviews that will eventually have a decently dramatic ending.  The last chapter was the most riveting part of the entire book.  I was bored not even halfway through the book, at which point I should have turned to read the final pages and called it a day.  I would suggest leaving this book on the shelf at your local library.  There are too many other great books to read.  Perhaps start the Harry Potter series instead.  If you’re reading this JK Rowling, stick to the children’s fantasy novel because it’s what you’re good at.

 

 

Banana Surplus

Sadie3 Comments

Here’s what my banana situation looked like last week:

Bananas

I knew I had to do something about it, because I couldn’t eat all those ripe bananas before they just turned to mush.

So I debated my options.

First, I thought I could make the banana peanut butter chocolate chip cookies I made in the fall because they’re delicious, and maybe bring them to work. But I’m actually on the verge of baking a few batches of cookies for a co-worker’s birthday next week, so more cookies just seemed excessive (did you notice that leaf that turned over in that sentence that I just wrote).  Then, I thought to myself, I could make banana bread and mail it to my grandparents (otherwise I would eat the whole loaf myself in one day). But I just sent them Valentines chocolate, so I don’t want them to get used to a care package every week. That’s a hard pace to keep up.

But then I remembered a post I saw either on Pinterest or a link from another blog about two ingredient cookies, just bananas and oats. It caught my eye, and I was curious to try it out. I love bananas, I love oats, what could go wrong? (By the way, even though I said I wasn’t going to make more cookies, these hardly count as full blown cookies.)

not the most photogenic

So anyway, I ran to the store to pick up some oats, and a couple mix-ins: walnuts, mini chocolate chips, and almond butter. I figured I needed to punch up the recipe a little because just bananas and oats could be a little bland.

The recipe is the easiest thing ever, and the results were solid but nothing revolutionary I must say. The cookies remind me of banana bread batter. Not bad, but not crave-worthy. None the less, a good, healthy snack to have on hand, and a nice use for those ripe bananas!

Here’s my adaptation of the recipe (I doubled it and added stuff):

Two Ingredient Cookies (sort of)

Adapted from: Foodlets, yields about 2 dozen small cookies (give or take, depending on how much batter you eat)

Ingredients

  • 4 ripe bananas
  • 2 scant cups of oats
  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mash up the bananas with a fork. Add the almond butter and combine. Add oats and other mix-ins and stir until combined.

3. Make one and a half inch balls of dough and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press the balls down with a fork like you would with peanut butter cookies. They will not expand in the oven.

ready for the oven4. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely. And enjoy!

out of the oven!

Flea Market Finds

CarrieLeave a comment

I am constantly seeking out our local thrift shops and church flea markets for some deals on vintage items.  I usually am always able to scoop up some great finds.  You would be surprised that someone’s junk can be someone else’s treasure.  From experience, I know that many elderly people are often cleaning out their closets or their entire houses in order to downsize.  In fact, that is exactly what my parents have been doing this winter to prepare for their yard sale in the spring.  Their reasoning is that they don’t need so much stuff anymore and that someone else can use it.  Of course, their treasures have to pass through me before it makes it to the yard sale box.  Check out what I have recently acquired at a local church flea market at Our Lady of Sorrows in Linwood, NJ.

This beaded purse was a steal at $10. I talked to the dealer and she said that she now went around to different flea markets selling items as a result of cleaning out her mother's house after she had passed away.
This beaded purse was a steal at $10. I talked to the dealer and she said that she now went around to different flea markets selling items as a result of cleaning out her mother’s house after she had passed away.
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This grated cheese man matches a utensil holder I found last year. I got him for $12. This is a hard piece to acquire.

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I got this children’s play set for $15. This is only a part of a complete set but it was well worth it as it made a great addition to the decor above my kitchen cabinets.