Recipe: Macaroni & Cheese

A classic family favourite of mine! Everyone loves a good homemade mac & cheese casserole. Here's the recipe for mine :)

Ingredients

• 3 cups elbow macaroni
• 5 Tbsp flour
• 5 Tbsp butter/margarine
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer medium cheddar)
• 20-25 crushed crackers

Steps

1. Cook macaroni in a large pot.

2. Grease casserole dish.

3. Set oven to 350 degrees.

4. In a medium saucepan, melt butter/margarine, over medium heat.

5. Remove saucepan from heat and add flour. Mix in with butter. Put saucepan back on burner. 

6. Add half the amount of milk and stir in. Let set for a bit.

7. Add the remaining milk and mix until starting to thicken.

8. Add half the amount of cheese and let thicken.

9. Drain pasta and add to casserole dish.

10. Pour sauce over pasta and mix in.

11. Add the remaining cheese and mix in.

12. Pour cracker crumbs over top and smooth.

13. Cook in oven for 40-45 minutes.

Book Review: Safe Haven

Safe Haven
by Nicholas Sparks
2010
340 Pages

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again. 

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Review from Goodreads:
Like always, Nicholas Sparks makes me cry with his stories. This one was no different. I wanted to read it before seeing the movie (I tend to prefer books to movie adaptations), and now I'm excited to see how it's put on the screen. The story was so good - although at first I could see exactly where it was going with Alex and Katie. Once I got to the part with Kevin coming after her, then I started to really get into the book and start freaking out at what might happen to them. The relationship between Jo and Katie was also neat, and it made total sense when he explained more about it at the end. That part cued my crying. The characters were pretty realistic and their dialogue was too - especially with the kids. I highly recommend this book by Sparks - it's one of his very best!

Book Review: Heartbeat

Heartbeat by Danielle Steele
1992
404 pages

Synopsis from Goodreads
The poignant story of a man and a woman meeting the unforeseen challenges of love in our time.Bill Thigpen had his finger on the heartbeat of America as writer and producer of a popular TV drama. He was so busy watching his career soar that he never noticed his marriage collapse – until it was too late. Now, nine years later, he believed his life to be in perfect balance.Adrian Townsend thought she had everything: a job she liked as production assistant for a TV network show… a handsome husband she loved. It was an enviable life – the American Dream. Until she got pregnant, and Steven gave his ultimatum. Him or the baby.Bill and Adrian meet by chance, and are irrevocably drawn to each other. And as their friendship deepens into love, as they meet the obstacles that life presents, Danielle Steel touches the heartbeat of two wonderful people in a challenging modern-day relationship. 

Rating 4 / 5

My Review from My Goodreads
This was my first Danielle Steele book - my Mom has had all her books, but I never read one, surprisingly. Anyways, this book was good. As a mom now, I tend to read books involving family relationships a little differently, and this one made me cry at several points. The plot involves a man leaving his wife because she's pregnant and he never wanted kids. I hated him throughout the whole novel, so I definitely loved the other male character more. I found the main character, Adrian, a little annoying in how she dealt with her husband leaving and how she wanted him to be involved with her child's life. It was just so painful, but I'm glad the ending settled it all much better. The writing was good, yet predictable. I am looking forward to reading her other stories, in hopes that the plotlines are a little more creative and intriguing.

Book Review: The Dovekeepers

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
2011
504 Pages

Synopsis from Goodreads
Blends mythology, magic, archaeology and women. Traces four women, their path to the Masada massacre. In 70 CE, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on a mountain in the Judean desert, Masada. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. 

Four bold, resourceful, and sensuous women come to Masada by a different path. Yael’s mother died in childbirth, and her father never forgave her for that death. Revka, a village baker’s wife, watched the horrifically brutal murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers; she brings to Masada her twin grandsons, rendered mute by their own witness. Aziza is a warrior’s daughter, raised as a boy, a fearless rider and expert marksman, who finds passion with another soldier. Shirah is wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, a woman with uncanny insight and power. The four lives intersect in the desperate days of the siege, as the Romans draw near. All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secrets — about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love

Rating 2 / 5 

My Review from My Goodreads
I had great expectations for this book. I heard that it was really great, and made it to the bestseller's list. However, I was disappointed. I felt like I really had to *try* to get through it, and that's never good when you're wanting to enjoy it. Hoffman's writing is almost too metaphorical and descriptive for my liking.

I will say that I liked how the book was divided into four parts, each from the perspective of a main female character. I like how so many of the characters were entertwined throughout their lives and challenges. There were some parts that were difficult to read - just because of the gruesome nature (even if it was very true, it just made me sad to read about it). I can appreciate all the work that Hoffman did in researching for this novel. The historical aspects seem to all be in tact, and it's good to get a different perspective on events happening so long ago.

Out of all the female characters, I liked Aziza the best. She was determined, genuine and devoted. She was devoted to herself, her sister, her mother, her absent father, and the men she loved. 

I didn't much care for all the magic and spells in the novel. But the symbolism of animals was pretty distinct and neat.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to jump into another Hoffman book yet, maybe in the future.

Book Review: Size 12 Is Not Fat

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
345 Pages
2005

Synopsis from Goodreads
Heather Wells Rocks!

Or, at least, she did. That was before she left the pop-idol life behind after she gained a dress size or two — and lost a boyfriend, a recording contract, and her life savings (when Mom took the money and ran off to Argentina). Now that the glamour and glory days of endless mall appearances are in the past, Heather's perfectly happy with her new size 12 shape (the average for the American woman!) and her new job as an assistant dorm director at one of New York's top colleges. That is, until the dead body of a female student from Heather's residence hall is discovered at the bottom of an elevator shaft.

The cops and the college president are ready to chalk the death off as an accident, the result of reckless youthful mischief. But Heather knows teenage girls . . . and girls do not elevator surf. Yet no one wants to listen — not the police, her colleagues, or the P.I. who owns the brownstone where she lives — even when more students start turning up dead in equally ordinary and subtly sinister ways. So Heather makes the decision to take on yet another new career: as spunky girl detective! 

But her new job comes with few benefits, no cheering crowds, and lots of liabilities, some of them potentially fatal. And nothing ticks off a killer more than a portly ex-pop star who's sticking her nose where it doesn't belong . . .

Rating: 4 / 5

My Review from Goodreads
Meg Cabot's books are always a good light read. There's lots of realistic humour and dialogue that I can appreciate when reading her novels. The plot was pretty interesting, and at several moments I was second-guessing what might happen next. I liked the main character and thought she was pretty down-to-earth and dealing with truistic emotions. I also happened to become a fan of hers and Cooper's growing relationship! I definitely need to read the next book to find out what happens there!

It met my expectations for a Meg Cabot novel, and I enjoyed reading it after reading several heavy and deep books.

Book Review: The Language of Flowers

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
2011
322 Pages

Synopsis from Goodreads
A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

My Review from Goodreads
The book had a slow start for me. At first I thought it was going to be "too descriptive" - I really don't like books like that. But anyways, it picked up, and I realized it actually had a storyline - a tragic one at that. I became intrigued by the main character and actually saw strength and hope in her. I liked that the book kept switching back and forth between her past, and her present time, with each chapter. I also really liked the characters Renata and Grant. All of her characters seemed real and believable.

Towards the end of the book I got hit by a wall that caused me to really hate the main character and her decisions. I think it might have been due to me being such a new mom with a beautiful baby boy, who I love so very much. I couldn't wrap my head around her thoughts and actions, but as I read onwards, it began to explain more and more what she was feeling. In the end, everything came full circle and had a much more hopeful and happy turnout than I was expecting.

Book Review: Shadow Creek

Shadow Creek By Joy Fielding
2012
364 pages

Excerpt from Goodreads
There’s something deadly lurking in the shadows at Shadow Creek . . . Due to a last-minute change in plans, a group of unlikely traveling companions finds themselves on a camping trip in the Adirondacks. They include the soon-to-be-divorced Valerie; her oddball friends, Melissa and James; her moody teenage daughter, Brianne; and Val’s estranged husband’s fiancée, Jennifer. Val is dealing with unresolved feelings toward her ex and grappling with jealousy and resentment toward his younger, prettier new flame, a woman with some serious issues of her own. Brianne is sixteen and openly rebellious, caught up in a web of secrets and lies.

What Val and her companions don’t know is that a pair of crazed killers is wreaking havoc in the very same woods. When an elderly couple is found slaughtered and Brianne goes missing, Val finds herself in a nightmare much worse than anything she could have anticipated. She was half-expecting it to be the trip from hell, but what she never could have predicted was that this impromptu little excursion

My Rating: 2 / 5 Stars

My Review from Goodreads
Normally I just love her novels. I expect lots of twists and turns, realistic dialogue and believable characters and circumstances. This novel however, was way too gruesome for me. I found myself wanting to skip over scenes because they were too gory or descriptive. Perhaps my taste in suspense novels is changing, but I don't enjoy reading horrific details about gruesome murders. 

The characters were believable, and the dialogue was still good. Fielding still managed to write seriously, with some humour throughout it. She also managed to trick me with one of her usual twists in the plot. I was glad that this part of her writing was still consistent.

Out of all the books written by her, I wouldn't recommend this one, but rather one of her earlier ones.

Book Review: The Time Of My Life

The Time Of My Life - by Cecelia Ahern
2012
484 pages

Synopsis (from Goodreads)
Dear Lucy Silchester, You have an appointment for Monday 27th July 2011. Yours sincerely Life.

Lucy Silchester has received an appointment card. Actually, she's been invited along a few times to this appointment, but she keeps brushing the gold embossed envelope under the shag pile carpet. She's taken her eye off the ball and has busied herself with work (a job she doesn't love), helping out friends, fixing her car, feeding her cat, seeing her family and devoting her time to their life dramas. But Lucy is about to find out that this is one appointment that she can't miss. And she can't escape it either. Her Life is about to catch up with her in the most surreal of ways.

Rating 5/5 Stars

Review (from my Goodreads)
I absolutely loved reading this book. I'm very picky on my "chick-lit" reads, but this one was really good. She writes well with a lot of good wit, sarcasm, and descriptions that aren't over-the-top but rather have humour in them. The characters were believable - even her Life - and I loved that I could picture each and every one of them in every scene. Not to mention, I love how the book ended - predictable, yes, but still it was what I wanted. I'll definitely be trying other books by Ahern in the future!

Book Review: The Book Thief

The Book Thief - by Markus Zusak
2006
552 pages

Synopsis (from Wikipedia)
Narrated by Death, the book is set in Nazi Germany, a place and time when the narrator notes he was extremely busy. It describes a young girl's relationship with her foster parents, the other residents of their neighborhood, and a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II.

Rating 5/5 Stars

Review (from my Goodreads)
Amazing book! So well-written and just so touching. I honestly felt like I was there with Liesel through everything. The history component was great yet tragic. I definitely cried in the last quarter of the book!

I might use this as a novel study for my students next year...

Book Review: Nights of Rain and Stars

Nights of Rain and Stars
by Maeve Binchy
2004
326 pgs

Synopsis from Goodreads
In a tiny Greek village, tourists enter a hilltop tavern, alone and in pairs, for a casual lunch. But a sudden tragedy in the harbor below causes these perfect strangers to become unlikely friends as their lives begin to entwine.

Fiona left her nursing career in Ireland to be with the man everyone thinks is wrong for her. Elsa fled Germany and her high-powered television job once she learned what the man she loved was hiding from her. Thomas mourns his failed marriage and misses his young son in California, while David yearns to reconcile with his family in England without having to go into the family business. Chance has brought them together, and together they will find new ways of looking at the lives they left behind.

My Review from Goodreads
I absolutely loved this book. It was the first one of Maeve Binchy's that I read, and it was really good. I loved how the characters were so realistic and well-personalized. Her writing style was light, with a good amount of description (not too much, which is what I was expecting). I loved how the plotlines developed and entertwined. I also loved that there were four Nationalities being discussed (it really added to the characters). Obviously the happy endings made me pleased too. A very nice read, and a good way to end the book club year!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Book Review: Loving Frank

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
2007
356 pages

Synopsis from Wikipedia
Loving Frank is an American novel by Nancy Horan published in 2007. It tells the story of Mamah Borthwick and her illicit love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright amidst the public shame they experienced in early twentieth century America. 

A talented writer and novelist, Nancy Horan spins an intricate web of themes in her novel. One of the main themes is that of guilt and judgment of others and society in general. Another is the role of the artist in society. The novel also explores the development of the feminist movement in the United States and Europe. We are told that in America, the focus is on the woman’s right to vote and equal pay whereas the European woman is more concerned about her right to live her life free from the ties of marriage. Mamah’s and Wright’s travels in Europe are described as a form of escape from the constraints experienced at home. They soon realize, however, that the fantasy is short lived and they are inevitably called back to face reality. It is the more conformist and more guilt ridden Mamah who stands her ground and resists the urge to return to her family obligations. She struggles between the ties to her family and her invisible bond to Wright. She chooses the latter but inevitably realizes that her passion for Wright often brings her to abandon her own intellectual aspirations. Even Wright, the self proclaimed free spirit, succumbs to some of society’s pressures in the end.

Back of the Book
"I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current." So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives.

Rating 3 / 5 stars

Review from My Goodreads
The book started out great, and I was pretty hooked with the story. However right in the middle of the novel, it started to drag as the characters just seemed to be going with the flow, and not really developing. It picked up again right at the very end, and I was completely shocked with the ending. I really didn't like the main character, Mamah. She seemed selfish, arrogant and irresponsible. I really felt bad for her kids and Edwin throughout the entire story. Frank was ok - he annoyed me at the beginning, but by the end I really felt bad for him. Overall the story was good, and the writing style was nice for the most part (sometimes it got too detailed with the setting, but that's my personal preference).