1: Author. Last weekend Forrest and I went to Wordstock (a yearly conference featuring all things literary) and were in author heaven. We met Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis who signed our copy of Wildwood and then we met and chatted it up with Jonathan Auxier, author of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. This is his first novel and it is wonderful. I wrote a review about it here. After the weekend I decided to email him and ask if he would be willing to do an online interview that would be featured on my new blog…here. He wrote me back within the hour and the interview is forthcoming. I am over the moon. In addition to posting an interview I’ll also be doing a giveaway of his book. Tell everyone.

A lot: Pancakes. In honor of the season I am making pumpkin pancakes tomorrow and eating till my stomach hurts. Pictures and recipe to follow.

Love,
Libs

But as you have probably noticed, I have been a little absent lately. Well, here is the deal: I applied to be a judge for the Cybils award. The Cybils is a blogger’s award for the best of the best in children’s books. There are several categories, each with its own panel of judges who read all the books that have been nominated. This panel then suggests what should be considered by the second panel of judges who make the final award decision. Bloggers that are chosen as judges get some amazing publicity for their site.

I didn’t make the cut, which is totally okay. TONS of people apply for it and I don’t think I have enough experience to really set myself apart from the people who blog a lot more frequently and with a lot more focus.

However, this experience triggered a conversation with Forrest about this ol’ blog, and the conclusion was that I needed to create an online space that was a lot more focused on reviews, author interviews, giveaways, etc.

So, I am still keeping this blog around to talk about all the day-to-day adventures that happen around here, but I have created a new space for reviews only. Here is the link:

http://thelittlereviewer.wordpress.com

It is still a work in process, but I am pretty excited about it.

Take a look around and let me know what you think.

Thanks for being such lovely and patient readers.

Love,
Libs

Of course, not all food is good for you. Some of it clings to certain aspects of the human body like a sloth to a tree. With this in mind, I decided to give up corn and soy products as well as vegetable oil for a week. I just wanted to see if I felt any different, or, bonus, lost any weight.

Well, I can honestly say I did feel better and that makes me feel like I lost weight, but I don’t have a scale so who knows.

Through this process I learned just how many food items contain corn, soy, and vegetable oil. It is crazy!

Despite my self-control I still consumed some pretty fantastic food this week. Take a look at the goodness created in my kitchen:

Potato Pizza of Awesome

Seriously guys, this pizza was awesome. The crust was delightfully thin and a little bit sweet and the potatoes had been soaking in a salt brine all day so they added a nice savory flavor.

Melt in your mouth Chicken

My friend Laura gave me this recipe, and I now my life is complete. I am only slightly exaggerating. The lemon, cinnamon, sage, garlic, and milk create a flavor explosion. Oddly enough, it reminded me of Thanksgiving stuffing. I wish I had taken a picture of it cooked, but we devoured it so quickly that taking a picture would only have slowed us down. Is it gross to look at an uncooked chicken picture? If so, I’m sorry. In fact, here is a picture of it cooked, although you should know that this is not the same chicken as pictured above:

Yum!

Plum Cobbler

This cobbler is fall. The top has a biscuit-like texture that is oh-so-heavenly and the plums are rich, sweet, and syrupy. Eat it warm and eat it often and you are guaranteed to have a fabulous fall moment. Or several moments if you are like me and want to eat the entire thing in one sitting.

If any of these pictures pique your interest or taste buds and you’d like the recipe just leave a comment with your email address and I’ll send it to you post hence!

Happy fall!

Love,
Libs

If you have in your possession a canine or a feline make sure you administer flea medication to them weekly.

Just do it. Even if you think your pet will be the exception and won’t get fleas you should still give them monthly flea treatments. Learn from my mistakes, okay?

If you are friends with me on Facebook you already know about my flea ridden dog, house, and life. It got so out of control (i.e. fleas on me when I got to work, biting Forrest on his lip which then swelled up to twice its size, bites all over my legs, picking fleas off of Fran and not being able to get all of them, etc) that I thought I was going to lose it.

The thing with fleas is that they have several life stages and are impossible to get rid of by yourself. We tried all kinds of home remedies and sprays and finally succumbed to calling an exterminator to take care of it for us.

It’s been an interesting experience, to say the least.

Even though we have had a bad case of flea-itis that is no excuse for my absence here on the Quest. I offer my sincere apologies.

I have things to tell you!

Books I’ve been reading,

recipes that make my life easier,

and some Fall adventures with family.

All of that is coming soon…

I promise…

You can trust me.

Oh, and go get some flea medicine for your pet. You won’t regret it.

Love,
Libs

(It’s too embarrassing)

Instead, I want to tell you about the book: the summer i learned to fly by Dana Reinhardt

Notice the bright sunlight streaming in? Portland has finally achieved summer status, and in true Portland style people are complaining about the heat. You can include me in that ‘people.’ I moved away from Arizona to get away from the heat, but it just keeps following me.

But I digress.

The summer before her eighth grade year is finally here. Drew can finally spend countless hours working at her mom’s gourmet cheese shop alongside surfer dreamboat, Nick (she has a crush). Life is going according to plan: work at cheese shop, spend as much time as possible with Nick, hang out with mom, smuggle pet rat in backpack wherever she goes, and read the newly discovered book of lists written by her deceased dad. However, predictability goes out the window when the rat gets away and is found by mysterious Emmett Crane. Apparently Emmett can communicate with rats, hangs out by the back of the cheese shop to eat the cheese scraps, and is reticent to talk about his past. Nevertheless, Drew is drawn to him and wants to be his friend. Their friendship evolves over picnics, trips to the beach, and paper crane notes. Drew finally finds out that Emmett is on a mission to find a magical hot spring, and even though it means running away from home, Drew decides to opt in for the adventure. What they end up finding is more than just a hot spring… they find healing from emotional wounds of the past.

Here’s the deal: Dana Reinhardt writes like I think, so that made this reading experience extremely enjoyable for me. It was effortless to read while still retaining my interest and investment in the story; however, the whole book feels like waiting. What I mean is that the bulk of the story is about the slow (not too slow because the book is only 216 pages) evolution of Emmett and Drew’s friendship. The adventure of Drew and Emmett leaving to go find the hot spring only takes up the last 50 pages or so, and I was a little disappointed by that. It felt like the adventure was over as quickly as it began. Then again, I don’t this book is intended to be a rip-roarin’ adventure. I think it is much more about the relationships of the characters rather than the action or suspense.

Speaking of characters, the epilogue wrapped everything and everyone up so nicely…maybe a little too nicely? Is it helpful to a young adult’s sense of reality to have books (and TV episodes) wrapped up neatly by the end? Granted, this question doesn’t really have a foothold in the whole fantasy/science fiction genre, but when the book is realistic fiction should it be just that, realistic?

I really did like this book. I loved that Drew sacrificed something precious in order to help Emmett find healing and I love the strong themes of friendship, parental love, and sacrifice. Plus, after my short-lived beach vacation this summer I am in favor of any book that puts me back on the coast.

Love,
Libs

Last Saturday, Forrest and I went to a release party for Picket Line. Usually, when Forrest wants to go to events where I only know a handful of people I opt out. I just don’t do strangers or chit-chat well. Let me rephrase that: if I am in a customer service position I love it, but in a party setting I am horrible at it. I love greeting people at the library, asking them about their day, and answering all their questions; however, at a party I feel insecure, tiny, and wish I could just sit in a corner and read.

Sad, but true.

But I actually wanted to go with Forrest to this party. I loved Picket Line and I wanted to support the author, Breena, and I was in a pretty good mood.

The party was really nice, but my awkward tendencies were in fine form. I did sit in the corner, but not because I didn’t want to talk to anyone. The house was pushing the upper 80′s in temperature and the corner was where the window and nice, cool breeze was located. So I parked myself there and enjoyed a slice of cake. Unfortunately, due to the glorious breeze my bangs (pre-cut) kept getting in my eyes, so I had to keep swooshing them over. Apparently, during one of my swooshes I smeared white frosting all up my nose and forehead.

Here’s the awkward part: I didn’t realize I had done it.

Thankfully, Breena, wonderful person she is, informed me of this.

Sigh.

Awkward.

Whew…have you recovered from that story?

Yes? Okay, let’s move on to the next.

Awkward Story #2

On Monday morning, being a good wife and all, I took Forrest to work.

I have Monday’s off so I decided to just run my errands after dropping the hubs off. First stop was Winco.

Background story imperative to the story: For breakfast I had a piece of toast with a little bit of butter on it. The bread we have is amazing, but is also chock full of seeds.

So, I go to Winco, and I’m a happy camper. I have a shopping list, the aisles aren’t too crowded, and I have the day off. I’m smiling at people left and right.

Do you see where this is headed?

Yep, after I was safely back in my car I saw myself in the rear view mirror. Right between my two front teeth was a large piece of toast.

Sigh.

Awkward!

Whew. I don’t know about you, but that’s about all the awkward I can take right now.

On a not so awkward note, the September issue of School Library Journal came out and I have four reviews in it.

Four.

Wow.

If you would like to read them, go here.

Then look for the following author names:

Klavan
Leonard
McEntire
Ryan

Love,
your awkward, reviewer friend

Can anyone guess what TV show character says “Pork chops and applesauce” so distinctly that every time I say it I think of that person??

I wish I had a prize to offer the correct guesser…maybe I’ll work on that.

Okay, so for dinner last night I made pork chops with sautéed apples and polenta.

Oh. my. goodness.

It was pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Don’t apples make you think of fall?

Here is the finished product:

Forrest is quite possibly the best person in the world to cook for. Even when I put something less than stellar in front of him for consumption he always has something nice to say. However, last night might be one of my favorite Forrest food reactions so far – he acted so impressed and gushed over how good it tasted and how it was like something you would read in a book and wish you were eating.

Love that guy.

Well, after dinner I made the comment that waffle cones would taste so good with our homemade ice cream, but we don’t own a waffle maker so we probably couldn’t make them.

Because apparently, driving the short distance across the street to Fred Meyer to buy waffle cones was not an option.

Forrest quickly looked it up on the iPad, and before I knew it was busting out the ingredients and making one of the best waffle cones I have ever had. Well, the best waffle bowl I’ve ever had.

Check them out:

Do you see the Tigger shape? The star? The turtle?

I might have impressed Forrest with my pork chop triumph, but his masterful creation hits it out of the ball park in my book.

The crispy texture and out of this world flavor of the waffle bowl combined with the cookies n’ cream ice cream we made on Sunday was, in a word, divine.

Who knew I married such a culinary master?

Forget grad school! We’re going to open up an ice cream shop that serves pork chops on the side.

I mean…

I’ve included the pork recipe at the end of this post in case you are interested in making it; however, I do not know where Forrest found the waffle cone recipe. Somewhere on the interwebs.

Love,
Libs

Pork Chops with sautéed Apples and Polenta
From: Real Simple Magazine Sept 2011 Issue

Serves 4

Ingredients you’ll need:

2 tsp olive oil
4 bone-in pork chops – about 1 inch thick; 2 lbs total (Note: I used boneless pork chops and they tasted great. They were    cheaper, okay?)
2 apples, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick (I used pink ladies because they were pretty cheap and also amazing)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbs cider vinegar (Okay, my mom used to make me drink this stuff to cure a sore throat and I hate the stuff. I should’ve listened to that still small voice saying “don’t put it in!” I really did not like the flavor it added to the dish, but Forrest said he couldn’t taste it. Use at your own discretion because it definitely gives the dish a vinegar flavor, at least it does for sensitive palate’s like mine.)
2 tsp light brown sugar
3 Tbs unsalted butter
3/4 cup instant polenta
2 Tbs chopped fresh chives

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, 7-9 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm; reserve the skillet.

Add the apples and onion to the drippings in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, tossing frequently, until slightly softened, 6-8 minutes (I had to switch over to a large pot because my skillet wasn’t big enough for the apples, onions, liquids, and pork). Add the broth, vinegar (blech), and sugar and cook, tossing occasionally, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 Tbs of the butter. Return the pork chops to the skillet and cook until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and cook, whisking, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 2 Tbs butter, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Top the polenta with the pork chops and apple mixture and sprinkle with chives.

The End.

I actually bought pre-cooked polenta from Trader Joe’s, so all I had to do was warm it up in a pan. Very easy, but whisking instant polenta in water doesn’t sound too hard either.

Enjoy!

Bonus points if you can tell me where that conversation took place.

Hint: It is from a TV show.

So, the ‘haps’ from our weekend included some homemade ice cream:

Be still my beating heart:

I was the master cookie smasher:

Why yes, I did get my bangs trimmed!

Thanks for asking!

The haps also included this one getting fleas from those darn feral cats:

Only a face a mother could love.

I also started the book, The Help:

This book is so good that I don’t want to do anything else but read it.

Bah!

Darn you homework, laundry, and other domestic chores!!!

How was your weekend?

Love,
Libs

You see that Newbery Quest has a new post, and you wonder if Elizabeth has finally written about a Newbery book. Alas, instead of a post that actually correlates to the blog’s title you are stuck reading something written in second-person present tense, and yes, that is a little bit of annoyance you feel. You keep reading though, because you are a nice person.

You read the following review:

“Blink is a homeless teenager on the streets of Toronto who is just trying to stave off hunger and stay warm. Without trying, Blink gets caught up in the supposed kidnapping of Jack Niven, a CEO for a uranium development company. Blink is the only one who knows, or thinks he knows, that Jack actually staged his own kidnapping. Hoping to make a little money, Blink tries to find Jack and expose the lies, but he quickly realizes he is in over his head.

Caution is a teenager with a secret and a death wish. After running away from home, Caution finds a place to stay with a drug lord named Merlin, who is obviously anything but a good influence. When the betrayal and rough treatment are more than she can handle, Caution runs away again, but this time she is hunted by Merlin. No matter how much Caution runs, both Merlin and her past are always just a few steps behind.

The unfortunate paths of Blink and Caution merge and a friendship evolves. While tracking down Jack Niven, avoiding danger, and trying to think quicker and smarter than their enemies the unlikely pair soon realize that meeting each other was their luckiest break. Not only do they work better as a team, they also derive courage from each other enabling them to face the haunts of the past and helping them find a way back home.”

Hmm…you think. That book sounds fairly interesting, but you are still scratching your head, figuratively or literally, about the strange composition of this blog.

Well, now I’ll tell you: Tim Wynne-Jones, the author of Blink & Caution, tells Blink’s story in this strange second-person present tense. It was a little maddening at first because I had never read anything like it. However, I eventually got used to it and even enjoyed it a little bit.

So, the good about Blink & Caution:

The characters are well-rounded and well-developed. That is to say, they are easily imagined from the get go, but as the story develops you understand and picture them more and more clearly. The chapters are alternately told from the perspective of Blink or Caution; however, whenever it is a ‘Blink’ chapter the tense switches to that second-person whatever. At first, it was extremely distracting, and I had a hard time following the story, but after I was able to anticipate and understand this different perspective I was able to enjoy it. The plot sustains momentum throughout, especially at the beginning because you are reading two different story lines while anxiously awaiting their collision. While the story ended on, what I thought, was an unrealistic high note, I will admit that I was relieved to see good endings for two clearly troubled teens. All in all, there was plenty of adventure and action/suspense, particularly near the end, and I am usually a sucker for that type of entertainment.

Case in point: remember my ridiculous obsession with Indiana Jones movies? While I do love Harrison Ford, it is the adventure/suspense that keeps me coming back for more.

The reason I reviewed this book: In January I am attending a mock-Printz (kind of like the Newbery but for young adults, typically on the older side) and Blink & Caution is one of the titles on there.

I just thought you’d like to know.

Love,

Libs

Coming up next: Weekend Haps

Recently, Breena, the author of the web comic, finished and published her first graphic novel.

It’s called Picket Line.

Isn’t it beautiful??

Forrest and I pre-ordered a copy.

We’re pretty cool like that.

It’s even signed:

We picked up our copy on Saturday, and Forrest got to read it first (the lucky dog).

Now it is my turn.

(yes!)

As an aspiring librarian and wanna-be book aficionado, I can tell those of you that don’t already know that graphic novels have been up and coming for a while. At the library where I work (I’ll never, ever get tired of saying that), the shelves that contain YA graphic novels and J graphic novels are usually an unsightly mess because of how much traffic they get.

Needless to say, I’m excited to read this particular graphic novel, and I’m really excited for Breena. A few comic book stores are already picking it up, so if you are interested in acquiring a copy (you totally should), head over to the Easel Aint Easy website, or, if you are in the Portland area, you can pick up a copy at Floating World Comics (20 NW 5th Ave #101) and Bridge City Comics (3725 N. Mississippi Ave). If you are in Portland you can also borrow my copy…but only when I’m done.

At the very least, you should watch the trailer for Picket Line, which you can do here.

(Even though I know Breena, she didn’t ask me to say any of these things or promote her book. I’m doing so of my own volition and genuine excitement. Just so you know.)

Happy Monday!

Love,

Libs