Baking and Books

"We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light." - Mary Dunbar

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Books by John Speed

In Brief

Ariela (Ari). 27 yrs old. Grad student. Teacher. Loves: coffee, cooking, baking, traveling, running, books & music... more?

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- What are your plans for the long weekend? We're going to visit the local farm for early cider, apple butter and strudel. ;) 6 hrs ago
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Nike+ Stats

Total runs: 46
Total distance: 118.05mi
Total time: 25hr 44min 4sec
Total calories: 11,764

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Recent Reviews

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

In 1666 the small village of Eyam was beset by the plague when an infected bolt of cloth brought the deadly disease from London. As the disease spread from house to house the villagers didn't want to believe that the plague had fallen at their door, but eventually they recognized the peril of their situation and decided to voluntarily quarantine themselves. For more than a year they didn't leave the boundaries of their town, relying on supplies delivered from the outside for survival. When the plague finally abated 16 months later only 83 villagers survived out of a population of 350. "Year of Wonders" is based on this real-life story. (Read the rest of this review...)

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation by Elizabeth Berg

Berg has an uncanny ability to draw you so deeply into her character's lives that you feel as if you know them. I often found myself smiling as I read about them, loving how Michael (in the story "Rain") left his high-powered city job for life in the county. Berg describes everything from how he built his home, to the spaghetti sauce his friends made using the riches in his garden, to the minute ways in which Michael changed when the uncertainties of life finally took their toll. Berg's stories tug and your heartstrings, each in a different way. As a foodie I also must mention how much I appreciated Berg's attention to culinary detail. She doesn't simply tell you that Michael and his friends enjoyed spaghetti sauce, she shows you how it was made and invites you to taste it in your mind's eye: "onion and garlic... were sauteed in olive oil, basil and oregano and tomatoes still warm from the sun," the main character writes. "I added a little honey and a little red wine and we let the sauce cook down, and then we ate outside, watching the sky redden, then purple, then go black and starry. Maybe it was the wood burning stove, but I have never tasted better marinara.". (Read the rest of this review...)

Lavinia by Ursula K Le Guin

In Roman mythology Lavinia was the daughter of Latinus and Amata. Her hand was promised to a regional king named Turnus, but when Aeneas arrived following the battle of Troy her father decided to marry Lavinia to Aeneas instead. A great battle between Turnus and Aeneas resulted, which is described in the last chapter of Virgil's Aeneid. Although Aeneas' eventual marriage to Lavinia founded the Roman race, not much is said about her in Virgil's story, and this oversight inspired author Ursula K. Le Guin to write a book about Lavinia's life. "Like Spartan Helen, I caused a war," the character Lavinia writes, "She caused hers by letting men who wanted her take her. I caused mine because I wouldn't be taken, but chose my man and my fate." (Read the rest of this review...)