Hello, friends, it's been a while! March is high season here and life is busy. We've had visitors (our daughter and son-in-law and then my sister and brother-in-law), spent lots of time with friends, and attended several local events. We've seen plenty of sunsets, plus a few sunrises, visited a couple of new wildlife refuges and gardens... and suddenly it's been three weeks since my last post!
I'm still reading, but not quite as much. It looks like I'll only finish three books this month, but at least I'm keeping up with the chapter-a-day War and Peace reading project.
Recent reading//
The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman
This day-in-the-life story features Aunt Orsa's upscale restaurant, a dinner reservation which includes author John Grisham, and 22 stolen ribeye steaks. Kauffman moves us through "Grisham Day" from theft discovery, to staff interrogations, and eventual resolution with chapters told from alternating perspectives - the chef, the hostess, servers, the owner, etc. We learn character backstories, relationships, workplace dynamics, and witness the (often hilarious) chaos of the evening dinner service. I've read five of Kauffman's six novels and she has become a favorite. I still think Chorus is her best novel, but this was a satisfying read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Volume 7 by Beth Brower
Have I mentioned lately how much I love these characters? This Victorian-era soap opera is wildly clever and entertaining, and this may be my favorite volume yet. I'm reading one book every month with a small group from Modern Mrs. Darcy. We end in April with Volume 8 .... and then anxiously await volume 9. Hopefully later this year.🤞
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
A family drama is an easy sell for me, and the addition of local flavor makes it irresistible. This one opens in 1977 Rochester, NY - literally an hour down the road from my high school and in my 'era'! It begins with two families, a neighborhood scandal, the fallout, and immediate repercussions. Around the halfway mark, the story jumps ahead twenty years and we see how things continue to shake out for everyone involved. I was delighted by the mention of a now-defunct local department store (Sibley's, anyone?), a grocery chain reminiscent of Wegmans, familiar locales, and foods like beef on weck! This was a quick, fun read for me. And, in case you're wondering, "lake effect" refers to the heavy snow which falls on downwind shores when dry air passes over the warmer, unfrozen water of the Great Lakes.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Current reading//
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
I just started this yesterday as a read/listen combination and, at 670 pages, I expect it to take some time.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
My year-long slow read with Footnotes & Tangents continues. We're at the 30% mark now and it's better than I was expecting!
In the kitchen//
I've talked about the progress our island has made since Hurricane Ian in 2022 and, while the recovery is by no means complete, there has been a dramatic improvement compared to last year. One of the little things that's made a big difference to me is the return of a small fresh seafood stand just over the causeway in Fort Myers. I've been cooking fish two or three times a week all winter!
A couple of weeks ago I came across this Slow Cooker Korean Beef recipe from Skinnytaste and, though I could not tell you the last time I prepared beef in the crockpot, this flavor profile sounded particularly appealing. It calls for a 2 lb chuck roast, trimmed and cubed, then browned before adding to the slow cooker. That's fussier than any of my usual crockpot recipes, but turned out to be worth it. The meat was so tender and everyone loved the Korean flavor - a keeper!
The week ahead//
Compared to the past few weeks, this week is looking pretty quiet... even though Sunday and is both Easter and our daughter's birthday. It should be fairly low-key since it'll be just the three of us.
How was your week? What have you been reading?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
