Year: 2015

• Baking for Bookworms: Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes from Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

  February 14, 2015

  Baking for Bookworms

  baking for bookworms, banana pancakes, breakfast, Gabrielle Zevin, pancakes, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Valentine’s Day, whole wheat pancakes

  Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Today’s post makes a great breakfast (or dinner) for the one you love. There’s something about pancakes that speaks to home and care. (You can scroll down for my earlier post about this book) There’s not a lot of food mentioned in the novel. Pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches are the…

• 2015 Women Writers Reading Challenge–Book #7: If You Ask Me by Betty White

  February 11, 2015

  Reading Challenge

  acting, aging, autobiography, Betty White, biography, books, Hollywood, If You Ask Me, memoir, reading challenge, television

  I thought it was time to talk about (and therefore read) some nonfiction. I’ve got them piling up on my shelf because I always promise myself I’m only going to take x amount of books out at the library at one time, and I always exceed that by a multiple of at least three. I…

• My Literature Blind Date from the Library

  February 11, 2015

  Reading Challenge

  blind date, books, library, literature, Valentine’s Day

  I think it goes without saying that I love books and any place with books, or talks about books, or sells books… All leading me to say that I love my library. Libraries of all kinds are amazing wonderful creatures that deserve to be preserved. In Corvallis, we’re lucky to have an awesome library. The…

• 2015 Women Writers Reading Challenge–Book #6: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

  February 10, 2015

  Reading Challenge

  books, Gabrielle Zevin, novels, reading challenge, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

  I pride myself on being able to choose good reading material, especially when the reader in question is me. I give fairly good recommendations, and I normally enjoy everything I read (or I don’t make it past the first page). Sometimes though, there’s a book that makes an even bigger impression. If I’m lucky, I…

• Baking for Bookworms: Fried Potatoes from Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel

  January 30, 2015

  Baking for Bookworms

  anti-semitism, baking for bookworms, Baroness Orczy, cooking, French Revolution, fried potatoes, potatoes, The Scarlet Pimpernel

  Every once in a while there’s a book that’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth. I was really eager to read The Scarlet Pimpernel, as it’s a book that many people regard as classic historical fiction, which happens to be one of my favorite genres. I already knew the general story line, and wanted to…

• 2015 Women Writers Reading Challenge–Book #5: Last Train to Paris by Michele Zackheim

  January 30, 2015

  Reading Challenge

  fiction, Holocaust, journalism, Last Train to Paris, Michele Zackheim, reading challenge, retrospective, World War II

  I think it’s very interesting when authors write about their own families, as I’ve mentioned before (when discussing Andrea di Robilant. Michele Zackheim was researching this history, thinking she was going to write non-fiction about her distant cousins, but she was swept into the story and characters and wrote something completely different. As you may…

• My Shop was Featured on the Etsy Blog!

  January 29, 2015

  Calligraphy

  calligraphy, custom love letter, Etsy, love letter, romantic gifts, Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day gifts

  I am so excited and honored and thrilled and all those lovely things to have been included as one of the featured artists on Etsy blog. All of these artists make truly special, beautiful, romantic gifts and I’m proud to be included among them. Please go to my Etsy site, Aliza’s Inklings for more information…

• 2015 Women Writers Reading Challenge–Book #4: Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede

  January 26, 2015

  Reading Challenge

  fairy tale, Patricia Wrede, reading challenge, Snow White Rose Red, women writers

  This book was recommended to me on Goodreads, based on my love of fairy tale adaptations. As a young adult, I was very fond of Patricia Wrede (especially her dragon series, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and Cecilia and the Enchanted Chocolate Pot, which she co-wrote with Caroline Stevermer) and so I didn’t hesitate to pick this…

• Baking for Bookworms: Cheese Soufflé from Below Stairs by Margaret Powell

  January 25, 2015

  Baking for Bookworms

  baking, Below Stairs, cheese souffle, Downton Abbey, Margaret Powell, souffle, Upstairs Downstairs

  I’ve already talked a little about this book in my last post, but today we’re focused on food. I may or may not have said that I wouldn’t be cooking from non-fiction about food, but if I did so, I lied. I read a lot of cooking memoirs and they have really delightful recipe ideas…

• 2015 Women Writers Reading Challenge–Book #3: Below Stairs by Margaret Powell

  January 21, 2015

  Reading Challenge

  Below Stairs, Downtown Abbey, Margaret Powell, memoir, reading challenge, Upstairs Downstairs, women writers

  If you are anything like me, you are a huge fan of BBC shows, especially Downton Abbey. This book started all these wonderful shows: a classic memoir about working in service during the 1920s. Powell’s voice is personal; you can imagine her speaking to you as you read. Slightly nostalgic and quite feisty, I can’t…