Quick Lit: Mini Reviews of Some Recent Reads - August Edition

I'm trying to read more books that I choose for my own reading enjoyment. Not for review, but because I've been wanting to read them or they caught my attention. Most of them have been talked about ad nauseam or have been on my to-read list for a long time so they don't really need a full review. But, I'd still like to give them some space here on the blog.

I'll be linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy and her monthly Quick Lit link up. Be sure to head over to see others link up their Quick Lit posts. 

Right now audio books are a great way for me to read the books I've been wanting to read. I either get them through the Bridges account through my library or I purchase them on Audible. It's a great way to always have a book on hand!

THE MIDDLE PLACE 

By: Kelly Corrigan

Published: January 8, 2008

Publisher: Hachette Books

Format: Audio Book

I listened to this book on audio and it held my attention all the way through. The author doesn't read it, but I felt like she was. The narrator was sincere and easy to listen to. 

Corrigan shares stories of growing up as her dad's "Lovey". She is the quintessential "Daddy's Girl" even as an adult woman who lives all the way across the country. After becoming a mom to two delightful girls, the author finds out she has breast cancer. Even though this is a big part of the book, it doesn't overshadow the love she shares as a wife, mother, and especially a daughter. When her father is diagnosed, the third time, with cancer while she is going through her own cancer treatment, her view of life changes. But again, it is a lovely memoir of a daughter, wife, and mother going through the stages of life and all those lessons that appear more vivid as we look back on them. She's a great writer who is honest, witty, and real. Just when I was thinking, "I can't believe she said that!", the author would say, "I know I can't believe I said that either." Lots of Aha moments and life-altering events to identify with. 

LAB GIRL

By: Hope Jahren

Published: April 5, 2016

Publisher: Knopf

Format: Audio Book

This book kept popping up on my radar through book podcasts or on blogs that I regularly read. This told me I would probably like it. So, after purchasing a subscription to Audible due to a great deal, this book was my first purchase. 

I love nature and plants, even though I don't have the greenest thumb like my mom does. I still enjoy caring for my plants, trees, and flowers. I actually cried last summer when we had to cut down our beloved tree of 13 years. Thankfully, we have since planted a new one to replace it. Trees, plants, and flowers have always been a part of my life and I was hoping this book would stir up my love of plants and it did. Hope Jahren narrates her own book, sometimes with so much emotion, that I cried along with her. She went to college for literature, but her father was a scientist and had his own lab at the college. She was meant to have her own lab and through many toils and troubles and heartache, she did finally get her own lab. 

Her story is depressing at times and she admittedly has some issues with mental illness. But, her stories of becoming a mother and her research into a tiny seed and what she learned from it were emotional and fascinating. She is a slower narrator, so I listened at a faster speed which seemed to help me in the beginning. Pick this up if you love nature or personal stories of someone working hard to reach their goals. 

AT MY GRANDMOTHER'S TABLE

By: Faye Porter

Published: April 15, 2013

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Format: Hardcover

I purchased this book right when it came out and have skimmed it a few times since then. But this week I decided to actually dig in and read it and try out a recipe. I was attracted to this book because of the cover and the illusion of good ol' family recipes....handed down from generations. Our family has many such recipes, but I grew up watching my mom make these recipes, not my grandma as she passed away before I was born. This book made me wish I had known her.

Porter first wrote AT MY GRANDMOTHER'S KNEE and I'm thinking I have to check this one out too. Just reading through the recipes and stories take me back in time and make me want to just cook for my family all day long. I decided to try making Mammy's Southern Fried Chicken and Cream Gravy.  It took me 1 1/2 hours and I made it ahead in the afternoon and just kept the chicken warm in the crock pot til supper. It was more time and effort than I normally put into cooking a meal, but I enjoyed the process and of course, eating it. It was delicious and the best part was my husband said it tasted like his mom's. 

Other recipes that are tempting me include Babe's Sunday Morning Flapjacks, Banana Butterscotch Bread, Nana's Ham and Cheesies, Baked Beans A La Mimi, and Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie to name a few. There were also several recipes that are part of our family favorites as well and we aren't "Southern" but reminded me how much I love those simple family recipes. These Southern recipes are for anyone that loves home cooking no matter what part of the country you live in. Even though not every recipe includes a photo, I did love all the photos of Grandmas and their grandchildren as well as their stories.

   

These reviews are my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase a book through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com.