Julia Johnson

My biggest passion is reading books of any kind.

Mixtape Potluck Cookbook

Reblogged from My Never Ending List:
Mixtape Potluck Cookbook - Questlove
I liked the idea about this cookbook and in the introduction, it is explained in detailed how this cookbook came about. It’s a song inspired potluck. A song is selected and individuals are invited to prepare/cook something as the tune played. The dish didn’t have to reflect what they were listening to, it was just a reflection of the person preparing the dish. This sounded like an entertaining way to prepare some food, get friends together and get to know one another.
 
I was entertained with the music choices for some of the individuals chosen for the book. Martha Stewart’s Grape Focaccia’s was paired with Snoop Dog’s “Life of Da Party” and a cocktail prepared by Dave Arnold called Red Skies at Night featuring white run, wildberry honey, red chile flakes and vegetable glycerin that was paired with “Sounds of Silence” by the Beastie Boys. This cocktail looked good until I read the ingredients, as it reminded me of a drink I used to drink, the Slow Comfortable Screw. I guess I got tired of the orange juice.
 
It’s a very organized cookbook: with the recipes broken down into categories and there is even a list of guests that are included in the book. There’s an index and some tips on how to create your own playlist. Every recipe in the book has an illustration and I enjoyed reading the little paragraphs that accompanied each recipe about how the song was chosen. It was an interesting and fun cookbook and I enjoyed reading the Afterward and Introduction. Unfortunately, the recipes were nothing that I would fix. Spinach Pie, Tuna Pasta a la Popowendy, Thit Kho Tau, Bourbon Raspberry Tea- those are just a few random pages of the book. I did enjoy the book; the idea was fantastic but the recipes were not of my liking.

 

The Deep

Reblogged from My Never Ending List:
The Deep - Rivers Solomon
It was cover love that brought me to this book. After reading the synopsis, I knew that I had to read it. I was amazed how short this book was, yet the story had everything that I was looking for. Yetu needed to find her own life for the honor that was bestowed upon her was difficult.
 
She was the chosen one. Yetu was chosen to be the historian of her people. You would think, that being selected out of everyone else would be a blessing, yet to Yetu, this wasn’t. To be elected as the historian, Yetu wore this title like a weight. It dragged her down, deeper than she could handle.
 
As the historian, Yetu collected all the memories of the Wajinru people. Yetu’s job was to hold onto these memories so that they wouldn’t be forgotten throughout the years.
 
As I read about this, I thought about letting go of my own memories. Imagine, letting go of your memories, can you function? I think my day would be carefree and cold as I feel that my memories play a huge role in who I am and how I function and react each day. I wonder who I would be without my memories.
 
Now, think about Yetu. She carries all the memories of her people. The good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. What a gift and what a burden to know so much information. Yetu knows that being a historian is too much for her but what can she do, she was chosen and she has all the memories?
 
Yetu is late. The time for the Remembrance has passed and the Wajinru people are restless. Yetu must perform the Remembrance for them and give them the reassurance they need but more importantly, this event will give her some peace. I was hoping that Yetu would talk to the Wajinru and explain her situation, she was in a position of power, they would listen, wouldn’t they?
 
I really enjoyed this novel. I became a part of Yetu’s journey as she learns more about herself and the Wajinru. I enjoyed the flow of the book and the historical aspects used within it. I am hoping there will be more of this story.
 
I received an advanced copy of this book from Saga Press in exchange for an honest review.

 

Door 15:  International Human Rights Day (Book Task)

Reblogged from XOX:
The Kill Clause - Gregg Hurwitz

International Human Rights Day

 

Book: Read a book featuring a strong female character (or characters), by an author from any minority group, a story about a minority overcoming their oppressors, or revolving around the rights of others either being defended or abused, a book set in New York City, or a book originally written in a language other than English and / or your mother tongue or by anyone not Anglo-Saxon.

 

Tim Rackley is a marshal who is married and has a daughter. His world fall apart when his daughter was raped and killed by someone who escaped justice before. 

 

Now a shadow group approach him and said they got tips that his daughter's killer has an accomplice.  This group is into vigilantism and want to recruit him to be the executioner. 

 

That's the start of the story. It is about defending others people, especially from those why preyed on them. To defend someone is hard, especially justice depends so much on evidence and how professionally law enforcement agents do their job. 

 

It explored the idea of this and go further to see how grief has changed the person. 

 

It is because of human rights that know that we have to accept that some bad persons might escape justice, even with the best of efforts. It is the good people who watch out for other people that we admired. It is not necessary those who wear any form of uniform. Tim acted out not as a marshal but as a person, a father, a husband and a person who insist on doing the right thing. 

 

4.5 stars read. 

 

Reading progress update: I've read 365 out of 365 pages.

Reblogged from BrokenTune :
Waverley - Andrew Hook, Walter Scott

I fear this may have been the wrong week to read about the exploits of self-serving Edward Waverley and his flip-flopping political alliances. 

 

Also, this has been a tremendous slog...

 

There are interesting bits, tho, and I hope to mention them in a more coherent review later. 

 

Right now, I need a very different book.