Sunday, December 13, 2015

The Midwife's Choice by Delia Parr

The Midwife's Choice by Delia Parr is the 2nd installment in the At Home in Trinity series by this author.  In this installment we find Martha living in the confectionary house with the 2 sisters who run it, Ivy and Fern.  She had developed a good working relationship with the doctor in town and both knew what each was best at in the division and care of their patients of the town.  Martha is developing a relationship with the mayor but so far has turned down his marriage proposal since she knows that she could not leave her midwifery practice if she were to marry him.  Then when her runaway daughter comes home it seems life could not be more complete.  That is until her daughter, Victoria, tells her of her plans to return to New York with her boss's wife to continue working at the newspaper.  Victoria has learned a lot since running away with the theater troupe.  She has grown up and seems to have be protected by God of the many evils which could have hurt her and found a nice family with which to live and work for.  Martha had been praying for her protection and it seems that He has provided that and more.  Victoria quickly apologized for leaving and Martha tells her that she has done some soul searching also about Victoria growing up since her husband's and Victoria's father's death.  She agrees to Victoria's return but with many stipulations which Victoria agrees and in a few days she would have returned but for the snowstorm and the beating of one of Martha's patients, Nancy, and needing to protect her.  Some of the town secrets come to light and community pulls together to protect and hide Nancy.

I loved reading this book even though I hadn't read the first installment.  It is not necessary to read it for the understanding of this book though I think I would have enjoyed it more since I would have already been acquainted with the characters of the story.  This book is a Christian love story though the love story just adds interest to the story of Martha's midwifery practice and her interactions with her daughter and the community. I would recommend this book for any age girl or woman reader.
I received this book from Baker Publishing Group for this review.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Happy Cooking by Giada De Laurentiis

Happy Cooking by Giada De Laurentiis is Giada's newest cookbook creation.  It is filled with high quality pictures on high quality paper.  Giada's cookbooks all have a theme and this one is healthy cooking on a day to day basis.  Now this cookbook is not for those looking for cooking on a budget.  Giada is a chef and as such uses good if not great quality foods and equipment and expects that the reader will also be able to afford these items if they wish to cook her recipes from this cookbook.  That being said she also explains the reasoning for instance using one type of olive oil over another.  In one recipe she will note that you should use not just Romano cheese but rather Pecorino Romano cheese.  The seasoned cook of skill will be able to make substitutes that may not be quit the quality but certainly have meals that the family can enjoy and afford.  She has many suggestions to make snacking more nutritious but still enjoyable and fun.  She makes no bones that she does not eat to lose weight but rather for nutrition and enjoyment.  This cookbook makes notations on whenever a recipe is classified as vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free.  This cookbook has many suggestions on seasonings as well as ways to use those vegetables in your garden that you have lost interest in beyond the first weeks of it being in season.  The chapter that I love the most however is the first one which is breakfast meals.  She has many great ideas that I will use again and again.

I liked this cookbook.  It cannot be the only cookbook that you own but luckily I own many and will enjoy this cookbook as an addition to my collection. I received this book for Blogging for Books for this review.