Review: Organic and Chic & Giveaway

Summary: "When I bring one of my sweets into the room—whether at a wedding or an intimate dinner party—the expressions on people's faces turn that celebration into a memory I'll never forget. That's what baking should be."

Many people are coming to recognize the merits of eating organic ingredients, but the idea of "organic baked goods" may bring to mind food that is more boring than beautiful and delicious. But in Organic and Chic, custom cake baker Sarah Magid uses her background in jewelry and shoe design to create vibrantly colored, highly original, delicious organic cakes and other desserts that are perfect for all kinds of celebrations.

Filled with gorgeous photographs, Organic and Chic features recipes for delectable baked goods you'll be excited to re-create and serve to family and friends, from modern floral cakes and cupcakes to rustic farmer's-market sweets made with seasonal fruits:

Red Velvet Love Cake frosted with Vanilla Whipped Buttercream and garnished with edible flowers

Vanilla-Bean Butter Cake filled with Sweet Chocolate Ganache and decorated with hand-sculpted butterflies

Minty Strawberry Shortcakes, celebrating the bounty of the summer

Goldies, a tasty tribute to America's favorite cream-filled sponge cake

Whether you're preparing some simple Double Ginger Cookies for a block party or bake sale, or experimenting with a rich and luscious dark chocolate birthday cake, you can be confident that you're serving desserts that are gorgeous and flavorful without resorting to fake, chemical-laden ingredients. Magid offers detailed step-by-step decorating instructions and enough inspiration to help even the most novice baker create bold cake-decorating effects, including eye-popping flowers, hand-sculpted leaves, and metallic-painted brushstrokes.

A must for every health-minded baker, this unique cookbook balances exquisite flavors, organic ingredients, and stunning visuals to help you create your own masterpieces.-- William Morrow

ORGANIC AND CHIC: CAKES, COOKIES, AND OTHER SWEETS THAT TASTE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK by Sarah Magid is AMAZING! It is absolutely one of the most beautiful cookbooks that I have ever seen. As you can see, the cover photo is just filled with incredible looking desserts; and all of the pictures in the book are just like this. I would actually consider placing this cookbook on my coffee table because it's that gorgeous. Plus, I'd kind of like to have it handy because I really enjoyed looking at all of the recipes and decorating ideas.

Not only is this cookbook filled with beautiful pictures, but there are just loads of yummy-looking recipes. The book starts with recipes for cakes and cupcakes (along with frosting, curds, and filling recipes), then it has a section on cookies and bars, a section on reformed junk food, and one on farmers' market sweets. There is another section that will appeal to a lot of moms titled children's goodies which has easy, cute recipes geared towards little ones. The book ends with a wonderful chapter on Ms. Magid's design techniques along with step-by-step instructions.

I was pleasantly surprised by this cookbook not because of its recipes and photos, but rather because the instructions and explanations were so detailed and clear. The recipes and instructions for decorating were extremely easy-to-follow. Now making my cakes as gorgeous as the ones in the book might be a challenge, but I think that's because of my lack of skill and definitely not the fault of the instructions. And since I am not a regular consumer of organic foods, I loved how Ms. Magid explained the benefits of going organic as well as some name brands for organic baking goods. The last few pages of the cookbook also include explanations of various baking tools and how best to use them. I actually learned a great deal just by reading Ms. Magid's advice.

I absolutely adored this cookbook, and I can't wait to try some of the recipes. Unfortunately, that won't be until after I finish THE GAME ON! DIET later this month. (Although August is the perfect time for me to make cakes, since we will be having three birthday parties over the course of three weekends!) Now that I'm eating so much better, I appreciate how all of Ms. Magid's recipes use organic and natural ingredients --at least be eating "healthier" goodies, right? There is one recipe in particular that I want to try for the "Easiest Chocolate Cake." Not only is the cake vegan, but my little guy can eat it even with all of his food allergies. Of course, there are lots of cakes and desserts that I want to try, especially the "Coco Loco" cake and the "Lovely Lemon Cake."

Sarah Magid currently has a custom cake business in New York City. In her past, she has worked for Tommy Hilfiger, J. Crew, Coach, Liz Claiborne, Frye and Henri Bendel. Her cakes have been featured in some of the most popular magazines including Domino, InStyle Weddings, Brides, and Martha Stewart's The Art of Cakes. With those credentials, it's pretty evident that she has an eye for design!

Ms. Magid has a beautiful website that you must visit. She has some photographs of her cake designs which are sure to amaze you. She also maintains a blog where she shares a lot more pictures as well as addition information about her designs. I swear I could read about her ideas for hours! If you are interested in learning more about Ms. Magid and ORGANIC AND CHIC, then check out this video of Ms. Magid discussing her book and how she gets her ideas:



I am so excited that I have some copies of ORGANIC AND CHIC to giveaway courtesy of Harper Collins! To make this contest a little more interesting, I am going to give away one copy of the book for every 15 entries I receive -- up to five copies. To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail address telling me what is your favorite type of cake. To double or triple your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post. This contest is open until Thursday, July 30th at 11:59 p.m. EST; and I will notify the winners the following day. This giveaway is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only -- no p.o. boxes please! I wish you the best of luck because this is one incredible cookbook!

Review: April and Oliver

Summary: Best friends since childhood, the sexual tension between April and Oliver has always been palpable. Years after being completely inseparable, they become strangers, but the wildly different paths of their lives cross once again with the sudden death of April's brother. Oliver, the responsible, newly engaged law student finds himself drawn more than ever to the reckless, mystifying April - and cracks begin to appear in his carefully constructed life. Even as Oliver attempts to "save" his childhood friend from her grief, her menacing boyfriend and herself, it soon becomes apparent that Oliver has some secrets of his own--secrets he hasn't shared with anyone, even his fiancé. But April knows, and her reappearance in his life derails him. Is it really April's life that is unraveling, or is it his own? The answer awaits at the end of a downward spiral...towards salvation. - Grand Central Publishing

APRIL & OLIVER by Tess Callahan is just a marvelous book written by a very gifted writer. It is basically the story of April and Oliver who meet up after many years after the sudden death of April's younger brother. As children, April and Oliver were extremely close and knew each other better than anyone; however, during their separation, they didn't stay in touch and eventually grew apart. This book is, without a doubt, a character-driven novel; and I found all of the characters to be very real as well as very complicated. The reader can't help but be touched by the pain that both April and Oliver have in their lives.

Because this novel was so beautiful, I found myself reading it slowly and appreciating each and every page. I think another reason that I wasn't able to breeze through this book was because I found the story to be just gut-wrenching. I loved both April and Oliver (even when I wanted to just shake some sense into them) but they were both so unhappy and even self-destruction in so many ways. I had a difficult time with many of their actions (especially April's); and yet, I still became caught up in their lives and kept holding out hope that they would find some happiness.

The book is just incredibly well written; and it's very hard to believe that it is Ms. Callahan's debut novel. I was a little disappointed to find this out because I wanted to go back and read her prior books and now I just have to wait for her next one. Her prose is just exquisite and her dialogue is spot on. I can't get over how well she developed the characters in this book. They were all flawed and their interactions were complicated, but I felt as if I knew them by the end of this book.

A few weeks ago, Miriam from Hachette hosted Ms. Callahan on a BlogTalk Radio show. I was actually able to listen to the show live; however, I wasn't able to call in because of all the background noise in my home -- the two kiddos were around! Nonetheless, I was happy that I could still ask a few of my questions via the chat room. Ms. Callahan is a teacher, an artist, a writer, and on top of all that, a mother of twins; so I was very curious to hear how she handles everything! In addition, I was very intrigued to learn about her writing process and how she develops her characters. I think if you listen to the interview, you will agree that Ms. Callahan is a very interesting person. If you'd like to learn more about Ms. Callahan, check out her website as well as this Q&A.

One thing about this book that made it so very special to me was the ending -- I thought it was just perfect. I don't want to give anything away, but the ending did cause me to think a great deal about April and Oliver and what potentially happened to each of them. On the BlogTalk Radio show, I actually asked the author what she thought happened after the book ended; and I absolutely loved her answer. I'm paraphrasing, but here's the gist: "I have no idea and didn't really think about it. The characters were done telling their story to me." As a non-writer, I am just amazed by that answer, but I think it's so telling about the type of writer Ms. Callahan is.

I highly recommend APRIL & OLIVER as a book club pick. As I mentioned earlier, this book is very character driven so there is naturally a great deal to discuss about April and Oliver as well as their relationships. I was so excited to find this reading guide with 25 excellent discussion questions. In addition, there is also a reading guide for APRIL & OLIVER and THE POWER OF KNOW by Eckart Tolle that has ten more questions. A lot of the questions posed allow you to discuss the characters in this novel, but you can also touch upon the themes of loss, guilt, and forgiveness. It truly is a wonderful discussion book!

Thanks to Miriam for sending me a copy of APRIL & OLIVER.

Review: The Grumpy Dump Truck

Summary: This dump truck has a bad attitude.

It's not easy being a dump truck, hauling heavy dirt from one place to the next. All that work has made Bertrand decidedly grouchy. But when he meets Tilly, a cheerful porcupine construction worker, Bertrand’s attitude begins to change. Can this grumpy dump truck learn to be nice? Brie Spangler’s hilarious new picture book is perfect for little truck lovers! -- Knopf

THE GRUMPY DUMP TRUCK by Brie Spangler is just a terrific picture book -- both my son and I agree on this. This book is the story of Bertrand the dump truck who is extremely grumpy about having to haul dirt all day -- and boy, was he grumpy! Bertrand meets Tilly the porcupine whose quill pierces his tire, and he becomes even more upset. Tilly remains calm and pulls out her quill from his tire, along with quite a few other objects. Bertrand immediately feels better and is so grateful that he says "Thank You" for the very first time. After all of that, he has a major attitude adjustment and suddenly wants to help others.

My son totally understood this book and did a great job of explaining it to me. I'm not sure that all the messages in this book were clear to him, but he did comprehend that Tilly's behavior ultimately made Bertrand happier. He thought the parts of the story where Bertrand was being mean to everyone were hilarious, but he also was excited that Bertrand finally felt better.

I think this book has so many wonderful messages. I took the opportunity to use this book to discuss a few things to my son. The most important lesson that we talked about was that there are things happening "inside" of every person that we might not know. That being the case, I explained that we should try not to be grumpy with others; however, sometime grumpy people do have a reason for their grumpiness. As compassionate people, we have to try to understand that something might be wrong and be patient with them -- just like Tilly was.

To bring the lesson a little closer to home, I asked him if I was every grumpy to him. He laughed and nodded his head (a little too enthusiastically if you ask me.) I told him that sometimes I am upset about something that happened to me earlier in the day or that I'm not feeling well. My grumpiness really doesn't have anything to do with him and that his feelings shouldn't get hurt. I also pointed out that it's not okay for me to treat him poorly because of my own issues; and that I should realize what I did wrong and try harder to have a better attitude. I think he got the general gist of it!

THE GRUMPY DUMP TRUCK is available today -- July 14, 2009. Thanks to Knopf for sending me a copy of this book.

Review: I Don't Want to Go to School

Summary: A book to ease those first-day jitters!

“No way!” is Simon’s mantra when his parents tell him that tomorrow is his first day of school. After he tries to convince himself that he is not scared, Simon calls for help from Mom and Dad, who assure him that he will learn a lot, meet new friends, and have a great day at school. And they may just be right! After a day of drawing, playing, eating, resting, and making music, Mom tells Simon that it’s time to go home. His answer? “No way!” Author-illustrator Stephanie Blake has created a lovable character in Simon the Super Rabbit, whose cautious approach to something new will feel familiar for parents and children alike. -- Random House

I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL by Stephanie Blake is just the perfect little book for the youngster in your life who is getting ready to start school. Simon the Super Rabbit is scared to go to school; however, his parents keep assuring him that everything is going to be okay. I love how the author incorporated humor into what is often times a very scary time for little kids. I think children are going to react very positively to this book.

My almost five year old son certainly enjoyed I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL. He had a great time reading it with me and even participated when Simon kept telling his parents, "No Way!" After just a few pages, my little guy would fill in the words "No Way!" when I stopped reading. It was just too cute! And he couldn't help but giggle each and every time he said it.

Besides the story, my son really liked the illustrations. I have to side with him on this one because the pictures in this book are adorable. Simon appears as a masked super-hero on the cover of the book, and I think my son instantly felt an affinity with him. As we read the story and Simon's behavior became more extreme, the illustrations showed his very silly facial expressions. The pictures really do tell the story and show Simon's fears and insecurities.

As a mother, I really liked this book too. It was clear that it resonated with my son; however, I also appreciated the message that it sends to kids. I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL shows that it's okay to be scared to start a new school. And while Simon's parents tried to tell him in many different ways that it would be fine, he wasn't entirely sure. It wasn't until Simon attended school for himself that he realized just how much fun it was.

I recommend this book to anyone who has a little one starting school. My son is heading back to his preschool next year, but you can bet that I'm going to be pulling this book out again before he heads to kindergarten the following year. I also think it's a wonderful book for teachers to add to their storybook collection; and it just might be perfect to read at either an orientation or even the first day of classes.

I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL is available today -- July 14, 2009. A big thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of the book.

Week 2 Recap for Game On Diet

I survived another week of The Game On Diet. I hesitate to use the word "survive" because it really hasn't been all that hard for me. I even went away on a mini-vacation to State College, PA for the Central PA Arts Festival and still managed to get a perfect score of 850 and lose 2.0 pounds. It wasn't too difficult to incorporate the diet into my 2 day vacation because it is somewhat flexible. I was able to take my day off for one of my vacation days and eat anything (and everything) I wanted; and the other day I just made good choices and ate wisely.

For some reason, I associate State College and Penn State with food (and drink)! It's a miracle that I didn't leave college weighing 200 pounds! I pretty much decided that this was a family vacation and I was going to enjoy it. I ended up eating a ton of food and most of it wasn't very healthy! I had homemade macaroni and cheese at the Diner, not one, but two, Creamery ice cream cones, a big bowl of Lobster Bisque from the Nittany Lion Inn, and one light beer -- and that was all on Thursday. I know you're thinking that it's no wonder I need to diet!!!

On Friday morning, we went to The Waffle Shop, another Penn State tradition for us; but I was super good. I ordered the healthy omelet that was made with egg whites, spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms. I had a small side of fruit for my carbs and only ate on little piece of dry wheat toast. Just to be on the safe side, I counted my 100 extra calories with this meal. I ate a very small salad with rotisserie chicken for lunch and had a snack of cheese sticks, almonds and an apple on the way home. I was pretty darn proud of myself!

My husband is extremely supportive of my diet; however, I have to show you what he ordered at the Waffle Shop. It's chocolate chip pancakes with loads of whipped cream in case you were wondering; and it's chock full of chocolate chips -- I'd say about a half of a bag!

He wants you to know that he usually eats very healthy and that he is not at all overweight!!

And now on to the score keeping because this diet really is a competition. Drum roll please......

Ding Dongs: 838.8 points for a total of 1633.40
Twinkies: 734.8 points for a total of 1510.40
Ho Hos: 645.0 points for a total of 1327.0

I am so proud of my Ding Dong teammates because that's the second week in a row that we had the most points (we had to recalculate last week's points because one of the Ding Dongs didn't give herself enough credit.) It also means that all five of us lost at least 1% of our weight this week and made our weight goals. Woot Woot! We really are "kicking our friends' butts while shrinking our own" (that's from the cover of the book, not just me being mean.)

I know the Twinkies and Ho Hos are going to be coming after us this week so it's important that we don't let down our guard. Until next week....Game On!

Review: Queen Takes King

Summary: Jackson Power. A name like the man himself: aggressive, ambitious, bullish. The prodigal son, heir to millions, built his own Manhattan real estate empire and revels in seeing his moniker -- Power! -- on glittering skyscrapers around the city that never sleeps. Beneath his desk in the towering Power headquarters, Jacks has a stack of newspapers and photographs of himself, shaking hands with the most famous men and women of his generation. Here's a man who's always loved to see his name in ink. Until now.

Cynthia Hunsaker Power. She is the epitome of elegance and society. The perfect foil for a man of Jacks's stature -- his first and only wife, he'd proudly tell any of his Master of the Universe (read: Gargoyle) friends. The former prima ballerina arrived in New York at eighteen, off the bus from Missouri, brimming with talent, beauty, and drive. She met a struggling painter, fell in love, and only later learned she'd won the Power lottery. Now she sits on the New York Ballet Theater board, effortlessly outdoing herself with one gala after another. But the press coverage of the Power silver anniversary party at the Waldorf takes the cake.

Jacks Power appears twice in the New York Post the next morning -- once gallantly dancing with his wife of twenty-five years, Cynthia; and once hand in hand with Lara Sizemore, morning television star, exiting her Upper West Side apartment building that very same night.

To Jackson Power, Lara is everything his wife Cynthia is not -- wild, voluptuous, mysterious, and self sustaining. A new passion has swept Jacks off his well-shod feet -- and she is Lara Sizemore. He is ready for the divorce, ready to marry his mistress, America's Sweetheart. But Cynthia isn't ready to be swept out of the picture quite so easily.

Let the Divorce Games begin.

Whether they're changing the locks on each other in their Park Avenue triplex or sabotaging each other's dinner parties, it's The People's Billionaire vs. The Ballerina, in a split-up that will trump the most scandalous divorces known to polite New York society. Cynthia's got their twenty-five-year-old artist daughter, Vivienne, in her camp; Jacks has the young bartending playwright Adrian, whom he intends to pay to seduce Cynthia into an easy split. But Cynthia might have a few tricks up her well-tailored Chanel sleeve, and she -- like Jacks -- is prepared to use every weapon in her divorce arsenal to win the game. It's a battle of wits, of charm, of two of the biggest egos -- and personalities and bank accounts -- in Manhattan, and neither side will go down without a fight.

From beloved and best selling author Gigi Levangie Grazer comes a sexy, sassy, smart new novel, Queen Takes King. -- Simon & Schuster

I seem to really be on a roll lately as far as reading entertaining books go. The latest summer read that I enjoyed was QUEEN TAKES KING by Gigi Levangie Grazer. Trust me when I say, if you like books filled with larger-than-life characters and lots of juicy scandal and gossip, then this book is for you. Plus, it's just a very, very funny story! I think this is the perfect book to take to the pool or beach with you -- when you just want to sit back, relax and be entertained.

Probably the first thing that struck me about this novel was how readable it was. Even though it was over 350 pages, I read it in just a little over a day. The pace of the book was very quick and I had a hard time putting the book down. I just couldn't wait to see what happened! There was the main story of the breaking up of the Powers' 25 year marriage which was extremely interesting, but there were also side stories about the other characters that I liked. Ms. Grazer did a great job of pulling me into the story and making me want more when it came to these characters.

I also appreciated that the story wasn't entirely predictable as is often the case with these types of books. It actually had some twists and turns and even a few surprises thrown in that made it even more entertaining to me. Besides the story surprising me a few times, I have to admit that I was also shocked by the behavior of some of the characters (although it did make for a good and scintillating story.) I was happy to see that by the end of the book, some of the characters did realize their wrong-doings and even made an attempt to change their lives.

Another thing that I thought was really cute about this book was how the author used the theme of a chess game throughout the story. Not only did the title and cover of the book refer to chess, but even the chapter headings made references to the game. I actually thought a chess game was an ideal analogy for the "game "that the characters were playing with each other as well as their constant positioning.

When I mentioned that I thought this book was quite entertaining, I think it's because the story kept my interest from the very beginning to the very end of the book. Plus, I really enjoyed reading about this wonderful cast of characters. I became very interested in these characters' lives even though I initially didn't like any of them. I found myself rooting against Jacks and wishing the worst for him. (What does that say about me that I wanted bad things to happen to a character? But in all fairness, he was a narcissistic, egotistical jerk.) However, by the end of the novel, I actually ended up really liking quite a few of the characters; and I was especially hoping that Cynthia could realize her potential.

I'm sure that many of you are familiar with Gigi Levangie Grazer; but just in case you're not, she's the author of MANEATER, RESCUE ME, and THE STARTER WIFE. THE STARTER WIFE became a mini-series on the USA network, and MANEATER was turned into a mini series on Lifetime. She also wrote the screenplay for the Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon movie Step-Mom. It's apparent from reading QUEEN TAKES KING that she understands high society; however, I think she is also a pretty darn good storyteller. If you are interested in learning more about Ms. Grazer or her books, check out her website. There is a separate website devoted to the novel QUEEN TAKES KING where you can read an excerpt from the book and even some reviews.

I also found the video clip which shows Ms. Grazer discussing QUEEN TAKES KING and how she got the idea for her latest novel.

Review: Real Life & Liars

Summary: Sometimes you find happiness where, and when, you least expect it.

For Mirabelle Zielinski's children, happiness always seems to be just out of reach. Her polished oldest daughter, Katya, clings to a stale marriage with a workaholic husband and three spoiled children. Her son, Ivan, so creative, is a down-in-the-dumps songwriter with the worst taste in women. And the "baby," impulsive Irina, who lives life on a whim, is now reluctantly pregnant and hitched to a man who is twice her age. On the weekend of their parents' anniversary party, lies will be revealed, hearts will be broken...but love will also be found. And the biggest shock may come from Mirabelle herself, because she has a secret that will change everything. -- Avon

I have had REAL LIFE AND LIARS by Kristina Riggle on my must-read list for awhile now. I first heard about the book because the author, Ms. Riggle, is one of this year's contributors to The Debutante Ball. I am a regular follower of this grog, and I make an effort to read every one of the debut novels that are written by the "debs." So far, I have never been disappointed. If you are looking for wonderful books by new authors, then you should definitely check out this site.

I am very happy to say that REAL LIFE AND LIARS was a fantastic book. I always seem to enjoy books that are heavy on character development and deal with intense family dynamics, so it wasn't a big surprise to me how much I appreciated this novel. I became absorbed in the story and the characters from the start and had a hard time putting this book down. I was also extremely touched by this story because it pointed out to me how difficult it can be for families to just get along with each other -- an all too real situation for many families. The parts of the book that dealt with resentment and sibling rivalry were very honest looks at dysfunctional families as well as terrific material for a story about family dynamics. I think many readers will relate in some way to this story.

I absolutely love how Ms. Riggle chose to tell this story. The book consisted of many brief chapters from Mira and her children's points-of-view. For some reason, this format really kept me reading because it seemed like each short chapter left me wanting for more. I thought it was so creative how even though the chapters told each person's part of the story, only Mira's chapters were written in first person narrative. I thought this was crucial to my enjoyment of the novel because I didn't always relate to Mira. Being able to get into Mira's head and "hear" all her thoughts really helped me to not only understand Mira, but also to better understand the entire family.

I also enjoyed all of the characters in this story, and I thought Ms. Riggle developed them so well. That's not to say that I would want to be friends with all of them, but I thought each character was very real and made the book very interesting. When I was first introduced to the characters, I wasn't quite sure that I was going to "like" any of them. Every character in the family had their fair share of issues; and I often times found myself wanting to knock some sense into them. It seemed to me that each member of the Zielinkski family was extremely self-absorbed and unappreciative. However, as I read their stories and learned more about them, I realized why they were like this and I was hopeful that they could change. I was saddened that it took a family crisis to make these characters aware of what's important in life; but if that's what it took to wake them up, then I guess something good came out of the bad.

It's almost hard to believe that REAL LIFE AND LIARS is Ms. Riggles' debut novel because it is just so good. I loved her writing style and how she told this story; and I think she did a marvelous job of developing the characters. If you'd like to learn more about Ms. Riggle and her book, you can listen to the BlogTalk Radio show that was taped a few months ago. In addition, there is a great section in the back of the book called A+ Author Insights, Extra, & More which includes discussion questions and an author Q&A. I was so excited to read that Ms. Riggle is already busy at work with another book that deals with complex family relationships -- I can't wait to read it.

REAL LIFE AND LIARS would make a marvelous book club discussion book! I would find it hard to believe that anyone would not enjoy this novel, and I can only imagine how much fun it would be to discuss this family and all their mixed-up dynamics. As I mentioned earlier, there are
discussion questions located in the back of the book (if you feel like you need them.) Of course since I'm a sucker for books that deal with complicated family relationships, I appreciate the questions that focus on Mira and her dealing with her children. I also like the question that delves into what effect (if any) does birth order have on each of the three kids. Having said that, all of the questions are really very thought-provoking and sure to create a great deal of conversation.

A big thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this terrific novel.