Hello, friends. Last weekend I mentioned our days of late afternoon/early evening rain, and after yet another weather-related cancellation, we gave up altogether on cocktails on the beach with the neighbors and enjoyed some time on our lanai instead!
The rest of the week turned out to be fairly quiet and it feels like the "season" is beginning to wind down. We were able to make a dinner reservation for tonight (more below) and I also managed to get in some reading time every afternoon. I didn't finish anything, but am pretty happy with the current stack.
Current reading//
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
This is a stunning novel! Between reading and listening, I am completely immersed in this world. It's a very long book, but I'm on page 593 (88%) and plan to finish in the next day or two. I'll have more to say next week.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
This is my chapter-a-day slow read with Foootnotes & Tangents. We read the 100th installment two days ago - quite a milestone! It's a read/listen combo for me , and I'm enjoying Edoardo Ballerini's narration. (33%)
Snow in April by Rosamunde Pilcher
With two serious chunksters, I really needed something 'easier' to read at the end of the day and took it as a sign when this slim novel showed up as a kindle daily deal. It's set in London and Scotland and I'm very happy to be back in Rosamunde Pilcher's world! (54%)
In the kitchen//
The restaurants here have been busy since President's Week in mid-February, then kicked up another notch for "peak season" - spring break through Easter. I've been cooking a lot the past two months and look forward to being able to make a dinner reservation again... starting tonight!
One of our recent dinner successes is this Hot Honey Chicken from the New York Times. Chicken cutlets are breaded with a spicy cornflake mixture, baked, and drizzled with homemade hot honey. (I'm pretty sure I figured out how to make that a gift link.🤞)
I also made this Lemony Orzo Chicken Soup from Gimme Some Oven. The lemony flavor is perfect for spring and rotisserie chicken makes it easy. My only suggestion would be to use more orzo. I might try one cup next time.
How was your week? What have you been reading?
I love chicken, I'll add this recipe to my list.
ReplyDeleteVicki - I hope you like it. I've never made my own hot honey before!
DeleteGood for you for tackling too huge books at one time...I don't have the brain capacity for that, LOL! I look forward to hearing more about The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.
ReplyDeleteCindy - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny has done me in - in a mostly good way! Thank goodness for Rosamunde Pilcher.
DeleteI read The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny — I wasn’t wildly enthusiastic. Review here: https://maefood.blogspot.com/2025/12/winter-readinrg.html
ReplyDeleteThe NYT chicken recipe sounded good to me also — I think I’ll try to remember to buy the ingredients and see how it comes out.
Mae - Thanks for the link. I think we have similar feelings... so much there that it needs a reread, but I don't know when I'll have the stamina. Hope you like the chicken if you decide to try it.
DeleteI appreciate Mae's review (thanks for the link, Mae!) and will take a pass on this book.
DeleteI enjoyed The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny a lot. I felt like I learned about the loneliness of the immigrant experience in America. I hope you are able to have more dinners out. You deserve it!
ReplyDeleteDeb - Sonia and Sunny was an interesting look at the immigrant experience and Indian culture in general, but I think there was so much more in it that I probably missed. Sigh.
DeleteWow you're almost done with Sonia & Sunny ... that's fantastic. Are the characters really good? Is it worth reading? I was sort of surprised it didn't win the Booker last year. I had to laugh at the Pilcher title: Snow in April ... so funny. I can relate we have Snow in April here ... right now it's melted from this morning ... but more to come on Thursday. lol. Winter won't leave fully yet.
ReplyDeleteSusan - I'm still working through my thoughts. The writing is fabulous, the characters are complicated, there is SO much in there, so many threads. I literally could have stopped to google something every page or two - food, article of clothing, animal, plant, cultural/literary/art reference - whew! It kind of makes me want to read Flesh and see what did win the Booker! I'm not sure who I could recommend this to, but am not at all sorry I read it...if that makes any sense?
DeleteSorry drinks on the beach didn't work, but it sounds like you found a good alternative! Have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteHelen - We finally just decided to make do with what Mother Nature dealt us, lol! It was a very nice evening.
DeleteIm sure the cocktails in the lanai were just as tasty.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your dinner out, I don’t have to cook tomorrow because it’s my birthday. I look forward to the night off all year!
Wishing you a wonderful reading week
Shelleyrae - Hope you had a wonderful birthday! We enjoyed our dinner out, too.
DeleteYou can't go wrong with Pilcher but I do love her fat books best. Going to move that Sunny and Sonia book up in my long long list :-)
ReplyDeleteTina - I am so happy to be back in Pilcher's world. It is even more of a relief after Sonia and Sunny! I'll have some more thoughts to share about S&S. You can see my comments to Susan above... it's quite a read, but so much effort!
DeleteBeautiful clouds in the picture you shared. Hope your reading week goes wonderfully!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kay! The new week is off to a running start... I haven't picked up a book in two days!!
DeleteIt's nice that you have a lanai to enjoy when it's rainy. We have a deck that's mostly in the shade, so between the cool temps, lack of strong sun, and rainy days, it rarely gets used. This summer is supposed to warmer and more dry, so maybe we'll get out on the deck a little more often.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you're enjoying The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. I'm also reading a couple of long books at the moment. Still enjoying The Winds of War, and am considering War and Remembrance in 2027. I read a big chunk of The Lacuna last night and think you would love it! The writing is marvelous, and at times I have to remind myself that Kingsolver is the author. It's nothing like any of her novels! I'm also glad you're enjoying Snow in April. Maybe I'll give that one a try since I don't see any mention of it on my blog.
The Lemony Orzo Chicken soup recipe sounds delicious. However, my husband isn't a fan of lemon-flavored things OR orzo. Sigh. He'll eat just about anything else, so I shouldn't be annoyed. ;)
Les - I can't wait to hear more about The Lacuna!! I wasn't in the mood for it last fall (?) but you've mad me curious again. And then there's her new novel coming out later this year...
DeleteSnow in April is such a welcome change of pace from Sonia and Sunny, and I love being in Pilcher's world again. So far it's very much a product of its time (published in 1972) but I'm happy to be there for now.
Sounds like the Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup is a double no for Rod! There are a few things my husband just refuses to eat, too, and I respect that. I haven't made a meatloaf in decades, but it kind of makes me wonder what his mother must have put in them when he was a kid! ;-)
That's funny that you mention meatloaf! I had to go back and re-read my comment, wondering if I told you I was making meatloaf and baked potatoes for dinner. :) My mom and Rod like it a lot. I'd rather have a hamburger.
DeleteLes - This made me laugh - I'd rather have a hamburger, too! When the girls had dinner at a friends house back in ages ago, they came home more than once asking why we never had meatloaf! Hope Rod and your mom enjoyed it last night :)
DeleteAll your cooking looks yummy! I'm a big fan of all of Gimmie Some Oven's recipes. She's never let me down. Drinks on the lanai sounds lovely and yay for the crowd clearing out. I have Winter Solstice on my list to read later this year. I read it years and years ago and have been wanting to revisit it for a long time. Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - Gimme Some Oven has been a source of consistently good recipes for me, too. I've tried quite a few over the years. I reread Winter Solstice a couple of years ago around the holidays and loved the experience! You can't go wrong with any of Pilcher's long novels.
DeleteKiran Desai a fave of mine too.
ReplyDeleteMystica - This was my introduction to Kiran Desai, but I've added The Inheritance of Loss to my TBR list.
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