Hello from the very chilly gulf coast of Florida, where it's early afternoon and our wind chill here on the island is still 29 degrees! Today we have all sorts of cold weather cancellations throughout the area - festivals, concerts, and even a library book sale. I've never seen anything like it. We also have an abundance of cold-stunned invasive iguanas lying around. They are basically paralyzed from the cold. This has prompted FWC to set up iguana collection sites around the state where homeowners can drop them off. Sounds like a good idea in theory, but I prefer to leave it to the professionals!
Recent reading//
by Beth Brower
I've been raving about this series for months as I read them with a small group over at Modern Mrs. Darcy. These books just keep getting better and this is the best one yet! I own the set in paperback, but have also been listening to them on audio. The narration is excellent and all eight editions are available on hoopla. This is my first 5-star read of the year!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Current reading//
by Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan
I enjoy books about books and reading, and just started this collection of short essays last night.
On the blog//
In the kitchen//
I've got two new recipes to share this week. The first is an easy Korean-inspired Ground Beef Bibimbap from skinnytaste. This is a slightly spicy one-pan meal ready in under 30 minutes. I'd never used Gochujang sauce before and liked its sweet/spicy flavor. I omitted the optional fried egg.
Since I had a bag of shredded carrots on hand, I tried Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal from Joy Bauer. The recipe is sweetened with maple syrup or honey (I used the maple syrup) and contains raisins and pecans. The recipe makes a 9 x13 pan, so I cut it into squares and put several servings in the freezer. I also skipped the cream cheese glaze in favor of a dollop of whipped cream. Delicious!
The week ahead//
I've got appointments scheduled with the dermatologist and dental hygienist... not fun, but necessary. At least I won't be missing out on beach time. It looks like highs will be only be in the upper 50s and low 60s all week! We're also having friends over for dinner one night... it will be good to catch up.
How was your week? What have you been reading?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
You guys have been having some cold weather! We have too and this morning was hopefully our last of the 'hard' freezes. It was low 20's, but is now up to 47. The icy sleet stuff finally melted in our yard and around and it was good to see it gone. Hope that's it for this winter. Your iguana tale is just amazing. No, I wouldn't want to be finding them and taking them to shelters either. ;-)
ReplyDeleteKay - I'm hoping the week ahead will be the end of winter here, too. I can deal with the cold better in CT where we have better heat and warmer clothes, lol!
DeleteYes, I agree. Best to leave collecting freezing iguanas to the professionals!
ReplyDelete29 degrees is cold for CO, where we expect it, but it sounds devastatingly unfair to have it that cold in FL.
I just ordered vol 1 of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion. Sounds like a fun read.
JaneGS - The iguanas are kind of scary. What if they warm up in the car while you're transporting them?? I'd rather pay someone to get rid of them!
DeleteThe Emma M. Lion books are wonderful, but the first volume sets the scene and is a little slow. The second book is better, but it took three books for me to be fully invested. Hope you enjoy them, too!
I'm intrigued by Every Day I Read, but I do NOT need to get any closer to books. Your temperatures seem balmy (it's been zero here for a week!) but I'm sure it is not good for the iguanas. Your cooking looks great. Have a good reading week!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Yingling - The cold temps are definitely relative. It's much colder up north, but we have better heat there!
DeleteIt is really odd to learn that it is colder in Florida than it is here in Washington State. Enjoy your week!
ReplyDeleteMy post: https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2026/01/sunday-salon-songs-for-now.html
Anne - And we're in southern Florida, too... it's even colder up in the panhandle!
DeleteThat’s interesting how the iguanas adapt to the cold weather. I also have a dental hygienist appointment this week. Oh joy! Have a great week otherwise.
ReplyDeleteJodie - Those iguanas are strange creatures! Unfortunately they do a lot of damage, too.
DeleteYou have some great looking meals here. Comfort food is what we need during cold weather. Hard to believe how cold Florida has gotten. I saw snow flurries yeterday but it didn't stick as it did last year when we were still living rural. The lady across the street had a pipe burst so that's going to cost her to get a plumber out in this weather.
ReplyDeleteWe had wind chills of 13 F last night because of a 35 mph wind. WTF? Florida is getting hammered.
I like your idea of reading a chapter a day for War and Peace. Maybe I will try that with an intimidating classic one day. I'm starting a buddy read on Monday, Crux reading with Susan at The Cue Card, Then I will read from the shelf again. Stay warm!!
Tina - I just saw on the news tonight that there were flurries in Cape Coral and Naples! Sorry to hear about your neighbor's pipe. This part of the country is just not equipped to deal with cold!
DeleteThe chapter-a-day read of War & Peace is good so far. I've thought about reading it for years and finally decided to just try it. Hope you and Susan like Crux!
I just made my mother's cheesecake for the first time yesterday for tomorrow's book group. Boy, I hope I got it right!
ReplyDeleteHelen - I've only made cheesecake a couple of times, but I'm sure it will be delicious!
DeleteWow! I can't believe how cold it is on your island! Interesting about the iguanas. I think I saw something about warming centers for turtles, too. Glad to hear the Brower books continue to entertain you. I'll read the first three in print then move on to audios. Hooray for your first 5-star read of the year. Every Day I Read sounds intriguing. I'll wait for your review, but it might be something to get for my mom for her birthday in May...
ReplyDeleteLes - It warming up a little today... we may hit 60. My fingers are crossed!
DeleteYum to both of those recipes! Everyday I Read is going on my TBR now, and I feel like the cold snap could be nature's way of culling an invasive species? Maybe that's too harsh! I probably say that about a cute, cuddly mammal freezing to death. Reptiles have rights, too, I guess. haha
ReplyDeleteLaurieC - People are definitely taking advantage of the opportunity to cull the iguanas. Couldn't believe the piles of cold-stunned reptiles they are showing on tv... it's pretty gross!
DeleteI know you all are not used to that weather in Florida. Our high this week is 29, and that is on Friday. I am cooking a bunch of new recipes this week (4, I think), and I loved the Emma Lions books! I binged all eight last year and can't wait for the 9th to release this year. I hope things warm up soon, and I agree with you, leave the iguanas to the professionals!
ReplyDeleteCindy - I've been trying to find a release date for Emma M. Lion vol 9, but can't seem to find anything. I'm glad it will be this year!
DeleteI'm with you on leaving the iguanas to the professionals. They creep me out a bit. I'm so looking forward to the Emma Lion books. I'm trying to finish a series on Audible Plus so I can cancel it and then I'm starting with the Emma Lion books. Have a great week and stay warm.
ReplyDeleteKatherine - The first couple Emma M. Lion books are a little slow, mostly setting the scene and introducing characters. They're also very short. The series starts to get better by book 3.
DeleteOh my, yes, that's cold. We've been cold here along the Texas Gulf Coast and it was bitterly cold in East Texas over the weekend. Whew!
ReplyDeleteI am going to bookmark The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, and maybe I will get a chance to check them out from Hoopla soon.
Deb - It's great that the Emma M. Lion audios are available on hoopla. I know that service is very expensive and am thankful my library still offers it!
DeleteI feel for those iguanas! I hope they unfreeze. I'm glad you're loving the Brower books. Sounds like a great discovery. Also I want to know about 53 ways to get closer to books. Cute cover to it. Enjoy your reads.
ReplyDeleteSusan - The iguanas do recover completely once they warm up, but they are invasive and cause a lot of damage. This extended cold snap is an opportunity to cull the population.
DeleteI hope the iguanas will be okay and that the cold is showing signs of making way for warmer weather. I like the sound of Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books and will have to check it out. How are you finding War and Peace? I read it over the course of a year myself, which was a motivation in and of itself for me with that one. I really struggled to get into the first few chapters, but eventually I did. I hope you have a good weekend, JoAnn! Take care.
ReplyDeleteWendy - I'm still managing to keep up with W&P and actually like it, though I much preferred the initial 'peace' section to the current 'war' installments. The daily email summaries are very helpful, to..
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